The Office of Research Innovation and Economic Development (ORIED) and the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE) are collectively soliciting requests for funding for the UT-Global Energy Ecosystem (GE2) Strategic Initiative, which will support key areas of research, scholarship, and multidisciplinary collaboration for clean, secure, and equitable energy solutions and sustainable development. The total funding level is about $500K distributed between research seed grants and teambuilding activities.
Objective
The UT GE2 Research Program aims to support research, discovery, and innovation that is scalable, at local, regional, national, and global scales. Our mission is to identify and support research that is visionary and disruptive – mobilizing UT innovations that drive technology development and deployment. The goal of GE2 is to develop and deploy sustainable and equitable energy and environment technologies for industry, agriculture, and communities.
This research funding opportunity aligns with the UT Strategic Plan which envisions a university that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion across all areas of research, scholarship, education, and outreach. As such, the success of this program, as well as our ability to tackle the grand challenges that face the planet, will require approaches that are global, just, sustainable, and innovative – key elements that align with UT’s land grant history, identity, and mission.
Priorities
A successful concept would be of a sufficient caliber that it would achieve several of the following goals:
- Establish a cohort of innovation and scholarship on a national and international scale that will help define, establish, and grow UT’s reputation as a global leader in energy- and environment-related research.
- Promote diversity, equity, and inclusivity through team-based, multi-disciplinary approaches, including the engagement of scholars across disciplines.
- Support meaningful and productive collaboration that would otherwise not be realized without seed funding from ORIED and ISSE.
- Propose and undertake research that is innovative.
- Include research that will have quantitative, measurable outcomes and impacts towards clean energy research and climate-focused solutions.
- Position faculty scholars to compete successfully for external funding.
- Promote entrepreneurialism. Co-develop research and scholarship in parallel with commercialization opportunities.
- Articulate a clear and concise plan for the pursuit of external funding.
Apply for Research Seed Funding via InfoReady
Submission deadline
Requests for Research Seed Funding will be due July 10, 2023, with planned start dates of August 1, 2023.
Proposal Preparation Guidelines: Research Seed Grants
- Request for funds to initiate new collaborative research (i.e., seed grants) are encouraged which specifically target or are aligned with externally-supported (e.g., Federal funding) major funding opportunities. These may include either the development of a new submission or the revision and resubmission of a previous proposal that received strong reviews yet was not recommended for funding. Budgets up to $50,000 for one year, with a maximum of 2 years of support, will be considered.
- Exploratory grants to initiate new lines of research of a multi-team/disciplinary nature. Proposals in this category should address a high-risk/reward, disruptive, topic that will specifically undertake activities at a large scale. For example, an interdisciplinary focus which will make significant progress towards clean energy solutions/technologies. Proposals in this category should outline/demonstrate a clear linkage to a significant funding opportunity. Budgets up to $75,000 per year, with a 2-year maximum, will be considered.
- Eligible expenses are shown on the budget worksheet. Funds may be used for faculty support, such as a “buyout” for teaching commitments if their department heads agree.
Proposal Format and Requirements
- Proposal description, including a) names and affiliation of team members, b) how the work addresses a major climate change issue, c) the major outcome(s) of the activity, d) a skeleton budget, e) A list of at least two programs or agencies that could serve as possible funding sources for a follow-on external grant proposal (with a targeted grant amount) along with a detailed plan to develop the external proposal(s), and targeted publications for peer-reviewed articles, and f) timeline and benchmarks. A two-page limit for team building activities. A 3-page limit for research seed grants.
- CVs of the PI and Co-PIs (not subject to the page limit).
- A budget, including travel plans for developing external proposals submitted on the Seed Grant Proposal Budget Worksheet (see attached, it is not subjective to in the page-limit).
- For proposals recommended for funding, we may request additional details, including a budget justification, clarification of points raised in the review, etc.
- All funded proposals will be required to submit an annual report; for proposals recommended for 2 years of support, an annual report will be required before the release of Year-2 funds.
- Project teams must include multiple investigators across multiple disciplines. PIs must be UT faculty or staff. UTIA faculty submitting a proposal must have at least one UTK faculty member as Co-PI.
Notification of Awards
- Notification on Research Seed Funding requests will be provided by July 25, 2023.
Apply for Team Building Activities via InfoReady
Submission deadline
Requests for funding that support Team Building Activities will be accepted at any time during the 2023 calendar year, effectively immediately.
Proposal Preparation Guidelines: Team Building Activities
- Funding may be requested to support team-building activities, including but not limited to, meals and meeting room costs, logistics for scheduling and organization, and travel for collaborators.
- Funds to support the development of regional, national, or international teams, including the development of workshops, conferences, and similar events that have the potential to advance our reputation and create funding opportunities will be considered.
- Funds to co-sponsor a convening event, including both local, national, and international meetings and academic/research society-led conferences.
Proposal Format and Requirements
- Proposal description, including a) names and affiliation of team members, b) how the work addresses a major climate change issue, c) the major outcome(s) of the activity, d) a skeleton budget, e) A list of at least two programs or agencies that could serve as possible funding sources for a follow-on external grant proposal (with a targeted grant amount) along with a detailed plan to develop the external proposal(s), and targeted publications for peer-reviewed articles, and f) timeline and benchmarks. A two-page limit for team building activities.
- CVs of the PI and Co-PIs (not subject to the page limit).
- A budget, including travel plans for developing external proposals submitted on the Seed Grant Proposal Budget Worksheet (see attached, it is not subjective to in the page-limit).
- For proposals recommended for funding, we may request additional details, including a budget justification, clarification of points raised in the review, etc.
- All funded proposals will be required to submit an annual report; for proposals recommended for 2 years of support, an annual report will be required before the release of Year-2 funds.
- Project teams must include multiple investigators across multiple disciplines. PIs must be UT faculty or staff. UTIA faculty submitting a proposal must have at least one UTK faculty member as Co-PI.
Notification of Awards
- Notification on Team Building Activities funding requests will be provided within 14 days of submission.