PumpPrimer II Guidelines

Purpose

PumpPrimer II (PPII) funds innovative pilot research to help the applicant establish a novel research direction.

Eligibility

  • All tenure track faculty are eligible to apply.
  • Applicants must have a strong track record of research productivity and provide evidence that no alternative funds are available for the project. Applications that merely extend an ongoing research program are not eligible.
  • Junior faculty who have start-up funding remaining and/or have not yet completed their first term of appointment are ineligible to apply.
  • Application for external funding on aprior PPII award is a prerequisite for a new PPII funding request.
  • Preference for funding will be given to those who have not yet received a PPII award.

Conditions of Award

  • Salary is not allowed in PPII and personal compensation is not fungible
  • Funds may not be used for faculty salary or travel unless the research must be conducted offsite.
  • You are expected to submit a proposal for external funding within 18 months of receipt of intramural PumpPrimer support.
  • A brief final survey/report is required 18 months after receipt of intramural PumpPrimer support to help us evaluate the effectiveness of this program and justify return on investment.
  • The recipient agrees to serve as a reviewer during future cycles of the PPII competition.
  • No-cost extensions are generally not allowable as they are antithetical to the intention of the funding, namely assisting with rapid preliminary work, and submission for extramural funding.

Budget

Budget requests for up to $50,000 will be considered for a one-year period; no-cost extensions are not allowed. Funds may not be used for faculty salary or travel, other than travel essential for research purposes. For those projects that require extended time away from campus during the semester, funding for teaching relief can be requested. Budgets that include teaching relief will require department chair and appropriate dean approval with the application.

Review

A faculty review committee will make funding recommendations to the Dean’s Office for final approval.

Submission

Via the application website using PumpPrimer II application form(s).

Submission deadline: Applications are due by 5 p.m. on October 25, 2024

Required Materials

Prepare the following PumpPrimer II proposal items and upload to the application website at www.rochester.edu/fort/pumpprimer/.

  • Cover sheet:
    • Project title
    • Project lead
    • Collaborators and their institutions
    • Amount requested
  • Research plan:
    • Explain why this research direction is significant and innovative (0.5 page max).
    • Explain how the requested pilot funding will help you secure extramural funding (0.5 page max).
    • Explain how this new research direction is distinct from your current research program (0.5 page max).
    • Summarize the goal of the new research direction this pilot project will enable (0.5 page max)
    • The research plan should be in plain text for non-specialist consideration
    • Use Times New Roman, in 11-point font with one-inch margins.
  • CV: Provide the resumes for the lead PI and other significant collaborators (4 pages max. in NSF, NIH, or NEH style).
  • Budget: Provide an itemized budget including a brief justification for each line item.
    • Funds may not be used for faculty salary or travel, other than travel essential to the project.
    • Funds for teaching relief must be approved by the chair and dean.
  • Current and pending support: For each participating faculty member who has external grant support, provide:
    • Funder, title, duration, and amount of all active and pending awards
    • A brief summary of the projects
    • Support for the lead PI and significant collaborators over the past five years
  • Department Chair Endorsement (start application early so chair may respond!):
    • What is the project's importance to the investigator and the department?
    • How will PP II support lead to extramural funding that would otherwise not be obtained?
    • Does the faculty have other internal funding that could be allocated to the proposed project?
    • What is your plan for departmental cost-sharing? Departments with resources to share the cost of this project with the Dean's Office are expected to do so. (e.g., actual cash outlay, technical staff salaries, support for summer students, etc.).

*Please note that faculty who receive PumpPrimer funds will be asked to review applications in future cycles. We are dependent upon and appreciate your cooperation with the review process.

Questions

Please direct any questions to your respective assistant dean for grants and contracts.

Apply for PumpPrimer II