North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station
Research Project Guidelines
North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (NDAES) projects serve a variety of needs. Federal accountability requires a project for each principal investigator (PI) receiving USDA-CSREES formula funds as part of their salary. In general, 9% of the NDAES salaries are Hatch funds.
The projects also allow budgetary accountability of our research activity. This information is required by the North Dakota legislature, the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education (SBARE), and federal agencies.
The annual CRIS (Cooperative Research Information System) reports are integral to the College and NDSU annual reports.
NDAES projects also need to align with the Federal Plan of Work we are required to submit each year.
Projects should encompass an individual faculty member’s program of work (e.g., grants obtained should align with project objectives). If work beyond these objectives is performed (either new grants or change of interest), a new or additional project should be developed. Each faculty member is expected/required to have their own individual project. In addition to individual projects, team projects may be written if it is appropriate for the situation.
Project Review Process
Six copies of the project (developed using the preparation guidelines that follow) are to be submitted to the Director’s office. The Director’s office will ensure that the project conforms to the guidelines. The project will then be given to the Project Review Committee (PRC) for evaluation and the Assistant Director will make a determination on approval based on input from the PRC. The PRC will be responsible to assess the subject matter as it relates to AES’s Plan of Work, especially project need and interaction among AES units. The PRC will be represented by each unit within the NDAES, plus one representative from both Extension and Research Extension Centers.
Time Lines
Projects will be reviewed by three members of the PRC. Reviewers will complete reviews in one month or less from receipt of the project. Upon evaluation of the proposal, the Assistant Director will write a letter to the PI indicating any changes that may need to be made.
Project Development and Review Procedures
1. The principal investigator(s) will begin the development of the proposal following the current guidelines. If questions arise, the PI(s) is encouraged to contact the Assistant Director or Director’s office.
2. Faculty members who have research appointments are responsible for knowing what year their AES projects are scheduled to terminate (AES projects terminate on September 30) and should initiate the preparation of their new project well in advance (at least six months) of the date their existing project is scheduled to terminate. In order to ensure an official starting date of October 1, a project needs to be submitted for review by January 1. Department chairs are also responsible for ensuring that the research faculty in their department have active projects. A "new" AES project should have received the necessary approvals prior to the termination date of the "old"/previous project. New faculty members in the college who have research appointments should prepare and submit an AES project within a year of joining NDSU.
3. The scientific merit of each new proposal will need to be evaluated at the departmental level by two researchers and the chair. The department may choose whether this is routinely done by two designees or rotated among the faculty. If a department feels that it does not have the specialized expertise in_house to review a technical proposal, external reviewers will be permitted. If collaborators or cooperators are included on the proposal, time must be allowed for them and their immediate supervisors to review the project prior to submission of the proposal for review. The department chair will need to write a memo to accompany the project indicating who has reviewed the project. The project will need to be signed by the appropriate dept. chair(s) or REC director(s).
4. The PRC will review and discuss the project with the PI(s) to resolve any questions concerning the project. Three members of the PRC will be assigned as lead reviewers. A copy of the project will also be sent to the appropriate SBARE subcommittee for information.
5. Faculty members and their unit administrator should assign a relative amount of time (SY) to the project.
Project Format
Submit six copies to the Director’s office, 315 Morrill Hall. Projects should be double-spaced, 12 point font, numbered pages, and no longer than 15 pages in length, which includes the “Heading” to the “Importance to the State of North Dakota” sections.
Heading (should be centered at the top of the page and read as follows):
North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station
North Dakota State University
Department of _________________
Project Number:
Project Title:
Must be concise and reflect problem areas. USDA guidelines limit all titles to 140 characters.
Objectives:
A clear statement of objectives. Be specific and plan to limit number of objectives to a maximum of three to four. Number each objective so that it can easily be referred to in the procedure section.
Justification:
Briefly state the importance of the proposed research. What problem is being addressed? Indicate the importance of the problem to agriculture; rural or urban life; and the general public of North Dakota, the region, or the nation. What will be the anticipated economic, societal, social, or scientific outcome of the project? What are indicators of success of the project?
Previous Work and Present Outlook:
Give a brief summary of the state of the science. Cover pertinent research on the problem, both previous and recent. Include your own and other relevant studies, both published and unpublished. This section should indicate (1) questions that have not been answered by research and (2) how the proposed research will fill the gaps.
Procedures:
This section is to provide a general design of the project. To begin, re-state each of the objective statements followed by a description of the procedures/methods for that objective. The procedure statements should show that the research needs and plans have been considered carefully and the proposed work has the potential to provide data and information which will permit accomplishing the objectives.
While the details of the experimental design do not need to be specified, provide sufficient information to indicate that an appropriate design is planned. Where possible, cite your own or other published work instead of detailed protocols.
Indicate how results of the research might be disseminated, providing a framework for moving your research from discovery to application. For example, identify potential target audiences (such as peers, producers, agribusinesses, or consumers) and suggest possible educational venues (such as extension programing, field day presentations, short courses, publications, video, compact disk, or internet presentations).
Literature Cited:
Only those publications cited should be listed. Use the style of your professional journal throughout.
Importance to the State of North Dakota:
Clearly delineate the value/implications of the project to the citizens of North Dakota. Specify, in nontechnical language a statement for each Agricultural Experiment Station research project indicating (1) the projected economic impact of each project to the State of North Dakota and (2) how the project relates to the vision statement “North Dakota is to become the trusted provider of the highest quality agricultural products in the world.”
Duration:
Indicate the number of years the project is expected to continue. Duration should not exceed five years. The federal reporting cycle is October 1 to September 30 so projects will have a starting date of October 1. As previously stated, the termination date for all AES projects is September 30.
Principal Investigator(s):
List principal and co-principal investigators and associated technical support staff. Co-PIs are other NDSU faculty with a major role in the project. Lesser levels of participation are collaborators. Be sure to list first name, middle initial, and last name of all personnel.
This section should also indicate an accurate percentage of time allocated to the project for each PI and support staff listed. The percentage is based on 100% of the research appointment (e.g., if the PI has a 70% research appointment and does not have another active research project, the effort shown is 0.7 SY). If there are questions regarding the correct assignment of time, please contact the Dept. Chair, Budget Office Director, or the Director’s office prior to completing this section.
Collaboration:
List NDSU collaborators. Collaborators are NDSU researchers or units that are active partners but not PIs in the research project.
Cooperation:
List cooperating agencies, such as the USDA, the ND Water Commission, or the ND Department of Agriculture if appropriate. Cooperators are non-NDSU units that are actively participating in the research or are providing a research site or space.
Institutional Units Involved:
List all NDSU and cooperating units involved. Clearly, but briefly, specify the responsibilities of the units.
Animal Care, DNA/RNA, Radioactive Materials, or Human Subjects Checkoff:
1. Does this project involve human subjects?
___ Yes–contact the IRB Director at 231-8908 or go to http://www.ndsu.edu/research/compliance/irb/index.shtml. Attach documentation of approval.
___ No.
2. Does this project involve the use of living vertebrate animals (other than humans)?
___ Yes–contact the IACUC Director at 231-8114 or go to http://www.ndsu.edu/research/compliance/iacuc/index.shtml. Attach documentation of approval.
___ No.
3. Are potential safety or health hazards/recombinant DNA involved?
___ Yes–contact the IBC Director at 231-8908 or go to http://www.ndsu.edu/research/compliance/ibc/index.shtml. Attach documentation of approval.
___ No.
4. Are radioactive materials involved?
___ Yes–contact the University Safety Officer at 231-9536 or go to http://www.ndsu.edu/research/compliance/hazardous_materials.shtml.
___ No.
Approval Page (1 separate page):
Space should be provided for signature and date by unit administrator for all PIs; administrators of collaborating and cooperating units; and Director, North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. Submission of a project to the Director is an indication that the lead PI has provided copies of the project to each signing administrator, made them aware of any relevant changes, and that they approve of the level of participation specified. All cooperating unit administrators’ signatures are required before the project will be reviewed by the PRC. All projects that involve work at an REC will need to be approved by the director of that center (indicated by their signature on this page). The Director will sign the final version after it has been reviewed by the PRC.
____________________________________________________ _______________
PI’s Unit Administrator’s signature Date
____________________________________________________ _______________
Collaborating Unit(s), Administrator’s signature Date
____________________________________________________ _______________
Cooperating Unit(s), Administrator’s signature Date
____________________________________________________ _______________
Director, ND Agricultural Experiment Station signature Date