NAASC Team Meeting Support

 

The North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC) invites members of the North American  scientific community to apply for funding in support of conferences and workshops that are ALMA focused or have a synergy with ALMA, and which encourage the participation of students, postdocs, and early career researchers. PI-led events based in the US, as well as national or international conferences may be considered. Events must be scheduled between Oct 1, 2026 and December 31, 2027 to be eligible.

For awarded events, the NAASC can provide monetary funding (up to $15,000 per event). As needed, the NAASC can also provide logistical support (e.g., webinar platform), materials and content if requested in the application or proposed by the NAASC at the time of the award. 

Proposals requesting more than $5,000 should apply before July 31st, 2026. For other proposals with lower monetary requests, we encourage submission by the call deadline but we will also consider applications at any time while funds last. In all cases, we reserve the right to offer a partial award in response to a proposal.

For any questions about this program, if you need advice developing your idea, or have further questions, simply email the NAASC at naascinfo@nrao.edu.

 

Instructions to apply (both steps need to be completed for the application to be considered)

- Step 1) fill out this online form

- Step 2) send an application narrative (pdf format) to naascinfo@nrao.edu, with seven short paragraphs each addressing one of the seven following questions:

  • Describe the scientific scope of the event and its synergy with ALMA

  • Indicate how you are planning on spending the NAASC funds (Provide itemized proposed budget)

  • How do you plan on being inclusive and supportive of early-career researchers at your event?

  • List the full name and institution of other people involved in the scientific organization of this event

  • List and explain other sources of support, including those pending confirmation. Would the NAASC support be the main source of funding?

  • Indicate other non-monetary support you are interested in from the NAASC, if any?

  • How would you plan to include NAASC materials and content in the event (e.g., printed materials, NAASC logo, NAASC presentation)?

 

Eligibility criteria

  • The proposer should be affiliated with North American institutions (US and Canada) 

  • PI-led events based in the US, or other national or international conferences, may be considered

  • The event must happen between Oct 1, 2026 and December 2027

  • Meetings addressing any topic with a connection to ALMA science or technology will be considered

  • Meetings of all sizes will be considered, including virtual events.

  • Scientific meetings based on Large Program results are encouraged to apply for this program. However, separate funding is available to support meetings focused on the data reduction, analysis or publication preparation of North American ALMA Large Programs by the Principal Investigator (PI) team - for this type of meeting, PI teams do not need to apply through this program and instead should contact the ARC Manager

Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed based on scientific merit and match to the NAASC’s priorities, benefit to or involvement of early career scientists, and budget reasonableness, among other criteria. We especially encourage events promoting ALMA synergies with other telescopes and events introducing ALMA to new potential users.

 

Awardee responsibilities:

  • Acknowledge the NAASC as a sponsor of the event

  • Include NAASC materials and content as appropriate for the event (as discussed between the event organizer and the NAASC)

  • After the event, submit a brief summary reporting on the impact of the event, and feedback about the program

  • After the event, submit a detailed report indicating how the funding was spent. Note that NRAO cannot provide funding to buy alcohol, and can only transfer money to an institution or vendor.

Events supported in FY25-F26

 

Events supported in FY24

 

Events supported in FY23

  • exoALMA Large Program Start of Science Workshop (invitation only), Boston, MA, USA, 5-9 December 2022
  • DECO Large Program Workshop (invitation only), Charlottesville, VA, USA, May 23-26 2023
  • Gordon Research Conference on Origins of Solar Systems: Chemical and Dynamical Constraints on Planet Formation, Conference and Seminar, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, USA, 11-16 June 2023.
  • 76th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy, Champaign-Illinois, IL, USA, June 19-23 2023
  • COMPASS Large Program Workshop, Direction for Scientific Discovery with ALMA (invitation only) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, July 7-9, 2023
  • Kavli-AUI Symposium, Astrochemistry VIII – From the First Galaxies to the Formation of Habitable Worlds, Traverse City, MI, USA, 10-14 July 2023
  • New Era of AGN Science with the Vera C. Rubin LSST, NRAO, Charlottesville, VA, USA, 24-26 July 2023
  • The Evolution of Gas in and around Galaxies, Stanley, ID, USA, 31 July-4 August 2023

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