Small-Scale Grant GRA Match Program

The Office of the VPRP, DISC, ICAST, and the OU Arts & Humanities Forum invite applications for a new matching funds program to stimulate and enhance OU research and creative activity efforts through partial support for a graduate research assistant position on small-scale, externally-funded institutional grants.

For successful applicants, the program sponsors will provide up to $15,000 in additional funding for a one-year time period, provided that a graduate research assistant position was budgeted for in an external grant application that in FY23 (i) was awarded, (ii) is currently pending, or (iii) is planned. (FY23 began 7/1/22 and extends through 6/30/2023).

The matching funds are expected to enhance project outcomes and increase the number of external grants pursued by OU faculty. The match is valid only if the external grant is awarded.

We anticipate this will be a recurring program which will fund 2-3 applications per year (subject to funding availability). 

All regular faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and ranked renewable term) on the OU Norman Campus and Tulsa (Norman campus programs) are eligible for this award. There is no disciplinary limitation on this award, although the program is targeted at small-scale and Planning/Level 1/Discovery-Level grants common in the arts and humanities. No grant over $50,000 will qualify for a match under this program.

The application packet should be prepared and submitted as a single PDF (11-point font or greater, 1-inch margins) and should include:

• Cover page with the name of the PI, as well as information about co-PIs (if applicable). Provide complete grant information related to this match request: agency, program, project title, award amount, award period, submission date, current status (awarded in FY23, submitted in FY23, or is planned for submission in FY23).
• A brief project description (1-2 pages) that includes the goals and specific anticipated outcomes of the proposed project. Describe the role that the graduate student will play in achieving the project’s goals. If applicable, indicate the extent to which the PI has prior experience in mentoring graduate students.
• Budget information: proposed GRA total costs (salary, fringe, tuition waiver), and proposed use of matching funds. Specifically, how would the additional funds benefit the project?
• Applicant’s 2-page mini-vita.

Submit application as a single PDF by 10/28/2022 to the submission portal.

Proposals will be evaluated by a selected team of internal faculty and administrators agreed upon by the OVPRP, DISC, ICAST, and the Arts & Humanities Forum. These evaluators will represent specialization in all areas covered in this grant program, including the digital humanities and the studio arts.

Evaluation will be based upon anticipated outcomes of the project, the importance of the GRA for successful completion of the project, and the potential impact of the matching funds on the overall outcomes of the project. Additional considerations will include the PI's track record of success in obtaining external sponsored research funds, anticipated opportunities for continued future funded work on the project, and prior history, if applicable, of mentoring graduate students. 

Round 1:

• October 28, 2022: Applications are due by 5:00 pm CT
• Late October – early November 2022: Internal peer review period
• November 22, 2022: Notification of selected proposals for awards

Round 2:

• February 20, 2023: Applications available
• March 20, 2023: Applications are due by 5:00pm CT
• Late March 2023: Internal Peer Review Period
  
• April 1, 2023: Notification of selected proposals for awards

Recipients are required to notify the Faculty Director, OU Arts & Humanities Forum, if their external grant submission is successful.  Those recipients of externally funded projects who use their matching funds for a GRA should submit a 1-2 page final report, including a budget report, to the Arts & Humanities Forum within 3 months of the conclusion of their project. This report should describe the impacts of the project on the field of study, the awardee’s research/creative activity program, the research profile of OU, and the benefits for the Graduate Student(s) associated with the project.

All written publications (whether in hard copy or electronic form) that have benefited from the OU Graduate Student Matching Funds must acknowledge (in part, if appropriate) the support of these funds.

If you have additional questions about this opportunity, contact A&H Forum Director Kimberly Marshall (kjm@ou.edu).