Reaching Others University at Buffalo - The State University of New York
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Office of the Provost

Criteria For Funding

Proposals submitted to this fund will be evaluated based on three weighted metrics:

Reputation/Ranking (40%)

Substantial impact on key university performance metrics and/or reputation.  Some examples are given below (a successful proposal need not address all metrics, but should address all that apply).

1.  Enhancing AAU Status (Goals can be found in Attachments A and B)

  • Faculty (number of ladder faculty, diversity, research funding)
  • Students (quality, graduation rates, diversity)
  • Student/Faculty Ratio
  • External Funding including philanthropy

2.    Recognized excellence in scholarship or creative endeavors

Alignment with University and/or Unit Strategic Plans (30%)

Proposals should be well-aligned with the University’s strategic plan (UB2020 Strategic Strengths and NY SUNY 2020). Moreover, submissions should leverage unit or partner resources, extend and build on the unit’s 3-year plans, and seek to match E funds with other resources.  Proposals should demonstrate partnership with, and responsiveness to, key stakeholders, and thus should clearly articulate how the proposed activities address the following:

  1. NY SUNY 2020
  2. Unit Plans (Dean’s Priorities)
  3. Scope and breadth of potential impact on UB
  4. Scope of potential impact on WNY (Economic Engagement and Development)
  5. Engagement of external constituents (e.g., WNY community, industrial partners, etc.).

Feasibility and Sustainability (30%)

The proposal should include a sensible blending of seed/one-time requests and recurring fund requests. Units are expected to demonstrate commitment to the proposed effort by allocating a combination of recurring funds and one-time funds from within their growing unit base projections.  Proposals requiring significant involvement of support units should include a letter from the head of the support unit that clearly articulates their commitment to the successful completion of the project. Proposals will be evaluated based on:

  1. Feasibility of accomplishing proposed goals;
  2. Choice of indicators/metrics to monitor and evaluate success of the proposal over the length of the planning horizon;
  3. Sustainability of the proposed effort, i.e., how will the proposed effort be able to continue once the agreed upon E-Fund support is diminished or removed;
  4. Resources necessary for successful implementation;
  5. Budget;
  6. Revenue potential.