Vice President for Research & Economic Development
Proposal Services & Faculty Support
August Funding Focus Newsletter #1
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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.
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Limited Submission Announcements |
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This is a revision of NSF 20-503, the solicitation for the National AI Research Institutes. This solicitation continues and expands a multi-agency effort to establish institute-scale AI research with the potential for long-term payoffs in AI.
Revision Summary:
- The list of desiderata (and corresponding solicitation-specific evaluation criteria) for Institutes has been expanded from five to six. The intent is to emphasize separately the goals that Institutes be multidisciplinary and that they be comprised of multiple organizations working together, led by organizations distributed throughout the country to grow new centers of AI leadership.
- Revised themes for Institute proposals (see program description). Please note the following changes in these themes:
- The Theme “AI-Augmented Learning” is continued, soliciting an institute in response to that broad theme. In addition, an institute is solicited with a primary focus on advancing research in AI techniques to focus on Adult Learning.
- The Theme “AI-Driven Innovation in Agriculture and the Food System” is continued and includes a new reference to the USDA Science Blueprint for 2020-2025 and the overarching themes that provide a framework for USDA’s science initiatives.
- The remaining themes are new for this solicitation.
- This solicitation does not invite planning proposals. Planning activities may be a feature of future solicitations in this program.
- Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: This solicitation imposes a limit on the number of proposals that may be submitted by an organization.
- Limit on Number of Proposals for Senior Personnel: An individual may be designated as senior personnel on at most one project team submitting to this solicitation. Note that this is equivalent to the restriction in the prior solicitation for that competition’s “Institute Track”.
- Agency partners on this solicitation have changed.
- With this solicitation, NSF expands the sponsors to include partners from industry, who share NSF's commitment to increasing national competitiveness in AI and have indicated an interest in the themes called out in this solicitation. Details of these partnerships are spelled out in the program description.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has advanced tremendously and today promises personalized healthcare; enhanced national security; improved transportation; and more effective education, to name just a few benefits. Increased computing power, the availability of large datasets and streaming data, and algorithmic advances in machine learning (ML) have made it possible for AI research and development to create new sectors of the economy and revitalize industries. Continued advancement, enabled by sustained federal investment and channeled toward issues of national importance, holds the potential for further economic impact and quality-of-life improvements.
This program is a joint government effort between the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). New to the program this year are contributions from partners in U.S. industry who share in the government’s goal to advance national competitiveness through National AI Research Institutes. This year’s industry partners are Accenture, Amazon, Google, and Intel Corporation. This program solicitation invites proposals for full institutes that have a principal focus in one or more of the following themes, detailed in the Program Description:
- Theme 1: Human-AI Interaction and Collaboration
- Theme 2: AI Institute for Advances in Optimization
- Theme 3: AI and Advanced Cyberinfrastructure
- Theme 4: Advances in AI and Computer and Network Systems
- Theme 5: AI Institute in Dynamic Systems
- Theme 6: AI-Augmented Learning
- Theme 7: AI to Advance Biology
- Theme 8: AI-Driven Innovation in Agriculture and the Food System
Institutional Limit: 2 Proposals (as lead institution)
Internal Deadline: September 25, 2020, 4:45pm
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The National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Initiative is a Foundation-wide effort to accelerate improvements in the quality and effectiveness of undergraduate education in all STEM fields including the learning, social, behavioral, and economic sciences. Undergraduate STEM education is critical for preparing both a diverse STEM workforce and a STEM-literate public that is ready to support and benefit from the progress of science [Reference 1]. The IUSE initiative provides a Foundation-wide framework of investments to support the agency's commitment to the highest caliber undergraduate STEM education. By improving the quality and effectiveness of undergraduate education in all STEM fields, IUSE investments enable NSF to lead national progress toward a diverse and innovative workforce and a STEM-literate public.
Through the IUSE framework, NSF coordinates its investments in undergraduate programs and undergraduate STEM education to maximize impact, and to use shared metrics and appropriate program evaluation approaches. These investments are made across all directorates and address both STEM education in general and specific disciplinary needs. IUSE investments support a variety of activities including the inclusion of inquiry-based and active learning approaches in undergraduate STEM instruction, efforts to increase undergraduate STEM research experiences and courses, and research on the persistence and graduation of students in STEM programs. In addition, specific emerging cross-disciplinary needs include data science preparation for students in all majors, recruitment and retention of women and of students from underrepresented groups in STEM degree programs, incorporation of undergraduate research in STEM fields for STEM majors and non-majors, and re-envisioning of introductory courses in light of new research findings and theories. IUSE also seeks to broaden participation in STEM fields from all sectors and groups in society and proposers are encouraged to establish linkages, as appropriate, with components of the national network of NSF INCLUDES projects [Reference 2 in the Program Description section].
The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) contributes to the IUSE initiative through the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Pathways into the Geosciences - Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric Sciences (IUSE:GEOPAths) funding opportunity. IUSE:GEOPAths invites proposals that specifically address the current needs and opportunities related to education within the geosciences community through the formation of STEM Learning Ecosystems that engage students in the study of the Earth, its oceans, polar regions and atmosphere. The primary goal of the IUSE:GEOPAths funding opportunity is to increase the number of students pursuing undergraduate and/or postgraduate degrees through the design and testing of novel approaches that engage students in authentic, careerrelevant experiences in geoscience. In order to broaden participation in the geosciences, engaging students from historically excluded groups or from non-geoscience degree programs is a priority. While maintaining elements from the legacy tracks of GEOPATHS, this solicitation features three new funding tracks that focus on Geoscience Learning Ecosystems (GLEs):
1. GEOPAths: Informal Networks (IN). Collaborative projects in this track will support geoscience learning and experiences in informal settings for teachers, pre-college (e.g., upper level high school) students, and early undergraduates in the geosciences.
2. GEOPAths: Undergraduate Preparation (UP). Projects in this track will engage pre-college and undergraduate students in extra-curricular experiences and training in the geosciences with a focus on service learning [Reference 3 in the Program Description section] and workplace skill building.
3. GEOPAths: Graduate Opportunities (GO). Projects in this track will improve research and career-related pathways into the geosciences for undergraduate and graduate students through institutional collaborations with a focus on service learning and workplace skill building.
Institutional Limit: 1 Proposal
Internal Deadline: September 25, 2020, 4:45pm
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Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
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No plane tickets, hotel costs, or food budgets to worry about! In fact, no registration fees either! The NIH is bringing the Fall 2020 NIH Virtual Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration direct to your computer…free of charge, Tuesday, October 27 – Friday, October 30!
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On Proposal Preparation and Award Administration Related to NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG; HSF 20-1).
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Hanover Research outline of grant opportunities for July 2020 through June 2021.
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Widespread data sharing by research communities adds significant value to research and accelerates the pace of discovery. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has established an informatics infrastructure to enable the responsible sharing and use of data collected from and about human subjects by the entire research community. Consistent with authorities under the 21st Century Cures Act, researchers who are funded by NIMH are required to deposit all raw and analyzed data (including, but not limited to, clinical, genomic, imaging, and phenotypic data) from experiments involving human subjects into this infrastructure.
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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.
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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.
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Federal Agency Coronavirus Resource Hubs
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As information is being shared by sponsors, it is being collected/posted here so please check back often for updates.
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The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative models for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate education training. The NRT program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers.
The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through the use of a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. Proposals are requested in any interdisciplinary or convergent research theme of national priority, with special emphasis on the research areas in NSF's 10 Big Ideas. The NSF research Big Ideas are Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR), The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF), Navigating the New Arctic (NNA), Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (WoU), The Quantum Leap: Leading the Next Quantum Revolution (QL), and Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype (URoL).
The NRT program addresses workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. Strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners are encouraged. NRT especially welcomes proposals that will pair well with the efforts of NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society (https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsfincludes/index.jsp). Collaborations are encouraged between NRT proposals and existing NSF INCLUDES projects, provided the collaboration strengthens both projects.
Letter of Intent Due: December 6, 2020
Proposals Due: February 6, 2021
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This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits resource grant applications for projects that will bring useful, usable health information to health disparity populations and their health care providers. Access to useful, usable, understandable health information is an important factor when making health decisions. Proposed projects should exploit the capabilities of computer and information technology and health sciences libraries to bring health-related information to consumers and their health care providers.
Because this FOA focuses on providing health information to health disparity populations, institutions with demonstrated commitment to the needs of health disparity communities (including Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI)) are encouraged to apply.
Letter of Intent Due: September 23, 2020
Proposals Due: October 23, 2020
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Biology has transformed science over the last century through discoveries that cross subdisciplines from the molecular to the organismal to the ecosystem level. While making great progress, biology has also slowly fragmented into subdisciplines, creating a dynamic tension between unifying principles and increasingly reductionist pursuits. The aim of this solicitation is to bring researchers together around the common goal of understanding how the processes that sustain life and enable biological innovation operate and interact within and across different scales of organization, from molecules to cells, tissues to organisms, species, ecosystems, biomes and the entire Earth. The Biology Integration Institutes (BII) program supports collaborative teams of researchers investigating questions that span multiple disciplines within and beyond biology.
Integration across biological disciplines is essential if we hope to understand the diverse and ever-increasing data streams of modern biology and tackle emergent questions about living organisms and the environment. Of equal importance is the need for groundbreaking and sustainable training programs that prepare the next generations of scientists to navigate the breadth of biological sciences, training in multiple disciplines without sacrificing depth of learning or innovation. In addition, the biology community must continue to develop practices and adopt strategies that leverage rapid advances in cyberinfrastructure and other technologies to bridge and integrate across subdisciplines and make resources accessible, re-usable, and adaptable for unanticipated purposes. In these ways, Biology Integration Institutes will focus on biological themes that enable the discoveries of life's innovations. The outcomes from biological integration will inspire new biotechnologies and applications to drive our bioeconomy and provide solutions to societal challenges. While this solicitation focuses on the integration of biological subdisciplines, any field beyond biology may be included as needed to address the overarching biological theme.
Proposals Due: January 13, 2021
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The Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals that significantly advance the performance of atomic vapors for electric field sensing and imaging, magnetic field sensing, and quantum information science (QIS). Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, systems, or novel applications of atomic vapors. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.
Proposals Due: October 27, 2020
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Focused Research Hubs in Theoretical Physics (FRHTP) are designed to enhance significant breakthroughs at an intellectual frontier of physics by providing resources beyond those available to individual investigators, so as to promote a collaborative approach to a focused topic while promoting the preparation of scientists at the beginning of their independent scientific careers. Although interdisciplinary aspects may be included, the bulk of the effort must fall within the purview of the Division of Physics. The successful hub will demonstrate: (1) the potential to advance science; (2) the enhancement of the development of early career scientists; (3) creative, substantive activities aimed at enhancing education, diversity, and public outreach; (4) potential for broader impacts, e.g., impacts on other field(s) and benefits to society; (5) a synergy or value-added rationale that justifies a group approach.
The FRHTP will be funded for an initial duration of five years. The intent is that the research topics proposed are at the stage that the scientific goals of the hub can be achieved in the first five years of the project. The FRHTP awards will provide support only for postdoctoral researchers plus general support for hub-related activities. The FRHTP are not intended to provide additional support for senior personnel (individual PIs), graduate or undergraduate students. Instead, the FRHTP is intended to support postdoctoral researchers and enable collaborative interactions via support for travel, collaboration meetings and workshops.
Topics for the FY 2021 competition:
Proposals may only be submitted in the specific topic(s) listed in this solicitation, which define particular areas in theoretical physics in which the Division of Physics sees a need for a focused research hub. Future versions of this solicitation will allow response on different theoretical physics topics. It is expected that one award will be funded in each hub topic.
The specific hub topics for this solicitation are:
1. Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (TAMOP). The TAMOP focused research hub will support theoretical work to advance theoretical AMO physics and lead in motivating and explaining new experimental work in AMO and other areas of science within the purview of the Division of Physics.
2. Quantum Information Science (QIS). The QIS focused research hub will support theoretical work to explore quantum applications that will push the frontiers of quantum-based information, transmission, and manipulation within the purview of the Division of Physics. This activity will advance the goals of the "Quantum Leap", one of the NSF 10 Big Ideas for Future NSF Investment.
3. Theoretical Nuclear Physics (TNP). The TNP focused research hub will support theoretical work in the area of Models and Simulations for Nuclear Astrophysics relevant to research within the purview of the Division of Physics. This activity will advance the goals of the "Windows on the Universe", one of the NSF 10 Big Ideas for Future NSF Investment.
It is strongly recommended that prospective PIs contact the FRHTP Program Officer(s) to ascertain that the focus and budget of their proposed FRHTP are appropriate for this solicitation.
Response Date: January 15, 2021
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The Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics is a career development award to enable junior faculty members to carry out innovative bioethics research. It supports research that goes beyond current work in bioethics to help resolve pressing ethical issues in clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making, policy, and practice, and creates a community that enhances future bioethics research by Scholars and Alumni/ae.
Each year, the Foundation selects approximately three Greenwall Faculty Scholars to receive 50 percent salary support for three years to enable them to carry out a specific research proposal and develop their research program.
Scholars and Alumni/ae attend twice-yearly meetings, where they present their works in progress, receive feedback and mentoring from the Faculty Scholars Program Committee and other Scholars and Alumni/ae, and have the opportunity to develop collaborations with other researchers. The ongoing involvement of Alumni/ae with the Program provides them ongoing opportunities for professional development and feedback and engages them in mentoring of younger Scholars.
The Program Committee provides oversight and direction for the Program and is involved not only with selection of the Scholars but also with mentoring and professional development activities.
Letter of Intent Due: September 21, 2020
Invited Proposals Due: January 11, 2021
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Reserve the Corner today for collaborative meetings, proposal development or to learn more about AU research resources.
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The monthly flights on the AU shuttle connect faculty to other researchers or agencies to further their research goals.
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AU PI Handbook, agency guides & more to help you write a successful proposal.
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Auburn University subscription based funding service that provides faculty with funding opportunities pertinent to their research areas.
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Proposal Services & Faculty Support
844-7910/ sme0026@auburn.edu
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