Office of Academic Affairs

Submission Instructions

• Please submit to the Battelle Endowment Committee a single PDF of all materails described below as an email attachment to BETHA@admin.ohio-state.edu.
• Deadline for receipt of all proposal materials is 5 pm Wednesday, November 21, 2012.

Incomplete or improperly formatted proposals will be returned without review. Late proposals will not be accepted.

Proposal Format

Battelle Endowment proposals must consist of the following parts:

1. Cover Page (1 page)
2. Project Narrative (1,500 words maximum)
3. Detailed Project Budget (not to exceed 1 page)
4. Budget Justification (not to exceed 1 page)
5. Biographical Sketches of each project participant (not to exceed 1 page each)
6. Letters of Support from:
   1. Department or unit chair
   2. Dean of the proposers' colleges
   3. Outside collaborators (as relevant)

All parts are required. Incomplete proposals or proposals not following the guidelines below will be returned without review. If your research involves the use of human or animal subjects, you must complete the necessary paperwork with Ohio State's Office of Responsible Research Practices. They can be reached at 688-8457 or www.orrp.ohio-state.edu

Cover Page

The cover page for the proposal must include the following information:

1. The Project Title (24 words or less)
2. The name of one Project Coordinator who will serve as the primary contact person for the project and be responsible for carrying out the proposed project.
3. The Project Coordinator's departmental affiliation, campus address, e-mail address, telephone number, and FAX number.
4. The names and departmental affiliations of any co-investigators that should be acknowledged in BETHA publicity.
5. The starting date and duration of the proposed project
6. The total budget for the project and the amount of funding requested from Battelle Endowment.
7. A project abstract (75 words or less). Abstracts for funded proposals may be used to advertise the endowment.

The abstract must summarize briefly and succinctly the problem to be addressed by the proposal, the proposed activity, and the expected outcome of the project. The abstract, in slightly edited form, will be published on subsequent Battelle Endowment Call for Proposals and the Battelle Endowment web site, so you should compose the abstract with a general audience in mind.

Project Narrative

The main body of the proposal must be double-spaced, and must not exceed 1,500 words. We request that documents be composed in an easy-to-read proportional spaced font (e.g., Times-Roman), using a 12-point font size (footnotes may be in 10-point font). The project narrative should be addressed to a general (i.e., non-specialist) audience, as the review committee is composed of faculty from across the university representing a wide range of disciplines. At a minimum, the narrative should address the following issues:

Description of the Project: Describe the problem to be addressed and its importance and relevance, the audience to be reached by the project and the means by which it is to be reached, the likely effectiveness of this means of addressing the problem and the character of a lasting product of the project, if any. If the project will result in a product or publication, a plan for the dissemination of this project should be included. If the proposed activities are part of a larger project, please discuss the project's history and any plans for the future, including organizing support. Letters from the principles of this larger project must be included below.

Relation to the Battelle Endowment Mission: The Battelle Engineering, Technology, and Human Affairs Endowment Fund has as its primary goals to influence future leaders so that scientists and engineers can become more sensitive to the human impacts of technology and its potential to address societal needs, and that others gain a better comprehension of the capabilities and limitatiosn of science and technology. Proposals that address engineering-related topics and proposals that feature collaborations between engineering and the social sciences or arts/humanities are especially encouraged.

Detailed Budget and Budget Justification

The budget consists of two parts:

1. Detailed Budget for the entire project indicating the total costs for the project, and which parts are specifically to be funded by the Battelle Endowment grant. The budget is not to exceed 1 page.
2. A Budget Narrative, giving a brief itemized justification of the major line items being requested of Battelle Endowment. The narrative is not to exceed one page, and should be on a separate page immediately following the detailed budget.

Please note that Battelle Endowment does not fund faculty release time or summer salary.

Personnel costs (e.g., for GRA support) should be based on accurate current levels for salary and benefits obtained from the financial officer of your academic unit. Note that for GRAs, this figure must include both stipend and a tuition waiver. See the following web sites for information:

Tuition
http://www.ureg.ohio-state.edu/ourweb/more/Content/FeeTables/MainFeeTables.htm

Benefits
http://www.rpia.ohio-state.edu/budget_planning/Composite_Rates/2005-06.pdf

On the budget narrative page, personnel must be justified in terms of their specific tasks related to the proposed project.

Equipment costs should reflect estimates based on current market prices. For example, if purchasing a computer, please consult with the OSU Bookstore or a similar OSU approved vendor for specific prices, with the understanding that the market is very volatile and prices will change between the submission of the proposal and the final award of a grant. On the budget narrative page, please justify briefly why such equipment is unavailable to you, or why a dedicated piece of equipment is required for this project. All hardware purchased becomes the property of your academic unit, which assumes all responsibility for future maintenance and upkeep. Battelle Endowment does not provide funds for on-going maintenance or support.

Travel costs also need a brief justification, with expenses consistent with current university guidelines for transportation and per diem. Please note that all budgets are subject to final approval before an award, and a revised budget may be requested by the committee. All-or-nothing budgets may hinder the competitiveness of your proposal. You are required to use the form provided. If you have problems downloading the forms, please contact the Battelle Endowment Coordinator at betha@admin.ohio-state.edu.

Budget Summary Form

 Microsoft Word

 Excel Form

Biographical Sketches

Provide a one-page biographical sketch for each project participant, starting with the principal contact. These should indicate his/her qualifications for carrying out the project, including the standard curriculum vitae information, a list of a few recent and relevant publications or other scholarly works, and a brief description of any experiences of relevance to this proposal.

• Please do not send a biographical sketch longer than one page.

Letters of Support

All proposals must include letters of support from each of the following:

1. Chair of your academic unit
2. The dean of your college
3. As appropriate, a letter from each collaborator outside the University indicating their willingness to participate and describing any resources they will bring to this project. No more than two letters from outside collaborators will be accepted.

All letters must be addressed to the Office of Academic Affairs and received by the proposal deadline. Missing letters, especially from the deans and department chairs, will result in disqualification of the proposal.

Proposal Checklist

• Cover Page (1 page max)
• Project Narrative (1,500 words max)
• Detailed Project Budget (1 page max)
• Budget Narrative (1 page max)
• Biographical Sketches of each project participant (1 page max, each)
• Letters of Support from:
  • Department or academic unit chair
  • Dean of your college
  • Outside collaborators (as relevant)
• If your project involves the use of human or animal subjects, contact the Office of Responsible Research Practices at 688-8457 or www.orrp.ohio-state.edu

General Criteria Used to Evaluate BETHA Proposals

The Battelle Endowment Program Committee uses the following criteria to evaluate proposals.

1. Does the proposal address the goal of the program to influence future leaders so that scientists and engineers become more sensitive to the human impacts of technology and/or that others gain a better comprehension of the capabilities and limiations of science and technology?

2. Does the proposal offer specific activities for mentoring future leaders?

3. Does the proposal include an outreach component (e.g., a plan for dissemination of what is learned that has relevance beyond the university community)?

4. Is the proposal realistic in goals and timeline? How likely is it that these goals will be achieved? Does the project team include the necessary experience and expertise?

5. Is the budget reasonable to accomplish the stated goals?

6. Is the proposal well organized to accomplish the stated goals?

7. Overall rating of proposal

Please submit your proposals to: betha@admin.ohio-state.edu