FAQs | Office of Proposal Development

If I do not win in the fall, can I automatically be considered in the spring?

No, you must reapply. If comments were provided, we will make them available to PIs to help inform improvements.

How will I know whether my application was received on time?

You should receive an email containing a timestamp from the submission portal 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 my seed grant project have subawards?

Yes, if strong justification is provided. Note, however, that sub-awardees will require F&A costs, which could add a significant amount to the budget.

Are there any restrictions on being a PI or CoPI on more than one application?

A faculty member can only be PI on one application and CoPI on one application.

If I currently have an OVPR Seed Funding grant, can I still apply as a PI or Co-PI?

No, if you currently have OVRP Seed Funding, you are not eligible to apply. You must wait until the 18 month funding period is over to apply again.

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 CoPIs 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.

Can I include support letters in my application?

No. However, you may briefly describe the letters of support you received within the 4-page project description.

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 summarize any comments they provided and share them with you.

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 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 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.

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 this new seed grant initiative, the Office of Proposal Development is available to provide support to all seed grant awardees in the development of full proposals to external funding agencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please direct all questions to: OPD_OVPR@stonybrook.edu