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Research Priorities: Sustainable Computing Infrastructure & Low-Embedded Carbon Construction Materials

Summary Information

Award Amount: Up to $450,000 per proposal

Award Duration: Up to 12 months with estimated start of October 2, 2024

Funding Offices: Deloitte Consulting LLP in partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder鈥檚 Research & Innovation Office (RIO) & Climate Innovation Collaboratory (CIC)

Program Description

Deloitte and the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) launched the Climate Innovation Collaboratory (CIC) to translate cutting-edge climate research and data into meaningful climate solutions for businesses, organizations, government agencies and communities.

The CIC is seeking proposals to fund research into current climate-related issues and trends. This year, we are seeking proposals aligned to the following areas:

• Sustainable Computing Infrastructure - The rapidly growing energy requirements associated with AI and quantum computing听presents challenges both to the operational sustainability and the energy resilience of data centers, which require 24/7 energy. Industry leaders such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have made commitments to 24/7 carbon-free electricity but with the accelerated growth of AI computing, these commitments are getting more difficult to achieve and the energy load growth of these data centers is presenting grid capacity issues across the United States and the world. Deloitte and CU Boulder would like to explore these challenges and develop thought-leadership in how to make AI computing more sustainable. Illustrative topics that align to this area include, but are not limited to:
  
  • Data center energy efficiency and planning
  • Carbon-free computing strategies
  • Strategies for increasing the use of renewable energy by data centers, such as on-site RE and direct power purchase agreements
• Low-Embodied Carbon (LEC) Construction Materials/Sustainable Building Materials - The Federal government, through the Inflation Reduction Act Section 60503, provides the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) with $2.15 billion for acquisition and installation of construction materials and products with substantially lower levels of embodied greenhouse gas emissions as compared to estimated industry averages, as determined by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Additionally, GSA is responsible for establishing LEC requirements for all Federal agencies and conducted a series of pilot projects to accelerate efforts to achieve a net zero emissions federal footprint, catalyze American innovation, and save taxpayers millions in energy costs. In collaboration with CU Boulder, Deloitte would like to explore research topics related to LEC construction materials, including research and development of eminence that will establish both CU Boulder and Deloitte as thought-leaders in this space and expand the capabilities Deloitte provides to its clients both in the Government and Commercial spaces. Illustrative topics that align to this area include, but are not limited to:
  
  • Approaches to support LEC markets
  • Innovative LEC construction materials and manufacturing processes
  • Frameworks to measure the effectiveness of LEC construction materials

Eligibility

All CU Boulder Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty, Instructors and Senior Instructors (including Teaching Assistant Professors, Teaching Associate Professors, and Teaching Professors), and Career Track Research Faculty (i.e., Research Professors Series, Senior Research Associates* (SRA), and Research Associates* (RA)) who hold an appointment of 50% or greater are eligible to apply. The lead PI must be employed by CU Boulder. Co-PIs are allowed, and can be funded as long as they are CU Boulder faculty. Collaborators from other institutions are also permitted, but cannot receive funding from the program. *Postdoctoral Associates, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Research Associates/Senior Research Associates in short-term, transitional postdoctoral training positions should not apply as the intent of this award is to foster new and innovative programs of research and scholarly activity that will be of long-term benefit to CU Boulder and Deloitte.

No third parties, including Co-PIs, external to CU Boulder may be directly involved in the program without prior written approval from Deloitte. All individuals receiving funding from the program must be employees or contractors of CU Boulder.听

Additional eligibility information:

• Projects with a major scientific or budgetary overlap with the PI's active research support are not eligible.
• Projects with a primary focus on curriculum development are not eligible.
• Applicants with existing resources that could be used to fund their project are discouraged.

Application Process and Requirements

Annual Timeline

Budget

• Maximum Budget Request: $450,000
• Faculty course or teaching buy-out is not an eligible expense.
• Allowability of Indirect Costs: CU Boulder鈥檚 applicable indirect costs are allowed.

Project Duration

• Up to 12 months with estimated start of October 2, 2024

Proposal Requirements

Proposals should use clear writing appropriate for non-specialists and make a strong case for the importance of the project to reviewers outside the discipline. Proposal documents should be in Arial 11-point type with at least 0.5" margins and should include the PI's name and the year of proposal within the document title (e.g., MRuzzene2024CICProposal.pdf).

All proposals should include the components below in one PDF document and be clearly marked by section. Proposals that fail to comply with these requirements will not be reviewed.

• Proposal/Project Plan: Describe the aims, significance, methods, and expected outcomes of the project, highlighting any new or creative directions, future payoff potential, or value/impact. The maximum length is 5 pages, including tables, figures, charts, references, and any other supporting information.
• Supplemental Materials (these materials do not count toward the 5-page proposal limit):
  
  • Abstract/Project Summary: Up to 1 page. Provide a concise summary of the project accessible to general audiences. Explain how the project will foster future research, scholarly, and creative vitality at CU Boulder.
  • PI Curriculum Vitae: Up to 2 pages. Do not submit CV for Co-PIs/Collaborators.
  • Co-PIs/Collaborators: Name, title, unit/department, and role(s). Up to 1 page.
  • Budget and Budget Justification: Applicants are required to use this template for the budget. Concisely provide a justification of the items requested in the budget. Particular attention should be given to justifying budget items that may not be obvious to reviewers who are familiar with (but are not experts in) your specific field. Up to 2 pages total (approximately 1 page for the budget and 1 page for the budget justification).
• Honors, Awards, Representative Scholarly Work or Publications Relevant to Proposal: Highlight published work that directly addresses the PI鈥檚 ability to carry out the proposed project. Up to 2 pages.
• Please note that recipients will be required to submit short monthly updates in a format to be determined by both parties with a required mid-year review in a reasonable format agreed by both parties.

Proposal Submission

• Proposals must be submitted by a CU Boulder authorized organizational representative, with authority residing in CU Boulder鈥檚 Office of Contracts & Grants. Proposals shall be submitted via email to Jacob Goldstein, Manager, jacgoldstein@deloitte.com.

Review Process

The CIC Steering Committee will review proposals, provide comments, convene to discuss proposals and recommend proposals for funding. Proposals will be evaluated in four primary areas:

• Strategic alignment to Deloitte market opportunities
• Return on investment to Deloitte and the CIC
• Feasibility of completion and ability to demonstrate proof of concept or meaningful results at designated review points
• Risk of scope not being completed within the period of performance

Awarding Mechanism

The awarding mechanism for this RFP will be firm fixed price contracts. Federal funds will not be involved in these awards.

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