The next application cycle will open at the start of the 2008-2009 academic year.

Please note that there has been a change in the application process. Read carefully and note new deadlines and guidelines for proposals and budgets.

Unlike previous years that required a complete, detailed proposal and budget up front, the International Initiative Selection Committee is requesting Letters of Intent for interdisciplinary research projects. The projects will be evaluated as to their quality and how well they adhere to PFIIS guidelines. Those groups whose projects are deemed appropriate will be contacted and asked to develop a full proposal and budget for final consideration.

Letters of Intent (LOI) should consist of a one- to two-page description of the project goals, the individuals and disciplines involved, and its relevance to one or more themes of the International Initiative. LOIs will be accepted only from members of the Stanford University Academic Council or the Faculty Council of the School of Medicine. Teams must consist of a minimum of two faculty members authorized by the university to be principal investigators on research grants funded from intramural and extramural sources.

Projects will be evaluated on the likelihood of being successful, whether they address the themes of the International Initiative, involve Principal Investigators in at least two different disciplines, and have the potential for obtaining future support. It will be important to document how the collaborative effort will be stronger than the sum of two or more independent projects.

LOI submission deadline: October 31, 2008

All letters of intent should be sent electronically as a Word or PDF document to Whitney Sparks at: wsparks@stanford.edu no later than October 31, 2008.

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals will be accepted only from members of the Stanford University Academic Council or the Faculty Council of the School of Medicine. Teams must consist of a minimum of two faculty members, authorized by the university to be principal investigators on research grants funded from intramural and extramural sources.

Proposals must include the following information and required forms:

1. Cover Page Indicating Type of Grant
   Indicate whether you are applying for a planning or a project grant. Cover page should also indicate the proposal title, list the PI eligible faculty names, start and stop dates of proposal.
2. Curriculum Vitaes
   Include CVs for all principal investigators of the project. Short versions are acceptable.
3. Detailed Project Description
   Provide a discussion of the project's goals, and how it addresses one or more of the International Initiative's three themes (or if not, why not). This description should be clear and concise, especially to readers outside of your disciplines. Typical length expected is about five pages. Proposals should conform to the following guidelines:
   
   Projects must have an international focus, that is, the issues being examined or addressed in the project should have commonality or applicability in more than one part of the world. Priority in funding will be accorded to those proposals emphasizing peace & security, governance, and human well-being.
   
   Projects must be based on collaborative research and teaching, involving faculty from two or more disciplines and, when possible, from two or more schools. They must give evidence of true interdisciplinary methodology in the design of research questions and in the proposed implementation and dissemination of research findings.
   
   Preference will be given to projects that include graduate student collaborators or some other training component.
   
4. Project Organization
   A brief description of the project's structure and organization, including names and departments of all faculty members, students and staff involved in the project.
5. Research Timetable
   Explain where the research stands, what will be accomplished during the grant period, and what will remain to be done at the conclusion of the grant period. Estimate the date of completion of the research.
6. Detailed Budget (MS Excel and MS Word format are both accepted)
   Include an itemized list of estimated costs to be covered during the grant period. The budget should be categorized by expenditure category anticipated to be used if awarded. Preference will be given to projects that limit expenditures for faculty remuneration to less than 25% of total budget.
   
   Expenditures will be restricted to approved items from the proposal budget. Awards typically support research travel and materials, course development, and research assistantships. Faculty administrative supplements and honoraria payments will not be funded and are considered unallowable expenses. It is expected that the budget should include the anticipated fringe benefit rates appropriate to the type of payment and it will include the university interdepartmental infrastructure charge of 8%. If awarded, the infrastructure will be paid at the time of award setup.
   
   No funds are available to cover travel or maintenance costs for dependents and spouses. No funds are available to cover conference travel, registration or other conference-related expenses unless the conference is a direct outgrowth of the funded project. For example, if your project sponsors a workshop in New York, travel for a project member would be allowed.
   
   Other sources of project support, either in hand, pending or planned, should be noted in the application.
7. Teaching or Research Product
   Provide a description of a product to be completed, for example, a published article or development of curriculum materials.
8. SU-42 Form click here for specific PFIIS tips on completing the new version
   Initially proposals will be accepted with a preliminary version of this form. They will be accepted with the primary PI and his or her associated department administrator signatures, as confirmation that the department administrator has reviewed and ensured the accuracy of the proposal budget. However, if awarded, any new award cannot be opened or funds accessed until this form is checked for accuracy by the PFIIS Administrator, revised as necessary, then completed and signed by all appropriate parties. Awardees must be sure that the appropriate boxes pertaining to Research Compliance are filled out. If still required at time of award notification, recipient departments will be asked to send a signed copy of the finalized SU-42 , along with a copy of any and all protocol approvals from Research Compliance, to the PFIIS Administrator. The SU-42 should not be routed to OSR at application stage of the process; it will be routed there by the PFIIS Administrator at the time of award setup. Awards cannot be opened until all requirements are satisfied.
   
   Protocol Approvals: All PFIIS awards are pending until any and all compliance issues noted on the Stanford University Proposal Routing Form, SU-42, have been addressed and approvals secured. If your project involves any use of human or animal subjects, hazardous agents, or recombinant DNA, you should immediately submit either a cross-reference or new protocol to the relevant Research Compliance Panel for this new award. It is up to the Principal Investigator (PI) to provide the PFIIS Administrator with copies of required Administrative Panels (also know as Internal Review Board) protocol approvals for their PFIIS awards, if applicable. See the Research Compliance website for more information on Administrative Panels.

Proposal submission deadline: January 9, 2009

The deadline for submission of proposals is Friday, January 9, 2009. Proposals submitted after close of business on January 9, 2009 cannot be considered. Grant awards will be announced on or about February 28, 2009.

The deadline applies to personally delivered proposals, emailed proposals and USPS mailed proposals. Email submissions must be computer time-stamped and in the form of attachments in Word, Excel or PDF formats only. For all electronic submissions an SU-42 with original signature(s) is required to be forwarded to the PFIIS Administrator within two weeks following the RFP posted deadline. Hard copy proposals submitted via USPS (paperclips only, no staples please) must be postmarked by the deadline. The final cutoff date for receipt of any mailed proposals, postmarked on or before the deadline, is January 9, 2009.

Please submit all PFIIS letters of intent, proposals, reports, and general inquiries to:

Whitney Sparks
via email to wsparks@stanford.edu