ICTAS is soliciting interdisciplinary white papers from Virginia Tech faculty members for a funding opportunity with anticipated support beginning July 1, 2021 (FY 2022). Proposals will demonstrate an interdisciplinary, collaborative research relationship between the principal investigator, a junior faculty member at Virginia Tech, and other Virginia Tech faculty members. A senior faculty member in a mentorship role is desirable but not required.

ICTAS is requesting a four-page (maximum) proposal for panel review and subsequent consideration for funding. ICTAS intends to award up to four grants of up to $80,000 total of direct funding only over two years ($40,000 per year for each year).


Principal Investigators
PIs must be either 1) non-tenured, tenure track faculty member or 2) AP or research faculty appointed at Virginia Tech after February 1, 2017. Post-Doctoral Fellows are not eligible to apply. There is a limit of one white paper submission per PI. Faculty who served as a PI on a funded JFA in past years are not eligible.



Co-Principal Investigators
Co-PIs may be any VT faculty member. Faculty may act as Co-PI on multiple proposals and a PI on one proposal may be a Co-PI on other proposals. It is acceptable to have additional Co-PIs external to VT, however, external Co-PIs may not receive funding from VT and there must be at least two faculty members from VT participating.


Interdisciplinary Research
The PI and Co-PIs should be from different academic disciplines. Faculty members with the same or similar terminal degrees, from the same department, or from markedly similar disciplines must make a compelling argument on the interdisciplinary nature of the proposed research. Proposals with team members from different colleges generally display greater “interdisciplinarity.”


Research Topics
Proposal topics must be aligned with one of the following Destination Areas: Data and Decisions, Integrated Security, Global Systems Science, Intelligent Infrastructure for Human-Centered Communities, Adaptive Brain and Behavior or Economic and Sustainable Materials. PIs must identify the Destination Area most clearly aligned with the proposal.


Funding
Awards are for a maximum amount of $40,000 per year with no indirect. Second year funding is contingent on (1) demonstration of satisfactory technical performance and scholarship at ICTAS’s annual review; and (2) availability of resources.

Proposal Submission
Submit a PDF of your proposal by email to ictasrfp@vt.edu no later than Monday, February 1, 2021, at 5 p.m.

More details are available in the Request for Proposals.