Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

EXPAND Seed Grant

EXPAND Grants seek to stimulate interdisciplinary research that broadens the scope of the CAMM. The goal is to develop full-scale IRGs to be incorporated into the Center. Technical overlap of the proposed research with the current CAMM IRGs is not required. However, synergy with the mission of CAMM is preferred (for example, through shared facilities, techniques, theory/modeling, materials, etc., see Figure 1). These proposals should fall within the Division of Materials Research program scope at NSF. We invite proposers to check out the CAMM website (camm.utk.edu) and to communicate with CAMM representatives to identify competitive topics. These grants will support small interdisciplinary groups of one PI and two or more Co-PIs per team. Proposed projects should be broad and interdisciplinary while exploring new lines of inquiry within current CAMM IRG focus areas.



Figure 1. Common threads and high-level activities braid expertise in CAMM for the exploration of next-generation materials and manufacturing techniques.

Awards will be up to $50,000 in direct costs per year. The initial funding period is one year, but a successful EXPAND Grant team may apply for renewal in next year’s open competition of the CAMM Seed Grant Program. Funded EXPAND Grants teams are expected to participate actively in further team building and CAMM activities.

Download the Call for Proposals

Eligibility

  • An applicant may serve as PI on only one proposal in response to this Call for Proposals. The PI must hold a faculty-level appointment at UT. All proposed research must be clearly distinct from ongoing externally or internally funded research.
  • Currently funded PI’s with unspent funds cannot apply to this call.

Proposal Submission

Proposals for all funding tiers are due by Friday, May 31, 2024 at 5:00 PM EDT. Submit your proposal as a single PDF file through the submission box below.

A proposal submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed or considered.

Proposal Preparation Instructions

Use a minimum 11-point font size, single line spacing, and 1” margins throughout

  • Cover Page (1-page maximum) including:
    • Identification of the Funding Tier (EXPAND, INCLUDE, or TRANSLATE)
    • Proposal title
    • Names, titles, and departmental affiliations of PI, and Co-PIs and collaborators
    • Contact information for the PI only (mailing address, email, phone, and fax numbers)
    • Proposal abstract (200 words maximum)
  • Project Description (3 pages maximum) including:
    • Objectives of the proposed research project
    • Description and scope of research
    • Work plan and methodology
    • Expected outcomes
    • Research facilities that may be used to conduct the research
  • For EXPAND Seed Grant proposals
    • A coherent management plan detailing how the project will be executed.
  • For INCLUDE and TRANSLATE Seed Grant proposals
    • Expertise of the team and synergy among team members to enable research of an inter-institutional/multi-disciplinarily team
    • A coherent management plan detailing how the project will be executed as a team.
    • A list of targeted future funding opportunities and a description of how the team will be able to compete effectively for those opportunities if the proposed research objectives are met.
  • References Cited (no page limit)
  • Budget Information (1 page maximum): Provide a detailed budget for the proposed research and a brief budget justification.
  • SciENcv – SciENcv for the PI (2 pages)
  • Quad Chart: Download the template & instructions – CAMM Seed Program Quad Chart

We will not accept proposals longer than the stated page limits and/or without all the information outlined above.

Budget Restrictions

These seed grants are intended to primarily support student and/or postdoctoral researcher salaries and benefits, tuition, materials and supplies, and instrument user fees. INCLUDE Grants should allow some budget for travel between institutions.

The following expenses are NOT allowed (all Funding Tiers): equipment, faculty salaries and benefits; computers, and food and entertainment.

Terms & Conditions

All selected proposals are subject to terms and conditions, including reporting requirements, that will be specified when the awards are made.

  • All publications that result from seed funding must appropriately acknowledge CAMM and NSF support:

“This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center program through the UT Knoxville Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (DMR-2309083).”

  • PIs are required to submit reports consisting of one page of text and one “highlight” slide in April of the year following funding for inclusion in the annual report. The exact deadline and requirements will be communicated to the PIs of the seed grants awarded.
  • All purchases, travel, and HR appointments will be conducted in the investigators’ home departments.

Contacts

Please contact Amber White amberw@utk.edu or Professor Alan Tennant dtennant@utk.edu with any questions.