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Vice President for Research & Economic Development
Proposal Services & Faculty Support
July Funding Focus Newsletter #2
What is a Limited Submission?
A limited submission solicitation (RFA, RFP, etc.) places a cap on the number of proposals that Auburn may submit to a sponsor. Auburn coordinates limited submissions by sending out a notification via this newsletter and creating competitions in the Auburn University Competition Space (also known as InfoReady ).To apply to any limited submission posted below, click on the above link and search for your competition reflected on the page. Please refer to the Limited Submission Procedures page for a list of requirements.
Limited Submission Announcements

The scope of this call is intentionally wide: proposed projects do not need to fall within the foundation's current funding priorities but should be broadly within the program areas of foundation interest (science, environmental conservation and patient care). The exception is for nominees proposing ideas and inventions that target patient care. Within this realm, overlap is sought with the current emphasis on improving the experience and outcomes of patients, including solutions in the areas of diagnostic excellence, medication safety in the community and community-based serious illness care.

The foundation aims to support inventions at an early stage that could lead to proof-of-concept work on an invention or advance an existing prototype that tackles an important problem. It seeks innovations with the promise of making a long-lasting impact by addressing underlying problems in their field, but a clear path toward commercialization is not a requirement. The foundation is not interested in supporting projects that are already at a stage where significant venture capital is available.The foundation seeks to measure progress toward a defined goal during the three years of support. The foundation’s policy is that intellectual property that results from a grant must be managed and disseminated in a manner that leads to the greatest impact. Each award will include IP terms to reflect the needs of that project.

Institutional Limit: 2 Proposals
Internal Deadline: August 14, 2020, 4:45pm
W. M. Keck Foundation Research Grants Counseling Call Period Now Open

For the November 1 deadline, the counseling call period is July 1-August 15 . Auburn may only schedule ONE call during this period to discuss up to 8 total concepts (4 from the Medical Research track and 4 from the Science and Engineering track). PIs are not allowed to join counseling calls , but may select an administrator (ADR or Dean level) to present on their behalf . Please click on the following link to learn more about the grants: http://www.wmkeck.org/grant-programs/research.

Jessica Crutchfield is the official liaison for Auburn, please contact her with your grant idea, selected track (Medical or Science/Engineering), and your ADR/Dean representative.
IMPORTANT UPDATES


Tentative Itinerary:

  • 1:00 p.m. Welcome and Introductions - OSD BRO (Dr. Jennifer Becker)          
  • 1:15 p.m. DEPSCoR FOA Overview - OSD BRO (Dr. Rushyannah Killens-Cade)
  • 1:45 p.m. DEPSCoR FOA Q&A - OSD BRO/AFOSR (Dr. Jennifer Becker/Dr. Rushyannah Killens-Cade/Mrs. Elaina Baker)
  • 2:00 p.m. How to engage Tri-Service Program Officers – ARO (Dr. Dawanne Poree)
  • 2:30 p.m. OXR Funding Opportunities (tentative)
  • 2:45 p.m. OXR Funding Opportunities (tentative)
  • 3:00 p.m. OXR Funding Opportunities (tentative)
  • 3:15 p.m. Q&A - all

Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Time: 1:00PM - 3:15PM EDT (New York, GMT-4:00)


The slide deck will be sent to those who register for the event.

The NSF has decided to extend some upcoming proposal deadlines where possible. In addition, NSF aims to provide maximum flexibility in all cases and ask that any principal investigator urgently in need of an extension please contact their program manager as soon as possible. NSF is continually assessing deadlines at the program level and will continue to balance making awards with the needs of our community.

Deadlines for published program descriptions, announcements, solicitations and DCLs that do not appear on the list below remain unchanged.

  • 18-546 Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP)
  • 19-506 Partnerships for Innovation (PFI)
  • 19-539 NSF-CBMS Regional Research Conferences in the Mathematical Sciences
  • 19-594 Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER): New Urban Site
  • 20-058 DCL: Geoscience Opportunities for Leadership in Diversity – Expanding the Network (GOLD-EN)
  • 20-529 NSF Innovation Corps Hubs Program (I-CorpsTM Hubs)
  • 20-530 Competition for the Management of Operations and Maintenance of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)
  • 20-544 Expeditions in Computing
  • 20-549 Navigating the New Arctic Community Office (NNA-CO)
  • 20-554 ADVANCE: Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions (Adaptation and Partnership Tracks)

*NSF will be modifying each solicitation or DCL to reflect the new deadline date.


Streamlyne has created a free tool that enables researchers to locate articles on SARS-CoV-2  and related viruses quickly and efficiently within the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19) created by the Allen Institute for AI, in partnership with several tech companies and the OSTP. The dataset is linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) database of publications on coronavirus disease and other resources. The website also provides a sample list of some of the most promising COVID-19 research efforts at universities and independent research institutions.

Facebook Now Accepting Requests for Non-Aggregated Data for Research Purposes

Facebook and partners now offer a portal where researchers from academic and nonprofit institutions can request access to non-aggregated symptom survey data from Carnegie Mellon University and University of Maryland. Signed data use agreements are required for this access.
 
The sharing of non-aggregated data is intended to help facilitate more advanced modeling and forecasting efforts by researchers aiding public health responses around the world. Interested academic and nonprofit researchers can submit a request here .

Researchers should contact the Office of Research Compliance regarding IRB compliance.

  • You must use FORMS-F forms for grant application due dates on or after May 25, 2020 and FORMS-E for due dates on or before May 24, 2020. If you aren’t sure what an application package “Competition ID” is or where to find it, check out Do I Have the Right Form Version For My Application?
  • The biosketchdata table, and other format pages have also been updated with FORMS-F versions. Format pages are approved formats to be used with specific grant application attachments.
As information is being shared by sponsors, it is being collected/posted here so please check back often for updates.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. These fellowships are awarded yearly to researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field.

Eligibility Requirements:
  • Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences, physics, or a related field.
  • Candidates must be members of the faculty of a college, university, or other degree-granting institution in the U.S. or Canada.
  • Candidates must be tenure-track, though untenured, as of September 15, 2020
  • Candidate's faculty position must carry a regular teaching obligation.

Nomination Info:
  • In order to be considered for a Sloan Research Fellowship, a candidate must have a letter of nomination from a department head or other senior researcher. Submissions unaccompanied by a nomination letter from a senior researcher are not accepted.
  • More than one candidate from a department may be nominated, but no more than three.

All nomination materials, including nomination letters and all letters of support, must be submitted through the Foundation’s online application system no later than 11:59PM EDT, September 15, 2020

The Sony Research Award Program provides funding for cutting-edge academic research and helps build a collaborative relationship between faculty and Sony researchers. With awards of up to $150,000 USD per year for each accepted proposal, both the Faculty Innovation Award and Focused Research Award create new opportunities for university faculties to engage in pioneering research that could drive new technologies, industries and the future.

Proposals Due: September 15, 2020 at 11:59 pm (Pacific)

This funding opportunity aims to create basic research collaborations between a pair of researchers, namely 1) Applicant/Principal Investigator (PI), henceforth referred to as Applicant, a full-time faculty member who has never served as a PI on a prior DoD funded award and 2) Collaborator/co-Principal Investigator (co-PI), henceforth referred to as Collaborator, an investigator who will provide mentorship to the Applicant and has served as a PI on a DoD-funded research award actively between 1 October 2013 and 30 September 2020. This structure is aimed at introducing potential applicants to the DoD’s unique research challenges and its supportive research ecosystem.

Registration on AcquTrak Website Must be Completed by September 14, 2020

White Papers Due: September 21, 2020

Scope of Solicitation

The SGP-SER invites proposals that will further its mission of developing viable alternative bioderived energy (e.g., sustainable aviation fuel) and products while enhancing economic opportunities in rural areas. The following are priority areas and feedstocks identified by USDA-NIFA and the SGP-SER.

NOTE: Proposals must address at least one of the Research Areas AND at least one of the Feedstock Priority Areas.

Research, Education, and Extension Priority Areas
• Preprocessing and storage of biomass for high-quality feedstock
• Feedstock characteristics-conversion performance interactions (biochemical and thermochemical processes)
• Innovative outreach and information delivery methods for stakeholders
• Sustainability, including water quality and ecosystem services
• New Bioderived Products (energy, chemicals or materials)

Feedstock Priority Areas
• Woody Biomass (e.g. Short rotation woody crops, pine, forest residues, etc.)
• Perennial Grasses (e.g. Switchgrass, Miscanthus, etc.)
• Annual Grasses (e.g., Biomass sorghum, etc.) 
 
For more information, please contact Jessica at  sungrant@tennessee.edu


Preliminary Proposals Due: August 15, 2020 5pm (Eastern)

The Short Documentaries program supports the production and distribution of documentary films up to 30 minutes that engage audiences with humanities ideas in appealing ways. The program aims to extend the humanities to new audiences through the medium of short documentary films. Films must be grounded in humanities scholarship.

The Short Documentaries program supports production of single films or a series of thematically-related short films addressing significant figures, events, or ideas. The proposed film(s) must be intended for regional or national distribution, via broadcast, festivals, and/or online distribution. The subject of the film(s) must be related to  “A More Perfect Union”: NEH Special Initiative Advancing Civic Education and Commemorating the Nation’s 250th Anniversary.

Applicants must have consulted with a team of scholarly advisers in the humanities to develop the humanities themes, subjects, and ideas that the film(s) will explore. The humanities scholars must provide diverse perspectives, and incorporate a range of scholarly ideas and approaches.

Applications Due: August 12, 2020

The Media Projects program supports the development, production, and distribution of radio, podcast, television, and long-form documentary film projects that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. All projects must be grounded in humanities scholarship and demonstrate an approach that is thoughtful, balanced, and analytical. The approach to the subject matter must go beyond the mere presentation of factual information to explore its larger significance and stimulate reflection. Media Projects offers two levels of funding: Development and Production.

Applications Due: August 12, 2020

The ERC program supports convergent research that will lead to strong societal impact. Each ERC has interacting foundational components that go beyond the research project, including engineering workforce development at all participant stages, a culture of diversity and inclusion where all participants gain mutual benefit, and value creation within an innovation ecosystem that will outlast the lifetime of the ERC. The logical reasoning that links the proposed activities to the identified goals for each ERC should be clear.

Letters of Intent Due: September 2, 2020 5pm (Central)

Toward the goals and responsibilities listed above, this joint solicitation is designed to enable both NSF and NIST to collaborate and partner to, among other things:
  • Encourage the nations’ university-based research communities to pursue resilience-relevant research across the spectrum from fundamental to applied, in support of NEHRP and NWIRP;
  • Enable agency staff (as well as the reviewing community) to better understand the range of research ideas and capabilities across the nation, across the fundamental to applied spectrum. Improved understanding will enable more effective policy design and coordination across agencies going forward;
  • Convene all the awardees in a jointly designed annual PI meeting, that will (a) enable investigators to share research approaches and results; (b) ensure that findings are shared with Federal scientists and engineers with responsibility to improve resilience policies and standards; and (c) encourage discussion of potential new collaborations, including translational opportunities.


Letters of Intent Due: August 14 2020 5pm (Central)
Proposal Services & Faculty Support
844-5929 / c ls0071@auburn.edu