Section 10. Process Summary

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Requirements
Fees

Overview

The full External Researcher and Grant Funded Project Application, includes the submission of:
If your application is accepted, you will be required to:
  • Sign the Restricted Use Data Agreement;
  • Successfully complete the staff Authorization and Access Procedures, which includes a Criminal History Background Investigation;
  • Pay any required fees (see Fees tab); and
  • Submit the IRB documentation or statement of exemption.
To complete the online application, you will need to provide:
  1. Contact Information (name, email, organization, phone number)
  2. Researcher Information; 
  • Qualifications - Information about the Research Applicant's background, other relevant research,and related interests. The researcher, research team or doctoral student (or adviser) must demonstrate expertise in the relevant content area and other related research activities (e.g.data analyses)
  • If the project includes additional Research Applicants, they must be listed and a curriculum vitae must be uploaded for each applicant.
  3. Proposed Project
  • Project Title
  • Abstract or Brief Description
  • Research Project Question
  • Select the relevant MLDS Research Agenda Question(s)
  • Explanation of how the project is Cross-Sector
  • Benefit to the State of Maryland - Describe how the proposed research will inform choices to improve student and workforce outcomes in the State of Maryland. Consider including implications such as broadening the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g. gender, ethnicity, geographic,  MLDS Center External Research Proposal & Summary 2 etc.), enhancing the infrastructure for research and education, and benefiting and/or informing educational policy and practice.
  • Estimated Timeline for the Proposed Project - Timelines for a proposed project should begin with a signed Research and Data Use Agreement.  Be sure to include enough room in your timeline for the completion of a background check,  set-up and access to the System, and other unanticipated delays.
  4. Available Resources
Please provide details that show the applicant has adequate resources to complete the project in a timely manner. If it is grant funded, please be sure to include that fact in the application.
  5. Proposed Center Output and Further Development
  • Provide a description of the proposed Center Output to be completed as part of this work. This may include a research report, a presentation, or a set of tables or graphs that can be used by the Center.
  • Provide your plans for further development of the Center output. Be sure to include possible publications and presentations in your description. Further developed work occurs after System access is terminated and may only use aggregate, de-identified data that was developed as part of the Center output.
  6. Supporting Documents -Upload the following documents:
  • Curriculum Vitae for Research Applicants (up to 5 files)
  • Formal Research Proposal(1 file)

Formal Research Proposal

A formal research proposal must be submitted as part of the application. Proposals should be no longer than 15 pages in length excluding references.  The formal proposal may take the format most suited to the researcher(s). The formal proposal should expand on and fully explain the information included in the online application. A complete research proposal will include the following:
  • A title page with the project title, the research applicant’s name(s), the data of submittal;
  • An abstract;
  • A descriptive narrative of the research;
  • Problem or issue under consideration;
  • A detailed explanation of how the research aligns with the MLDS Research Agenda, is an audit or evaluation of State or federal education programs, is cross-sector research; and provides a benefit to the State of Maryland;
  • A clear research question or hypothesis;
  • Description of the methods and procedures proposed;
  • The applicant’s available resources;
  • A description of the Center product and plans for further developed work; and
  • A timeline for completing the project.

Data Request Template

Once the applicant has determined that the Center has sufficient data for the applicant’s intended research, the applicant must identify data for the proposed research using the Data Request Template. The data on applicant’s Data Request Template must be consistent with the research proposal.

Fee Schedule

The following is a sample fee schedule. The estimate is based on a project that requires a simple data set. Once the proposal has been approved, you will receive a final fee assessment.
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Fee Schedule