Shaking the Money Tree for Fun and Profit ¶ US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Shaking the Money Tree for Fun and Profit¶US CMS MeetingCharlottesville, VA Daniel Marlow Princeton University May 8, 2009 ¶US University program funding status and opportunities US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Topics • Overview of Funding Structures • NSF Research Cooperative Agreement Status • “Help Fund” • NSF Graduate Student COLA Support US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Overview • Work at a university is classified as either • Operations (funded by Ops Program) • Research (funded by Base Program) • Both the Ops Program and the Base Program receive funds from both DOE and NSF • In the Ops Program the distinction between DOE and NSF funds is almost purely administrative—i.e., there aren’t “DOE tasks” and “NSF tasks.” The two agencies cooperate very closely, which is a great benefit to us. • In the base programs, the agencies are not as tightly coupled, but the very positive cooperative spirit persists. US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Ops Program Funding Flow US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Base Program • There are now two principal points of contact between the Ops Program and the Base Program • The DOE “Help Fund,” which provides $850K in travel support each year, based on requests from US CMS • The NSF Graduate Student Support program, which annually provides 8~10 $15K awards to allow graduate students to spend time at CERN (this is new this year). US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

NSF Research Program Cooperative Agreement • $8M per year of the funding for the US CMS Research Program (being renamed “Operations Program”) comes from this NSF Cooperative Agreement (CA) • This CA is centered at UCLA, with subawards given to numerous US universities. • The current award runs for five years FY07 . . . FY11 US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

NSF Research Program Cooperative Agreement • The overall structure surrounding the NSF CA is complex, involving • FNAL project office • UCLA project office • The UCLA sponsored research office (SRO) • Numerous university SROs • The groups actually being supported US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

NSF Research Program Cooperative Agreement • For the most part, this complexity is irreducible, given the constraints • An implicit constraint is full integration/coordination of the DOE and NSF parts of the problem • We are at the mercy of university SROs, which often have trouble understanding the out-of-the-ordinary nature of this type of funding US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Has there been progress? Yes! • Last year I wrote • We are half way through FY08, but only now beginning to get FY08 subaward funds out • Some of the delay is due to the continuing resolution, but other parts are internal • This year, at the same point • NSF funds have gone out to all but three institutions. In all three cases, the problems had to do with circumstances beyond the control of the UCLA project office. • This is true despite the fact that only ½ of the FY09 funds have been delivered to UCLA from NSF US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Are we there yet? No. • We got off to a good start, but subsequent to requesting 1030 budgets, a number of S&C budgets were changed late in the game. All funding for the universities thus affected was held up, since the NSF funds go out as a single “omnibus” subaward for all subsystems in which the university participates. • Despite recent positive strides, the level of coordination between the S&C and M&O branches of the project could still be improved. Doing so would further alleviate delays and confusion. US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

What can you do for your for your program management? • Keep on top of things • Make sure that your SRO submits invoices to UCLA on a regular basis • Help your SRO, as needed, with assigning charges to the appropriate WBS categories • Help your L2 understand what your spending rate is through monthly reporting • Keep in mind that this funding mechanism is complex and unusual and may confuse your local administration—”no news” is probably not “good news.” US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

The Help Fund US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Help Fund • In the past few years, the DOE university program has set aside $850K in travel funds for US CMS universities • Last year, we were again asked to provide two tables: one totaling $600K, to be allocated with groups’ initial awards, and another totaling $850K. • Indications are that the $600K went out as expected. FY09 supplements are just being determined now • Groups who derive their base support from the NSF are included in the process and are treated identically at the allocation stage. Their travel funds flow from the US CMS management reserve. This raised the total funding to $1087K. • The agencies also invite requests regarding urgently needed post doc support US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Help Fund • We have not yet received a request for FY10 input, but we expect that one will be forthcoming. • If and when a request for your input comes, it is very much in your interest to be responsive. Your input should go through the L2 manager of the subsystem(s) in which you participate. • Joel and I will send an e-mail to the PIs alerting all that the process is unfolding US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Help Fund: Some comments • The travel funds are dedicated to this purpose at an early stage, meaning that the requests stand a very good chance of materializing • The postdoc requests are considered by the DOE, but • It isn’t clear how many are funded • Many are turned down as a result of other considerations (DOE policy and practices, perceptions that a group is already well funded, etc.). • Given that supplements are not standard procedure for NSF, it is even less clear what happens on the NSF side. • We tend to focus on the postdoc requests, but in the end it is the travel requests are “where the money is.” US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

NSF Graduate Student Support US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

NSF Graduate Support • We have received funding from the NSF to provide COLA support for graduate students based at CERN • The award runs for three years and provides support for 8~10 graduate students each year • An award to a student totals $15K • $1K per month for 12 months • $3K in travel expenses • The program targets students just starting on their dissertation research (and thus typically in their 2nd or 3rd years), but there is some flexibility on this point • Students can engage in service work and/or physics analysis US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

NSF Graduate Support • The awards are made on a competitive basis in response to simple proposals • CV of student • One-page research plan • Letter of support from advisor • Selection is made by ad hoc committee consisting of three members each from ATLAS and CMS, plus Mike Tuts and DRM, who serve as non-voting co-chairs • Selection process was recently completed and the first crop of students will be starting their stays at CERN soon US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

NSF Graduate Support • Almost to a person, the selection committee members commented that the applicants were uniformly strong, and it was therefore difficult to make a selection • As a result, Mike Tuts and I are discussing ways in which to give a leg up in the second round to applicants from the first round who were not selected, despite presenting very strong applications • We will endeavor to have the second round start as soon as possible, but this will be subject to the availability of funds US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA

Shaking the Money Tree for Fun and Profit ¶ US CMS Meeting Charlottesville, VA