Simons Collaborations in Mathematics and the Physical Sciences

The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for the Simons Collaborations in MPS program.

Rationale

The aim of the Simons Collaborations in MPS program is to stimulate progress on fundamental scientific questions of major importance in mathematics, theoretical physics and theoretical computer science.

Basis for Awards

A Simons Collaboration in MPS should address a mathematical or theoretical topic of fundamental scientific importance, where a significant, new development creates a novel area for exploration or provides a new direction for progress in an established field. The questions addressed by the collaboration may be concrete or conceptual, but there should be little doubt that answering them would constitute a major scientific milestone. The project should have clearly defined initial activities and goals by which progress and success can be measured. The support from the foundation should be seen as critical for the objectives of the project.

The project should involve outstanding researchers in a range of career stages. Excellence of the scientific leadership is one of the main criteria in the selection process. The project should be organized and managed in a manner engendering a high level of collaboration.

Collaboration Director and Principal Investigators (PIs)

Each collaboration is led by a collaboration director who is expected to determine the scientific agenda, coordinate the scientific activities of the other members, determine (in collaboration with the other members) the scientific themes, coordinate a collaboration website and organize collaboration meetings and activities as appropriate, including a two-day annual meeting at the foundation. The director will be the foundation’s main point of contact for the activities of the collaboration and will be responsible for monitoring the overall progress of the research effort and deciding on research directions and personnel as the collaboration evolves.

PIs are expected to perform research that advances the goals of the collaboration and to collaborate as appropriate with other members of the collaboration. PIs are also expected to assist the director and other PIs in fulfilling the additional collaboration obligations outlined above. Attendance at the annual meeting held at the foundation is expected for each collaboration member.

Proposals should specify a core group of PIs. Additional PIs may be added at later stages as the collaboration evolves. Interinstitutional and international collaborations are allowed. The foundation strongly encourages the participation of PIs from underrepresented groups.

Level and Duration of Funding

A Simons Collaboration in MPS is budgeted at up to $2 million per year for an initial period of four years, including indirect costs as outlined in the grant policies. The scientific impact of the collaboration will be evaluated at the year-four annual meeting, and an extension of three additional years may be granted. Additional funding beyond year seven will not be considered. The foundation would allow the annual budget to vary from $2 million as long as the total four-year budget is no more than $8 million. Please be cognizant of the notification and award start dates when preparing the budget, particularly in year one with regards to the timeline for the hiring of postdoctoral fellows.

Allowable Expenses

The funding provided under a Simons Collaboration in MPS grant may be used to support research expenses in the following categories:

• Up to one month of summer salary support and related benefits for the collaboration director and each PI/co-Investigator per grant year — These salary funds are not substitutional (cannot be used to relieve a university of salary costs) and cannot be used to reduce teaching loads below the departmental norm. They can only be used to supplement the salary similarly to a summer salary in the U.S. system.
• Conferences and working meetings appropriate to the needs of the collaboration, including meals, travel, lodging, vehicle rentals for participants and facility fees.
• Teaching reduction to a level not lower than one course per semester for the collaboration director — Teaching reduction for other collaboration members is not an allowable expense.
• Salary support and related benefits, including tuition support, for staff/research scientists and postdoctoral, graduate and/or undergraduate research assistants.
• Support for visitors and collaborators, including domestic and international travel, meals and lodging expenses.
• Research equipment, supplies and other expenses directly related to the research, including computers, computer support, professional literature, publication expenses and professional membership dues.
• Collaboration-related domestic or international travel for collaboration members per the travel policies of each participating institution. Parking, hotel, taxi, registration and other related travel and conference costs are allowable.
• Salary support for a collaboration administrator.
• Other expenses related to the support and administration of the collaboration (e.g., web design).

Expenditures in other expense categories may be possible but must be approved in advance by the foundation. The costs for the annual meeting held at the foundation will be paid directly by the foundation and will not factor into grant funds.

Please see the Simons Foundation’s grant policies for further guidelines.

Eligibility Requirements

Personnel: The collaboration director must hold a tenured faculty, or equivalent, position at a U.S. educational institution, on a campus within these countries, with a Ph.D. program in the director’s department at the time of application. PIs and co-Investigators (co-Is) must hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty, or equivalent, position at an educational institution at the time of application. There are no restrictions on the department and/or discipline of the director or PIs/co-Is. PIs, co-Is and other collaboration participants may be from non-U.S. institutions. A co-I must be employed by or be affiliated with a PI institution or another organization participating in the project under a consortium agreement. Please see the foundation’s grant policies for further information regarding requirements and responsibilities of PIs and co-Is.

An individual may be part of more than one letter of intent (LOI) or full proposal, as long as all eligibility requirements are met. There is no LOI limit per institution or individual. An active PI on a currently funded collaboration project can be part of an LOI or proposal but cannot participate on more than one funded collaboration. Additionally, active Math+X Investigators cannot be a funded director or PI in a collaboration.

Institutions: Funding to U.S. national labs or salary support of scientists employed at these labs is not allowed. Scientists employed at national labs may be non-funded collaboration members, and collaboration funding may be used to support travel or local expenses related to the participation of the lab-based scientist in collaboration activities or to support travel and local expenses of students or postdoctoral fellows appointed at universities who work with collaboration members at national labs. For-profit institutions are also not eligible to receive grant funds.

Unspent Funds

The director and PIs may apply for up to a 12-month no-cost extension request for non-PI summer salary and fringe benefit funds unexpended at the conclusion of the collaboration or the individual’s award. Unspent funds at the end of the collaboration must be returned to the foundation.

Reporting

The director will provide the foundation with one progress report for the entire collaboration annually. Each PI’s institution will be responsible for submitting a separate financial statement for each award annually.

Number of Awards

The foundation expects to award up to three new collaborations in 2024.

How to Apply

Collaboration directors must submit an LOI through the Simons Award Manager (SAM) https://sam.simonsfoundation.org/. LOIs are due by November 1, 2023, at 12 p.m. (noon) EDT. A review of the LOI may lead to a request for a full proposal, which will be due by February 21, 2024, at 12 p.m. (noon) EST.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Simons Foundation website.