The Texas A&M University System National Laboratories Office

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

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Travel Grants

Request for Proposal

TAMUS National Laboratories Travel Grant

TAMUS Fiscal Year 2025

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

 

Program Title:

TAMUS National Laboratory Office (NLO) Travel Grant

Program Overview:

The TAMUS NLO Travel Grant supports Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) member researchers in initiating collaborations with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The grant covers travel expenses (airfare, lodging, meals) up to $1,500 to facilitate long-term partnerships that enhance research aligned with the LANL mission.

Application Deadlines:

Applications will be accepted and reviewed quarterly throughout the fiscal year; due by 11:59 p.m. Central Time (CT) on the following dates:

  • October 1st (first day of second month of first quarter)
  • December 1st (first day of second quarter)
  • March 1st (first day of third quarter)
  • June 1st (first day of fourth quarter)

Grant decisions will be made within two to four weeks of the submission deadline. Applicants will be notified via email of funding decisions.

 

Eligibility and Limitations:

Who Can Apply:

TAMUS member faculty or staff who are eligible to serve as Principal Investigators (PI) are eligible to apply.

Additional Criteria:

  • Shall not have existing funded research collaborations with the proposed host
  • Shall demonstrate the potential to develop meaningful, long-term collaborations
  • Applicants must have already reached out to the researcher(s) they are visiting and have a plan for detailed discussions about collaboration

Number of Awards per Individual:

TAMUS member researchers may receive a maximum of two travel grants per fiscal year.

Tips and Tools

The DOE laboratories, plants and sites each have specific missions and agendas. The travel grants are limited to LANL at this time. The application should be concise and include how the area is connected to the host’s missions, capabilities, or strategic investment areas. Applicants are encouraged to review public documents relevant to their request. For example, the 2024 Los Alamos National Laboratory Lab Agenda may be found here: https://discover.lanl.gov/publications/lab-agenda/. The Lab Agenda describes in more detail their priorities to meet their mission (https://mission.lanl.gov)

 

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Travel Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 50

Up to 50 travel grants will be awarded under this solicitation, pending availability of funds.

Anticipated Funding Amount: Up to $1,500/award

The grant will cover travel costs (airfare, lodging and meals) up to $1,500. Salary support is not included in this grant. No overhead is assessed. If awarded, an NLO account number will be provided to directly charge expense report.

 

Application Requirement and Submission

Submission Application:

Applications should contain the following information and be submitted as one PDF document to nlogrants@nlo.tamus.edu by deadlines outlined above.

 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)

 Application Package:

All items 1 through 5 listed below should be submitted as a single PDF as part of the application..

  1. Cover Page
    1. TAMUS Applicant Name
    2. Title (e.g., Professor)
    3. TAMUS Member and Department
    4. Citizenship (Status/Country)
    5. Email
  2. CV
    1. Career History
    2. Selected recent publications (up to 5)
    3. Recent research awards relevant to the proposed research
  3. Confirmation of Host Approval (1 pg. max.)
    1. The invitation from the host should include 1) details about the person issuing the invitation (e.g., name title, years at the organization), 2) affirmation of the relationship between the applicant and the host, and 3) comments regarding the concept’s mission relevance and the host’s level of commitment/interest.
  4. Description of Research (1 pg. max.)
    1. A brief description of the potential collaboration shall be provided to enable review of the purpose and potential of the visit. The statement shall include descriptions of 1) the technical basis for the visit, 2) the relationship between the applicant and the host, 3) the technical maturity of the proposed topic (e.g., early concept development, concept demonstration, or reduction to practice), 4) the TAMUS capability/opportunity being engaged, and 5) the relevance to the mission of the LANL.
  5. Timeline of Visit (1 pg. max.)
    1. Estimated dates
    2. Persons and facilities to be visited
    3. Agenda for the meeting

Note: For travel to LANL, special requirements need to be met in advance for foreign nationals.  This should be specifically coordinated with the LANL collaborator to make sure approval timelines are met.

 

Application Review Information

Applications are independently reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel of subject matter experts from TAMUS and LANL selected to avoid any conflicts of interest with the applicants.

Review Principles and Criteria

  • Applicant possesses the skills, knowledge and interest to develop long-term collaborative ties with the proposed host
  • Applicant is “PI-eligible” faculty or staff at their home TAMUS institution
  • Alignment of research with LANL’s mission
  • Demonstrated potential for long-term collaboration
  • Compliance with application guidelines

Post-Award Reporting

Awardee must submit 1-page summary report to the NLO (nlogrants@nlo.tamus.edu) within 30 days of the visit, including the following criteria:

  • All individuals involved in the visit
  • summarizing discussion outcomes
  • refined mission area for future collaboration
  • next action items to be taken (including potential proposals, follow-up visits, etc.)

 

Program Contact:

Name:              National Laboratory Office Grant Coordinator

Email:             nlogrants@nlo.tamus.edu