The University of Texas at Dallas

Proposal Resubmission Enhancement Program (PREP)

Overview

The UT Dallas Proposal Resubmission Enhancement Program (PREP)  is an internal funding mechanism designed to assist faculty who have received positive reviews of their grant application from federal agencies and are close to the pay line but are not yet funded. PREP is intended to provide funds to address limitations or issues identified by a peer-review panel with an expectation of resubmission to a federal agency. PREP is not intended to be used in place of start-up funds, to initiate an entirely new research endeavor, or to fund research that has not been evaluated by a federal funding agency.

PIs who earn PREP support commit to the resubmission of the revised proposal within 12 to 18 months of receiving the PREP funding and the utilization of Hanover Research for editing services prior to any external submission. Activities that are not eligible for support through this mechanism include consulting, dissertation completion, research/analysis pertaining to the operation of UT Dallas, and curriculum development.

Award Information

  • The maximum allowable budget is $25,000.
  • The duration of the award is 12 months.  

Submission Deadline: Continuous

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Eligibility Guidelines

  • The PI and if applicable, co-PI must have a primary, full-time UT Dallas appointment and must be PI eligible.
  • Adjunct faculty, affiliate faculty, visiting researchers, and postdocs are not eligible to serve as either PI or co-PIs but may participate in the proposed project.
  • The funding levels should substantially exceed that which is provided by the PREP mechanism.
  • Faculty with greater than $50,000 in chair, start-up, or research enhancement accounts are not eligible to serve as PI or co-PI.
  • A faculty member may submit only one PREP proposal as a PI or co-PI during each calendar year.
  • Previous PREP grant awardees (PI and co-PIs) may submit a new PREP grant application no sooner than three calendar years from a prior award round. For example, a winner from spring 2019 would not be eligible to submit another application until spring 2022.
  • The original proposal must have received positive evaluations and be relatively close to the pay line for funding but has not yet been funded. The additional work supported by a PREP award would enable preparation of a more competitive grant application for resubmission.
  • PREP funding cannot be used for the resubmission of a proposal to a limited submission opportunity.

Allowable Expenses

  • Supplies, equipment, and publication costs
  • Graduate student tuition, stipend, and benefits
  • Postdoctoral or Research Scientist support and benefits
  • Travel, conference/workshop attendance, or conference/workshop hosting for team-building to support the proposal submission for external funding

Unallowable Expenses

  • Faculty salary and/or benefits (neither academic year nor summer support permitted)
  • Transfer of funds to institutions or individuals outside of UT Dallas
  • Administrative or secretarial support
  • Indirect costs

Required Proposal Submission Materials

Proposal documents should have 1-inch margins and use a 12-point font. Upload one combined document (preferably in PDF format).

  • Title and abstract of the original proposal
  • Date originally submitted
  • Name of the federal funding agency
  • List the target program deadline, sponsor, and anticipated funding amount for resubmission
  • Review panel reviews or review panel summary
  • PREP Plan. Limited to three pages:
    •  Address how the PREP support will enable the critical data identified by the weaknesses in the proposal reviews.
    • Participating Personnel: List participating faculty members providing a clear explanation of each member’s role in the project and explain why each has the background and abilities to pursue the research project.  Also, list any graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and/or research scientists.
    • Acronym and Symbol Definitions. Provide a glossary of acronyms and symbols. Does not count towards page limit.
  • Budget and Justification: Limited to three pages, provide a table with each expenditure category and line item description and justification. The Office of Sponsored Projects budget template may be used.
  • Previous seed grant funding. Limited to one page, if any team member has had previous seed grant funding through a UT Dallas program, detail the distinction between previous funding and the proposed project; and the past success of the seed grant funding.

Application Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

PREP applications will be reviewed by a committee comprised of UT Dallas faculty with a range of scientific, technical, and research experience. Awards will be announced following the completion of the reviews. Evaluation criteria include:

  • The relevance of PREP plan to address weaknesses identified by reviewers in the original submission.
  • The skills and abilities of the team and the pursuit of external funding.
  • The targeted funding program(s), associated funding level(s), and the timeline for pursuit.
  • The extent that the PREP support is vital for a successful resubmission.
  • The extent of difference between previous seed grant funding and the proposed project, if applicable.

Awardee Requirements

Upon award, you must submit the following information to the Office of Research and Innovation:

  • Within 1 month of project end: A two-page progress report including research outcomes, other outcomes (manuscripts submitted/presented, conferences, etc.), and progress toward securing external funding. If either research progression or plans toward submission of proposals for external funding has been impacted, a clear explanation for the delay and a mitigation plan is required.
  • Upon request: Provide a brief presentation at UT Dallas during a research symposium or other event to highlight the PREP impact.
  • Recipients will serve on Seed Grant review panels as requested. By accepting an award, recipients agree to score and provide written comments on assigned proposals before the review deadline and participate in in-person review meetings.

Other Terms and Conditions

  • Funds will not be released until all necessary compliance related approvals and/or training are acquired, such as IRB, IACUC, IBC, RCR and COI.
  • Funds expire and must be used within 12 months of award such that no carryover of funds will be permitted unless approval has been provided by the Office of Research and Innovation. Any unused funds must be returned to the Office of Research and Innovation.
  • Failure to comply with any of the Awardee Requirements will result in suspension of seed grant funding and faculty becoming ineligible for future seed grant competitions from the Office of Research and Innovation.
  • The PREP award must be acknowledged in any resulting publications, exhibitions, or events, including press releases, using the following language: “This project was funded (or partially funded) by The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Research and Innovation through the PREP program.”

Contact Us

For further information, please contact Emily Lacy.