ALMA Development

FY2016 NA ALMA Call for Proposals

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  How many Calls for Proposals will be released in 2015?

A.  One ALMA Development CfP will be released in 2015: The Call for Study Proposals (release date: March 16, 2015).

Q What is the difference between a Study and a Project?

A.  A Study does not create something which will necessarily be implemented for ALMA--it may flesh out a concept, or perhaps result in a prototype.

In the context of this Call, a Study is limited to 200k and a one-year period of performance.  A Project (not included in this Call) is limited to $1.5M and a two-year period of performance.

Q. The two forms "Study Proposal Form Template" and "Study Plan Template" ask for similar information. Is it necessary to provide the same information in both forms?

A. The two forms have different purposes, and are routed to independent channels, so cross-referencing is not a viable option. Therefore, you may need to provide similar information in each form.

Q. Do CVs and Appendix A (Reference documents) in the study plan template count against the 20 page limit for the proposal?

A. No. CVs and reference documents are not included in the page count.

Q. A group of collaborators and I would like to submit a Study Proposal to the ALMA Development call, but did not submit a NOI.  May we still submit a proposal?  Should we submit a NOI late, or simply submit the full proposal by the due date with no NOI?

A.  Yes, Study Proposals submitted without a Notice of Intent will be accepted up to the closing date of the Call.  However, submitting a Notice of Intent will ensure that Proposers are included in the mailing list for replies to Proposer's questions and other correspondence related to the Call for Study Proposals.  Please go ahead and submit a Notice of Intent, online, at https://science.nrao.edu/php/alma/alma-development-2015/alma_dev_noi.php.

A proposer's NOI is non-binding.

Q.  How should the Study Proposal package be assembled and submitted?

A.  Assemble in this order, into a single PDF, the following proposal documents:

1. Completed Study Proposal Form (with signatures)
2. Study Plan (or NRAO Study Plan for NRAO Proposers)
3. Submit PDF at: https://science.nrao.edu/php/alma/alma-development-2015/alma_dev_prop.php

1. • 20 page limit
   • Times Roman, 12 (or equivalent)
   • Single-spaced
   • Literature Citations are not included in page limit
   • CVs of Principal Investigator and co-Investigator(s) are not included in page limit

Q. What is the final submission deadline for proposals?

A.  Study Proposals received by 5:00pm EDT, 12 June 2015, will be accepted.

Q. Must the Principal Investigator be an astronomer?

A. There is no requirement that one of the proposing investigators be an astronomer.

Q. What is meant by “validity date of proposal’?

A. A Proposal submitted in response to this Call for Proposals shall commit the Bidder until the "Validity Date" of the Proposal.

Q. Where will the ‘kick-off’ and ‘final review’ meetings take place?

A. It is expected that these meetings will take place at the successful Proposer’s institution; or by tele/videoconference.

Q.  When can I expect to hear about proposal decisions?

A.  Study proposers can expect notification (accept or decline) on August 30, 2015.

Q. How many proposals do you anticipate funding?

A. In the context of this Call, a Study is limited to $200K and a 1 year period of performance.  The number of proposals funded depends, in part, upon how much is requested by the Proposers.

Q. For a software proposal:  are you asking that a software study be defined?  Or developed?

A. This Call for Study Proposals solicits software studies.  A proposal that included the development of software within the 1 year study period would, however, be regarded as a strong proposal.

Q. I am interested in proposing a study for development, but not necessarily to follow through with the actual project.  Is it acceptable to simply propose a study?

A. Yes.  It is understood that it may be infeasible for all Proposers to follow through with production or fabrication, for example.  A “proof of concept” is an acceptable proposal outcome.

Q. Can the study completion date be extended beyond October 1, 2016 if the proposed study needs more than twelve months to complete?

A.  Yes; one may make a request for a no-cost extension providing reasonable justification is provided.

Q. I am not a member of the NA ALMA Partnership or the NA radio astronomy community.  How can I participate in this Call for Study Proposals?

A. If you intend to propose a joint Study (involving a NA ALMA Partner and/or NA radio astronomy community member and ESO, for example), the NA ALMA Partner (or NA radio astronomy community member) must write and submit the NA ALMA-funded portion of the proposed study.

Q. What about intellectual property rights?  How will information provided in the Proposal be protected?

A. The Proposer retains intellectual property rights to their Proposal content. The Proposer may wish to execute a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the NRAO to protect Proposal content.

Q. Are Notices of Intent binding?

A. No; Notices of Intent are not binding.

Q.  In the proposal, what is the level of detail required for the status of current and prior Studies that received any related support within the past five years?

A. Note the Study title, the level of support received, and the current status of the Study.  A summary paragraph is sufficient.

Q. What is the precise meaning of bullet #1 in S3.3 "Selection Criteria"?  What are the NA ALMA Partnership strategic goals?

A. Please review this document: NA ALMA Development Program: Strategic Objective and Goals as well as the development paths recommended by the ALMA Science Advisory Committee, located here.

Q. Where can I find a link to the ALMA Front End Technical Specifications?

We've including a link to the document here.

Development Upgrades of the Atacama Large
Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)

Informational Meeting

March 15, 2016

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT (18:00 – 19:00 UTC) (TBC)

Room 230, NRAO, 520 Edgemont Road

Ground Rules

In order to allow all participants to be able to view and hear the presentation, and to ask questions and hear responses, the ALMA Call for Study Proposals Informational Meeting will be held via WebEx with an audio bridge (connection information below).

During the presentation portion of the meeting, participants' phones will be muted to reduce extraneous noise.

Questions

Should participants have questions about any portion of the presentation, please:

• use the chat function in WebEx to send a private message to Lyndele von Schill (host/moderator).
• Include your question in the chat message (needed for record-keeping)
• At appropriate intervals, the moderator will un-mute participants, one by one, to allow the questions to be asked.
• All questions and answers will be posted, as soon as possible following the meeting, to the FAQ.

Lyndele's email address: lvonschi@nrao.edu

Participation Instructions

Participation in this informational meeting requires a two-step sign-in process. We recommend beginning the sign-in process at 1:50pm:

• To join the AUDIO portion of the meeting
• call the toll-free number: 866-617-3597
• enter participant passcode: 9640629
• To VIEW the presentation via Instant Net (WebEx):
• click on http://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?sigKey=mymeetings&i=441314729&p=4342960308&t=c
• enter the required fields
• indicate that you have read the Privacy Policy
• click on Proceed

Agenda

2:00pm Program overview and Mechanics (PPT) (Shannon) PDF

2:20pm ALMA Development Program Review--'The Big Picture' (PPT) (Wootten)  PDF

2:45pm Questions from participants

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) invites interested parties in the North American ALMA partnership to submit proposals for "Development Upgrades of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)."

 Questions about this Call for Proposals

Questions related to this Call for Proposals should be submitted via an ALMA Helpdesk ticket [Knowledgebase: Development Program].

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is available, and will be updated as questions are received.

PROJECT Proposal Documents

Submitting Notice of Intent (NOI)

Submit NOI at: https://science.nrao.edu/php/alma/alma-development-2014/alma_dev_noi.php

Submitting the Project Proposal

Submit assembled Proposal Forms & Plans at: https://science.nrao.edu/php/alma/alma-development-2014/alma_dev_proj_prop.php

Details regarding the Call for PROJECT Proposals can be found in the following documents:

Call for PROJECT PROPOSAL Schedule

PROJECT Important Dates

PROJECT Proposals received by 5:00pm ET, 16 August 2013, will receive full consideration.  Multiple proposals may be submitted by individual organizations and institutions.  Each proposal, however, must comply fully with all of the applicable requirements, including content and submission by the deadline.

Supporting Documents & Links

Post-Award Documents

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) invites interested parties in the North American ALMA partnership to submit proposals for "Development Upgrades of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)."

Questions about this Call for Proposals

Questions related to this Call for Proposals should be submitted via email.

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is available, and will be updated as questions are received.

Information webinar - March 9, 2016

Webinar page

STUDY Proposal Documents

Important information for NRAO Proposers

NRAO Employees must use the New Ideas Notification Form on the PMD Website.

Submitting Notice of Intent (NOI)

Submit Study Proposal NOI (by March 15, 2016) here.

Submitting the Study Proposal

The deadline has passed; please consider submitting a proposal for the next Call.

Details regarding the Call for STUDY Proposals can be found in the following documents:

Call for STUDY Proposal Schedule

STUDY Important Dates

STUDY Proposals received by 5:00pm EDT, 2 May 2016 will receive full consideration.  Multiple proposals may be submitted by individual organizations and institutions.  Each proposal, however, must comply fully with all of the applicable requirements, including content and submission by the deadline.

The completed studies will be used, together with similar studies from the other ALMA partners, to augment and implement the ALMA Development Plan.  Please see documents developed by the ALMA Scientific Advisory Committee at the Call website describing development priorities.

Supporting Documents & Links

Post-Award Documents

ALMA Development Studies History

Cycle 1

The first call for ALMA development studies (Cycle 1) was reported in eNews

https://science.nrao.edu/enews/5.6/index.shtml#almadev.
Seventy-seven investigators associated with twenty-six institutions responded to the Call with a total of 21 study proposals, of which the following eight were funded.

Cycle 2

The second call for ALMA development studies (Cycle 2) was reported in eNews Feb 2014:
https://science.nrao.edu/enews/7.3/index.shtml
Nine submissions were received from 8 PIs with teams totaling 41 investigators from 17 institutions; six were funded.

Cycle 3

The third Call for ALMA development studies (Cycle 3) results were reported in eNews Dec 2015:
https://science.nrao.edu/enews/8.11/index.shtml

Seven Studies from 33 proposers representing ten institutions fit within the funding envelope and were proposed for North American funding with the consent of the National Science Foundation.

NOTE: The due date for reports for Cycle 2 projects has not yet occurred.

Current Calls for Proposals

The release date for the North American Development Cycle 5, Call for ALMA Project Proposals is 10 October, 2016.  The closing date is 30 January 2017. Provisional awards (subject to review and approval by the ALMA Board) will be announced on 30 May 2017. Final awards will be made on 01 December 2017.

Detailed instructions on how to prepare and submit your Project Proposal will be available HERE on 10 October 2016.

About the ALMA Development Program

ALMA image of the young star HL Tau and its protoplanetary disk. This best image ever of planet formation reveals multiple rings and gaps that herald the presence of emerging planets as they sweep their orbits clear of dust and gas. Credit: ALMA (NRAO/ESO/NAOJ); C. Brogan, B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

ALMA construction and operations are led on behalf of Europe (ESO), North America (NRAO/AUI), and East Asia (NAOJ). The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.  The JAO coordinates the ALMA Development Program in order to effectively manage the technological evolution of the ALMA facility.  Periodically, solicitations (“calls”) are issued by each of the international partners to identify and fund development initiatives (“upgrades”) which will enhance the performance of the ALMA facility.  The implementation of ALMA upgrades will be assigned on a competitive basis.

Upgrade priorities are science-driven, and are established by the collective input from the ALMA Science Advisory Committee (ASAC), the ALMA Development Steering Committee (ADSC), and their respective subcommittees.  Upgrades typically progress through three successive phases of development, and correspond to an increasing level of technology readiness.  The principal phases are:

a.    conceptual study (including scientific justification, specification, and outline costing);
b.    prototype/pre-production; and
c.    full production and implementation.

The North American ALMA partnership typically funds conceptual Studies every year.  Projects are typically funded every two (2) years.

All members of the North American ALMA Operations partnership, and the North American radio astronomy community at-large, are invited to participate in the ALMA Development Program.

ALMA/NA Development Status Splinter Session Presentations
American Astronomical Society meeting, June 2016, San Diego

1. Information and Mechanics of Upcoming Calls (Bill Randolph presentation).
2. Scientific and Other Goals of the Upcoming Calls (Al Wootten presentation).