Nebraska EPSCoR anticipates issuance of a request for proposals by the National Science Foundation for its EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 2 grant program in summer 2013. Preparations to respond to this RFP must begin now, since the proposal requires research collaboration between a minimum of two EPSCoR jurisdictions, and only one proposal may be submitted from each state or territory. Funding available for a collaborative proposal is $6 million, to be split among the partners over three years. The project must be multi-institutional within Nebraska. At this time, it is anticipated that the Track 2 award will support research in any STEM field.
Nebraska STEM researchers with potential or existing collaborations with researchers in other EPSCoR jurisdictions are encouraged to submit a Letter of Interest to the Nebraska EPSCoR office to be considered for sponsorship. The letter should be submitted via email to epscor@nebraska.edu by 5 p.m. Oct. 1, 2012.
The letter should contain:
a) a description of the potential project that is between a half and full page in length;
b) a list of the primary researchers and their institutions; and
c) a two-page CV for the lead investigator in each jurisdiction.
A competitive process will be used to determine the final project for submission, and preparations for the full proposal will commence in December.
EPSCoR is the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, a program created by Congress to provide funding for science, technology, engineering and mathematics infrastructure improvements that increase competitiveness for federal grants. Nebraska is one of 27 states and two territories with an EPSCoR designation.
For a list of NSF EPSCoR states, go to http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/epscor/statewebsites.jsp. To read more about Nebraska EPSCoR, visit https://epscor.nebraska.edu/index.shtml.