Major Grants

• Grants are open to tenured and tenure-track faculty.
• Work must integrate at least two distinct disciplines, broadly defined.

• Projects should be scientifically sound and result in significant contributions to scientific knowledge or have the potential for groundbreaking scientific results. The term science is interpreted broadly, yet rigorously, as methods that increase knowledge through evidence-based inquiry, including experimental, mathematical, and/or simulation evidence.
• Work that clearly supports the Picker ISI mission and goals.
• Projects must involve a scientific question/problem that requires an interdisciplinary approach.
• Collaboration between individuals with different areas of expertise is required and provides opportunities to tackle existing problems in creative new ways. Collaborations may be intra- or inter-institutional. Collaborators may come from the same department or program.
• Individual’s expertise and the value of integrating their perspectives must be clearly defined.
• Projects should have the potential for sustained impact beyond institute funding (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, external grant funding, or an ongoing contribution to the curriculum).
• Student involvement that enhances interdisciplinary learning and raises student awareness of the University’s interdisciplinary science programs.
• The proposed project should be one in which satisfactory progress would not be possible through other Colgate funding sources, including departmental or Research Council funds.
• The Executive Advisory Committee may prioritize projects that support the institute's mission and goals the most, and those of faculty members who have not received a Major Grant in recent years.

Typical Major Grant awards range from $80,000 to $120,000 (with a maximum award of $150,000). Funding categories may include:

• Project-related travel.
• Release time for Colgate faculty, budgeted as $20,000 per course (maximum one course per participant per year).
• Supplies and general operating costs.
• Wages and fringe benefits for staff. Staff are paid as Colgate employees. Staff typically work on campus but may work remotely in special cases.
• Undergraduate wages and salaries that cannot be funded by other Colgate sources.
• Consultant fees. (Co-principal investors should not be listed as consultants.)
• Access fees for equipment or data.
• Equipment that is clearly required for proposed projects. Requests will be considered and should be discussed with the director. Large equipment expenses may be better funded through external sources (e.g., NSF, Research Corp).

Please contact the director if you have questions about funding categories that are not listed here.

Write for a broad interdisciplinary audience. Be clear, concise, and concrete. Incomplete applications will not be considered. To ensure fairness, the use of generative AI tools is not permitted in the preparation of this proposal.

Proposals should include:

1. Cover page: Project title, principal investigators (PIs), and affiliations.
2. Project summary, 150–200 words: Goals and anticipated outcomes.
3. Project narrative, less than 4,000 words. Describe the research question, interdisciplinary approach, significance, and expected outcomes of the project.
4. Brief statement, less than 250 words: How the proposed research relates to your longer-term research and/or teaching plans, and how the project advances Picker ISI's mission and goals.
5. Timeline, one-page: How research will be organized, what tasks will be accomplished, and an estimated project completion date.
6. Detailed budget: Itemize by category using actual costs; tie each line to the plan. View the Colgate grant budget guidelines, and use actual costs.
7. CV of PI(s) and other personnel, less than three pages: SciENcv or similar format that includes personal and professional information such as education, employment, scientific appointments, honors, grants, publications, research products, and synergistic activities.
8. Supporting letters or other documents, not to exceed 10 pages.
9. Previous Picker ISI support and other funding: List prior Picker ISI awards, including outcomes, and any current or pending internal or external funding relevant to this project.

Formatting tips: Use Times New Roman, 12-pt font with standard margins. (References are separate.) Single-spaced text is acceptable, provided it has clear headings. Combine all materials into a single PDF, if possible.

Course release may be requested only for tenured faculty members. If a course release is requested, the applicant should notify their department chair or program director before submitting the grant application. The Picker ISI director will also inform the department or program about the leave request. 

Applicants should provide:

• Standard Faculty Leave Form: Completed form countersigned by department chair and division director. Applicants must submit this form.
• Statement of Past Leaves and SLA Credits: Past leaves, current SLA balance, and number of Picker ISI SLA credit(s) requested for this application.
• Statement of Sustained Service and Teaching Contributions: Describe sustained service or teaching contributions that go beyond normal expectations; less than one page.

• The Executive Advisory Committee’s recommendations for funding are subject to final approval by the dean of faculty/provost and president.
• Post-award budget changes exceeding 10% of the Picker ISI-awarded total require prior approval from the Picker ISI director. Limitations that apply to initial grant applications also apply to requests for changes to major grants following the initial award.

• Submit a one- to two-page summary of the project outcomes within four months of completion.
• Faculty members involved in research projects are expected to share their findings with the campus community through a divisional colloquium or a similar campus event.
• Grant recipients should acknowledge Picker ISI support in related presentations and publications. Sample language: “This research work was supported by the Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute Major Grant Program at Colgate University.”