Frequently Asked Questions - Cross-Disciplinary Research Fund
General Information | Proposals | Submission | Review & Notification
General Information
- Can a co-investigator submit more than one application?
Yes. Investigators are allowed to submit more than one application but an investigator can only serve as Lead PI on one application if each application includes different collaborators.
Proposals
- When are CDRF proposals due?
Wednesday, January 15, 2024, at 1:00 PM ET.
- What approvals are required for my application?
Department Chairs approve through the Letter of Support form or email.
- What letters of support are required for my application?
Two letters of support are required; one for the lead investigator and one for the primary co-investigator. The indication of support can be through the Department Chair Support Form found in the competition portal or by submitting a PDF of the Department Chair’s email.
For all proposals submitted by an investigators with a primary appointment in CCAS
In addition to the department chair support documentation, any lead or co-investigator with a primary appointment in CCAS or whose award will be managed through CCAS is required to provide the name and email addresses for both their department chair and their departmental finance administrator as part of their application.
- Who is eligible to submit a proposal?
CDRF co-investigators must meet the eligibility requirements of being a principal investigator (PI) on an externally funded project. PI eligibility is determined by the schools. Please note that the Institutional Review Board (IRB) will continue to have its own criteria in accordance with their accrediting body’s guidelines.
- Second-Year CDRF Eligibility Criteria
All applicants that received new CDRF funding in FY25 are eligible to compete for the second year of project funding. Applicants who received a no-cost extension approval for first-year CDRF funding in FY23 are also eligible to apply.
- We are considering partnering with an investigator outside of GW. Do all investigators have to have active appointments at GW?
Yes. CDRF proposals must include at least two GW investigators prior to including an outside investigator.
- Am I eligible to apply if I hold an affiliate faculty position?
Affiliate faculty are only eligible for a CDRF award if the project will be completed at GW. Additionally, any resulting sponsored projects will be run through GW.
If MFA/Children's National affiliate wants to apply, it is recommended they partner with a regular GW faculty member, the project must be conducted at GW, money does not move outside of GW, any follow up sponsored projects must run through GW, and publications must acknowledge the GW appointment.
- Do individual projects need a minimum of 2 or 3 co-investigators?
A minimum of two GW investigators are required to submit a proposal. Proposals shall name one lead principal investigator (Lead-PI) as the responsible point of contact.
- Can I apply with another investigator from my school or college?
Applicants from any two diverse departments may submit a CDRF proposal.
- Are faculty salaries covered by CDRF?
Only salary for research faculty serving as co-investigator will be supported by CDRF. This amount is capped at 25% of project funding. Research faculty is defined by Human Resources. Please confirm research faculty status with your school’s HR client partner.
Salary for Tenured Track, non-Research Faculty or Limited Service Faculty will not be supported by CDRF.
- Does CDRF cover travel?
Travel may be requested so long as it is essential to the project and can be justified. Travel for non-GW personnel should be limited and will be taken under consideration.
- Can CDRF pay for non-GW contributing investigators and/or project personnel?
CDRF funding is internal, therefore GW limits the amount a project can pay for non-GW contributing investigators and project personnel. This funding will be reviewed with the application.
Submission
- How do we submit CDRF applications?
Applications are submitted via OVPR-InfoReady. Questions and concerns should be emailed to [email protected] with “CDRF” in the subject line. Paper and emailed copies of proposal components will not be accepted.
- What is the best file format for application documents?
It is encouraged that application documents are uploaded as PDF (portable document format) files.
To convert documents such as .doc, .docx, or other file types, open the file and select "Save as Abode PDF" from the File menu. Using this method will preserve active hyperlinks, formatting and page layouts. "Printing" to a PDF may remove important formatting. For more information click the link Adobe PDF.
Review & Notification
- How will proposals be reviewed?
Reviewers are active GW researchers who are assigned to proposals at random. Upon submission of reviewers’ scorecards, the proposals will be ranked and assessed by a panel review.
Faculty may request specific reviewers recuse themselves from reviewing the project application. Requests must be submitted to [email protected] prior to the proposal deadline on January 15, 2025.
- When will the decisions be sent to the PIs?
Final notifications will be emailed to the lead PI in Spring 2025.