Although we don't have direct pay incentives for faculty working on grants,
we are working on two more indirect ways to reward faculty for going after
the external dollars.

The first deals with summer compensation.  Somewhere in the history of our
(state) institution, someone decided to limit summer pay for faculty
members to 30% of the 9-month base pay.  Yet we have a state personnel
policy that allows faculty to earn up to 30% of ANNUALIZED pay.  This year,
we instituted an experimental program to allow faculty funded on summer
grants to earn up to the state maximum, provided they don't exceed A-21
limits if the grant funding is federal.  Regular summer teaching
faculty, who are paid with state appropriated dollars, do not have this
option and must settle for the local maximum on earnings.

The second incentive we've pushed is allowing department chairs to keep the
difference between what a grant pays for a course release and what it costs
to hire an adjunct to replace the grant-funded faculty member in the
classroom.  Although these funds are spent at the department chair's
discretion, sometimes the grant funded faculty member negotiates for use of
some of those funds for his/her project.  But he/she doesn't get this in
the form of additional pay or bonus.

I don't think we would ever consider using state appropriated dollars for
any kind of bonus to reward grant activity.  Perhaps you can get a private
sponsor--local industry, perhaps--to establish a research award that
carries a cash payment to the researcher.  Criteria for selection could
include grants productivity.  If it's privately funded and open to
everyone, I don't see a problem.
where

Barbara H. Gray                                       xxxxxx@cofc.edu
Director of Sponsored Programs                        Phone:  (803) 953-5673
University of Charleston, SC                          FAX:    (803) 953-1434
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424-0001