Advancing the Research Profile of Small and Mid-Sized Historically Black Colleges and Universities Through a Virtual Proposal Development Center

Jackson State University, Jackson MS

Investigators

Abstract

Jackson State University will establish a virtual proposal development center (VPDC) to support small and midsized Historically Black Colleges and Universities by providing guidance to faculty at participating institutions in pre-proposal activities, including identification of appropriate funding opportunities and development of research concepts. The project aligns with the goal of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program to provide assistance to its community to increase faculty research capacity. The project's potential for transformative impact is based both on its uniqueness as an approach to supporting small, resource-impoverished institutions and on the promise it offers to increase collaborations between scholars at different institutions. The structure of the project will encourage collaborations between institutions and across science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. The specific objectives of the VPDC are the following: (1) identifying the specific pre-proposal and proposal preparation needs of the targeted institutions; (2) developing mechanisms for identifying appropriate funding opportunities for the targeted institutions; (3) building a repository of proposal preparation materials; (4) assisting faculty at targeted institutions to develop concepts in line with published solicitations; and (5) establishing mechanisms for self-sustaining proposal development at participating institutions, including peer-mentoring, peer review teams, and mentoring relationships between faculty and sponsored research personnel at participating institutions. Each cohort of faculty and sponsored-research staff will complete a twelve-week online course and take part in at least one three-day writing retreat. An ongoing evaluation will assess whether or not the VPDC meets the specific needs of the participating institutions.