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Laker Faculty Research & Development Grants

The Office of Provost is pleased to support the research, teaching, and other professional activities of faculty to advance in their disciplinary scholarship, improve pedagogical approaches, or enhance and disseminate their knowledge or expertise in their fields.

There are three (3) types of Faculty Research & Development Grants (up to $2,500 each):

  • Faculty Research—funding for scholarly or creative projects led by faculty, aimed at generating new knowledge, advancing a discipline, or producing publishable or presentable academic work.

  • Innovating Teaching Practice—funding for faculty to develop, test, or implement new instructional methods, technologies, or course designs that improve student learning, engagement, or classroom effectiveness.

  • Professional Development—funding for faculty to travel to meetings, workshops or conferences to enhance their academic, teaching, or service roles. (priority given to faculty who are presenting)

Calls for proposal requests will occur every fall and spring semester. Proposal requests will be reviewed and evaluated by the Faculty Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate.

Questions about Laker Faculty Research & Development Grants may be directed to Jeff Jacobs, Office of the Provost.

Grant proposals should be in accordance with the following:

  • Full-time, regular Clayton State faculty (including administrative faculty) may apply for a Laker Faculty Research & Development Grant
  • Proposals should not exceed $2,500
  • Proposals should [relate to, support, bolster] one of the University’s four Strategic Planning Goals
  • Institution Review Board (IRB) approval, if required, must be received prior to submitting a proposal. If your project is still under IRB review by the proposal deadline, include a copy of the IRB submission confirmation. Otherwise, without this, proposals will not be considered.

What the grant may cover:

  • Personal Services
    • Payment for student employees who work directly with the research and dissemination process. (HR student hiring and onboarding processes must be followed.)
    • Honorariums/Speaker Fees
    • Faculty-release Time
  • Travel
    • Travel to meetings, workshops, or conferences
  • Supplies and Materials
    • Materials and supplies needed to conduct the research.

What the grant may NOT cover

  • Travel for student employees funded by the grant. This includes travel to research sites and conferences.
  • Hardware and software purchases
  • Stipends for Clayton State faculty who are participating in the project.

Other Guidelines

  • Faculty members may receive only one Laker Faculty Research & Development Grant per year regardless of whether the applicant is the primary or a secondary investigator.  Faculty must sit out for one year after submitting the final report before applying for another Laker Research & Development Grant.
  • All proposals from eligible faculty members will go through a competitive review process by the Faculty Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate. The committee will recommend awards to the Provost, who will make the final approval of any award and provide notification to recipients.
  • Due to limited resources, proposed projects may be funded partially, which would require costs prioritization by the requester. Attempts to be cost-effective in accomplishing the goals of the research will be recognized.
  • All grant funds awarded must be expended by June 1 of the fiscal year the funds are made available and in accordance with Clayton State’s procurement, purchasing, and travel and expense procedures. Budget managers should plan for purchases that will need to be made during this time and obtain travel and purchase order(s) approval prior to June 1 of the applicable fiscal year.
  • Travel expenses must be processed no later than 45 days after travel event, per University policy. Travel expense statements are to be entered into the system. It is your responsibility to process your travel expenses and to enter all purchase requests into the e-pro expense module system.
  • A final report must be submitted to the Office of the Provost as a part of the grant award close-out (see timelines and deadlines section) and the awardee must maintain the records in their research file.
  • Only proposals from full-time, regular faculty (including administrative faculty) will be considered.
  • Funding will not be awarded to any faculty members who have not satisfied the requirements of previous awards.

The following timelines identify important dates in the proposal and funding process. Carefully consider the following timelines for submission, award, expenditure of funding, and reporting of project progress.

Proposals are accepted each fall and spring semester.

Funds received from Laker Research & Development awards must be expended by June 1 of the fiscal year the funds are made available. Awards are funded through state (E&G) funds, which do not carry over from one fiscal year to another. If you cannot expend the funds awarded by this deadline, please wait until next application term to apply.

Laker Research & Development Grant Timelines:

Fall Submissions
(Awarded funds available Dec. 15, 2026 – June 1, 2027)

  • Application Open: Sept. 1–30, 2026
  • Committee review of proposals: Oct. – Nov. 2026
  • Committee decisions submitted to Provost's office: Dec. 1, 2026
  • Notification letters sent to applicants: Dec. 15, 2026
  • Award Funds Available: Dec. 1, 2026 – June 1, 2027
  • Funds Expended by: June 1, 2027
  • Final Report Due by: June 30, 2027

Spring Submissions
(Awarded funds Available Aug. 1, 2027 – June 1, 2028)

  • Application Open: Jan. 1–31, 2027
  • Committee review of proposals: Feb. – Mar. 2027
  • Committee decisions submitted to Provost's office: Apr. 1, 2027
  • Notification letters sent to applicants: May 1, 2027
  • Award Funds Available: Aug. 1, 2027 – June 1, 2028
  • Funds Expended by: June 1, 2028
  • Final Report Due by: June 30, 2028

All proposals should be developed using this Proposal Template and submitted through the online application form . A complete proposal will include the following (see proposal guides below for each grant category):

  1. Proposal Abstract (250-400 word summary)
  2. Proposal Description  (max five page)
    (Write your proposal so that it can be understood by someone outside of your discipline.)
  3. Proposal Timeline
  4. Proposal Budget (and Other Funding, if applicable)
    (Include all items necessary to complete the project/opportunity. Indicate budget costs supported by department/division or other sources.  University-approved hiring and expense requirements must apply.)

Proposal Guides and Evaluation Rubrics:
Faculty Research Grant
InnovativeTeaching Practice Grant
Professional Development Grant

Faculty who are awarded a Laker Research & Development Grant must submit a final report (template) by the listed deadline for that semester award and include the following:

  1. Summary of results or accomplishments of the project/opportunity including the proposal goals or outcomes, publishing, and next stage of scholarship, as applicable.
  2. Discuss the realized value of the project to the department, college or University (teaching effectiveness, contribution to scholarship, publication, exhibition, etc.):
  3. Budget report outlining utilization of funds.