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Faculty Research Award

Overview 

The Faculty Research Award, administered by the Faculty Research Awards Committee (FRAC), provides seed funding to support faculty research, scholarship, and creative activities at Arkansas State University. The program is intended to help faculty initiate pilot or feasibility studies, develop creative works, and generate preliminary results that strengthen future proposals for external funding. 

For answers to questions, contact Research and Technology Transfer (RTT) at research@astate.edu or 870-972-2694. 

Program Purpose 

The Faculty Research Award supports faculty efforts to: 

  • Conduct pilot or feasibility studies 

  • Advance scholarly or creative activities including books for publication, art exhibitions, and music compositions 

  • Generate preliminary data or proof of concept 

  • Develop competitive proposals for external funding from state, federal, foundation, or other sponsors 

Projects from all disciplines are encouraged. 

Award Administration 

Applications are submitted through the InfoReady portal and reviewed by the Faculty Research Awards Committee (FRAC). 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with their college's FRAC representative prior to submitting a proposal to ensure the project is clearly understood during the review process. 

The current FRAC membership is available on the RTT website (https://kb.astate.edu/books/faculty-research-awards-committee-642). 

Allowable Expenses 

Funds may be used for research, scholarship, or creative activities directly related to the proposed project. 

General guidelines include: 

These guidelines are intended to assist applicants. FRAC reserves the right to consider all requests based on project merit. 

Application Timeline 

  • Applications Open: September 1 annually 

  • Application Deadline: Third Friday of October (5:00 p.m. CDT) 

  • Award Notification: Mid-December 

  • Project Period: July 1 – June 30 of the following fiscal year 

Submission Requirements 

Applications must be submitted through InfoReady by the published deadline. 

Application Requirements 

Applications must include the following components. 

1. Cover Sheet 

Complete the required FRAC Cover Sheet template (Template can be found on the InfoReady application page) 

Include: 

  • Complete the FRAC Cover Sheet using the required template.
  • Select the Faculty Research Award as the funding program.
  • Include an abstract of 300 words or fewer suitable for publication on the RTT website. 

2. Project Narrative (Maximum 4 Pages) 

The project narrative is limited to four pages, including tables and figures. References do not count toward the page limit. 

The narrative should be written for a broad academic audience and should minimize highly technical language. 

Address the following: 

  • Project scope, significance, and objectives 

  • Background and related work 

  • Research methodology or creative approach 

  • Project timeline 

  • Dissemination plan 

  • Future external funding strategy, including anticipated sponsor(s) and funding opportunity(ies) 

3. References 

 Include all references cited in the proposal as a separate attachment.  Note there is no page limit on references. 

4. Budget and Budget Justification 

 Submit: 

The budget should clearly explain and justify all requested expenses. 

5. Curriculum Vitae 

Provide an abbreviated curriculum vitae for the Principal Investigator using the required template. (Template can be found on the InfoReady application page) 

Maximum length: 4 pages. 

6. Research Compliance 

 If applicable, projects involving human participants, animals, or transgenic organisms or biohazards must receive approval from the: 

  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) 

  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) 

  • Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

Proposal Evaluation 

Eligible proposals are evaluated by FRAC based on FRAC Rubrics. 

Final Report Requirements 

Award recipients must submit a Final Report to RTT at frac@astate.edu by July 31 immediately following the close of the award period. 

The report must include: 

  • An abstract suitable for publication on the RTT website 

  • A brief summary (approximately 2 pages) describing: 

    • The research, scholarly, or creative activities completed 

    • Project outcomes and accomplishments 

    • Plans for future research, scholarship, creative activities, or external funding 

Failure to submit the Final Report by the deadline may result in the Principal Investigator being ineligible for future FRAC funding opportunities. 

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