Application Resources 

Criteria for Evaluation

• Prospect that the work will result in successful applications for external funding/support (where applicable), relevant peer-reviewed activity, or juried evaluation
• Scholarly, scientific, and/or creative merit of the proposal
• Appropriateness of methodology
• Clarity of presentation
• Qualifications, experience, productivity, and promise of the applicant(s)
• Stewardship of the resources provided by previous PRAs (if applicable)
• Appropriateness of the proposal for collaborative work (if applicable)

Links to Documents and Other Resources

• Request for Proposals 2024
• Budget Template 2024
• PRA Budget Guidelines

• I received a PRA this year (the project started summer 2023), but the experiments are still ongoing. Results are expected to come in by the end of this year. Do I still have to submit a report to be considered for the 2024 PRA?

  Since your current PRA project is still ongoing, you will need to provide an update on the status of your project when submitting your application. There is a question in the application asking if you received a previous PRA, the year of the award, and any results from your prior PRA. Since you do not have any results yet, you can include details about the expected results and the work that has been completed to-date. If you are awarded, you will need to submit a final report before your new award term begins.

• Can I include a non-UM collaborator/consultant as a “team member” as part of my application?

  You may include non-UM collaborators as consultants.

  • Consultants and/or University approved vendors may be used to accomplish the goals of the project (e.g. transcription services, developers, licenses, etc.).
  • We reserve “Co-Investigator” titles for UM personnel since this is an internal award.

• My interdisciplinary team is interested in applying for a PRA. Are we eligible to apply? If so, how much can we budget for in direct research costs?

  Interdisciplinary teams are eligible to apply for PRA funds.

  • Multi-Investigator applications can request up to $10,000 in Direct Research Costs and $6,500 in salary support for each of the team members.

• You are requiring that applicants complete training on Conflict of Interest (COI) and disclose their outside financial interests and involvement with foreign entities to UM at least annually. I am unfamiliar with this requirement. Can you provide additional information?

  The University of Miami (UM) Conflict of Interest (COI) in Research policy requires that all Investigators complete training on COI and disclose their financial interests to UM at least annually through the UDisclose System. Your proposal will not be considered until all team members have completed the training and disclosed their outside interests. For more information, contact the Office Disclosures & Scholarly Activities Management (DSAM) (DRM; DSAM@miami.edu) or see the UDisclose system instructions on the OVPRS website.

• I am new to writing a grant application, do you have any tips for submitting the most successful application?

  One of the most common tips for any first-time grant applicant is to avoid technical jargon and acronyms. Your application should be clear, easy to read, and make well-reasoned arguments for why your scholarship should be funded. Getting feedback from others is also useful for writing a competitive application. Consider soliciting feedback from the writing center, your school/college’s research dean, colleagues who do work within your area (and also outside of your area), or a family member/friend. The importance of a well-written application cannot be understated. Even the best ideas will not be funded if the application is hard to follow or difficult to read.

• In the request for applications, it says awardees will need to submit progress reports within one month after the end of the award period. What should I anticipate needing to submit as part of this report?

  You will be asked to provide the following:

  • A detailed summary of all relevant activities (research/scholarly/creative/teaching) performed during the period of the award
  • A list of all publications and other scholarly/creative outcomes of work directly supported by the award
  • A financial summary including expenditures and any remaining balance
  • A list of external funding applications or proposals submitted or planned and awarded