Core Facilities Grant Program (CFGP)

FY 2025 Request for Proposals

Deadline: Friday, Oct. 4, 2025, 5:00 p.m. MST       
Decision: November 22, 2024         
Award Start: January 3, 2025

Introduction

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development (VPRED) is pleased to announce this request for proposals (RFP) to support RED-approved core facilities. The purpose of this RFP is to support core facilities that serve as critical infrastructure for the research and scholarly enterprise. Moreover, these core facilities often compliment the educational and outreach efforts that also underpin our land-grant mission. The overarching goal of this program is to provide RED core facilities with competitive, annual funds that will help to advance the unit’s fiscal sustainability and/or develop new services or processes that align with user needs. The total amount of funding available for the FY 2025 call is $350,000, with individual awards ranging from approximately $25,000 to $75,000.

Questions about program requirement and expectations may be directed to Liz Shanahan (shanahan@montana.edu) and Emily Elias (emily.elias@montana.edu) Questions concerning electronic submission, budgets, and implementation can be directed to Emily Elias.  

The CFGP is limited to RED-approved core facilities. Research facilities that are interested in becoming a VPRED-approved core should contact emily.elias@montana.edu.

Submission

Each VPRED core facility director/manager may submit only one application for proposals for their own facility. Cores may also work together to submit proposals funding collaborative projects involving 2 or more VPRED-approved core facilities. Cores may submit a maximum of two applications for collaborative projects, in addition to the one application for projects within their own core (maximum total of 3).

Please submit your proposal electronically to the Office of Research Development (ORD) via InfoReady. Instructions and a link to the forms can be found on the MSU InfoReady website: https://montana.infoready4.com/#freeformCompetitionDetail/1949247. For technical issues with the InfoReady platform, please contact the Office of Research Development (ORD) at ord@montana.edu.

Applicants should submit the following as a single PDF document, which will be distributed to the review committee:

• A cover sheet filled out in InfoReady, including a brief abstract of the project.
• A narrative of no more than five single-spaced pages. Please provide a budget justification in your narrative and be sure to address each of the criteria described below.
• Attachments – please include your project budget template, all relevant vendor quotes, and your final report from the FY24 CFGP (if you received an award).

Evaluation Criteria

A subgroup of Research Council with experience in core facilities will evaluate proposals according to the following criteria:

• The project’s ability to advance core facility sustainability and/or development of new services or processes that align with user needs.
• The project’s significance and potential impact and contribution to the field.
• The project’s ability to be completed by May 15, 2025.
• The appropriateness of the budget, as determined by the budget justification.
• The sustainability of the project, and the core facility’s plan and ability to sustain the proposed work, services, and/or equipment in future years (if applicable).
• The project’s alignment with Montana State University strategic plan and/or grand challenge research goals.

Your narrative must address each criterion and be written in a way that is accessible to your Montana State University colleagues who may not be in your discipline. Please substantiate your claims with evidence such as service hour metrics, user counts, vendor quotes, etc. Letters of support are discouraged. 

Preference will be given to proposals that a) clearly address the criteria listed above, b) have immediate need, and c) will be able to begin ordering/implementing within 1-2 months of funding. Previous award of CFGP funds, or lack thereof, will not impact the amount awarded or likelihood of receiving funding in FY 2025.

Budget

Applicants may request funds for equipment, supplies, travel, personnel (including graduate students), and other expenses necessary to complete the proposed project. Award amounts will vary. Most awards will be between $25,000 and $75,000; however, we will consider larger requests.

• Please use the provided budget template. (Excel download)
• If your project will have ongoing expenses past FY25, please indicate this clearly in the budget and give details about how continuing the project will impact your user fees in the future. If the project will not have any ongoing expenses past FY25, please indicate this in your proposal and budget.
• For travel expenses, explain projected travel expenses in the budget narrative, being as specific and realistic as possible about the cost of transportation, lodging and other expenses. When budgeting for travel, please follow State approved In-State, Out-of-State and International rates regarding per diem, mileage and lodging.
• Budgets must include the 6% admin fee that will be assessed to your award by the Vice President for Finance and Administration Office.
• The following items will not be funded: post-production costs of books, articles or other creative activities; travel to professional conferences regularly attended by the applicant, MOU repayment, and summer salaries.

Review and Award Timeline

After the application window closes, applications will be forwarded to the Core Facilities review committee.  The review committee will review the submissions and make final recommendations to the VPRED.

Funds will be awarded in January 2025 and must be spent by May 15, 2025. Cores who require additional time to complete their project aims must submit a no-cost extension (NCE) form (fillable PDF) with the Office of Research. In the absence of an approved NCE, all unspent funds remaining after the spending deadline will revert to the VPRED office.

Once CFGP projects begin, awardees must submit the following reports via InfoReady:

• Progress report: Due Friday, March 7, 2025 at 5:00pm
  • Please provide a minimum of 1-2 paragraphs describing the work completed up to that point and work left to be done, as well as an updated timeline clearly indicating when the project will be completed.

• Final report: Due Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 5:00pm

• • Please provide approximately 1 page describing the project’s outcomes. Describe how the project has impacted core usage, revenue, and/or applications for extramural funding.