"Montclair State has a good success rate in terms of landing grants. We're up to $5 million in external funding per year and I would like to see that amount increase."

Although it's only been two months since Tim Kirby arrived on campus, he's already at home in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), drawing on the five years' experience he gained in the Sponsored Program Office at New York University.

"The position at Montclair State was a good opportunity," said Kirby. "I learned everything I could at NYU and it was time to move on. I was attracted to the office here because there's room for expansion. It's a wide-open playing field. I'm also fortunate to have an experienced, dedicated staff in [Assistant Director] Charlotte Kiewiet and [Technical Assistant] Christine Schroers."

ORSP is the University's resource for identifying external funding opportunities, developing competitive proposals and managing funded projects. Under Kirby's guidance it also monitors the internal award funding process, maintaining more than 150 individual accounts for awardees. In addition to that, ORSP's Web site allows faculty to "Surf the Net for Grant Dollars" or click on "The External Funding Maze," which covers everything from forms to strategy to proposal writing tips. Faculty can even find out "what to do if you don't get funded."

Providing an opportunity to search the ORSP Web site anonymously is one way Kirby hopes to alleviate faculty's fear of going after grants. He recently discussed what generates that fear of the grant proposal writing process and ORSP's role in helping faculty win grant money and in managing the funds.

Q. What is your role in working with faculty?
A. I help them locate opportunities, prepare the budget and make sure they've met the general objectives of the competitions. ORSP also maintains a database in which we set up faculty profiles on the Web so specific announcements about particular grant opportunities go directly to the professor.

It's important for the faculty to get a handle on what's out on the horizon. I don't want faculty to come in to me in six months and say, "I don't know what's available. I don't see any opportunities." One of my immediate priorities is to ensure that people at least know what's out there. With database systems like SPIN I can look at the whole pie, so I can see where the best fits are, often by looking at the myriad of types of sponsors.

Q. What generates the faculty's fear of applying for grants?
A. The federal government doesn't hand out grants without forcing you to jump through hoops, so it's only natural that people would have an aversion to that. I understand their fears and tell faculty that the best thing they can do when writing a grant is follow instructions. But the instructions are lengthy, and there are a lot of steps and processes. Getting grants takes a lot of work, and people are busy.

Q. Tell us about the grant competitions OSRP administers.
A. We administer the four major internal competitions. Separately Budgeted Research is for faculty projects involving scholarly, creative and/or research efforts. Grant Proposal Development funds are for faculty to work on grant proposals to foundation or government agencies for programs, research, training or creative activity. Career Development funds are for projects that develop career-enhancing skills, new areas of expertise and projects that allow faculty to explore new areas of research that they were not previously engaged in. The Montclair State University Student-Faculty Research Awards support research projects that involve students working cooperatively with faculty, determined by the University Research Committee, which go directly to students working on research with faculty. All these are awarded in March and April.

Q. Other than the federal government, where do a majority of grant opportunities originate?
A. The state, private foundations and corporations. This office works primarily, but not exclusively, with federal and state grants. Montclair State has a good success rate in terms of landing grants. We're up to $5 million in external funding per year and I would like to see that amount increase.

The hard sciences and education traditionally bring in the most grant money. The pickings are always slimmer for the arts, but they do exist, and they are generally offered in small amounts. Although the slice of the pie is slimmer for the arts, I will help professors in the School of the Arts find what's out there.

Q. What are your plans for the ORSP?
A. I want to focus on grant growing and improving our services to faculty. I want them to be able to focus on the actual writing, while we help them with the institutional requirements. I also want to revamp the Web site. But I first need to get more faculty members involved in the process and to increase external funding. I reach out to the faculty, but in order for this to be successful it must work both ways where more professors approach me as well.

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