UT-ORII Seed Program

All UT faculty and ORNL staff members are eligible to apply. Foreign national PI‘s can submit proposals, but need to submit required documents for DOE approval when submitting this proposal. Please contact Lisa Lee, llee41@utk.edu, for details. Proposed projects should not duplicate or simply augment ongoing research programs at either UT or ORNL.

Competitive proposals will focus on the development of new multidisciplinary research programs that: 1) target large-scale extramural funding opportunities, 2) integrate two or more disciplines and 3) identify novel approaches to support graduate student training and talent development.

Progress will be assessed as follows:

• Six-Month Progress Report: Funded teams will provide a two-page report providing preliminary results and outlining how the funding has positioned the team for funding. Eligibility for year two funding will be forfeited if the report is not submitted on time or if insufficient progress is made.
• Engagement with Proposal Development Team: Funded teams must work with UT Knoxville’s Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development (ORIED) proposal development team as they prepare proposals to external sponsors.
• Proposal Submission (End of Year One): Each team must submit at least one extramural proposal at the end of year one. Second-year funding will be available only to teams that accomplish this goal.

A review committee appointed by the UT-ORII leadership team will review proposals and make recommendations for funding. The review panel membership will be drawn from ORNL corporate fellows, governor’s chairs, distinguished scientists, and other subject matter experts, as needed. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical merit of the proposed research
• Integration of novel graduate student training activities
• Likelihood for future external funding
• Potential for the establishment of a meaningful, sustained collaboration between the two institutions; including joint publications, student mentoring, team development, etc.

Proposals must include the following information:

A. Cover Page

• PI names, positions and institutions
• Project title

B. Research Proposal (6-page max with 12-point font, not including references)

• Project Summary written for a general audience (150-word max)
• Description of the proposed research (including overarching goal and specific aims, approaches to be employed)
• Description of how this project addresses specific topic areas of the call
• Description of innovative approaches to graduate student training and inclusion of data science knowledge and skills development
• Summary, including a broader impact statement of how the proposed project aligns with the missions of UT and ORNL

C. Appendices

• Appendix A: A budget*
• Appendix B: A letter of commitment from all senior personnel, including continued funding for each GRA supported on the project until completion of their degree.
• Appendix C: A one-page bio for each PI and senior personnel that includes external grants over the past five years, professional awards, and five most recent publications
• Evidence of successful UT-ORNL collaborations should be included, if available

To be considered for support in year two, funded teams must prepare proposals that include the following information:

A. Cover Page

• PI names, positions, and institutions
• Project title

B. Five-page summary of progress in year one

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

D. Appendices

• Appendix A: A budget*
• Appendix B: An endorsement letter from each investigator committing to the objectives in the proposal.
• Appendix C: A one-page bio for each PI that includes most recent grants, professional awards and relevant publications

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) are allowed up to a maximum of $5,000 per year, inclusive of benefits
• Benefits for all personnel

Unallowable costs include:

• Membership fees
• Conference registrations
• Individuals’ accrued benefits before participating in UT-ORII’s seed funding program require a department head letter covering accrued annual leave.
• Equipment is discouraged and is unlikely to be awarded.
• Computers
• Travel – except where travel is necessary to meet with ORNL collaborators or external funding agencies and/or program officers
• Expenditures above 5% outside the budget categories require approval from the program 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. Unused funds will be reclaimed at the end of the project year.