Call for Proposals
Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative
Due Date: April 30th 5:00 PM
“Promoting Collaboration”
Proposals and other expressions of interest from Notre Dame faculty are invited to advance research as part of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI) http://eci.nd.edu/.
ND-ECI aims to fund ideas that will ultimately enhance our research in land use, climate change adaptation (including ND-GAIN), invasive species, hydrology and NEON-related research. In addition, ideas which develop a new question with high relevance to these themes are encouraged.
We welcome ideas that would promote collaboration and greatly enhance research success. We encourage proposals for workshops and or working groups, especially where such groups will lead directly to a proposal submission. We will also consider other requests, such as travel to vet potential collaborations and trips to DC or elsewhere to meet with potential funders. In addition, we will consider proposals for other support including requests for equipment that could lead to immediate research productivity and/or cost-share as part of large collaborative proposals. While seed funding for new research ideas will be considered, our goal with this year’s solicitation is to promote new, or strengthen existing, collaborations in order to extend ND-ECI’s research vision.
Merit Criteria: Successful proposals will describe a specific plan to capture additional external support and will outline explicit targets and timelines. The strongest proposals will have potential for timely impact within and outside the academy and the capacity to generate products quickly. Other desirable criteria include the following: multidisciplinary; technical merit; potential to enhance the reputation and academic visibility of Notre Dame research; leveraging of existing resources including human and physical infrastructure; and a well-conceived strategy to maximize the probability that the activity will influence natural resource management or policy, or result in technology transfer and commercialization.
Project Duration: Project funds will be available for one year from the start date of the project (TBD by investigators). Funds will not be available after this date, unless a written request and justification is provided 30 days before the end of the project.
Awards: We expect most requests for funding to fall between $10,000 and $75,000. Larger proposals may be considered but should demonstrate exceptional merit and be highly collaborative.
Proposal Preparation: Please contact Program and Business Manager Joanna McNulty for questions about proposal preparation or to vet any large project ideas.
Due Date for Proposals: 5:00 PM April 30th. Submit proposals to Joanna McNulty at mcnulty.9@nd.edu.
Evaluation Process and Timetable: The evaluation committee will be chaired by ND-ECI Interim Director Jennifer Tank, and will include at least two other faculty and/or Associate Deans. ND-ECI Managing Director Peter Annin and Program and Business Manager Joanna McNulty will serve as ex-officio members. Decisions will be announced by May 22nd, 2015.
Proposal Required Elements: Please describe your potential project using the headings and order below:
1. Prior Support: If you have received prior support from ECI, please indicate what support was received. Provide a list of submitted proposals, products, and publications that resulted from the initial seed funding. Discuss any other relevant indicators of the successes from that prior funding including the successes of postdocs and RAPs who may have been funded as part of your award. This section may be up to 1 page.
Sections 2-8 should be <3 pages long.
2. Title, lead investigator and other investigators (with departmental affiliations in parentheses)
3. Description of activity and/or question to be addressed.
4. Importance and potential impact of topic or activity.
5. Goals and mechanisms for translation to products or proposals.
6. Approach and methods (if research oriented) or other appropriate narrative as needed to describe activities.
7. Project/activity timeline and deliverables: Please include start and end dates and any interim dates of importance (i.e. target date for a workshop or trip).
8. Budget Narrative and Justification: Please provide information on the funds you are requesting (specific line items, time commitments, rates of pay as applicable). Add any brief narrative that is essential to justify the budget, and indicate how you are leveraging existing resources.
If successfully funded, the following Terms of Award will be required:
- Lay Abstract suitable for use on the ECI website.
- Annual progress report.
Originally published by at environmentalchange.nd.edu on April 15, 2015.