FUNding Friday Rules

What: Annual Mini-grant competition. (see previously funded projects here)

The Prizes: Three $5,000 awards to fund small projects that are inspired by ESIP collaboration or participation.

The Purpose: This competition serves several purposes, which should inform those desiring to compete:
1. The competition promotes and rewards new collaborations or bridges between ESIP projects and technologies, so that novel outcomes can be explored.
2. The competition fosters small-scale projects of real value by supporting programmer salary, travel—whatever is needed to realize the proposed work (overhead is NOT supported).
3. The competition showcases how the ESIP Federation can leverage current technologies and member skills to add new services with a modest amount of effort (and funding).
4. The competition rewards members who are looking to explore new collaborations and new ideas inspired by other Federation member activities.
This year’s competition does NOT have a single topical or other focus. It encourages collaborations across member organizations that demonstrate the value of ESIP participation. It is open to the imaginations and the needs of the ESIP members.

Eligibility: Registered meeting participants who are members of the ESIP Federation can apply (you need not be your organization’s Assembly representative). YOU MUST BE PRESENT AT THE FUNding FRIDAY POSTER EVENT TO COMPETE! Federal employees must check their eligibility to participate and funding is available only to partners from US-based organizations.

Limit on participation: An eligible member can be the lead person on only ONE proposed project. The team members for the project should be identified on the poster. Last year’s winners are ineligible to compete again this year.

To Participate: You must exhibit a poster (size limit: 25 by 30 inches) that describes the project at the FUNding Friday Poster event (morning of Friday, July 15) at the Summer ESIP Federation meeting. NOTE: the lead person on the project must be present for the poster to be considered. NO PROXIES. The poster can be hand drawn: the expectation is that novel proposal ideas will be rewarded. During the event, you will be expected to give a 2-minute pitch for your project idea. Time will be strictly enforced.

To Vote: Voting will take place at the FUNding Friday event. YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO VOTE. All persons who have paid the registration fee for the Summer Meeting are eligible to vote. Each voter will get THREE ballots, obtatined from the voter table. There is no rule against allocating all three ballots for one poster. Voting closes at the end of the Poster Session. The winners will be announced at a box-lunch event on the same day. In the case of two-way tie for third place, the winners can choose (by consensus) if they prefer to split the funding and do both projects, or flip a coin to determine the winner. In the case of a three (or more) way tie, the winner of the tie will be determined by a vote of the ESIP Executive Committee at the next regular telecon.

All decisions are final.

Responsibilities of the Winners: The winners will be given 50% of the funds when they submit a project statement of work and a milestone schedule to the Foundation Executive Director. The remaining 50% of the funds will be given out at the following Winter ESIP Meeting, where the winning projects will describe their work in a new poster. ALL WORK MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE NEXT ESIP MEETING (normally approximately 6 months), unless a different timeline is requested in the original funded proposal. (In no case will project deliverables be allowed more than 12 months after the original competition.) This payment schedule can be revised by the Foundation Executive Director in cases where the is a compelling reason to complete the payment earlier. All funds must be spent according to current US Government rules on contract expenditures. Winning project leaders that fail to produce the proposed deliverables may find themselves at a disadvantage in future competitions.