Grants & Awards
Scialog®
Solar Energy Conversion
Guidelines
Institutional and Faculty Requirements
Applications will be accepted from tenured science faculty members within five years of date of their first tenure appointment at public and private colleges and universities located in the United States that offer at least a baccalaureate degree in the sciences.
The complexity of the problems addressed in Scialog initiatives is such that significant progress in most cases will require extensive collaboration, team building and teamwork. These collaborations may involve scientists in the U.S. or abroad, at national laboratories, in private industry or in academia. Eligible faculty may apply individually or as a team of two or more faculty members fitting the eligibility criteria from the same or different departments and institutions. Describing existing collaborations (including collaborations with scientists who are not eligible to apply for Scialog funding) that underpin the proposed work will strengthen applications. Furthermore, it is expected that the Scialog conference will provide the opportunity for additional team building by expanding collaborations in key areas.
A single investigator may be included on no more than one proposal. There is, however, no limit on the number of proposals submitted from the same institution.
Grants awarded by RCSA will be made to non-profit U.S. colleges or universities.
Funding
Research Corporation for Science Advancement will make awards either to individuals or to teams of two or more eligible faculty. The individual awards will be for $100,000 and the team awards for $250,000. Budgets are not required; hence, there is no budget page in the proposal. Funds can be used to support the proposed research project at the discretion of the awardee(s) for most direct costs, with limitations only on the range of acceptable expenditures. There is no provision for indirect costs or overhead, faculty salaries, tuition, or for routine institutional services.
Applications
The application process begins with completion of the online eligibility quiz. Applicants who pass the eligibility quiz will be given access to necessary forms to submit a proposal. However, final determination of eligibility will be made by a Program Officer. The deadline for proposal submission is Monday, January 17, 2011 at 5:00 PM Mountain Standard Time.
Multiple proposals from the same investigator will not be accepted. There is, however, no limit on the number of proposals submitted from the same institution.
Both applicant(s) and institution(s) should ensure that a proposal conforms to program guidelines, and that proposals are submitted on the unmodified application forms provided by Research Corporation for Science Advancement.
Proposal Evaluation
Research Corporation for Science Advancement will assess proposals based upon the following:
- Potential to result in transformative breakthroughs in the fundamental scientific understanding of solar energy conversion to electricity or fuels;
- Innovation of proposed research;
- Scientific merit, quality, significance and relevance of the proposed research relative to other proposals;
- Quality and significance of the collaborations to the proposed research;
- Quality, significance and relevance of the recent research record of the PI(s);
- Potential for additional funding from public or private sectors;
- Interdisciplinary education/training of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
Review Process
Applications that conform to guidelines will be screened by RCSA scientists and reviewed by external experts in the field. Awards will be announced by June 1, 2011.
Timeline:
- Proposal Due: January 17, 2011
- Awards Announced: June 1, 2011
- Scialog Conferences (required attendance for awardees):
Biosphere 2, Tucson, AZ, October 11-14, 2011
October (TBD), 2012
October (TBD), 2013
Estimated Number of Awards: 10
Award size is $100,000 for single investigators and up to $250,000 for teams of two or more investigators over a 3-year award period.
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