Purpose
Ecosystems, biodiversity, and global change are major themes of both YIBS’ mission to support research in the environmental sciences and Yale’s University Science Strategy Committee (USSC) priority on Environmental and Evolutionary Sciences. This RFP is a special call from YIBS to spark research that addresses themes relating to the maintenance, origins, and conservation of biodiversity, specifically at their interface with ecosystem dynamics. This special call has no effect on existing YIBS funding programs.
Proposal Specifications
We solicit proposals for seed funding to support the development of a proposal for external funding (e.g., National Science Foundation). We encourage PIs to identify possible Bass Distinguished Visiting Scholars who could connect to the project, whether they are available or not; these may be named in the proposal but should be formally nominated via the Bass Distinguished Visiting Scholar process. Proposals should include at least one YIBS affiliate. Multidisciplinarity, especially across different units, will be considered a strength.
The proposal should total no more than 3 pages (not including references or figures):
- Description and justification of the research scope using standard NSF or equivalent formatting
- Explanation of how this seed funding will contribute to the development of a proposal for external funding
- Statement of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including track record of contributions to DEI
- Itemized budget including travel, personnel, equipment, supplies, etc. (but not including Bass Distinguished Visiting Scholar budgets) and brief budget justification. Please use the budget template provided here.
Budget
The maximum budget for each proposal is $180,000. The total budget this year will be $360,000, with a target to fund two proposals. Projects should have a July 1st start date, with a total project duration of two years.
Schedule
Proposals are due by May 20th. A committee will select proposals and notify PIs by June 3rd. For any questions or concerns regarding the submission process, contact timothy.sandrey@yale.edu