FACCTS Program Information

Eligibility

Invited to apply are all PI-eligible UChicago faculty members affiliated with PSD, BSD, and/or PME, as well as PI-eligible researchers at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory. Argonne National Laboratory, which has participated annually in the FACCTS program since 2014, will not be accepting applications for this 2025 cycle.

Selection Criteria

Excellent, important science is necessary for a successful proposal, but it is not the only criterion. The committee will also consider such factors as:

  • The strengths and levels of complementarity between the collaborating partner laboratories
  • The likelihood of a high reward relative to the amount of funding requested
  • The extent to which the collaboration promotes the circulation of researchers—particularly students, postdocs, and junior faculty—between the two labs.
  • The potential for continued collaboration in the medium and longer term

The FACCTS program seeks to help foster a broad range of networks and productive partnerships between Chicago-based researchers and France-based colleagues and institutions.  For this reason, when choosing between similarly ranked projects, the review committee may use “past FACCTS funding” as a secondary criterion, giving preference to first-time applicants and to individuals whose initiatives have not recently (within the last 2 years) received FACCTS support. 

Deadlines and Key Dates

  • October 14, 2024: FACCTS Application opens.
  • February 4, 2025: Deadline for submission.
  • May 16, 2025: Notification given to all applicants.
  • July 1, 2025: Funds become available.

UChicago and National Laboratory Pools

FACCTS applications from researchers affiliated with the University of Chicago will be eligible for seed grant funding totally approximately $300,000. Applications submitted by Fermilab-based researchers are rated and ranked by the FACCTS review committee, which makes award recommendations to Fermilab leadership. Fermilab is responsible for all award decisions. As mentioned above, Argonne National Laboratory will not be accepting applications this year.

Funding Parameters

Fermilab-affiliated researchers may apply for FACCTS funding at levels of up to $20,000. There is not fixed limit on FACCTS awards to UChicago-based researchers, although most grants offered range from $7,500 to $15,000 for one-year awards and $15,000 to $30,000 for two-year awards. While these sums are relatively modest compared with most federal grants, funding from a FACCTS grant is considerably more flexible, and may be used for nearly any purpose that the University’s (or national laboratory’s) accounting system allows. We discourage the use of FACCTS funds to support travel to France by senior Chicago faculty members. However, bringing researchers from France to Chicago, and supporting travel by students, postdocs, and junior faculty members/researchers in either direction is considered a particularly appropriate use of FACCTS funding.

Additional Requirement for the Research Team in France

Consistent with guidelines established by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the French partner in any proposed FACCTS-supported collaboration must be in full compliance with PPST regulations (Protection du potentiel scientifique et technique et intelligence économique). Click on this link for more information. If questions remain after consulting this page, please contact Christophe Delacourt at christophedelacourt@recherche.gouv.fr.