Campus Funding Resources

• Proposal Development Seed Grants

The Vice Chancellor for Research is allocating funds to support the development of large collaborative grant proposals with the goal to facilitate the submission of highly competitive funding requests to federal agencies.

PDS funds shall specifically facilitate the submission of large collaborative grant proposals with minimum proposed budget of $1,000,000 coming to SIU Carbondale (i.e. excluding subcontracts) and carrying full F&A (exceptions will be considered), and a minimum of three participating PIs from SIU.

PDS is specifically designated to support the proposal development process. PIs can request PDS to cover a variety of expenses that may arise during the Pre-Submission phase. Examples of expenses for which PDS funds may be requested include, but are not limited to:

• Travel support to facilitate meeting external collaborators or funding agencies;
• Acquisition of consumables or use of equipment and facilities to generate preliminary data;
• RA or postdoc support

PDS funds may not be used for faculty or staff salaries.

FY26 PDS Guidelines

Questions may be directed to jackiel@siu.edu

Eligibility

1. The applicant must be a full-time faculty member of SIU at the time of the request and at the time of the meeting/presentation/event. The applicant must be at least in their fourth year at SIU.
2. The faculty member must have been invited/accepted to officially participate in the event, e.g., have a paper accepted, asked to make a presentation (poster or oral) which they have authored/co-authored, present an exhibit, performance, or lead a conference session. Proof of invitation/acceptance must be provided along with the request.
3. Events may be in person or virtual.
4. Funds can only be supplied for one co-author if multiple apply.
   
   A faculty member may only receive this award once every fiscal calendar year.

Faculty Applicant Responsibilities

1. At least 30 days prior to the start of the event, complete  Faculty Conference Travel Application and submit it to jackiel@siu.edu along with a copy of the invitation/acceptance letter/email from the event organizers.
2. After your application is processed you will receive a signed copy via email from the OVCR.
3. Attend the professional development event, and save all receipts for expenses paid.
4. Within 10 days after the close of the event, submit all receipts, a copy of the event program page that documents your presentation/participation, and the required Travel Expense Voucher or Invoice Distribution Form to the business staff for your program.
   • In-person events: Complete a Travel Expense Voucher
   • Virtual events: Complete an Invoice Distribution Form

Limitations

1. Funding for is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, based on available funds.
2. Requests must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the event, and follow-up documentation      must be received by the OVCR within 20 days after the event.
3. All University/State restrictions on travel apply.
4. A faculty member may only receive this award once every academic calendar year.
5. A faculty member is not eligible during their first three years at SIU.
6. Funding will not cover expenses that are already being reimbursed by other agencies or funding sources.

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) will cover ½ of the expenses of a faculty member (up to $1,500 per academic year) to meet with funding agencies, program offices, and Foundations to explore sponsored program opportunities.

Eligibility

The applicant must hold the academic rank of Assistant Professor or higher and be employed on a full‐time basis in a tenured or tenure track position; or hold the rank of Research Assistant Professor or higher and be employed on a full‐time basis.

Travel Grant Application

Faculty Applicant Responsibilities

1. At least 30 days prior to the visit complete the Faculty Funding Agency Travel Applicationand submit it to jackiel@siu.edu
2. The application must include a description of the funding agencies, foundations, and program offices to be visited and the sponsored program opportunities to be explored. Please include the specific names/titles of people, places/locations that you expect to visit and exact dates/times that these secured events will occur in pursuit of extramural support.
3. After your application is processed you will receive an approval via email. Approval may take up to approximately two weeks.
4. Reimbursement will be based on actual expenses. Save all receipts for expenses paid.
5. Within 10 days after the visit submit all receipts and the required Travel Expense Voucher to the business staff for your program.

Limitations

1. Funding is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, based on available funds. Total funding is limited, and awards are not guaranteed.
2. Funds from this grant may not be used for travel to workshops, conferences, or other sites such as those of collaborators or partners.
3. If other travel is to be associated with the visit, only the incremental portion of travel expenses associated with the visit will be supported.
4. All University/State restrictions on travel apply.
5. A faculty member may receive $1,500 each academic year under this program.
6. Funding will not cover expenses that are already being reimbursed by other funding sources.

The New Faculty Startup Program, administered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, provides supplemental funding for faculty startup costs. The program's objective is to make SIUC competitive to hire the highest quality faculty that have the greatest research potential.

Commitments for startup can be made over several fiscal years.

Requests for startup commitments to a candidate should be forwarded by the College Dean to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research,  and include:

• A completed New Faculty Startup Request Form.
• Itemized information and justification of the candidate’s startup needs, including cost estimates where possible.
• A copy of the candidate's resume.

The goal of this program, administered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, is to further promote research and scholarly/creative activity on campus by increasing the University's commitment to providing matching funds for external grants. It is intended to support principal investigators who are pursuing external funding that requires or would be enhanced by a commitment of matching funds.

Guidelines: In all cases, principal investigators should first approach their department or unit (research center, etc.) and then their dean for matching fund commitments. Proposals with partial matching fund commitments from these and/or other sources are more likely to gain additional matching funds from the Vice Chancellor for Research. Proposals that are budgeted fully for the University's federally negotiated indirect cost rate are more likely to gain a matching funds commitment from the VCR.

The following types of requests for matching funds will be accepted:

• Requests for proposals for basic or applied research submitted to open, competitive, merit-reviewed federal programs where matching funds are required as an indication of institutional commitment. This priority was established in part to encourage pursuit of more competitive federal grant funding.
• Requests where a matching fund commitment will enhance the merit and impact of the proposed project and thus positively influence the funding decision.

Planning Considerations:

To minimize problems, matching funds requests should be completed at least 1 business week in advance of the proposal due date to ensure that the VCR is on campus prior to the due date and to allow time for negotiation.  Procedures and considerations for requesting matching funds are as follows:

• Contact your OSPA project specialist to assist in development of a budget and for guidance on preparing a matching funds request.
• Matching funds should emphasize equipment lines, if at all possible.
• Request matching funds from department chairs/heads of units, and deans.
  • Complete the Request for Cost Share and e-mail the request to the Office of Sponsored Projects at ospa@siu.edu
• Depending on schedules, it may take several days for OSPA and the VCR to review and negotiate the amount of matching dollars available.
• After the VCR has signed the request form, you will receive an email confirmation with a copy of the request.
• Any cash match (e.g., for equipment or for non-key personnel such as GAs and researchers) from the VCR or other SIUC units must be indicated on the Proposal/Award Checklist. In addition, if the match item does not appear in the budget, it must be cited in the budget justification or the proposal narrative, generally the resources page. (Check the program guidelines; some agencies, such as NIH, don't want to see matching funds in the budget.) The grant's matching funds could be rescinded if you do not meet this requirement.