PCI Foundation Grant

Overview

_NOTE: To apply:_

* _Reach out to your PCI regional director or a PCI certified precaster (we can give you local contacts) who can work with your program_
* _Attend the Professors Seminar_
* _Turn in a preliminary proposal by Letter of Inquiry Deadline_
* _If accepted, PCI Foundation will set up an academic advisory panel_
* _Turn over draft of proposal to academic advisory panel by Pre-Proposal Deadline_
* _Final Proposal Due by Full Proposal Deadline_

About PCI Foundation

Since 2001, the PCI Foundation has focused on providing curriculum development grants to schools of architecture, engineering and construction management.

These grants allow professors to partner with local precast producers, engineers, and architects to create unique content that cultivates productive relationships between the precast industry and the academic community, develops high-potential students for productive careers within the industry and facilitates including precast concrete information and technologies in university curricula.

Grants

The PCI Foundation has provided grants for schools of architecture, engineering and construction management to create new precast concrete education programs in coordination with a local precast industry partner since 2001. Precast programs run the gamut from pure architectural design studios, to co-studios between architects and engineers, or can be run fully from the engineering side of the program. How the program develops depends on the players involved, curriculum requirements and community needs.

Funding

Funding varies from project to project, based on the scope of the program, professor involvement, community partners and goals achieved by the program. General guidelines include that funding is typically no more than $25,000 per academic year.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Eligible Institutions
* The intention of the PCI Foundation is to seed new programs at institutions of higher learning.
* We have envisioned these programs to be part of a school of engineering (civil or structural), architecture, business school or construction management.
* However, the PCI Foundation Trustees will consider a program application from any department where understanding the fabrication, design, construction, or business of precast/prestressed concrete is the focus of the program.
* The expectation is that the PCI Foundation will fund NEW programs.
* So a regular semester-long course on precast design that has been offered in the past would probably not be funded.
* However, adding new elements to the program such as seminar that is open to the public, laboratory work, plant tours, classroom lectures by industry guest speakers, site visits, or design competitions would make a program more likely to be funded.
* What kinds of activities will the PCI Foundation support?
* Activities that have previously been part of programs sponsored by the PCI Foundation include (but are not limited to):
* PCI-Certified Plant Tours
* Hands-on casting of precast pieces
* Tours of form liner manufacturers or other precast supplier partners
* Professor Release Time
* Small Laboratory Equipment
* Student Competitions
* Teaching models
* Big Beam Team competition
* USDOE Solar Decathlon Entries
* Touring architectural or engineering firms affiliated with precast projects
* Precast construction site visits
* Guest classroom lectures by industry professionals.
* Travel to precast plants and projects outside of the US
* Desk reviews for student designers
* Mid-term and Final reviews of student work by industry partners.
* Public forums to show student work to community
* One-on-one consultation with precast specialty engineers.
* Project site visits
* Laboratory Testing
* Student
* Graduate Assistants
* Model Making
* Seminars open to the public
* Other programs may also be supported. The amount of support varies and will depend on the activities scheduled, the number of faculty members involved in the program, equipment needs, and other factors. Each proposal is rated and funded on its own merits.
* The amount of any grant award to a university or other legally constituted non-profit organization that may be used for indirect costs, overhead and other expenses not directly related to the project may not exceed 10% of the amount of direct costs.

Ineligibility

* The PCI Foundation does not support traditional research projects.
* Instead, if a curriculum builds on research or has research that extends from students work, that may be funded through the PCI Foundation.