The IU Research Office today announced its new Research Equipment Fund (REF) with $4 million, provided by IU President Pam Whitten, available this year. REF combines substantial new funding with two prior campus-based funds that supported research equipment.
The new fund will support the purchase of research equipment by investigators on the Bloomington and/or Indianapolis campuses (excluding School of Medicine faculty in Indianapolis), on innovative projects that already have or will have the potential for external support. The fund can be used towards equipment, including upgrades and major repairs, instrumentation or datasets costing $15,000 or more, that is used for research in any discipline.
Proposals will be reviewed competitively twice per year with off-cycle applications being considered in exceptional circumstances. Due dates for applications are October 1 and March 1 (or the nearest weekday thereafter). Principle investigators may submit only one proposal per funding cycle but may indicate support for others.
Decisions will be based on need, quality of proposed research, anticipated impact, ability to leverage resources and funds available. Collaborative endeavors that involve use of the equipment by multiple faculty members are preferred. Preference will generally be given for proposals that include external funding, where appropriate. All proposals must provide a minimum 25 percent cost-sharing match from the faculty member’s home department, college and/or school. The match may be from multiple sources. This cost share match may be waived or varied under exceptional circumstances.
Eligible principal investigators include all tenured and tenure-eligible faculty members, research scientists, center directors, and IUSM faculty located on the Bloomington campus. Faculty from IUSM on other campuses may participate in requests with Bloomington or IUPUI faculty provided they can contribute a proportionate share of necessary resources and have the approval of the IUSM dean and the regional center director.
More information, including details about proposal submissions, can be found on the Research website.