College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Quick Turn-Around Grants (QTAG)
Seed Funding for High-Impact Faculty Research, Creative Inquiry & Scholarly Innovation
CEBS Quick Turn-Around Grants (QTAG) provide internal seed funding to support critical and immediate needs for research, creative, and scholarly activities. Funded through Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs accrued from external grants, QTAG empowers CEBS faculty to kickstart new initiatives, collect preliminary data, and advance scholarship.
2026–2027 Funding Opportunities
To better support faculty scholarship and foster interdisciplinary partnerships across campus, CEBS now offers two distinct QTAG funding tracks.
QTAG (Individual Track)
Tailored for individual CEBS faculty members spearheading targeted research, creative, or scholarly initiatives.
Key Features & Eligibility:
- Applicant: Individual CEBS full-time faculty member (Instructors, Tenure-Track, and Tenured).
- Funding Ceiling: Awards up to $3,000.
- Ideal Use Cases: Travel to an archive or specialized field site; participant incentive payments; purchasing lab supplies or equipment; developing new educational or training materials.
Example: Examples of QTAG activities are travel to conduct research at an archive; costs associated with incentivizing human subject participants; purchase of lab supplies or equipment to further existing research; or costs associated with developing training materials.
QTAG Collab (New Track)
Designed for two collaborating faculty investigators embarking on an integrated, multi-phase, or inter-departmental project.
Key Features & Eligibility:
- Team Structure: Exactly two collaborating applicants on one unified project proposal.
- Lead PI Requirement: The lead Principal Investigator (PI) must be a CEBS full-time faculty member or instructor.
- Co-PI Eligibility: The Co-PI may be a full-time faculty member/instructor from CEBS or any other WKU college or unit.
- Funding Ceiling: Awards up to $6,000.
Example: An inter-departmental research project in which one faculty member conducts extensive interviews/surveys, while the collaborating faculty member provides outcome assessment and evaluation.
Applicant Eligibility & Rules
Who Can Apply?
QTAG funds are intentionally designed to be accessible and supportive of faculty at all career stages:
- CEBS Full-Time Faculty: All full-time instructors, tenure-track faculty, and tenured faculty within CEBS are eligible to apply.
- First-Time Applicants: Faculty applying for internal funding for the first time are strongly encouraged to submit proposals.
- Annual Award Limit: Only one QTAG award per faculty member will be granted per academic year per recipient (including co-recipients), regardless of the dollar amount. (This restriction may be waived depending on the availability of QTAG funds.)
- Reapplication Welcome: Applicants who apply for a QTAG and are not funded are encouraged to refine and reapply during subsequent review cycles within the same academic year.
- Cross-College Collaboration: For QTAG Collab, while the lead PI must be from CEBS, the Co-PI can represent any WKU academic college or unit.
Reimbursement Structure Note
QTAG operates as a reimbursement-based grant. Project expenses are initially charged to the primary applicant's home department. The CEBS Dean's Office reimburses the department once the project concludes, receipts are submitted, and the Final Report is approved.
The QTAG Application Process
Applying for QTAG is straightforward. Follow these four clear steps from proposal preparation through departmental reimbursement.
Prepare Proposal Package
Assemble required components:
- Clear project scope and attainable goals.
- Dissemination plan for sharing results.
- Line-item budget and cost justification.
- Past/existing funding disclosure.
- Verify IRB / compliance readiness.
Submit Monthly by Last Day
Submit your application by the last calendar day of the month preceding the month funds are required (September through April).
Applicant names are masked to ensure an objective, blind evaluation by the review committee.
Due Monthly (Sep–Apr)Decision by the 15th
The QTAG Review Committee scores proposals across 4 criteria and forwards recommendations to the CEBS Dean's Office.
Award notices and fillable Final Report forms are emailed to recipients by the 15th of the month.
Fast 15-Day TurnaroundSpend & Reimburse (90 Days)
Expend funds through your departmental office support staff within 90 days of the award date.
Email completed Final Report Form and copies of itemized receipts to molly.swietek@wku.edu to reimburse your department.
Department ReimbursedRequired Application Package Components
All QTAG proposals must contain the following components in order to be evaluated by the Review Committee:
1. Dissemination Plan
A clearly articulated strategy detailing how findings and project results will be shared, published, presented, or implemented to advance scholarly discourse or community practice.
2. Itemized Budget & Justification
A thorough line-item cost table with narrative justification. For travel requests, include documentation such as standard WKU Travel Per Diem Rates, hotel estimates, flight screenshots, and rental car quotes.
3. Funding History & Sources
Complete disclosure of existing internal or external funding sources currently supporting the project, as well as past funding awarded to this specific research initiative.
Funding Information & Allowable Uses
QTAG funds are intended to directly seed and sustain scholarly initiatives. Funds may be allocated to the following categories:
Research Assistants
Wages and hourly support for student or temporary research assistants aiding in data collection, lab work, literature reviews, or analysis.
Materials & Supplies
Consumable research materials, lab consumables, software licenses, testing kits, specialized books, or development costs for training materials.
Participant Support
Participant support costs, gift cards, stipends, or payments to incentivize human subject research participants (subject to IRB compliance).
Research Travel & Shipping
Direct travel costs to access archives, field sites, partner clinics, or remote data sources, as well as shipping/courier fees for research materials.
Computers (Retained by WKU)
Computers may be funded only with strong, explicit justification explaining why existing university computing assets are insufficient. Computers remain WKU property.
Equipment (Retained by WKU)
Single-item equipment purchases exceeding $2,000 required to advance existing research. All funded equipment is retained as WKU institutional property.
Special Criteria: Conference Travel Requests
QTAG prioritizes travel costs directly associated with conducting research and scholarly fieldwork. However, requests solely for conference travel may be approved in exceptional circumstances, subject to the availability of QTAG funds and strict compliance with the following mandatory criteria:
- Strong Rationale: Strong justification demonstrating that conference attendance directly facilitates ongoing or future research initiatives detailed in the QTAG application.
- Evidence of Dissemination: A copy of the conference program or letter of acceptance clearly proving your attendance includes active dissemination (e.g., paper presentation, panel chair, scheduled workshop, or exhibition).
- Professional Development Exemption: All individual departmental/college Professional Development (PD) funds must be completely exhausted before QTAG funds can be requested.
- Faculty Rank Requirement: QTAG travel funds may only be awarded to full-time instructors, tenure-track, and tenured faculty members.
- Publication Plan: A specific plan for secondary dissemination (e.g., commitment to submit findings to a peer-reviewed journal).
- Post-Travel Compliance: An Impact Analysis Form must be submitted upon return, alongside the Final Report and a completed WKU Travel Voucher.
Student Conference Travel: QTAG funds are reserved for faculty. To request travel funding for undergraduate or graduate students, please utilize the CEBS Student Conference Travel Program.
Research Compliance & Integrity
Maintaining the highest standards of research ethics is mandatory. If your QTAG project involves any regulated activities, required approvals must be finalized prior to project launch.
- Human subjects research (IRB approval required)
- Vertebrate animal subjects (IACUC approval)
- Export control regulations
- Recombinant DNA (rDNA), RGZ microbes, or biohazards
All recipients must adhere to WKU Research Policies and Discretionary Spending Guidelines.
Contact Office of Research Integrity (ori@wku.edu)
Monthly Deadlines & Timeline
Applications are accepted monthly throughout the academic year (September through April). All funding awards are contingent upon the availability of funds.
Last Day of Month
Submit proposal by 11:59 PM on the last day of the month prior to when funds are needed (Monthly from September through April).
1st – 14th of Month
The QTAG Review Committee conducts a blind review and submits recommendations to the CEBS Dean's Office for final executive approval.
15th of Month
Decision emails sent to applicants. Awardees receive formal confirmation, designated end dates, and fillable Final Report forms (Final awards granted by May 15th).
Days 1 – 90
Grant activities conducted and funds spent through departmental office support staff within the 90-day window.
Day 90 (End Date)
Submit completed Final Report Form and all itemized expense receipts to molly.swietek@wku.edu to trigger departmental reimbursement.
Peer Review & Evaluation Criteria
The QTAG Review Committee comprises CEBS faculty members and the CEBS Assistant Director of Grant Development & Educational Innovation (serving as ex officio). Proposals undergo rigorous blind peer review (applicant names and identifying details are extracted prior to review).
Quality of Proposal
Clear, concise description of attainable project goals and methodology with few to no grammatical errors. Structured for seamless blind peer evaluation.
Research / Creative Merit
Provides a compelling argument for scholarly or creative activity, demonstrating significant intellectual merit, relevance, and contribution to the discipline.
Justification of Need
Articulates how and why requested funds directly contribute to research/creative milestones. All budget items must be well-justified, reasonable, and necessary.
Expected Product & Plan
Outlines a robust, feasible plan for presenting, publishing, or disseminating work upon completion. Projected deliverables and outcomes are realistic and attainable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions regarding project extensions, reapplication rules, and departmental reimbursement.
Funds are intended to be spent within 90 days of the award date. However, a one-time extension may be requested if extenuating circumstances arise. To request an extension, email molly.swietek@wku.edu with a detailed explanation justifying the additional time needed for project completion.
Yes! Applicants who submit a QTAG proposal that does not receive funding are welcomed and encouraged to revise their application and reapply during any subsequent monthly review cycle within the same academic year.
Applicant names are extracted from all submissions before committee review. For both solo and QTAG Collab proposals, applicants wishing to ensure complete anonymity are welcome to mask potentially identifying references in their proposal narrative (e.g., specific collaborator names or partner institutions).
QTAG operates on a reimbursement model. Initial expenses are charged to the primary applicant's home academic department. Once all project expenditures are complete, the recipient submits a Final Report Form along with copies of all itemized expense receipts to Molly Swietek (molly.swietek@wku.edu). The CEBS Dean's Office then processes a transfer to reimburse the departmental account.
Non-CEBS faculty may participate as a Co-PI under the QTAG Collab track (up to $6,000 total award), provided that the lead Principal Investigator (PI) is a full-time CEBS faculty member or instructor.
For field research travel, the line-item budget must include documentation such as standard WKU per diem rates, flight estimates, hotel quotes, or mileage calculations. For approved conference travel, applicants must also submit an Impact Analysis Form, conference acceptance evidence, and a completed WKU Travel Voucher upon project completion.
Final Reporting & Project Closeout
Every awarded QTAG concludes with a simple reporting and reimbursement package. Timely submission ensures prompt reimbursement to your departmental account:
Final Report Form
- Complete the fillable PDF Final Report Form that was attached to your initial award notification email.
Itemized Receipts
- Compile copies of all itemized receipts, invoices, and payment vouchers for every QTAG expenditure.
Email to Dean's Office
- Transmit all documents electronically to Molly Swietek (molly.swietek@wku.edu) by your designated 90-day project end date.
Note: Copies of expenditure receipts are strictly required by university financial policies to execute departmental reimbursement.
Contact & Assistance
- Assistant Director, Grant Development & Educational Innovation
Ready to Submit Your Proposal?
Apply for QTAG Funding to Seed Funding for High-Impact Faculty Research, Creative Inquiry & Scholarly Innovation.
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