Eligibility

The Cottrell Scholar Award (CSA) is available to early career faculty at U.S. and Canadian research universities and primarily undergraduate institutions. Eligible applicants are tenure-track faculty who hold primary or courtesy appointments in chemistry, physics, or astronomy departments that offer bachelor's and/or graduate degrees in the applicant's discipline.

For the 2024 proposal cycle, eligibility is limited to faculty members who started their first tenure-track appointment anytime in calendar year 2021. Accommodations are made for faculty who have taken maternity or paternity leave, or who have experienced medical conditions or research delays that prompted a tenure clock extension. Please click here to submit a request for eligibility extension.

Deadlines

In 2024, the CSA proposal deadline is 11:59 PM PDT July 1, 2024. The CSA online submission portal will open March 1, 2024. The 2025 cohort of Cottrell Scholar Awards will be announced by February 15, 2025.

This deadline includes approval by the institution’s Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR), so allow ample time to route through your Office of Sponsored Projects.

Proposals

CSA proposals contain a research plan, an educational plan, and a clear statement on how the applicant will become an outstanding teacher-scholar with strong academic citizenship skills. Proposal plans must be for a period of three years. The ability of applicants to mount a strong and innovative research program, achieve excellence in education, and develop effective academic citizenship skills are key criteria in the selection process.

In applying for, and in accepting funds from Research Corporation for Science Advancement, each scientific investigator pledges to maintain a safe and harassment-free working environment, which includes appropriate training of all members of the research group and compliance with the requirements and guidelines established by that investigator’s institutional research safety office.

Research Plan. Successful research plans identify relevant problems of high scientific significance and describe innovative and feasible approaches toward solutions. Each research plan may or may not describe a new scientific thrust for the applicant, but new directions and outcomes (different from what is already funded by other sources) need to be clearly highlighted. A winning proposal must convince external reviewers and the RCSA Cottrell Scholar Selection Committee that the applicant is pursuing an important and independent program of research that is likely to have significant impact.

The primary criterion for the Cottrell Scholar Award is that the proposed research will add to fundamental scientific knowledge in one of the three core disciplines (Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy) and hence, applied research without a significant fundamental component is not funded. "Applied research" is interpreted as any type of research aimed at developing known science into new technology, methods, or techniques, or the applications of methods and techniques to topics in disciplines other than the three core disciplines. Furthermore, as applications must include both research and educational plans, applications are not accepted if the research plan, itself, would be on science education. If unclear on whether a particular research area fits programmatic guidelines, please contact program director Silvia Ronco.

Educational Plan. The educational plan should identify a significant problem in undergraduate or graduate science education and offer a feasible strategy to address it. Main criteria for evaluating the educational plan include: (a) the originality of the proposal; (b) the potential impact in undergraduate or graduate science courses; (c) the potential impact in student demographics; (d) the applicant’s commitment to excellence in education; (e) knowledge of current science education literature; (f) assessment of the proposed educational plan; (g) departmental buy-in (shown by participation of departmental and/or institutional colleagues); and (h) suitability and sustainability within the institutional setting. A letter of support from a Departmental Chair, Dean or Provost that endorses the educational proposal and indicates why the applicant is the appropriate faculty member to undertake the project is required.

Because each institutional setting is unique and has different needs, the components of a successful educational plan vary widely. Goals and desired outcomes that will help enhance the applicant’s institutional educational environment must be clearly stated. Prior accomplishments in STEM higher education enhance the case for the applicant's commitment to education.

Academic Citizenship. The academic citizenship statement should briefly describe a plan to develop strong academic citizenship skills. Applicants may bolster their case by describing past and/or current citizenship activities at their institutions.

Budgets

Cottrell Scholar Awards are for three-year projects in the amount of $120,000 for the entire project. CSA funds may be used to support both the educational and research projects of the Cottrell Scholar. Budgets are not required, and no budget page is included in the proposal. CSA funds are used at the discretion of the Scholar for most direct costs, including equipment and supplies, undergraduate and graduate salary/wages/stipends, graduate student tuition and fees, postdoctoral salaries, and travel to attend the annual Cottrell Scholar conference and other conferences/workshops. Salaries/wages/stipends and graduate student tuition are only allowed if prorated to percent effort. Faculty summer salary is an allowable expense, but only for faculty in non-doctoral departments. No funds are to be used for indirect costs or overhead, academic-year faculty salaries, routine administrative institutional services or salaries, books and journals, or building construction or renovation.

Application Process

The application process for 2025 Cottrell Scholar Awards is now open. To start, create a New User account in RCSA’s Proposal Review and Information System Manager (PRISM).

• The system will prompt you to complete the required registration form, then review and accept the terms and conditions of our system. You will receive an email from prism@rescorp.org with a link to set your password.
• Once logged in, complete Basic Information and Diversity & Inclusion Questionnaire.  Click on Manage My Details to update your Degree/Qualification, Employment, and Grant and/or Fellowships. Information from these fields will be pulled automatically into your application.
• To import your publications by linking to your ORCID record, go to Basic Information and click “Add ORCiD or register with ORCiD,” which will take you to the ORCID website. Log into ORCID, then click Authorize Access to link ORCID and PRISM. Back in your PRISM account, click on My Publications, then Import. Select ORCiD as the source, then click Select Records. Please note that only publications from the last five years should be added to your application, so we would recommend that you only import those records from ORCID. Click the check boxes next to the publications that you want to import. Click on Complete Import, then Import.
• To start your Cottrell Scholar Application, go to My Applications and click “New Application.” From the list of Open Calls, click apply on the Cottrell Scholar Application row. Complete the eligibility quiz and proceed to start your application.
• Institutional endorsement of your proposal is required. Applicants will enter the name and email address of their institution’s Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) in the PRISM application form. When submitted by the applicant, the application will first route to the AOR for approval. Once approved, the application will be submitted to RCSA to review. Please consult your internal policies on approval timelines and plan to submit accordingly to ensure your proposal meets the deadline above. Proposals cannot be submitted to RCSA without institutional approval by the AOR.

Contact us at prism@rescorp.org if you have any questions.

Evaluation and Award Approval

Applications that conform to guidelines are first reviewed by RCSA Program Directors to assess the quality of the educational plan. Submissions with truly excellent educational plans aimed at improving undergraduate or graduate science education are further considered and reviewed by external research experts and the members of the Cottrell Scholar Selection Committee.

Award recommendations are made by the Cottrell Scholar Selection Committee and approved by the RCSA Board of Directors. Cottrell Scholar awardees are required to attend at least two Cottrell Scholar Conferences during the duration of the award.  Travel costs for these conferences should be charged to the Cottrell Scholar award, but other conference costs (hotel room and meals) are covered by RCSA. Attendance of two Cottrell Scholar conferences within the award period is a condition for eligibility for Cottrell Plus awards. See the Cottrell Scholar Conference page for more details.