Bureau of Educational Research
Last update: December 15, 2022
Application submission Interface
We encourage collaborative efforts; these will receive preferential consideration in the CRC review process.
A broad array of external funding opportunities may be considered, selecting those sources best matched to the proposed research topic and plan. In some cases, multiple sources and source types could be considered if they are positioned to fund specific components of a particular project.
The purpose of this program is to be inclusive and interdisciplinary, so funded projects will be those with the potential to maximize educational and social impact.
External proposals are submitted in the name of the university, and so need to adhere to university rules governing research participation. Graduate students can be named as “senior personnel” if they play significant roles in an external funding proposal. University submissions do not typically name students in PI or co-PI roles because that entails fiscal responsibilities for the conduct of the project. Please consult the Bureau with specific questions.
This program is not designed to provide supplemental funding. Pre-tenure faculty in need of support for project completion due to COVD-19-related hardships should contact the Dean’s Fellow, Rodney Hopson, who is charged with assistant professor development.
Please contact Elizabeth (Beth) Niswander to share updates as your plans develop. Provided you initiate discussion early on, Beth will also field requests for strategic support (e.g, feedback on proposal drafts, assistance in finding needed resources or collaborators).
The explicit purpose of this competition is to provide resources that will help faculty teams to organize education research projects with potential for significant impact. For topics that do not fall within areas of research generally competitive for external funding, a competitive proposal will present a clear argument of need and evidence of the likelihood that research outcomes will influence the field.
External funding from sources less commonly identified with education research may be available. Information on both internal (e.g., Campus Research Board) and external supports for projects related to the arts, humanities, and other fields is available from the OVCRI Research Advising and Project Development (RAPD) team.
Guidance from OVCRI/OPRS for actively evolving video tools and platforms is being updated periodically, focusing on concerns about the performance and compliance with human subjects protections. OPRS has posted a Virtual Resources Guidance document with detailed recommendations.
Please follow all necessary IRB requirements through our University Office for the Protection of Research Subjects OPRS). Note that OPRS will be the best source of research safety information, should changes in Covid-19 or other infectious diseases require that research activity be modified.
FERPA questions and requirements about access to school records will be dealt with in the course of OPRS review.
For the seed funding submission, you need to include both an Excel budget and narrative that explains the purposes for which you will use of funds, with a dollar amount for each item. Preparation and submission of the seed funding application is the researcher’s responsibility. You may request help from BER pre-award staff via grants@education.illinois.edu (Kim Darnell and Laura Cooky) to generate an Excel budget with correct salary and fringe benefit rates. Please make that request at least two weeks before you submit your seed funding proposal. When selected for funding (and before you start spending), these documents will enable College administration of your award funds.
Please include student support as an hourly wage, with fringe benefits; do not budget this as a percent time assistantship.
Funds will be available for use as soon as you receive notice that you have received funding. The Bureau will share copies of your proposal and budget with Business Operations in Finance; in due course, they will assign your grant charges to the right program code (CFOP) and will send out reports of expenditures to PIs.
External proposal submissions are expected as an outcome of the seed-funded project. Because funder due dates vary, they may fall within, or following, the six-months to one-year window for seed-funded activity.
External proposal submissions should follow normal BER submission processes. Please contact Kim Darnell and Laura Cooky via grants@education.illinois.edu as soon as your funder submission date is known to plan the submission process.
Timing and method for sharing will depend on the particulars of the proposed project. Please confer with Beth Niswander in the BER to ensure proper BER and College recognition.
Where budget revisions are tied to a significant re-design of the project (e.g., adding a collaborator, changing research design), please contact Kim Darnell for assistance, and then share narrative and budget revisions with Jessica Li and Beth Niswander.
Where budget revisions are administrative (e.g., adjusting student worker hours, purchasing minor supplies), working with Kim Darnell and Laura Cooky will be sufficient; she will communicate revisions with the Finance Office.