About
Faculty Research Assignments
Faculty Research Assignments (FRAs) support initiation, furtherance or completion of a specific research project. FRAs are usually not awarded merely to allow faculty members more time for research; most successful proposals encompass objectives that would be difficult to accomplish without a FRA. In any case, the proposed work must have its own coherence, limits, and purpose.
FRAs are awarded only when there is a reasonable prospect that the proposed project will have a positive outcome. Occasionally, awards are made for long-term research development. For more information on FRAs, please visit the Graduate School's Faculty Research Assignments.
Eligibility
Tenured faculty members who satisfy one of the following conditions may apply for a FRA:
- By the beginning of the academic award year, the faculty member must have completed at least four academic years of service in residence at the university since any previous FRA award. (Example: A tenured faculty member who was supported by a FRA at any time during the academic year 2016-17 would be eligible to apply for another FRA to be held during the academic year 2021-22, provided the faculty member had fulfilled his or her normal duties at the university during all the intervening four academic years.)
- If there is no previous FRA award, then by the beginning of the academic year the faculty member must have completed at least four academic years of service in residence at the university.
Process
Applying for FRA Funds
CNS Faculty Affairs will notify departments when the Graduate School Awards System portal is open for faculty to submit their applications. Departments are responsible for notifying faculty about this opportunity and informing them of the application period. For more information regarding the required materials for the application, please refer to the Required Materials tab below.
At the end of the application period, all applications will be routed to their Department Chair for ranking. The ranked applications will then be sent to the College's FRA review committee for review, and then to the Dean's office for final approval.
Annoucement of FRA Awardees
Faculty will be notified of their FRA award status around the beginning of December via email from CNS Faculty Affairs. If a faculty member is awarded an FRA award, they must complete the documentation attached to the email and return it by the specified date. More instructions will be included in the award email.
For more information regarding the amount, tenure, and terms of the FRA award, please refer to the Graduate School's Faculty Research Assignments.
Required Materials
Required Materials
FRA applications should include the following information. If more than one faculty member submits an application per department, the Department Chair will be notified in order to rank the applications for their department.
- A three-page project description that begins with a short summary
- A three-page CV (with a fourth page for an optional bibliography)
- The email address of your reference letter writer if one is required (note that you have the option in the online app to notify your letter writer before you submit your finalized application)
- Your IRB approval number, if your project uses human subjects
- A letter of invitation from the host institution if your research location is off-campus (optional)
- A report on your previous FRA/SRA support during the past 10 years, if any
Questions or concerns: Contact CNS Faculty Affairs
