Stanford Community of Shared Advanced Research Platforms
c-ShARP Community of Shared Advanced Research Platforms .

Proposal Format

All Stanford faculty and staff are eligible to apply.  The proposal should be submitted online at Seedfunding.stanford.edu, where you will be asked to enter the below information.

 1. Primary applicant:  Stanford faculty and staff are eligible to apply.  This year, only one primary applicant per proposal is allowed.  Primary applicants are also limited to a single proposal, but may serve as co-applicant on additional proposals.  

2. Co-applicants:   Anyone can be included as a co-applicant, including a primary applicant of another proposal.  One of the co-applicants must represent the shared facility that will house the proposed instrument (e.g., faculty director, facility manager, technical staff). Co-applicants are limited to serving on a maximum of three proposals.

3. Brief title: Keep to under 60 characters.

4. Oversight shared facility and school:  Indicate the shared facility that will house and provide operational oversight for the proposed instrument.

5. Proposal:  Upload PDF
5i) Title page: 

  • Proposal title
  • Applicant and co-PIs/collaborators names, departments, and e-mail addresses
  • Instrument description
  • Total budget request, including the breakdown of cost by year if the cost will spread multiple years
  • Space requirement, including estimated room renovation cost
  • Proposed home facility, and facility director/point-of-contact
  • Primary benefiting school(s)

5ii) Narrative

For proposals between $100K and $600K: Not to exceed 2 pages of text and figures using single spaced, Arial or Helvetica 11 point font. References can be included on a third page.

For proposals over $600K: Not to exceed 3 pages of text and figures using single spaced, Arial or Helvetica 11 point font. References can be included on a fourth page.

  • Purpose (1 sentence): The name, mission and location (if applicable) of the proposed enhancement. 
  • Introduction/Overview:  Describe the enhancement and how it improves existing shared resources on campus. In describing the need, consider such factors as upgrading of aging equipment, new research directions, and increased accessibility that may include adding capacity or educational programs for existing resources. Also describe any alignment with current  Departments, Centers, or Shared Facilities Service Centers. 
  • Impact/Intellectual Merit: Describe the new capability that will be enabled, and/or the risks presented in absence of the proposed enhancement. Describe the breadth of impact, such as: multi-school, multi-disciplinary, research area/scope, education, and/or translation.
  • Operations and Broader Impact:  Include the expected number of users, departments, and Schools; estimated number of hours used per week (e.g. based on historical data on existing or comparable tools, if applicable). Briefly describe a multi-year plan to support the operation and maintenance of the instrument/enhancement, and/or any staffing needs (in particular, whether we can leverage existing staff or need new expertise). Describe how the tool/enhancement will improve or enhance education on campus. Also indicate if the tool brings unique capabilities to the broader scientific community (eg, beyond Stanford). If applicable, include other potential sources of funding or revenue streams.
  • Response to Prior Critique: If the application is a resubmission of a prior C-ShARP application, the applicant may optionally use an additional ½ page to respond to any feedback in the prior review. 

6. Budget: The budget should include estimates for the cost for acquisition, site preparation (if any), installation, service contracts (if any), lease costs (if leasing instead of buying), and staff necessary to run the equipment, together with the estimated number of hours the instrument will be used and the anticipated hourly rate. Please also summarize, in one paragraph, how ongoing operations will be managed and funded; include any projected annual financial shortfall and planned cost recovery via recharge.

7. Instrument details (if applicable): For instrument proposals, please upload specifications/list of features and price quotes in PDF. 

8. Supporting letters or other information (eg, list of users and cost-sharing):  Optional, upload PDF. Acceptable material includes letters of support, budget spreadsheet, spreadsheet of user population, etc.  Further narrative or exposition should not be included. 

Large proposals over $600K should have a minimum of 3 letters of support from University faculty and leadership describing the impact to their programs or users in their community. 

8. Recommended Reviewers:  Optional. List up to 3 internal Stanford reviewers.