BELS Request For Proposals FAQ

• Eligibility
• Budget/Allowable Expenses
• Proposal Content (Themes, Use, etc.)
• Miscellaneous
  

  Eligibility

1. Is this opportunity available to faculty who have been hired recently with a departmental startup, but with no extramural funding?
   
   Yes, this opportunity is available to all regular faculty members.

2. Could a potential faculty member whose appointment is pending visa sponsorship apply for this grant?
   
   As long as the potential faculty member has a signed offer letter to be a faculty member by the time the grant is supposed to start, then they are welcome to participate in a proposal team. If there are administrative delays to the start of the faculty position, then we can adjust if needed.

3. To confirm, any "regular faculty," using the definition in the ND academic articles (e.g., tenure-track, tenured, research, teaching, etc.), can be PI? But, "other faculty," again using the definition in the ND academic articles (e.g., adjunct, visiting, etc.), can only be collaborators?
   
   That is the correct interpretation.

4. Are there any limits on how many co-PIs are allowed to be involved with a particular grant application?
   
   There is a minimum of three, but there is no maximum.

Budget/Allowable Expenses

5. Can external collaborators be funded through this award?
   
   BELS program money cannot be used to pay stipends or salaries to external collaborators. Other expenses related to collaboration, such as travel and materials, can be funded, provided it is justified.
   
   

6. Can a portion of this award go to a subrecipient (like a co-PI at another university), or may I hire a vendor or consultant on a "fee for service" basis. What is the difference?
   BELS program money cannot go to an academic collaborator outside of Notre Dame. You can, however, use BELS program money to pay consultants or vendors for specific work to be done on a “fee for service” basis. The main difference is that a subrecipient of the award would provide analysis and would be included as a member of your team, for example on publications. In a fee-for-service arrangement, an individual or entity provides you a product or set of data that you then interpret in the context of your program. Further specifics on the differences among subrecipients, consultants and vendors can be found on this chart from Notre Dame Research.
   

    

7. Can we spend grant money on travel and accommodation for external collaborators to visit ND, in the manner of an invited speaker?
   
   If the money is being used to facilitate a collaboration, and the collaborator is not being paid as an individual, then that would be a valid use of grant funds.
   
   

8. Can research-related travel expenses be included in the budget?
   
   Research-related travel is an allowed expense.
   
   

9. Is the purchase of access to databases an allowable expense?
   
   Yes, purchase of access to databases is allowable.
   
   

10. If our work involves international fieldwork and we need to hire local partners to collect and help analyze data on the ground, can we add these expenses as lines in the budget?
    
    Yes, support of international fieldwork is allowable under a fee-for-service arrangement. If the fieldwork will be conducted outside of the United States, please note this fact. It will not affect evaluation of the proposal but will help determine if additional administrative support may be needed.
    
    

11. Can BELS funding be used to hold meetings and conferences?
    
    BELS funding can be used for internal workshops and on-campus conferences, as long as there is justification based on the project’s research objectives.
    
    

12. Are expenses for covering a portion of research staff (i.e. a Research Scientist) salary allowed?
    
    Yes, salaries for research staff are allowable.
    
    

13. How detailed should our estimate of expenses be? Do I need a formal estimate included in my proposal or are typical ballparks sufficient?
    
    The budget justification needs to have sufficient detail for the review committee to determine the appropriateness of the requested amount. For example, experience with the expenses from a prior research project would be sufficient justification. If you do not have such experience, more details would be necessary in the budget justification. In general, the level of justification is similar to that required on a federal agency proposal.
    
    

14. How much money is available to distribute this year?
    
    BELS anticipates awarding up to $800,000/year total to multidisciplinary teams working in the areas described. Teams may request funding for up to 3 years of work and may compete to renew the project funding at the conclusion of the 3-year project period.

15. Is faculty salary support, e.g. summer salary, an allowable expense?
    
    Faculty salary support is not allowable.

Proposal Content

16. Can the proposal overlap with submitted external proposals that are pending review?
    
    Yes, one goal of the BELS Teams program is to develop strong collaborative team efforts that may combine internal (i.e. BELS) and external support. Teams should identify supporting proposals and/or grants in the "current and pending" portion of the proposal.
    
    

17. Does a proposed research project have to be part of a new research agenda for the investigators? Or, can the proposed project be an expansion of existing work (broadly defined)?
    
    Both new and existing research aims are appropriate, as long as the team defines a program of sufficient scope and scale to justify BELS funding.

18. Is there a specific template we should use for our proposal or C&P?
    
    There is no template for the proposal; only the required content specified in the call. For the list of your current and pending support, you may include an NSF sheet if desired.
    
    

19. Do I have to submit my proposal to Notre Dame Research Pre-Award prior to submission to BELS?
    
    No. We will work with ND Research to confirm compliance with University regulations prior to awarding funds.

Miscellaneous

1. 20. Will this be a recurring call?
       
       Yes, we expect to issue regular calls for proposals from the Bioengineering & Life Sciences Initiative in the coming years.
       
       

   21. What is the timeline for this award cycle?
       
       October 1 — Proposal reviews begin.
       Late December/early January — award recipients announced.
       Early Spring — Research projects begin. 

   22. What kind of reporting is expected of award recipients?
       
       Formal annual reports will be required, with informal updates as needed or desired. Recipients will be expected to support the BELS community on campus by attending occasional events, perhaps speaking about their research, etc. 

   23. Can I apply with two different projects (as Co-PI with different ND units)?
       
       There is no limit on the number of proposal teams in which a researcher may participate.