Proposal Content & Preparation

To submit a proposal the PI will establish a user name and a password. The PI will then go through a series of questions establishing a personal and statistical profile for him/herself, all co-PIs and ALL collaborators. There are two basic files that will need to be uploaded as PDF files for the pre-proposal and three files for the full proposal:

1. The body of the pre-/full proposal (see content of the pre-/full proposals below) - this consists of all parts except the budget (with the pre-proposal) and the budget and the current and pending form (with the full proposal)
2. The second file will be the budget form - this will consist of 3 pages for Years 1, 2 and a cumulative page, unless the proposal has funds going to more than one location. In this regard more than one budget file will need to be uploaded
3. The third (ONLY needed for the full proposal) will be the current and pending support form (C&P-Form)
4. Collaborations are to be documented with letters, that are to be incorporated in the collaboration summaray of the main body of the pre/full proposal: separate uploads of letters are not acceptable.

Your Pre-/Full proposals should present the:

• objectives and scientific/technical significance of the proposed project
• relevance to the overall stated mission of the MagLab User Collaboration Grants Program, i.e.
  1. utilize the MagLab facilities to carry out high quality high field research at the forefront of science and engineering; and
  2. advance the MagLab facilities and their scientific and technical capabilities.
• suitability of the methods employed
• qualifications of the investigator(s)
• amount of funding required.

FORMAT
The font used must be a standard 12 point in Times New Roman for the body of the pre/full proposal and any equations you may have. The symbols font must be used for any Greek letters you may use. The text must be double-spaced, and established page limits must be followed.

Skip to Full-Proposal

Pre-proposal Content

For complete NSF's Policies and Procedures please click here.

1. Body of pre-proposal

• Content (up to 3 pages, double-spaced) - The body of the pre-proposal must address and contain four specific sections:
  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Scientific impact
  4. Facilities impact
• References Cited - Citations must be complete (including full name of authors, article title, journal name, volume, page number and year). There is no page limit for this section.
• Biographical Sketches (up to 2 pages per PI) - Biographical sketches are limited to two pages and are required for all senior personnel.
• Prior UCGP Support - All prior UCGP support received by the PI, any co-PI, or any collaborator on this pre-proposal -- serving in any capacity on a prior UCGP award -- must be reported in the following format:
  • Name, Prior UCGP-Funded Proposal Title, Proposal PI (if different), Award Years, Total Award Amount.
  NOTE: During the online submission process, additional data about prior UCGP support will be required. Specifically, be prepared to enter: results (abbreviated summary), publications, grants, patents, theses, and facility enhancements
• Budget Justification (1 page)
• Collaboration Summary (1 page plus letters) - This section is only required for collaborative projects. Any collaboration must be described and documented with a letter from each collaborator..

2. Budget Pages one for each year and a cumulative page (from Budget-Form) If the proposal also has funds going to another co-PI submit the appropriate number of budget files to show this transaction.

• Projects are ordinarily to be of 1-2 year duration. Each proposal must contain a budget for each year of support requested and a cumulative budget for the full term of requested support. Collaborations across host institutional boundaries should provide separate annual budgets for each institution, plus provide a summary budget for the year, i.e., as for a multi-institutional grant. The proposal may request funds under any of the categories listed so long as the item and amount are considered necessary to perform the proposed work and are not precluded by specific program guidelines.
  
  Normally, per explicit NSF guidelines, funded projects can not send research funds to non-MagLab institutions. Collaborators from external institutions (i.e., postdoctoral fellows and students) who are critical to the proposed projects can in principal request full or part-time appointments at one of the host institutions under the direction of a senior MagLab collaborator. The degree of cost-sharing must reflect their degree of involvement in the project research. Detailed justification is required. [Exceptions to this rule may be considered where there is a clear and sufficient impact to (or opportunity for) facility enhancement which requires significant off-site participation from external users. Questions regarding this important issue should be directed to the MagLab Research Program Coordinator or the MagLab Research Program Director well in advance of the proposal submission deadline.]
  
  (a)         Salaries and Wages (Lines A and B on the Budget-Form)
  Summer (or partial) salary for senior investigators is discouraged. Summer (or partial) salary for junior investigators will be considered on an individual basis. Similarly, consideration may be given for requests for salary for investigators who receive less than 9 months of salary from their respective institution. These requests must be strongly justified.
  
  The names of the PI(s), faculty, and other senior personnel and the estimated number of academic-year or summer person-months for which NSF funding is requested should be listed. For postdoctoral associates and other professionals, each position must be listed, with the number of full-time-equivalent person-months and rate of pay (hourly, monthly or annual). For graduate and undergraduate students, whose time will be charged directly to the project, only the total number of persons and total amount of salaries per year in each category is required. Salaries requested must be consistent with the organization's regular practices. Budgets may request funds for support of graduate or undergraduate research assistants to help carry out the proposed research. Compensation classified as salary payments should be requested in the salaries and wages category. Any direct costs requested for tuition remission should be listed under "Other Direct Costs". Salary for secretarial, clerical, and technical support personnel would normally not be provided.
  
  Graduate and/or postdoctoral support for research at other than MagLab host institutions will be considered in exceptional cases provided it is critical to the advancement of the project and it represents a demonstrably more effective way to stimulate the research or facility enhancement. It is understood that such support should also reflect a significant on-site presence of the individual at one of the host institutions, e.g., approximately 50% of the effort at a host institution.
  
  (b)        Fringe Benefits (Line C Budget-Form)
  If the grantee's usual accounting practices provide that its contributions to employee be treated as direct costs, funds may be requested to defray such expenses as a direct cost, but only in proportion to salaries and wages requested in the budget.
  
  (c)        Equipment (Line D Budget-Form)
  Equipment is defined as an item of property that has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more (unless the organization has established lower levels) and an expected service life of more than one year. Items of needed equipment should be listed individually by description and estimated cost, including tax, and adequately justified. Allowable items will ordinarily be limited to research equipment and apparatus equipment, such as a personal computer, is not eligible for support unless primarily or exclusively used in the actual conduct of scientific research. Justification must be provided for all requested equipment. If a product of the proposed research represents a significant and critical enhancement of user facilities, a more extensive equipment budget to develop the user instrumentation package would be considered. The PI is advised to discuss this with the MagLab Research Program Director in advance of the proposal submission.
  
  (d)        Travel (Line E Budget-Form)
  Travel costs between the investigators' work site and the MagLab are allowed. Allowance for air travel will not exceed the cost of round-trip, economy air accommodations. Travel (typically one individual) to attend up to one U.S. conference per year where the results of the project will be disseminated may also be included. Travel to the MagLab by collaborators should be listed under Line E, rather than under Line F (Participant Support Costs). All travel must be justified.
  
  (e)        Other Direct Costs (Lines G1-6 Budget-Form)
  Any costs charged to the project must be reasonable and directly allocable to the supported activity. The budget should identify and itemize other anticipated direct costs not included under the headings above, including materials and supplies, publication costs, computer services and consultant services.
  
  Materials and Supplies: The budget should indicate in general terms the type of expendable materials and supplies required, with their estimated costs. The breakdown should be more detailed when the cost is substantial.
  
  Publication/Documentation/Dissemination: The budget may request funds for the costs of documenting, preparing, publishing or otherwise making available to others the findings and products of the project. This generally includes the following types of activities: reports, reprints, page charges or other journal costs (except costs for prior or early publication); necessary illustrations, cleanup, documentation, storage and indexing of data and data bases; and storage, preservation, documentation, indexing, etc., of physical specimens, collections or fabricated items.
  
  Consultant Services: Such services are ordinarily strongly discouraged, but may be considered in unique situations. Please discuss any questions regarding sub-awards with the MagLab Research Program Coordinator or the MagLab Research Program Director well in advance of the proposal submission deadline.
  
  Computer Services: The cost of computer services, including supercomputer facilities, computer-based retrieval of scientific, technical and educational information, may be requested. A justification/explanation based on the established computer service rates at the proposing organization should be included. Actual acquisition of computers should be requested as items of equipment and justified in terms of their necessity for the activity proposed.
  
  Sub-awards: Sub-awards are ordinarily strongly discouraged, but may be considered in unique situations. Please discuss any questions regarding sub-awards with the MagLab Research Program Coordinator or the MagLab Research Program Director well in advance of the full proposal submission deadline.
  
  Other: Tuition remission for graduate students, if applicable, should be entered here.
  
  (f)        Total Direct Costs (Line H Budget-Form)
  The total amount of direct costs requested by the PI, to include Lines A through G, should be entered on Line H.
  
  (g)        Indirect Costs (Line I Budget-Form)
  In computing indirect costs for a proposal, individuals should use the indirect cost rate(s) negotiated by the relevant local host institution (FSU, UF or LANL) with the cognizant Federal negotiating agency (unless the overhead is waived, in which case no overhead is shown). Proposals involving a collaboration across institutional boundaries should load individual direct costs in accord with where they reside or are utilized. Proposals shall conform with local institutional procedures regarding proposal submission to an external agency. The actual indirect costs charged on awards to FSU, UF and LANL will be handled by the MagLab Grants offices in accordance with the MagLab Operating Agreement.
  
  (h)        Total Direct and Indirect Costs (Line J Budget-Form)
  The total amount of direct and indirect costs (addition of Lines H and I) should be entered on Line J.
  
  (i)        Unallowable Costs
  
  Costs of entertainment, amusement, diversion and social activities and any costs directly associated with such activities (such as tickets to shows or sports events, meals, lodging, rentals, transportation and gratuities) are unallowable. Expenses of grantee employees who are not on travel status are unallowable. This includes cases where they serve as hosts or otherwise participate at meals that are primarily social occasions involving speakers or consultants. Costs of employees on travel status are limited to those allowed under the governing cost principles for travel expenses. No NSF funds may be spent on meals or coffee breaks for intramural meetings of an organization or any of its components, including, but not limited to, laboratories, departments and centers. Finally, no NSF funds may be spent on alcoholic beverages.
  

Full-proposal Content

Develop the full proposal, budget and C&P support forms according to the following instructions. These documents will be submitted online. The NSF Proposal Cover Sheet is required in paper form since signatures are required. The cover sheet must be submitted to the UCGP Coordinator immediately after the online submission. Proposers should follow their home institution's procedures regarding other requirements, and allow sufficient time in advance of the deadline for processing.

1. Body of full-proposal

• Project Summary (one page) - must contain a summary of the proposed activity, not more than one page in length. It should not be an abstract of the proposal, but rather a self-contained description of the activity that would result if the proposal were funded. The summary should be written in the third person and include a statement of objectives, methods to be employed, and the significance of the proposed activity to the advancement of knowledge. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and, insofar as possible, understandably to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader.
• Table of Contents
• Project Description (up to 12 pages, double spaced)- Brevity will assist reviewers in dealing effectively with proposals. Thus this section may not exceed 12 double-spaced pages, including all visual materials, graphs, and other pictorial presentations. The text font and size should be Times New Roman, 12 point; use Symbol font for Greek letters. The project description should be a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and should include: objectives for the period of the proposed work and expected significance, relations to the present state of knowledge in the field, to work in progress by the PI under other support, and to work in progress elsewhere. The statement should outline the general plan of work, including the broad design of activities to be undertaken, an adequate description of experimental methods and procedures. Additionally, the description must describe the project's relevance to the MagLab Research Program objectives, i.e., how does the project utilize, enhance, require and/or impact the facility, its capabilities, and its expertise. If the project proposes to create a user facility, the proposal should clearly define what deliverables will remain at the end of the project. Any substantial collaboration should be detailed in the Collaboration Summary. Where applicable, full proposals must include a succinct detailing of human-resources development of the postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels. Particular attention should be given to the role of women and under-represented minorities.
• References Cited - Citations must be complete (including full name of authors, article title, journal name, volume, page number and year). There is no page limit for this section.
• Biographical Sketches (up to 2 pages per PI) - Biographical sketches are limited to two pages and are required for all senior personnel.
• Prior UCGP Support - All prior UCGP support received by the PI, any co-PI, or any collaborator on this pre-proposal -- serving in any capacity on a prior UCGP award -- must be reported in the following format:
  • Name, Prior UCGP-Funded Proposal Title, Proposal PI (if different), Award Years, Total Award Amount.
  NOTE: During the online submission process, additional data about prior UCGP support will be required. Specifically, be prepared to enter: results (abbreviated summary), publications, grants, patents, theses, and facility enhancements
• Budget Justification (1 page)If the project will require over 1500 liters of liquid helium, or over 200 hours of shop times that will come from MagLab resources and is therefore not budgeted as a direct cost on the budget, the budget justification must provide estimates of these resources to be used by the project.
• Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources (optional) - This information is used to assess the adequacy of the organizational resources available to perform the effort proposed. Proposers should describe only those resources that are directly applicable.
• Collaboration Summary (1 page plus letters) - This section is only required for collaborative projects. Any collaboration must be described and documented with a letter from each collaborator. Collaboration letters must be short, (one sentence) and not endorsements of the PI or the project. The recommened NSF format, slighly modified, is:
  If the proposal submitted by Dr. [insert the full name of the Principal Investigator] entitled [insert the proposal title] is selected for funding , it is my intent to [insert nature of collaboration or enhancement use, and/or resources to be provided] as detailed in the collaboration summary.

2. Budget Pages one for each year and a cumulative page (form Budget-Form). If the proposal also has funds going to a co-PI submit the appropriate number of budget files to show this transaction. (see budget detail explanation under Pre-proposal content above)

3. Current and Pending Support (C&P-Form) - This form calls for required information on all current and pending support for ongoing projects and proposals, including subsequent funding in the case of continuing grants. All current project support from whatever source. (e.g., Federal, State or local government agencies, private foundations, industrial or other commercial organizations) must be listed. The proposed project and all other projects or activities requiring a portion of time of the PI and other senior personnel should be included, even if they receive no salary support from the project(s). The number of person-months per year to be devoted to the project must be stated, regardless of source of support. Similar information must be provided for all proposals already submitted or submitted concurrently to other possible sponsors, including NSF. Proposals submitted to the MagLab - UCGP must not overlap, but may be complementary with existing projects. Similarly, proposals must differ in a substantive manner from proposals previously submitted by the PI for which support was denied based upon a merit-review process.