College of Basic and Applied Sciences
CBAS Research & Innovation Funding Program

Purpose
The College of Basic and Applied Sciences Research & Innovation Funding Program (CBAS RIF) provides seed funding to develop competitive applications aimed at externally funded grants. The RIF program supports development of original research and scholarship at Middle Tennessee State University.
Eligibility
All tenured, tenure-track, research, and clinical-track faculty with appointments in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences may apply for RIF funding. Eligible faculty may submit one application in any given review cycle.
Budget Considerations
Project budgets may not exceed $8,000. An overall project budget detailing expenses and activities is required. To remain in compliance with institutional finance policies, investigators should consult the College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean’s Office with budget questions. Projects will not involve subcontracts or budget transfers between academic units or institutions.
Allowable Expenses ▪ Summer salary for Principal Investigator* ▪ Research and data collection/analysis supplies ▪ Equipment costing less than $2,500 ▪ Research participant stipends ▪ Technical assistance ▪ Travel directly related to data collection and analysis ▪ Special fees (lab, facility, etc.) directly related to this application * Summer salary for up to 1/32 (or 0.03125%) of 9-month salary is allowed for the PI. | Non-permitted Expenses ▪ Consultation fees ▪ Secretarial/administrative personnel ▪ Tuition ▪ Travel to scientific or professional meetings ▪ Honoraria/travel expenses for visiting lecturers ▪ Salary/stipend support of students, residents/fellows, postdoctoral fellows, mentors, investigators other than the PI ▪ Construction and building maintenance ▪ Publication fees ▪ Office and laboratory furniture ▪ Office equipment and supplies ▪ Rental of office and laboratory space ▪ Recruiting and relocation expenses ▪ Scientific society dues and membership fees |
The project period will be from July to May within the same fiscal year. Funding will begin July 1st and end May 31st. All funds must be expended within the project period they are awarded. No-cost extensions are not permitted.
Submission Procedures
PIs should submit the entire application using the Dynamic Form linked in the CBAS RIF Program webpage. The deadline for proposal submission is 11:59PM on March 24, 2025. Notification and Outcomes Letters will be sent to applicants no later than May 5th, 2025.
The principal investigator should identify the specific announcement from the external funding agency (e.g., NIH, NSF, USDA, DOE, DOD, foundation, etc.) to which an application will be submitted at the completion of the CBAS RIF award. Please note that the lay abstract provided in the application form may be used by CBAS to publicize the RIF program. As such, the abstract should not contain any information that would publicly disclose any intellectual property that may result from the project.
The primary project investigator is responsible for obtaining all applicable approvals concurrent to or prior to proposal submission, including academic, budgetary and research compliance reviews, for the project. IRB/IACUC/IBC approvals are not required prior to application submission; however, approval must occur prior to release of funds.
Review Process
Applications will be reviewed by a number of CBAS researchers within and outside of the applicant’s discipline. The rubric included below will be used to review and score applications. Applications will be ranked based on scoring and final funding decisions made by the Dean of CBAS in consultation with the CBAS Research Committee.
Resubmission
Resubmissions are allowed by invitation only and specified in the outcome email containing the funding decision. Resubmissions must include responses to the issues and comments raised by the reviewers in the form of a letter addressed to the College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean’s Office. The letter must also summarize any substantial additions, deletions, or changes to the application.
Award Conditions & Grant Administration
Project grants will be administered through the College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean’s Office in collaboration with Middle Tennessee State University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to ensure that the research is conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and institutional regulations.
IP and Tech Transfer
For funds to be released on awarded projects, investigators must notify and work with the Technology Commercialization office to identify and protect any award-related intellectual property. This may include, but is not limited to, obtaining material transfer agreements (MTA’s) and collaborative research agreements.
Final Report
A final report must be submitted to the Associate Dean for Research of CBAS. The final report should include a summary of research results; extramural funding applications planned, submitted or funded; manuscripts published, submitted, or in preparation; and presentations at professional meetings. The final report must be submitted no later than 60 days after the latest project expiration date.
Applications for External Funding
Awardees are required to submit a research proposal to an external funding agency within 12 months of the completion date of the collaborative project. Awardees are expected to work closely with the College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean’s Office and Middle Tennessee State University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to develop a timeline and gain the assistance needed to prepare the external application. Failure to comply may render the investigators ineligible for future funding through this program.
Duplicate Funding
If duplicate funding is awarded for the approved research during the RIF project period, all remaining funds in the RIF grant must be relinquished immediately.
Subsequent Publications & Presentations
Awardees are required to communicate any subsequent publications to the College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean’s Office within 1 month of the publication. Publications include manuscripts, abstracts, presentations, grants and others.
Acknowledgements
Any published work supported in whole or in part by the RIF program should acknowledge such support in the resulting publication. Other publicity related to the project should also carry acknowledgement.
A sample acknowledgement is: “This project was supported in whole or in part by funds from the College of Basic and Applied Sciences Research & Innovation Funding Program and Middle Tennessee State University.”
CONTACT US:
College of Basic and Applied Sciences
Office of the Dean
MTSU Box 83, SCI 1020
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
basdean@mtsu.edu
615-898-2613