The major equipment grant falls under the Maroun Semaan Endowment strategic research initiatives and is intended to support the purchase of major research-dedicated scientific equipment that will advance MSFEA's research and will help MSFEA contribute to addressing a pressing issue.
Each spring semester, the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (MSFEA) announces a call for applications, including the budget available for that cycle.
For the Academic Year 2024–2025, applications are invited from teams of faculty members seeking equipment that will support and enhance their research areas or groups. Eligible applicants are full-time, non-visiting faculty at the professorial rank who can demonstrate a track record of collaboration for at least two years.
Key conditions:
- A faculty member may participate in only one application per award cycle.
- The maximum budget per award is USD 250,000, which may cover one or more pieces of equipment.
- For AY 2024–2025, a total of up to USD 500,000 will be allocated through this mechanism.
Each application must include:
- Team profile and research aims.
- Description of the requested equipment with a detailed budgetary quote, including shipping and clearance costs (to be obtained from the Purchasing Department).
Specific impactful projects or research areas that will benefit from the equipment.
In addition, applicants must provide:
- A maintenance plan, indicating whether the equipment requires periodic calibration or consumables exceeding USD 3,000 per year. If so, applicants must explain how these recurring costs will be covered.
- A strong justification demonstrating why the requested equipment represents a valuable investment for advancing research at MSFEA.
The applications will initially be evaluated by the Faculty Research Committee (FRC), which will make its recommendations to a committee consisting of the Dean's team (Dean, and Associate Deans) and the faculty member who represents MSFEA on the capital budget committee of the university. The evaluation procedure is based on criteria related to the equipment impact and potential to be a game changer for the research team and for MSFEA; the focus on problem solving; the research track record of the team championing the equipment; the cost of the equipment and its space requirements; and whether the equipment is completely new or already exists at MSFEA or AUB.
Eligibility:
- Applications are limited to teams (two at least) who have been collaborating for more than 3 years and have established a record of publications (at least for two of the team members). Applications by single faculty members will not be considered.
- At least one of the members of the team must be from MSFEA, with lead authorship on multiple co-authored team publications.
IMPORTANT: if successful, at least two of the team members will NOT be eligible for summer pay (other items eligible), sourced from an Exploratory or a VIP grant, for the duration of two years.
Qualifying equipment:
- Any equipment for research and is not currently supported by other AUB funds; computers are covered by other budgets and may not be purchased under this mechanism.
Only equipment exceeding a unit cost of $25,000 USD is eligible and does not exclude budget line items for accessories and spare parts.
Criteria for evaluation:
1. Applicants must make a case in their application document for how this equipment would significantly ramp up MSFEA's research output and stature in an important area of inquiry. How would it better position MSFEA as a competitor in an important area.
Application content process:
- Applications must include a 5-year plan and budget for equipment maintenance.
Applications should include quotations for the equipment and associated consumables. Consumables should indicate if they are a function of the number of hours of operation or simply a function of date.
For equipment that is selected to be awarded, the committee will consult with department chairpersons and lab managers and the assistant to the dean for laboratories and facilities as needed, as well as with the deans of other faculties to explore the possibility of cost-sharing where applicable. The outcome of this final stage is the determination of the amount of equipment grant from the MSFEA Maroun Semaan Endowment if awarded and from another faculty in the case of cost-sharing. Applicants will be informed of the outcome. After final decisions are made, the respective faculty members/lab managers will coordinate with the MSFEA Financial Unit to purchase the equipment. Below is the schedule for the equipment grant procedure for AY 2024-2025.
| | Date |
| Call for applications | March 04, 2025 |
| Applications are due | March 15, 2025 |
| Research committee ranks applications in accordance with the published criteria | March 30, 2025 |
Dean's committee makes final decisions in consultation with additional input from chairpersons, lab managers, assistant to the dean for laboratories and facilities, as deemed necessary. | April 10, 2025 |
| Dean's office informs applicants of the grant award outcomes | April 11, 2025 |
To apply, please fill out your application form in Word (one of the faculty members in a team) and provide your updated CV(s) on your FMIS webpage (all faculty members in a team) by going to My Profile à Edit à General Info à Bio Data à CV Attachment.