Beckman Young Investigators Program

WHAT: Limited Submission Proposal for the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Young Investigators Program 

WHO:  Texas A&M University faculty, including TAES, TEES and TTI personnel.  

WHY:  The Beckman Foundation anticipates making awards averaging $300,000 over a three year period. 

WHEN: Internal proposal deadline of June 4, 2007.  

HOW:  Faculty should submit internal proposal to via email for review by the internal selection committee.    

THE FINE PRINT: The funding agency below has limited the number of proposals to two per institution.  If the number of faculty wishing to submit a proposal exceeds the number allowed by the agency, we will conduct an internal selection process. Below are due dates for the program, including the due date of the internal proposal for review by the internal selection committee, the date for announcement of the internal selection and the due date for submission to the agency.

AGENCY:  Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

AGENCY PROGRAM TITLE:  Beckman Young Investigators Program

BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  The Beckman Young Investigators Program is intended to promote research in chemistry and the life sciences, broadly interpreted and particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science. 

Projects should show promise for contributing to significant advances in the research fields of interest to the Beckman Foundation.  They should represent innovative departures in research rather than extensions or expansions of existing programs.  Further, proposed research that cuts across traditional boundaries of scientific disciplines is encouraged. 

The proposal should consist of a description of the proposed work that is understandable to a multidisciplinary group of scientific reviewers.  The description should make clear the rationale for the proposed work, its potential importance, the approach to be taken, progress to date and the potential significant outcomes.   

A budget report IS NOT required at the time of application.  If an award is granted, one will be requested at that time. 

More information can be found here.        

AGENCIES ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT:  The Beckman Young Investigators Program is open to academic and non-profit institutions that conduct fundamental research in the chemical and life sciences.  Principal Investigators should not have completed more than three full years of his or her tenure-track appointment.  

AWARD INFORMATION:   The Beckman Foundation anticipates making awards averaging $300,000 over a three year period.   

ELIGIBLE PROJECT COSTS:   Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:  Indirect or overhead costs are not allowed.  In addition, funds are not allowed for any of the following reasons:  general institutional expenses; general fundraising campaign expenses such as dinners and mass mailings; as a contribution to unified funds or to be a pooled fund that is itself used to award grants of any kind; or social science, religious, political or other research that does not fall within the Beckman Foundation’s areas of interest. 

 COST SHARING:  NONE.     

Internal Selection Procedures and Deadlines

June 1, 2007:  Deadline for an email of intent, including the name of the PI, title of internal proposal and a 1-3 sentence description of the project.  Send email of intent.

June 4, 2007: Deadline to obtain signatures of approval from your department head and college dean to submit an internal proposal to the Office of Sponsored Projects for review by the internal selection committee.  The internal proposal should include:

1. An executive summary, up to four pages, based on the proposal description as outlined in the Beckman Foundation program announcement;
2. A sheet including the signatures of the PI, department head and college dean.

The form for completing the internal proposal is here.

Please read the RFP carefully for specific requirements of the program at here.    

Selection of a proposal will be based on Beckman Foundation guidelines.  The needs of the university’s reinvestment plan will also be taken into account. 

During the selection process, the internal selection committee may contact departments and colleges for their opinions and commitments.  They may also request additional information from PIs.

June 15, 2007: The Internal Selection Committee will notify PIs of the result of the internal competition.

September 28, 2007:  Deadline for full proposal: (due by 5 p.m. PST).