Overview
The URA Visiting Scholars Program at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory was established in 2007 as a five year program to support visits by researchers from Universities Research Association, Inc. (URA) institutions to work at Fermilab for periods of up to one year.
Under the FRA/DOE contract for the operation of Fermilab, resources for this program are made available by the 87 URA member institutions, each of which contributes $5000 a year for five years.
Researchers are defined as students, postdocs, or faculty doing research in areas such as high energy physics experiments, astrophysics, theory, accelerator physics, materials science, and computer science, related to the Fermilab mission. Applicants must be employed by or, in the case of students, enrolled at URA member institutions.
Visits can range from attendance at conferences and summer schools to year-long stays. Support provided by the program may include transportation costs, local lodging expenses during a series of short visits, or stipend support during a longer visit. Individual awards may be up to a maximum of $50,000 in any twelve-month period.
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Award Criteria
Applications are judged on the scientific merit of the proposed activity and on the cost-effectiveness of the proposal. As all URA institutions contribute to this program, some consideration, over time, is given to the balance among URA institutions, both by region and type.
The allocation of awards is limited to funds contributed by member universities. Therefore, the URA selection committee may deny or reduce some meritorious requests, particularly if they are deemed substantially more costly and/or less cost effective than the norm. For example, most faculty stipend requests include some contribution from the home institution and most successful travel requests assume early booking of airline tickets.
Awards are assumed to be of a one year duration and to begin on the approved start date of the award activity, or in the absence of such a date, with date of the award letter. (See Award Terms and Conditions for additional detail.) In any case:
- Fall awards may not begin earlier than October 1 in the year of application, nor later than March 1 of the following year.
- Spring awards may not begin earlier than April 1 or later than September 1 in the year of application.
Generally, a request for stipend support is granted on the assumption that the applicant will reside primarily at Fermilab. In the case of long term stipend support, travel funding is typically limited to transportation to Fermilab, and return to the home institution. If stipend support is not requested, funding for multiple trips may be considered. The stipend may not be used for travel away from Fermilab (for example, to visit another facility or attend a conference).
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Eligibility
Individual proposals may be submitted by researchers who are faculty or students at URA member institutions.
Proposals may be submitted for an individual award or, in limited circumstances, researchers in residence at Fermilab may submit a proposal for a laboratory- sponsored group activity (e.g., conferences, workshops, summer schools – see below, under “Application Process”). Specific application requirements for the two types of proposals are described in the section on the Application Process.
A proposal must be submitted by the intended awardee. Proposals submitted by faculty on behalf of a student will not be accepted.
Limitations
- Visiting Scholar funds are intended for scholarship. Requests to visit the laboratory solely for the purpose of operation of Fermilab facilities are discouraged.
- The award will cover either salary OR stipend costs, but not both.
- Within reason, travel costs are expected to be kept low and cost effective. Use of onsite Fermilab housing is encouraged where possible.
- The award may not be used for travel away from Fermilab (e.g., to visit another facility or attend a conference).
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Application Process
Written applications for support are considered twice a year by a committee composed of the URA-appointed regional university members of the FRA Board of Directors, together with laboratory representatives in an advisory capacity. Award decisions are announced generally within six weeks of the closing date for applications. Since funding cannot be provided for activities that predate the award, applicants should plan the submission of proposals in anticipation of post-award date needs.
Application Deadlines
Spring 2010 Awards:
The application deadline for the Spring round of awards is Friday, February 19, 2010. Funding decisions will be announced at the end of March 2010.
Fall 2010 Awards:
The application deadline for the Fall round of awards is Friday, August 20, 2010. Funding decisions will be announced at the end of September 2010.
Submission of Applications
Application materials must be submitted text or PDF format to:
URA-SCHOLARS-PROGRAM@fnal.gov
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Application Proposal Requirements
Individual Applications
Page limit: 12 pages, plus supporting materials (see below)
Format: 1 inch margins, font minimum 11 or 12 pt., common typeface (e.g., Arial, Palatino, Georgia), pages numbered
Proposals MUST include the following:
A. Cover Sheet (one page — the form at the link provided MUST accompany the application) doc pdf, including the following information:
- Applicant(s) information (home institution and full contact information)
- Title (objective) of proposed activity
- Fermilab sponsor/collaborator
- Grants officer information
- Amount requested
- Other sources of support for proposed work
- Year of prior VS award support (if any)
B. Proposal Content (11 pages)
-
Project Description – 8 pages maximum: The project proposal should describe the proposed activity and its scientific and/or educational merit, and explain how URA funding will facilitate the proposed activity.
Recipients of previous URA Visiting Scholars awards are expected to discuss accomplishments under the earlier award in their new proposal.
- Budget – 1 page
- Biosketch – 2 pages maximum
C. Letters of Support
Required:
- Letter from Fermilab sponsor/collaborator
- In case of Student Applicant: a letter from the faculty adviser supporting the application and detailing provisions for supervision of the student during the visit.
- In case of Postdocs, a letter from their faculty adviser supporting the application.
- Letter from Grants or Sponsored Research Office of the home university waiving indirect costs.
Optional:
- Additional letters of support may be included, but are not required.
Fermilab-Sponsored Visits for Group Activity (e.g., conferences, workshops, summer schools)
Page limit: 12 pages, plus supporting materials (see below)
Format: 1 inch margins, font minimum 11 or 12 pt., common typeface (e.g., Arial, Palatino, Georgia), pages numbered
Proposals MUST include the following:
A. Cover Sheet (one page — the form at the link provided MUST accompany the application) doc pdf, with the following information:
- Fermilab Applicant(s) information (full contact information)
- Title (objective) of proposed activity
- Fermilab Grants Manager
- Amount requested
- Other sources of support for proposed work
- Year of prior VS award support (if any)
B. Proposal Content
-
Project Description – 8 pages maximum: The project proposal should describe the proposed activity and its scientific and/or educational merit, and explain how URA funding will facilitate the proposed activity.
Recipients of previous URA Visiting Scholars awards are expected to discuss accomplishments under the earlier award in their new proposal.
- Budget – 1 page
- Biosketch – 2 pp. maximum
C. Letters of Support
Required:
- Endorsement of Associate Director for Research, Accelerators, or Computing, depending on focus of proposed activity.
Optional:
- Additional letters of support may be included, but are not required.
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Award Administration
This program is administered by Universities Research Association, Inc., normally through reimbursement of expenses covered under the award to the researcher’s home institution.
Award payments from URA will be made through the home institution of the awardee upon receipt from the home institution of an invoice detailing all actual costs incurred. Because these funds are provided by URA and come solely from contributions by URA member institutions, the visitor’s home institution must agree to waive indirect costs, tuition fees, and other administrative expenses.
Invoices for expenses covered by an award are to be submitted by the home institution’s grants officer (or equivalent) to the URA Corporate Office in Washington, DC for payment. Final invoices are to be submitted to URA by no later than 90 days after expiration of the award. All covered expenses must have been incurred prior to the expiration of the award.
Visitors do not become Fermilab employees. They therefore must have a home institution and, if a visa is necessary, must obtain that visa through that institution. The Fermilab Visa Office visaoffice@fnal.gov can provide advice if needed.
In cases where institutional health coverage from the home institution does not meet the requirements for longer stays at Fermilab, additional health coverage for the time at Fermilab must be obtained by the visitor or his/her institution; the cost of such supplemental coverage may be included in the budget.
The full details of the administration of the award are provided in “URA Visiting Scholars Program at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory: Award Terms and Conditions.”
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Fermilab Visitor Information
For general information on visiting and working at the Laboratory, please contact the Fermilab Users Office at 630-840-3111.
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URA Visiting Scholar Awardees
Previous recipients of a URA Visiting Scholars award may be viewed at the following link:
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