ICCAE Research Awards

• Any member of the KU research community (research faculty and staff, including postdoctoral fellows) may submit a proposal.
• Proposal must be related to a planned submission to an externally sponsored funding opportunity with a national security-related topic.  
• The externally sponsored opportunity should be clearly identified and the external funds that will be sought.
• Projects must be completed by Aug. 31, 2025.
• Budget requests of up to $10,000 will be considered.
• Incomplete or late applications may not receive full review and consideration. 
• Must be U.S. citizen to submit a proposal.
   

Proposals must be submitted as a SINGLE PDF (including the budget template provided below) via email to kurt.preston@ku.edu by Nov. 8, 2024.

All proposals must be completed in 11- or 12-point font with single spacing and 1-inch margins on each page.

The proposal must include the following in one single PDF:

1. Cover page (1 page)
   Include the following information:
   • Title of the proposal
   • Name and detailed contact information for the lead applicant (title, mailing address, email address, phone number)
   • Department/center that will administer the award
   • Funding amount requested
   • External funding opportunity that will be sought in conjunction with this proposal
      
2. Narrative (2-3 pages, including references)
   Provide an overview of the scope of work, including answers to the questions:
   • What is national security relevance of the proposed work?
   • What is KU’s existing research strength in this area?
   • What are the metrics for measuring the success of the project?
   • How does the proposal support the application to an externally funded sponsored research proposal?
      
3. PI Biosketch (2 pages per PI; if co-PIs, submit for each)
   ​The biosketch should demonstrate current research strength and capacity in the proposed area. It must include professional preparation; current and past positions/appointments; a list of up to 5 most recent publications and/or other outcomes (exhibitions, films, grant proposals for a nonprofit, etc.) closely related to the proposed area; if applicable, a list of applications to externally funded sponsored awards in the last 5 years, including those that are currently awarded or pending (with information about sponsor, duration, budget amount and role of individual); collaborative and/or community-engaged research activities, and other relevant research achievements.
    
4. Budget (on the provided template)
   ICCAE Faculty Research Award budget template (.xlsx) – one page max.
   
   Budgets may include funds to cover:
   • Materials and supplies
   • Well-justified non-conference domestic travel for KU personnel. Due to the limited funds available, applicants are encouraged to utilize remote meeting options when feasible for collaborator meetings and data collection. If travel is requested, the applicant should explain the need for in-person travel in their budget narrative
   • Up to one biweek of salary and associated fringe benefits for the applicant
   • Up to one biweek of salary and associated fringe benefits for research staff
   • Other costs as needed to complete the work proposed.
      
   Budgets should not include:
   • Subrecipient agreements
   • Foreign travel
   • Conference travel
   • Tuition
   • Indirect costs
   • Equipment (items with a unit cost $5,000 or above)
   • Cost share. Contributions from other sources are permissible and can be discussed in the project narrative. They should not be included in the budget template.
      
5. Budget Narrative
   Describe and justify overall budget plan, planned expenditures and timing of expenditures.

 

All proposals will be reviewed following the Nov. 8 deadline by an awards committee. Funding recommendations will be provided to the ICCAE Project Management Team for review and final approval within 14 days of the application deadline. Review criteria include:

• merit of proposed work and direct application to national security
• external funding opportunity that will be pursued and how the internal funding will help pursue it
• feasibility of a successful submission for external funding
• PI(s)’ research record.

The review committee reserves the right to ask proposers to revise their proposals, and funding may be awarded for lesser amounts than requested. Notification will be made within two weeks after the submission deadline.