Funding

Current Funding Opportunities:

Matching Grants Program

Matching funds for extramural grant proposals are available from IREE. Proposals from all areas related to renewable energy and the environment (including conservation and efficiency, policy and economics, and life cycle analysis) will be considered for funding. It is the intent of these matching funds to leverage significant new or expanded efforts within clusters. Matching grant proposals that include team members from more than discipline and/or with external partners are encouraged. For external funding proposals requiring an institutional match, IREE funds may provide a portion of the internal match, consistent with other IREE principles and criteria. Partnerships are highly recommended to obtain IREE matching funds.

Download the Matching Grants Program Information (pdf)

Please contact Dick Hemmingsen for more programmatic information or contact Renee Obrecht-Como for general information.

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

FY '09 Request for Proposals

IREE would like to announce that its Request for Proposals (RFP) to the University community for Renewable Energy and the Environment Grants will be forthcoming in mid-September 2008. The following is an update on the types of grants IREE will solicit, an approximate timeline, and general expectations.

The forthcoming RFP will welcome proposals from across the University of Minnesota system that strategically position the U of M as a leader in renewable energy and the environment. The RFP includes multi-year grants (anticipated to be significant investments of a few hundred thousand per year for two or three years’ duration) and one-year seed grants. Proposals must include a plan to continue or expand the project after the IREE grant is completed, with specific information on how the team anticipates funding these plans.

Innovative, high-quality projects leading to breakthroughs in renewable energy and the environment on a national/international scale are sought. We strongly encourage submission of projects that operate in the context of at least one clearly defined renewable energy system and that integrate

• multiple disciplines
• student researchers (grad and undergrad) and post-docs
• external partners
• policy, economics, and ecosystems research with renewable energy production or storage systems and/or conservation and efficient energy utilization
• education, curriculum development, and outreach, in addition to research and demonstration

Projects with significant potential for deployment or commercialization are also prioritized.

A letter of inquiry or letter of intent will be required for multi-year grant proposals, with a probable due date in mid-October. Full proposals for both types of grants will be due in late November-early December. Refer to the forthcoming RFP for exact due dates. It is anticipated that awards will be announced by early February 2009.

The thrust areas are indicated as ovals on the above diagram. The ovals bounded by solid lines indicate areas where significant strengths are obvious and where a community of scientists is well-organized. The ovals bounded by dotted lines indicate areas where further efforts to better define and organize the community of scientists will be led by IREE. Boxes in the diagram indicate other key areas of IREE’s portfolio.

If you have questions, please contact:

IREE Director Dick Hemmingsen after September 15th at 612.625.2263 or Grants Coordinator Renee Obrecht-Como at 612.626.3879.