New Lead Campus Program
Request For Proposals
Funding to Begin July 2008
Deadline 2/28/08
Description
The UC Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program (TSR&TP) announces the availability of up to $270,000 per year for a maximum of 6 years (with a non-competitive review at 3 years) for a new Lead Campus program in any area relevant to the problems of toxic substances in California. A successful Lead Campus program will:
- Foster interdisciplinary faculty collaborations between departments and campuses
- Be an incubator for innovative research
- Provide education and training for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in relevant fields
- Result in the establishment of sustainable programs
Eligibility: All UC campuses (or consortia of campuses and National Laboratories) are invited to submit proposals. Successful proposals will describe a cohesive plan for fundamental and/or applied interdisciplinary research and training focused on (an) important problem area(s). Individuals and/or groups from former programs are not excluded from applying with a new competitive proposal, although an application that is a renewal of a previous program will receive a low priority. Proposals from campuses that already have lead campus programs will be considered if they address a different or new area(s) of research. However, the geographic distribution of lead campuses will be taken into consideration in order to provide funding opportunities to students from as many campuses as possible.
Current TSR&TP lead campus programs are in the areas of Atmospheric Aerosols and Health, Nanotoxicology, and Toxic Mechanisms. See a complete list of research needs and specifics on existing Lead Campus components for more information. All relevant areas of science, engineering, and policy will be considered.
The TSR&TP seeks to encourage the development of new interdisciplinary research and education programs that will better equip UC faculty to compete for large extramural grants after establishing a record of successful collaborative research. We also want to encourage the development of new research areas for the TSR&TP, as well as to fund meritorious research in programmatic priority areas. Finally, we want to assist campuses and programs to expand the existing financial support base for graduate education in this broad field of study. To encourage this goal, the TSR&TP may invite successful lead campuses entering their 6th year of funding to apply for one additional year of funding, conditional on their having submitted a major extramural training grant application.
The TSR&TP Executive Committee recognizes that an important role for university toxics research should be anticipatory research addressing possible major problems of the future. Therefore, we encourage submission of innovative proposals that address emerging problems in the toxics field. Such applications should include an additional statement of why the issue being addressed is likely to be of importance in the future, and the interdisciplinary or significant composition of the investigative team that allows the study of such problems in a particularly innovative way.
Your proposal should address the following areas in the Lead Campus Education & Research Plan section of the application (details of how to prepare this section are found in the application guidelines below):
- A mission statement for the lead campus program
- Relevance to TSR&TP
- Enhancement of graduate student and postdoctoral training through education and research
- An interdisciplinary training component
- Provisions for participating faculty interaction and integrative activities (courses,seminars, workshops, retreats, etc.)
- Criteria for selection of students for fellowship support
- Establishment of an appropriate mechanism for program governance
- Development of leaders/leadership
- The synergy of the units involved in the program (e.g., unique attributes of the program)
- Transition plan from TSR&TP funding (e.g., federal funding, attachment to a new or existing graduate program, establishment of new courses, etc.)
Application Process
- Prepare the information using the Lead Campus Application Guidelines
- Submit your application online
- If your campus requires approval, complete the Contracts & Grants authorization form and upload, fax (530) 752-5593 or hand deliver it to the TSR&TP Director's Office.
Review of Proposals
Criteria for review are established by the TSR&TP Executive Committee. The Committee will select proposals for funding by May 2008, for initiation on July 1, 2008.
More Information
Research Questions? Contact your TSR&TP Executive Committee campus representative or TSR&TP Director John Knezovich (925) 422-0925
Questions on Grant Applications? Contact TSR&TP Program Manager (530) 752-2099, Lisa Stevenson
Technical Problems? Contact webmaster (530) 752-2097