Frequently Asked Questions 

• 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?
  No, subcontracts are not allowed.
• Are there any restrictions to being a PI or Co-PI on more than one application?
  A faculty member can only be PI on one application and Co-PI on one application. If you do not submit an application as PI, you may be listed as Co-PI on two applications.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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. 
• Which funding opportunities are acceptable targets for the special initiative Revise and Resubmit Seed Grant cycle?

  The first cycle of this program accepted proposals from PIs targeting any NIH funding opportunity, including R35 and DP2 mechanisms, for a resubmission. 

  The second cycle will accept proposals from PIs targeting funding opportunities from any external sponsor for their resubmissions.

• What is the process for resubmissions?

  Seed grant proposals that were not selected for funding may be revised and resubmitted one time in the cycle immediately following the initial review. Resubmitted proposals must meet additional application requirements. Please refer to the program guidelines for details on the submission process. 

  Please note that resubmitted proposals will not be reviewed by the same panel. For this reason, it is essential that the applicant clearly explain how they have addressed the reviewer comments as part of their rebuttal.
  

• 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.

 Please direct all questions to: OPD_OVPR@stonybrook.edu