<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Dear colleagues, </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Please note that we have extended the deadline for staff to <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnr5LOT96kJP4imMtKM4UlR-XtW3kTwSzmA6nHWaJfnM9s6w/viewform">apply</a> to the Innovator Ideas Lab through <b>September 15th</b>. The Ideas Lab workshop will take place on <b>November 12-13th</b>. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Thank you for your interest in the program! </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Alexandra</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br></div></div><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Aug 11, 2025 at 2:12 PM Alexandra Ramos Valle <<a href="mailto:aramos@ucar.edu">aramos@ucar.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Innovator Program is gauging staff interest in participating in a two-day </span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:700;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Ideas Lab</span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> workshop with university faculty. </span></p><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Innovator Program will be inviting applications from faculty to participate in the </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Innovator Ideas Lab</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">. The two-day workshop will bring together faculty interested in actionable, translational and convergence research to co-develop proposal ideas with NSF NCAR researchers. </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Ideas Lab replaces the traditional Letter of Intent (LOI) process with an interactive event that promotes proposal co-development with NSF NCAR staff starting from the ideation phase.</span></p><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:6pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnr5LOT96kJP4imMtKM4UlR-XtW3kTwSzmA6nHWaJfnM9s6w/viewform?usp=dialog" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Apply to participate in the Ideas Lab</span></a></p><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Ideas Lab participants will engage in facilitated sessions to workshop and co-develop novel research proposal ideas. The primary anticipated outcomes of the Ideas Lab include: </span></p><ul style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li dir="ltr" style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Formation of initial interdisciplinary research teams</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="margin-left:15px;list-style-type:disc;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Drafting of proposal abstract or letter of intent</span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:10pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Two months following the workshop, proposals will be solicited based on the concepts generated during the event. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, research to reduce damage and disruption to livelihoods, safety, and critical infrastructure from weather and space weather hazards, and assessing and predicting societally relevant Earth system variability across time scales. Proposals should describe interdisciplinary and convergent research projects that support major NSF NCAR initiatives.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:6pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Submitted proposals will be evaluated for funding and due to start in September 2026. Funding will be available for NSF NCAR collaborators to participate in the event and collaborate on the funded projects.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:6pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">If you are interested in being considered as a participant in the Ideas Lab, fill out this brief </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnr5LOT96kJP4imMtKM4UlR-XtW3kTwSzmA6nHWaJfnM9s6w/viewform?usp=dialog" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">form</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> by August 15th.  </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.38;margin-top:6pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(32,33,36);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">For questions, please email <a href="mailto:ecinnovators@ucar.edu" target="_blank">ecinnovators@ucar.edu</a>.</span></p></div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" face="georgia, serif">Alexandra N. Ramos-Valle, PhD</font><div><font color="#000000" face="georgia, serif">Project Scientist II - NSF NCAR Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology Lab</font><div><div><font color="#000000" face="georgia, serif">Principal Investigator - NSF NCAR EdEC <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/what-we-offer/education-outreach/early-career-opportunities" target="_blank">Faculty Innovator Program</a></font></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</blockquote></div><div><br clear="all"></div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" face="arial, sans-serif">Alexandra N. Ramos-Valle, PhD</font><div><font color="#000000" face="arial, sans-serif">Project Scientist II - NSF NCAR Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology Lab</font><div><div><font color="#000000" face="arial, sans-serif">Principal Investigator - NSF NCAR EdEC <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/what-we-offer/education-outreach/early-career-opportunities" target="_blank">Faculty Innovator Program</a></font></div></div></div></div></div></div>