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Supporting the United States National Laboratories in execution of their missions as they relate to national security and service.

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NLO Research Seed Funding

Request for Proposal

TAMUS National Laboratories Research Seed Funding

TAMUS Fiscal Year 2025

(9-1-24 to 8-31-25)

 

Program Title:

TAMUS National Laboratory Office (NLO) Research Seed Funding (NLO-RSF)

Application Deadline:

October 6, 2024, due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time (CT)

Notification Date:

November 15, 2024

Program Start Date:

December 1, 2024

 

Program Overview:

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) 17 National Laboratories tackle the critical scientific challenges of our time — from combating climate change to discovering the origins of our universe — and possess unique instruments and facilities, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. They address large scale, complex research and development challenges with a multidisciplinary approach that places an emphasis on translating basic science to innovation.

With this pilot research seed grant program, the NLO will provide 1-year seed grants to foster collaboration between researchers at the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) member institutions and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal is to facilitate long-term partnerships that enhance research aligned with the LANL mission. (https://mission.lanl.gov/)

The seed grant offers funding to TAMUS member researchers to perform early-stage research and development that will generate proposals for sustained collaborative funding. A strong collaboration with LANL personnel is required. The desired outcome is sustainable federally funded TAMUS-LANL collaborations with significant impact.

The program goals support:

  • Broadening research collaboration between TAMUS member researchers and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
  • Promoting interactions between graduate students in TAMUS member programs with LANL laboratory researchers.
  • Increasing research access to LANL and TAMUS member experimental facilities.
  • Increasing research and alignment in topics that are closely aligned to LANL mission priorities and capabilities.

Research Funding Priorities: Research projects that advance collaborations between TAMUS and LANL, with emphasis on student involvement and alignment with LANL missions, primarily in the following areas.

  • Area 1: Topics aligned with the NLO-LANL workshops held in 2024 (Advanced Manufacturing, Robotics, Sensing and Evaluation, and Artificial Intelligence).
  • Area 2: Topics related to any of the LANL Lab Agenda priorities (see: https://discover.lanl.gov/publications/lab-agenda/).
  • Area 3: Topics related to main capability thrusts relevant to the LANL mission.

Other Information:

Applicants are encouraged to review the LANL Lab Agenda for additional information on priorities and areas of strategic impact: https://discover.lanl.gov/publications/lab-agenda/

 

Eligibility and Limitations:

Who Can Apply:

TAMUS member faculty or staff eligible to serve as Principal Investigators (PI) who:

  • demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and interest needed to build long-term collaborations with LANL collaborators,
  • have a research engagement plan established with a LANL laboratory collaborator that is expected to lead to extended collaborations or proposals beyond the NLO-RSF program, and
  • have no existing sponsored research with host collaborators.

Proposal Limits:

Limit on Number of Proposals Per PI or Co-PI: Each PI may submit only one proposal as the lead PI and no more than one proposal as a Co-PI for each annual call. If any individual exceeds this participation limit, any proposal submitted to this solicitation with this individual listed as PI or Co-PI, after the second proposal is received, will not be considered.

 

Award Information

Type of Award: Seed Funding

Number of Awards: Up to 15

Award Amount: Up to $50,000 per award, based on approved proposal budget.

Funds Usage: Allowable costs include named researcher/student salaries and benefits, small purchases of consumables for experiments and travel related to collaboration with proposed partner. The funding is not intended for capital equipment purchases. No indirect costs will be assessed against the project. If awarded, an NLO account will be provided. Any expenditures in excess of the approved budget will not be reimbursed.

Duration: 1 year (non-renewable)

 

Application Requirement, Preparation, and Submission

Font and Format:

  • Standard 8.5″ x 11”-page size
  • Times New Roman 11-point for all text, except for text within images
  • Times New Roman for all text, Cambria Math for equations, and Symbol for non-alphabetic characters. It is recommended to insert equations and symbols as images
  • 1″ margins on all sides
  • Single-line spacing
  • Ensure that cited references include the name of the journal (abbreviations are acceptable)

Submission:

Application should contain one PDF package sent to nlogrants@nlo.tamus.edu.

Application Package:

All items 1 through 6 listed below should be submitted as a single PDF as part of the application.

  1. Abstract: (approx. 500 words)
  2. Research Plan (3 pg. max.) detailing research aims, activities, facilities, and collaboration importance.
    1. Identify the specific aims, research activities, and scholarly contributions of the proposed research. Especially highlight impact for the LANL missions noted above.
    2. Explain the importance of conducting the research in collaboration with a national lab and why this partnership is essential.
    3. Highlight the innovative components that will advance knowledge in the proposed field.
    4. Describe the lab facilities, data, or resources that will be utilized.
    5. Outline key deliverables.
  1. Collaboration Plan (1 pg. max.) Include a description of how the TAMUS and LANL researchers will work together and how this work will impact future funding opportunities, proposals and publications.
  2. Applicant Qualifications (1 pg. max.) This statement should describe the applicant’s background and why they are qualified to propose this research. Include research and career goals and how this partnership will advance the mission of the national lab.
  3. Letter of Support (1 pg. max.): A letter from the principal LANL collaborating researcher is required. This letter should include 1) details about the person proposing to collaborate (e.g., name title, years at the organization), 2) affirmation of the relationship between the applicant and the host, and 3) comments regarding the proposed project’s mission relevance and potential impact and the host’s level of commitment/interest.
  4. Budget: Outline budget request and intended spend plan.

 

 

Application Review Information

 Application Review Process and Criteria:

Applications are reviewed by a panel of subject matter experts from TAMUS and LANL. Reviewers shall be selected to ensure that they have no conflicts of interest with the applicants. Each application is reviewed independently, focusing on the applicant’s technical background, ability to contribute to the lab’s missions, and current and previous engagement with the lab.

Qualifications of the Applicant and Quality of Research:

The applicant’s research record should demonstrate potential for successful research with minimal start-up time, including strong, relevant research experience in alignment with the research proposed.

Technical Merit of the Research Proposal:

Strong alignment with program goals, research priorities, and national lab mission. The proposed research should advance knowledge in the field. The relevance to national lab mission must be clearly demonstrated and endorsed by the national lab researcher.

Strength of Collaboration & Potential for Long-Term Engagement with National Lab:

The quality and engagement of the national lab collaborator’s support and endorsement, as well as the overall strength of the collaboration and potential impact of follow-on collaborations.

 

Reporting Requirements

Acknowledgment of Support:

All publications and presentations resulting from the project must include the following statement:

“This material is based upon work supported by the Texas A&M University System National Laboratories Research Seed Funding Program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Los Alamos National Laboratory or The Texas A&M University System.”

Midterm Report:

Report should contain progress to date, next steps, accomplishments (e.g., publications, presentations, lab visits), student engagements and any challenges that have been identified (3 pg. max.).

 Final Report:

The final report should include the following aspects (5 pg. max.)

  • Name, title, organization and contact information for all individuals involved
  • Technical work achieved
  • Mission impact
  • Accomplishments (e.g. publications, presentations)
  • Joint proposals and awards
  • Student involvement (if any)
  • Next steps

All reports should be submitted to nlogrants@nlo.tamus.edu.

 

Program Contact:

Name:              National Laboratory Office Grants Coordinator

Email:               nlogrants@nlo.tamus.edu