Guidelines : Annual Facility Call

Proposals for field campaigns that include deployment of an ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) are solicited annually and are reviewed by the ARM Science Board. The board also reviews proposals for fixed site or offsite campaigns with costs to ARM greater than $300K; however, note that limited funding is available to support such campaigns.

Campaign proposals should be submitted 18 to 24 months before the proposed start date; additional lead time can be considered for campaigns that require international coordination.

Proposals are accepted from any member of the scientific research community. The first step in proposing a field campaign is to submit a preproposal—a short summary of the proposed campaign and requested resources.

The preproposal will be reviewed by the ARM Infrastructure Management Board (IMB), who will evaluate use of the facility, potential collaborations, costs, logistics, safety, and mission relevance and decide whether to invite a full proposal. Only invited full proposals will be sent for review by the ARM Science Board.

• Preproposals due to ARM (required).
• Invitation to submit a full proposal.
• Full proposals due to ARM.
• ARM Science Board review.
• Announcement of selected proposals.

Available Facilities

Availability of major ARM resources is somewhat different due to commitments to existing field campaigns. Principal investigators who request multiple ARM resources for a single field campaign proposal should clearly identify and justify the role of each resource and its contribution to the overall scientific objectives of the campaign.

More details on the information that will be requested in a full proposal can be found in section C.1 of the ARM Field Campaign Guidelines.

Note: Priority will be given to proposals that make comprehensive use of ARM facilities, focus on Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program strategic goals, and have the ability to improve regional or global earth system models.

Proposals that coordinate with other BER community capabilities (e.g., Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory [EMSL], AmeriFlux Network, Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments [NGEE] in the Arctic and Tropics, Energy Exascale Earth System Model [E3SM]) or that support the goals of the Global Energy and Water cycle Exchanges (GEWEX) project are encouraged.

Please note that for successful proposals, ARM provides the operational and logistical resources to conduct the proposed campaign; however, ARM does not provide research funding associated with the campaign.

Principal investigators (PIs) should demonstrate in their proposal that funding for research has already been secured or that a research grant is being submitted. Please indicate which funding agency or BER science program is being contacted to support research associated with the campaign. If the PI anticipates requesting funding from a BER science program, they should contact the appropriate BER science program manager to discuss potential support before submitting their ARM proposal.

PIs are encouraged to contact the appropriate site or facility manager about logistical questions as they prepare their proposals. They may also contact the ARM Field Campaign Administrator for general questions about the ARM proposal process.