Frequently Asked Questions 

Application

Budget

Eligibility

Post Award

Application

• How will I know whether my application was received on time?
  You should receive an email  notification from InfoReady confirming that your application was received. If you do not receive this email, please contact the Office of Proposal Development at OPD_OVPR@stonybrook.edu to confirm.
• Can I include support letters in my application?
  Letters of support can only be included if they are requested in the call for proposals. The letters of support can be submitted by the letter writer or included in the proposal pdf package.
• Will we receive feedback regarding our application?
  We ask reviewers to make comments on each of the applications they review. Not all reviewers do this. However, if you request comments, we will share the comments they provided with you.
• Can PIs at Stony Brook on the same seed grant project receive separate funding awards?
  Yes, each PI can have their own projects with signature authority on only their portion of the award. The budget justification should clearly indicate the relevant budget items for each PI.
• How can I trust confidentiality in proposing my research ideas?
  All peer reviewers will be selected after the receipt of all applications to minimize conflicts of interest. In addition, the expectation of confidentiality among the reviewers will be acknowledged prior to receiving the proposals and emphasized throughout the review process. The reviewers will provide scores on multiple scales to ensure reliability of the scoring rubric and will be encouraged to provide review comments to guide improvements to the proposal.
• Where should I include the letter from my department chair?
  If you require a letter from your chair, add it to the beginning of your PDF proposal package.
  
  Please consult the Eligibility section of the How to Apply page to determine whether you need a letter from your department chair to submit an application to the OVPR Seed Grant Program. If a letter from your chair is required, please add it to your PDF proposal package or have the letter writer submit it to OPD separately.

Budget

• Can I charge a PhD student salary on this grant? If so, how do I go about it?
  You would need to create an Employee Appointment/Change form to modify the labor schedule. The personnel transactions on the seed awards are treated like research grants and therefore exempt from the position compensation form approval process.
• Can I include personnel salary in the budget?
  Yes, it is fine to budget for personnel costs for research staff (students, technicians, etc.). However, salary for PIs and Co-PIs must be presented with strong justification.
• Does my department need to match any portion of the seed funding?
  No, there is no expectation for a match.
• Is there a lower limit on the funding amount or duration of the project?
  There is no lower limit for either funding amount or duration. However, if your project will be less than 12-18 months in duration, then your budget should coincide with the activity period you propose.
• Can conference registration fees and travel costs for the PI be included in the budget?
  Conference attendance and travel would need to be clearly related to the proposed research for consideration as an item in the budget. It would also require a strong justification.
  
  If these expenses were not in the original approved budget, the PI would be asked to submit a new budget with strong justification. Based on the revised budget and justification, we will make a decision regarding the approval of the new expenses.

Eligibility

• If I am not awarded in the previous competition, can I automatically be considered in the next one?
  No, you must reapply. If comments were provided, we will make them available to PIs to help inform improvements.
• Are there any restrictions to being a PI or Co-PI on more than one application?
  Individuals may only be PI on one application.
  
  Individuals may only be a Co-PI on two applications.
  
  There is a limit of four Co-PIs on any application.
  
  Individuals may not apply as PI if they currently have an active OVPR Seed Grant.
• If I currently have an active OVPR Seed Grant, can I still apply as a PI?
  No, if you are the PI of an active OVPR Seed Grant, you are not eligible to apply as PI for a new grant. You must wait until the award period of your current OVPR seed grant has ended before you can apply again.
• Does the OVPR Seed Grant Program fund research in humanities and social sciences disciplines?
  Yes, Stony Brook University faculty in all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Regular cycles of the OVPR Seed Grant Program do not have any restrictions in terms of project topic or discipline, as long as the proposal is compliant with the program guidelines and the PI meets the eligibility requirements. Regardless of discipline, all proposals will be peer reviewed based on the criteria listed in the How to Apply section of the website. As one of the major review criteria is the award's potential to create a clear path to the receipt of an external grant, it is very important to identify a specific external funding opportunity as a submission target and to demonstrate that the seed grant award would position the research team for success with that submission.
• What kinds of projects are not funded by the OVPR Seed Grant Program?
  Projects that are already funded.
  Projects that have not identified targeted external funding opportunities.
  Projects with expected timelines longer than 18 months.
  Projects led by PIs with an active OVPR Seed Grant project.
  For further information on eligibility, visit this webpage.

Post Award

• How much time do I have to submit the documentation to start my award?
  You will have until the deadline provided by the Office of Proposal Development to return your documentation to ensure that your funds are available by the award start date. Any delay in submitting the paperwork may result in a delay in the award setup. If the documentation is not provided, the award will be cancelled after 12 months from the original start date. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. 
• Can my seed grant project have subawards?
  No, subcontracts are not allowed.
• Will the institution provide support for the development of these seed grants into proposals for external funding?
  Yes, the intention of this seed grant program is to support our investigators in the pursuit of extramural funding for their most promising research ideas. Therefore, as part of the seed grant program, the Office of Proposal Development is available to provide support to awardees in the development of full proposals to external funding agencies.
• Can I request a no-cost extension for my OVPR Seed Grant project?
  Yes, if you are approaching the end of your award period and have not spent all of the funds, you can submit a request via email to OPD_OVPR@stonybrook.edu. Extension requests should be submitted no more than 90 days prior to the award end date.

 Please direct all questions to: OPD_OVPR@stonybrook.edu