>It sounds to me as if your VP regards release time as a boondoggle
>which must be controlled.  And maybe it is, wherever you are.  But
>the result of this policy, I think, will be to discourage folks from
>writing proposals and give them yet another reason to complain about
>the administration.  Better, in my mind, to try to work with faculty
>who have a genuine interest in winning grants and have the potential
>to do well.  If your VP has control of indirects, using them to fund
>proposal-writing is an excellent investment, I think.

I agree with most of what Bill has to say, but I've never seen a
situation where funds were used to buyproposal writing/development
where the researchers turned out quality work.  I've had "incentive"
programs foisting on the research office in several places, sometimes
guised as training, other times just as a plea for someone to please
to something.

I agree with using IDC as an incentive for those who are awarded,
that's a no-brainer.  But the quality issues in proposal development
and paying faculty to develop proposals are just too slippery and
hard to evaluate.  Faculty with initiative will try, even in
"teaching institutions."  Faculty who need to be paid to give it a
shot likely don't have the inspiration or internal drive to do a
first rate job.

Our group at UALR does a lot to facilitate proposal development--
editing, training, budget work,, all the standard stuff, plus lots of
extra effort one-on-one. Paying for proposals development is nothing
more than a bad gamble, a very long shot we have elected not to make.
i don't think one can buy a behavior change, a change in a potential
PI's self-image about being a researcher.    Encourage the good ones,
respond to initiative, use IDC for incentives to spark your faulty's
internal motivation (or envy).  work the fields with good soil,
ignore the others.

But then that's just my experience.  I may have done this stuff all
wrong.  I'd like to hear form someone who paid X number of proposal
developers to put together proposals and got nearly the same number
of really strong proposals.  if there's a working method, I'd really
like to know what it is.

Thanks

Spanky

--
Mike McCallister, Ph. D.
 Director, Research and Sponsored Programs
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
2801 South University
Little Rock, AR 72204-1099
(v) 501-569-8474
(f)501-371-7614
>

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