IN THE NEWS

Concept or white papers may not require Yellow Sheet

Several current solicitations, including the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E and the Department of Defense’s NSSEFF (both listed in this edition), require the submission of preliminary concept papers or white papers before the preparation of invited full proposals.

Such preliminary papers do not require submission to the UTOR Sponsored Programs unit unless

• the paper requires an authorizing approval signature
• the agency requires submission from a central campus office
• the paper must include a formal, detailed budget, rather than an overall cost estimate.

Solicitations that require any of those elements will require the UTK proposer to submit a yellow routing sheet ("Yellow Sheet") and allow the Sponsored Programs unit to review the document. Contact Miriam Campo (mcampo@utk.edu), director of Sponsored Programs, with specific questions.

UTK faculty may request the assistance of the UTOR proposal development team in the preparation and editing of concept papers or white papers by contacting Assoc. VC Greg Reed (gdreed@utk.edu) or proposal development director Alan Rutenberg (arutenberg@utk.edu). Such requests should come at the start of paper preparation, and the level of assistance depends on the current workload of the proposal development team.

Research collaborators available at ORNL

New UT Knoxville faculty and researchers who do not have established contacts with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory should contact their own department heads when seeking collaborators at ORNL. Assistance is also available from Blake Thompson, the director of University Partnerships for UT-Battelle, the managing contractor for ORNL.

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UTOR training classes

The UT Office of Research offers training classes to faculty and staff in the following areas: proposal development (finding funding), proposal development (budget basics), proposal development (Yellow Sheet), compliance (institutional review board/human subjects), and compliance (export control). IRB/human subjects and export control classes are offered on request.

More information: Current schedule and registration
Questions: Coordinator (ortraining@utk.edu, 974-9310).

Biological Safety Office Update

Fiscal Year 2009 has been productive for the Institutional Biosafety Committee and the Biological Safety Office. A total of 47 IBC registrations have been processed to date, with the average registration approval time being less than 30 days. Additionally, the Biological Safety Office has trained over 700 people in a variety of biological safety subject areas. For more information on the IBC or Biological Safety Program, please contact Brian Ranger (branger@utk.edu, 974-1938).

DOE seeks program managers, assistants for new agency

The U.S. Department of Energy is seeking individuals to assume both immediate short-term and longer-term positions in the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (see related solicitation in this newsletter). ARPA-E is the new agency within DOE that is intended to foster research and development of transformational energy-related technologies. The agency is analogous to DARPA, the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

DOE is looking for persons to serve as temporary program managers for six to 12 months as ARPA-E is organized. Longer-term positions would include a three-year term as program officers and assistant program officers for the agency. The positions will be filled by university faculty and staff through the federal Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility program.

DOE’s need for staff is immediate and pressing, because ARPA-E is charged with distributing Stimulus monies on a short deadline.

Contact Jennifer Pouakidas (jpoulakidas@aplu.org, 202-478-6053) at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities or Tobin Smith (toby_smith@aau.edu, 202-408-7500) at the Association of American Universities with questions, or send resumes to Karen Bath (Karen_Bath@aau.edu). APLU and AAU are assisting DOE in the staffing process.

OPPORTUNITIES

DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)

The Department of Energy through its new entity, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, is seeking proposals from researchers who “already have a relatively well-formed R&D plan for a transformational concept or new technology that can make a significant contribution toward

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• enhancing U.S. energy security
• restoring U.S. science leadership
• quickly implementing the economic recovery package by creating new green jobs.

Researchers are asked to submit a concept paper as the first step in applying and will be advised on whether to submit a full application.

Quote: "Only truly transformational technologies that can contribute greatly to the ARPA-E’s Mission Areas have any chance of funding. We are not looking for incremental progress on current technologies."

Deadline: Concept papers are due no earlier than May 12, 2009 and no later than June 2, 2009 at 8 p.m. (EST)

NSF Social-Computational Systems (SoCS)

The Social-Computational Systems (SoCS) program seeks to reveal new understanding about the properties that systems of people and computers together possess, and to develop a practical understanding of the purposeful design of systems to facilitate socially intelligent computing. The SoCS program will support research in socially intelligent computing arising from human-computer partnerships that range in scale from a single person and computer to an Internet-scale array of machines and people. The program seeks to create new knowledge about the capabilities these partnerships can demonstrate -- new affordances and new emergent behaviors, as well as unanticipated consequences and fundamental limits.

Agency Deadline: September 21, 2009

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NSF Research Coordination Networks in Biological Sciences (RCN)

The National Science Foundation is soliciting proposals that will promote groups of investigators who wish to communicate and coordinate their research, training and educational activities across disciplinary, organization, institutional, and geographical boundaries. The program supports two tracks: research coordination networking (RCN) and undergraduate biology education (RCN-UBE). Six to 13 awards expected for FY10.

Deadline: Proposal to UTOR -- July 17, 2009 at 8 a.m.

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FHWA Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR)

The Federal Highway Administration is soliciting proposals under its Exploratory Advanced Research program for research and development projects that could lead to transformational changes and revolutionary advances in highway engineering and intermodal surface transportation in the United States. This program supports scientific investigations and studies to advance the current knowledge of and state-of-the-art in the sciences and technologies employed in the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance and management of the nation’s highways. The focuses of the EAR program include nanoscale research, the integration of highway safety and systems operations, energy and resource conservation, and macro, mega-regional, and national scale-modeling systems.

Deadline: Proposal to Agency -- June 24, 2009 at 4 p.m. (Eastern)

More Information: (Download EARP BAA Solicitation April 29 2009.doc)

NSF Informal Science Education (ISE)

The Informal Science Education (ISE) program supports projects that promote lifelong learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by the public through voluntary, self-directed engagement in STEM-rich informal learning environments and experiences. The ISE program invests in projects that

• advance knowledge through research and evaluation about STEM learning in informal environments
• design, implement, and study models, resources, and programs for STEM learning in informal environments and/or
• expand the capacity of professionals engaged in the work of informal STEM education programs.

Deadlines: Preliminary proposal to agency -- June 25, 2009 | Agency deadline for full proposals -- November 19, 2009

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The NSF CISE IIS, CFF, CNS, and Cross-Cutting programs

The NSF Directorate for Computer & Information Science and Engineering supports four core programs (detailed below) with the same deadlines and levels of project support.

Project support: Small projects range up to $500,000 over three years; medium projects, from $500,001 to $1,200,000 over four years; and large projects, from $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 over five years.

Deadline windows: Medium projects -- August 1-30, 2009 | Large projects -- Nov 1-28, 2009 | Small projects -- December 1-17, 2009.

NSF Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS): Core Programs
The National Science Foundation is supporting IIS core programs on human-centered computing, information integration and informatics, and robust intelligence.

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Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF): Core Programs
The Division of Computing and Communication Foundations supports research and education that develop new knowledge in algorithmic foundations, communications and information foundations, and software and hardware foundations.

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Computing and Network Systems (CNS): Core Programs
The NSF Division of Computer and Network Systems supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in computing systems research (CSR) and networking technology and systems (NeTS).

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CISE Cross-Cutting Programs: FY 2010
The NSF is seeking proposals in cross-cutting areas from the fields of data-intensive computing, network science and engineering, and trustworthy computing.

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News & Opportunities is published by the Office of Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.