Early career 'First Award' pre-proposals due Nov. 15

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Nebraska EPSCoR has created a competitive "First Award" grant program to help Nebraska early career faculty members to initiate their research programs.

This program is funded by an NSF infrastructure grant to Nebraska EPSCoR. The First Award grant is limited to $20,000 for one year with a 100 percent matching requirement. Nebraska EPSCoR anticipates awarding approximately six grants. Each grantee is required to submit a CAREER grant proposal to NSF by the end of the award period. Pre-proposals are due Nov. 15, and must be submitted in hard copy to the Nebraska EPSCoR office and electronically via the web.

The award is open to assistant professors in a tenure-leading position. Nominees must be in the first four years of an academic career and be eligible to apply for an NSF Career grant during the award period.

Any project that could qualify for support by a NSF standard research grant is eligible to receive a First Award. The award amount is limited to $20,000 and requires a one-for-one, non-federal match (cash or in kind). No indirect costs are allowed. First Awards are granted for one year, starting April 1, 2011, and ending March 31, 2012.

All pre-proposals will be reviewed by a grant subcommittee. The grant subcommittee will be composed of members of Nebraska's scientific community but not necessarily experts in the field of each proposal; therefore, use language that is understandable to those with general knowledge of the area. It is anticipated that approximately 10 applicants will be invited to prepare an NSF CAREER-like full proposal. Each full proposal will be reviewed, using NSF proposal review criteria, by approximately three external experts in the field. The Nebraska EPSCoR Committee will select First Award recipients.

For more information, go to http://ucommxsrv1.unl.edu/epscor/proposal.php.

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/6hv