OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
TO:	CHI-CHANG KAO, CYNTHIA FRIEND, DAVID MAC FARLANE, NORBERT HOLTKAMP, MARK REICHANADTER AND JO STOHR
FROM:	PERSIS S. DRELL
SUBJECT:	FY2013 LDRD CALL FOR PROPOSALS (Due Date April 16, 2012)
DATE:	FEBRUARY 15, 2012

As a mechanism for directing the Laboratory's forefront scientific research capabilities towards vital and emerging scientific challenges, the LDRD program provides the resources for SLAC scientists to make rapid and significant contributions solving critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program contributes to the Laboratory’s scientific staff capability and vitality by supporting initial and exploratory work in forefront areas of science and technology that enrich Laboratory research and development core competencies and seed new areas of discovery. Areas eligible for support include:

• Advanced study of new hypotheses, new concepts, and innovative approaches to scientific or technical problems;
• Experiments directed towards "proof-of-principle" or early determination of the utility of new scientific ideas, technical concepts, or devices; and
• Conception and preliminary technical analysis of experimental facilities or devices.

Within these eligible research areas, the LDRD program is conducted with a scale of effort typically utilizing existing research facilities. The projects can be characterized as:

• Small-scale research and development activities or pilot projects;
• Bench-scale research projects;
• Computer modeling, conceptual design and feasibility studies.

Consistent with DOE policy, funding cannot be used for construction line-item, maintenance projects, or general purpose equipment acquisitions. Projects may not substitute for, or increase the budget of, projects or tasks already funded at SLAC by DOE or other sponsors.

SLAC's LDRD program provides an opportunity to advance the Laboratory's mission as described in the Annual Lab Plan and the SLAC Lab Agenda (see the 2011 SLAC Plan and Lab Agenda at http://www-group.slac.stanford.edu/do). Proposers are encouraged to consider this in developing their proposals, and should consult with the cognizant ALD(s) at a very early stage.

For FY2013, we will again include a LDRD proposal category that will provide the opportunity for investment in "high risk/high payoff" areas. Thus there will be two categories of proposals for the upcoming call:

1. proposals intended to initiate and/or develop major new strategic directions
2. "discovery" proposals with higher scientific risk and potential

The proposals in category 2 will be limited in size to $125K each and the sum of awarded proposals in this category will total not more than $500K in FY2013.

This call for proposals is directed to the mission-oriented SLAC Directorates. The proposal calendar and process is described at the LDRD website at http://ldrd.slac.stanford.edu. A proposal template and guidelines for completing should be accessed from the same web link.

Each ALD in AD, LCLS, SSRL, PPA, and PS, may select and forward for consideration proposals totaling no more than $2M in aggregate for their respective Directorate. This can be a mixture of continuations of FY2012 projects for up to 3 years maximum per individual projects and new proposals. Proposals that are cross-cutting and engage and leverage the core capabilities across multiple directorates are welcomed, and relevant ALDs should appropriately share such proposals in their allocation limits.

Please determine a process that works within your Directorate for developing and choosing the proposals which you will put forward for review. You may for example call for "letters of intent" and then decide which to request for full development that will be submitted from your Directorate. Be aware that you must plan for your internal process so as to give time for the investigators to develop the full proposals to comply with the LDRD proposal due date of April 16th, 2012.

The LDRD Manager, Steve Williams, has engaged Charlie Prescott and Ingolf Lindau this year to chair two proposal review committees comprised of internal and external scientists to provide recommendations to the SLAC Executive Council - tentatively on May 15th. After EC review and down-select prioritization, I will select the LDRD proposals to be funded in FY2013.