Thank you for your interest in becoming a Primary Investigator (PI) for a VIP team! The VIP program allows us to help scale up research involving students, facilitating high-impact research with relevance. Below, we've provided a little more information on the program specifically for team leads. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your ideas with the VIP administrators, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at vip@gcsu.edu.
What are the benefits of VIP for faculty?
The VIP program is designed to help faculty launch and sustain high-impact, long-term, large research projects. Faculty or staff who serve as Primary Investigators (PIs) on VIP projects will be well positioned for external funding, publications, and presentations. In addition, the campus will become part of the VIP Consortium, which provides resources on best practices in managing large research teams, assessment, etc. There is also initial seed funding for the first year.
What are my responsibilities as a faculty investigator on a VIP project?
All students will enroll in VIP course section as part of the VIP experience, for a variable number of credits depending on the workload (we recommend one credit per semester so the students do not exceed the maximum credit hours too quickly).
As the Primary Investigator (PI) on this project, you will be assigned a section of VIP each semester, and you will create the syllabus and assign grades at the end of the semester.
As the PI, you will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the project, making sure that students are participating effectively, teams are functioning well, and the research is advancing as proposed.
PIs will participate in virtual workshops and trainings before the Fall semester begins to familiarize themselves with VIP. The PI will be responsible for completing VIP progress reports and assessment information. The PI will facilitate internal budget spending in the first year and will work with Sponsored Programs to submit for external funding for their VIP project.
How can I get involved in VIP?
As a rolling application process, this is the beginning of a conversation on how VIP can help you and your students succeed! Please complete the application if you are interested in starting a VIP Team at Georgia College & State University. Applications that fully support experienced-based education, embrace multidisciplinary scholarship, support collaboration, embody diversity, and promote stakeholder alignment from freshman to faculty to funding agencies are welcomed.
Is there funding for VIP teams?
Yes. In the initial year, each team will receive seed money to launch their VIP team. Spending of these funds must be done in accordance with regulations for state funding. It is expected that VIP teams will seek out external funding for their projects so they can become self-sustaining for future years.