UWMRF SWETRC Seed Grant Program
Spring 2010 Request for Proposals
Overview: The Southeastern Wisconsin Energy Technology Research Center (SWETRC) is a collaboration among the UWM Research Foundation, UWM's College of Engineering and Applied Science, Marquette University's College of Engineering, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the regional energy companies. Grants made through SWETRC seed promising research projects in the field of power & energy that have the greatest potential to foster regional technology transfer and to obtain significant follow-up federal funding.
Vision of SWETRC
Develop an internationally recognized energy & power technology research consortium the "Southeastern Wisconsin Energy Technology Research Consortium-SWETRC"
Leverage Academic, Industry, Government and Non-Profit partners through SWETRC to enable Wisconsin to:
- Become the recognized Center of Excellence for Energy, Power, Controls and Information Technologies;
- Become a Leading Region for Energy, Power and Control Industries and Research and Development Institutions.
Mission of SWETRC
Research
- Conduct cutting-edge research projects that will lead to breakthroughs in the energy, power, controls and information fields
- Advance state-of-the-art technologies that will lead to new products, services and processes that foster economic growth of regional companies
Workforce Development
Train a dynamic workforce - engineers, scientists and technicians - that will become the next generation of leaders in the fields of energy, power, controls and information in Southeastern Wisconsin
Strategic Partners and Networks
Develop strategic partnerships and networks amongst Universities, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's) and Supply Chain Sub-tiers through SWETRC
What is a seed grant?
- focus on new ideas adn new collaborations
- carry out studies that may yield preliminary data or proof-of-concept results
- finance the initial stages of a new venture
- develop prototypes for a product or process
- determine if an idea is workable or economically viable
- develop preliminary data to support larger, longer-term external grant funding
Research Focus Areas: Proposals may be submitted on most topics that impact the field of power & energy. To date, SWETRC has identified the following broad research thrust areas and their related subareas where regional strength and member interest exist:
- Micro grid & Smart Grid Management Technology
Sub-areas: Grid security; Sensor technology; Power System Reliability; Power and Power flow management; Fault diagnostics and management; Distributed control; Grid stability
- Alternative Power & Energy Technology
Sub-areas: Wind; Solar; Biomass; Geo thermal; Solar thermal; Grid integrations; Renewable energy for residential and commercial customers; Carbon-to-fuel technologies; Parasitic energy capture; Waste heat capture
- Energy Storage Technology
Sub-areas: Fuel cells; Fast response generation technology; Combustion Turbine; Pump/accumulator storage; Kinetic energy technology; Advanced battery technology; Symmetric and asymmetric electrochemical capacitors; Compressed air and thermal systems
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Sub-areas: Combined heat and power; Energy efficient building systems; Carbon sequestration; Load management; Power and power flow management; Power System Reliability analysis; Power system stability; More efficient motors, drives, inverters, converters; New electrical architectures; Adaptive HVAC and lighting systems
- Advanced Materials for Energy Applications
Sub-areas: Light-weight materials; Nanomaterials; More durable materials; Increased electrical conductivity; Increased thermal conductivity; Improved dielectric strength; Improved thermal insulation.
Process: Any member of the SWETRC can propose a project. Because all projects are meant to be highly collaborative in nature and should focus on topics that will support regional economic development, they must meet the following criteria:
> Researchers from at least two universities must be involved
> An industry member must be an integral part of the proposal
> Projects must fall within the broad interest of existing Department
of Energy (DOE) programs
(http://www.doe.gov)
Investigators are asked to submit seed proposals using the templates provided on the left column of this webpage. Each proposal submitted must contain the following components*:
1. Project Narrative - Five pages maximun (template provided)
2. Budget (template provided)
3. Budget Justification (template provided) including plan and sources for
future funding
4. Two Page CVs of key project participants (no template)
5. Letters of Collaboration with partnering industries (no template)
*Note: All documents must be single spaced and use only Arial 10 pt or Times New Roman 11 pt font.
Award Amounts: Proposals are invited in the range of $50,000 to $100,000 and should be for no more than one year duration. The total funds awarded for this cycle are expected to be between $600,000 and $1,000,000. Please note that indirect costs (facilities and administration) are not provided in these awards.
Scientific Evaluation Criteria: Decisions on the selection of seed projects will be made by the SWETRC Technical Committee and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) program managers. This technical committee will be made up by a designated member of each company and foundation that has contributed to the seed project research fund. The primary criteria for selection of projects will include:
> Technical strength of the proposal
> Relevance to DOE's mission
> Importance to center industries and plans for technology transfer
> Level of university and industry partnership
> Likelihood of generating follow-up funding
> Realistic project timeline and resonable budget
Tentative Timeline:
- RFP Release: February 1, 2010
- Seed Proposals Due: April 23, 2010
- Project Selections: May 31, 2010
- Project Kick-Off: June 18, 2010
- Mid-term Review: December 15, 2010
- Project Completion: June 17, 2011
Application Process: E-mail the completed proposal applications in a single PDF document to: energy-grants@uwm.edu no later than 5:00 PM CDT. Late proposals will not be considered.