c-ShaRP Voucher Proposal FAQs

What is the total funding available and how many awards are likely to be made?

$150K was approved for c-Sharp in FY24. The maximum for each award is $10K. This amount of funding will only be sustained to the degree we are successful in optimizing utilization of our Shared Instrumentation Facilities, and fostering a collaborative, community mindset.

Which facilities are eligible?

The c-ShARP site lists current member shared facilities, which are eligible.  Other shared facilities not listed here or perhaps even not yet established, are also eligible.  The evaluation criteria of Impact and Operations apply, so we would advise that proposals from facilities not currently listed on the c-ShARP site consider devoting extra effort to describing Operations.

How important is the project justification?

Designing or setting up a new project is only the first step; the resources need to support the project throughout its life cycle in order to impact research and education need to be considered. Please consult with the shared facilities manager (who is presumably a co-PI) to develop a resource plan for the proposed project.  This plan should include realistic considerations for execution, startup, and sustainability for the lifetime of the project.

My shared research lab has long list of needs.  Is this an appropriate forum for making our broad needs known? Or should I focus proposal efforts on a few key priorities?

This is the first proposal cycle for the c-ShaRP Voucher program – and will hopefully address some immediate needs.  That said, c-ShARP is shifting to a strategic and holistic focus, as described in our charge, with a long view to strengthening shared facilities by supporting not just new faculty, but also operations, programs, and infrastructure.  You will have ample opportunity, not just with this proposal forum, to make your needs known and to be heard.  Since this is still a young program for Stanford, we suggest prioritizing your efforts for fewer, stronger proposals, so that our reviewers can give all the proposals their full attention.

Is there a timeline by which funds must be expended?

For this round of our proposal call, it is expected that facilities should begin executing proposal tasks within 4-8 weeks of funding.  Funds must be expended within the fiscal year that the proposal was funded - (by August 31st following the funding of the proposal)

How should the budget be prepared?

Please be as thorough and thoughtful as possible in your budget; the actual expenses should come within 10% of the proposed budget. Supporting information goes a long way in demonstrating due diligence in project planning.  Examples might include price quotes with itemized services and projected timeline for expenses.

Where appropriate, make sure to include tax (5.0625% CA exemption for research tools), shipping, and other associated expenses that may not appear in a quote.  If labor (staff or student, for example) is budgeted, make sure to include the appropriate fringe benefit rate, per the DoR F&A site.

What kind of supporting information would be useful to include?

Please include whatever details support your case.  For example, a proposal for a pilot research project might be supported by the current utilization numbers, and equipment rate calculations.  For a new capability, letter(s) of support from shared facility staff would present a stronger case than a list of individuals with related research interests.  Tangible sources of support, in the form of funding commitments, pledges toward future equipment usage, or departmental support for your research, are also very strong demonstrations.  Other information might include benchmarking at peer institutions, comparison with commercial resources, list of references or publications, etc.  

I'm having problems with the Seed Funding site....

If you get this message, "you are not eligible to apply", you are probably a program officer on the Seed Funding site for another opportunity.  The current privileges do not allow program officers to apply for any other opportunities -- so, if you run into this, contact Laraib (if you're a program officer, you'll know her) to request the Applicant PO role.

Please contact csharp_admin@stanford.edu if you have any other problems accessing the site or uploading your files!

For general questions about Stanford Shared Instrumentation Facilities or specifically, the c-ShaRP Voucher Program, please contact Claudius Mundoma cmundoma@stanford.edu