Wilson Research Initiation Grant

The Wilson Initiation Grant is intended to jump start the research of a new tenure track faculty member, with a service accumulation of two calendar years or less by the application date of the current year. Preference will be given to proposals from assistant professors.

The award recipient will receive $10,000 from the Wilson Endowment Fund.  The period of the award is through June 30th of the following year and any unspent balance will be returned to the fund for reallocation.

Proposal Content
The proposal should include: 

• title page including name, rank, department affiliation
• a summary of proposed research, limited to one page and written for nonspecialists
• a narrative of three pages or less in which the problem is defined, the need, value or significance of the work is indicated, and the research plan is broadly outlined
• a short vita, including related publications and experience
• a proposed budget including fringe benefits and tuition

Submission
The proposal should be submitted electronically to the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research (emsresearch@ems.psu.edu) no later than February 15th.

Proposal Evaluation
While a proposal is expected to contain specialized content, it should have a clear enough discussion of the background, the problem, and the significance so that a reviewer not in the discipline finds it understandable.  The review criteria include: 

• The overall scientific and/or technical merits of the proposal.
• The innovativeness of the research.
• The adequacy of facilities and equipment to accomplish the research.
• The reasonableness of the proposed costs.
• Prospects for the development of a long term scholarly activity.

Award Announcement
Awards will be announced at the Wilson Awards Banquet held each spring. 

Previous Recipients
The following EMS faculty members have received the Wilson Research Initiation Grant: