2018 URA Visiting Scholars Program

August 14, 2018Posted in:

If you are interested in submitting a URA Visiting Scholars proposal, the fall deadline is Monday, August 27, 2018.

Synopsis of Program:

The URA Visiting Scholars Program at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory was established in 2007 as a five-year program to support visits by researchers from the Universities Research Association, Inc. (URA) institutions to work at Fermilab for periods of up to one year. URA renewed the program for an additional five years. Resources for this program are made available by the 89 URA member institutions, each of which contributes $5,000 a year.

Visits can range from attendance at Fermilab conferences and summer schools to year-long stays at the Lab. Proposals may be submitted twice a year, in February and August. Support provided by the program may include the following: travel and local lodging expenses during a series of short visits or salary support and round trip travel expenses for an extended visit. Individual proposals may be submitted by researchers who are faculty, postdocs, or graduate students at URA member institutions. Individual awards may be up to a maximum of $50,000 in any twelve-month period with a lifetime maximum award total of $50,000 per individual.

Application Proposal Requirements: Individual Applications

Proposals must be submitted on-line. To register, visit the VSP site. You will be asked to provide a username and email address; a registration confirmation and password will be sent to the email address submitted, providing access to the VSP site.

Page limit: 12 pages, plus supporting materials (see below)

Format: one-inch margins, font minimum 11 or 12 pt., common typeface (e.g., Arial, Palatino, Georgia), pages numbered

Proposals must include the following:

Online Cover Sheet(Please complete all required fields)

TAB 1 – Applicant information

TAB 2 – Title (objective) of proposed activity

  • Brief description of the proposed research activity
  • Provide Fermilab sponsor/collaborator contact information. An automated request to provide a letter of support will be sent to the Fermilab sponsor’s email address provided by the applicant. The email will contain a link to the site where the letters of support should be uploaded
  • Upload proposal, budget and bio-sketch documents:
    • Project Description – eight pages maximum: The project proposal should describe the proposed activity and its scientific and/or educational merit, and explain how URA funding will facilitate the proposed activity
    • Recipients of previous URA Visiting Scholars awards are expected to discuss accomplishments under the earlier award in their new proposal and include a copy of the URA VSP Project Report submitted at the close of the previously funded project
    • Budget – each proposal must contain a one page budget justification. Expenses must be itemized by type and cost
    • Bio sketch – two pages maximum

TAB 3 – Email addresses of References

  • Provide name and email address of reference(s). An automated email request to provide a letter of support will be sent to the reference(s) along with a link to the site where the letters of support should be uploaded.
  • Letters of Support Required:
    • Letter from Fermilab sponsor/collaborator
    • For a graduate student applicant: a letter from the faculty adviser supporting the application and detailing provisions for supervision of the student during the visit
    • For postdocs: a letter from the faculty adviser supporting the application
    • Letter from Grants or Sponsored Research Office of the home institution waiving indirect costs
    • Optional: Additional letters of support may be submitted, but are not required

TAB 4 – Sources of Support

  • Indicate dollar amount requested, proposed start date, and project duration
  • Other sources of support for proposed work and month/year of prior VS award support (if any)

TAB 5 – Grants or Sponsored Research Office contact information

  • Provide contact information for Grant Officer
  • Read and accept the terms and conditions of the Visiting Scholars Program
  • Confirm accuracy of information provided and applicant identity

Application Proposal Requirements: Fermilab-Sponsored Visits for Group Activity (e.g., conferences, workshops, summer schools)

  • Page limit: 12 pages, plus supporting materials (see below)
  • Format: one inch margins, font minimum 11 or 12 pt., common typeface (e.g., Arial, Palatino, Georgia), pages numbered
  • Group proposals are to be fully developed with all of the required documentation which must include the following:

On-Line Cover Sheet (Please complete all required fields)

TAB 1 – Applicant and co-applicant information.

TAB 2 – Title (objective) of proposed activity

  • Brief description of the proposed research activity.
  • Upload proposal, budget and bio-sketch documents:
    • Project Description – eight pages maximum: The project proposal should describe the proposed activity and its scientific and/or educational merit, and explain how URA funding will facilitate the proposed activity
    • Recipients of previous URA Visiting Scholars awards are expected to discuss accomplishments under the earlier award in their new proposal and include a copy of the URA VSP Project Report submitted at the close of the previously funded project
    • Budget – each proposal must contain a one page budget justification. Expenses and their relation to the proposed activities must be specified and itemized by attendee, indicating attendee length of stay at Fermilab for this activity (one night; two days, etc.), and type of travel reimbursement costs requested
    • Bio sketch – two pages maximum for each applicant

TAB 3 – Email addresses of References / Fermilab Endorsement

  • Provide name and email address of Fermilab’s Deputy Director and, as appropriate, the Chief Research Officer, Chief Information Officer or Chief Accelerator Officer, depending on focus of proposed activity. The Fermilab sponsor will receive an automated email request to provide a letter of endorsement. Contained in the email request will be a link to the site where the letter of endorsement should be uploaded
  • Optional: Additional letters of support may be submitted, but are not required

TAB 4 – Sources of Support

  • Indicate amount requested, proposed start date, and project duration
  • Other sources of support for proposed work and month/year of prior VS award support (if any)

TAB 5 – Grants or Sponsored Research Office contact information

  • Provide contact information for Fermilab’s Grant Officer
  • Read and accept the terms and conditions of the Visiting Scholars Program
  • Confirm accuracy of information provided and applicant identity

 ***
Per Illinois Tech policy, all grant applications (federal and non-federal) must be reviewed, signed, and submitted by the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs regardless of the amount of the request. Complete your routing sheet as soon as possible via Cayuse SP. The Cayuse SP link is found under the Research Tab in the myIIT portal. Contact osrp@iit.edu or call at 312.567.3035 for more information on submitting a proposal.