ARCHIVE OF AWARDS

Call For Research Proposals

 Vermont Space Grant and Vermont's NASA EPSCoR Program

The new NASA EPSCoR SBIR Phase 0 has been awarded to

2006

 " Cheap Tubes, Inc",
Mike Foley, PI, " Automated Carbon Nanotube Machine Development". 
 The Academic (faculty) Collaborator on this project is Thomas Hughes, Chemistry, UVM. 

CAMPO, ANTONIO
Mech. Engin.
Principal Investigator

 Search for High Performance Coolants for Aviation and Space Applications that are constrained by the weight of air.

(COPY OF DRAFT PROPOSAL)

Call For Research Proposals

 Vermont Space Grant and Vermont's NASA EPSCoR Program
 January, 200_

BACKGROUND:  Key goals of the Vermont Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) and Vermont's NASA EPSCoR Program are to build research infrastructure and help Vermont's academic faculty establish ties to NASA and become nationally competitive for external research funding. To support these goals, subject to continued NASA funding the VSGC and VT-NASA EPSCoR will hold a competition for both seed-money grants and small-scale grants again this year.  Proposed academic research projects must be in areas of interest to NASA and should have the potential to link Vermont faculty to NASA colleagues and Centers.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:  Eligible principal investigators are those persons who are full-time faculty members at any of Vermont's higher educational institutions.  Preference will be given to tenure-track faculty.  The principal investigator and all other personnel to be supported by this funding must be U.S. citizens.

AREAS OF INTEREST AND NASA LINKS:  Proposed research projects must be in an area of interest to NASA, and the proposal narrative must make an explicit connection with current NASA research priorities.  The proposal should also detail plans for establishing or strengthening links with NASA researchers.  If contact has been established with colleagues at a NASA Center, a letter or email of support for the project from a NASA contact will significantly strenghten the case for funding.

 TYPES OF GRANTS:  Funds may be requested for research minigrants of up to $5,000 that provide seed money to explore a project in an area of interest to NASA.  A research minigrant may also be used as a travel grant to allow an investigator to visit a NASA Center to meet potential NASA collaborators.  For a more well-established project, small-scale grants of $10,000 to $15,000 are also avaiable.  Small-scale grants may include funding for project components such as summer support of faculty, graduate student research support, travel to NASA, project operating funds, the purchase of specialized equipment directly related to the research project, and other appropriate research expenses.  However, because of restrictions in NASA funding for the VSGC and VT-NASA EPSCoR, funding awarded in this competition cannot be used to purchase general purpose equipment such as computers.

 REVIEW CRITERIA:  Projects chosen for awards will be in research areas of interest to NASA, should lead to the development of long-term research capabilities, will have a high potential to become nationally competitive for follow-on funding, and will be aligned with state technological, economic, and educational goals.  Successful proposals will have a clearly described plan to establish or strengthen links with potential NASA collaborators, and the proposal budget will include matching funds to demonstrate the commitment of the principal investigator’s department or school to the proposed project.

 BUDGET AND MATCHING FUNDS: A detailed budget request should be part of the proposal.  All budget items should be fully explained.  The budget request should contain only direct costs.  Indirect costs (IDC, overhead, F&A) are not allowed.  Matching funds are required for proposals to be eligible for this competition.  Central funds available to to match NASA dollars are very limited.  Therefore, potential principal investigators should be proactive in seeking as much cost-sharing for their research projects as possible.  Funding requested from the VSGC and VT-NASA EPSCoR must be matched at least 1:1 by local non-Federal funding.  Matching funds can include in-kind cost-sharing such as donated time during the academic year.  All cost-sharing must be documented by signed letters of commitment from the source of the match. Funding may be requested to buy specialized equipment required by the project. 

 PROPOSAL FORMAT AND DEADLINE:  Potential participants should submit 8 copies of an application packet (including a project description of no more than 5 pages, a detailed budget request, short CV's for and information on project participants, letters of commitment on cost-sharing, etc.) to the VSGC office (Mailing address: c/o Vermont Space Grant, Votey Building, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-0156) no later than March 31, 200 _ Proposals will be peer reviewed by a panel of experts, and awards will be announced by late May, 200_.   Funding for successful projects will normally start on September 1, 200_.

 Please contact Prof. William D. Lakin, Director of the VSGC and Vermont's NASA EPSCoR Program, by email (wlakin@together.net), phone (802 656-8541), or fax (802 656-1102) if you have any questions.