Funding Guide for Engineering Faculty

Table of contents

• Who on campus can help?
• Initial steps in getting your research idea funded
• External funding opportunities
• Internal funding opportunities
• Crafting strong grant proposals
• Working with ORPA
• Managing Funds POST-AWARD
• Working with Program Officers
• FAQ
• Appendix

Who on campus can help?

Departmental Resources

Departmental grants managers provide support to faculty in submitting proposals and in administering awards. Faculty should familiarize themselves with the grants managers assigned to them and work closely with them when pursuing funding.

University Resources

Office of the Dean for Research (ODFR) supports the research community at Princeton by helping researchers compete effectively for research funding, establish new partnerships, provide administrative management of awards, and ensure research is conducted in an ethical and responsible manner in compliance with University policies and federal, state, and local regulations.

Faculty Research Forum is a lunchtime series, managed by the Office of the Dean for Research, that introduces broad topics relevant for early career faculty, with an emphasis on building relationships and developing your network and support for faculty across all disciplines in launching, sustaining, and growing their research efforts.

Research Funding Announcements keep faculty apprised of current, curated research opportunities. If you are not receiving these emails, get on the listserv by emailing: researchfunding@princeton.edu.

Funding Announcement Gateway provides a curated list of funding announcements from several announcement newsletters in a searchable format.

Initial steps in getting your research idea funded

Define your funding needs and objectives by considering the following questions:

1. What is the scope and purpose of your project?
2. Would it be helpful to collaborate with someone?
   • Are collaborators necessary to successfully execute the project?
   • What benefits beyond executing the research might come from the collaboration?
   • What are the tradeoffs in having collaborators who are internal versus external to the University?
3. What if you are approached by others (internal/external) to be part of a collaborative team?
   
   Such opportunities could be especially beneficial for early career faculty because these connections could involve working with more established grant writers who can impart knowledge/strategies to enhance your chance of success in writing your own grant proposals later. These colleagues may also have an established funding record, which will enhance chances of being funded.
   
   It would be helpful to consult with more senior faculty colleagues to discuss these opportunities to assess alignment with research goals.
4. Where do you go to find research collaborators from Princeton?
   
   Faculty within your home department or your affiliated center/institute would be the most likely collaborators given their overlapping research interests. SEAS faculty outside your home department, center, or institute might provide complementary expertise needed for the particular project. A resource to find faculty across Princeton is the Research with Princeton portal.
5. What are specific requirements for this project for which you will need funding (e.g., research equipment, personnel, travel expenses, materials and supplies, subcontracts, etc.)?
6. How do you determine the amount of funding needed to carry out your research? How do you know the cost of doing the research you want to do?
   • Your grants manager can be a good resource to answer funding questions and to help you develop a rough estimate of needs. They will assist you in developing a budget for your proposal.
   • The cost of conducting research will be determined by using the rate sheets provided by the Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA). Rate sheets are available at https://orpa.princeton.edu/institutional-information.

External funding opportunities

• Research Funding Gateway is a curated portal containing funding opportunities from internal sources, corporations, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.
• Pivot is an online funding database that Princeton subscribes to featuring a wide array of funding opportunities from government, corporations, foundations, and private entities to cover research. The ODFR Pivot-At-A-Glance is a helpful guide to this tool.
• The ODFR Research Funding Announcements keep faculty apprised of current, curated research opportunities. If you are not receiving these emails, get on the listserv by emailing: researchfunding@princeton.edu
• Foundation Center Directory is an extensive list of funding opportunities compiled by the Foundation Center.

Internal funding opportunities

The ODFR provides several internal funding opportunities. A few of those opportunities are highlighted below:

The School of Engineering also offers funds to support research:

SEAS centers and other University departments can also be a source of funding. A few examples:

Crafting strong grant proposals

Initial tips

• Familiarize yourself with the funding organization’s mission, priorities, and evaluation criteria.
• Clearly articulate the significance and impact of your project.
• Develop a detailed budget that aligns with the funding guidelines.
• Seek advice from internal and external colleagues, mentors, and research development professionals (such as those at ODFR) to strengthen your proposal – especially for large-scale projects that require coordination. Colleagues are often willing to share successful proposals upon request.
• Adhere to the application guidelines and deadlines provided by each funding source.
• Adhere to specific requirements, formatting instructions, and submission procedures.
• Start the application process well in advance to allow ample time for revisions and administrative approvals. Proposals needing ORPA’s review must be submitted no less than five working days prior to the submission deadline. Late submissions may not allow time for approvals and compliance checks before the deadline passes.

Resources to support grant proposal development

• Funding Databases and Online Platforms: These databases include Foundation Center Directory Online, Pivot, and Grants.gov which provide tips and tools for proposals.
• Departmental Grants Managers: Your GMs will be integral to the proposal development
• Proposal Development Support: The University’s Proposal Development Team in ODFR provides one-on-one consultations, workshops, and resources to help researchers draft competitive grant proposals.
  • The Proposal Development Team is particularly suited for helping develop large-scale grants
  • ORPA’s Grant & Contract Administrators (GCA) play a critical role in reviewing your proposal to ensure that it complies with University and funding agency guidelines. Your GCA is responsible for the review and submission of proposals, contract negotiation, and grant acceptance. You can find your department’s GCA here.
  • ORPA also can help with collaborative federal proposals, which typically are the more complex multi-investigator, large-scale proposals to federal agencies
• Proposal Considerations (as outlined on Proposal Development page)
  • PI Eligibility
  • Princeton ERA Proposal Submission System
  • Gift vs. Grant
  • Subawards
  • Non-Funded Agreements (e.g., NDAs, data access agreements)
• Writing Support: ODFR provides consultations for proposal development for large scale, collaborative projects and DEI resources for crafting broader impact statements. Many federal agencies and institutions provide guidance on proposal writing (see list of external resources below). The Princeton Writing Center also offers appointments Research Writing Conferences that might help you hone your writing (though they will not be able to provide you critique on the content). Your faculty colleagues may also be a good source of support as you construct your proposals so don’t be afraid to reach out.
• Budget Development and Financial Guidance: Along with ORPA, The Office of Finance and Treasury (OFT) provides guidance on budget development and financial aspects of grant proposals.

Working with ORPA

You can follow these general steps:

1. Collaborate & Familiarize Yourself with ORPA: Visit the ORPA website or reach out to their office to better understand their role and services.
2. Proposal Submission: When preparing a grant proposal, collaborate with ORPA early in the process! They can provide guidance on:
   • Proposal requirements, budget development, compliance issues, and other administrative aspects.
   • ORPA staff can help review your proposal, ensure it aligns with sponsor guidelines, and facilitate its submission.
3. Award Negotiation and Acceptance: If your proposal is successful, ORPA will negotiate the terms and conditions of the award with the sponsor on behalf of the University. They will review the award documentation, identify any potential issues or concerns, and work with you to resolve them. Once the negotiations are complete, ORPA will facilitate the acceptance of the award.

Managing Funds POST-AWARD

Award Setup and Account Management: ORPA will establish a project account in Princeton’s financial system for the awarded funds. They will work with you to set up appropriate cost centers and budget codes for tracking expenses. ORPA staff will provide guidance on allowable costs, budget management, and financial reporting requirements.

Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: ORPA ensures that projects comply with federal, state, and sponsor-specific regulations.

Post-Award Management: Throughout the project’s duration, ORPA supports the PI and grants manager in post-award management activities. They assist with financial monitoring, expense tracking, and reporting requirements. ORPA staff can help you navigate any changes to the project scope, budget, or timeline and ensure compliance with university policies.

Closeout and Reporting: When the project is nearing completion, ORPA will guide you through the closeout process which will be conducted by Sponsored Research Accounting (SRA). They will assist with final financial reporting, ensure all necessary documentation is submitted, and facilitate any remaining financial transactions related to the project.

Working with Program Officers

When do you contact a Program Officer (PO)?

• When you have questions about the research priorities of the funding agency
  The PO can provide information about the research priorities of the agency. It may be helpful to ask whether your research would align with those priorities to help you assess the funding viability of your proposal. If you have an alignment related question, it can be helpful to prepare a one-page research summary to include in the body of the email along with a specific question about your project or a request to discuss whether it is a good fit for the program. Keep it focused; draw clear, explicit connections to significance and innovation; and clearly articulate the expected outcomes and deliverables and how these are related to the program’s priorities or guidelines.
  How technical should it be? Assume a technically literate reader but not necessarily well-versed in your specific area.

• When you need clarification of funding agency policies and elements of the grant
  You may want to contact the PO during the proposal development when you have questions about various aspects of the grant not addressed in the solicitation. Some examples of questions you might ask about include:
  • Agency policies such as Data Sharing, human subjects, etc.
  • Grant award specifics, such as possible award minimum/maximums, whether or not a particular budget item can be funded, etc.
• When you need help to understand reviewer feedback
  The PO can help you interpret critiques, provide guidance on when to resubmit, what to focus on and, if they were present at the study section, provide additional input into reviewers’ responses. Be sure to follow all agency guidelines for when it is appropriate to contact a program officer after submission (see below)– and remember never to contact anyone on the review panel! Give them ample time pre-deadline to respond and expect delays in response right after an FOA releases, or just before a deadline.

Tips for building a strong partnership with your program officer

• Attend workshops and webinars
  • Great opportunity to meet POs in person or virtually.
  • Introduce yourself – especially if the program is a live event or workshop, take the initiative to briefly discuss your research goals.
  • Ask questions – this shows your interest and engagement
• Engage in outreach and networking
  • Conferences and seminars often provide excellent opportunities to meet POs and discuss potential collaborations
• Reach out via email (only BEFORE proposal submission)
  • Keep your message brief and focused on your research area
  • If you have progress or relevant achievements to report, share updates
  • Review guidelines and expectations online first to make sure you follow PO’s preferred method of communication
• DO NOT contact PO once submission is complete and PO is reviewing your proposal
• Be patient
  • Building relationships takes time and effort; it doesn’t happen overnight
• Maintain long-term relationships
  • Even if you don’t receive funding initially, continue to stay in touch – this can lead to future opportunities.

FAQ

Appendix

Links to External Funding Opportunities

Grants.gov. For federally funded research, Grants.gov serves as a central repository of grants offered by various government agencies. **It may be comprehensive but some say it might be harder to navigate than PIVOT or Gateway.

Key Federal Government Funding Sources

You can access RFPs from these funding sources in a variety of ways such as PIVOT and Gateway. You can also go directly to the funding sites.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is a major funding agency that supports research and education across science and engineering. NSF’s mission is to promote the progress of science and strengthen the nation’s scientific workforce by funding research initiatives. They provide general guidance on tips for finding funding, how to prepare your proposal, and how to submit your proposal.

The Department of Defense (DOD) funds initiatives that are relevant to the security of the country. Engineering research fields (e.g., cybersecurity, materials science) are highly relevant to the DoD (Department of Defense)

DOD sub-agencies often have their own with calls for research

• AFRL/AFOSR: Air Force Research Laboratory/Air Force Office of Sponsored Research
• ARL: Army Research Laboratory
• ARO: Army Research Office
• DARPA: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
• ONR: Office of Naval Research

Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science funds research related to energy, sustainability & the environment. Funding opportunities exist at other offices in the DOE as well:

• Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy invests in research and development of lower cost of clean energy technologies
• Office of Nuclear Energy supports research related to nuclear power to meet national energy, environmental, and national security needs.
• Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) advances high potential, high impact energy technologies that are too early for private sector investment. Supports researchers developing new ways to generate, store, and use energy. **Note: ARPA-E awards can be challenging for less experienced researchers and require a HIGH degree of engagement with the DOE post-award.
• Office of Electricity (OE) supports the development of new technologies that improve the infrastructure and security related to the delivery electricity.
• Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) support development and deployment of technologies to reduce carbon emissions and other environmental impacts of fossil fuel production and use.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funds research to enable a safer, more secure, efficient, and environmentally-friendly air transportation system through aeronautics research; operate the International Space Station and prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit; explore the Earth-Sun system, our own solar system, and the universe beyond; and develop the crosscutting, advanced and pioneering new technologies needed for current and future missions, benefiting the aerospace industry and other agencies, and addressing national needs.

Department of Transportation (DOT) funds research to advance the mission to build up and maintain fast, safe, efficient, and accessible transportation systems.

National Institute of Health (NIH) supports health-related & biomedical research to enhance life and reduce illness and disability.

• While NIH is commonly associated with medical research, there are opportunities for engineering projects that intersect with health/medical advancements.