PROPOSAL FORMS (Microsoft Excel File, 83kb)
After downloading and completing these forms, 
please submit to FIPR with full proposal.

The State of Florida authorized the creation of the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research by Florida Statute 378.101. The Florida Institute of Phosphate Research (FIPR) is empowered to issue grants payable from the Phosphate Research Trust Fund. The purpose of the Institute is to encourage research and development (and sharing of the information developed) with respect to mining and processing of phosphate rock and reclamation of mined and disturbed lands in the State of Florida. The Institute will fund projects in applied research which tend to solve real problems of the phosphate industry in which the public has a substantial interest.

A five-member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor directs the work of the Institute. An Executive Director selected by the Board implements the policies and decisions of the Board. Each of the priority research areas is administered by an individual research director who is responsible for evaluating and monitoring the progress of investigations in that area.

II. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

FIPR accepts proposals from colleges, universities, industry, research agencies, other for-profit or non-profit organizations, federal, state, and local agencies, and individuals without organization affiliation.

Joint proposals from combinations of these organizations are encouraged to bring together broader capabilities, interdisciplinary technologies and management skills to provide a more comprehensive approach to complex problems.

III. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Projects submitted for funding under the Applied Research Program should preferably deal with concerns identified in FIPR's Strategic Plan, which is revisited and revised as necessary. A complete proposal is the proper format for submitting a project that directly addresses one or more of the areas discussed in the Strategic Plan document. Potential investigators may be unsure whether a research idea fits one of the designated priority research areas. In these cases, FIPR will consider a research idea submitted as a preproposal. Preproposals should include the title of the proposed research, the name and address of the principal investigator and the sponsoring agency, an estimate of the duration and budget, and adequate details so that the concept can be given a reasonable evaluation by the Institute's staff. In most cases, this can be accomplished in two pages, single-spaced. Of course, the Institute's staff will also evaluate preproposals addressing a problem in one of the priority research areas.

Research proposals may be submitted at any time. Applicants should allow a minimum of 120 days for review and processing. The Board meets quarterly to make funding decisions, and every effort is made to reach a decision and inform the applicant promptly. Until a decision is announced, no information can be provided on the probability of support.

Submit the properly signed original proposal plus eleven additional copies to the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research, 1855 West Main Street, Bartow, Florida 33830. Include the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three or more technically qualified reviewers for each proposal submitted. If copies of the proposal are mailed in more than one package, the number of packages should be marked on the outside of each package. Proposals must be sent prepaid.

FIPR requests information in application forms and other related forms for the purpose of aiding in the review process prior to grant/contract award decisions and for managing and/or evaluating FIPR programs. Although provision of the information is entirely voluntary, a lack of sufficient information may hinder FIPR's ability to review applications, monitor grantee performance, and/or perform overall management of its grant/contract programs.

Information submitted to FIPR must be made available to the public, as required by law, though proposals are normally seen only by the FIPR staff, the reviewers and the Technical Advisory Committees (TACs). Prior to submission of a proposal, the applicant may wish to read Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. FIPR will seek to limit dissemination of information which would adversely affect patent, copyright or other valuable commercial rights of the grantee/contractor or FIPR to the extent permitted by law (F.S. 119.14).

IV. REQUIREMENTS Each proposal should meet the following requirements:

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions
All proposals submitted to FIPR should be single-spaced and typewritten. Please number each page of the application, including attachments. Each proposal must contain the following Major Sections:

1. Notification of Receipt
   To facilitate prompt acknowledge-ment of the arrival of the proposal package at the Institute, the proposer should complete and return the application receipt report card with the completed proposal. The principal investigator should put his/her return address on the card and attach it to the cover page. After the proposal arrives at FIPR, an assigned proposal number will be placed on the card, and the card will be mailed back to the principal investigator. If receipt of the proposal is not acknowledged within two weeks of submission, contact FIPR.

2. Proposal Cover Sheet (Form .pdf file)
   A completed and properly endorsed proposal cover sheet is required for each formal application. The title of the proposed research project should be brief, scientifically valid and suitable for use in the public press. The proposed duration of financial support should be consistent with the nature and the complexity of the proposed research. A description of the designated research area codes is given in FIPR's Strategic Plan. The submitter may wish to designate the research area code on the cover sheet, though the FIPR staff will ultimately determine this.

   A summary of the proposed research should include a statement of the research objectives, scientific methods to be employed, and the significance of the proposed research. This summary should be completed using clear language understandable not only to specialists in the field but also to other scientifically literate readers.

3. Table of Contents
   The table of contents should show the page number of each major section of the proposal, as well as subdivisions such as summary of previous work, objectives and methodology to be used.

4. Project Description
   The main body of the proposal should be a detailed statement of the research to be performed and should include the following sections:

   a. Objective
   

   1. Statement of Source and Magnitude of Problem
   2. Review of Pertinent Literature and Related Work in Progress by Others
   3. Enumeration of the Specific Project Goals
   4. Impact if Specific Objectives Are Met
   5. Benefit to the State of Florida
   6. Past and Present Work Done on Problem by Principal Investigator

   
   b. Methodology
   This section of the proposal should outline the general plan of work, the overall sequence of experiments to be performed, and the experimental methods and procedures to be used. The methodology employed to meet the research objectives should provide enough detail to enable FIPR officers, staff and external peer reviewers to judge the merit and practicality of the project.

   c. Evaluation Plan
   Each proposal is expected to include a plan for the systematic accumulation of, and the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of, the resulting data.

   d. Research Schedule
   A schedule of research activities should be included in the proposal. This schedule should be accompanied by a graphic "time line" diagram indicating the beginning and completion of the proposed tasks and quarterly, annual and final reports.

5. Bibliography
   A bibliography of pertinent literature is required for the documentation of each proposal.

6. Biographical Sketches of Key Project Personnel
   A short biographical sketch of each of the senior professional project personnel should include educational background, pertinent experience, and a list of relevant publications during the past five years, including any currently in press.

7. Budget Statement (Form .pdf file)
   Each proposal must contain a budget summary form, a narrative for each year of support requested, and a cumulative budget summary for the entire project. The budget narrative should describe how and why funds in each budget category will be expended.

   a. Salary and Wages
   For each individual for whom support is requested, show the amount of support requested, the role of the individual relative to the project goals, the percent of the individual's time that will be allocated to the project, and his/her wages per hour.

   b. Equipment
   List major equipment items requested. Indicate the manu-facturer, model, quantity, and cost. Provide justification for each major piece of equipment. Because FIPR, by law, must recover equipment (>$1,000) purchased with state funds, the investigator is encouraged to use non-FIPR monies to buy equipment he/she wants to keep.
   
   

   c. Operating Expenses
   The budget narrative should indicate in general terms the types of required expendable materials, supplies and services with their estimated costs.

   d. Travel
   Requests for travel funds must be accompanied by an explanation of how the proposed travel relates to the project. Travel details should include estimated mileage, lodging, meals, vehicle rental, etc. Contact FIPR for current State reimburse-ment rates and restrictions.

   The Institute encourages the dissemination of results obtained on FIPR-sponsored research projects. FIPR may honor requests for out-of-state travel to scientific conferences. All travel of this type will require prior written approval from FIPR, and approval will be granted only if the traveler will present results of FIPR-sponsored research as a formal paper or poster session at a national or regional conference with a widely recognized reputation for excellence.

   e. Contractual Services
   All subcontracts should be disclosed in the proposal so that the grant instrument will contain their prior approval. There should be a completed budget, also in the prescribed format, for each subcontract with the signatures of officials of the subcontracting organization. No research efforts under FIPR sponsorship may be subcontracted or transferred to another organization without prior written approval of FIPR.

8. Research Support Statement and Patent Disclosure Statement (Form .pdf file)
   A research support statement must be filed with each proposal. List all current and pending support for research projects and the percentage of time devoted to these projects regardless of source of funds. Indicate the source of funding if the submitted proposal has been funded previously by a source other than FIPR. Also include a list of other possible sponsors to whom this proposal will be submitted.

   FIPR requires all applicants to disclose the status of any patents directly applicable to the research that will be performed in this grant that are held by the principal investigator or any other individuals in the organization. The applicant must indicate patents that have been granted, those that are pending, and those which have been licensed to any contractors or subcontractors who will be participating in the research.

9. Proposal Appendices
   

   a. Facilities
   This appendix should describe available research facilities and major items of equipment that will be provided for use during the research project.

   b. Other Considerations
   Any circumstances that require special treatment should be included in this section, for example, proprietary or other privileged information in the proposal or matters affecting individual privacy as discussed in Section III.

   Additional information required in this section includes any special permissions, clearances, or certifica-tions relevant to the project, such as approval to demonstrate process technology in a third party's operating plant.

Initial Processing

Upon receipt of a proposal, the Notification of Receipt card is returned to the principal investigator. The proposal is assigned a number and checked for completeness. If the proposal is not complete (e.g. missing signatures, insufficient copies, etc.), the principal investigator is advised that the proposal cannot be processed until the deficiency has been corrected.

Peer Review Procedure

The principal investigator is encouraged to submit a list of at least three people who are technically qualified to review the proposal. FIPR will select one or more of these people to act as peer reviewer(s). The research director will select other reviewers. A copy of the proposal and the Technical Review Form (Form .pdf file) are sent to the reviewers with the request that they respond within two weeks. If one or more of the reviewers have not responded at the end of the two-week period, additional reviewers are sought. This procedure is intended to insure that the review process is completed as soon as possible after the completed proposal is ready for processing.

Preliminary Staff Review Procedure

Copies of the Technical Review Form are prepared and distributed to the Executive Director and the research directors. The staff comments will be incorporated in the review summary that is forwarded to the principal investigator.

Review Summary

Upon receipt of the Technical Reviews, the research director will compile all review comments into a composite review that is sent to the principal investigator for comment, rebuttal, and possible revision of the original proposal. The principal investigator is asked to respond within two weeks. If the response is not received within two weeks, the proposal may be considered inactive and removed from the list of pending proposals.

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Review

Copies of the proposal, the Review Summary and the Review Rebuttal are sent to the TAC members for their study. The TAC meets quarterly to discuss the proposals scheduled for the following Board meeting.

Staff Proposal Analysis

Following the final staff meeting, the research director completes a Staff Proposal Analysis. This, along with the proposal, the review summary, and the rebuttal are forwarded to the Board of Directors one month prior to the next Board meeting. The principal investigator is encouraged, but is not required, to attend the FIPR Board meeting at which his/her proposal is presented.

Official Notice of Funding Decision

The research director will advise the principal investigator in writing of the Board's funding decision. A declined proposal may be resubmitted for consideration only after it has undergone revision. FIPR will treat the revised proposal as a new proposal and submit it for technical review. Board approval is not an authorization to spend money, since a formal contract is required to begin work. Principal investigators of funded proposals should contact the Institute's Accounting Department to discuss appropriate contractual and accounting procedures prior to initiating any research.