UPDATE: Important instructions about the final steps in the renewal application process (links to GRAND Forum).

NOTE: New section added Completing the Renewal Application. Updates as of April 17, 2014 highlighted in yellow

Timeline

The seven new GRAND Challenge themes and Phase 2 project descriptions

Preliminary theme descriptions and the names and contact information for theme leaders and co-leaders are available on the GRAND website in early October. Theme descriptions will be continuously refined until May 2014 as part of the development of full project descriptions for the 20+ projects that will comprise the research program for Phase 2 of the GRAND NCE.

Project descriptions will evolve from the high-level descriptions that were provided as part of the LOI process (the initial Letters of Intent were submitted in June, feedback was provided in August, and the LOI Responses were submitted in September). These are the basis for invitations from the RMC to project leaders and co-leaders to develop full project descriptions.

The development of full project descriptions will take place in two steps. In some cases the invited project leaders and co-leaders will be different from those who submitted the LOI/LOI Response for a project. Theme leaders and co-leaders will be contacting each of the project teams in early October 2013 to confirm invitations and project leadership.

The first step in developing full project descriptions will be part of the annual reporting process. Project leaders will invite Network Investigators to be part of a project team and to assist in preparing detailed descriptions of the subprojects that comprise each project. Descriptions will include the list of NIs for each subproject, the subproject leader, one or more Project Champions for the subproject, and a summary of the goals, methodologies, and important milestones for the overall project. These descriptions will be submitted by the project leader/co-leader as the annual report for the new project.

Final approval of projects for inclusion in Phase 2 will be announced by March 7, 2014, based on the annual review process (see below for details).

The second step in developing full project descriptions will take place in March and April, after project teams receive feedback on the first step. The project descriptions will be updated to reflect the comments received, and also the budget allocations that will have been provided in mid-March as part of the budget allocation process. These descriptions will be used to prepare the renewal application for Phase 2 of the GRAND NCE and will be the basis for assessment in the 2014 annual reporting process.

Selection of Principal Network Investigators for Phase 2

In Phase 2 of the GRAND NCE there will be 50 PNIs, each of whose Common CV will be part of the renewal application. Included in the 50 will be the directors, the theme leaders and co-leaders, and the project leaders for Phase 2. This list is available on the GRAND Forum (link to be added soon). Additional PNIs will be added, up to a total of 50. The final list will be available by October 25, 2013.

Each PNI will participate in one or more subprojects within projects, based on invitations from project leaders and co-leaders.  Project leaders and co-leaders will approve the list of PNIs for their projects. PNIs will determine the portion of their budget that will be used for each of the projects in which these subprojects are housed. Budget allocations for PNIs will be made by the RMC based on the expected contributions to the network through the subprojects in which each PNI participates.

This process will take place in parallel with the reporting process. The list of PNIs for a project must be finalized by December 13, 2013.

Selection of Collaborating Network Investigators for Phase 2

The list of CNIs for a project, and the budget allocated to each CNI for work in the project, will be determined by project leaders and co-leaders, who will invite additional NIs to participate in subprojects based on recommendations made by PNIs in the project. The aggregate funding available to a project for allocation to CNIs will be determined by the RMC as part of the annual budget allocation process. Each project will be eligible to receive CNI funding up to 60% of the total of the PNI funding for the project, but on average the CNI allocation for a project will be 50% of its PNI allocation (some projects may receive less than 50%, others more than 50%).

This process will take place in parallel with the reporting process. The list of CNIs for a project must be finalized by December 13, 2013.

2013 Annual Progress Report and Budget Allocation Cycle

Using the GRAND Forum, all Network Investigators and HQP will submit progress reports and work plans. NIs will also submit budget requests for the next fiscal year (April 2014 – March 2015). All projects (both new and old) will submit project reports. Old projects will report on the accomplishments in 2013 (January – December). New projects will summarize work accomplished in old projects during 2013 that impacts the work proposed for 2014-2015 along with a work plan for 2014-2015.

Reporting begins in October 2013 and has three steps: HQP report first (due November 1, 2013) so supervisors can gather information for their reports, Network Investigators then submit their reports (due November 15, 2013), and finally project leaders/co-leaders prepare their project reports (due December 13, 2013) based on the NIs’ reports. The deadlines are similar to those for the 2012 reporting cycle. In practice, it is expected that HQP, NIs, and project leaders and co-leaders will work in parallel, iterating on their reports as part of the development of the project descriptions.

All PNIs and CNIs who are part of a project team will be expected to provide information about their roles in one or more subprojects within the project. Each will also be able to submit a budget request for the project based on those roles. Project teams will be identified by the project leader and co-leader, who will invite PNIs and CNIs to be part of the team using the GRAND Forum to enable access to the project report and budgeting documents.

Every project report must include comments from one or more Project Champions for each subproject (due January 17, 2014).

For the 2013 Budget Allocation Cycle one additional step will be added, because of the new project-focused process for allocating funds for CNIs. Project leaders and co-leaders will submit recommendations for the percentage of a project’s CNI funding to be allocated to each of the CNIs who are participating in the project. (due January 17, 2014).

Instructions will be provided on the GRAND Forum for all aspects of the progress reporting and budget allocation process.

In January-February 2014, all project reports (for both old and new projects) will be reviewed by the Research Management Committee (RMC). In parallel, the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) will also review the project reports to assess the overall research portfolio and make recommendations to the RMC and to the Board of Directors as part of the preparation of the renewal application for Phase 2 of the GRAND NCE.

The RMC will meet in mid-February to decide on funding allocations to Principal Network Investigators and the aggregate CNI allocation for each project.

Feedback to projects and award notices will be made available by March 14, 2014.

The total amount available for allocation to PNIs and CNIs will be based on the Phase 2 budget that is being developed. Because the first nine months of the fiscal year are in Phase 1 (April-December, 2014), the actual awards may be less than the amount allocated by the RMC. In general, each NI will get 75% of their 2014-15 allocation for use during these nine months (50% for NIs who are joining the network for the first time). If the overall amount of funds GRAND has remaining are less than required to meet these allocations, the amounts will be further prorated to take this into account.

In Phase 2, awards of 25% of the allocations for January-March 2015 will be made as soon as GRAND’s renewal has been approved. Should the amount awarded to GRAND be less than the submitted budget, awards will be prorated accordingly.

Funding for April 2015 – March 2016 will be determined through a similar process that will commence in October 2014. Subject to available funding, PNIs will receive 80% of their 2014-2015 awards in 2015-2016 and will be eligible for additional funding based on the outcome of the 2014 reporting and budget allocation cycle. Similarly, the aggregate CNI funding for each project will be at least 80% of the prior award, although individual CNIs will not be guaranteed continuity of funding.

Completing the Renewal Application

Everyone in GRAND has something they need to do to help with the renewal application. All NIs and HQP should be asking their project leaders and co-leaders what help they need. All Phase 2 PNIs should be completing their Common CVs. All project leads and co-leads should be finalizing their project descriptions and discussing them with their theme leads and co-leads, and they should be working with their project champions for letters of support and details of financial contributions for Phase 2. All theme leads and co-leads should be finalizing their theme descriptions and discussing them with their project leads and co-leads.

Specific details about all of these are on the GRAND Forum.