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Kentucky NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Initiatives Program
THE IDEA PAPER DEADLINE WAS DEC. 18, 2006. PROPOSALS ARE NOW INVITATION ONLY.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
(posted November 17, 2006)
There have been a few recent changes to announce that will impact this solicitation. This information will affect responses to the five page “idea papers” due December 18, 2006.
(1) The NSF is pursuing the idea of revising the RII solicitation to lengthen these infrastructure awards from three years to six years. Because this change cannot be verified until the program solicitation is announced, idea papers will need to convey a plan for either case. Accordingly, please develop a SIX year proposal* but also clearly convey how this plan could be modified to accommodate a three-year project life. At this time, it’s envisioned that the funding will be increased proportionally with the length of the project so please adjust budgets accordingly. For example, a project develops a plan for a $1.1M / year, six year ($6.6M total) project, but clearly conveys how the proposed ideas could be scaled back to accommodate a $1.1M / year, three year ($3.3M total) project.
(2) KY NSF EPSCoR will require a 15% cost share commitment from the submitting institution (15 cents for every EPSCoR dollar awarded through this program). This cost share commitment can take the form of cash or in-kind contributions to the proposed project. The nature and source of these commitments should be clearly conveyed in the idea papers so proposing groups are highly encouraged to start securing institutional commitments if they have not done so already.
* A revised estimate for the start- and end-dates of these projects is: April 1, 2008 – March 31, 2014 (with a contingency plan for accommodating April 1, 2008 – March 31, 2011).
Successful initiatives will …
- Have strong and specific commitments of support from the institution(s)
- Involve multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaborative research
- Be consistent with Kentucky science and technology focus areas:
- Materials Science and Advanced Manufacturing;
- Environmental and Energy Technologies;
- Human Health and Development;
- Information Technology and Communication;
- Biosciences
NSF investment priority areas are also highly encouraged:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/priority_areas/index.jsp
- Nanoscale Science and Engineering
- Biocomplexity in the Environment
- Human and Social Dynamics
- Mathematical Sciences
- Cyberinfrastructure
- Have a three-year plan to achieve self-sustainability (via research funding from non-EPSCoR, federal sources)
- Identify the broader impacts of the proposed research (participation of underrepresented groups, outreach, dissemination of understanding, value added, etc.)
Proposal Development and Funding Timeline:
We anticipate that EPSCoR funding for initiatives awarded under this program will start in 2008 (summer) and last for three years. At the conclusion of this internal competition (May 2007, see timeline below), KY NSF EPSCoR will work with the initiative leaders of the selected initiatives to develop a single proposal that will be submitted directly to the NSF in the fall of 2007. A timeline of activities is provided below.
- December 18, 2006; 5:00p EST
“Idea papers” are due to KY NSF EPSCoR, which must include:
a. A listing of the involved institutions and people (with email addresses and phone numbers), please indicate a primary contact for the initiative (a project leader) and provide the abbreviated vitae of the senior participants;
b. A project description (maximum of 5 pages), which should include a three year plan of activities, a plan for achieving self-sustainability, and also milestones for measuring the progress of the initiative over the three years of the project;
c. An estimate of the budget that will be required to support the activities and a budget justification;
d. Any letters-of-commitment from institutional or industrial partners that detail commitments to the project.
- January 22-25, 2007 (presentation times TBA)
AAAS Interviews
Each of the white-paper groups will present their ideas in more detail to an external review group subcontracted through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). At the conclusion of these interviews, selected groups will be invited to develop full, NSF-styled proposals for further review.
- March 2007 (date/time TBA)
Full Proposals Due
Detailed proposals are due to the KY NSF EPSCoR and sent off for external mail review via AAAS.
- May 2007 (date/time TBA)
Final Interviews
Final interviews with the AAAS panel will take place.
- Summer 2007
Proposal Development
A single proposal is developed by the KY NSF EPSCoR Office and initiative project leaders/personnel.
- October 2007
Proposal Submission to NSF
Other Important Information:
To read more about the NSF EPSCoR RII awards that support KY NSF EPSCoR and these initiatives, please reference the agency’s current solicitation:
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf06583
To read about active KY NSF EPSCoR infrastructure initiatives (2005-2008), reference this link:
http://www.kynsfepscor.org/investments.html
All proposal submissions should be sent to the KY NSF EPSCoR Office, or can be emailed as a single . PDF attachment to epscor@uky.edu.