Proposal Deadlines: March 26, 2024
 

Institute for Successful Longevity Planning Grant Program: Request for Proposals

A. Purpose of the Grant Program

The purpose of the ISL Grant Program is to provide funding for a new direction or continuing early support of existing research or creative activity, being that the principal investigator will use the funds for a project in which the goal is to promote or find ways to improve successful longevity in aging populations.

B. Award Information

• The maximum award amount for the ISL Grant Program is $25,000.
• Faculty salary is not allowed under this program.
• ISL Grant Program funds can be used for a student stipend, project-related travel, production of project-related materials, photocopying, and/or a variety of other project-related expenses.

C. Eligibility

• Participation is open to all Affiliates of the Institute for Successful Longevity. Requests for exceptions should be submitted by email to the ISL Administrative Assistant at isl@fsu.edu with supporting rationale provided by the Department Chair, Dean, or equivalent official prior to the proposal deadline.
• Principal Investigators (PIs) who received ISL Grant Program funding in the academic year 2023–2024 are not eligible for consideration for any competitions in the next two years.
• ISL Grant Program awards are intended to support the planning of research activities for which the PI has not yet received significant external funding.
• Generally, PIs will not be awarded more than one ISL grant during an academic year. 

• Exception: Those faculty who are eligible to apply for the First Year Assistant Professor program this year (AY 2023–2024, for summer 2024 funding as an FYAP) may also apply for the ISL Grant Program in the same academic year.

• Only one application per PI may be submitted to this program per competition round.

D. Important Dates for the 2024 - 2025 Round

Spring 2024 Round

• Application Deadline: March 26, 2024, 11:59 p.m.
• Award notification: May 1st, 2024
• Award Period: May 14, 2024 – May 15, 2025

E. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• The proposal must be written in clear, concise language so that reviewers from any discipline will be able to understand.
• Proposals with incomplete required fields will not be able to submit until all required fields are completed.
• Applications that do not adhere to the RFP instructions will be ineligible for funding.
• Go to Section H. Proposal Submission Process for instructions on how to apply.
• The following sections must be completed in your proposal application:

Proposal Transmittal (Word Doc) 
For ISL Grant Program submissions, these documents are now a part of the electronic submissions application.  All applicants will now submit this form within the ISL program application. Obtain the approval of the Directors, Chairs, and Deans of the PI and Co-PI(s). Please provide sufficient time for approvals prior to the program deadline. It is advisable to check in advance on the availability of those who are required to approve your application if you are intending to try and submit it close to the deadline: applications received after the deadline without the required approvals will not be accepted.
If you need assistance with completing any of these forms and want a staff member from your department to assist you, you can grant access to a staff member by adding a “proposal contact” to your application.

Abstract 
This document is now a part of the electronic submissions application.  All applicants will now submit this section directly within the ISL Grant Program application. Your abstract should not exceed 250 words.
Curriculum Vitae  (Word Doc) 
Use this 2-page form to indicate the PI’s history of employment, publications, grants and awards (including any FSU awards), and other data pertinent only to the research or activity proposed in this submission. Please follow the Curriculum Vitae Instructions. The PI must list the names and department affiliations of each Co-PI in the proposal text and provide a vitae for each Co-PI. Only PDF versions of the Curriculum Vitae will be accepted. To view CV examples, please click on the subject area that is closest to your field of research: Arts, Engineering, Humanities, and STEM.
Past, Current & Pending Grants 
This document is now a part of the electronic submissions application.  All applicants will now submit this section directly within the ISL program application.
List all internal and external grants you have received in the past 5 years, as well as pending external grant proposals. Concurrent submission to other agencies will not cause prejudice in the review of your proposal. If you have received previous FSU Grant Program funding, explain in the comments section of the award the outcomes of that funding, including research and creative results and any external awards, won as a result.
Budget 
This document is now a part of the electronic submissions application.  All applicants will now submit this section directly within the ISL Grant Program application.
Use the below items as a guide for your specific budget items:

• The maximum award amount is $25,000
• Faculty salary is not allowed under this program.
• Award funds may be used to support a stipend for a student hired on the proposed project, but may not be used to pay for student tuition or matriculation fees. If awarded funds are used for a student stipend, the required fringe benefits and tax considerations must be included in the total requested amount, which cannot exceed $25,000.
• Fringe benefits rates are available here.
• Award funds may be used for such expenses as project-related travel, photocopying, and like costs necessary to perform the proposed project, and the production of a recording, manuscript, or body of work in order to attract external arts and humanities underwriting.
• Equipment purchases (Capital Outlay over $5,000) are strongly discouraged under this program. However, if you believe an equipment purchase to be essential to the planning of the research related to this proposal, you must include, in the Proposal Text, a detailed and verifiable explanation to support your request.

Proposal Text (Word Doc) 
The proposal text cannot exceed 8 pages (not including references and appendices). If you do not have information to submit for a given section, enter N/A. Only a PDF version of your proposal will be accepted. Below are the required sub-sections for the Proposal Text.

1. Project/Issue and Goals  

• Describe the project/issue your proposal will address as it relates to Successful Longevity.
• Briefly describe the goals/objectives of the project

2. Research methods/creative activities
   Describe the research methods/creative activities that will be undertaken.
3. Significance of intended outcomes
   Describe the significance/importance of the intended project outcomes.
4. Anticipated external funding        

• Describe how the proposed research or creative activity will enhance the prospects for future external funding.
• List anticipated outside funding sources to support follow-up activity, including specific grant programs, the goals of those programs, and the amount of funding available.
• List the approximate date(s) by which you intend to request external funding from one or more of the funding sources you identified.

5. Schedule of project activities

• Indicate the time period during which each of the major project activities will begin and end, including publication and/or performance plans.
• If appropriate, briefly describe the related research and/or creative activities that will take place before and after the grant period.

6. Budget
   Provide a detailed and clear budget explanation. The information should mirror the items you will be placed in the budget form but should be significantly more detailed. The description should be narrative in nature and should include quantifiable financial information.
7. Departmental/College support
   Describe any additional support the PI will receive from the department and/or college. This special or non-routine support may include, but is not limited to, release time from teaching load, graduate student costs, rehearsal or performance space, lab space, and/or technical assistance.
8. Professional Obligations
   List any professional obligations the PI has for the award period.
9. References
   Include a references list, if applicable. References do not count as Proposal Text pages. Important Note: All references MUST be FSU Internal.
10. Appendices
    Include appendices as needed, including approval forms and other supplementary materials pertinent to your request. Please be considerate of reviewers’ time and file space; avoid excessive appendices.  

F. Proposal Examples

• Examples of successful CRC proposals are available on our Successful Proposal Database. Your FSU username and password will be required.

G. Research Compliance

• Research activities requiring compliance review and approvals (human or animal subjects, DNA, RNA, hazardous materials, or marine lab facilities for example) require the completion and submission of forms to the appropriate FSU department or group. You must seek and receive approval before such research is attempted and before any funds can be released if awarded. See Human Subjects, Animal Care and Use Committee, Environmental Health & Safety, or Research Compliance for other compliance requirements that may apply to your research or performance plan.
• You may pre-apply for human subjects or animal use approval prior to funding notifications. While not required in advance, having prior approval will prevent delays in receiving grant funds, if funded

H. Proposal Submission Process

• Go to https://isl-fsu-sm.smapply.us/ 
  
• Log in or register a  new account. If you cannot recall your password, click forgot password.
• Start a new proposal by selecting the ISL program listed under the apply tab. Complete all the sections and upload each of the required elements. Note: You will have the ability to submit/store/save your proposal elements and update/edit them until the posted deadline for the program.
• Proposals with incomplete required fields will not be able to submit until all required fields are completed.
• Proposals received after the deadline will not be processed and incomplete proposals will not be accepted. Please revisit your proposal to make certain it is complete before the deadline.
• Obtain approval from Directors, Chairs, and Deans of PI and Co-PI(s). 
• Your proposal is ready for review when all the Co-PI(s), Chair(s)/Director(s), and Dean(s) signatures are received.

I. Proposal Review Process

• Reviewers will use these review guidelines for scoring the proposal. 
• Reviewers must be internal with Florida State University and must not present any conflict of interest for the application and scoring process.
• Each reviewer will provide “blind” electronic feedback, not just a numeric score, which will be shared with the PI and his/her department Chair and Dean. Reviewer identification will not be released to the PI.
• ISL makes final funding decisions based on the funding allocated to the program, the number of proposals received, and the merit scores of each proposal.

J. Award Terms & Conditions

• ISL Grant Program funds can only be used to support research and creative activity.
• Capital Outlay (over $5,000) equipment purchases are strongly discouraged; any capital outlay purchases become the property of the Principal Investigator's (PI) department.
• ISL will support a stipend for a student hired on an ISL Grant Program: stipend only.
• Planning grants do not support tuition or matriculation fees in their awards.
• Award funds may also be used for such expenses as project-related travel, production of a recording, manuscript, or body of work in order to attract external arts and humanities underwriting.
• ISL Grant Program funds do not support faculty salaries.
• The ISL approved the project budget as submitted with the proposal. Budget deviations greater than 10% per budget line item (cumulatively) require the prior written approval of ISL. Budget revisions should be requested via a Budget Amendment Form. The Budget Amendment form, which can be downloaded from the Forms Portal, must be electronically signed by the PI and submitted to the ISL No Cost Extension and Budget Amendment Submission page. An example of a completed Budget Amendment form is available here. If the budget revision is approved by ISL, the OMNI Project Budget will be modified to reflect the newly approved categorical amounts. Budget amendment requests must be approved before any changes can occur. You may not submit an amendment request after the fact.
• ISL approved the scope of work as submitted with the proposal. The written approval of ISL is required prior to implementing any change to the scope of work. Actions likely to be considered a change of scope include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Change in the goals or specific aims approved at the time of the award;
• Any change from the approved use of animals or human subjects;
• Shifting the emphasis of the research from one area or another; or
• Transferring the performance of substantive programmatic work to a third party by contract or any other means.

• Budget or scope of work violations may result in loss of ISL funding eligibility for multiple years.
• No-cost extensions require the prior approval of ISL. Any request and justification for a no-cost extension should be submitted to the No Cost Extension and Budget Amendment Submission page no less than thirty days prior to the award expiration date. ISL will consider your request and will advise you of the outcome electronically. It is possible that ISL may need to discuss this request with your department Chair or Dean before rendering a decision.

K. Grant Close-Out

• Grant account close-out will automatically occur within 60 days following the award period end date.
• No-cost extensions require the prior approval of ISL. Any request and justification for a no-cost extension should be submitted to the No Cost Extension and Budget Amendment Submission page no less than thirty days prior to the award expiration date. The ISL will consider your request and will advise you of the outcome electronically. It is possible that ISL may need to discuss this request with your department Chair or Dean before rendering a decision.

L. Payback

• PIs who later find that they have funding from another source for similar or the same support are requested to decline acceptance of this award so that funds can be redirected to provide support for other applicants who would otherwise go unfunded.
• In the event that a PI leaves the University, involuntarily or voluntarily, prior to the end of the award period, the awardee’s Dean or Department Chair has the responsibility of notifying the Director of the Institute for Successful Longevity and returning the award amount to ISL.