Research Proposal Guidelines

UW-NPS Small Grants Program – Research Proposal Guidelines

The Small Grants Program is funded by Grand Teton National Park and the University of Wyoming Office of Research. Funding is limited to US academic institutions, government, and NGO researchers conducting studies in the Greater Yellowstone region. See a list of recently funded projects here.

Proposals should be submitted as a single pdf via the InfoReady System. Complete proposals must include:

  1. Research Proposal.
  2. Budget and justification.
  3. Results of prior support. If any PI on the grant has previously received a UW-NPS small grant or used housing or other station facilities, the proposal must also include a 1 page summary of results of prior support or facility use. Proposals from previously-funded PIs will not be reviewed if this section is omitted. If this does not apply, this section should only have the following sentence: “None of the PIs have previously received funding from UW-NPS or stayed at the UW-NPS Research Station.”
  4. Curriculum vitae for each PI.

Research Proposal

Research proposals should be no more than 5 pages, including figures and tables. References must be no more than an additional 3 pages. Use 1 inch margins throughout and Times New Roman 11 pt font.

The first page of the proposal should include the project title and a list of all project personnel, their titles, institutions, and a one sentence description of their role in the project.  The rest of the page should be left blank.

Pages 2-5 of the proposal should have 4 sections:

  1. Conceptual Framework. Effectively place the research in context and clearly describe the broader relevance of the work, relevance to the Greater Yellowstone Area, and relevance to National Park research priorities (where applicable). What fundamental question(s) are you addressing? Within this broader context, describe the specific aims to be accomplished with this funding.
  2. Rationale and Significance. Focus in on your particular study and clearly articulate the rationale for addressing your particular aims and the significance of your planned work.
  3. Research Questions. Outline how each specific aim helps address your overarching question(s).
  4. Research Plan. Describe in detail your general approach and your plan for addressing each specific aim. Be sure to provide sufficient detail to allow evaluation of the feasibility of the work, including statistical approaches and a timeline for completion.

Budget and Justification

Grants provide up to $5,000 for 1 year. No indirect charges are allowed. The budget should be a 1 page description of how the budget will be spent, split by categories: personnel (e.g. graduate or undergraduate student wages), housing (instructions for reserving housing at the station can be found here: link), travel (airfare, car rental, food), materials and supplies (reagents, small equipment, etc.).

Note: Grant money MAY NOT be used to pay salary for senior personnel (faculty) or to buy major equipment that does not subsequently reside at the station.

Results of Prior Support

In 1 page or less, briefly overview research accomplishments related to previous UW-NPS small grants received or to previous residence or other facilities support at the station. Also provide a bibliography of all publications (indicate peer-reviewed or not), reports, conference presentations, and grant submissions based on research supported by UW-NPS.

Curriculum vitae

Include a CV no longer than 2 pages for each PI.

Research proposals are evaluated by a panel of faculty in diverse fields based on intellectual merit (will the study advance our understanding in some key way), and relevance to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and to park priorities.