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2008-9 UC Discovery Fellowship Request for Applications

Updated February 1, 2008: see content update for more information.

Download PDF version (108K).

Deadline for New Fellow and Mentor/Host Institution Applications: 5:00 PM Friday February 15, 2008

Deadline for Returning Fellow and Mentor Applications: 5:00 PM Friday May 2, 2008

Submission Information

Applications for Mentors, Executive Track Fellows and returning Fellow/Mentor Teams should be submitted through the local campus Sponsored Projects Office.

Applications from new Career Transition Fellows should be submitted directly to:

Executive Director
Industry-University Cooperative Research Program
University of California
2087 Addison Street, Second Floor
Berkeley, California 94704-1103

Electronic submission is encouraged (in addition to a hard-copy submission). Please email the application as a PDF attachment to fellows@ucdiscoverygrant.org by 5:00 PM on Friday, February 15, 2008.

In addition, a complete hard-copy version of your application including original signatures must be received at the address above no later than February 22, 2008.

Sealed letters of recommendation, if preferred, should be submitted directly to the address above.

Interested Applicants from Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Labs should contact IUCRP directly for application guidance.

For additional information please contact fellows@ucdiscoverygrant.org or 510-643-3229.

  1. Mission and Goals
  2. Overview
  3. Criteria
  4. Application Packet
    1. New Fellows
    2. New Mentors and Host Institutions
    3. Returning Fellows and Mentors
  5. Selection Process
  6. Notification
  7. Fellowship Requirements
    Appendix 1: Sample Statement of Commitment Letters

  1. Mission and Goals


    The UC Discovery Fellowship is funded by the University of California Industry-University Cooperative Research Program (IUCRP) as part of its mission to 1) foster and support novel early stage research; 2) accelerate the transfer of technological advancements to California industry; 3) enhance the training of California's future workforce and industry leaders; and 4) enhance California's economic competitiveness. The Fellowship intends to achieve this by supporting development of a new cadre of professionals within the University of California Campuses and National Laboratories. These professionals will help build research linkages with California's R&D economy that will accelerate delivery of knowledge from publicly funded research in science, engineering and other disciplines relevant to industry and thus strengthen California's R&D economy.

  2. Overview


    Fellowships are for one-year periods and require assignment to a UC campus or laboratory-based mentor. Partial funding for second-year Fellowships may be available on a competitive basis for Fellows who demonstrate significant progress in their first year and who have continuing campus support. The IUCRP will provide each Fellow a stipend and will cover the costs of travel, meals, and housing required by the Fellowship, according to standard University rates and policies. The 2008-9 Fellowship will begin in early September 2008 with an eight to ten day professional development seminar at UC San Diego. The seminar will engage industry, university, and government leaders drawn from the San Diego region and across the state. Fellows and Mentors will also participate in quarterly Two-Day Retreats, which rotate through different regions of the state. These retreats will focus on the larger opportunities, issues, and challenges that shape regional and institutional goals, agendas, and accomplishments. Retreats will enable Fellows to present ideas and pilot projects for discussion and collaborative assessment; address challenges with which they are dealing; and facilitate sharing of knowledge and identification of best practices. Fellows will spend most of the 12-month period at a UC Host Campus or UC-affiliated National Laboratory . They will work directly with senior academic/Laboratory leaders who will serve as Campus/Laboratory Mentors and provide an innovative professional development experience. Fellows will be expected to:
    1. Develop comprehensive knowledge of existing university-industry relationships at the Host institution;
    2. Learn how campuses develop research policy, manage industry relations, and deal with other challenges relevant to building successful world class research programs;
    3. Learn about Host Campus/Laboratory administrative support services through observation and analysis of functions relevant to industry-university research relationships;
    4. Contribute to analyses of current practices and organizational arrangements operating at the industry-university interface;
    5. Carry out a year-long project to design and implement pilot strategies that enable a new or existing Research Center or Initiative to develop enhanced and sustainable industry-university relationships.

  3. Criteria


    UC Discovery Fellows will:
    • Hold an advanced degree and exhibit exceptional competence in a field of science or engineering;
    • Possess a vision for the role of the University of California in regional, national and international economies - and the ability to effectively communicate it;
    • Express a commitment to the Goals of the UC Discovery Fellowship (Section I);
    • Demonstrate achievements appropriate to their career stage, and have the strong endorsement of three references;
    • Demonstrate integrity and good judgment, and the flexibility and willingness to address issues outside their scientific realm.
    UC Discovery Mentors will:
    • Be a senior academic/Laboratory leader at the level of dean, division director, vice chancellor, or deputy director positioned within UC to foster change at the industry-university interface;
    • Be committed to strengthening research partnerships between university and industry partners, locally and on a system-wide basis;
    • Express a commitment to the Goals of the UC Discovery Fellowship (Section I);
    • Provide a strong professional development opportunity for the Fellow;
    • Provide a plan to institutionalize an appropriate position at their campus.

    The Fellowship offers two different tracks:
    1. Career Transition Fellowship Track:
      1. Requires full time, year-long commitment to participation in the Fellowship;
      2. Provides Fellowship support of $65,000 and support for medical/dental/vision benefits upon request;
      3. Tasks Fellows with developing an innovative, integrative, and practical plan for expanding and accelerating the ways in which the University connects with its regional industry and the economy.
    2. Executive Management Fellowship Track:
      1. Requires the commitment of at least 30% time to participation in the Fellowship;
      2. Provides Fellowship support for release time of up to $70,000 (based on percent of base salary and well-justified Campus/Laboratory financial need) and proportional support for medical/dental/vision benefits;
      3. Tasks Fellows with developing and piloting an innovative, integrative, and practical plan for expanding and accelerating the ways in which the University connects with its regional industry and economy. As an Executive Management Fellow, the Fellow should be able to document fully how the plan could be implemented, define specific measures of impact and success, and begin the process of moving the pilot effort into a substantive program.

    In addition, UC Discovery Fellows Second Year Awards are being made available on a competitive basis in FY 2008-9 to provide partial funding for a second year to Fellows who successfully complete their initial one-year UC Discovery Fellowship in FY2007-8, who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the goals of the Fellowship and an excellent track record of accomplishments. These awards have been made available for the purpose of enabling participating institutions to institutionalize the staff positions needed to transition successful UC Discovery Fellows to campus-supported career positions. Award Amounts will be up to the lesser of 50% of the total cost of salary for a full-time FTE plus medical/dental/vision benefits or $50,000. The maximum support for any Fellow will not exceed two years.

  4. Applicant Packet


    Each Fellow and each Mentor or Mentor Team should submit an independent application and those Fellow/Mentor pairs that have identified a preferred partner should provide that information as part of their application. i.
    1. New Fellows (ten single-spaced page limit strictly enforced - reference letters are excluded from the page limit)
      1. Cover Page: Name, work title, business address/phone/email, home address/phone/email;
      2. Curriculum vitae with selected publication list to conform with overall application page limit;
      3. A brief, thoughtful essay addressing the following questions in sufficient detail to enable reviewers to make a careful evaluation of your qualifications and potential to make high impact contributions to the creative and institutional goals of the UC Discovery Fellowship. If you have identified a proposed mentor, please include their name, title and campus here.
        1. What experience and skills do you bring to the Fellowship?
        2. What is your interest in the Fellowship?
        3. What are your current position, roles, and responsibilities and how are they relevant to the Fellowship?
        4. 1. Career Transition Fellows:
          1. What are your career goals and how are they relevant to the Goals of the UC Discovery Fellowship (Section I)?
          2. Which of the ten UC Campus(es) and UC-affiliated National Laboratory are you willing to consider, if selected (required for all Fellow applications)? List all campuses that apply.
          2. Executive Management Fellows:
          1. What are your institutional goals and how are they relevant to the Goals of the UC Discovery Fellowship (Section I) and your long term career goals?
          2. Which of these goals are specifically within the scope of your current responsibilities and authorities and which lie outside your current scope of responsibilities and authorities?
          3. What specific emerging opportunity (ies) at your Campus/Laboratory would enable you to address the goals cited above, should you be selected to participate in the UC Discovery Fellowship?
        5. What do you know about industry research and product commercialization, university research, and what ideas do you have for fostering industry-university research collaborations?
        6. What is your view of the role of the research university and of the University of California, in particular, in regional, national, and international economies?
        7. How can the University of California be more effective in those roles?
        8. What are the critical opportunities, challenges, and barriers to effective industry-university cooperation that need to be addressed and what strategies would you propose for effectively addressing them?
      4. Original signed letter of commitment to participate in the full period of the UC Discovery Fellowship, to participate in all elements of the Fellowship and at its multiple locations, and (where applicable) to indicate that you have commitment from your current employer for required release-time to participate (see attached example);
      5. For Executive Management Fellows only: original signed letter from your current employer certifying that you are given release-time from your position to participate in the full UC Discovery Fellowship throughout the full required period and at the multiple locations requested;
      6. Three original signed letters of reference from individuals who are in a position to provide the following specific information:
        1. Reference Contact Information:
          Title
          Organization
          Address
          City, State, Zip Code, Country
          Phone
          Email
        2. How long and in what capacity they have known the candidate;
        3. A Reference Statement that comments on the following items in no more than three pages:
          1. The applicant's technical, management, and/or extracurricular accomplishments and relative standing among his/her peers;
          2. The applicant's ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, and to interact productively with individuals and groups, especially non-scientific audiences;
          3. The applicant's maturity, integrity, and judgment;
          4. The applicant's interest and experience in creatively applying his/her expertise to the resolution of issues and development of innovative and effective practical strategies;
          5. The applicant's professional future, including possible impacts the Fellowship may have;
          6. Any other comments that may be relevant.
    2. New Mentors and Host Institution (two single-spaced page limit strictly enforced)
      1. Describe the types of skills and expertise you desire in the Fellow you would like to host. If you have already identified a proposed Fellow, please provide their name here;
      2. Description of the Mentor(s):
        List Name, Title, Roles and Responsibilities. Provide sufficient detail to enable reviewers to evaluate whether the Mentor or team of Mentors will be able to provide the oversight, guidance, and access required for all aspects of the Fellow's engagement at the Host Campus/Laboratory;
      3. A brief, thoughtful essay discussing your capacity to support and guide a Fellow to construct and implement a year-long project of mutual interest that will benefit the University of California and the State of California. You should include sufficient detail to enable reviewers to make a careful evaluation of your qualifications and potential to make high impact contributions as a Mentor consistent with the Goals of the UC Discovery Fellowship (Section I) and Mentor Criteria (Section III);
      4. Original signed letter of commitment to serve as an UC Discovery Fellowship Mentor, (see attached example);
      5. Description of the environment, both physical and intellectual, you intend to provide to the Fellow, including:
        1. Description of a plan for providing direct experience with leadership and management of research across the Host Campus or Laboratory;
        2. Description of the office space provided by the Campus/Laboratory as an in kind contribution to the Fellowship and available to the Fellow throughout the one year Fellowship period;
        3. A plan for creating an appropriate position for the Fellow on your Campus by September 1, 2008 at a level appropriate to the Fellow's training and position.
    3. Returning Second Year Fellows and Mentor Applicants (five single-spaced page limit strictly enforced)
      1. Fellows:
        1. Current C.V.
        2. Two-page report that includes a short bio; brief description of the proposed position in year two and a summary of accomplishments in year one;
        3. Statement of commitment to participate in the second year, including a description of a scope of work and specific aims and their relevance to Fellowship Goals;
        4. Applicants must also include 3 letters of endorsement from campus leaders and/or industry representatives who can attest to the value of the Fellow's contributions in the context of Fellowship goals.
      2. Mentors:
        1. Letter of commitment including a description of the Fellow's achievements in the first year and how a second year of work will build on these achievements; the process underway to institutionalize the Fellow's position at the Institution; and a commitment to the jointly-agreed scope of work for the second year;
        2. A budget for funding the entire Fellows' position including total salary and benefits and in general terms, the intended sources for the funding. The amount requested from IUCRP must be the lesser of 50% of salary and benefits or $50,000. For Executive Management Fellows, this is limited to the portion of the applicant's time devoted to the Fellowship. An example is provided below:

          Executive Management Fellow's total salary and benefits$100,000
          Percent effort on Fellowship50%
          Cost for effort on Fellowship$50,000
          Amount requested from IUCRP$25,000

  5. Selection Process

    A review panel chosen for their relevant expertise and commitment to the goals of the Fellowship from among members of IUCRP's five Executive Committees, the IUCRP Steering Committee, the President's Board on Science and Innovation and other members of the research community will be convened to evaluate proposals and make recommendations to the IUCRP Executive Director. Individuals with a direct or indirect interest in any application under consideration will be excluded from reviewing applications.

    Selected Fellowship applicants will be invited for an interview at the IUCRP Offices in Berkeley, California. Upon successful review of the applicant's written materials and interview, applicants will be named Fellowship finalists.

    Both Mentor and Fellow Finalists will take part in a mutual selection process to find appropriate matches. Fellow and Mentor Finalists must match to participate in the Fellowship.

  6. Notification


    Outcomes will be announced on June 18, 2008. Acceptance of the Fellowship must be received by IUCRP by July 11, 2008.

  7. Fellowship Requirements


    Fellow Participants in the UC Discovery Fellowship are expected to fulfill the following requirements above and beyond campus-specific responsibilities:
    • Full participation in the San Diego Immersion Seminar September 2008;
    • Full participation in each of 4 quarterly retreats which generally include an informal dinner on Thursday evening, a full day on Friday and a half day on Saturday. Retreats have been tentatively scheduled for November 2008, and January, April and June 2009;
    • Timely submission of periodic reports, including the capstone report due August 31, 2009 detailing the Fellows' activities and their impact on the local and regional industry-university cooperation.
    Mentor Participants in the UC Discovery Fellowship are expected to fulfill the following requirements:
    • Participation in the mentor's workshop to be scheduled for mid-July 2008;
    • Participation in appropriate sessions (generally 1-2 days) of the San Diego Immersion Seminar September 2008;
    • Full participation in the Friday session of each of 4 quarterly retreats (tentatively scheduled in November 2008 and January, April and June 2009);
    • Timely provision of a written report on institutional outcomes tied to the Fellow's work. The Mentor Report is also due by August 31, 2009.

February 1, 2008 Content Update

 

The following clarifications were added to Submission Instructions:

"Electronic submission is encouraged (in addition to a hard-copy submission). Please email the application as a PDF attachment to fellows@ucdiscoverygrant.org by 5:00 PM on Friday February 15, 2008.

In addition, a complete hard-copy version of your application including original signatures must be received at the address above no later than February 22, 2008.

 Sealed letters of recommendation, if preferred, should be submitted directly to the address above."

 

Appendix 1: Sample Statement of Commitment Letters


Sample Statement of Commitment Letter (Fellow)

[Your name]
[Your address]

[Date]

To Julie Stein, Acting Executive Director of the Industry-University Cooperative Research Program:

I, [your name], am committed to participating as a Fellow in the full period of the UC Discovery Fellowship from September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009. I shall attend the entire Fellows' Immersion Seminar and each of the four quarterly retreats to be held at multiple locations around the state of California. (For Executive Management Fellows only) I certify that I have a commitment from [your employer] and the support of my supervisor to participate fully in all the required activities for this Fellowship.

Sincerely,

[Signature]
[Your name]

Sample Statement of Commitment Letter (Mentor)

[Your name]
[Your address]

[Date]

To Julie Stein, Acting Executive Director of the Industry-University Cooperative Research Program:

I, [your name], am committed to participating as a mentor for the full period of the UC Discovery Fellowship from September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009. I will participate in the mentor's workshop, attend the required sessions during the Fellows' Immersion Seminar and attend the first day of each of the four quarterly retreats which will be held at multiple locations around the state of California. I will ensure that the Fellow has a suitable workspace, and access to the people and resources necessary to conduct his or her Fellowship.

Sincerely,

[Signature]
[Your name]


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