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2004 SPRInG funding deadline
The Special Program for Research Initiation Grants (SPRInG), launched
in 2001 by the Office of the Provost, encourages innovative new projects
that require initial research effort in order to be competitive for significant,
long-term, extramural support. The one-year grants, which can be as large
as $25,000, are awarded to BU researchers whose ideas are deemed most
likely to eventually receive external funding. The application deadline
for funding beginning January 1, 2004, is November 14, 2003.
“
The purpose of this program is to provide seed funding to faculty who
wish to initiate new research projects that require some financial pump-priming
at the outset,” says Provost Dennis Berkey. “We expect that
many of the proposals will involve interdisciplinary initiatives, for
which departmental or even college funds might not be available. Our
hope is that the successful proposals will result in new research activities
for which external funding will eventually be won, and from which significant
discoveries will issue.”
Cross-campus initiatives between the Charles
River and Medical Center campuses are especially encouraged. The Office
of the Provost expects
that researchers who receive the grants will use the money to produce
preliminary results that demonstrate that their ideas are promising,
and thereby enable them to secure more funding from external sources. “The
intention of the grant is not to fund projects to completion,” says
Carol Simpson, associate provost for research and graduate education. “It’s
to put faculty members into a strong position for attaining funding at
a larger scale. We expect that within 24 months of receiving the award,
faculty will submit a fully developed proposal to an external funding
agency or private foundation.” Additional outcomes may include
publishable papers, exhibitions, or presentations at conferences.
3
October 2003
Boston University
Office of University Relations