Call for Proposals

INNOVATE YOUR WORLD!

The Center for Innovation at Metropolitan State College of Denver is sponsoring the 2nd-year of its competitive Fellows program; Faculty Fellows in Innovation. This program is a key initiative in the Center's objective of broadening the understanding, appreciation and inclusion of entrepreneurial initiatives.

Purpose

Faculty Fellows in Innovation is designed to stimulate and support the development and teaching of innovation or entrepreneurship in disciplines across the curriculum. The purpose is to increase the number and scope of experiences and courses in innovation/entrepreneurship and to stimulate and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit in all students without regard to academic major.

Fellowship Examples

Examples of previous grants include:

David Kish, Department of Music
Establish the Metro State Community Music School
Metro State music students give free music lessons to students in the Denver Public School system.
IT WILL BE THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN COLORADO!

Roosevelt Price, Department of Chemistry
Development of an e-textbook hybrid.
Multiple Metro State collaborators provide their innovative methods of teaching chemistry through video links on an e-book web site.
IT WILL BE THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN UNITED STATES!

Eligibility

All faculty members are eligible to apply. Significant teaching responsibility is the primary criterion. A project will require assurance and approval from the chair of the sponsoring academic unit that the project is important to its educational mission. Faculty candidates have the option to propose design of material emphasizing innovation or entrepreneurship to be integrated into currently taught courses, to propose new courses that teach innovative or entrepreneurial concepts, or develop projects that engender the spirit of innovation or entrepreneurship within students.

The Center for Innovation committee members will review faculty applications from academic departments across the college and will award recipients grants for innovative projects and curriculum development within their academic discipline. Awards of $2,000 will be granted and be distributed when the objectives identified in the winning proposals are met. Depending on the plan of work submitted, successful completion of projects may be eligible to apply for additional funding.

Awards may be used for expenses such as faculty support, wages for students and support staff, supplies, duplicating, publications, telecommunications, conference participation, and other activities that support the creation of project or course materials and faculty development. Additional funds for support over the $2000 award will not be considered.
The Center will assist Fellows to develop and customize innovative projects and course(s) to their primary discipline by providing experiences that will enhance understanding of entrepreneurial principles. The Center will also convene all Fellows periodically during and after the Fellows residency. To foster a community in entrepreneurship, faculty will be asked to collaborate whenever possible with other Fellows and will be encouraged to mentor and support future Fellows.

Review Criteria

The following factors will be used in consideration for funding:

Innovative components of the proposed project. CI seeks projects that will be able to say one of the following statements upon completion: “It is the only one-of-its-kind in Colorado,” or “It is the only one-of-its kind in the United States.” Completion of this goal may take many years and follow-up fellowships.
Overall quality of the proposal, emphasizing clarity of focus and the specificity of the plan.
Extent to which the content of the course or project will contribute to a broad understanding of innovation or entrepreneurship.
Evidence of the offering unit's commitment to offer the course or project regularly.
Clear statement of expected impact, formulated with evaluation in mind, and description evaluation methods.

Selection Process

Center for Innovation committee members (a cross-disciplinary peer committee of faculty and administrators) will review applications and select recipients for the Faculty Fellows Program. All proposals that contribute to innovation or entrepreneurship will be considered.
The Center's Interim Director, after consultation with the department Chair, the school Dean and approval of the Provost, will inform Fellows of the selection and conditions of the award.

Intellectual Property Rights

To operate effectively, the Center must condition eligibility for participation in Center Fellowships on the fellow’s limited grant of a non-exclusive, perpetual license authorizing the College to use any intellectual property the fellow produces for the Center's programs or using its resources. Faculty Fellows will retain ownership of the intellectual property and the right to use it for any purpose the fellow chooses, but the College will retain the right to use it also - with proper attribution of course - for its non-commercial educational purposes.

Application Process
1. The proposal should include the following information:
A. Cover sheet with an abstract of no more than 250 words

B. Narrative description of the course or project (10 page maximum) to include:

Nature of the course or project and its place within the curriculum
Specifics of the course or project development work to be performed
Nature of the entrepreneurial content and its relationship to the substance of the course or project
Expected enrollment or participation and frequency of course or project offering
Anticipated impact and plans for assessing the impact
Other funding support available or being sought
Potential collaborative arrangements with other academic units

C. A brief letter of support from the executive officer of the department or program, outlining the merits of the proposal, its potential contribution to the instructional program, how the proposed course or project fits into the offerings of the unit, and the extent of the unit's commitment to offering the course or project in coming years.

D. Narrative budget that briefly describes anticipated expenses

E. Resume

2. Completed proposals will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

3. Return completed application and one copy to:

Mick Jackowski, Interim Director
MSCD Center for Innovation
(303) 556-3784, mjackows@mscd.edu

Call for Proposals

INNOVATE YOUR WORLD!

Call for Proposals Application