Funding Opportunities and Sabbatical support
Physics is not a religion. If it were, we'd have a much easier time raising money.— Leon Lederman
National Science Foundation
Use these links to prepare and submit NSF proposals and reports.
NSF proposal and report links
- Grant Proposal Guide contains instructions for preparation and submission of proposals
- Target Dates for FY08 Proposals , NSF 07-036 (posted May 3, 2007)
- NSF "Broader Impacts " review criterion expanded (April 2008)—Required for ALL Proposals; proposals that do not address the "broader impact" criterion in both the one-page project summary and the fifteen-page project description are being returned without review; examples.
- FastLane is the NSF electronic system for submitting proposals and reports. Under the mandate of the current Administration, it is gradually being phased out in favor of Grants.gov. The implementation plan is available here. Celia Elliott is the FastLane maven for Physics.
- Fastlane FAQs
- FastLane Demo (practice using the FastLane system)
- Deadlines for Annual Progress Reports—Annual progress reports are due 90 days prior to the expiration date of THIS YEAR's funding. For example if the anniversary date of your grant is July 2008, the deadline for your progress report is April 30, 2008, even though that's only nine months into the grant. The NSF will not process the paperwork (or release the money) for the next increment of the grant until the progress report is received.
- Directorate of Math, Physical Sciences (MPS)
- Division of Materials Research (DMR)
- Division of Physics (PHY)
- Directorate for the Biological Sciences (BIO)
- "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" Supplements
- Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities, NSF 02-115
Instrumentation for Materials Research (IMR), NSF 07-600
The IMR program supports the acquisition or development of research instruments that will provide new capability and/or advance current capability to: (1) discover fundamental phenomena in materials; (2) synthesize, process, and/or characterize the composition, structure, properties, and performance of materials; and (3) improve the quality, expand the scope, and foster and enable the integration of research and education in research-intensive environments.
Full Proposal Deadline Date: January 10, 2008; second Thursday in January annually, thereafter; no campus pre-competition required.
Major Research Instrumentation Program, NSF 07-510
The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program is designed to increase access to scientific and engineering equipment for research and research training in our Nation's academic institutions. This program seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of research and research training in science and engineering, and to foster the integration of research and education by providing instrumentation for research-intensive learning environments. The MRI program encourages the development and acquisition of research instrumentation for shared use across academic departments, among research institutions, and in concert with private sector partners. The MRI program assists in the acquisition or development of major research instrumentation by U.S. institutions that is, in general, too costly for support through other NSF programs. The maintenance and technical support associated with these instruments is also supported. Proposals may be for a single instrument, a large system of instruments, or multiple instruments that share a common or specific research focus.
A campus pre-selection is mandatory; details are available from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, typically about two months before the NSF deadline. The NSF deadline for receipt of proposals is the fourth Thursday in January.
Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)
The MURI awards are made in research topics specified by the participating defense agencies each year that the program is in force. Specified topics change each year. Awards are typically for a period of three years (funded incrementally or as options) with two additional years possible as options to bring the total award to five-years, and at a funding level ranging from half a million to about a million dollars per year, with the size of the award dependent upon the topic, technical goals, and availability of appropriations.
Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)
A multi-agency DoD program within the University Research Initiative, DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of U.S. institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment.
DURIP funds are to be used for the acquisition of major equipment to augment current or develop new research capabilities in support of DoD-relevant research. Proposals may request $50,000 to $1,000,000. Cost sharing is encouraged. Proposals for purely instructional equipment are not eligible. General-purpose computing facilities are not appropriate for DURIP funding, but requests for computers for DoD-relevant research programs are appropriate. Funds under DURIP will not be used for construction, including building or facilities modification.
National Institutes of Health
Increasingly, research in biological physics is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their programs and procedures are quite different from NSF, and they, too, are transitioning to Grants.gov for proposal submission.
NIH proposal links
Department of Energy, Office of Science Research Programs
Use these links to prepare and submit DOE proposals. Note that effective October 1, 2005, all proposals to DOE must be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov website.
DOE proposal links
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Petroleum Research Fund (PRF)
The Petroleum Research Fund has a variety of grant programs to support basic research in the physical sciences, including summer research fellowships and special workshops
Applications for research grants may be submitted throughout the year; there are no deadlines. The PRF Advisory Board meets to review proposals three times a year, in February, May, and October (previously November). Applications should be received at least four months before an Advisory Board meeting. Prospective applicants are encouraged to call the PRF office for current information on dates of submission and consideration.
The PRF program is administered by the American Chemical Society.
office of the vice chancellor for research (OVCR) —matching funds
The Office of the Vice Chancellor administers requests for matching funds for individual research proposals. To qualify for matching funds, a proposal must meet three criteria: 1) matching funds must be required by a federal agency and this requirement must be printed in the directions (request for proposals) available to the investigators; 2) the proposal must be reviewed and grant awarded through a competitive process; and 3) the topic of the proposal must be research.
To obtain matching funds from the OVCR, the principal investigator should first contact the OVCR in email, providing documentation that the proposal fulfills the above three criteria. Next, the PI should complete an online application. A University netid and bluestem authentication is required to access the application materials. Generally the OVCR will provide 30 percent of the total cash match required. The remaining 70 percent is to be provided by the PI's department and college. At the time the PI is notified that the OVCR will provide 30 percent of the required cash matching funds, an internal letter of agreement will be sent to the PI, who must provide the needed information, obtain appropriate signatures and return the internal letter of agreement to the OVCR. Additional information is available in a help document. Once an application has been created, the PI can track its progress online.
Campus Research Board
The Campus Research Board provides limited funds for faculty needing "bridge" funding or "seed" funding. Applications are accepted monthly throughout the academic year, but faculty are advised to apply earlier rather than later. Funds may be used for graduate student support and equipment; support for postdocs is not provided.
Campus Research Board links
- Proposal Deadlines and Submission Information
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Downloadable Application Forms
- You may also submit an application to the Research Board online.
Critical Initiatives in research and scholarship Program
(formerly Critical Research Initiatives [CRI])
The campusCritical Initiatives in Research and Scholarship program is intended to provide support for broad multidisciplinary research themes that will position the campus to become a national or international leader in emerging areas of inquiry or scholarship.
Sabbatical Support
Download a sabbatical application form
The following agencies offer sabbatical support to US researchers:
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (requires nomination by German colleague)
von Humboldt Research Fellowships
German Chancellor Scholarships
Guggenheim Foundation Fellowships
(annual deadline for receipt of applications-October 1; application forms are available on-line after July 1)
UI–Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium)
Faculty Exchange Program (annual deadline for receipt of applications--November 20 for spring/summer appointments; March 25 for fall
appointments) Contact Institutional and Faculty International Collaborations, Room 328 International Studies Bldg, for further information
Fullbright Senior Scholars Program
(annual deadline for receipt of applications-August 1)
Japan Association for the Advancement of Science
(requires nomination by a Japanese colleague)
If you know of other agencies that should be added to this list, please inform the webmaster.
