RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE
MEETING GRANTS

I. Program Overview

The A&M System announces the year 2 call for proposals under the Research Excellence Fund (REF), a bold initiative to elevate the research enterprise across all A&M System member institutions. The REF provides competitive funding to accelerate discovery, strengthen collaboration, and enhance national competitiveness.
 
Research Collaborative Meetings Grants under the REF provide funding to host system-wide participation in a research meeting/symposium/summit to encourage collaboration on a high-impact research priorityaligned with state and national research priorities. Funding through this initiative is intended to position the A&M System as a leader in addressing grand challenges, fostering collaboration among system members, and increasing competitiveness for large-scale external funding from federal state, and private sponsors.

II. Program Objectives

Research Collaborative Meetings Grants seeks to:

• Advance System-wide Research Priorities that benefit the needs of Texas and the nation and align with state and national research priorities.
• Catalyze collaboration among multiple A&M System universities, agencies, and centers to pursue large-scale, mission-aligned research programs.
• Leverage REF funding to attract major federal, state, and private support.
• Strengthen A&M System visibility and leadership in key strategic areas that address critical societal and economic challenges.
• Support rapid-response efforts to new funding opportunities or policy shifts that align with identified research themes.

III. Eligibility

• Eligible Institution: Any A&M System member university.
• Eligible Applicants: The lead principal investigator (PI) and other PI and co-PIs must be PI-eligible and hold a full-time faculty or research staff appointment at an A&M System member university or agency.
• Collaborating Members: Proposals must include at least two A&M System member institutions as substantive partners to the lead institution. Three total A&M System member institutions required. System members are defined by System Policy 02.04 and include 12 universities, 8 state agencies, and the System Offices. Colleges, departments, centers, and branch campuses are not separate System members. A substantiative partner is defined as an A&M System member whose investigators have defined research responsibilities and meaningfully contributions to the project, as described in the Collaboration Plan.
• Eligible Activities:
  • Host a system-wide research meeting/symposium/summit
• Ineligible Activities:
  • Research projects; please seek other REF opportunities for research activities, such as early-stage collaborative grants and collaborative discovery grants.

IV. Award Information and Allowable Costs

• Total Funding Available: $500,000
• Maximum Individual Award: Up to $75,000 (but no less than $10,000)
• Project Period: 12 months
• Anticipated Minimum Number of Awards: 6
• Limited Submission: Submissions limited to one lead proposals per A&M System university as approved by designated university Chief Research Officer (CRO) (i.e., Vice President of Research). Note: A&M System agencies are included under Texas A&M University (TAMU) led submissions.
• Cost Share: Not required but encouraged to leverage the REF investment and demonstrate institutional commitment.
• Allowable Costs:
  • Expenses associated with planning and hosting a system-wide research meeting/symposium/summit
• Non-allowable Costs:
  • Routine operational expenses
• • Salaries for faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral staff, or administrative staff
  • Long-term equipment or infrastructure purchases

All funds must be expended within 12 months of award unless an extension is approved.

V. Proposal Requirements

A. Proposal Components

Proposals must include the following sections, combined into a single PDF document:

1. Cover Page (1 page)
   • Title of proposed project
   • Lead and partner institutions
   • Lead PI name, affiliation, and contact information
   • Other PIs and Co-PIs names, affiliations, and contact information
   • Total amount requested
2. Project Summary (1 page)
   • Overview of proposed system-wide research meeting/symposium/summit
   • Alignment with state and national research priorities
   • Anticipated impact
3. Project Description (up to 3 pages)
   • Detailed description of proposed system-wide research meeting/symposium/summit and its significance.
   • Clear articulation of project goals, methodologies, and expected deliverables (i.e., Statement of Work).
   • Anticipated impact and outcomes.
4. References (up to 2 pages)
5. Collaboration Plan (1 page)
   • Description of team, planned collaborations, roles and responsibilities of each participating A&M System institution and mechanism for coordination.
   • Description of plan to ensure system-wide participation in meeting/symposium/summit
6. Milestones and Deliverables (1 page)
   • Timeline with key activities, decision points, and expected outputs.
7. Budget and Budget Justification (1 page)
   • Detailed itemization of proposed expenses.
   • Institutional cost share commitment to leverage the REF investment (if applicable).
8. Biographical Sketches (Key investigators – PIs and co-PIs; up to 2 pages per PI)
9. Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) format.
10. Letters of Collaboration and/or Commitment (up to 5 letters; 1 page per letter) from research collaborators or administrators from collaborating A&M System member institutions.
11. Memo of Support (1 page) from university CRO endorsing this proposal for submission.

VI. Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by an independent peer-review panel composed of internal and external experts using the following weighted criteria:

Priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate transformational potential, cross-system collaboration and participation.

VII. Reporting and Expectations

Awardees will be required to:

• Submit a final report summarizing meeting minutes, outcomes, collaborations formed, and system-wide participation..
• Participate in the annual A&M System Research Excellence Meeting and present key findings and collaboration impacts.

VIII. Submission Instructions

• Submission Portal: Submit single PDF document to tamus.infoready4.com
• File Format: Single PDF document, 12-point font, 1-inch margins.
• Deadline: April 1, 2027, 11:59 PM CST
• Questions: Contact E-mail: ref@tamus.edu

IX. Program Governance

The Research Collaborative Meeting Grants will be administered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research under guidance from the REF Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from A&M System member institutions.
 
Proposals will be reviewed through a competitive independent peer-reviewed process. Decisions on funding will be approved by the Vice Chancellor for Research and endorsed by the Chancellor of the A&M System.

X. Key Dates

XI. Summary Statement

The Research Collaborative Meeting Grants initiative of the Research Excellence Fund will advance system-wide leadership in critical research areas of state and national importance, strengthen collaborative networks that enhance competitiveness for major external funding, demonstrate the collective power of the A&M System in addressing pressing societal challenges, reinforce the REF’s mission of sustained research excellence and impact across all member institutions.