Support for Affiliated Research Teams (StART)

StART was established to foster collaboration between UT and ORNL researchers. Therefore, each research team must include a principal investigator from UT and confirmed collaboration with an ORNL scientist. All UT faculty members are eligible to apply, including faculty who have had previous ORNL collaborations and/or have existing joint appointments. Post-docs, research scientists, and lecturers are ineligible to apply for this program. Preference will be given to junior faculty who do not have a joint appointment and/or are establishing a new collaboration with ORNL scientists.

A primary focus of the StART program is to generate new funding for collaborative teams of scientists and engineers. Therefore, each funded StART team will be expected to have either submitted a new external proposal by the end of the first year or to provide the Science Alliance with a draft proposal that will be submitted within three months of the end of the performance period for the award. This proposal must include support for all UT and ORNL principal investigators. Second-year funding will only be available to teams that provide the above mentioned proposal to the Science Alliance team. These proposals will count as the proposal submission for year two internal funding as well.

A review committee appointed by the director of Science Alliance will review the proposals and make recommendations for funding. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

• Technical merit of the proposed research 
• Potential for the establishment of a meaningful and sustainable collaboration with ORNL, including joint publications, student mentoring, team development, etc. 
• Inclusion of graduate students in the research 
• Likelihood for future external funding and target funding call/notice 

A complete year-one application will include the following: 

A. Research Proposal (3-page max, add additional pages for references) 

• Project summary written for a general audience (150-word max) 
• Description of the proposed research 
• Description of specific funding opportunities that will be targeted for future support inclusive of funding agency, program manager/officer and prior interactions with funder 
• Description of all of your prior affiliations, collaborations, and publications with ORNL, and how this project represents a new interaction in a new scientific/engineering area 
• Description of expected extended collaborations with your ORNL colleagues, for example: joint faculty opportunities, student mentoring, team development, publications,etc. 

B. Appendices 

• Appendix A: Budget and budget justification* (template available via InfoReady listed under the Competition file section – top right side) 
• Appendix B: A letter from the ORNL PI supporting the partnership and outlining the level of commitment 
• Appendix C: A one-page bio for each UT/ORNL PI that includes most recent grants, professional awards, and recent relevant publications 

A complete second-year renewal application will include the following: 

A. Research Proposal Prepared for External Funding Agency (format will vary based on target agency) 

B. Appendices 

• Appendix A: Budget and budget justification* (template available via InfoReady listed under the Competition file section – top right side) 
• Appendix B: An endorsement letter from the ORNL investigator stating the specific impact of the previous year’s partnership and their desire to continue with the partnership 
• Appendix C: A one-page bio for each PI that includes most recent grants, professional awards, and recent relevant publications of both the UT and ORNL investigators 

Allowable costs include: 

• Graduate student support 
• Undergraduate student support 
• Postdoc support 
• Supplies 
• Other incidentals to support the research 
• Academic year and/or summer salary (applicable to all colleges) allowed up to a maximum of $5,000 per year, inclusive of benefits 
• Benefits for all personnel 
• Individuals’ accrued benefits before participating in the StART program with a department head letter covering accrued annual leave 

Unallowable costs include: 

• Membership fees 
• Conference registrations 
• Equipment is discouraged and is unlikely to be awarded. 
• Travel – except where travel is necessary to meet with ORNL collaborators or external funding agencies and/or program 
• Expenditures above 5% outside the budget categories require approval from the Science Alliance director. 
• F&A charged to the project 

IMPORTANT: If the project is selected for funding, the funds must be used as requested in your project budget unless prior approval is granted, and unused funds will be reclaimed at the end of the project year.