Office of Science Early Career Research Program
The Office of Science of the Department of Energy has announced the fiscal year 2013 Early Career Research Program competition. Now in its fourth year, the ECRP supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the disciplines supported by the DOE Office of Science.
Opportunities exist in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP), and Nuclear Physics (NP).
Program Funding: It is anticipated that, subject to availability of funds, up to $10M will be available for 15-35 laboratory work authorization awards in FY 2013. The typical award size is expected to be $2,500,000 over five years. The minimum award size is $500,000 per year over five years. Investigators are encouraged to propose research expenditures as close to this funding minimum as possible. A minimum of 50% and up to 100% of the principal investigator's salary should be proposed.
Eligible Investigators: The Principal Investigator must be a full-time, permanent, non-postdoctoral national laboratory employee as of the deadline for the proposal. No more than ten (10) years can have passed between the year the Principal Investigator's Ph.D. was awarded and the year of the deadline for the proposal (for the present competition, those who received doctorates no earlier than 2002 are eligible).
Mandatory pre-applications are due Thursday, September 6, 2012, 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Only those proposers that receive notification from DOE encouraging a formal proposal may submit full proposals. Formal proposals will be due to DOE by Monday, November 26, 2012, 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Deadlines for LBNL divisions will be announced shortly. Faculty must apply through their campus to the separate funding opportunity for universities.
Comprehensive guidance will be sent to divisions, posted on the internal Early Career website and provided through Today at Berkeley Lab (TABL). Director Alivisatos will host a Town Hall on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 from 12 noon to 1:30 PM in the 50 Auditorium.
KEY ACTIONS TO TAKE NOW:
- Tell your Divisional Points Of Contact (POC) that you intend to submit a pre-application. The POC will help with items 2-4 below and must certify that your pre-proposal matches the program requirements.
- Confirm that you are eligible.
- Ensure that your research idea fits within the scope of the Lab's programs currently funded by the DOE Office of Science and addresses the programs as described in the Program Announcement (pages 5-39).
- Register for the new DOE Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS). Both the Principal Investigator and anyone submitting on their behalf will need to register and should do so in advance of the pre-proposal submission deadline. It is essential to follow the Berkeley Lab-specific instructions posted on the Early Career website.