Arkansas EPSCoR Seeking Scientific Research Project Ideas for DART Seed Grant Program

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (May 4, 2021) – The Arkansas National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research’s (NSF EPSCoR) current Track-1 project, “Data Analytics that are Robust and Trusted (DART): From Smart Curation to Socially Aware Decision Making” is soliciting research proposals for seed funding.

The funds are a result of a $20 million grant awarded in June 2020 for five years. The State of Arkansas is matching the grant with an additional $4 million.

The DART Seed Grant Program invites scientists throughout Arkansas to identify emerging or transformative areas of research in alignment with DART scientific focus and support one or more of the DART goals but does not overlap current DART projects. This identified research should strengthen ties to Arkansas business; enhance the state’s talent pool by expanding or leveraging research collaborations; or provide unique educational or training opportunities. 

“This project is spread across more than a dozen four-year and two-year Arkansas colleges and universities and involves more than 60 university researchers,” said Steve Stanley, the statewide program director for Arkansas NSF EPSCoR. “This seed grant program is a great opportunity for faculty in Arkansas who are not currently participating in DART to collaborate with the Arkansas NSF EPSCoR team on cutting-edge research in data analytics and machine learning.”

Successful proposals will align with, but not overlap with, work being conducted in the project’s six components. A letter of support from an existing DART participant is required. The project proposal and a list of current participants can be provided to applicants on request.

Proposals may be submitted by individuals holding appointments in research or teaching positions at Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) within the State of Arkansas.

Proposals are due June 30, 2021 to [email protected].

For additional information and required RFP templates, click HERE.