MEIF - Process for Requesting Positions
Process to Request Maine Economic Improvement Funds (MEIF)
to Support New or Replacement Positions
I. Purpose of MEIF
The Maine Economic Improvement Fund was established by the Maine
State Legislature in 1998 to encourage university-based research and
development in seven targeted sectors: aquaculture and marine
sciences, biotechnology, forestry and agriculture,
composites/advanced materials, information technology, precision
manufacturing, and environmental technology. The funds were
designated to provide match to secure federal and private sector
research and development investment, and to attract and retain
world-class researchers and provide support to them in establishing
modern laboratories and acquiring state-of-the-art equipment.
II. Success of MEIF
Analysis of resulting data on return on investment (ROI) since 1998
suggests that success occurs when four essential elements are
present:
1) Established
leadership within the hiring unit;
2) Demonstrated
history and future potential for multidisciplinary collaboration;
3) Critical mass of
supporting human infrastructure to enhance collaborative
opportunities; and
4) Sufficient capital
infrastructure to support focused investment in additional human
resources.
III. Requesting MEIF personnel
funding*
MEIF personnel funding requests must include:
1) A statement addressing the relevance of the hire to the:
a. Research Unit
and/or College;
b. Enhancement of
University infrastructure for research such as facilities,
instrumentation, networks, and partnerships;
c. Potential impact
on Maine's economy;
d. Potential to
satisfy legislatively-defined criteria for return on investment,
(i.e., amount of grants and contracts leveraged in the seven
targeted sectors, scholarly publications, development of
intellectual property [patents, trade secrets], number of spin-out
companies resulting from research, and number of jobs created);
e.
Strategic Implementation Plan for Enhancement of Research,
Scholarship and Creative Activity (PDF);
f.
Stated goals of the Maine Science and Technology Plan (PDF).
2) A schedule of
milestones and accompanying timetable.
3) A statement
responding to the following specific criteria:
a. Requested
position is within one of the seven targeted sectors;
b. Potential exists
for multidisciplinary collaborations as evidenced by past
collaborations on external grants; presentations at workshops,
national, or international meetings; publications; spin-off
companies; intellectual property, etc.; as well as examples of
possible future multidisciplinary collaborations;
c. Critical mass of
human infrastructure is present to enable collaborative
efforts with evidence of support from the relevant Peer Review
Committee(s), Chair(s), and Dean(s) or Director(s);
d. An established
leader within the hiring unit has been identified and is
supportive of the hire;
e. Minimum level of
capital infrastructure exists, i.e., building, laboratories,
and equipment, necessary to support a focused investment in human
resources; and opportunities to create synergies among labs,
offices, equipment, and technical personnel have been negotiated
and clearly stated.
* For 100% MEIF-funded
position, percentage effort will be 75% research and 25% teaching
(equivalent to a 1/1 teaching load)
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