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LDRD Home LDRD Call for Proposals Proposal Submission

LDRD FY 2023 Call for Proposals - Process

Process

The process for LDRD will initially be similar to FY 2023, with proposals to be completed and submitted through the web-based proposal submission system. Oversight responsibility is delegated to the Deputy Director. Administrative questions on LDRD may be addressed to dho@lbl.gov.

  1. Investigators, with assistance from division support staff as needed, prepare and lock their LDRD forms and pdf of the scientific proposal in the web-based proposal submission system following the Call Schedule. Included at this time are EH&S, NEPA/CEQA, and Human and Animal Use forms.
  2. The final proposal will be a pdf file generated in this system consisting of the coversheet, budget page, 3-page scientific proposal narrative, and EH&S forms. The proposals will be available for review and use by divisional LDRD Point of Contacts, Business Managers, and Division Directors. The system provides options for reviewers at the division level to rank and add comments as desired and specified by the Division Director. The final proposal pdf files will also be accessible to laboratory senior managers and staff for review.
  3. Associate Laboratory Directors will choose a review procedure to evaluate and rank proposals in their area. They may solicit expert scientific advice inside and outside of their area in their proposal review. Proposals for all continuing projects must be submitted and ranked along with proposals for new research. In addition, Division Directors and Associate Laboratory Directors must analyze the budget for each proposal and recommend a revised budget if appropriate.
  4. Occasionally a proposal will be submitted that is outside the main ongoing interests of a division’s research area. These proposals should be flagged to insure they receive attention from relevant laboratory scientists.
  5. A subset of the proposals should be proposed by Associate Laboratory Directors to the Deputy Director to be considered as major new directions for a broader “Laboratory-initiative” review and selected proposals will receive a special review separate from the balance of the proposals.
  6. An ordinal ranking of all other proposals for the Area proposal reviews will be submitted by Associate Laboratory Directors as an outcome of their internal area review process.
  7. Associate Laboratory Directors will give a presentation of the area proposals to a review committee composed of the Laboratory Director, Deputy Laboratory Director, and Division Directors from the same program area. The presentations will be open to all Division Directors. If deemed necessary, the Laboratory Director or Deputy Laboratory Director may also request the presence and/or advice of other scientific experts. Each Associate Laboratory Director must be prepared to answer questions about all aspects of highly ranked proposals, and make recommendations on final funding level for supported proposals.
  8. The Laboratory Director and Deputy Laboratory Director confer with Associate Laboratory Directors for final selection recommendations. They will also ask for additional assessments from scientific managers and experts, possibly external as well as internal to the lab, on the scientific relevance of self-identified proposals related to the laboratory’s major initiatives.

Required Information

Proposals should be prepared carefully following the given specifications and requirements. A Detailed Proposal Guidance is included with this Call.  Proposals must meet the following requirements:

  • Technical proposal length cannot exceed three pages. Figures and references may be included as a fourth page. Any other material exceeding the three-page limit will not be forwarded to the reviewers. 
  • The Cover Sheet, Budget Request, NEPA/CEQA review, Human Subjects/Animal Use, and Intellectual Property forms must be filled out and submitted as instructed through the web-based submission system. Because of external reporting and approval requirements for the LDRD program, it is especially important that all fields on the coversheet are completed.
  • Proposals must contain clear statements of goals, work to be performed, how work will be done, and who will conduct the research.
  • Proposals should describe the significance and value of the work, if successful.
  • Proposals for continuing projects must include a statement of progress to date and current fiscal year plans within the three-page limit.
  • Budget Requests must include payroll burden and support burden if applicable. Scientific organization burden and procurement burdens must also be included. Site support overhead estimates should be included as a separate line item.