Communication & Coordination
Distinguished Award Teams will select a Student Team Lead responsible for completing and submitting all forms in accordance with the guidelines, policies, terms, and conditions of the Distinguished Awards Competition, the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program and the University of Michigan.
The U-M Graham Sustainability Institute administers the Dow Sustainability Fellows Program, including the Dow Distinguished Award Competition, see graham.umich.edu, phone: (734) 615-8280. Each team awarded funding will receive a formal notice of award and additional information about program requirements, including due dates and a link to the Terms and Conditions form.
- Student Teams: Must include substantive contributions from students in at least three different schools/colleges to be eligible to receive seed funding. Therefore, we suggest that each team be comprised of 4-5 students.
- Student Leads: Must coordinate the signature of a faculty advisor, identified in the application (proposal) for funding and provide the names of each team member to the Graham Institute before funds are released.
Reports:
- All teams must submit a written progress report to the Dow Program staff by the due date specified in the Seed Grant notification of award.
- Seed Grant projects selected to receive additional funding (large grant) must present a summary of their work to date at the annual Dow Program Symposium (mid-late November) and provide a final written report by the due date specified in the large grant notification of award.
Acknowledgement: Teams must acknowledge support from the “Dow Sustainability Fellows Program at the University of Michigan” in all publications (e.g., reports) or presentation of project results (e.g., posters, electronic presentations) and provide information to Dow Program staff on any publications generated through this project.
Faculty Sponsor
All teams must identify a faculty sponsor who must sign off on the project. In the event that the faculty sponsor listed in the project proposal terminates their appointment with the University during the award period, any remaining funds will be returned to the Graham Institute and the project will be considered closed unless the team requests and receives approval from Dow Program staff to work with a new faculty sponsor.
Funding
Disbursement of funds will be staged to the unit of the faculty advisor and will be contingent upon satisfactory progress and achievement of project milestones identified in the approved project proposal. That unit is responsible for the administration of the funds to the project team. Change in scope or budget revisions (see below) must be approved by the Dow Program.
No Cost Extension of Time: Any extension of the project timeline is subject to Dow Program staff approval under special circumstances. However, no additional funds will be awarded.
Change in Scope: This constitutes a significant change in direction, objectives, and methodology, and may delay or impact the ability to complete the project objectives or meet the time schedule provided in the approved proposal. If such a situation occurs, the student team lead must contact the Dow Program staff to discuss this and submit a request to change the project scope. If approved, you will be notified of the acceptance of the request and your project may continue. If your request is denied, all activity for this project must cease immediately and any remaining funding will be returned to the Graham Sustainability Institute.
Budget Revisions: Each project proposal is a guide of expected expenditures. However, situations may occur that the budget may need to be revised. If you anticipate that line item expenditures will exceed 20% of the total award amount in the approved proposal budget, the student team lead must contact the Dow Program staff to discuss budget revisions and submit a budget revision request before any unapproved expenditures occur. No additional funds will be granted – requests must adjust line items to be approved but keep total amount granted the same. If your request is approved, you will be notified of the acceptance of the request and your project may continue. If your request is denied, all activity for this project must cease immediately and any remaining funding will be returned to the Graham Sustainability Institute.
Over Expenditures: Any over expenditure of the awarded amount on the project is the responsibility of the Faculty Advisor (PI) and the department disbursing funds to the student team to cover.
U-M Policies
At all stages of the Dow Distinguished Award (Dow Awards), all participants must abide by all applicable U-M policies (e.g., Academic Integrity, Conflict of Interest/Commitment, Procurement and Expenses, Research with Human Participants, etc.), including any non-academic codes and polices of their respective units. Students needing guidance regarding departmental requirements and processes should consult with their faculty advisor and the appropriate administrative offices within their home units.