1. Army Research Office (ARO): Young Investigator Program (YIP)
A. Program overview
B. Research areas
C. White paper
D. Full proposal
E. My experience
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

2. A. Program overview Objective of Young Investigator Program (YIP):
Attract to Army research outstanding young university faculty members
Eligibility:
US citizens, Nationals, and resident aliens
Hold tenure-track position at US university or college
PhD degree for fewer than 5 years at the time of application
Award:
$50,000/year (maximum)
3 years
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

3. A. Program overview Submission deadline:
Proposals may be submitted at any time
Informal discussion with the ARO Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) is strongly recommended before submission of a formal proposal
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

4. B. Research areas
Research areas listed in the ARO Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Basic and Applied Scientific Research
Current BAA: W911NF-12-R-0012 (15 May 2012 – 31 March 2017)
Link:
10 research areas:
Mechanical Sciences
Environmental Sciences
Mathematics
Electronics
Computing Science
Physics
Chemical Sciences
Life Sciences
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

5. B. Research areas Each research area is divided into sub-areas
Materials Science
Network Science
Each research area is divided into sub-areas
Each sub-area is managed by a TPOC
You should spend some time reading the various research areas
Francoeur: Research in radiative transfer
YIP Award in Research Area 9: Materials Science (Sub-area 9.1: Materials by Design)
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

6. C. White paper
TPOC should be contacted prior to the submission of white paper and full proposal:
Fit of research with TPOC program
Ask the TPOC if YIP funding is available
Contact more than one TPOC, if possible
Recommendation: Have a white paper ready when contacting TPOCs
White papers must be submitted directly by to the TPOC
It is mandatory to submit a white paper prior to the submission of a full proposal
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

7. C. White paper Format and content of white paper:
Total of 7 pages: (i) Cover page: 1 page; (ii) Technical information: 5 pages; (iii) Biographical Sketch: 1 page
Technical information: (i) Research objective; (ii) Approach; (iii) Relationship to similar research; (iv) Level of effort; (v) Anticipated results; (vi) Contribution to Army’s mission
Details provided in the ARO BAA for Basic and Applied Scientific Research
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

8. D. Full proposal Content of full proposal:
Project abstract (limited to 1 page)
Project description (no page limit, but keep it ~15 pages)
Biographical sketch
Bibliography
Current and pending support
Facilities, equipment and other resources
Budget
Letter of support from the Department Chair
Details provided in the ARO BAA for Basic and Applied Scientific Research
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

9. E. My experience Early April 2013: April 12, 2013: May 2, 2013:
I contacted 5 TPOCs
4 responded: “I don’t have YIP funding”
1 responded on April 11, 2013: “I do have YIP funding. Please send me a white paper.”
April 12, 2013:
White paper submitted by to the TPOC
May 2, 2013:
TPOC invited me to submit a full proposal
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,

10. E. My experience June 7, 2013: April 23, 2014: Full proposal submitted
Proposal awarded
Reviewers’ comments not provided
Army Research Office Young Investigator Program,