Call for Proposals Information
FY 2014 Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program
Overview
The purpose of the LDRD program is to encourage innovation, creativity, originality, and quality to keep the Laboratory’s research activities and staff at the forefront of science and technology. The FY2014 LDRD program will have two types of proposals:
Lab-initiative proposals should foster the development of new teams and activities in areas that directly support the high level strategic goals of the Laboratory, see http://www.lbl.gov/LBL-Programs/. These proposals will be submitted to one of the strategic areas (NGLS Science, CC2.0, Biomanufacturing, and Big Data Science). They will be evaluated based on their alignment with the Lab’s strategic initiatives, the quality of the proposed research, and the ability to leverage the unique cross-divisional capabilities of the Lab. Lab-initiative proposals will be reviewed in two rounds, first by a committee formed and managed by the Initiative Review Lead, given below, and second by the Scientific Division Directors, Associate Laboratory Directors, and Senior Lab management. Proposals that are considered scientifically competitive by the first committee, but not well aligned with the Lab-initiative, will be automatically considered as an Area proposal.
Area proposals will be accepted in each of the scientific Areas of the Lab (Biosciences, Computing Sciences, Energy and Environment, General Sciences, and Photon Sciences). Area proposals will be evaluated based on their novelty and scientific quality, as well as the ability to introduce new research activities in areas important to one or more of the Scientific Divisions of the Lab. High-risk projects with the potential for high scientific impact are strongly encouraged.
For additional information about the purpose and implementation of the LDRD program at Berkeley Lab, please click the link below:
http://www.lbl.gov/DIR/assets/docs/LDRD_Guidelines_10-09-c.pdf
Requirements and Review Process
Proposals must be a maximum of 3 pages of text with up to 1 additional page for figures and references. Continuing project proposals must include within the 3 page limit a statement of progress to date, current fiscal year plans, as well as prospects for follow-on funding. Proposed work cannot supplement existing DOE projects, nor can it contain construction line-items or maintenance activities. The expected duration of projects started in FY14 is two years, with a third year available in outstanding and exemplary circumstances.
Lab-initiative proposals, as described above, will be reviewed in two rounds. Both rounds involve evaluation of the written proposal and an in-person presentation to a review team. The proposal text and presentation may be modified after the first round based on input from the review committee. The following LDRD Initiative Review Leads, will organize and manage the first round of review, including selection of other experts for the review committee. For the second review round, the set of related Lab-initiative proposals will be presented as a portfolio to a review committee of the Scientific Division Directors and other Senior Lab management. For the second presentation, the Initiative Review Lead will also be responsible for a coordinated presentation of the proposals and may include one or more of the PIs.
| Initiative Topic | LDRD Initiative Review Lead / Deputy |
| Advanced Photo Science | Bob Schoenlein |
| CC2.0 | Don De Paolo / Melissa Summers |
| Biomanufacturing | Jay Keasling / Ed Turano |
| Big Data Science | David Brown / Jonathan Carter |
Area Proposals: The Associate Laboratory Director and the Area Division Directors will review the proposals in their area; they may also include additional reviewers in the process. The PI will be involved in a single round of review involving the written proposal and a presentation to Area and Division management. The highly ranked Area Proposals will be presented by ALD or Division Director to the Lab Director and Deputy Lab Director for final ranking and funding level recommendations.
Proposals should be prepared carefully following the given specifications and requirements. Detailed Proposal Guidance is included with this Call. Proposals must have a Cover Sheet, Budget Request form, and NEPA/CEQA, Human Subject and Animal Use, and Intellectual Property forms. Budgets must include payroll burden, procurement burden and support burden, if applicable, along with scientific organization burden. General laboratory overhead (e.g., general and administrative overhead and site support) estimate should be included as a separate line item. Additional information about DOE requirements for the Laboratory LDRD proposal process can be found at the following web address: http://www.lbl.gov/DIR/LDRD/cfp/process.html
FY14 Lab-Initiative Priorities
As described above, Lab-initiative proposals must be aligned with one of the topics in the Lab Strategic Plan:
Carbon Cycle 2.0 (CC2.0): This year, we continue to encourage proposals that enhance the technical basis for the Carbon Cycle 2.0 initiative. (http://carboncycle2.lbl.gov). The CC2.0 initiative is entering a second phase where emphasis will be placed on fundamental science that may serve as a basis for radically new future technologies, and on translational research that can potentially accelerate the adoption of existing technology or move promising discoveries to a higher level of technology readiness. Cross-disciplinary and cross-divisional projects continue to be encouraged.
Photon Science: Proposals from all divisions that advance the boundaries of ultrafast photon science are also encouraged. These projects are expected to seed new science programs, initially using existing facilities, but eventually exploiting the unique capabilities of the proposed Next Generation Light Source (NGLS). Further details for the latter can be found at: http://sites.google.com/a/lbl.gov/ngp (for use only inside lbl.gov).
Biomanufacturing: We will also solicit proposals that address the integration of capabilities in the biosciences and the focused application of biological tools to solving problems in energy, environment, health, and manufacturing. These would include developing a biological manufacturing capability to create advanced energy sources, chemicals, and materials
Big Data Science: We also intend to fund proposals that address the use of large-scale computation and data science in areas of strategic importance to the lab. Of particular interest are topics related to the management and analysis of large-scale data from the laboratory’s scientific facilities. Proposals are encouraged in foundational area of computing research related to Scientific Data analysis, as well as cross-area collaborations to apply advanced computing and data analysis to scientific problems throughout the Lab.
FY14 Area Priorities
The Area LDRDs are encouraged in new “breakthrough” science areas. Within each Area, the particular research topics for which proposals are especially encouraged are:
- Biosciences: i) solutions to reduce the cost and impacts of energy production, ii) ecosystem research to improve environmental quality and sustainably optimize natural resource usage, iii) determining the interdependence between the environment and organismal health.
- Computing Sciences: i) mathematics applied to new science areas, ii) advanced networking for data-intensive sciences, iii) computing technology for “beyond CMOS” performance growth.
- Energy & Environmental Sciences: i) Mesoscale science, ii) sustainable chemistry and materials, iii) integrated assessment of water, energy, and climate, iv) technology for the developing world, v) ultrafast science
- General Sciences: novel scientific ideas, interdivisional proposals, and those topics that could lead to a major new initiative in the General Sciences.
- Photon Sciences: light source science and advanced hardware concepts.
Schedule and Support
The nominal schedule for the FY 2014 cycle is posted - see LDRD Review Schedule. Final detailed scheduling of the review period and any presentations will be arranged by the ALD and/or Director’s offices.
Investigators should work with their divisional or area support staff to prepare their LDRD proposals. Administrative questions on LDRD may be addressed to Darren Ho (dho@lbl.gov).