Pre-proposal Spreadsheet

Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Solicitation

 Wyoming NSF EPSCoR is calling for pre-proposals to be considered for inclusion in the final submission of a proposal to the NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) program. Pre-proposals from research groups on campus are solicited and should include collaborative group research in a selected focus area. Pre-proposals can be from any scientific discipline supported by NSF, and should be aimed at increasing Wyoming’s research infrastructure and capacity for securing competitive grants from NSF. The date for submission of the Wyoming EPSCoR proposal to NSF has not been announced yet but could be as early as mid-October. Based on the available funding, up to $3M/yr for five years, UW will include two major research focus areas for five years in the final submission. A third focus area may be included for phase-in during years four and five.  For further information about Wyoming EPSCoR please visit the other pages on the website at http://epscor-wise.uwyo.edu/.

Current Funded Proposal (5/2005-4/2009)
For information purposes, we are including a copy of the original proposal that resulted in our current funding.  As you will note, we proposed two research groups, one in ecology and one in materials science.  The Ecology Group was funded. The Materials Science Group was not funded because reviewers said the group was not developed sufficiently for the funding proposed.  You may access a copy of the proposal here.

Additional Information, 2/29/2008
We’ve received some additional information about the NSF EPSCoR solicitation for 2008.   The submission date will be in October, 2008.

•  The 2008 Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) solicitation is targeted for release in July and for submission in October. At this time, the thinking is that the RFP will not be significantly different than the 2007 RFP. Evaluation of the Jan 2008 submissions may identify areas that need clarification or changes.  The need to align with State S&T strategy was emphasized, but there is recognition that this requirement can be met in a number of different ways. Building infrastructure for good science and funding programs to increase the number and diversity of STEM students are key priorities.

•  The FY 08 budgets appear adequate to fund all meritorious proposals.

•  The Office is not considering increasing the funding/year for RIIs beyond $3 million at this time.

 The RII solicitation for 2007 is available here.

Pre-proposal Guidelines

The pre-proposal should consist of

• A cover sheet listing the project title, participants, total amount requested.
   

•  A list of at least five individuals outside UW who can provide informed and objective reviews (with phone numbers and email contacts) should also be included.
   

•  A project description of no more than five pages describing the five-year project.  Key areas to address include the current strength in the research focus area, how additional funding from NSF will greatly enhance the research competitiveness in that scientific area, and linkages between education and research. 
   

• Key references (up to 10).
   

• A two-page CV for the PI or Co-PI’s and for key personnel in NSF format.
   

• Current and pending support for key personnel.
   

• A general 5-year budget. Use the spreadsheet found here.
   

Proposals will be due in electronic form no later than 5:00 p.m. March 31, 2008 to Barbara Kissack, bkissack@uwyo.edu.

       The pre-proposals will be sent to external reviewers for comment.  Following receipt of reviews for all pre-proposals the Wyoming EPSCoR State Committee will choose the two or three areas for the final proposal.  It is planned that the decision will be made by late April to insure that the groups selected have sufficient time to prepare materials for the final Wyoming proposal. 

       If there are any questions, please contact Randy Lewis at x2147 or silk@uwyo.edu.