Colleagues:
On behalf of the Vermont Technology Council that serves as the Statewide Board for the NSF VT EPSCoR Program I would like to share that Vermont is eligible to submit a new proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-1 (RII Track-1) in July 2020[1]. NSF limits EPSCoR-eligible states to a single RII Track-1 proposal submission.
There have been a number of outstanding accomplishments as part of the current award. The Technology Council Board has drafted the 2019 Vermont Science and Technology Plan over the past several months and has identified the following research focus areas in which science and technology will play a pivotal role in Vermont's economy:
- Protecting the environment
- Healthcare technology and delivery
- Advanced manufacturing
- Computing technologies
GOALS
- Increase the number of STEM workers through the education of Vermonters or through the relocation of skilled workers to Vermont (Strategies 2,3)
- Increase continuous workforce training and development to support the transformation of business in Vermont (Strategies 2,3,4)
- Increase the size and reach of the S&T ecosystem and community with support and mentorship for early career STEM entrepreneurs and professionals (Strategies 2,3,4,5)
- Increase employment in science and technology-based enterprises (Strategies 3,4)
- Increase research and development activity in the State of Vermont (Strategies 1,5,6)
- Increase the number of small to medium manufacturers using advanced digital and intelligent technologies (Strategies 5,6)
- Increase cross-sector partnerships to leverage investments, support, and expertise (Strategies 1,4,5,6,7,8)
The 2019 draft plan may be found here: http://vttechcouncil.org/
The proposed research theme must be of national importance and have the best potential to improve Vermont's future research and development competitiveness. Proposed research topics must have these features:
- Alignment with priorities in the 2019 Vermont Science and Technology Plan
- Alignment with current scientific and engineering grand challenges, either NSF's Big Research Ideas[2] or NSF-relevant grand challenges put forth by other agencies or entities
- Topics funded by NSF's regular programmatic and cross-cutting areas; and
- Leverage the strengths of Vermont's research institution
Dr. Arne Bomblies, VT State EPSCoR Director and Project Director, will manage the process moving forward as outlined in the document below.
Please contact Dr. Bomblies or me for any additional information.
John Evans, Ph.D.
President
Vermont Technology Council
john.evans@med.uvm.edu
Dr. Bomblies' contact information:
Arne Bomblies, Ph.D., P.E.
VT State EPSCoR Director and Project Director
Arne.Bomblies@uvm.edu
(802) 656-2215
April 4, 2019
Vermont EPSCoR RII Track 1 Proposal Process for Submission in Summer 2020
The Vermont EPSCoR State Board is soliciting new ideas for the next RII Track-1 proposal.
The proposed research program is the centerpiece of the RII Track-1 project. The focal point of an RII Track-1 proposal is hypothesis- and/or problem-driven research that requires a comprehensive and integrative approach to a grand challenge in a scientific area of regional or jurisdictional importance and relevance. The intellectual merit and broader impacts of the proposed activities are expected to provide the rationale for the requested infrastructure investments that, in turn, enhance the overall research capacity and competitiveness of the jurisdiction.
RII Track-1 projects are unique in their jurisdiction-wide scope and complexity. They integrate researchers, institutions, and organizations and play a role in developing the diverse, well-prepared, STEM-enabled workforce necessary to sustain research competitiveness and catalyze economic development.
RII Track-1 funding is intended to add specific value to Vermont's academic infrastructure not generally available through other funding sources, while meeting these specific goals:
- catalyze the development of research capabilities and the creation of new knowledge that expands the jurisdiction's contributions to scientific discovery, innovation, learning, and knowledge-based prosperity
- establish sustainable STEM education, training, and professional development pathways that advance jurisdiction-identified research areas and workforce development
- broaden direct participation of diverse individuals, institutions, and organizations in the project's science and engineering research and education initiatives
- effect sustainable engagement of project participants and partners, the jurisdiction, the national research community, and the general public through data-sharing, communication, outreach, and dissemination; and,
- Impact research, education, and economic development beyond the project at the academic, government, and private sector levels.
To prepare for this next round of NSF EPSCoR RII Track 1 funding, Vermont EPSCoR State Board will conduct a proposal development process as described below. (Please note that timeframes and processes are subject to change.)
- Informational Meeting (Monday, April 29, 2019): Vermont EPSCoR will hold an information session for interested participants throughout the state in the Livak Room,
Davis Center at UVM from 2 - 4 p.m. The session will also be accessible through the Vermont EPSCoR web site after the meeting. Remote meeting access will also be available.
To participate remotely please contact VT EPSCoR at (802) 656-7931 or by email at epscor@uvm.edu for meeting access instructions.
- State-wide calls for white papers (multiple calls beginning May 8, 2019).
- Letter of Intent (LOI) (due June 3, 2019).
- White Papers (due July 15, 2019): Interested parties will be invited to submit a white paper on key research topics that might be applicable to an
NSF EPSCoR RII Track 1 project. (Note that the Track 1 is required to address a comprehensive, integrated, trans-disciplinary statewide focus that creates
a substantial academic research infrastructure & involves participants from colleges & universities throughout the state. It is not designed for individual,
single institution, or small group faculty research.) The research must be of importance to the state and nation and have an economic impact on the state and region.
As per the NSF, the Vermont NSF EPSCoR Project Director must be the lead Principal Investigator of the RII Track-1 proposal. The Project Director, with input by the proposal science leads, will spearhead the development of the full proposal to ensure the proposal is fully responsive to all NSF requirements, including intellectual merit and broader impacts (as defined by NSF); new faculty hires and start-up support; plans for cyberinfrastructure and data management; postdoctoral researcher mentoring; diversity; workforce development and education; partnerships and collaborations; communication and dissemination; management, evaluation and assessment; sustainability, and; integration of all project components. The Vermont EPSCoR office will provide support for budget development and proposal submission.
External review of drafts of the full proposal before submission is essential to ensure the proposal is competitive. An independent organization will convene a panel of external experts in the research topic area(s), and in NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 programs, to conduct several reviews of the draft proposal prior to submission. With input by the proposal science leads, the NSF EPSCoR Project Director and Project Administrator have sole authority on final decisions regarding proposal content and budget.
- Review (September 2019): The above white papers will be reviewed by an independent outside group of reviewers.
- The reviews and responses from the groups will be reviewed by the State EPSCoR Committee for a decision (October 2019).
Award notification (tentatively May 2021)
Project begins (tentatively summer 2021)
| Anticipated Timeline | |
|---|---|
| Event | Date |
| Informational Meeting | April 29, 2019 |
| Call for White Papers | May 8, 2019 |
| Letters of Intent Due | June 3, 2019 |
| White Papers due | July 15, 2019 |
| External review completed | September, 2019 |
| White paper team selected | October, 2019 |
| Full proposal development begins | November, 2019 |
| Solicitation released by NSF | early May 2020* |
| Proposal due to NSF | mid-July 2020* |
| Notification of Awards | Spring 2021 |
| Awards made | Summer 2021 |
[1] Based on FY18 dates
[2] https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/
This is desirable, but not required. There are 6 research priorities.
* Based on FY18 dates