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The following are intended to be guidelines for requests for IMMS support. IMMS funding decisions are guided ultimately by our charter to promote scientific education and basic research as well as some restrictions on how funds can be spent. Ideas that fall outside these guidelines should be discussed with one of the Directors before preparing a proposal.
The IMMS places a high priority on activities that have a program development component and are likely to develop additional other funding from either internal LANL or external funding sources. IMMS will pay for travel and fees related to workshops aligned with program development goals, and for collaborative activities that support proposal writing (e.g., exchange visits between the institutions, videoconferences via the Access Grid). The IMMS does not typically support LANL staff time for proposal writing outside of these mechanisms.
The goal of the IMMS is to establish collaborative interactions between LANL and UCSB that benefits the scientific goals of both institutions in the general area of multiscale materials studies: examples of areas of interest are given below. Projects should involve scientific research from both sides that will benefit the education of students at UCSB and naturally require travel between the institutions. Examples of the latter would be sustained close interactions with the LANL staff or use of facilities that are available at LANL. Because the funds that the IMMS has available to support research by staff at LANL are quite limited, successful projects should be aligned with work that is currently ongoing at LANL or have a near-term goal of developing funding for such projects. The general mission goals of LANL are: 1) Ensuring the safety, security and reliability of the US nuclear deterrent; 2) Reducing global threats; and 3) Solving other emerging national security challenges. Areas of particular interest within these subtopics will be identified by the Directors, and they will facilitate contacts between appropriate interested parties. Work related to programs in any of these areas would be appropriate for IMMS activities, with the exception of projects that would impede the open publication of the student’s work. For further details, see the section below on Research Proposals.
The IMMS supports a wide variety of educational activities. These include internships, summer schools, distance learning and teaching sabbaticals. For internships and summer programs, we will typically pay student stipends. For summer programs, we may also provide in-kind support for the venue and administration. We may also support staff time for mentors and visiting faculty; however, IMMS support for a summer program is typically ~$25K and never more than $100K.
IMMS provides infrastructure for distance learning through our partner institutions. We can support LANL staff time for teaching a class. Typically, this should not amount to more than 10% of a staff member’s time (on an annual basis) per course. We also provide in-kind support for administration, coordination with institutions, and academic arrangements through our partner institutions.
The IMMS funds workshops, conferences and the visits to either or both institutions by distinguished speakers that promote collaboration and program development in our thrust areas. Funding for these activities is typically for travel, administration and the cost of the venue. The IMMS may also provide in-kind administrative support. We generally will not cover staff time, however, we will consider paying speaker fees in unusual cases.
