Dear Colleagues,
UC Research Initiatives is pleased to announce the release of the 2020 Request for Proposals for the UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program. The UC Laboratory Fees Research Program sponsors innovative research, fosters new collaborations between UC faculty and national laboratory scientists, and provides unique training opportunities for UC graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Funded by a portion of the fees the University receives for the management of the and Lawrence Livermore (LLNL) and Los Alamos (LANL) National Laboratories, research sponsored by this program targets areas of strategic importance to UC, and provides an important foundation for enhanced competitiveness for extramural support.
In this competition cycle, the UC Laboratory Fees Research Program is offering two funding opportunities, outlined below.
1) The UC Multicampus-National Laboratory Collaborative Research and Training (CRT) award – DUE Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 12:00 noon PT
2) The UC-National Laboratory In-Residence Graduate Fellowship – DUE Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 12:00 noon PT
I. Targeted UC Multicampus-National Laboratory Collaborative Research and Training (UC-NL CRT) Awards in one of three key strategic areas (total anticipated funding for all awards in this opportunity: $18-20 million over 3 years)
Proposals in this category must focus on collaborative research and training activities in one of the following three targeted areas identified for high-impact research realized through UC-national laboratory synergy:
- Accelerator research - Basic and applied research advancing development of new technologies for next-generation accelerators. Approaches may include, but are not limited to, accelerator physics, materials, engineering, modeling, machine learning, and applications for medicine, among others.
- Quantum information science - Research advancing quantum information theory, experimentation, algorithms, and applications, and development of novel materials and devices.
- Wildfire-related research - Research addressing the causes, impacts, prevention, and management of wildfires, including modeling, data science, and risk management; ecological, social science, and policy approaches; development of fire-resistant materials; other multidisciplinary approaches.
Proposal requirements, detailed in the RFP, include:
- Project leadership constituted by a Lead (Applicant) Principal Investigator from a UC campus, and a Site Lead/Co-
- Principal Investigator (Co-PI) from each eligible participating collaborating site.
- Research participation by a minimum of three (3) UC campuses and either LLNL or LANL. Additional collaborating sites, as defined in the RFP, are encouraged. Note: Additional collaborating sites includes UC ANR.
- Interdisciplinary, multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research collaboration in one of the three identified targeted research areas among UC campus and national laboratory investigators with meaningful research training opportunities for UC students and post-doctoral scholars from the participating campuses.
- Contributions by the collaborating national laboratories that directly support the research execution and outcomes of the collaboration. These may include equipment, space, access to relevant unclassified data, and/or expertise that may be covered by other sources of support or directly relevant activities at the national laboratory.
- Total funding request per application may not exceed $4 million over 3 years, including indirect costs, and excluding contributions from the laboratories. Additional budget restrictions are detailed in the RFP.
II. UC-NL In-Residence Graduate Fellowships (2-year awards, with a merit-based Year 3 extension option; annual fellowship amount is $60,000; fellowships include supplemental travel funding of $5,200 per award).
UC graduate students in any area of research relevant to the national laboratories who meet the following criteria (detailed in the RFP) may apply for a fellowship to conduct dissertation research and receive research mentorship on-site at LANL or LLNL:
- Enrolled in one of the ten UC campuses and advanced to candidacy at commencement of the award
- Have an identified LLNL or LANL scientist to serve as a mentor and research supervisor at the laboratory
- Have the proposed research and training approved by their UC faculty advisor
- Must commit to devoting 80% time to the research in the proposed plan and spend a minimum of 6 months/ fellowship year in residence at the laboratory
The Request for Proposals (RFP) for each opportunity is attached. In addition to the program guidelines and eligibility, each RFP includes the following attachments:
- UC Laboratory Fees Research Program and National Laboratory contact information;
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs); and
- Instructions for submitting the required Letter of Intent.
Workshops in CRT thematic topics: This competition cycle, CRT awards are available for projects targeting research in three thematic areas: accelerator research, quantum information science, and wildfire-related research. To support development of proposal ideas and collaborative teams, UC campuses are organizing one workshop for each thematic topic. Please visit our workshop webpage for event information and locations. Attendance at the workshops is not a requirement for submitting a proposal, and the workshop organizers may limit attendance based on space or budget constraints.
Fellowship Info-sessions: We have scheduled two informational webinars for the Fellowship program featuring current Fellows and national laboratory liaisons to provide first-hand information about the fellowship, training opportunities at the national labs, and how the In-Residence Fellowship fits into a UC doctoral program. Dates and registration links are available on our website.
Please review these materials carefully, visit our website for additional information, applicant teleconference registration, or other program announcements:
http://ucop.edu/research-initiatives/programs/lab-fees/index.html
You may contact us at UCRI@ucop.edu for additional guidance.
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)