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2008 Kentucky NSF EPSCoR Research Enhancement Grant Program (REG) Solicitation

This program is only available to tenured/tenure-track faculty at the comprehensive institutions in Kentucky. University of Kentucky and University of Louisville faculty are not eligible to apply. Proposals are not accepted from visiting faculty, adjunct faculty or postdoctoral researchers. Proposals are due to the KY NSF EPSCoR Office by 5:00p.m. EST, May 27, 2008.

The REG program improves research at the comprehensive institutions in Kentucky by seed-funding research projects and securing needed instrumentation. The envisioned outcome of REG support is straightforward—enabling research faculty and research groups at the comprehensive institutions to submit successful proposals to a federal sponsor in the future.

Program Highlights

Program Contact
Mr. Jeff Mossey, Assistant Program Director, KY NSF EPSCoR
Phone: (859) 257-8316, e-mail: epscor@uky.edu.

• Proposals are due by May 27, 2008, 5:00p.m. EST.
• Proposals must be emailed as a single PDF attachment to epscor@uky.edu.

Eligibility

• This program is only available to tenured/tenure-track faculty at the comprehensive institutions in Kentucky. Proposals are not accepted from visiting faculty, adjunct faculty or postdoctoral researchers.
• University of Kentucky and University of Louisville faculty are not eligible to apply.
• Researchers are limited to involvement in one REG submission. Researchers cannot submit both a standard REG and an REG Instrumentation proposal.
• Budgetary Information
• Maximum request amount:
• (Standard) REG—$25,000
• REG Instrumentation—$100,000
• The REG Program requires that all indirect costs (F&A) be waived by the institution.

Cost sharing is not required but can be reported. Cost share becomes an auditable condition of the award if included in the proposal.

Award Information

• Awards will be subcontracted to the recipient's respective institutional grants office via the University of Kentucky Office of Sponsored Projects Administration.
• Approximately $250,000 will be available for the program.
• Funded proposals will not be awarded until July 2008 at the earliest. Researchers should carefully consider this mid-summer start date when constructing their plan of activities.

Review Criteria

• Proposals are peer and panel reviewed.
• Proposing PIs are asked to clarify whether they are submitting a "Standard REG" or "REG Instrumentation" proposal. The review forms differ. Both review forms are available for viewing:
• Standard REG: http://www.kynsfepscor.org/funding/review.pdf
• REG Instrumentation: http://www.kynsfepscor.org/funding/instreview.pdf

Other

• Awarded researchers are required to provide periodic reporting and submit a follow-on proposal to a federal sponsor within a reasonable amount of time after their project ends.

2008 REG Program:

This year's REG program is essentially two programs in one. Researchers can choose the REG program appropriate for them:

1. A "Standard REG" is a research proposal that has the potential to be expanded in future years and submitted directly to a federal agency. The maximum request amount under this program is $25,000; or

2. A "REG Instrumentation" proposal can be submitted for a maximum of $100,000, but can only include support for the proposed instrumentation. (Other instrumentation costs such as space, technical support, administrative costs, operational costs, etc. would need to be cost shared by the institution.)

Standard REG:

Some common examples of budget items requested under the standard REG program include (but are not limited to): PI summer salary/release time, funding for supporting student participation, funds for needed equipment and/or supplies, travel funds for PI/students participant development, etc. Note that small equipment items can still be requested under the standard REG program. Funded proposals will not be awarded until July 2008 at the earliest. Researchers should carefully consider this mid-summer start date when constructing their plan of activities.

While almost all Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) research areas are eligible for REG consideration, participants should be advised that proposals are competitively and comparatively reviewed. Reviewers are asked to prioritize proposals that represent the best chance of receiving federal support in the future. Accordingly, proposals that involve an area of research prioritized by the state's "New Economy Strategic Plan" are given priority consideration. These areas include:

Kentucky's Five Priority Research Focus Areas:

1. Human Health and Development

2. Biosciences (e.g., cellular and molecular engineering, ecological genomics)

3. Information Technology and Communications

4. Environmental and Energy Technologies

5. Materials Science and Advanced Manufacturing (e.g., BIO NEMS/MEMS and nanotechnology)

Note that the "examples" given above are provided because they are a current focus area of the KY NSF EPSCoR Program.

Forms:

The standard REG proposals should be structured like a regular NSF research proposal. This means that the sections below should be included in the proposal and ordered as listed (if a template form is indicated below, it must be used).

1. Cover Sheet
• (link to template form: http://www.kynsfepscor.org/funding/regCoverSheet.pdf)
2. Project Summary
• Guidelines are the same as theNSF's: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf08_1/gpg_2.jsp#IIC2b
• Must include a discussion of both intellectual merit and broader impacts.
3. Table of Contents
   
4. Project Description
   • Guidelines are the same as the NSF's: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf08_1/gpg_2.jsp#IIC2d
   • Must include a listing, description, and a brief discussion of the results from all prior KY EPSCoR program support, which applies to all KY EPSCoR agencies—even if the currently proposed research is unrelated.
5. References Cited
   • Guidelines are the same as the NSF's: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf08_1/gpg_2.jsp#IIC2e
6. Participant Biosketch(es)
   • Guidelines are the same as the NSF's: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf08_1/gpg_2.jsp#IIC2f
7. Budget
   • There is a template form for the budget section but unless otherwise stated in this solicitation (e.g., cost share rules), NSF's budget guidelines can be referenced to determine allowable costs and help with budget development: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf08_1/gpg_2.jsp#IIC2g
   • (link to template form: http://www.kynsfepscor.org/REGbudget.xls)
8. Budget Justification
   • Maximum 2-page document detailing/explaining the budget. Show how your budget estimates were calculated.
9. Participant Current and Pending Support Form(s)
   • (link to template form: http://www.kynsfepscor.org/funding/supportForm.doc)
     
10. Optional: Letters of Support
    • Provide letters of support only if they detail cost share commitments to the project.

REG Instrumentation:

KY NSF EPSCoR is also offering a separate REG program for individual researchers or collaborative groups at the comprehensive schools that are interested in securing specialized equipment that is currently unavailable or difficult to access. Investigators may be working in closely related areas or their research may be multidisciplinary. REG Instrumentation proposals must follow the format of the standard REG proposal (see above for a listing and explanation of forms). Each potential major user must describe the project(s) for which the equipment will be used. These descriptions must be succinct (not as detailed as in an individual research proposal) and must emphasize the intrinsic merit of the activity and the importance of the equipment to it.

Equipment to be purchased, modified or constructed is eligible for consideration and must be described in sufficient detail to allow comparison of its capabilities with the needs of the proposed activities. Equipment proposals also must describe comparable equipment already in use at the proposing organization(s) and explain why it cannot be used. Instrumentation proposals must discuss arrangements for acquisition, maintenance and operation within their project description, including:

• An overall acquisition plan

• Indication of the person(s) who will have overall responsibility for maintenance and operation and a brief statement of qualifications, if not obvious

• Description of the physical facility, including floor plans or other appropriate information, where the equipment will be located

• Annual budget for operation and maintenance of the proposed equipment, indicating source of funds, and particularly related equipment (link to template form: http://www.kynsfepscor.org/REGbudget.xls)

• Brief description of other support services available and the annual budget for their operation, maintenance and administration.

EPSCoR support of up to $100,000 can be requested for the purchase of instrumentation but any other associated costs (examples might include: operation, administration, and maintenance costs) will need to be cost shared by the institution and itemized in the "middle" (i.e., cost share column) of the budget and explained in the budget justification. REG Instrumentation proposals must include the information described above within the 15-page project description and should include all the same forms and templates as the standard REG program.

The terms of a grant require that special-purpose equipment purchased or leased with grant funds be subject to reasonable inventory controls, maintenance procedures and organizational policies that enhance its multiple or shared use on other projects, if such use does not interfere with the work for which the equipment was acquired. The REG Instrumentation proposals will compete for consideration with the standard REGs.

Important Things to Consider:

Below is a list of reasons that your proposal can be returned without review. Please read through this list carefully and ensure that your proposal is compliant.

• Failure to follow NSF page limit maximums or page font/margin formats (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/nsf04_23/2.jsp#IIB2); or failure to use a form template as indicated in this solicitation.
• Failure to fully disclose/report information about previous KY EPSCoR support (includes NSF EPSCoR as well as other state EPSCoR agencies) within the body of your project description.
• Failure to address both intellectual merit and broader impacts within the project summary.

Final Note: Funding for the REG program is, as always, contingent upon KY NSF EPSCoR receiving programmatic support for the 2008 year.

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