Background
The Research Enhancement Fund (REF) began in 1990 on the recommendationof the 1989 Coates-Lange Report on research. The REF has a dual purpose:

to fund faculty collaborations where extensive scholarly activity already exists that is recognized as moving toward a high level of excellence, and where additional funding over a period of time can help fully achieve national or international recognition for GW; and
to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty across departments and schools, where such activity may lead to the development of a new center or institute that has the potential to attract significant external funding.

REF monies are awarded on a three-year cycle.

Proposal Evaluation
REF monies are administered by the Office of the Chief Research Officer (CRO) with advice from the Advisory Council on Research (ACR). A University-wide call for proposals is sent out every three years in February. All proposals must clearly describe the research or scholarly activity, including a statement of goals. Budgets typically range from $40,000 - $50,000 per year. Proposals that fall under category (1), need to show how the REF will help the existing research organization attain a higher level of activity, especially with respect to outside recognition, such as from increased external funding. For those proposals that fall under category (2), the ACR pays close attention to interdisciplinary research collaborations among faculty that have the potential of leading to significant outside funding.

After an initial evaluation, the top seven or eight proposals are presented at the April meeting of the ACR. Funding decisions are announced in May and funds become available July 1. In each of the last three cycles, six to eight proposals have received REF funding.

REF Administration
The REF provides funding primarily for salaries and major equipment. All REF spending is approved in advance by the Office of the Chief Research Officer (OCRO). Recipients are required to submit annual progress reports to the ACR. REF funding is not renewed during an REF cycle if there is not satisfactory progress in the research and if the goals outlined in the proposal are not being met. For management instructions given to awardees please see this memo.

REF Current Awardees
Click here for the list of current REF Awardees.