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Faculty Funding Success Initiatives

2020 Faculty Success Initiative ParticipantsFSI-Extramural Funding Fellowship (FSI-EFF)

The Extramural Funding Fellowship (FSI-EFF) is campus-wide initiative supported by the Schools (SSHA, SoE, SNS), Graduate Division, HSRI, SNRI, and the Office of Research and Economic Development.

This four day selective and focused training program is based on tools used by San Diego State University that have proven successful in helping faculty to maximize their success in securing extramural funding. The program focuses on mentoring early-career faculty and new investigators in skills that range from communicating with grant officers, to finding funding opportunities, developing successful proposals, and interacting with the media, and more. 

The program is selective, with a preference for faculty who are pre-tenured, although other faculty moving into new investigative areas may be considered as well.  Fellows will receive a $3000 stipend: $2000 for program participation and $1000 after a grant has been submitted. Fellows will be encouraged to also access the FSI-Pre-submission Review Program to help with grant submissions or resubmissions after the FSI-EFF Fellowship is completed.

Criteria Include: 

  • Your planned proposal must be targeted at a federal agency (e.g., NSF, DOE, NEH, etc.), with full indirect costs allowed.
  • The proposal you submit must be run through a UC Merced unit. More specifically, your proposal will be submitted through the unit that sponsors your fellowship, e.g. fellows supported by SNS submit their grants through SNS, etc.
  • The applicant should be pre-tenured, although post-tenured applicants moving into new investigative areas or who have not been funded before may be considered.
  • If an applicant is not selected for participation this year, he/she can apply again when the program is offered in the future. 
  • In-person attendance in all four sessions is required, so be sure you can commit your time on these dates. 
  • Fellows will receive $2000 for their participation. An additional $1000 is awarded if a grant is submitted within 12 months. 
  • Applications are reviewed by the school deans, graduate division dean, ORU directors, and ORED staff.

FSI Pre-submission Review Program (FSI-PRP)

The UC Merced Pre-submission Review Program  was established in collaboration with the Schools, the Office of Research and Economic Development, and SNRI, and is administered by the Office of Research Development.

HSRI will fund the external review of your proposal prior to submission to the sponsor. Please be sure to allow plenty of time for this process. We recommend, for example, that for an NIH submission, your proposal is complete and ready for review one full cycle before you intend to submit. This means that for a new R01 submission to the Cycle III October 5 deadline, your proposal should be ready by June 5 so that there is ample time to engage an external reviewer of your choosing.

Please be sure to discuss the FSI-PRP with your pre-award Research Administrator, who can help initiate the process.