Spring 2023 ACS-PRF New Directions (ND) Grant

Eligibility

Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible as a principal investigator for a ND grant, each applicant must meet all three of the PRF eligibility criteria:

1. The non-profit institution submitting the proposal must certify that each individual listed as a principal investigator on the cover page qualifies as a principal investigator under the institution’s policies.
2. In view of the long-standing policy of ACS PRF to give priority to support of students (undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral), each principal investigator must be eligible to serve as the sole formal, official supervisor of graduate students in graduate degree programs.
3. The terms of appointment of each principal investigator must promise reasonable continuity of service. The appointment should continue at least through the period of funding requested in the proposal.

It is assumed that tenured or tenure-track faculty meet these criteria, and that non-tenure-track faculty do not meet all three of the PRF eligibility criteria. One co-principal investigator (co-PI) is permitted on a ND grant proposal. The proposal does not have to be a new direction of research for the co-PI, but the co-PI must meet the same eligibility criteria as the lead PI and provide the same information requested of the lead PI in the application, except for the “New Research Direction Justification”. The lead PI (who should be denoted as such on the proposal) and their institution (designated as the grantee institution) would subcontract the co-PI through the co-PI’s institution. Any number of collaborators may participate on the project, but no funds from a ND grant may be used to support collaborators or their respective students. Refer to the Eligibility, Terms, and Conditions for more information. 

Funding Criteria: The PRF Committee makes relative rankings of proposals and recommendations for funding on the basis of the following criteria (in order of importance):

• Newness of the proposed research for the lead PI.
• Overall quality, significance, and scientific merit of the proposed research, including the extent to which it will increase basic knowledge and/or stimulate additional research.
• Impact of PRF funding the research, including the effect on the principal investigator’s overall research program.
• Qualifications or potential of the principal investigator(s) and adequacy of the facilities to conduct the research.
• Extent to which advanced scientific education will be enhanced through the involvement of students in the research.

Summary

The ACS Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) was originally established as a Trust by seven major oil companies in 1944. The American Chemical Society (ACS), to whom the assets of the Fund were transferred in 2000, is charged with supporting “advanced scientific education and fundamental research in the petroleum field,” including any area of pure science that may lead to further research directly impacting petroleum.

The ACS-PRF New Directions (ND) grants program aims to stimulate a new direction of research for established faculty, and to support the careers of their student scientists and engineers. ND grants provide funds to scientists and engineers with limited—or even no—preliminary results for a research project they wish to pursue, and who intend to use the PRF-driven preliminary results to seek continuation funding from other agencies. ND grants are to be used to illustrate proof of concept/feasibility. Accordingly, they are to be viewed as seed money for new research ventures.

A "new research direction" is something different from previous research performed by the lead principal investigator (lead PI). But, it may involve a field of science or engineering in which others are already working. Therefore, the proposed research should not be in the same direction as—or overlap with—current projects in the lead PI’s research group. Excluded from consideration will be

• Lead PIs who have had previous support or current funding for the project, and
• Proposals presenting ideas that are a logical extension of ongoing research from the lead PI’s laboratory.

Preliminary results and/or communications are not required.

Nature and Scope of the Research: ACS PRF Research Grants are made to non-profit institutions for regularly-appointed scientists who shall use all funds exclusively for advanced scientific education and fundamental research in the ‘petroleum field,’ which may include any field of pure science which in the judgment of (ACS) may afford a basis for subsequent research directly connected with the petroleum field. Note that fundamental research is required as opposed to applied research or methods development. When submitting an application, you will be asked to select a scientific discipline that PRF supports.

The PRF New Directions grant program is not a source of funding for ongoing, extant research projects. Rather, it is designed as a source of funds for new concepts and new projects for the lead PI and his/her research group. The lead principal investigator must demonstrate that this is an entirely new research direction from what the lead principal investigator has done to date.

Budget: Proposals request $125,000 for a two-year period. The total $125k budget may be divided among years according to the needs of the project. The normal ACS PRF budget year extends from September 1 through August 31. The PRF Committee requires at least 60 percent of the total proposal budget be devoted to support the education and training of students (graduate students, undergraduates, graduate stipends and/or postdoctoral fellows). Refer to the Application Instructions for more information about budgetary allowances and restrictions.

Overhead/Indirect Costs

No overhead/indirect costs are allowed on ACS PRF grants

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Application Process

1. Navigate to the ACS-PRF Portal at www.acsprf.org and complete a two-step registration process to 1) create a ACS User ID registration (if you do not already have one) and 2) begin your PRF Pre- Registration.
2. Complete your proposal materials according to the PRF New Directions Application Instructions.
3. Initiate internal university approvals and signatures by completing a Pre-Award/Application record in RMS (https://my.rms.ucalgary.ca/). Attach a PDF of your completed application (along with any additional required attachments) and submit for approvals from your department head and/or faculty Associate Dean (Research). NOTE: When submitting in RMS, please ensure that you allow time for academic approvals prior to the Research Services Office internal review deadline of 12:00pm MT, March 7, 2023.
4. Once these approvals are obtained, RMS will automatically forward the Application record to Research Services for institutional review and approval.
5. Research Services will review, provide feedback (by email) if necessary, and will provide the institutional approval. If digital or wet-ink signatures are required, we will provide the capping institutional signature and will advise when ready.
6. A fully approved Application, including any supplementary documentation, must be submitted via the ACS-PRF portal by 3:00pm MT, March 10, 2023.

Additional Resources

Brief Overview of ACS PRF Research Grants

Application Instructions

Proposal Submission FAQ

Interested individuals are encouraged to contact a PRF program officer or prfinfo@acs.org for more information regarding areas of supported research.