Agricultural Experiment Station
The mission
of the College of Agriculture is to serve the educational and information needs
of students, Wyoming citizens, and the global scientific community. This mission
is carried out through the college’s tripartite functions: higher education
(instruction), discovery of knowledge (research), and dissemination of knowledge
(outreach). The college’s research and outreach programs are issue-oriented and
focus on agricultural sustainability and profitability, natural resource
management, and family and community resources.
The Wyoming
Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) requests multi-departmental research and
outreach proposals that address strategic issues facing Wyoming. The purpose of
the AES Competitive Grants Program is to encourage research and outreach that
discovers and disseminates knowledge that assists in achieving the long-term
priorities listed below. Proposals should indicate which of the college’s three
focus areas are addressed by the proposed project and how the results will
assist in meeting these priorities:
1.
Economic
viability of farm/ranch operations and families while maintaining the natural
resource base. This priority specifically includes marketing, risk management,
and resource management systems for coping with change and stress associated
with drought, development of novel crop and livestock products, and
diversification through alternative enterprises.
2.
Protect and
enhance the natural resource base. Provide science-based knowledge and education
on the sustainability of natural resource systems that support economic use and
long-term health of the system.
3.
Economic
opportunities and improved quality of life in rural areas. Provide science-based
technology and information to facilitate informed economic and business decision
making. Provide research-based implications of local, state, and federal
regulations and policies on agriculture, natural resources, communities, and
families.
4.
Enhance
nutrition, health, and food safety.
5.
Improve
animal nutrition, health, and diagnosis of animal and wildlife diseases.
Research and
outreach proposals must clearly state the strategic issue being studied and
which of the priorities are being addressed. Special consideration will be given
to proposals that include studies conducted at the Research and Extension
Centers. Projects that are multi-departmental and/or demonstrate multi-college
efforts and have principal investigators who are untenured faculty will be given
preference, but not to the exclusion of high quality research. This program is
intended to enhance the competitiveness of AES research by providing seed grant
funds to establish the validity of novel exploratory ideas as a basis for
further funding. It is not intended to supplement funding of well-established
projects. Principal investigators of funded projects are expected to seek
external funding during the period of funding by the AES. Proposals with
principal investigators who have been previously funded by AES must provide
information on external funding received to continue the initial research
supported by the AES.
Submitting a Proposal
The body of
the proposal is to follow the specified format with one-inch margins and single
spacing. Failure to follow the format and guidelines is grounds for
rejection. Proofread your proposal
carefully. Submit the proposal electronically
to aes@uwyo.edu, by 5:00 p.m., Friday,
September 12, 2008. Also submit a hard
copy of the signature page with all the appropriate signatures to the AES
office, Ag C 111 by the same deadline.
For those
investigators proposing research that may lead to patentable inventions please
note the following instruction: Each page
of the proposal that contains potentially proprietary information should have
the following header placed in BOLD and ALL CAPITAL LETTERS:
THIS PAGE
CONTAINS UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING CONFIDENTIAL/PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.
In addition,
it is the author’s responsibility to inform AES that the proposal may contain
potentially confidential and proprietary information in the letter transmitting
the grant application to the UW AES office.
Funding for
this program is largely from federal funds, which require dollar for dollar
matching funds from non-federal sources (use of salary funds for the match is
preferred). Federal law does not permit these funds to be used for tuition, and
tuition expenditures cannot be used as a match. All projects awarded funding
must be approved at the federal level through the normal Agricultural Experiment
Station process. Annual reports and a termination report will be required for
each approved project. Direct questions and submit proposals to:
Director
postal address from off campus:
Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station
1000 E University Ave, Dept 3354
Ag C 110
Laramie WY 82071-2000
Campus
aes@uwyo.edu
phone:
307.766.3667
fax: 307.766.3379
Format for Competitive Grant Proposals
Title,
Leadership, Duration, and Location of Study (1 page): Provide a clear, concise,
and descriptive title, a list of principal investigators and departments, time
required to complete the study, and where the research will be conducted.
Project
Abstract, Funds Requested, Previous AES Competitive Grant Funding (1
page): Provide an abstract of the entire
research project, including total funds requested from the AES Competitive
Grants program. If any principal investigator has had previous AES Competitive
Grant funding, list title, PIs, duration, and
additional funding received to continue related research.
Objectives,
Rationale, and Expected Significance (2-3 pages):
Provide a brief but thorough statement of the specific objectives of the
research. Include reasons for undertaking the project with special emphasis on
importance of the proposed project. The expected significance to agricultural,
natural resource, family and community resource focus areas, and one or more of
the identified priorities should be included in this section. Include a
paragraph describing how additional funding will be pursued to continue research
beyond the AES seed grant.
Review of
Previous Work (2-3 pages): Furnish a
complete overview relating the present state of knowledge to the proposed
objectives. Only information pertinent to the project objectives and rationale
should be included. Preliminary data (results), if available, should be included
in this section.
Methods
(4-5 pages): Give a detailed and
complete description of the experimental methods and analysis related to the
specific objectives of the proposal. Special attention should be given to
potential pitfalls of the approach and to alternate methods that could address
them. Specific plans to disseminate the information should be included in this
section. This plan should include likely publications, how the technology/
information will be transferred to appropriate audiences and how the results
will be used to address the strategic issue.
Cooperation
(1 page): For each principal
investigator, specify the various roles and responsibilities and the amount of
time (months) that will be devoted to this research project. This section should
provide a clear statement of the interaction and collaboration of PIs during the
project.
Budget
Justification (1 page): All
equipment and salary items must be explained and justified in this section. If
funds for graduate assistantships are requested, include the insurance expense
as salary. Specify a budget for each year of requested funding. Submit a
separate budget sheet for each year of funding using the attached budget format.
The first year budget for proposed projects will be nine months
(January-September 2009); budgets for other years will be October-September. The
first nine months are eligible for the full $20,000 budget. It is recommended
that summer salaries not exceed 25% of the budget. Funding for each project is
limited to $20,000/year for a maximum of $60,000 for three years. Indirect costs
cannot be used for matching funds.
Literature
Cited: Provide listing of references
used.
Vitae:
Provide a short vita (three pages) for each investigator. In addition to
the normal summary data, a listing of relevant research publications and a
summary of other external funding for the past three years for each investigator
must be included.
Evaluation Factors
A.
Program
Requirements
1. Programmatic themes
2.
Experimental/research design
3. Plans for
technology/information transfer
4. Integration of
relevant disciplines
5. Roles of primary
personnel
B.
Program
Preferences
1. Multidisciplinary, multi-college, or multi-state
2.
Activities conducted at Research & Extension Centers
3.
Involvement of untenured faculty or support of graduate students
4.
Defined problem and relevance to the college focus areas and priorities
5.
Well defined and scientifically sound procedures/methods
6.
Reasonable and well-justified budget
7.
Proposal format within guidelines and possible pitfalls addressed
8.
Likelihood of project being completed in specified time period
9.
Original or unique proposal with impacts clearly stated
Annual Budget
Request[1]
Project Title:
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Budget Period:
October 1 – June 30
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Items |
Funds Requested |
Matching Funds |
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A. Salaries |
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1. Faculty |
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2. Research associates, etc. |
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3. Graduate students (include insurance) |
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4. Faculty summer salary |
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B. Fringe benefits[2] |
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Total salaries + fringe |
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C. Supplies |
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D. Travel |
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E. Publication/dissemination costs |
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F. Other direct costs[3] |
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G. Total (budget period Oct-June) |
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Budget Period:
July 1 – September 30
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Items |
Funds Requested |
Matching Funds |
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A. Salaries |
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1. Faculty |
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2. Research associates, etc. |
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3. Graduate students (include insurance) |
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4. Faculty summer salary |
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B. Fringe benefits2 |
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Total salaries + fringe |
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C. Supplies |
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D. Travel |
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E. Publication/dissemination costs |
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F. Other direct costs3 |
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G. Total (budget period July-September) |
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Total annual
budget: ___________________
AES Competitive Grants Program
Application
Signature Page
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Investigator
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Department
Head
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[1] Prepare one budget page for each year of requested funding. Note: The first year will be January-June and July-September 2009.