The primary mission of the University of California Davis Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research (CeDAR) is to foster innovative and groundbreaking multidisciplinary research in data science. To accomplish this, CeDAR is pleased to announce its first round of funding for Innovative Data Science. CeDAR plans to fund research in the broad area of data science, including:

• Developing the theoretical foundations of data science;
• Developing data science methodology and tools;
• The innovative application of data science methods in any research area;
• Examining and managing the implications of data science for society and the public interest;
• Especially encouraged are proposals that combine a data science methodology component and a clear research question.

This call is open to all disciplines performing research in data science, including but not limited to: humanities, biological sciences, engineering, agriculture, medicine, veterinary medicine, food science, environmental science, soil science, social science, statistics, earth and planetary science, and any other discipline with the potential to make clear contributions to the data science field. The main objective of this call is to create new strategic research partnerships with CeDAR through the support of graduate students and postdocs across all disciplines engaging in data science research.

CeDAR particularly interested in funding pioneering work based on innovative concepts that promises high reward, major impact, promotion of public interest, and potential for major expansion. In other words, we aim to fund “disruptive” instead of incremental research. Strong preference will be given to projects that:

• Create new collaborative and interdisciplinary teams, with researchers from at least two different departments/research units identified as PI and Co-PI(s) respectively.
• Present novel areas of focus for data science research at UC Davis.
• Demonstrate sustainability of research and show a clear plan to apply for specific extramural funding support.
• Have potential for significant societal impact

Applicants are encouraged to align their proposals to CeDAR’s areas of research emphasis, which can be found in the Research section of this website.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must have Principal Investigator (PI) status at UC Davis (collaborators do not need PI status and may be outside entities)
• An individual may participate as PI/co-PI in only one proposal. Co-investigators, consultants and other personnel are not limited by this restriction.

Award Details

Projects will be awarded for a duration of 12-24 months, based on a competitive process. Two levels of funding are available:

1. Small seed grants [up to $50,000 value in graduate student and/or postdoc support for the total duration of the project].
2. Large seed grants [up to $180,000 value in graduate student and/or postdoc support for the total duration of the project].

Awards will consist of direct graduate student and/or postdoc support for the project. Some of the award funds may be used to cover reasonable research-related travel expenses, and associated research expenses (e.g. research supplies, publication costs, etc.).

Important Dates

March 16th, 2020 (midnight) - Application Deadline (applications accepted only via UC Davis InfoReady Platform)
April 3rd, 2020 - Decision Notifications (applicants will be notified via email from UC Davis InfoReady Platform)

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online at: https://ucdavis.infoready4.com/ on the UC Davis Administered Programs InfoReady Review page by midnight on March 16th, 2020 and include the following materials.

1. Completed online application form, including the budget, located in UC Davis Administered Programs InfoReady Review: https://ucdavis.infoready4.com/.
2. Project narrative that adequately addresses the program goals and objectives, as described in the Application Guidelines document.
3. Biosketch or CV for PI and all co-PIs. We recommend NIH or NSF format but other formats are accepted.

Post-award expectations

• A progress report must be submitted mid-way and at the end of the project period.
• PIs, co-PI’s and senior investigators are expected to become CeDAR affiliate members.
• All teams will be expected to present at CeDAR events and participate in CeDAR activities for data science research, education and community building.
• All publications, presentations and products from this award should acknowledge CeDAR.

Review and Selection Process

Proposals will undergo an initial review for any errors in completion or other non-substantive issues.

Proposals will then be provided to the CeDAR Grant Review Committee for assessment and scoring with respect to the stated scope and criteria.

Based on proposals received and the total budget request, the CeDAR Grant Review Committee will decide on a number of proposals for funding.

Contact information

For questions about this seed funding program, please contact:

Ana Lucia Cordova-Kreylos, Ph.D.
Strategic Initiatives Manager
Interdisciplinary Research & Strategic Initiatives
Office of Research
anacordova@ucdavis.edu
Cell: (530) 760-9179
Office: (530) 752-4459