WRC Equipment Fund

Equipment Grant Application Form: PDF Application File (download).

 

Upload Application File

 

Application Deadline

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis as funds are available.  Deadlines will be posted on the front page of the WRC website and in the WRC’s Microsoft Teams channel.  Contact the WRC if you are unsure whether applications are currently being accepted before preparing your request.

Program priorities and objectives

The mission of the Water Resources Center (WRC) is to create support structures, facilities, and resources to enable ECU faculty and students to perform world-class water research.  Center affiliates are finding ways to improve our understanding at the interface of human, natural, and engineered systems to ensure a resilient and sustainable future for communities at home and around the world.

The WRC Equipment Fund will provide support to facilitate the acquisition of new equipment as well as the maintenance and improvement of existing equipment.  The main objective is to extend the current capabilities of the shared equipment pool and infrastructure across departments.  Applications capitalizing on collaboration (existing or anticipated) as well as matching funds are strongly encouraged (e.g., to match funds from departments, colleges, or grants).

General Guidelines  

Eligibility: ECU students, postdoctoral associates, staff, and faculty (tenure-track, tenured, fixed-term, and teaching) who are active affiliates of the WRC for a period of at least 6 months before application are eligible to apply (i.e., have participated actively in WRC affiliated programs, proposals, community events, research activities, etc.).  To become a WRC affiliate, send an email to water@ecu.edu.

A Principal Investigator (PI) may submit one request per year and can serve as co-PI on an unlimited number of other requests.  Additional proposals (>1 per year per PI) will be considered for situations where equipment is needed and funding is available.  Equipment purchases through this program must be made available and accessible to other researchers at ECU.

Consideration of subsequent submissions of awardees would be contingent upon successful investment of the funds allocated.

Budget: The amount of funding will vary from year to year.  Applicants should clearly justify all budgetary needs.

Funds may be used for the following purposes:

  • New water-related equipment to support scholarly research and creative activities
  • Water research equipment improvements and accessories (including repairs)
  • Water research equipment-specific supplies and consumables
  • Computational resources or specialized software
  • As matching funds for larger proposals

Funds may not be used for:

  • Travel, student support, equipment/supplies that don’t enhance ECU’s water-related research and/or creative capacity

Application Review Criteria

Requests that do not meet the stated eligibility requirements will not be reviewed. The WRC Equipment Fund committee, consisting of junior and senior faculty affiliates from multiple ECU departments, will review requests and provide recommendations to the WRC Director.

Favorable consideration will be based on the following criteria:

  • Alignment with the WRC mission
  • The number of researchers who would benefit from the investment
  • The degree to which the equipment will enhance the scholarly productivity of ECU researchers (e.g., including publications and number of students and faculty benefiting from the equipment)
  • Plan for making the equipment available and accessible to other ECU researchers (contact the WRC if you need help with this)
  • Capability and capacity development for early-stage investigators
  • Ability to secure partial or fully matched funds for the equipment (not required, but strongly encouraged)
  • Ability to contribute to water research publications
  • Likelihood that the investment will lead to extramural funding

Application Materials and Format

Requests should be submitted using the application form posted below.  Additional materials beyond those requested on the application form or listed below should not be included with the application.  All files should be combined into a single pdf file for upload to the submission site.

The application should describe:

  • Need for the equipment
  • Current capabilities at ECU and how additional funding will compliment or expand existing resources
  • Explanation of how the equipment is critical to increasing research competitiveness at ECU (including enablement of publications, grants, and educational experiences)
  • Plan for sharing of equipment and accessibility.  If shared use is not possible, please provide a justification.*
  • Budget justification (one extra pdf page is allowed if needed)

Additional files to include with the application (as one pdf file with the application form):

  • NSF or NIH-style biosketches for the PI and co-PIs
  • Current quote from the equipment supplier
  • Documentation of matching funds (e.g., copy of emails clearly specifying commitments)
  • Notes of support from collaborators

*Note that equipment that supports the research of an individual rather than the ECU community will be considered a low priority for funding.