Limited Competition: NSF EPSCoR Track 4 Research Fellows

January 19, 2024 Announcements

Track-4 Synopsis:

EPSCoR RII Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows directly aligns with NSF EPSCoR strategic goal of establishing sustainable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professional development pathways that advance workforce development in STEM and effects engagement in STEM at national and global levels. EPSCoR RII Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows provides awards to build research capacity in institutions and transform the career trajectories of investigators and further develop their individual research potential through collaborations with investigators from the nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research centers. The fellowship provides opportunities to establish strong collaborations through extended or periodic collaborative visits to a selected host site. Through collaborative research activities with the host site, Fellows will be able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations, advance existing partnerships, benefit from access to unique equipment and facilities, and/or shift their research toward potentially transformative new directions. The experiences gained through the fellowships are intended to have lasting impacts that will enhance the Fellows’ research trajectories well beyond the award period. The benefits to the Fellows are also expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions more broadly.

FULL SOLICITATION

Who May Serve as PI:

Principal Investigators must either:

  • hold a non-tenured faculty position at a degree-granting institution of higher education; or a faculty member who hold long-term positions outside of the tenure track regardless of their position title or rank.
  • be in an early-career, career-track position at an eligible non-degree-granting organization;
  • hold a non-tenured or tenured faculty position at the Assistant or Associate Professor rank (or in an equivalent position) at an institution that is eligible to submit as described under “Who May Submit Proposals;” or
  • For the faculty category of applicants, the faculty ranking should be determined by the faculty rank at the proposal’s deadline date.

For some NASA research facilities, PIs and trainees must be U.S. Citizens, unless otherwise specified. Lawful Permanent Residents are eligible for research opportunities at NASA centers.

Additional eligibility restrictions for both tracks are as follows:

  • Only single-PI proposals will be considered. No co-PIs should be included in the proposal.
  • Persons who hold transitional fixed-term postdoctoral appointments are not eligible to apply as PI, even if their organizations classify such appointments as ‘faculty’ for administrative purposes.
  • In all cases, the required letter from the PI’s supervisory administrator should verify the PI’s eligibility relative to these criteria.
  • For submissions from a Primarily Undergraduate Institution a letter from the institution’s Authorized Organizational Representative certifying their status as such is required. See Section V.A. below for further information.
  • The PI may hold or accept fellowships of equal caliber (i.e., similar intent, funding level, and or prestige) concurrently with a Track-4 Fellow award.

Any questions regarding PI eligibility should be directed toward the cognizant Program Officers listed above.

All interested PIs should register their intent to submit by February 9, 2024 to the Office of Research Administration  https://umgrants.maine.edu/pars/, as well as submit the following pre-proposal documents through UMaine’s InfoReady portal by the same deadline. The NSF Deadline for full proposals is April 9, 2024. In the event that more than four NOI and pre-proposals are received, a rapid review team will select the applicants. 

Pre-proposal documents:

  • Project Overview (2 page maximum). Briefly address in a single document: the vision and goals of the fellowship project; the role of the host site and its personnel in achieving the project’s vision and goals; a summary of the objectives and methods to be employed; the expected outcomes and impacts of the proposed activities; and plans for sustaining the project’s impacts beyond the award period. In separate paragraphs provide a succinct summary of the intellectual merit and broader impacts of the project.
  • Letter of Support from Department Chair or Unit Director (please note, if selected you will be required to furnish parallel letters of support from your planned host institution). This letter should address the following: confirm the administrator’s support of the PI’s plans and particularly to verify that the PI will receive whatever release time is needed from other professional duties to complete the fellowship project as proposed.
  • NSF-formatted biosketch. You must use a biosketch formatted on SciENcv.

For questions about fellowship ideas, assistance with SciENcv or InfoReady, please contact Saul Allen (saul.allen@maine.edu) in the Office of Research Development.