West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 133 - Higher Education Policy Commission › Title 133 - LEGISLATIVE RULE WEST VIRGINIA HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY COMMISSION › Series 133-48 - Research Trust Fund Program › Section 133-48-5 - Institutional Research Plans

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
5.1.
				Prior to disbursement of any trust fund moneys to a participating institution,
				the governing board of that participating institution shall submit to the
				Commission a directed research endowment plan. The plan shall provide the
				Commission with an explanation of the institution's comprehensive research
				objectives and plans to build competitive research infrastructure in the
				specified scientific disciplines as well as comprehensive measures for
				achieving this goal.
5.2. The
				Commission encourages the participating institutions to consider the value of
				clustering research programs around academic disciplines and encourages the
				creation of a critical mass of scholarly researchers who can address state and
				national needs.
5.3. The Commission
				encourages collaboration and cooperation among universities, centers,
				corporations and federal laboratories that increase opportunities for
				partnerships in discovery, learning and knowledge creation.
5.4. The Commission encourages institutions
				to plan for endowments that recognize interdisciplinary problem solving and
				teams of scientists across departmental, college and institutional
				lines.
5.5. The research plan will
				include, but is not limited to, the following:
5.5.a. An assessment of the participating
				institution's current research initiatives in STEM fields, including any
				initiatives falling within disciplines or areas of research specified by this
				rule;
5.5.b. An assessment of the
				potential outcomes of specific research lines proposed for enhancement by the
				institution;
5.5.c. A narrative
				describing the current or proposed collaborations, particularly with other
				institutional partners, that play or will play a significant collaborative role
				in achieving institutional objectives;
5.5.d. A narrative describing the centers,
				institutes or other academic units proposed, currently under development, or
				currently operating, that play or will play a significant role in achieving
				institutional research objectives;
5.5.e. An analysis of possible strategies to
				enhance current research initiatives;
5.5.f. An outline of the participating
				institution's proposed uses of endowment proceeds, including the anticipated
				costs associated with each proposed use and identification of any specific
				disciplinary hires;
5.5.g. A
				narrative describing major research equipment acquisitions currently under
				consideration that will contribute substantially to the plan;
5.5.h. A cost analysis for achieving research
				goals with a comparison to the expected endowment proceeds available to the
				institution;
5.5.i. An evaluation
				of how the research plan furthers the purposes of:
5.5.i.1. The trust fund's goals;
5.5.i.2. The state's strategic plan for
				science and technology; and
5.5.i.3. The research needs of the
				institution.
5.5.j.
				Identification of the proposed uses for which alternative funding sources may
				be sought to enhance the comprehensive research initiatives contemplated by the
				participating institution. Alternative funding sources exclude qualified
				donations, matching moneys from the trust fund, and the endowment proceeds
				generated from the trust fund; and
5.5.k. How the amount allocated for
				distribution to the participating institution will be directed within
				institutional goals.