Workshop Awards Best Consideration Date

Introduction

The Research Infrastructure Optimization for New Mexico (RIO-NM) team seeks proposals for Workshop Awards. This competitive funding opportunity aims to catalyze transformative partnerships across New Mexico's research ecosystem by bringing together teams of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, students, educators, and subject matter experts to address self-identified gaps in New Mexico’s current research ecosystem. Workshop Awards are designed to foster innovation, strengthen cross-institutional collaboration, and address the unique challenges of conducting high-impact research in New Mexico. Any individual from a New Mexico academic institution, non-profit organization or national laboratory may submit a proposal.

About RIO-NM

Research Infrastructure for New Mexico (RIO-NM) aims to positively impact New Mexico’s research ecosystem by 1) investing in higher education institutions to build cyberinfrastructure capacity and to strengthen research pathways, and 2) nurturing connections between and among ecosystem stakeholders across higher education, national laboratories, industry, non-profit organizations, and government.

Program Description

Workshop Award support is aimed at convening working groups that emphasize collaborative development and advancement of important ideas and theories, cutting-edge analysis of recent or existing data and information, industry engagement in research, industry/academic partnerships for workforce development, or the use of science in policy or management decisions. Workshop Awards are not intended to fund the collection of new data.

Workshop Award proposals should be focused on catalyzing collaborations across disciplines, facilities, and/or institutions working on topics identified under NSF’s Research Focus Areas and/or New Mexico’s Science and Technology Plan.

Outcomes of the Workshop Award must be specified. Workshop Award funds cannot be used for proposal writing, but can be used to generate ideas that will be crafted into a competitive proposal in the future. If a proposal is an intended outcome, the program/agency to be targeted should be identified. Similarly, Workshop Award proposals should specify journals targeted for publication outcomes. New collaborations with industry or research partners are acceptable outcomes, but the nature and extent of how the Workshop Award will further this collaboration should be fully explained. Proposals should also include plans for sharing what is learned during the workshop with relevant stakeholders.

Working Groups of 8–12 individuals meeting for 2–3 days have been shown to be the most productive, though Workshop Award proposals of shorter duration and varying participant levels (with commensurate budgets) will be considered. At least two New Mexico institutions or research organizations must be represented and participation from three or more is encouraged. Proposals that involve participants from New Mexico’s primarily undergraduate institutions (i.e., four-year comprehensives or community colleges) and national laboratories are especially encouraged. Workshop Award proposals that have confirmed participants are rated more highly.

No funds will be paid to the leader’s organization/institution. The Workshop Award organizer will work with a NM EPSCoR staff person to pay for the meeting venue and/or establish a contract for lodging; the NM EPSCoR office will pay these expenses directly. The NM EPSCoR State Office will reimburse participants for other travel expenses after the meeting. Workshops proposal must be submitted at least 2 months in advance of the planned workshop date.

Eligibility

Any individual from a New Mexico academic institution, non-profit organization or national laboratory may submit a proposal. Direct involvement in a current or previous NM EPSCoR–funded project is NOT a prerequisite for submitting a proposal.

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