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Mathematics and Physical Sciences

Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians

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  • Application Deadline
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  • Award Start Date
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The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences division invites applications for Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians to stimulate collaboration in the field primarily through the funding of travel and related expenditures.

Rationale

The goal of the program is to support the “mathematical marketplace” by substantially increasing collaborative contacts between mathematicians. The foundation will make a large number of collaboration grants to accomplished, active researchers in the United States who do not otherwise have access to funding that allows support for travel and visitors.

Basis for Awards

Awards will be based on the quality and significance of the applicant’s previous research, as outlined in the Statement of Recent Work requirement below, and on the likely impact the collaboration grant will have on future research, both for the applicant and the applicant’s graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows.

Other criteria include publication in high-quality journals, the applicant’s current and recent Ph.D. students and the applicant’s travel goals and general research activity.

Level and Duration of Funding

Each collaboration grant provides $8,400 per year for five years: $6,000 per year for collaboration, travel and research expenses for the awardee; $1,000 per year in discretionary funds for the awardee’s department; and $1,400 per year in indirect costs to the awardee’s institution. The five-year grant will commence September 1, 2018, and end August 31, 2023.

Allowable Expenses

  1. An amount of $6,000 per year to the awardee — Eligible expenses in this category are
    1. scientific travel by the awardee, the awardee’s graduate and Ph.D. students and other members of the awardee’s department (at the sole discretion of the awardee) per the institution’s travel policies — International travel is permitted. Parking, hotel, taxi, registration and other related travel and conference costs are allowable. There are no restrictions on airline carriers.
    2. the expense of scientific visits (including meals) to the awardee’s home institution by the awardee’s collaborators and other scientific visitors of interest to the awardee per the institution’s travel policies — International travel is permitted.
    3. up to $1,500 per year in other research expenses, such as computers, computer support, publication expenses, stationery, supplies, books and membership fees to professional organizations.
  2. An amount of $1,000 per year to the awardee’s department to enhance the research atmosphere of the department — Eligible expenses in this category include support for departmental colloquia and seminars, as well as refreshments and other research-related amenities. Support for student orientations, prospective student visits and other departmental activities are allowed. Funds may also be used to subsidize meals for faculty, students and visitors. In addition, these funds may be used to help pay for furniture and research infrastructure, such as copiers, computer servers and computer support. Funds should be expended at the discretion of the department chair.
  3. An amount of $1,400 per year in indirect costs to the institution for the administration of the award.

These grants may not be used for salary or teaching buyouts, whether for the awardee or others. Only travel between the grant start and end date will be covered by this grant. Expenses incurred before September 1, 2018, for travel during the grant period are permissible.

Please see the foundation’s grant policies for further guidelines.

Please note that travel expenses are not capped at $4,000 per year per individual for this program.

Unspent Funds

Any funds not spent in one year of the grant may be automatically spent in subsequent years without prior approval, but unspent funds at the end of the grant must be returned to the foundation. No-cost extension requests will be considered.

Payment

Payments to institutions will be disbursed annually.

Reporting

An annual progress report and financial statement are due no later than 60 days after the completion of each grant year.

Other Support

Collaboration grant awardees may not hold any other external PI or PI equivalent grants of over $3,000 per year that allow for support for travel or visitors during the award period. This includes other applicable Simons Foundation funding. Awardees are allowed to hold conference grants — where support only covers travel expenses for the conference participants and does not provide any support for the applicant’s own research — during the collaboration grant period. Awardees are obligated to inform the foundation if they receive any such funding during their collaboration grant period. If this occurs, their collaboration grant will be terminated at the end of the current year (August 31). Awardees may retain all funds paid toward the grant to date, but any residual funds must be used to support the collaboration and travel of others. An awardee may apply to the foundation for another collaboration grant for the period after the completion of the other grant.

Termination of Funding

The collaboration grant will be terminated if the awardee receives other sources of funding as described above in Other Support.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, an individual must

  • have a Ph.D. degree and hold a tenure-track or tenured position, or be a professor emeritus, within a mathematics department with a Ph.D. degree granting program, at an institution of higher education based in the United States;
  • have a current record of active research and publication in high-quality journals; and
  • not hold any other external PI or PI equivalent grants of over $3,000 per year that allow for support for travel or visitors during the collaboration grant award period, including active other support with an end date after September 1, 2018.

There are no citizenship requirements.

Number of Awards

The foundation anticipates making up to 140 awards per year.

How to Apply

Applicants may apply through proposalCENTRAL (https://proposalcentral.altum.com/default.asp) beginning September 1, 2017. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2018, at 11:59:59 p.m. EST.

Please coordinate submission of the proposal with the appropriate officials in accordance with institution policies. Please refer to the Application Instructions for further information on and requirements for submitting an application.

Application Requirements Include:

  1. Statement of Recent Work: A statement explaining the applicant’s most significant work completed in the previous five years. While unpublished work may be included in the summary, at least some of the work must already have appeared in or be accepted to high-quality, peer-reviewed publications (two-page limit, plus up to one page for references).
  2. Statement of Travel/Invitation Goals: A statement explaining travel/invitation goals for the first year of the collaboration grant (one-page limit).
  3. A curriculum vitae that includes Ph.D. year, institution and advisor, positions held and accolades (two-page limit, applicant only).
  4. A list of up to five accepted or published papers from the previous five years.
  5. A list of talks at colloquia, research seminars or research conferences that the applicant has given within the past five years (one-page limit).
  6. A list of current or recent (past five years) Ph.D. students supervised, including their dissertation topics, likely date of completion and current employment, if applicable.
  7. A list of current or recent postdoctoral fellows supervised.
  8. Current and pending external PI support, which includes all financial resources, whether federal or non-federal, available in direct support of the applicant’s research endeavors, including but not limited to research grants, cooperative agreements and/or contracts.

Funding decisions will be announced by June 1, 2018, and funding will begin on September 1, 2018.

Contact Information

mps@simonsfoundation.org

Elizabeth Roy
Senior Program Manager
Mathematics and the Physical Sciences
212-524-6966
eroy@simonsfoundation.org

Further Information

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Apply Now
Important Dates
  • Application Available
  • Application Deadline
  • Notification
  • Award Start Date
Contact Info

Deadline: January 31, 2018, at 11:59:59 p.m. EST

Important Note:
Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own account on proposalCENTRAL. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.

Additionally, all applicants must work with their institutional officials to register their institution with proposalCENTRAL or ensure their existing proposalCENTRAL account is up-to-date. New applicants and their institutions are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least four weeks prior to the application due date. 

Please note that all deadlines are in Eastern Standard Time. If the deadline has expired, an applicant will not be able to see the submit button and will, therefore, not be able to submit his/her application.

For NEW proposalCENTRAL Users:
Step 1: Register as a proposalCENTRAL user:

  • Go to https://proposalcentral.altum.com/default.asp.
  • Select the create one now button (Please see the proposalCENTRAL instructions for “How to Register as a proposalCENTRAL user” at https://proposalcentral.altum.com/review/InfoRequest.asp).
  • Once you have completed the required information and agreed to the Terms of Service and the Acceptable Use Policy, click on save. An email will be sent to your email address containing a confirmation number. Note: This email will also contain both your username and password.
  • Log in (https://proposalcentral.altum.com/default.asp) using application login, enter your confirmation number in the box provided on the next screen and click on submit confirmation number.
  • You will then be directed to your professional profile, where you will need to select a primary institution.
  • If your institution is already registered on proposalCENTRAL, you will see it listed in the search results.
  • If you do not see your institution listed, please ask your grants and contracts office (or equivalent) to create a profile for your institution on the system. (Please see proposalCENTRAL instructions on “How to Register your Institution with proposalCENTRAL” at https://proposalcentral.altum.com/review/InfoRequest.asp).
  • It is not a requirement for you to complete the other sections of your professional profile at this time. It is recommended that you do enter your degrees and personal data for applications (sections 2 and 4). Please be sure to save after completing each section.
  • Within the application, a red asterisk will indicate the required professional profile and institutional profile fields (see Applicant and Organization/Institution sections below).

Step 2: Navigate to the grant opportunities tab.

  • Select simons foundation from the drop-down list and click on the filter list by grant maker.
  • You will then see the list of current Simons Foundation grant opportunities.
  • Click on apply now to access the mathematics and physical sciences-collaboration grants for mathematicians application.
  • Enter a title in the title page section and click the save button. This creates your application, stores it under the manage proposals tab and allows you to navigate to the other sections of the application.
  • Please be sure to save after completing each section.
  • You can navigate to each section by clicking on the next button or by clicking on the section’s hyperlink in the left-hand navigation.
  • For further information, please see the proposalCENTRAL instructions on “How to Create an Application using proposalCENTRAL” at https://proposalcentral.altum.com/review/InfoRequest.asp.

For EXISTING proposalCENTRAL Users:
Step 1. Log in using application login at https://proposalcentral.altum.com/default.asp.
Step 2. Navigate to the grant opportunities tab.

  • Select simons foundation from the drop-down list and click on the filter list by grant maker.
  • You will then see the list of current Simons Foundation grant opportunities.
  • Click on apply now to access the mathematics and physical sciences-collaboration grants for mathematicians application.
  • Enter a title in the title page section and click the save button. This creates your application, stores it under the manage proposals tab and allows you to navigate to the other sections of the application.
  • Please be sure to save after completing each section.
  • You can navigate to each section by clicking on the next button or by clicking on the section’s hyperlink in the left-hand navigation.
  • For further information, please see the proposalCENTRAL instructions on “How to Create an Application using proposalCENTRAL” at https://proposalcentral.altum.com/review/InfoRequest.asp.

Format of Application:
Proposal attachments should be single-spaced and in typeface no smaller than 10-point font. Margins, in all directions, must be at least ½ inch.

Applications contain the following elements:

  1. Title Page: Enter the application title.
  2. Enable Other Users to Access this Proposal: This screen allows the user to give other users access to the application, if necessary.
  3. Applicant: This information is pre-loaded from the applicant’s professional profile. Please indicate the applicant’s website, if applicable.
  4. Organization/Institution: This information is pre-loaded from the institutional profile. For both pre- and post-award management, select the appropriate signing official and financial officer from the drop-down list or enter the email address of a new official and click on add. Click on the save or close window link — the official will now be listed as the assigned signing official or financial/fiscal officer. Please see the Simons Foundation grant policies for a description of the responsibilities of the signing official and financial officer.
  5. Abstract & Mathematics Subject Classifications:
    • Provide a brief summary of the applicant’s most recent research, particularly that which is relevant to future collaboration and travel plans. The abstract can be pulled from the statement of recent work. The abstract text box has a 3,000-character limit.
    • Please select one primary Mathematics Subject Classification (MSC2010) as it applies to your research in the last five years and up to two secondary classifications. Please note that your choices will be used to select the most appropriate reviewers. Please give the primary classification a majority weighting.
  6. Budget Summary: Enter budget period start and end dates and all requested budget items as indicated. The program provides $6,000 per year for travel, collaboration and research needs, plus $1,000 per year in discretionary funds for the grantee’s department and $1,400 per year in indirect costs to the grantee’s institution. The budget period will run from September 1 through August 31 of each year.
  7. Other Support: Add the applicant’s current and pending external PI support, which includes all financial resources, whether federal or non-federal, available in direct support of the applicant’s research endeavors, including but not limited to research grants, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts. It is not necessary to include internal funding. Current and pending support is pulled from the applicant’s Professional Profile. Only the applicant can edit his/her Professional Profile. Click on the edit professional profile button to add a new entry to the applicant’s Professional Profile or click on add new entry to add existing support from the applicant’s Professional Profile to this application. This feature will only be accessible via the applicants’s account.
    The required Other Support information for this application includes:

    • project status
    • award number
    • source of funding
    • title of project
    • start date
    • end date
    • annual direct costs
    • notification date (if known and only for pending projects)

    If the applicant has no other current or pending support at the time of the application, please select ‘N/A’ from the drop-down list of the add new entry screen.

  8. Proposal Attachments (attachments must be uploaded as unlocked PDFs; please confirm this before uploading):

    • Statement of Recent Work: A statement from the applicant explaining the most significant work completed in the previous five years. While unpublished work may be included in the summary, at least some of the work must already have appeared or be accepted in high-quality, peer-reviewed publications (two-page limit, plus up to one page for references).
    • Statement of Travel/Invitation Goals: A statement from the applicant explaining travel/invitation goals for the first year of the grant (one-page limit).
    • Curriculum Vitae: Must include Ph.D. year, institution and advisor, positions held and accolades (two-page limit).
    • Publications List: A list of up to five accepted or published papers from the previous five years.
    • Seminars & Conferences List: A list of talks at colloquia, research seminars or research conferences that the applicant has given within the past five years (one-page limit).
    • Students List: Current or recent (past five years) Ph.D. students supervised, including their dissertation topics, likely date of completion and current employment, if applicable.
    • Postdoctoral Fellows List: Current or recent postdoctoral fellows supervised.
    • Signed Signature Page: To be downloaded in the signature page(s) section of the application, signed by the designated signing official from the institution’s sponsored research office (or equivalent), and then re-uploaded as a proposal attachment. Please note that not all fields on the generated signature page will be populated. Only the signed first page of the signature page PDF file needs to be uploaded for this requirement.
  9. Validate: Click the validate button to check for any missing REQUIRED information or files. All missing required information will be listed on the screen. Please correct any missing information before submitting your application.
  10. Signature Page(s): Once all sections are completed, the signed signature page is to be downloaded in this section of the application, signed by the signing official from the institution’s sponsored research office (or equivalent), and then re-uploaded as a proposal attachment. Only the signed first page of the signature page PDF file needs to be uploaded for this requirement.
  11. Submit: This section will only appear if the deadline has not passed.

Simons Foundation Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) Contact Information:
mps@simonsfoundation.org
212-524-6966

proposalCENTRAL Contact:
pcsupport@altum.com
800-875-2562

Download PDF of the Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians Application Instructions here.

  1. Are all areas of mathematics eligible for a Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians?plus--large

    Yes, all areas are eligible.

  2. Are biostatisticians eligible for this grant?plus--large

    We do allow applicants from biostatistics as long as the applicant is considered a mathematician and is a member of the mathematics department.

  3. I only have a master’s degree. Am I eligible to apply?plus--large

    No, applicants are required to have a Ph.D.

  4. What is the application success rate?plus--large

    On average, approximately one in three applications are funded each year.

  5. I would like to reapply; do you provide feedback on non-funded proposals?plus--large

    We do not provide specific feedback on applications to this program due to the nature of the program and the number of applications we receive.

  6. Can I pay an assistant?plus--large

    Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians may not be used for salary or teaching buyouts, whether for the awardee or others.

  7. I teach in another country but am a U.S. citizen; am I eligible to receive a Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians from the Simons Foundation?plus--large

    An awardee must be employed at a U.S. institution to hold a Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians (though one may hold the grant while on sabbatical).

  8. I am not a U.S. citizen, but I teach in the United States; am I eligible to receive a Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians from the Simons Foundation?plus--large

    U.S. citizenship is not required, but an awardee must be employed at a U.S. institution to hold a Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians.

  9. Can multiple faculty members from the same university apply at the same time?plus--large

    Yes, there is no limit.

  10. Can a group of individuals submit a joint proposal?plus--large

    Joint proposals are not accepted. Applications must be submitted by individuals only.

  11. Can I hold a Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians and a Simons Fellowship at the same time?plus--large

    Yes, the foundation allows holding both awards simultaneously.

  12. In the course of the Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians, I applied for and received an additional external PI grant of over $3,000 per year, but I was not awarded any travel funds. Can I keep my Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians? When do I have to inform the Simons Foundation?plus--large

    The awardee should notify the Simons Foundation upon receipt of the additional grant. If the additional PI grant allowed for travel funds (whether they were requested or not), the Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians would be terminated at the end of the current year.

  13. Can the Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians be transferred to another person?plus--large

    No, the transfer of the grant to another person is not allowed.

  14. Can the Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians funds be used for international travel and collaboration?plus--large

    Yes, the program is designed to support both domestic and international collaborations for mathematicians working in the United States.

  15. If I am not awarded a Collaboration Grant for Mathematicians this year, may I reapply next year?plus--large

    Yes, there is no limit on the number of times one can apply.

  16. To whom is the grant awarded?plus--large

    The grant is awarded to the applicant’s institution.

  17. How do I get reimbursed for eligible expenses?plus--large

    As the grant is made through the applicant’s institution, one should submit requests for reimbursement and purchases as prescribed by the applicant’s department.

  18. Where do I submit my application?plus--large

    Log in to proposalCENTRAL (https://proposalcentral.altum.com/default.asp). You will find the MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES-COLLABORATION GRANTS FOR MATHEMATICIANS application in the list of Simons Foundation funding opportunities. Click APPLY NOW to start the application. After all sections are completed and the appropriate attachment(s) are uploaded, validate and then submit the application. Please see the Application Instructions for further information.

  19. Do I need approval from the grants office at my institution to submit my application?plus--large

    To submit an application, the Simons Foundation requires the signature of a signing official in your institution’s sponsored projects office or equivalent office. Please check with your institution’s policies regarding application submission.

  20. How do I get in touch with proposalCENTRAL for technical questions?plus--large

    Email pcsupport@altum.com or call 800-875-2562.

  21. Are deadline times adjusted for time zones?plus--large

    No. Please be advised that deadlines on the application are in Eastern Standard Time. We highly recommend registering early and submitting applications with ample time for corrections prior to the deadline hour.

  22. I cannot find the SUBMIT button. Where is it?plus--large

    If the submission deadline has not passed, use the VALIDATE button to check for missing requirements. If the problem persists, please contact proposalCENTRAL customer support at pcsupport@altum.com. If the deadline has passed, the submission period has closed and you will not be able to submit. Please contact the foundation, and we will review requests for extensions on a case-by-case basis.

  23. I get an error message citing a missing section when I try to submit.plus--large

    Please click the VALIDATE button to review the application for missing sections. If you are still receiving error messages after completing and saving the indicated sections, please contact proposalCENTRAL customer support at pcsupport@altum.com.

  24. Is validating my application sufficient for submission?plus--large

    No. Validating the application will only check for errors and alert you to missing requirements. If the application is complete, you must hit SUBMIT. After successful submission, your application will now be listed under the IN PROGRESS tab with the status SUBMITTED.

  25. Is there a confirmation email when I submit my application?plus--large

    A confirmation email is sent upon submission. Please contact proposalCENTRAL customer support at pcsupport@altum.com if you have submitted an application and have not received a confirmation email from proposalCENTRAL within ten minutes. Make sure that spam filters allow emails from pcsupport@altum.com. he status of an application can also be checked within the manage proposals tab in proposalCENTRAL.

  26. Further Informationplus--large

    If you have questions regarding your proposal that are not answered in these FAQs, the Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians RFA or Application Instructions, please contact the Simons Foundation Division for Mathematics and Physical Sciences at mps@simonsfoundation.org.

    You may download a PDF of the Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians Frequently Asked Questions here.

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Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians Online Application

The Simons Foundation uses an electronic grants submission process. All interested grant applicants must submit their applications online through proposalCENTRAL. Once you are logged into proposalCENTRAL:

  • Navigate to the grant opportunities tab.
  • Select Simons Foundation from the ’Filter by Grant Maker’ drop-down list.
  • You will then see the list of current Simons Foundation grant opportunities.
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