The Sustainability Next Institute Strategic Plan initiative will provide seed grants to support interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary Climate & Sustainability research initiatives. Sustainability here is understood to be encompassing of environmental and/or social sustainability as captured by the UN Sustainable Development Goal framework. Where proposals are rated similarly, proposals addressing climate adaptation and mitigation or proposals clearly addressing environmental justice and equity considerations will be given preference. Proposals can be of two kinds: Aligned with the EVPR “Forming Teams” award type (budget $10-20K) and “Moving Teams Forward” award type (budget $30-50K). There will be approximately $250K of funding for this award cycle. The submission deadline for the Spring 2024 competition is May 24, 2024. The target date for award notification is June 30, 2024, with funds available for use in FY25.

The overarching goals of the initiative are to identify and nurture promising areas for future large-scale collaborative sustainability research (ranging from fundamental knowledge to applied or community-engaged research), research translation, and/or high-impact outreach; to provide (typically mid-career) faculty with leadership and community building opportunities; and to broaden and strengthen the Georgia Tech sustainability community. Awarded teams may be asked to participate with a cohort of teams on common programming.

Eligibility. Anyone eligible to serve as a PI on a sponsored project proposal is eligible to submit. A faculty member may only serve as PI on one proposal. There is no limitation on serving as key personnel or co-PI.

Projects may include collaborators external to GT. Given the topic area and the emphasis on equity and transdisciplinarity, faculty are encouraged to expand teaming efforts to faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and/or community-based organizations. As is standard practice for internal seed award programs, funds may only be spent in accordance with GT financial and procurement policies, and may not be used to issue subawards to other institutions or organizations. Examples of allowable procurement services include supporting participant travel, paying honorariums not exceeding $4,999 to external collaborators, procuring the services of external organizations (e.g., community-based organizations and NGOs in support of advancing community-engaged, transdisciplinary research), etc. For the latter, the contracted amount should not exceed $24,999 to allow for the designation of the external organization by the research team (without necessitating bidding by multiple providers).

As many non-tenure track PIs are likely to have standing full-time work responsibilities, they are asked to confirm with their supervisors that they are approved/supported in putting this proposal forward.

Support and Budget Details. Award funds will be administered by the academic unit of the PI. State funds are being used to support this program. Therefore, budgets should be limited to expenses that are allowable on state funds and charged as appropriate to state funds. Limited funding may be available to fund event support that cannot be paid from state funds; these should be listed as a separate budget item.

FORMING TEAMS and ESTABLISHING COLLABORATIVE EXPERTISE

Purpose. Many efforts at seeding teams assume a team already exists. Team formation takes time and effort beyond these introductory activities, and often a PI with an idea needs time to find the right combination of people and bring them together. Funding under this initiative supports building these partnerships, including:

• Ground-up road-mapping efforts. A core group of researchers exists. There is no specific RFP in mind, but a recognition of local strength and an untapped sense of opportunity based not only on our strengths but national trends and a survey of the competitive landscape. The deliverable is a white paper identifying the opportunity for Georgia Tech, a summary of our strengths and weaknesses in this domain, a study of the opportunities that exist nationally or internationally in terms of funding and being recognized as a thought leader or fast-starter, and an analysis of the competitive landscape. Opportunities to link to the Research Next and Georgia Tech strategic plans should be highlighted as those plans evolve.
• Building teams around a nascent research idea with one or more core members established. A potential future opportunity has been identified but no immediate RFP deadline is targeted in the next six months (e.g. targeting a future NSF STC or ERC cycle, NSF NRT program or NIH T32 training grant). The team seeks to identify additional talent inside or outside Georgia Tech needed to be competitive, "try people out," and participate in team-building and team formation activities.

Application. Proposals should be limited to a two-page PDF file that describes the opportunity, explains the need for funding, and specifies a list of 6-month goals. Examples include producing a white paper, writing a perspective for publication, responding to an RFI or otherwise influencing policy or funding agency priorities, mapping out the domains and partners needed to pursue a project or funding opportunity, participating in team science or other workshops, creating activities for “test driving” the new team, and participating in other activities focused on building a team and building team skills. The proposal should identify the next steps to be taken after team formation. The budget should identify activities, personnel, travel, services, and M&S to be supported.

Budget. $10K-$20K

MOVING TEAMS FORWARD

Purpose. This effort is focused on teams that are targeting a specific RFP or have already submitted at least once for a large research project, or interdisciplinary graduate student training grants. Often these efforts build exciting new partnerships and require funding for efforts to respond to future proposal opportunities. This opportunity is intended to keep the team momentum going, supporting personnel effort including unit support, travel, project management, red teams, and external reviews, community assessment workshops, and prototypes to enable the next proposal for a team with momentum. This proposal should address how the team will build or deepen existing partnerships with experts in disparate disciplines (e.g., humanities and engineering), or with community experts who seek solutions to common sustainability-focused challenges. Topics to be supported could include community-engaged or action research, education and outreach, diversity and inclusion, assessment, pilot projects, social implications of the research, and economic impact.

Application. Proposals should be limited to a three-page PDF file that describes the future opportunities and past efforts of the team, explains the need for funding, and specifies a list of 12-month goals. The applicants should identify the opportunity they are planning to compete for (RFP, anticipated deadline if not released) and a list highlighting the needs to be addressed to move their team forward and the deliverables of this proposal (e.g., a submitted proposal, a proof-of-concept demo to sponsor). The applicant should indicate key personnel involved with the team and additional personnel sought.

Applicants must be sure to address the following items in their MTF proposal:

• Is the effort supported by this grant expected to result in the submission of application(s) for external funding? If yes, provide details on opportunities for continued support. If the effort falls outside the boundaries of funding by external agencies, describe why and describe the 3 closest relevant opportunities. Also, describe any broader objectives of the effort in addition to or beyond the acquisition of external funding.
• How will these efforts lead to the creation of a durable team?
• What is the anticipated impact on training and education?
• Describe the demographic and disciplinary diversity of the team and expected efforts to increase and expand engagement with interdisciplinary and/or community experts as described above.
• How will the funding accelerate the effort?

Budget. $30K-$50K

SELECTION CRITERIA

FORMING TEAMS AND ESTABLISHING COLLABORATIVE EXPERTISE

1. Topical Fit: Is this an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary (includes community/NGO involvement proposal?

2. Composition: How well does this proposal fit these criteria? A. If this is a Ground-up Roadmapping Effort) The need for a road-mapping effort is clearly described and the intended contributors are clearly identified and appropriate to the scope. B. (For Forming Teams) Part of the team is in place, seeking the right additional team members, with demonstrated intentionality regarding the appropriate inclusions of external partners strengthening team diversity nontraditional external partners.

3. Fit for Sustainability: How well does this proposal fit these criteria? A. Increases the breadth and depth of sustainability research across the Georgia Tech research enterprise commensurate with its role as global leader in sustainability research; B. Helps create, cultivate, and institutionalize sustained partnerships and collaborations with a diverse set of stakeholders to increase the impact of Georgia Tech's sustainability research.

4. Clarity of Plan: How well does this proposal fit these criteria? A. There is a clear list of activities over the next 6-9 months; B. There is a clear set of outcomes (e.g., position paper or workshop to shape a sponsor effort).

5. After reading all of the proposals assigned for your review, please RANK order (i.e., 1-2-3-4-5...; where 1=best; no "ties" please) all the proposals based on your consideration about how well they met the 4 review dimensions. You may/may not use all ranking numbers.

MOVING TEAMS FORWARD

1. Topical fit: Is this an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary (includes community/NGO involvement) proposal?
2. Composition: How well does the proposal fit these criteria? A. The team is in place and has appropriate technical/academic mix; B. The team is appropriately diverse; C. How gaps in team diversity and broader partnerships will be addressed through the proposal is clearly explained.
3. Fit for Sustainability: How well does the proposal fit these criteria? A. Increases the breadth and depth of sustainability research across the Georgia Tech research enterprise commensurate with its role as global leader in sustainability research; B.Helps create, cultivate, and institutionalize sustained partnerships and collaborations with a diverse set of stakeholders to increase the impact of Georgia Tech’s sustainability research.
4. Technical/academic merit: How well does the proposal fit these criteria: A. The proposal represents a strong contribution to the existing knowledge base; B. The proposal has clear long-term impact potential.
5. Activities and outcomes: How well does the proposal fit these criteria? A. There is a clear list of activities over the next 9 months; B. The effort is expected to result in the submission of application(s) for external funding and details on opportunities for continued support are well-described. (If the effort falls outside the boundaries of funding by external agencies, the proposal describes why and lists the 3 closest relevant opportunities); C. Broader objectives of the effort in addition to or beyond the acquisition of external funding are described. The proposal has clear long-term impact potential.
6. After reading all of the proposals assigned for your review, please RANK order (i.e., 1-2-3-4-5...; where 1=best; no "ties" please) all the proposals based on your consideration about how well they met the 5 review dimensions. You may/may not use all ranking numbers.

To Apply, please apply via the InfoReady system.

For More Information.

• For information about the Sustainability Next Seed Grant program, please contact Sustainability Next Co-Chairs Beril Toktay or Laura Taylor.
• For technical questions about the online application process, please contact Susan Ryan.