Proposal Cost Share Program

I. Program Overview

The A&M System announces the inaugural 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.
 
Strategic Initiative 5: Proposal Cost Share Program under the REF recognizes that many large-scale and collaborative funding opportunities require cost-sharing commitments, which often determine whether a proposal is competitive or even eligible for consideration. By providing a central resource for strategic cost-sharing, the program aims to enhance System-wide success in securing major, multi-investigator, and multi-institutional research awards.

II. Program Objectives

The Proposal Cost Share Program seeks to:

• Increase A&M System Competitiveness for Major Awards: Enhance success rates for large and prestigious funding opportunities that require or strongly encourage matching funds.
• Support High-Value, Strategic Proposals: Focus on proposals with strong potential for transformational impact, sustained funding, or high visibility for the A&M System.
• Encourage Collaboration: Prioritize proposals involving multi-institutional and interdisciplinary teams across the A&M System.
• Leverage Institutional Investment: Maximize the impact of REF resources by supplementing cost-sharing commitments from participating institutions.
• Strengthen Relationships with Sponsors: Position the A&M System as a reliable and capable partner for large-scale federal, state, and private research initiatives.

III. Eligibility

• Eligible Institution: Any A&M System member university.
• Eligible Applicants: Requests must be submitted by designated Chief Research Officer (CRO) (i.e., Vice President of Research) of each A&M System member university [https://www.tamus.edu/research/vcr/cro/].
• Collaborating Members: Requests involving multiple A&M System members will receive priority consideration.
• Requests must be linked to a specific proposal solicitation (i.e., RFP, NOFO, etc.) to a federal, state, or private sponsor.
• Proposals must:
  • Require or benefit significantly from cost share;
  • Have total project budgets typically exceeding $1 million in external funding request;
  • Be linked to a specific proposal solicitation (i.e., RFP, NOFO, etc.) to a federal, state, or private sponsor;

IV. Award Information and Allowable Costs

• Total Funding Available (FY26): $1,000,000
• Maximum Individual Award: Up to $250,000 per request (no less than $25,000 per request)
• Expected Number of Awards: 4 – 40 annually
• Matching Funds: Not required but encouraged to leverage the REF investment and demonstrate institutional commitment.
• Allowable Costs:
  • Direct match for personnel, equipment, or project expenses
  • Cash or in-kind contributions (where permitted by sponsor rules)
  • Matching for center proposals, infrastructure projects, or strategic initiatives
• Non-allowable Costs:
  • Routine departmental operations
  • Faculty or research staff salary supplements outside project budgets

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 external proposal
   • Sponsoring agency and program, including program solicitation information
   • Lead and partner institutions
   • Lead PI and other PIs and Co-PIs
   • Lead PI contact information
   • Total project budget and total cost-share requested
   • Proposal submission deadline
2. Project Summary and Impact Statement (up to 2 pages)
   • Brief overview of proposed research or program
   • Relevance to System-wide impact
   • Description of collaboration across A&M System institutions
   • Anticipated benefits to research capacity, competitiveness, or reputation
3. Budget and Matching Details (1 page)
   • Itemized budget showing external funds requested and proposed cost-share
   • Description of institutional commitments
   • Documentation of sponsor’s cost-share requirements (if applicable)
4. Biographical Sketches (Key investigators – PIs and co-PIs)
   • Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) format.
5. Memo of Support (1 page) from 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:

VII. Reporting and Expectations

Awardees will be required to:

• Submit post-award summary of funded project.
• Submit final report on outcomes achieved through the REF cost-share support, including publications, grants, or collaboration results from the investment.

Funds will be committed contingent upon award for external proposal. Cost-share contributions will be tracked and verified in accordance with sponsor and A&M System policies and regulations.

VIII. Submission Instructions

• Submission Portal: Submit single PDF document to ref@tamus.edu
• File Format: Single PDF document, 12-point font, 1-inch margins.
• Deadline: Rolling
• Questions: Contact E-mail: ref@tamus.edu

IX. Program Governance

The Proposal Cost Share Program 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.
 
Requests 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 Chancellorof the A&M System.

X. Key Dates

XI. Summary Statement

The Proposal Cost Share Program of the Research Excellence Fund represents a targeted investment in the A&M System’s research competitiveness. By strategically leveraging matching funds, this initiative enhances System-wide success in securing major external awards, strengthens collaborative research, and ensures that the A&M System continues to lead in discovery, innovation, and impact for the State of Texas and beyond.