Vice President for Research & Economic Development
Proposal Services & Faculty Support
April 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 Trust seeks to fund projects that will further ornamental horticulture at organizations pursuing the following activities:
  • The advancement of research in ornamental horticulture and the publication of the results of such research
  • Assisting in the creation, development, preservation, and maintenance of gardens accessible to the public for educational purposes
  • Promotion of the environmentally responsible introduction, cultivation, and distribution of plants which have ornamental horticultural value
  • Assisting in the publication of books or other works relating to ornamental horticulture
  • Informal and/or formal educational activities that further ornamental horticulture
Examples of such projects include:
  • Development of programs and projects
  • Physical improvements
  • Signage
  • Access
  • Equipment
  • Publications
  • and, under some circumstances, general operations and/or salaries
The Trust does not fund endowments or indirect costs. The Trust also does not fund projects concerned primarily with agriculture, environmental issues, science education, or horticultural therapy.
The Trust recognizes the hardships gardens and other horticultural organizations experience due to damages caused by natural disasters (storms, fires, earthquakes, flooding, etc.), and welcomes requests from qualified organizations to support damage remediation.
If you meet the Eligibility requirements described in the previous section, but still have questions about whether your project is aligned with the Trust's Funding Interests, please contact Dr. Tom Daniel, Grants Director, at  tdaniel@smithht.org .

Institutional Limit: 1 Proposal
Internal Deadline: May 8, 2020, 4:45pm
IMPORTANT UPDATES
The April 15 issue of the Research Development & Grant Writing Newsletter has COVID-19 Funding opportunities starting on page 13.

Starting June 1st, 2020 the updated requirements will go into effect.


NSF recently recorded a webinar about the requirement to use an NSF-approved format for both the biographical sketch and current & pending support documents as part of proposals submitted to NSF. The policy, outlined in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), goes into effect for proposals submitted or due, on or after June 1, 2020. The two NSF-approved formats are SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae, and an NSF Fillable PDF. 


  • 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 biosketch, data 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
COVID-19 Funding Opportunities












The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the nation’s food and agricultural systems. Currently, data is needed to reliably guide decision-making that are supported by scientific evidence. This program area priority addresses the need to develop and deploy rapid, reliable, and readily adoptable strategies across the food and agriculture enterprise in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These strategies should mitigate urgent threats from the COVID-19 virus (SARSCoV-2) and ensure the availability of an accessible, safe, nutritious, and abundant food supply. Proposals addressing this priority can be local, regional or national in scope and should employ interdisciplinary teams with the capacity to address the range of problems faced by the entire food and agriculture enterprise, from production to consumption. Funded projects are expected to provide solutions to include tools, techniques, technologies, food supply logistics, innovations, and other practices that can be rapidly adopted by various end-users. This program area priority is designed to rapidly enhance and fill knowledge and information gaps, strengthen and support critical cross-cutting issues to protect the food and agriculture supply chain, health and security of livestock, safety of our foods, as well as the well-being of farm, food service providers, and rural Americans.


Topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Health and Security of Livestock
  • Food and Food Processing
  • Well-being of Farm, Food Service Providers, and Rural Americans
  • Economic Security

Before preparing an application, applicants must contact the Program Area Priority Contact listed above by email to inquire about the suitability of their project for submission to this program.

Please click the link above and navigate to pages 72-75 of the RFA for more details.

Applications Due: June 4, 2020 5pm (Eastern)

The goals of NSF’s convergence accelerator effort are to support and accelerate use-inspired convergence research in areas of national importance within particular topics (tracks). NSF Convergence Accelerator tracks can be related to  Industries of the Future (IotF) ,  NSF’s Big Ideas  , or other topics, that may not relate directly to an IotF or Big Idea, however, they must have the potential for significant national impact.
The 2020 NSF Convergence Accelerator is a two-phase program. Both phases are described in this solicitation. Phase I awardees receive significant resources to further develop their convergence research ideas and identify crucial partnerships and resources to accelerate their projects, leading to deliverable research prototypes in Phase II.

This solicitation invites proposals for the following Tracks:
  • Quantum Technology (Track C)
  • AI-Driven Innovation via Data and Model Sharing (Track D)

The NSF Convergence Accelerator leverages fundamental research leading to rapid advances that can deliver significant societal impact. Proposers must first submit a Phase i preliminary proposal in order to be invited to submit a full Phase I proposal. The information required in the preliminary proposal is described in section V.
Phase I proposals must describe a team, or a process to build a team, that includes personnel with the appropriate mix of disciplinary and institutional expertise needed to build a Phase II convergence research effort. Phase I proposals must describe one or more deliverables and how those research outputs could impact society by the end of Phase II. Phase I proposals should describe the deliverable and the research plan and team formation efforts that will refine it to a proof-of-concept. Phase I will include NSF-organized convenings for training and intra- and cross-cohort collaboration. Phase I awards are expected to be for up to 9 months and up to $1M each.

Preliminary Proposals Due: May 11, 2020 5pm (Central)

The Vilcek Foundation will award three Creative Promise Prizes of $50,000 each to young foreign-born biomedical scientists who demonstrate outstanding early achievement. Eligible work may be in basic, applied, and/or translational biomedical science.

Eligibility Requirements:
  • Applicant must have been born outside the United States;
  • Applicant must not be more than 38 years old as of December 31, 2020 (born on or after January 1, 1982);
  • Applicant must: be a naturalized citizen or permanent resident (green card holder) of the United States; be a holder of an H1B or O-1 visa and have been living and working in the United States for at least 5 years; or have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) relief;
  • Applicant must have earned a doctoral degree (MD, PhD, or equivalent);
  • Applicant must hold a full-time position at an academic institution or other organization. Eligible positions include the following: assistant or associate professor, or equivalent independent position. The applicant must be directly responsible for the design and execution of the work submitted for consideration. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working under the supervision of a mentor are not eligible;
  • Applicant must intend to pursue a professional career in the United States;
  • Applicant must not be a past winner of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise.

Applications Due: June 10, 2020 5pm (Eastern)


Reserve the Corner today for collaborative meetings, proposal development or to learn more about AU research resources.
The monthly flights on the AU shuttle connect faculty to other researchers or agencies to further their research goals.
AU PI Handbook, agency guides & more to help you write a successful proposal.

Auburn University subscription based funding service that provides faculty with funding opportunities pertinent to their research areas. 
Proposal Services & Faculty Support
844-5929 / c ls0071@auburn.edu