FOA-Limited
Submission – NSF – EPSCoR Research
Infrastructure Improvement Program: Track-2 Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (RII Track-2 FEC) (NSF 21-518);
January 25, 2021
Purpose: The
Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National
Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. Through this
program, NSF establishes partnerships with government, higher education, and
industry that are designed to effect sustainable improvements in a
jurisdiction's research infrastructure, Research and Development (R&D)
capacity, and hence, its R&D competitiveness. Kentucky is an eligible EPSCoR jurisdiction.
RII
Track-2 FEC builds interjurisdictional collaborative
teams of EPSCoR investigators in scientific focus
areas consistent with NSF priorities. Projects are
investigator-driven and must include researchers from at least two EPSCoR
eligible jurisdictions
with complementary expertise and resources necessary to address challenges,
which neither party could address as well or rapidly independently. The Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research and education
activities should seek to broaden participation through the strategic inclusion
and integration of diverse individuals, institutions, and sectors throughout the
project. Proposals must describe a comprehensive and integrated vision to drive
discovery and build sustainable STEM capacity that exemplifies diversity of all
types (individual, institutional, geographic, and disciplinary). The development
of diverse early-career faculty is a critical component of this sustainable STEM
capacity.
Note:
For FY 2021, RII Track-2 FEC proposals are invited on a single topic:
“Advancing research towards Industries of the Future to ensure economic
growth for EPSCoR jurisdictions.” According to the
2021 OMB/OSTP
Research and Development priorities memo, “Industries of the
Future” are a key component to the country’s economic and national
security.
For
NSF, these industries have been defined across several categories and include:
Advanced Manufacturing; Advanced Wireless; Artificial Intelligence;
Biotechnology; Quantum Information Science; and Spectrum Innovation
Science.
Funding
Amount / Project Period: $1 million (2 EPSCoR jurisdictions) to $1.5 million (3 or more EPSCoR jurisdictions) per year for up to four
years
Institutional
Limit: 1
Internal
Competition: To
participate in the University’s selection process, please
upload the following,assembled into a single PDF
file, to the Office of the Vice President for Research via this
portal with a
copy to your Associate Dean for Research by November 17,
2020:
·
Names
and departments of UK PI, Senior Project Personnel, and collaborating
researchers at EPSCoR RII-eligible
institutions/jurisdictions (including the names of all institutions involved in
the project)
·
Title
of the program and/or funding opportunity announcement
number
·
Brief
project description (2 pages maximum)
·
Brief
biographical sketch.
A
committee will be convened to review the material and make a recommendation.
For
questions or issues with submission through the portal, email the limited
submission mailbox (limitedsubmissions@uky.edu),
or call 257-2861.
Agency
Deadlines: letter
of intent (required) – December 18, 2020; full proposal – January 25, 2021