The Research & Innovation Office (RIO) Core Facility Assistance Grant Program seeks to enhance operations within Core and Shared Instrumentation Facilities on the CU Boulder campus.
The Program has limited funds to be awarded to:
- Improve operations, safety, visibility and accessibility of Core Facilities.
Core Facilities enable opportunities o develop transformative and innovative ways to improve operations, safety, visibility and accessibility with a goal towards achieving long-term financial sustainability. Addressing how Core Facilities can safely and effectively provide services and while augmenting productivity is critical towards supporting the needs of our undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, staff, faculty and the CU Boulder research enterprise. - Acquire and upgrade instrumentation.
Acquiring, upgrading or replacing existing instrumentation is critical to maintaining CU Boulder’s research infrastructure. Equipment should benefit the broader CU research community by increasing collaborations and technical capabilities. Funds are to be applied towards the purchase of equipment to be housed in the Core Facilities. Applicants seeking funding for equipment acquisition, repair or upgrade must explain why support cannot be obtained through other internal and external funding channels. Departments can apply funds to cost share towards the purchase or repair of an equipment.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include CU Boulder Core Facility directors/managers, faculty or staff. Applicants who are not Core Facility directors/managers must collaborate with one or more CU Boulder core directors/managers in developing the project proposal. Only one application is allowed per core. View Eligible Core Facilities
Budget
The Core Facility Assistance Grant Program will fund up to $100,000 in grants in FY24. Funding for the program in future years is subject to availability of funds. The maximum award for FY24 is $10,000 per application, regardless of the number of Core Facilities involved. Note: RIO will not provide funding to pay for GAR/GIR related to this funding opportunity. Use this template to provide a budget for the request.
Requirements
- Applicants that are not core directors must co-develop the proposal with CU Boulder core director(s)/managers to assess feasibility and discuss the budget prior to applying. A single award may be used to support a project that involves more than one Core Facility, but the maximum award will remain $10,000.
- All funds must be spent in one or more Core Facilities.
- Funds cannot be used to pay salaries of Core Facility or other staff.
- Funds can be used for safety improvements, remote access capabilities and equipment (repair and acquisition).
- Funds must be spent in the Core Facility associated with the project described in the grant application.
- All awarded funds must be spent by the end of FY25 (June 30, 2025). There will be no no-cost extensions.
Terms & Conditions
- Recipients will submit an annual Impact Report for three full fiscal years (three reports in total). Failure to do so may result in the Core Facility being disqualified from future funding opportunities.
- If a significant outcome of this grant award is realized at any time, recipients will immediately notify Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation in writing by emailing joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu.
- If there is a change or absence (60 days or greater) in PI, recipients will contact and provide a justification to Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation at joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu.
- If the project entails any compliance issues such as IRB, IACUC, EHS, biohazardous material, etc., recipients certify that the appropriate compliance offices on campus will be made aware of the proposed activities before initiating any work.
- Awards will be made available through the financial office in recipients’ respective college/school/institute on the 15th day of July following award notification (not earlier), at which time project spending can commence. The budget office at the PI’s respective college/school/institute will set up the speedtype (account) number for the award. RIO will transfer the funds to the speedtype. Recipients are advised to contact respective budget offices for the speedtype in June following award notification.
- The project duration is up to 12 months (July 1, 2024—June 30, 2025). There will be no No-cost extensions awarded. Unused funds at the end of the project will be returned to RIO.
- If a recipient fails to fulfill any of the aforementioned conditions, RIO reserves the right to suspend funds.
Reviews
Faculty volunteers review applications, provide comments and recommend proposals for funding. Proposals will be evaluated in four primary areas:
Application Deadline and Portal
Applications for FY24 will close on April 5, 2024, 11:59pm MST
Proposal Format and Preparation
1. Cover page; please include the following: Access a template here.
2. Project description; please include the following:
3. Proposed budget with a clear, concise justification and timeline (1-page maximum of written text):
4. Biosketch (NIH or NSF format) or current Curriculum Vitae for the PI
5. Support letters
6. Resubmission of a prior CFAG application?
7. Annual award report agreement
For questions about the Core Facility Assistance Grant Program, please contact Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation at ( joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu).