Collaborative Seed Grants --- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
(Last updated June 20, 2008)

Contact Information: Emily Devereux, Program Coordinator
870-680-4344
edevereux@astate.edu

Do these grants have indirect costs associated with them?
Yes, these grants will typically have your university’s typical NSF indirect cost distribution.

Do I need a collaborator from another institution or can I just request funds to be used in my own program?
You are not precluded from applying as sole PI. The funds available will be less (see RFP). However, cross-institutional collaboration has been stressed by both the ASSET Initiative proposal and by NSF EPSCoR. Thus, having strong synergistic collaborations will enhance your reviews and chances of getting funded.

I am interested in collaborating with someone who is not on the “P3 Center Participant List” and not at ASU, UAF or UALR. Is this allowed? Is this seen as supporting cross-institutional collaborations?
This is a challenging question. As you know, this is a small pie and we would like to keep the research tightly focused on our plant-based bioproduction goals. However, we are also interested in mobilizing the best expertise to bring your project to a stage where you are published and competitive for federal funding. So if it is well justified and reasonable, the reviewers and EPSCoR management will support funding collaborations with researchers at other in-state institutions. It should be noted that NCTR was a part of the original proposal. Yvonne Dragon, our NCTR lead, is no longer at NCTR. However, other collaborators from NCTR would be very welcome and the NCTR expertise in microarrays (including Affymetrix), proteomics and metabolomics is a great resource for Arkansas research.
Taking advantage of the funds available through ASTA for scientific exchange of students/post-docs is also a great way to support collaborative work with other researchers in the state.

Can I participate on more than one grant?
Our goal is to facilitate good science and good collaborations. Thus, if you bring value and expertise to multiple projects (i.e., if your role is well justified for each grant), being on more than one project is not precluded.

There isn’t enough money in these grants, especially if we have to cover indirect costs and will do significant experiments at two campuses. Do you have any suggestions as to how to extend the dollars?
Remember, these are seed grants – their goal is to develop preliminary data, initial publications and collaborations that will support competitive grant applications and funding. It may be possible to used EPSCoR dollars to fund ½ of a graduate student and get institutional commitments to fund the other half. Most graduate programs with limited fellowships would be delighted to “match” a grant-funded student. The reviewers would also look favorably on this since it extends the reach of the EPSCoR funds.
It may be possible to propose a 50% postdoc or technician that could be shared with a related project at your sight. Alternatively, EPSCoR has funds that would support a student or postdoc to spend 1-4 weeks at your collaborators site. NCTR has apartments that are available for short term visits.

If I get a grant, are there any opportunities for renewal or follow-on funding?
Very unlikely!