The Office of The Vice President for Research is now accepting nominations for a new research awards program, the Exceptional Research Service Awards. This program, consisting of three distinct honors, is designed to recognize outstanding research support staff who provide top-notch service to UofSC’s faculty and student researchers every day. With award categories for research administrators and technical research staff, the Exceptional Research Service Awards will provide recognition and an honorarium of $500 for deserving professionals.
Complete details about each award are available on the Exceptional Research Service Awards program page. Nominations for the 2022 awards are due by Friday, February 11, 2022.
The three awards
The Exceptional Research Service Awards encompass three separate awards, each geared toward a different population of research support staff working at the University of South Carolina. Students, postdoctoral scholars, tenured/tenure track, clinical track and research track faculty are not eligible for these awards.
- The College/Department Research Administration Support Staff Award honors excellent research administrators working inside of academic units at the college or department level. Up to three College/Department Research Administration Support Staff Awards will be given in 2022; awardees will receive an honorarium of $500. Read more.
- The Central Service Unit Research Administration Support Staff Award recognizes outstanding research administrators working in the university’s central support offices. One Central Service Unit Research Administration Support Staff Award will be given in 2022; the awardee will receive an honorarium of $500. Read more.
- The Technical Support Staff Award celebrates exceptional technical research staff working in academic units who directly support the hands-on work of faculty researchers. Up to four Technical Support Staff Awards will be given in 2022; awardees will receive an honorarium of $500. Read more.
The nomination process
Nominations for the Exceptional Research Service Awards are submitted through the Office of the Vice President for Research submission system at vprinitiatives.research.sc.edu. Faculty members may submit one nomination per award, but may not nominate the same staff member for more than one award. In other words, faculty members may nominate a separate staff member for each of the three awards. If reviewers find that a nominee for one award would be a stronger candidate for another award, the nominee may be considered for the award that fits their qualifications best.
To submit a nomination, the nominator should prepare a one-page letter telling the “story” of the exceptional research support they have received from the nominee and explaining why they are deserving of special recognition. The letter of nomination serves as the primary material reviewers will evaluate when deliberating, so it is the most important component of the nomination. Once the letter is prepared, the nominator may log into the nomination system, select the appropriate nominee and award contest (from the three award types detailed above), upload the nomination letter, and submit the completed nomination for consideration. Nominators may refer to the 2022 Exceptional Research Service Award Nomination Guide (pdf) for step-by-step submission instructions.
12 January 2022