IACS Seed Grants

 

NEW IACS SEED GRANT OPPORTUNITY

EXTENDED DEADLINE: MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2024

*ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS FROM SEED GRANTS AWARDED IN PRIOR YEARS CONTINUE TO BE REQUIRED AS ORIGINALLY REQUESTED.  

Institute for Advanced Computational Science Seed Fund Program

 

ABOUT THE IACS SEED PROGRAM

The Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS), with administrative support from the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), invites applications to a seed grant program for collaborative projects in computational science, including simulation and applications in AI. This seed grant program will award proposals aligned with the IACS research themes:     

• Climate and Communities
• Human-Centered Computing
• Discovery of Molecules and Materials
• Frontiers in Computation

Please refer to the IACS Research Theme page for more information on these themes, and to the lists of core (https://iacs.stonybrook.edu/people/faculty) and affiliate (https://iacs.stonybrook.edu/people/affiliates) faculty for eligibility.

The program will fund multidisciplinary teams for up to a two-year period, depending on  the availability of funds. IACS  anticipate making (a) up to two large awards of up to $250K each over a maximum project period of two years, and (b) several small awards of up to $60K each for a maximum project period of one year. A one-year, no-cost extension can be requested in the final 6 months of a project with approval subject to progress towards project goals and active participation in research themes.

Large Awards

Competitive applications will

• contribute actively to the leadership of the related research theme(s);
• span multiple research groups including that of at least one IACS core faculty member;
• include at least one additional IACS member as Co-I;
• integrate students;
• document concrete and credible paths for significant growth in IACS-related research volume (e.g., planned large research grant applications) and/or capabilities for scholarship and research (e.g., new facilities, development of high-value data sets or software, hiring postdocs or research staff); and
• highlight innovations. 

There is special interest in recruiting talented technical research staff with the potential for broad collaboration across IACS, and additional recurring funds can be requested in the associated sustainability plan (up to 25% of an FTE for two additional years, with additional years subject to review and availability of funds).

Small Awards

Competitive applications will contribute actively to the related research theme(s); span two or more research groups; integrate students; document significant potential for future funding or other growth-oriented outcomes; and highlight innovations.

HOW TO APPLY

The 2024 application deadline has been extended from June 3 to June 10, at 11:59 PM EST. Projects are anticipated to commence at the start of the Fall 2024 semester.

Eligibility Requirements

• To serve as Principal Investigator, an individual must have a current full-time facultyappointment at Stony Brook University, and must be affiliated with IACS as described above. 
• Per OVPR/RF policy, titles that require no prior approval from Chair to serve as PI include: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Distinguished Professor, Clinical Professor, Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, and Research Professor. Individuals with different titles are required to submit a letter from their Department Chair. 
• Applicants can be PI or Co-PI on only one application. 
• There is a limit of 4 Co-Investigators (in addition to the PI) on an application.
• IACS PD Fellows are eligible to join an application as Co-PI.

Application

All documents should be combined in the following order and uploaded to the application submission portal as a single PDF file. Each section must start on a new page (the page limits for each are listed below). Font size must be 11 points or larger with 1 inch margins. Smaller text in figures, graphs, diagrams and charts is acceptable, as long as it is legible when the page is viewed at 100%.

1. Abstract (300 word limit)
2. Description of Aims/Goals/Objectives (1 page limit) written in such a way that the content is accessible to reviewers from disciplines outside the proposal topic.
3. Significance Statement (1 page limit) that describes how the project will advance the relevant disciplines, grow IACS research volume, and contribute to collaborative research at SBU. 
4. Project Description (3 page limit for large proposals; 2 page limit for small proposals) that explains the project goals and design, and how they align with the seed grant objectives.
5. References (no limit)
6. Research Team and Roles (1 page limit) describing the strength of the team, the unique expertise of each member, prior experience with collaborative efforts and any shared grants or publications among the team members. For training grants, this portion should feature a description of the PIs and pool of training mentors.
7. Current and pending funding for all PIs and Co-PIs (no page limit)
8. Biosketch/CV for all PIs and Co-PIs generated by SciENcv
9. Budget Justification (no page limit) that includes:
1. A budget that does not exceed $250K for large proposals or $60K for small proposals. Salary requests for PI/Co-PIs must present strong justification and all personnel related expenses must include fringe. Travel funds may be requested but must be necessary to perform the proposed research. Given that these are internal funds, F&A costs should not be included in the budget;
2. A timeline for spending the funds that is no more than two years for large proposals and one year for small proposals.
3. A sustainability plan that includes
1. A timeline for submitting proposal(s) to an external sponsor with  details about the specific sponsor/program and RFP targeted, and scale of funding sought. IACS Seed award periods will be no more than two years and teams are expected to apply for external grants within the award period.
2. For any hire of a staff person, a plan for funding of the new position. This plan may include requests for additional recurring funds, as outlined above.

Please note, myResearch is not required.

Evaluation

Applications will be peer reviewed by a panel selected by the Institute of Advanced Computational Science, with these reviews guiding the final selection of awards by IACS. The following criteria will be used for evaluation:

• Innovation and Excellence: What is the potential for the proposed project to advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields?
• Match: How well does the project fit the areas of interest and the purpose of the seed grant, as described above?
• Overall Impact: To what extent would the proposed program benefit SBU’s and IACS’s research community?
• External Funding: To what extent would the proposed research create opportunities for attracting external funding? How likely is it that the research team would submit at least one proposal to an external sponsor within the award period?
• Research Team: How well qualified is the team to conduct the proposed research? Is the team sufficiently diverse? Does the team have the necessary track record for the targeted external funding opportunities? (Teams targeting multi-PI and center-scale research grants should show a history of collaborative efforts. Teams targeting training grants must have experience with training mechanisms and/or training program-level leadership. Teams targeting equipment grants must have experience managing shared equipment and/or should have a history of success with external equipment grants.)
• Budget: To what extent is the budget clear, efficient, and well-justified? Is the sustainability plan credible?

PROGRESS REPORTING

Awarded projects will be required to (1) make a five-minute presentation at an IACS faculty and staff meeting twice per year for each active year of the project; (2) submit a written annual progress/final report; (3) report on any outcomes of the project for three years after the award period ends (e.g., funding, publications). Templates will be provided by IACS. IACS Seed Teams may be asked to present to the IACS Advisory Board and in other similar settings.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS

For more information, please contact the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at iacs@stonybrook.edu, subject “IACS Seed Grant”.