RCA Submission Guidelines
New Submission Guidelines (revised): July 1, 2025
Submission Guidelines
The Research and Creative Activity Award is a campus-wide small grants program supported by the Office of Research. It is designed as seed funding for original and collaborative research. Preference will be given to proposals with strong potential for external funding. During the application process, faculty must identify the future external funding opportunities that are a good fit for the proposed project.
Eligibility Information: The Principal Investigator must be a faculty member in one of the five schools and colleges of UM-Flint, and may only participate in two active RCA grants simultaneously (one as a PI and one as a Co-PI). Preference will be given to early career PI-eligible faculty. Applications are evaluated by anonymous subject matter experts across U-M. Proposed project start dates should allow enough lead time for the review process (8-10 weeks in review) and sufficient time for post-award startup and administration.
Estimated Number of Awards: Up to seven single investigator awards
Peer Review Process: Byer proposals are evaluated through peer review across U-M. The UM-Flint Office of Research uses the university’s competition space, InfoReady, to invite U-M faculty (across all three campuses) to anonymously evaluate submissions. Subject matter expert feedback (much like the peer review publication process) is the main source of feedback. Applicants may recommend independent peer reviewers during the application process.
Deadlines: The funding is available on a rolling basis. There are no fixed submission deadlines. Submissions have been received at the beginning of the fiscal year (July 1-June 30) until the funding is fully subscribed. Applicants will generally receive notification of the funding decisions within 8-10 weeks of their submission date.
Application materials must be submitted using the UM-Flint InfoReady Review portal, InfoReady, which allows for electronic submission of proposal documents, and online approvals from the Department Chair and Dean.
Requirements: RCA proposal narratives are limited to three single-spaced pages (with text no smaller than 11 point Arial and margins of at least 1 inch). Budget documents should be 1 page in length. Budget justifications (explaining the expenses proposed and the basis for the cost estimates) are limited to 1 page. Biographical sketches or abbreviated curriculum vitae must follow NIH, NSF or NEH submission criteria. SeeBiosketches for a discussion of ways to highlight your expertise.
Proposal Narrative
The proposal narrative must be paginated and include the following sections. The RCA evaluation criteria have been simplified to correspond with recent changes in federal review guidelines (see NIH simplified guidelines).
Project Narrative (Three Pages)
If you are pursuing health-related research, organizational studies, marketing, humanities and arts research, please use the following section headings:
- Importance of the Research (Significance and Innovation): Tell the reader why the research is important and identify the key research questions that the project will address. For humanities and arts disciplines, describe how the research will fill important gaps in the body of disciplinary knowledge or artistic expression and its unique contribution.
- Rigor and Feasibility (Approach): Provide an overview of the objectives and timeline of the project. This section should convey enough “step-by-step” detail to convince peer reviewers of the merits of the approach but stay broad enough to explain the approach to non-specialists. This section is written with comprehensive paragraphs to illustrate how each definable objective will be achieved and measured.
- Future Plans: Explain how your proposed project fits into your larger research agenda and discuss plans for obtaining external funding. Where applicable, provide information on potential external funding opportunities and targeted submission dates.
If you are pursuing STEM related research, please follow section headings relevant to NSF review.
- Intellectual Merit: Tell the reader about the potential for the proposed project to advance knowledge within its own field and across different fields. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts? Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success? How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities?
- Broader Impacts: The potential for the proposed project to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes. Visit the NSF Broader Impacts page to learn more about this review criterion.
- Future Plans: Explain how your proposed project will advance your research and discuss plans for obtaining external funding. Where applicable, provide information on the name of the NSF directorate, targeted submission dates, prior contacts with program officers, anticipated funding levels and plans for promoting the work to the funding source.
References and other supporting materials (survey questionnaires, etc.) are excluded from the proposal narrative page limit.
Budget
Single investigator: project budget requests are limited to no more than $20,000. The UMF Office of Research will only fund requests that reflect reasonable and necessary costs to achieve project objectives. The Office of Research may offer less than the originally requested amount based on scholarly merit, the practicality of the request, and available funds.
Collaborative: Joint funding requests involving two or more faculty can request up to $30,000. Joint funding requests will be evaluated with the collaborative and integrative nature of the research, as an additional criterion to the standard evaluation criteria of significance, innovation and approach.
Provide a descriptive Budget Narrative that explains each of the following categories as included in the project budget request:
- Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI Compensation: Principal investigators and co-investigators must be UM-Flint faculty. Descriptions of personnel should include their project role. Salary rates can be confirmed with the Office of Research or your departmental office.
Re-assigned time requests (fall or winter Semesters): RCA funds generally provide enough funding to include a single three credit course release for university year (9-month) or 12 month faculty. For nine-month faculty this is typically 11% effort, or one-ninth of your effort during a given academic year (fall and winter terms), plus benefits. For 12-month faculty, please contact the Office of Research to estimate the cost of a single course release in your proposed budget.
Summer effort: Nine-month appointed faculty may request up to a maximum of $6,500 plus benefits. PI and/or Co-PI cannot receive spring/summer research effort during periods when they are also teaching. - Research Assistance: Whenever possible, it is expected that students on the UM-Flint campus will benefit from RCA funds by being hired as research assistants. Services purchased from off-campus must be carefully explained in the budget narrative.
- FICA and Fringe Benefits: Applicants should factor FICA and fringe benefits into their requests.
- FICA: Students working during Fall and Winter semesters: UM-Flint undergraduate students are exempt from FICA if they are enrolled for 6 or more credit hours during the semester in which they work.
UM-Flint graduate students are exempt from FICA if they are enrolled for four or more credit hours during the semester in which they work.
Students working during the Summer semester: UM-Flint undergraduate students are exempt from FICA if they are enrolled for three or more credit hours during the semester in which they work. UM-Flint graduate students are exempt from FICA if they are enrolled for two or more credit hours during the semester in which they work.
*The only exception to the above is that all graduate students working on their theses and graduating seniors will be exempt from FICA tax withholding during the terms in which they are enrolled for 1 or more credit hours.
Non-students: Non-student employees are not exempt from FICA and require a payment of FICA in addition to the hourly wage they will earn. FICA is calculated at the rate of 7.65% (.0765 x hourly wage). - Fringe Benefits: Re-assigned time requests: If a re-assigned time (rather than spring or summer salary) is being requested (e.g. during the nine month academic year), the average cost of fringe benefits for faculty/staff can be estimated to be 30% (0.3) of the annual salary. Please contact the Office of Research for more precise estimates of benefit costs.
Summer (up to $8,000) pay requests: Because the university covers health insurance costs for faculty/staff throughout the year, these costs are calculated proportionally into fringe benefits. Fringe benefits for salaries requested during the Summer semesters (e.g. up to a maximum of $8,000) can be estimated as follows:
For faculty members in their first year at UM-Flint, apply a rate of 20% (0.2) when calculating fringe benefits. For faculty members who have been at UM-Flint for a year or longer, apply a rate of 30% (0.3) when calculating fringe benefits.
- FICA: Students working during Fall and Winter semesters: UM-Flint undergraduate students are exempt from FICA if they are enrolled for 6 or more credit hours during the semester in which they work.
- Itemized Expendable Supplies: Laboratory supplies, office supplies, etc.
- Permanent Equipment: Specify and justify major items of equipment to be purchased. Be sure to include any shipping charges. Demonstrate that equipment requested is not available for use from any other source (e.g. a nearby campus, other department, etc.). Ordinary office equipment, including desktop computers, is NOT eligible. In rare cases, funds may be requested for highly specialized computer hardware/software. On completion of the project, all equipment becomes the property of the department of the university.
- Travel and Subsistence
- Travel to conduct research, to performance sites, etc.: Grants may include costs of travel to research/performance sites, field work, etc. Cost estimates should include number of travel days, destinations, travel mode, etc. Two airfare estimates are required. The current University mileage reimbursement rate applies. Lodging is to be budgeted at the cost of reasonable single occupancy, and meals are limited to $50 per day unless special circumstances require an increased amount.
The University Standard Practice Guide SPG 507.10-1 (http.//spg.umich.edu) provides information about documenting and reporting travel and subsistence expenditures and should be consulted in advance of your trip.
If your project involves International travel, please consult the University Standard Practice Guide SPG 601.31 at spg.umich.edu while developing your proposal. - Dissemination Costs: Anticipated travel costs to present the results of the research project at professional meetings is allowed as a part of the original RCA grant. Travel costs requests that exceed 10% of the total budget are not allowable. Publications costs for open source, or other publications costs, are allowable under the dissemination line items, provided the estimated costs are matched by the home academic department or unit on a 1:1 basis.
- Travel to conduct research, to performance sites, etc.: Grants may include costs of travel to research/performance sites, field work, etc. Cost estimates should include number of travel days, destinations, travel mode, etc. Two airfare estimates are required. The current University mileage reimbursement rate applies. Lodging is to be budgeted at the cost of reasonable single occupancy, and meals are limited to $50 per day unless special circumstances require an increased amount.
Review Criteria
For health-related research, organizational studies, marketing, humanities and arts research:
- Importance of the Research (Significance and Innovation): potential contribution or scholarly merit is clear, scored on rating scale from 1-9.
- Rigor and Feasibility (Approach): study design is well motivated and step-by-step timeline is clear, scored on rating scale from 1-9.
- Expertise and Resources: investigators are well suited to carry out the project, and the environment is appropriate. No individual score, just evaluated as appropriate or not (gaps require explanation)
For STEM related research:
- Intellectual Merit: the potential for the proposed project to advance knowledge, with particular focus on whether the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts, and the plan for the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Evaluated on a scale from Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Reviewers are asked to evaluate strengths and weaknesses.
- Broader Impacts: The potential for the proposed project to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes, such as: inclusion, STEM education, public engagement, workforce development, partnerships, national security, economic competitiveness and infrastructure. Evaluated on a scale from Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Reviewers are asked to evaluate strengths and weaknesses.
Joint research proposals will also be reviewed on:
- Collaborative potential: degree of integration/complementarity of co-investigators skills and research aims.
Submission Requirements
In situations where release time or summer effort is requested in the proposed budget, Department Chair approval via InfoReady must be secured before the proposal is sent out for peer review. UM-Flint Office of Research will also arrange for Dean approval. Please submit any questions about the application process to: research.flint@umich.edu.
Reporting Requirements
Final report must be submitted within 30 days of the proposed project end date. The final report must include a:
- Summary of the project activities, impact of the project activities on students and campus research, and any reporting on how the seed funding has led to the pursuit of subsequent external funding opportunities
- Financial report comparing the proposed and actual budget
Note: future funding applications to the RCA seed funding program will be returned without review if any prior RCA project final report remains incomplete or outstanding.