ASEC recommends permanent status for the pilot program providing Emergency Salary Support for Senior Investigators

May 2008

The plan to provide Emergency Salary Support for Senior Investigators began in 2001 as a pilot

programwith the consent of the vice chancellor for administration, John Torphy, and acting provost

Gary Sandefur. Since that time, the program reviewed proposals from four candidates, three of whom

received funding. The initial intent was to evaluate the pilot program after a five-year period to see

whether it would warrant permanent status. Following a review in 2008, the Academic Staff

Executive Committee is recommending to the provost that funding support be provided to those

candidates who qualify under the conditions stated below.

The program provides the opportunity to apply for emergency support for long-term (typically more

than ten years) academic staff principal investigators, who have made substantial contributions to the

University of Wisconsin-Madison, but for whom imminent nonrenewal of a grant would result in lack

of salary support.

To be considered for salary support under this program, the investigator must submit a request that

includes: a “recovery plan,” a timeline to completion, and a narrative describing the investigator’s

contributions throughout his/her career at UW-Madison. The recovery plan will be accompanied by a

brief (1/2 page) assessment by the department chair or unit director that addresses how such support

benefits the department or is in agreement with the long term goals of the department. The recovery

plan must be endorsed by the dean of the school or college.

Proposals are reviewed by a committee that includes two academic staff members appointed by

ASEC, who may also be senior investigators, as well as an ad hoc member that represents the

discipline of the requested proposal. Review committee members are expected to have been academic

staff members for at least five years and have knowledge of the sponsored research system. This

committee will be convened by a member of the Academic Personnel Office staff who will advise the

applicant on the assembling the proposal. ASEC will be notified by the Secretary of the Academic

Staff that a proposal has been submitted to the review committee.

The review committee will make a recommendation to the provost after a thorough review of the

proposal. The provost will make the final decision regarding the level of funding support and will

notify in writing the committee chair, the Secretary of the Academic Staff, and the Academic

Personnel Office of his/her decision.

Accepted proposals will provide salary and fringe benefit support for a period not-to-exceed two (2)

years during a ten-year period. The investigator may continue current research while refining and

resubmitting grant proposal(s) in the same research field as previous work, or may take the

opportunity to upgrade skills or retrain in a related discipline to be better positioned for a new grant

submission.

If support is provided, the investigator will submit a one-page progress report to the review

committee chair quarterly. The chair will review the progress report with other committee members

and will provide a summary to the provost with a recommendation regarding continued financial

support if there is cause for concern. The provost will then notify the committee with his/her

approval of the recommendation.

Success will be determined by completion of the approved plan, and may occur prior to the two-year

mark.