COSM Research Grant Information
AY 2023-2024
Purpose and Composition
The COSM Awards Committee seeks to aid graduate students at Georgia Southern University by awarding small internal research grants. The committee shall be composed of an assistant/associate dean, who will chair the committee, and five faculty members, one from each of the college’s academic units. The faculty members will be elected for two-year terms. Full-time tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track faculty who have an appointment in a unit within the College are eligible to serve. No member should serve more than two consecutive terms. The committee will also review applications for Awards for Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service.
Scope of Program (Limited to Research Projects Only)
The committee will entertain grant applications that support research efforts. Research projects may request materials for supplies, travel, and/or small equipment. Requests for travel to research sites or collect data will be supported. Requests for travel to attend professional meetings to present research results will NOT be supported, nor will workshops focused on teaching or service projects. Requests to travel to meetings must clearly identify how the travel is specifically related to research (e.g., to learn a new research technique or to work with colleagues on research papers or grants). Travel to such meetings will not be supported unless a very strong case is made for the advancement of research. Requests for assistance with publication expenses will NOT be supported.
Funding Level
The amount of funding available in an academic year can vary, but typically, the total funding available is $5,000. Individual awards may request up to $1,000.
Deadline for Spending and Travel
Departmental and university purchasing and/or travel rules apply. Departmental administrative assistants can assist with purchases through ePro, online, etc. Receipts must be kept for all cash purchases. All money will be moved to the awardees home department and must be expended prior to the spring purchasing deadlines (typically April 30 of each year). You must work closely with your department administrative assistant to make sure all expenses are eligible.
Eligibility (Graduate Students Only, No Undergraduates)
Full-time graduate students enrolled in a degree program within the College of Science and Mathematics are eligible. Graduate student applications must identify the major advisor as sponsor.
Undergraduate students are NOT eligible for funding under this award. They can apply for funding through the College Office of Undergraduate Research (COUR).
A given individual may receive no more than two consecutive years of COSM Research Grant funding and no more than three awards over a five-year period.
Committee Meeting Schedule
The COSM Awards Committee will convene once in the fall semester to review proposals.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: September 29, 2023
The deadline for submission of proposals will be 11:59 pm on the date specified. Send your application packet as a single electronic file to: Brent Feske in the COSM Dean’s Office, bfeske@georgiasouthern.edu.
Proposal Review Procedure
Proposals submitted by each deadline will be distributed by the Dean’s Office to Award Committee members for their review and consideration at the committee’s next scheduled meeting. At that meeting, all present committee members will be asked to discuss and rate each proposal according to the following scheme: 5 (Excellent), 4 (Very Good), 3 (Good), 2 (Fair), or 1 (Poor). Ratings will be compiled by the committee chair. Proposals will be ranked and then evaluated for level of funding, with priority given to those with the highest average scores. The committee may recommend to:
- fund a given project in full
- fund at a reduced level
- not to fund (in favor of a more highly ranked proposal)
- defer a recommendation to a later committee meeting
If the committee cannot reach a consensus recommendation on a given proposal, the chair will make the final funding recommendation. The chair will notify the Dean of the committee’s actions. A decision on each proposal will be communicated by the Dean’s Office to each applicant in a timely manner.
Proposal Format
A prescriptive proposal format is not provided, since a broad range of academic excellence projects will be considered for funding. However, all proposals must address each of the following elements in no more than five single-sided, double-spaced, word-processed pages, with no less than one-inch page margins and 12 point font size. A cover sheet is required and is available in the following instructions. The cover sheet and list of references cited are not included in the aforementioned five page limit. Any other additions or appendices will not be accepted. These guidelines will be strictly enforced; proposals not meeting these requirements will be returned without review.
- Complete the COSM Research Grant Proposal Cover Sheet.
- Describe the proposed activity and its significance.
- Provide a detailed project budget and a project timeline. Specify the amount requested and the distribution of requested funds by expenditure category (for example, airfare, mileage, equipment, supplies, registration fees, etc.). IMPORTANT NOTE: COSM Research Grants are budgeted for the current fiscal year only, and therefore, cover only the current fiscal year’s expenses and are subject to the university’s spending guidelines and deadlines. The award letter may specify additional deadlines for expenditure of COSM Research Award funds. The 2023 fiscal year runs from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023, but much earlier deadlines exist for purchasing and travel. No reimbursements will be honored without receipts and/or for items ordered after April 30, 2023 (tentative).
- Identify all other project funding sources from which you are seeking funds or from which you have (successfully or unsuccessfully) sought funds. In particular, a statement must be provided regarding the availability of departmental or school funds in support of the project. NOTE: Project applications for which other funding is being sought are strongly encouraged.
- Provide an approval signature by the unit chair or director.
- Provide the name and approval signature of the graduate student faculty sponsor, in addition to those of the unit chair. In signing, the faculty sponsor is certifying that the proposed research project will be performed under his/her supervision and is attesting to the applicant’s status as a full-time graduate student enrolled in a degree program within the College of Science and Mathematics.
Last updated: 8/29/2023