Policies, Procedures, and Application Instructions
Collaborative U. T. Dallas-SPRING Research and Nanotechnology Transfer Program
Program Scope:
The target collaborations for support, in order of priority, are: i) nanotechnology transfer with industry, ii) direct collaborations with Air Force researchers (AFRL); and iii) collaborations with other SPRING university partners. For proposals involving an industrial partner, priority will be given in accordance with the degree of commitment of the industrial partner. Financial support, in-kind support and letters of interest reflect three levels of commitment and will be weighed accordingly. For collaborations with AFRL researchers, priority will be given to those proposals judged most likely to lead to long-term collaborations that may be subsequently funded directly by the AFOSR. The total amount of funds available at U. T. Dallas for FY06-07 awards will be determined by the amount of funds awarded by AFOSR to U. T. Dallas in FY06. It is expected that as much as $750,000 will be awarded for the FY06-07 grant period.
Purpose:
To foster collaborative research programs between:
- faculty at U. T. Dallas and SPRING partners in targeted areas;
- U. T. Dallas faculty and nanotechnology / nanoelectronics industry;
- U. T. Dallas faculty and AFRL/AFML researchers; and
to enhance the success of the SPRING program, enable long term federal funding of the program and provide avenues of technology transfer to industry.
Eligibility and Limitations:
Proposals require at least one Research Faculty Investigator from U. T. Dallas and at least one Research Investigator from either AFOSR, another SPRING partner or industrial partner. Collaborations with AFOSR and/or industry will be given higher priority for funding. A U. T. Dallas faculty member can appear as PI, Co-PI, collaborating researcher or participating researcher in only one proposal (submitted to any SPRING partner institution) in response to this solicitation. PI’s, Co-PIs, collaborators and participants who have currently funded Collaborative U. T. Dallas-SPRING grants (2005 solicitation) are not eligible.
Review Procedures and Evaluation Criteria:
Each proposal submitted to this program will be reviewed by an independent panel selected from personnel at AFRL, nanotechnology / nanoelectronics industry and other institutions as deemed appropriate.
Submitted proposals will be evaluated using a 100 point system. Scoring will apply to the following proposal attributes (maximum score in parentheses).
1. Scientific Merit (maximum 65 points)
Specifically, the areas to be evaluated under this heading are: originality, technical soundness, merits of the collaborative approach, research plan, availability of facilities needed to conduct the research, and appropriateness of budget.
2. Qualifications of the Investigators (maximum 15 points)
Specific items to be evaluated under this heading are: experience in the field, synergism in discipline, grant funding record, publication record, and collaboration record.
3. Potential for Building a Sustained Funded Collaboration: (maximum 20 points)
Specifically, the areas to be evaluated under this heading are: the level of potential technology transfer to industry, the level of financial support and/or cost sharing offered by industrial partner, impact of proposed research with AFRL initiatives and the synergy of the collaborative effort and its likelihood to lead to a long term funded collaborative effort.
Award Period:
October 1, 2006 to April 30, 2008.
Grant Payments:
Awarded funds will be distributed to awardee institutions according to the scope of work and budget justified in the proposal. It is intended that all awarded funds will be provided at the start of the award period. The distribution of funds will be handled through each institution’s Office of Sponsored Projects according to their policies and procedures. No grant funds will be distributed to investigators at an institution until all regulatory requirements at that institution have been fulfilled (IRB approval, IACUC approved protocols, bio-safety review, safety training, Hazardous Communications Training, etc.).
Award Amounts:
Grants are intended for collaborative funding and requests should be reasonable and justified. Each funded project will not receive more than $150,000 per award from U. T. Dallas FY06 SPRING funds over a two year period. Each SPRING institution will award funds to investigators at their institution. One SPRING institution will not transfer funds to the other or to an industry partner. Therefore, it is expected that PIs will propose budgets that are equitable between the collaborating SPRING institutions and/or industry partner. Amounts awarded may differ from submitted budget requests at the discretion of the Review Panel. Use of funds committed from an industrial partner/collaborator on a funded project are at the discretion of the industrial concern. These funds can be used to supplement research at the collaborating SPRING institutions, or to support the research at the industrial partner’s institution on the project, or a combination of both.
Grant Budgets:
Budgets broken out for each institution will be prepared for each proposal submitted. Federal funds are being used to support this program. Accordingly, expenditures will carry the normal indirect and fringe costs typical of a federal grant at each institution. The indirect and fringe costs must be included so as the total budget for two years does not exceed the cap set by each institution. Funds may be utilized for direct expenditures beneficial to the research in the following allowed categories under this program:
- Personnel Support: Funds can be used for PI, Post-doctoral, graduate and undergraduate student assistantships, as well as for technical staff. PI summer salary is limited to one summer month per year. Normal fringe rates apply.
- Expendable scientific items, services and equipment maintenance needed for the execution of the proposed research project.
- Publication expenses.
- Travel
- Indirect costs must be included at each respective institution’s rate.
SPRING Funds may not be budgeted or used for the following:
- Capital Equipment (>$5K)
- Building construction, alteration, renovation, space rent, or utilities
- Non-U. T. Dallas, or non-SPRING institution personnel.
Grantee Requirements:
The Lead PI on the proposal will be responsible for monitoring the research progress and providing the year-end research report. The year end report requires a statement of the research objective, a brief report on the research progress made under the grant, and a list of publications resulting from the grant. The final report is due to dina.caplinger@utdallas.edu 60 days after the termination of the grant.
Submission Deadline:
The Lead Principal Investigator must submit one original and six hard copies of the proposal to their Office of Sponsored Projects and one electronic copy to dina.caplinger@utdallas.edu by 5:00 PM on August 15, 2006.
Proposals with a U. T. Dallas faculty member as the Principal Investigator (PI) should send or deliver hard copies of their proposals to:
Dina Caplinger
Office of Sponsored Projects
2601 North Floyd Road, MP15
Richardson, TX 75080
Re: Collaborative U. T. Dallas-SPRING Research and Nanotechnology Transfer Program
An electronic copy should be sent to: dina.caplinger@utdallas.edu
Proposals with a lead Principal Investigator from another SPRING institution other than U. T. Dallas should submit their proposal to Office of Sponsored Projects (grant administrator) at their institution. The Lead Principal Investigator is responsible for verifying that submitted proposals have been received by the appropriate grant administrator. No notifications of receipt will be provided by the grant administrator.
Award Notifications:
Awards will be announced on or about September 15, 2006, or earlier.
Final Report:
The Lead PIs are responsible for filing a Final Report within 60 days of the termination of the grant. Reports are to be submitted to the Grant Administrator at the appropriate institution.
Copyrights and Patent Rights:
All intellectual property developed during the course of a funded project will be governed by the policies of the individual SPRING institutions and applicable terms of the prime federal award from AFOSR. A memorandum of understanding between U. T. Dallas and its SPRING partners will be drafted outlining the methods for handling jointly developed intellectual property between awardee institutions. Intellectual property agreements with industrial partners will need to be in place before funds will be distributed to projects with industrial collaborators or industrial support.
Grant Application:
The application must include one original and six copies on 8 1/2” x 11” white paper single sided using a font size no smaller than 11 pt. The application must contain the following components:
- Cover page using the program form with scientific summary.
- Description of the project, not to exceed three pages. (1 inch margins all around)
- Bibliography for the description of the project (not to exceed two additional pages)
- A two-page biographical sketch for each principal investigator in NSF format, including a list of current funding.
- Budget page with the budget broken out separately for each institution.
- Cost Share (cash), in-kind and commitment letters attached separately from the Budget Page.
An application kit (with cover page and budget page templates) is available for your use.
Program Duration:
The level of success, as measured by the impact on meeting AFRL missions, the level of technology transfer to nanotechnology and nanoelectronics industries and number of proposals submitted to Federal Agencies, will dictate the continuance of this program in future years.
Other Questions Or Concerns:
Additional questions or concerns not addressed or clarified here should be directed to the Office of Sponsored Projects.