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Letters of Intent Guidance for Large-Scale Research Proposals, FY2022

This guidance is for authors submitting Letters of Intent to the call for FY2022 proposals for Large-Scale Research (LSR) projects at EMSL.

A Letter of Intent (LOI) for LSR proposals is a new requirement this year to facilitate planning of the peer-review process, ensure alignment of proposals to EMSL mission and capabilities, and to assist users in building strong proposals. LOIs will be reviewed by scientific staff and management. LOI decisions and invitations for full proposals will be sent by February 24.

Researchers preparing LOIs are encouraged to contact EMSL scientific staff to discuss research goals and resource needs. For help identifying the appropriate contacts, see the contacts identified in the LSR Proposal Call or contact the User Services.

Creating and Submitting an LOI

LOIs must be submitted electronically through EMSL's User Portal. Details regarding the LOI format, attachments, and submittal process are unique to this call. Conforming to these instructions will be strictly enforced, and LOIs that are not consistent with these instructions will not be considered.

To create an LOI:

  • Log in to the User Portal, making a new account if necessary
  • To start a new LOI, click the green “Create New Proposal” button
  • Page 1: Participants. Provide the requested participant details. See guidance below.
  • Page 2: Details.
    • Provide the requested project details.
    • For “Proposed Research”, upload the PDF of your LOI. See guidance below.
    • For “Resources”, you may leave the section blank.
  • Page 3: Logistics. Provide the requested funding, materials, and equipment details. You will be able to change these details on your full proposal if your LOI is approved.

EMSL is upgrading its User Portal on March 1, 2021, and full proposals for this call will be submitted through the upgraded portal. All user and project information will be transferred to the new system, but the appearance and some functionality will change.  

Participants

The following participant details will be requested through the online form when you submit the LOI.

  • Principal Investigator. The PI is the individual leading the research project and will serve as the primary point of contact for the project. While anyone can write and submit the proposal on behalf of the research team, students may not serve as primary investigators in order to maintain a longer-term point of contact for the project lifecycle.
  • Co-Investigator. PIs can designate team members as co-investigators, and co-investigators will be required to link their EMSL User Portal account to an ORCID iD before submitting a proposal (see below).
  • ORCID iD. For submission of the LOI, an ORCID iD is required for the PI and co-PI(s).
    • For new researchers, you will be asked to link an ORCID iD when you create your User Portal account.
    • For returning researchers who have not yet linked their ORCID iDs, instructions can be found on the Portal homepage.

Document Formatting

  • 2 page limit for Project Description (details below)
  • Pagination is required
  • 11 point fonts (or larger for headings). Captions, symbols, and special characters can have a font of less than 11 points.
  • 1 inch margins
  • No more than 5 lines of text within a vertical space of one inch
  • Single-spaced lines recommended; double-spaced is accepted but must meet established page limits
  • Single-column format for text
  • Adobe (.pdf) file format

Project Description

Describe your research plan for using EMSL resources (maximum of 2 pages). Any references or visual materials, must be included in the 2-page limit. References are not required.

A separate abstract will be required as part of the online form when you submit your LOI. The abstract does not count against your 2-page limit and should not be repeated in your Project Description.

The Project Description in your LOI should be written at a level appropriate for someone familiar with your general area of research who is not necessarily an expert on the specific topic.

The Project Description must include the following sections:

  • Title. The project title must be brief, scientifically or technically valid, intelligible to a scientifically or technically literate reader, and suitable for use in the public press.
  • Call Topic. Identify which call topic(s) the proposed research is responding to.
  • Specific Aims (generally 250 words or less). State the specific objectives of the research proposed (e.g., to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, challenge an existing paradigm , address a critical barrier to progress in the field, or develop new technology), providing concise and unambiguous details.
  • Mission Relevance (1-2 sentences). Clearly explain how your research addresses specific mission areas and advances the science pertinent to DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research, as well as EMSL's mission, and/or describe the value/impact of its economic or societal importance. 
  • Approach or Work Plan (approximately 500 words). Describe the work to be conducted at EMSL, including sample description, estimate of the number of samples, description of any unique characteristics (e.g., transgenic biological material, dilute solution or environmental samples containing contaminants, soil or ground waters collected from Hanford, etc.), and types of analyses to be performed at EMSL. If your research includes computation, provide an estimate of the computational resources needed, a description of the software involved, and description of the team's experience with the computational methods and software.
  • Regulatory compliance. Are your samples subject to any requirements that may be imposed by local, national, or international regulation for the use of any genetic resource in your proposal? (For example, regulations issued under the Convention on Biological Diversity Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing).
  • Model-experiment integration. Does your research strategy combine the generation of experimental data with development of numerical models to perform simulations of ecological, biological or bio-geochemical processes (i.e., MODEX approach)? If so, would your research team like assistance from EMSL in defining this component?

Additional Information

As part of the proposal package, please include the following information as appendices in the order listed below:

Appendix 1: Type of Resources Needed
Using the template provided (see Related Documents), please identify the high-level list of capabilities that you are considering in your research. This list allows management and instrument staff to get an idea of the information that would be needed for a full proposal.

Appendix 2: Active Collaborator List (required)
To help EMSL avoid conflicts of interest on our Proposal Review Panels, please attach a list of active collaborators for the PI and co-PI(s) from the past 2 years, and other individuals who may represent a conflict of interest (template available, see Related Documents - example below). In addition to research project collaborators, the list must include co-authors with whom you've actively interacted, co-editors, advisors and advisees, and financial affiliations, all from the past 2 years.

Participation in very large collaborative effort with an individual does not necessarily constitute a conflict of interest. Identify those who would have a personal interest in this proposal or whose unbiased judgment would be questioned by a reasonable person familiar with your relationship. You may substitute a list from a recent NSF, DOE, or other proposal that meets the spirit of this request, though lists in excess of 100 collaborators (per investigator) should be shortened to include only the closest collaborators. Please use your best judgment in these cases.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST LIST
Name Key Co-Author Collaborator Advisee / Advisor (specify) Other (specify nature)
Agarie, Jeremy X      
Antony, Mark X   Advisor  
Barnes, Jeremy X X    
Blaxter, Johan       Co-owner private company
Cushman, Joan X X    
Jones, Maurice X X    
Smith, Jane     Advisee  

 

Appendix 3: Suggested Reviewers or Reviewers Not to Include (optional)
Proposers may include a list of suggested reviewers who they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and who are not recent collaborators/co-authors. Proposers also may designate persons they would prefer not review the proposal, indicating why. These suggestions are optional, and the decision whether or not to use the suggestions remains with EMSL management.

Contacts

For general LOI or full proposal inquiries: Alison Hatt, ajhatt@pnnl.gov, 509-371-7579

For detailed research questions: Refer to call announcement for scientific contacts.