Targeted Grants in MPS

The program is intended to support high-risk theoretical mathematics, physics and computer science projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance on a case-by-case basis.

Personnel

PIs and co-Investigators (co-Is) must hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty, or equivalent, position at said eligible institutions or centers, outlined below, at the time of application and for the duration of the award. There are no restrictions on the department and/or discipline of the PIs/co-Is. PIs and co-Is may be from non-U.S. institutions. A co-I must be employed by or be affiliated with a PI institution or another organization participating in the project under a consortium agreement. Please see the foundation’s grant policies for further information regarding the requirements and responsibilities of PIs and co-Is. Additionally, there are no citizenship requirements for project personnel.

Simons Foundation (“the Foundation” or “SF”) employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a principal investigator (PI) to any SF or Simons Foundation International (“SFI”) Requests for Applications (RFAs) released by the Foundation. PIs and any project personnel listed on the application who will receive funding for salary; travel; support for students, postdocs or research staff; lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses may not be employees of the Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute.

Institutions

Applications may be submitted by established U.S. foreign public and private educational institutions and stand-alone research centers.

Funding to U.S. national labs or salary support of scientists employed at these labs is not allowed. Scientists employed at national labs may be non-funded project members, and funding may be used to support travel or local expenses related to the participation of the lab-based scientist in project activities. For-profit institutions are also not eligible to receive grant funds.

SF and SFI do not provide funding to institutions in China (including institutions in Hong Kong), or to fiscal sponsors or agents of institutions in China or Hong Kong. This includes funding to support subcontracts at institutions in China or Hong Kong or consultants residing or working for institutions in China or Hong Kong.

• Award Amount: The funding level and duration is flexible and should be appropriate based on the type of support requested in the proposal. There is no recommended or assumed funding level for this program
• Award Duration: The Targeted Grant in MPS program provides funding for up to five years.
• Use of Funds:
  • Up to one month of summer salary support and related benefits for each PI/co-Investigator per grant year. Typically, summer salary is solely for 9-month/academic-year faculty to charge research efforts to grants during summer months. For PIs/co-Is with annual appointments (12-month), the program will allow PIs to request up to 1/12 of their annual year salary as a contribution to research time, only if an exception exists where their institution permits extracompensation for specific, separate activities outside of regular duties and provided that the summer salary request is not in violation of their institution’s policies of more than 100 percent effort per year. Summer salary funds are not substitutional (cannot be used to relieve a university of salary costs) and cannot be used to reduce teaching loads below the departmental norm. They can only be used to supplement the salary, similarly to a summer salary in the U.S.system.
  • Scientific travel for the PI(s), co-Investigator(s), and students, as appropriate. Parking, hotel, taxi, registration, and other related travel and conference costs are allowable.
  • Salary support and related benefits, including tuition support, for staff/research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, graduate students, or undergraduate research assistants. Please note that it is not the responsibility of the foundation to manage support for postdocs or grad students outside of the award period.
  • Support for visitors and collaborators, including salary and standard fringe benefits, travel, meals, and lodging expenses. Related per diem expenses are allowable.
  • Conferences and meetings appropriate to the needs of the project, including meals, travel, lodging, vehicle rentals for participants, and facility fees.
  • Equipment, supplies, and other research-related expenses, including computers, professional literature, publication expenses, and professional membership dues.
• Please see the Simons Foundation’s grant policies on our website for further guidelines. Indirect costs are limited to 20 percent of applicable direct costs, as outlined in the policies.

Applicants must submit a letter of intent (LOI) via Simons Award Manager (SAM). The deadline is rolling, and an LOI can be submitted at any time. Please refer to the How to Apply tab for instructions.

Applicants will be notified of a decision within four months of the LOI submission.

Please note that the volume of interest in this program is such that the foundation is not able to provide advance guidance on potential proposals. We use the LOI stage to assess suitability and novelty. The foundation recommends submitting an LOI if applicants believe their research meets the criteria outlined in the RFA.

Full Proposal

A review of the LOI may lead to a request for a full proposal. Full proposals must be submitted via SAM by the main PI and respective institution. The full proposal deadline will be noted in the LOI notification and will be no sooner than three months from the date of the LOI approval.

Applicants will be notified of a decision within three months of the full proposal submission.

Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding. SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF Policies and Procedures.

Additional award terms may be included in the official award notification. Grantees are subject to the conditions outlined in their official award notification.

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world. As part of our mission, we support partners, programs and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.