Proposal Planning Grants

Purpose

The purpose of the TPT Proposal Planning Grants program is to support and facilitate interdisciplinary teams that will submit large-scale and/or complex multidisciplinary extramural proposals to a targeted federal funding agency, a private foundation, the commercial sector, a state agency, or other sponsors. Such opportunities require significant team engagement often over multiple years and advance planning to develop a successful proposal. Examples of proposal targets include but are not limited to: National Science Foundation (NSF) National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes, NSF Engineering Research Center, NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers, NSF Science and Technology Centers, NSF Centers for Chemical Innovation, Department of Defense (DOD) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy, Efficiency & Renewable Energy, DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, DOE Energy Frontier Research Centers, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Program/Center grants (i.e., P01, P30 and P50), NIH Cooperative Agreements (U grants), and National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) major grant programs. Specific target opportunities may vary depending on the targeted global challenge or societal problem.

Proposal Planning Grants must include at least two eligible faculty members from different disciplines. The program is open to faculty from all disciplines and proposals from all topics will be considered. Proposals supporting the following six strategic research themes identified in the Texas A&M University Research Enterprise Strategic Plan (2023-2030) are encouraged: i) Community and Economic Resilience (including Arts Ecosystem and Culture); ii) Emerging Technologies and Innovations (including AI/Machine Learning and Quantum); iii) Health and Quality of Life; iv) National Security; v) Space Exploration; vi) Sustainability and Environment (including Food-Energy-Water-Health Nexus).

In addition, successful proposals must align with the current/active funding priorities and initiatives of federal funding agencies, state of Texas, or private sponsors. In addition to the awarded funds, the Division of Research will support each planning grant awardee with the following resources: team facilitation, management of proposal development processes including the organization of documents, creation of templates, proposal review including review, graphics and figures, the collection of documents such as letters of support and biosketches/CVs, and coordination with Sponsored Research Services to accomplish budget development, compliance review and submission.

Size of Award and Budget Guidelines

Proposal Planning Grants will provide up to $100K for a 12-month performance period. Allowable expenses are designed to be flexible to meet the needs of different types of teams. Examples include:

• Personnel costs: Salary and benefits for Research Associates or Postdoc to assist with team facilitation and proposal development efforts.
• Expenses associated with proposal specific domestic travel to meet with targeted sponsor(s) or external collaborators.
• Expenses related to hosting proposal team meetings, workshops, or symposia.
• Salary or course buyouts to facilitate team building and submission of targeted extramural proposal: The PI (not Co-PIs) may request partial summer salary and course buyouts with appropriate college approvals in place. Faculty salary support is not allowable for Co-PIs.
• Expenses related to data analyses and data compilation.

Include a budget table and budget justification. Budget justification must clarify how funds will lead to successful proposal development and submission.

Proposal Requirements and Review Criteria

Proposals must include the information outlined below. Font size of text should be no smaller than 11 points. Proposals that do not follow these guidelines will be returned without review.

Proposal Title: Provide a title for the proposal.

Principal Investigator: Provide the name, affiliation, and contact information of the Principal Investigator (PI).

Co-Principal Investigators: Provide the name, affiliation, and contact information of each CoPrincipal Investigator (Co-PI). There is no limit to the number of Co-PIs.

Interdisciplinary Expertise of Proposal Team (maximum of 500 words): Provide a brief statement of each Texas A&M PI/Co-PI’s role and responsibilities on the proposed project, specific skills, and evidence of interdisciplinary complementary expertise.

Proposal Summary: Provide a 250-word summary including significance and impact.

Proposal Narrative (maximum of four pages): Provide a narrative describing the overall merit and significance of the proposed research, including a timeline of proposed activities for which the team is seeking seed funding. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Overall Merit and Significance of the Application, including an explanation of the significance and intellectual merit of the work, novelty, feasibility of methodology, probability of success, and the anticipated contribution to the research mission of Texas A&M University. Does the proposal address current/emerging challenges of societal importance? How will the proposal concept advance the field or broaden the horizon for future research? Provide a timeline of proposed activities for which the team is seeking grant funds. (20 points).
2. Composition and Qualifications of the Proposal Team, including a list of proposing team members and a brief statement of their role(s) and responsibilities on the proposed project, research productivity and track record as reflected in the biosketch, justification for interdisciplinary team-based approach, and availability of relevant facilities and instrumentation. Provide a justification for each team member to demonstrate that interdisciplinary aims and outcomes are greater than the sum of their parts. Describe the specific skills or abilities of the team and the projected need for contractor/consultant services to ensure funding success. (10 points).
3. Evidence of Preliminary Data (i.e., pilot data) is a requirement of this program. Provide a summary of existing work and data acquisition by the team, relevant experience and capacity of the proposal team related to the targeted extramural grant opportunity, and how the planning grant will lead to successful submission of a competitive large-scale proposal within 12 months of completion of the planning grant. Note that funds for new data collection are expected to be minimal. (15 points).
4. Broader Impacts and Relevance of Proposed Project to Texas and/or National Priorities, including a description of the broader impacts of the proposed project and its potential to benefit society. Provide a clear justification of how the proposed project is aligned with the priorities of the State of Texas and/or the national research agenda and how such alignments will lead to future extramural funding. (10 points).
5. Plans for Leveraging Extramural Funding, including identification of targeted large-scale and/or complex extramural proposal opportunities and timeline for proposal development. Proposals must list at least two specific current/active funding opportunities published by federal funding agencies, state of Texas, or private sponsors as primary and secondary (alternative) extramural targets. This must include sponsor name, target program, anticipated RFA release, and estimated date for proposal submission by the team to the funding program. (15 points).

Budget: Include a budget table and budget justification (maximum of two pages).

References (not included in the page limit): All work cited in the proposal should be referenced.

Biosketch: Append a maximum two-page biosketch/CV for the PI and each Co-PI.

Note: Proposals that do not meet the above requirements/criteria will be returned without review