The Richard B. Salomon Faculty Research Award program was established to support excellence in scholarly work by providing funding for selected faculty research projects deemed to be of exceptional merit. During 1995–1999, the program was funded by the bequest of the late Richard B. Salomon, Chancellor of Brown University. The University has continued to fund this program since 1999.
Awards of up to $15,000 will be made by the Vice President for Research and acommittee of faculty advisors, in response to research proposals submitted to the Office of the Vice President for Research. A total of $200,000 will be awarded in FY 2008. Expenditures under this program must be in accordance with University policies and procedures. The guidelines for submitting proposals and for selecting recipients are outlined below.

Eligibility

A professor at any rank or any senior lecturer active in research is eligible. Faculty members who hold named chairs are eligible to receive these funds, but adjunct, emeritus, and visiting faculty are not.

Amount and Duration of Awards

Awards of up to $15,000 will be made.
Awards are normally for one year, but extensions may be granted with appropriate justification. Requests for extensions for awards given in 2007-2008 must be submitted to the Vice President for Research by May 1, 2009.

Criteria for Selection

The overall merit of the research project will be considered and evaluated by the Vice President for Research and a committee of faculty advisors. The final selection will be made based on the following criteria:

• the intrinsic merit of the work
• the potential impact of the proposed activity on the academic field of study
• the likelihood that the award will provide significant progress on a project that would not be possible without the funding
• the potential for the award to provide a basis for further research support from external sponsors
• the likelihood that the proposed work would be completed during the award period
  

Preference will be given to:

• junior faculty who are in the process of building their research portfolio
• faculty who have not recently received a Salomon Award

Award Conditions

Award funds may be used to support reasonable and necessary costs of conducting research and scholarship, including the purchase of equipment, materials and supplies, travel, and office expenses. Full or partial stipends and tuition for advanced graduate students who have completed their course work, research stipends for undergraduate research assistants (RAs), or secretarial service may be supported by award funds. Expenditures for faculty salaries (either summer or academic year) are not permitted.

Within 60 days of the end of the approved award period, the recipient must provide the Vice President for Research with a final report. This report should outline the work accomplished as a result of the award, highlight the significant progress made on the project, summarize any publications, and describe any significant deviations from or extensions to the project described in the original proposal.

Brown University shall own, on a worldwide basis, all rights in any discovery or invention resulting from research carried out by a recipient of an award.  All such discoveries or inventions must be disclosed in writing (a “Disclosure”) to the Office of Brown Technology Partnerships as soon as practicable.

Timeline and Procedure for Submitting Proposals

Proposals for funding should be submitted electronically to Anne Windham in the Office of the Vice President for Research at Anne_Windham@brown.edu as one single attachment (word or pdf document), no later than November 1, 2007.

Selections will be announced by December 14, 2007.

Funds will become available to faculty on or after January 14, 2008. The funds would be available for use until the end of June, 2009,* unless an extension was requested and approved.

*Please note that supplies/equipment/services purchased using these funds must be received by the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2009) in order for them to be charged against the account. Travel must also have been completed by that date. 

The body of the proposal, including footnotes, should not exceed 1,500 words (excluding bibliography/references, figures, budget, budget justification, and supporting documents) and should include:

1. A cover sheet that contains: a. PI’s name, title, department, and contact information; b. the title of the proposal; and c. an abstract describing the proposed research project and an assessment of how Brown's position in the field will be advanced.  The abstract should be no longer than 250 words.
2. A summary of the relevant background literature in the field of research that puts the proposed project into the appropriate context and explains how it will significantly contribute to the faculty member’s scholarly field.
3. A description of the proposed research project in terms that do not require reviewers to be experts in the sub-area of the proposed research. The description should include the goals of the research, the activities to be carried out to achieve those goals, a timetable for completing these activities, and an assessment of the potential for subsequent external funding.

Each proposal must be accompanied by the following supporting documents:

• A current curriculum vitae.
• An endorsement from the proposer’s department chair that discusses the importance of the proposal in terms of the selection criteria. In the event of multiple proposals from the same department, the chair may be requested to rank the proposals.
• The names of two scholars qualified to review and comment on the proposal. At least one reviewer should be a tenured faculty member at Brown University who is familiar with the proposer’s research field, and is not involved in any other Salomon proposal. A short biographical sketch of any outside reviewer should be included, along with the reviewer’s name, address, telephone number, and email address. The panel may seek additional reviewers if needed.
• A budget that itemizes general categories of expenses for which award funds will be used and a brief justification for these expenses.
• A list of the applicant’s other current and pending awards for external research support.