Limited Submission – W.M. Keck Foundation – Keck Research Program

Nov 14, 2022 | Awards & Funding, Research

To: All Divisional Faculty & Researchers
From: Office of Foundation and Corporate Relations
Subject: Funding Opportunity

On behalf of the Offices of Research and Foundation Relations, we are pleased to announce the Internal Call for Proposals for the W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program.

Interested faculty are invited to speak with either Sarah Carle or Heather Bell directly, if they have questions about the process or requirements.

Click on the link below to view more information. Thank you!

    • Internal Submission Deadline: Monday, December 12, 2022
    • Cycle: 2023
    • Discipline/Subject Area: Medical Research and Science and Engineering
    • Funding Available: 2000000
    • Foundation Name: W.M. Keck Foundation
    • Foundation Program: W.M. Keck Research Program

Description: A joint announcement from the Offices of Research and Foundation Relations

W.M. Keck Foundation – Research Program – December Cycle 2023

Internal Deadline: December 12, 2022, 11:59 pm PST
Funder: W.M. Keck Foundation (WMKF)
Program: W.M. Keck Research Program
UCSC contacts: Sarah Carle | FR | sacarle@ucsc.edu or Heather Bell | OR | hmbell@ucsc.edu
Award Amount & Terms: Grants are typically ~ $2 million over 3 years.

Overview

The campus is soliciting internal 1-page concept papers for the WMKF 2023 Application Cycle (for awards to be made in December 2023). The WMKF’s two programs areas – Medical Research and Science and Engineering – support projects that:

  • Demonstrate a high level of risk due to unconventional approaches, or by challenging the prevailing paradigm – projects cannot be incremental advances of existing work;
  • Have the potential for transformative impact, such as the founding of a new field of research, the enabling of observations not previously possible, or the altered perception of a previously intractable problem;
  • Are innovative, distinctive and interdisciplinary;
  • Provide a novel “research resource” for the field (e.g., breakthrough technologies, instrumentation, or methodologies) that will allow for questions to be answered in new ways;
  • Fall outside the mission of public funding agencies (the foundation prioritizes projects that are deemed too risky and/or fall outside of scope by NSF, NIH, etc.);
  • Demonstrate that private philanthropy generally, and the WMKF in particular, is essential to the project’s success.

Important Information

  • WMKF rarely funds in areas that the foundation has supported within the past 5-10 years. Before submitting a concept paper, please review abstracts of past projects to see if your research would be a new direction for funding for the foundation.
  • Please do not contact WMKF directly, as the foundation follows a very formal protocol. When a project is selected, Sarah Carle, Executive Director of Foundation Relations, in coordination with Heather Bell, Director of Research Development in the Office of Research, will facilitate dialogue with the foundation’s program officer(s) as the designated campus liaison to WMKF.

To apply

To be considered for nomination, materials should be submitted via InfoReady. Select “Apply” from the menu on the right-hand side, complete the form, and upload the following:

I. A one-page Concept Paper (12-point Times New Roman, one-inch margins) describing your research project. Please use these headers (in bold):

  1. An overview of the research proposed emphasizing any unique aspects. This should outline how the work addresses the points outlined above (i.e., innovative, breakthrough approaches; transformative; high risk). Emphasize the impact the project will have in advancing the field.
  2. The goals and methodologies of the proposed research. How are you going to achieve the potential breakthrough?
  3. A brief description of the key personnel.
  4. Justification for Keck support. WMKF prioritizes projects that have been deemed too risky or that fall outside federal programmatic funding parameters. We highly recommend that you contact federal program officer(s) to solicit feedback on your idea. If you have submitted the proposed project to other funders, please include reviews and/or any details of communications you have had with program officers, etc. in Section II of your submission (see below).
  5. An estimated budget broken down by major areas (e.g., personnel, equipment, consumable supplies, etc. (budgets can be rough approximations at this stage). Keck does not fund indirect costs/overhead, student tuition, PI salaries >10% of the annual salary or renovations in excess of >10% of the request. Cost share is highly recommended for a competitive project (see below).

You are free to add other details (e.g., background to put the research into perspective, description of prominence in the field, etc.) if there is room. Avoid illustrations in these single- pagers; you will need all the room for text.

II. Cost share, space requirements, and proof of previous submissions (1 page maximum):

  1. A plan outlining the estimated amount and source of proposed cost-share to be requested to realize the project. Cost-share could include, but should not be limited to, the campus covering indirect costs/overhead. Common practice is to first get commitments from departments, then divisions. You will be required to attest that you have had preliminary discussions with appropriate department and/or divisional leaders regarding cost share proposed.
  2. Requirements for space to conduct the project.
  3. A list of any agencies to which the project has been submitted previously, as well as any comments received and/or a summary of discussions with program officers to whom you may have pitched the idea.

A faculty committee will review and select the most compelling Concept Papers for each program area for consideration by WMKF.Timeline

  • December 12, 2022, 11:59 pm PST: One-page Concept Paper with cost share summary due via InfoReady.
  • December 21, 2022: Following the internal campus review and down-select process, PI finalists notified. FR Office will submit Concept Papers for consultation with Keck program officers (consultation window is January 1- February 15). Note: PIs will not be on the call per WMKF requirements.
  • February 25, 2023: Final project(s) selected to submit Phase I Application based on consultation with program officers. The FR office will work with selected PIs and OR to submit the application by the deadline.
  • May 1, 2023: Phase I Application due 4:30 pm PDT on W.M. Keck Foundation web portal.
  • July 15, 2023: Notification if invited to submit full Phase II proposal.
  • August 15, 2023: Phase II Full Proposal due (if invited).
  • December 2023: Final decision made by WMKF; if selected, project would begin January 2024.

Call Sent: November 14, 2022

The Office of Foundation Relations is a unit of University Relations. The FR team creates and maintains mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with private organizations, matching funding initiatives with educational and research programs and centers. For a list of recent funding opportunities, please visit the FR website. FR Calls for Funding

If you have any questions or comments, please contact sacarle@ucsc.edu
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