Slots: 3
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Monday, December 16th, 2024, 5pm PT Contact RII.
LOI: N/A
External Deadline: January 31, 2025
Award Information
Award Type: Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: 20
Anticipated Award Amount: up to $500,000
Who May Serve as PI: Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the PI is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support. The application may also include Co-Principal Investigators (CoPIs), who are individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to make a significant contribution to the project. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NRC support.
University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP) – Research and Development 31310025K0001 More than one PI (i.e., multiple PIs), may be designated on the application for projects that require a “team science” approach and therefore clearly do not fit the single-PI model.
The decision of whether to apply for a grant with a single-PI or multiple PIs is the responsibility of the investigators and applicant organizations and should be determined by the scientific goals of the project. Applications for grants with multiple PIs will require additional information. When considering the multiple PI option, please be aware that the structure and governance of the PI leadership team as well as the knowledge, skills and experience of the individual PIs will be factored into the assessment of the overall scientific merit of the application. Multiple PIs on a project share the authority and responsibility for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically. Each PI is responsible and accountable to the grantee organization for the proper conduct of the project or program, including the submission of required reports and documents.
If a proposed PI or Co-PI has a professional relationship with a non-educational entity (e.g., a national lab, an NRC licensee, or a corporation), then the PI/Co-PI must clearly state this relationship on their resume. [Refer to Section IV.B.10 Organizational Conflict
Link to Award: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/357425
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
The program provides funding to support research and development (R&D) for nuclear science, engineering, technology, and related disciplines to develop a workforce capable of supporting the design, construction, operation, and regulation of nuclear facilities and the safe handling of nuclear materials. University R&D activities provide an opportunity to complement current, ongoing NRC-led research. More specifically, the program shall be used to provide financial assistance for R&D projects relevant to the programmatic mission of the NRC referenced above, with an emphasis on providing federal financial assistance with respect to research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of new and advanced nuclear technologies. Social science research will be considered under this announcement (for example, projects that would foster the development of innovative community engagement strategies, including incorporation of principles of equity and environmental justice).
Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Application of wireless communications, drones, robotics for the purpose of remote monitoring, and autonomous/remote control in operations and maintenance activities;
• Digital instrumentation/controls (I&C), data analytics, and advanced sensors/instrumentation, at nuclear facilities;
• Cybersecurity associated with digital instrumentation and controls, remote monitoring/control, wireless communications at high-consequence facilities;
• Evaluation of methods, approaches and major uncertainties in assessing risk for operating, new and advanced reactors and other type of licensed nuclear facilities or medical applications (e.g., modeling of complex dependencies, advanced calculation techniques, multi-unit and multi-moule risk, application of risk techniques to radiological consequence analysis, development of improved risk metrics);
• Human and organizational factors and human reliability analysis for advanced nuclear applications, (e.g., improved models for dependency, consideration of organizational factors, dynamic methods, human-system integration and risk analysis);
• Characterization of fire hazards in new reactor designs (e.g., sodium, molten salt reactors (MSRs), high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR)) and post-fire safe shutdown capability;
• Characterization of natural hazards including but not limited to flooding, high winds, hurricanes, wildfires, climate change;
• Analysis models and methods for fuel and cladding performance;
• Advanced technology approaches (e.g., data and text analytics, data visualization techniques, and artificial intelligence) and applications (e.g., data mining, autonomous control) in nuclear power-related applications;
• Evaluation of the radiological releases and offsite consequences for fusion reactor accidents;
• Application of innovative and advanced technologies for space nuclear launches;
• Application of innovative and advanced technologies for decommissioning and remediation of radiologically contaminated sites;
• Evaluation of the technical gaps and uncertainties in licensing new veterinary and medical uses of byproduct materials;
• Analytical approaches that combine probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) risk quantification methods with reactor systems sensitivity or uncertainty analysis methods to quantify the risk significance of safety analysis errors or uncertainties;
• Performance-based, technology-neutral safety assurance;
• Evaluation of technical gaps and major uncertainties in assessing risk for decommissioning and waste management;
• Comparative analysis, consistencies, and harmonization in application of dosimetry and dose coefficients by the NRC and national and international regulatory agencies;
• Activities in the areas of neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and severe accident analysis that will help validate the NRC’s scientific computer codes;
• Additive (advanced) manufacturing for nuclear technologies;
• Evaluation of environmental justice in context of nuclear facilities;
• Analytical approaches to determine a rational risk premium for high-consequence, low-probability events for use in cost-benefit analyses;
• Performance-based regulatory review: developing technical criteria for consistent evaluation.
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.