College of Health and Human Sciences

HHS Research Incentive Funding Plan

Faculty of the College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS) at Kansas State University will have the opportunity to receive an annual cash bonus incentive from extramurally funding a portion of their salary.

Purpose

The goal of this plan is to enhance Research, Scholarship, Creative Activity, and Discovery (RSCAD), as well as best practices in teaching and instructional activity, by increasing the amount of extramural funding in HHS. This plan will provide an annual incentive payment, through the University’s additional pay process, dependent upon the amount of his/her compensation recovered through external funding sources.

Criteria

  • Faculty must have at least a 0.5 appointment in HHS.
  • The incentive plan will be applied during either a 9-month or 12-month appointment and does not modify an employee’s base salary. The plan does not apply to summer salary for 9-month faculty.
  • The plan covers recovered funds for a calendar year (January 1 – December 31), with the bonus being provided to the employee in the spring of the following calendar year.
  • The plan applies to recovered funds by external sources while on contract.
  • The plan is calculated as follows:
    • Salary covering Research and Scholarly Activity (recovered funds used to support “research” effort or related activities): Fifty percent (50%) of the recovered amount will be returned to the employee as a lump sum cash payment. The remaining portion will remain in the department where the salary buyout occurred.
    • Salary covering Teaching/Instructional Activity (recovered funds from “buyout” of a course). Given course “buyout” must be covered by the department, 50% of the difference between the course “buyout” and the cost to cover instruction (i.e., net savings) will be returned to the employee as a lump sum cash payment. The remaining portion will remain in the department where the salary buyout occurred.
  • The employee must exhibit a minimum of ‘meets expectations’ on all assigned duties determined by his/her chair and the Dean of HHS to be eligible for the incentive.
  • All ‘buyouts’ must be approved by the Department chair of the employee’s unit and the Dean of HHS.
  • Advanced consultation with the Department Chair (for non-administrative faculty) or Dean (for administrative faculty) is required.
  • Participation in the incentive program is voluntary and the employee must request to participate in the plan using this Excel form (xlsx) (eID login required). Please work with your Department Head as well as the Business Manager or your department accountant for assistance in filling out the form and to ensure it is correct before signatures are obtained and the form is submitted.
  • The College reserves the right to terminate the program or participation by any faculty member at any time.
  • Availability of any payments under this plan is subject to any applicable state or federal laws, policies and/or regulations.