The Office of Foundation Relations is pleased to share this open call for Letters of Inquiry from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
UCSC Contact: Sarah Carle | sacarle@ucsc.edu
Funder: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Opportunity: Interdisciplinary Social and Natural Science Research Projects on Critical Minerals and Metals|
Deadline: December 18, 2023, 5 pm EST
Overview
The Energy and Environment program at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supports research, training, networking, and dissemination efforts to inform the societal transition toward low-carbon energy systems in the United States by investigating economic, environmental, technological, and distributional issues. The program is currently soliciting Letters of Inquiry for interdisciplinary, collaborative, social and natural science research projects led by early- and mid-career scholars to examine under-explored questions related to issues associated with critical minerals and metals for the low-carbon energy transition in the United States. Three to four full proposals are expected to be invited from submissions received in response to this Call. Grant amounts are expected to be between $500,000 and $750,000 over a 2-3 year period.
The goal of this Call is to be broadly relevant to a wide range of social science scholars, disciplines, and approaches, particularly those projects that involve researchers from engineering and natural science disciplines, as well as those that draw on a variety of conceptual frameworks and methodologies, ensuring that novel research is generated, students are trained, networks are strengthened, and information is disseminated to inform decision-making.
Award Amount & Terms
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Sloan expects to make 3-4 grants over the next year
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Total funding requests are allowed between $500,000 and $750,000 over a 2-3 year period
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For faculty: up to one-month summer salary per investigator per year, plus benefits, capped at $35,000 per investigator per year, based on project time commitment.
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For graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, or undergraduate students: salary/stipend, plus benefits, based on project time commitment.
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Tuition reimbursement: Requests for graduate student tuition reimbursement are allowed up to a maximum of $16,000 per student per academic year, provided justification is provided.
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Eligibility
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Researchers who have not previously received funding from the Energy and Environment program at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation are particularly encouraged to submit for consideration.
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Lead principal investigator must be Assistant or Associate Professor, or in equivalent positions, based at United States universities or colleges.
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Submissions from diverse teams led by Black, Indigenous, and Latina/o researchers and/or women are strongly encouraged. Submissions from researchers based at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are strongly encouraged, either as lead primary investigators or in team member roles.
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Senior researchers and non-U.S.-based researchers may participate in proposed projects and can receive funding as research team members, advisors, or collaborators.
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Researchers may participate in a maximum of two proposed projects.
Timeline
- Submissions due: December 18, 2023, by 5pm EST
- Award decisions By June 2024.
Special Instructions
Please notify the Office of Foundation Relations if you are interested in applying to this opportunity (cfr@ucsc.edu). For support developing your proposal, please contact the Research Development Specialist assigned to your unit or send a request to resdev@ucsc.edu. Within the Division of Social Sciences, please contact Ashlee Tews (ashleeac@ucsc.edu) to initiate notification and proposal support.
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 grant initiatives with educational and research programs and centers. FR supports faculty and staff to identify and approach these and other private foundations for funding, to assist in strategic positioning of the grant application, and to facilitate funder campus visits.
For a list of recent funding opportunities, please visit the FR website. FR Calls for Funding