A grant incentive plan would enable faculty members employed in the Division of Academic Affairs to earn a supplement to their salary by including all or a portion of his/her base salary (9 months’ salary except those specifically employed on 12 months’ contract). Such a plan would be implemented on a pilot basis and would be reviewed in 2 years following implementation to determine adjustments that may be necessary. While such a plan is directly linked to the University’s strategic goal in research, increased research funding will directly benefit all aspects of the University including teaching and service.

Such a plan would be intended to meet the following goals:

1. To enhance the University’s research programs by increasing the level of extramural funding to the institution;
2. To stimulate accomplishments in research, scholarship, instructional effectiveness, and service associated with increases in externally funded grant activity thereby enhancing the reputation of the University;
3. To stimulate increased grant and contract submissions and awards by faculty members;
4. To improve the institution’s ability to recruit and retain faculty members who are capable of competing successfully for externally funded grants and contracts by rewarding achievement in research and in securing funded grants and contracts;
5. To stimulate the economic development of the community, state and region through the development of the research enterprise.

This salary supplement would be restricted to the redistribution of available unrestricted funds generated by a faculty member from current lapsed salary revenues from competitively funded extramural grants and contracts. No other source of funds would be used to fund the incentive plan. Funds derived from gifts and direct Federal appropriations may not be used to fund this plan. The lapsed salary accumulated for that faculty member’s activity on the grant or contract for the preceding fiscal year will be distributed according to the following formula:

Once each fiscal year, the salary support for each faculty member holding grants would be evaluated to determine if such funds are available and all eligibility criteria have been fulfilled. The salary supplement would be paid in a one-time lump sum payment to eligible faculty once each year, e.g. on the first working day of December for eligible salary that accrued in the previous fiscal year (October 1 through September 30). The salary supplement would be subject to federal and state withholding and to TRS contribution requirements. The grant incentive payment would be a supplement to the recipient’s regular annual compensation and is not a payment for additional work. The grant incentive payment would not affect a recipient’s eligibility for merit or other salary increases.

All full-time faculty, with the exception of research faculty whose contract requires that they generate 100% of their salary, would be eligible to file a request to participate in the plan if their base salary or a portion thereof and their benefits are charged to the grant or contract and if they are principal investigators or co-investigators on the project.