January 2018  
 
The FAS Research Development group publishes this monthly Funding Newsletter for SEAS faculty and researchers. The newsletter includes notable Federal, private, and internal Harvard funding opportunities. To provide feedback, please complete our two-question survey.  
 
Questions?
Erin Hale: erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu | 617-496-5252 
Jennifer Corby:  jcorby@fas.harvard.edu | 617-495-1590  
 
  For more information on our support services, please visit our website .

Did you know?
 Harvard affiliates have access to Pivot , a funding opportunity database. 
 
You are receiving this newsletter because you are subscribed to our mailing list. All Harvard University faculty and administrators may subscribe  here , and you may unsubscribe at any time. Visit our  email archive  to see our past newsletters.
 

News, Announcements, & Special Features

 
Feature: New Investigator Opportunity Spotlight
 
Internal Funding Opportunity: Harvard Solar Geoengineering Research Program
Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP) aims to focus on advancing solar geoengineering science and technology; assessing efficiency and risks; and laying out governance options and social implications. Current available funding mechanisms are a residency program and Harvard faculty research grants. Learn more about these opportunities here

Funding Opportunities

Click on the links below to read a program synopsis

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
 
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 
Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA)
 
National Science Foundation: Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF: MPS)
 

Internal Opportunities

Lemann
Lemann Brazil Research Fund *Please Note: Deadline Extended
Deadline: January 29, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $150,000 payable over one or two years
Target Applicants: Applications are invited from individuals who hold a faculty appointment at a Harvard school and who have principal investigator rights at that school.
 
Applications are invited from researchers across disciplines proposing research projects relating to Brazil. Proposals are sought for projects that address education management and administration; social science and its applications; public administration and policy; technological advances in education; and evidence-based research. Consideration will also be given to projects that propose collaboration between Harvard faculty and Brazilian academics in the life sciences, physical sciences and engineering, and basic and applied sciences.
 
Proposed projects must meet at least one of the following three criteria:
  1. Include collaboration with Brazilian academics
  2. Be undertaken in Brazil in whole or in part
  3. Focus on Brazil
 Star

Deadline: February 28, 2018
Award Amount: $20,000-$200,000 in direct costs (project budgets should not include indirect costs). In 2017, the average award size was $106,250. Up to five awards will be made annually.
Eligible Applicants: This competition is open to ladder faculty members in FAS and SEAS. Collaborative proposals are welcome but the lead investigator on the application must hold a faculty appointment in FAS or SEAS.
 
Established in 2013 by a generous gift to Harvard University at the suggestion of James A. Star, AB (1983), the Star Family Challenge for Promising Scientific Research provides seed funding to interdisciplinary high-risk, high-impact projects in the natural or social sciences. Early stage projects which are unlikely to receive funding from traditional grant-making agencies are encouraged. Award recipients will present and discuss their projects with a range of scholars in multiple disciplines at a Challenge event on April 9, 2018, prior to receipt of funding.
HILT
 
Spark Grant for Collaboration, Research, and Engagement
Deadline: March 21, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $15,000
Eligible Applicants: Harvard University benefits-eligible faculty, staff, and postdoctoral researchers are eligible to apply for funding, individually or as groups. 
 
Grants are designed to help "spark" promising teaching and learning projects from idea to reality and position innovations for future success. Funding can be used in various ways; for example, to pay for a research assistant, hire a graduate student with academic technology expertise, or convene collaborative groups. Through Spark Grants, awardees will receive resources, feedback, and community support to help them develop their ideas into prototypes, pilots, and small-scale innovations. HILT will also strive to support any future scaling-up of Spark Grant projects by increasing their visibility and connecting awardees and project outcomes with others in the broader Harvard community. In general, grant proposals should align with HILT's mission to catalyze innovation and excellence in teaching and learning at Harvard University.
Deadline: April 3, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $50,000
Eligible Applicants: Applications are invited from individuals who hold a junior faculty appointment. This includes FAS and SEAS Assistant or Associate Professors and Junior Fellows of the Harvard Society of Fellows.
 
The Milton Fund supports research projects in the fields of medicine, geography, history and science that promote the physical and material welfare and prosperity of the human race, investigate and determine the value and importance of any discovery or invention, or assist in the discovery and perfecting of any special means of alleviating or curing human disease. Funds awarded through the Milton Fund support research to explore new ideas, to act as the catalyst between ideas and more definitive directions, and to consider new methods of approaching solutions.

Please note that the eligibility requirements for the Milton Award have changed this year and the fund is no longer open to FAS tenured faculty.
Deadline: May 18, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $20,000
Eligible Applicants: The designated faculty leader(s) must hold primary Harvard faculty appointments at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor or senior non-ladder faculty appointments including Senior Lecturer, Senior Preceptor, and Professor of Practice.
 
The Provost's Fund for Interfaculty Collaboration (PFIC) was developed to promote faculty collaboration across multiple Harvard Schools. This fund can be used to support a variety of projects, including but not limited to cross-School interdisciplinary course support, research working groups, and small-scale conferences. The Fund will occasionally prioritize particular forms of collaboration, and during the 2017-2018 academic year, funding priority will be given to proposals intended to advance cross-School teaching. 
 
To be eligible for support, the designated faculty leader(s) must hold primary Harvard faculty appointments at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor or senior non-ladder faculty appointments including Senior Lecturer, Senior Preceptor, and Professor of Practice, and the project must engage faculty and/or students from at least two Harvard Schools. Priority will be given to applicants who have not previously received funding from the grant. Colleagues from outside Harvard may be included as well.
 
These one-year grants should be considered seed money rather than continuing support. Funding should be expended within a year of the award. Preference will be given to proposals that illustrate the potential cross-School impact of funding (e.g., cross-listed courses, sponsored research opportunities, resulting scholarly products) as well as to proposals that leverage other resources (e.g., cost-sharing with a Department, School, or outside funder).

InternalSolar
Residency Program and Harvard Faculty Research Grants 
Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: Varies by award type

Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP) aims to focus on advancing solar geoengineering science and technology; assessing efficiency and risks; and laying out governance options and social implications. The following funding mechanisms are currently available:  

Residency Program:  This program will accept a small number of researchers focused on solar geoengineering to spend between 1 and 3 weeks at Harvard University, working directly with researchers at SGRP and other members of the Harvard community. The main purpose of this program is to enable visitors to work in collaboration with Harvard researchers and each other on discrete research projects. SGRP will cover the cost of travel and accommodations as well as per diem for meals.
 
Harvard Faculty Research Grants:  SGRP will provide direct support for research activities that cannot be fulfilled by students or fellows. That could involve multi-investigator collaborations, field or laboratory work in the sciences, or field or survey work in the social sciences.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Nascent Light-Matter Interactions (NLM)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Proposal Abstracts (strongly encouraged): December 18, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: February 7, 2018
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this BAA will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. The NLM program consists of three phases: Phase I (an 18-month base period), Phase II (a 12-month option), and Phase III (an 18-month option). Proposals should address all three phases.
 
The Defense Sciences Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals that advance our knowledge and understanding of light-matter interactions. In particular, DARPA seeks to develop new and systematic approaches to the design of engineered structures and materials that change how we manipulate electromagnetic waves and capitalize on nascent wave-matter interactions. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

Multiple awards are anticipated.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Configuration Security (ConSec)
OSP Deadline: February 1, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: February 8, 2018
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this solicitation has not been predetermined and will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. ConSec will consist of three phases - Phase 1 and Phase 2 will each be 15 months in duration, and Phase 3 will be 12 months in duration.
 
The ConSec program will develop a system to automatically generate, deploy, and enforce configurations of components and subsystems for use in military platforms. These configurations should address system vulnerabilities and minimize attack surfaces while maintaining expected functionality and performance. By viewing each individual component's configuration as elements of the composed system's behavior and security, more secure configurations can be developed and deployed to enhance security without requiring new software development or large hardware changes.

ConSec will be structured with four technical areas (TA):
  • TA1 - Understanding the Composed System
  • TA2 - Generate Secure Configurations
  • TA3 - Voice of the Offense
  • TA4 - System Integrator and Evaluator
Proposals shall address only one technical area. Proposers may submit multiple proposals for any or all four TAs. The Government anticipates one or more awards for Technical Area (TA) 1, multiple awards in TA2, and single awards for TA3 and TA4. A total of $45M is available for this program.
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
Secretary of the Air Force (SecAF) 2030 Science and Technology (S&T) Study
OSP Deadline: February 12, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: February 20, 2018
Award Amount: Individual award amounts are anticipated to be $100,000-$250,000. The period of performance for all awards will be 7 months. A total of $2.5M is anticipated to be available for awards under this announcement.
 
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is soliciting universities and industry to conduct Technical Forecasting Studies and/or Organizational and Processes Studies to conduct studies and produce reports with recommendations regarding how the Air Force should prepare today for National Security requirements in the year 2030 and beyond. Technical Forecasting Studies will identify focus areas in basic and applied research for the Air Force to pursue to prepare for National Security challenges in 2030 and beyond. For the Organizational and Processes Studies, offerors will conduct studies focused on identifying effective business processes and organizational structures to manage early stage research, including exploitation of rapidly developing science and technology (S&T). Study findings will include ways in which the Air Force can adjust existing or future processes and structures to manage the research enterprise and increase rapid adoption of said S&T. Performers may conduct the studies internally or convene panels of internal/external experts to identify key recommendations.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Hallmark Tools and Capabilities 2 (Hallmark-TC2)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: February 21, 2018
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this BAA will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. Hallmark is a two-phase program: Phase I is a 15-month effort and Phase II is 12 months.
 
The objective of the Tools and Capabilities 2 portion of the Hallmark program is to develop and validate additional technologies for enabling the full spectrum of military space enterprise command and control capabilities. These additional technologies will complement and augment the current set of tools and capabilities (solicited in DARPA-BAA-16-49) integrated into the Hallmark Space Enterprise Analysis Capability software testbed (solicited in DARPA-BAA-16-40). The full suite of integrated space tools and capabilities will continue to be validated in periodic, realistic, scenario-based evaluation events.

Multiple awards are anticipated. Up to a total of $3.4M is anticipated in funding for this program.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Agile Small-Satellite Experimental Telescope (ASSET)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: February 2, 2018
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this BAA will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. A total program duration of 24 months is anticipated.
 
DARPA is soliciting innovative proposals to develop infrared telescopes with size, weight, and low recurring cost suitable for use on small satellites, and which also have the capability for rapidly steering the telescope instantaneous field-of-view over a large angular field-of regard. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in the technology available for small-satellite remote sensing systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

Multiple awards are anticipated.

DARPA_PFC
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Protected Forward Communications (PFC)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: February 14, 2018
Award Amount: A total of $26,000,000 for multiple efforts is anticipated to be awarded, divided between an estimated $14,000,000 for anticipated multiple 15-month base efforts, and an additional $12,000,000 for multiple (at least two desired) anticipated 15-month continuing options.
 
The Protected Forward Communications (PFC) Program will enable small unit tactical operations to persist in diverse electronic warfare (EW) conditions by developing an integrated communication system protecting local, airborne, and reach-back communications from exploitation and denial. DARPA is soliciting proposals for the system conceptual design, modeling and simulation (M&S) validation, and component brass-board demonstrations. The result of the PFC program is intended to be a qualified design with experiential support ready for full development and user trial (DUT) activity.

Multiple awards are anticipated.
Naval Supply Systems Command
Research Initiatives at The Naval Postgraduate School
OSP Deadline: February 21, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: February 28, 2018 
Award Amount: The funding amount and period of performance of each selected proposal will vary depending on the research area and the technical approach pursued by the selected prospective Grantee.
 
The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is interested in receiving proposals for research initiatives that offer potential for advancement and improvement in the NPS core mission of graduate education and research. Readers should note that this is an announcement to declare NPS's solicitation in competitive funding of meritorious research initiatives across a spectrum of science and engineering, business, politics and public/foreign policy, operational and information sciences, and interdisciplinary disciplines that are in-line with the NPS' graduate education and research mission.
 
Additional information on the Naval Postgraduate School's graduate education and research mission is available at:
 
 
Prior to preparing proposals, potential Offerors are strongly encouraged to contact an NPS point of contact (POC) whose program and research efforts best match the Offeror's field of interest. The academic and research programs links above can be used to locate an appropriate POC by exploring the information provided about the faculty members in NPS' schools, research institutes, and interdisciplinary centers and research groups.
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
Fundamental Research to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction - Call for Specific Topics
OSP Deadline: February 21, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): February 28, 2018
Award Amount: Varies by topic
 
DTRA safeguards America and its allies from weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and provides capabilities to reduce, eliminate, and counter the threat and effects from chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield explosives.
 
DTRA has announced specific topics of interest in several of its thrust areas:
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 1-Topic H1: Predicting Trends for Combined High Stopping Power and Energy Resolution Tl-based Materials for Detecting Gamma Radiation
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 1-Topic H2: Prompt Signatures of Nuclear Detonations and their Interactions with Existing Urban Networks for Forensics
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 2-Topic H3: Fundamental Quantitative Limits on Quantum Communication Networks in a Nuclear Disturbed Environment
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 2-Topic H4: Novel Approaches to Determine Missing Graph Edge and Flow Information for Physical Network Analysis
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 2-Topic H5: Machine Learning and Data Acquisition to Predict Human Behavior following a WMD Event
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 3-Topic H6: Global Redox Changes as Indicators of CBR Exposure
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 3-Topic H7: Plasmonics and Nanophotonics for Light Generation, Energy Concentration, and Plasma Generation
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 3-Topic H8: System Level Nuclear Survivability Assurance Modeling
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 4-Topic H9: Inverse Regression Uncertainty Quantification for High Pressure and High Temperature Environments
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 4-Topic H10: Novel Materials with Synergistic Decomposition/Neutralization Mechanisms against Chemical Agents, Simulants and Precursors
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 5-Topic H11: Exploring Fundamental Mechanisms and Predicting Properties of New Adsorbent Materials for Collection of Radionuclide Gases
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 7-Topic H12: Design Rules for Biomimetic Enzymes and Binders
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 7-Topic H13: Determining the Fundamental Differences Between In Vitro and In Vivo Test Models
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 7-Topic H14: Elucidating Design Rules in Nanoporous Materials for Destruction of Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 7-Topic H15: Evaluating the Human Metabolism of Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Basic Research-Thrust Area 7-Topic H16: Novel Reactive, Porous, and Processable Polymers for Chem-Bio Defense
These topics do NOT require pre-coordination of an abstract prior to the submission of pre-application white papers. Responses must address only basic research. DTRA is interested in research projects that span from those that focus on exploratory aspects of a unique problem or a high-risk approach to those that involve a comprehensive program with interdisciplinary areas. Consistent across all proposals should be the focus on innovative research with the potential for high impact to C-WMD science. Proposals from Young Investigators (within 5 years of the Ph.D.) will be given preference under a number of the topics.


Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Pre-Proposals (required): March 6, 2018 for the SEED Solicitation
Award Amount: Varies
 
SERDP is DoD's environmental science and technology program, planned and executed in partnership with DOE and EPA, with participation by numerous other federal and non-federal organizations. SERDP invests across a broad spectrum of basic and applied research, as well as advanced development. Under the FY19 solicitation, the Department of Defense (DoD) is interested in receiving pre-proposals for research focusing in the areas of Environmental Restoration, Munitions Response, Resource Conservation and Resiliency, and Weapons Systems and Platforms technologies. DoD SERDP intends to competitively fund research and development for environmental research that addresses the Statements of Need set forth in the Announcement. SERDP supports environmental research relevant to the management and mission of the DoD and supports efforts that lead to the development and application of innovative environmental technologies or methods that improve the environmental performance of DoD by improving outcomes, managing environmental risks, and/or reducing costs or time required to resolve environmental problems. In addition to the Core Solicitation, SERDP invites proposals for innovative research in the Munitions Response area through the SERDP Exploratory Development (SEED) program.
 
It is expected that multiple awards totaling approximately $12 million will be made dependent on the quality of proposals received and availability of funds.
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Special Program Announcement for 2018 ONR Research Opportunity: "CLAWS"
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (strongly encouraged): January 17, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 16, 2018
Award Amount: Awards under both technology areas will consist of a 6-12 month base effort with funding ranging from $500,000-$1M, plus a 2-3 year option period.
 
This announcement describes a research thrust, entitled "CLAWS," to be launched under the N00014-18-S-B001, Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology which can be found at https://www.onr.navy.mil/Contracts-Grants/Funding-Opportunities/Broad-Agency-Announcements. The research opportunity described in this announcement specifically falls under numbered paragraph A of the Ocean Battlespace Sensing S&T Department (Code 32).
 
The CLAWS Innovative Naval Prototype (INP) effort will develop autonomy and supporting technologies required to enable the survivability of Large and Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (L&XL UUV) to complete functional assignments. In accordance with the Navy's UUV Family of Systems, Large UUVs are defined as vehicles greater than 21in and less than 84in diameter, Extra Large UUVs are diameter larger than 84". The goals of this effort will be focused on vehicle autonomy for awareness, decision making, and validation of the autonomous behaviors. The L&XL UUVs will enable the extension of Navy platforms sensing capability and oceanographic collections. The creation of these technologies and behaviors will fill critical warfighting gaps at both the strategic and tactical levels. The technology areas specific to this effort that have been identified as critical to achieving these goals are 1) Autonomy and Sensing Technologies and 2) Autonomy Validation.
 
ONR plans to fund three to five individual awards for each technical topic area.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Network Universal Persistence (Network UP)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Abstracts (strongly encouraged): January 22, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 2, 2018
Award Amount: The amount of resources made available under this BAA will
depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. DARPA has structured Network UP as a two-phase program covering 36 months. Each phase will be 18 months in duration.
 
The Network Universal Persistence (Network UP) program will develop and demonstrate radio technology that maintains network reliability through periods of frequent signal degradation that routinely occur during military operational environments. The key insight is that isolation of the critical control channel information in a separate, robust wireless link will allow creation of a protected control channel that can maintain network reliability even when the data channel is lost.
 
DARPA seeks innovative proposals in the following Technical Areas:
  • Technical Area One (TA-1): Developing Radio Architecture and Control Link Channel - Multiple TA-1 performers will design, develop, and demonstrate a radio architecture and supporting technology that implement separate control and data channels.
  • Technical Area Two (TA-2): Developing Bursty Link Network - Multiple TA-2 performers will design, develop, and demonstrate network architectures and technologies that enable creation of a network with physically separated control and data links.
Multiple awards are anticipated.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Advanced Plant Technologies (APT)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: February 21, 2018
Award Amount: The amount of resources made available under this BAA will
depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. The project period will be 48 months.
 
The goal of the APT program is to control and direct plant physiology to detect chemical, biological, radiological, and/or nuclear threats, as well as electromagnetic signals. Plant sensors developed under the program will sense specific stimuli and report these signals with a remotely recognized phenotype (e.g., modified reflectance, morphology, phenology, etc.). Modern plant biotechnology holds significant promise for addressing a range of Department of Defense (DoD) needs; plants are easily deployed, self-powering, and ubiquitous in the environment, and the combination of these native abilities with specifically engineered sense-and-report traits will produce sensors occupying new and unique operational spaces. The long-term success of engineered plant sensors requires the ability to ensure plant survivability for months or years in a natural environment subject to stresses not present in a laboratory environment. Meeting both the sensor and survivability technical goals of the APT program will require a combination of plant genomics emerging technologies, precision gene editing tools, and novel methods for engineering new sensing capabilities and physiological responses. Proposing teams should include experts in diverse fields including plant physiology, gene editing, biochemistry, modelling, phenotyping, remote sensing, and plant ecology.

Multiple awards are anticipated.
Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP)
Environmental Technology Demonstrations
OSP Deadline: March 1, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Pre-Proposals (required): March 8, 2018
Award Amount: It is expected that multiple awards totaling approximately $12M will result, depending on availability of funds.
 
The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) is the Department of Defense's (DoD) demonstration and validation program for environmental and installation energy technologies. The ESTCP Office is interested in receiving pre-proposals for innovative technology demonstrations that address DoD environmental and installation energy requirements as candidates for funding.
 
The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) requests pre-proposals responding to the following topics:
  • Innovative Technology Transfer Approaches
  • Long Term Management of Contaminated Aquatic Sediments
  • Management of Contaminated Groundwater
  • Detection, Classification, and Remediation of Military Munitions in Underwater Environments
  • Department of Defense (DoD) Installation Infrastructure Risk Exposure and Resilience Decision Support Tools
  • Demonstration/Validation of Fluorine-Free Aqueous Film Forming Foam
  • Energy Efficiency Technology Demonstrations Integrated with Utility Energy Services Contracts (UESC)
  • Effective Use of Utility and Facility Data to Improve the Management, Operation and Maintenance of Facilities
  • Large Scale Energy Storage and Microgrids
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): January 19, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 16, 2018
Award Amount: Awards under Research Area 1 will amount up to $250,000 for a six-month base period of performance, followed by two possible option periods each up to $500,000 for a six-month period of performance. Awards under Research Area 2 will amount up to $400,000 for a four-month base period of performance, followed by one of two possible follow-on options: up to $250,000 for a four-month period of performance for an advanced concept mockup development, or up to $10M/$15M for six months for full system technology demonstrator platform development, fabrication and test & demonstration support.
 
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is interested in receiving white papers, then proposals, addressing the research, development, and integration of revolutionary technologies to inform the realm of the possible related to a notional next generation armored reconnaissance platform called the Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV). It is desired that a future ARV will be capable of fighting for information in an increasingly complex and contested environment and able to counter threats with greater reach and lethality. This Science and Technology (S&T) effort is a Future Naval Capability (FNC) program that will run from FY18 to mid-FY21.
 
The S&T program has been segmented into two Research Areas (RAs) which are each structured with a base period plus two option periods. The first Research Area will result in the development of advanced components and subsystems across ten Technology Focus Areas (TFAs). The second Research Area will include the development of novel concepts based on thorough analysis that is inclusive of modeling and simulation and whole system trade studies, mock up fabrication of intriguing concepts, and fabrication of full scale advanced technology demonstrators (one that is designed around a notional base capability and another that is revolutionary and "at the edge"). The platforms will be used to demonstrate the state of the art and to assess the potential capability and performance of advanced technologies and future concepts all to demonstrate the realm of the possible to inform the requirements development process and to engage Industry and Academia early in the process. This program is primarily researching a base capability for a notional ARV and it is not the intent to research all possible capabilities that will be resident on the platform in the future.
 
The Office of Naval Research is anticipating multiple awards for each of the listed Research Areas (RAs) and Technical Focus Areas (TFAs).
Department of the Army - USAMRAA
DoD Accelerating Innovation in Military Medicine Research Award
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Pre-Applications (required): January 26, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: February 9, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $350,000 in direct costs. The maximum period of performance is 18 months.
 
The Accelerating Innovation in Military Medicine (AIMM) Research Award is intended to support highly creative and conceptually innovative high-risk research with the potential to accelerate critical discoveries or major advancements that will significantly impact military health and medicine. AIMM initiative funding supports novel research concepts and other efforts that initiate or enhance potential game-changers that may not be supported by other funding mechanisms or core programs. Applications using synthetic or systems biology-based approaches are highly encouraged.

Projects proposed under the AIMM Research Award should be relevant to at least one Department of Defense (DoD) medical research program area (i.e., medical simulation and information sciences, military infectious diseases, military operational medicine, combat casualty care, radiation health effects, and clinical and rehabilitative medicine). However, broadly applicable research projects with the potential to benefit multiple DoD medical research program areas are encouraged.
 
Six awards are anticipated.
Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT) Authoring Grand Challenge
OSP Deadline: January 24, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers: January 31, 2018
Award Amount: Each tutor will be funded at $60,000. The period of performance of will be finalized prior to the request of a formal proposal.
 
One of the challenges to making Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) practical for use by the masses is the amount of skill and time required to author/develop ITSs. To illustrate the usability of the GIFT authoring tools, ARL has developed an authoring grand challenge. The challenge is to use GIFT and its authoring tools to construct an ITS course which provides a minimum of one hour of adaptive instruction for an expert individual learner in any of the domains listed below. Novice and journeyman learners will generally take longer to reach proficiency in the same domain and content. Complete tutors must include all four quadrants of Merrill's (1983) Component Display Theory (rules, examples, recall, and practice).
  • Task #1 - Reporting Intelligence Information (Army, U.S., 2004): develop a tutor for use on a PC to guide the learning, assessment, and practice of multiple scenarios
  • Task #2 - Use Visual Signaling Techniques (Army, U.S., 1987): develop a tutor for use on a PC to guide the learning, assessment, and practice of using visual signaling techniques
  • Task #3 - Navigating from One Point on the Ground to Another Point While Dismounted (Army, U.S.): develop a tutor for use on a PC to guide the learning, assessment, and practice of dismounted land navigation techniques
  • Task #4 - Statistics and Measurements in Research: develop a tutor for use on a PC to guide the learning, assessment, and practice of concepts in descriptive statistics, sampling statistics, hypothesis testing, and statistical reliability
The four winning Offerors will be expected to detail their design and authoring process in a technical report which will also be presented at the next GIFT Users Symposium.

Research Associateship Programs
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadlines: February 1, 2018; May 1, 2018; August 1, 2018
Award Amount: Awards include stipends (ranging from $42,000-$80,000), health insurance, professional travel and relocation. Award durations vary by program.
 
The National Research Council (NRC) administers competitive graduate, postdoctoral and senior research awards on behalf of 26 U.S. federal research agencies and affiliated institutions with facilities at over 100 locations throughout the U.S. and abroad. Awardees have the opportunity to conduct independent research in an area compatible with the interests of the sponsoring laboratory; devote full-time effort to research and publication; access the excellent and often unique facilities of the federal research enterprise; and collaborate with leading scientists and engineers at the sponsoring laboratories. Disciplines include Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric and Space Sciences; Engineering, Applied Science, and Mathematics; Life Sciences; and Physics.
 
Find research opportunities that match your interests by exploring this website: www.nationalacademies.org/rap . Contact prospective Research Adviser(s) and host lab(s) to discuss your interests and then you may apply online using the WebRAP electronic application system. Prospective applicants should carefully read the details and eligibility of the program to which they are applying. Some laboratories have citizenship restrictions (open only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents), and some laboratories have Research Opportunities that are not open to senior applicants (more than 5 years beyond the Ph.D.). In addition, applicants should note application deadlines, as not all laboratories participate in all reviews.
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
Defense Enterprise Science Initiative (DESI)
OSP Deadline: February 21, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: February 28, 2018
Award Amount: $750,000 per year for 2 years (the university partner must receive at least 50% of total funding requested)
 
The Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Enterprise Science Initiative (DESI) is a pilot program that supports use-inspired basic research performed by university-industry teams. DESI incentivizes use-inspired basic research projects, defined as a scientific study or experiment directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in the context of end-use applications. Projects funded in the program bring together industry and university teams with the aim of discovering completely new solutions to challenging defense and national security problems, and using that knowledge to influence existing or new acquisition programs. DESI-funded projects also aim to accelerate the impact of basic research results on defense capabilities.
 
Industry's initial role in a DESI project is to provide a national security context for the defense challenge, and to collaborate with the university research team throughout the project. The university's role is to invent or discover knowledge that could be leveraged for completely new solutions to the defense challenge. As a follow-on to research conducted with DESI funding, the industry partner is expected to further develop the project's results into new capabilities that may be offered to DoD for future acquisition considerations.
 
The FY 2018 DESI BAA program seeks proposals addressing the recommended topics:
  • Topic 1: Power Beaming
  • Topic 2: Highly-maneuverable autonomous UAV
  • Topic 3: Soft Active Composites with Intrinsic Sensing, Actuation, and Control
  • Topic 4: Metamaterial-based Antennas
  • Alternate Topics Encouraged
Approximately $6 million in total funding will be made available for this program to fund approximately four awards.

DoDExtraDev
Department of the Army - USAMRAA
U.S. Special Operations Command Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Biomedical Research and Development
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Pre-Proposals (required): April 14, 2018
Award Amount: A budget should be commensurate with the nature and complexity of the proposed research.    
 
Special Operations Forces (SOF) medical personnel place a premium on medical equipment that is small, lightweight, ruggedized, modular, multi-use, and designed for operation in extreme environments. The equipment should be easy to use, require minimum maintenance, and have low power consumption. Drugs and biologics should not require refrigeration or other special handling. All materiel and related techniques should be simple and effective. Research projects may apply existing scientific and technical knowledge for which concept and/or patient care efficacy have already been demonstrated to meet SOF requirements. The following are SOF's Research Areas of Interest (RAIs):
  1. Medical Simulation and Training Technologies;
  2. Damage Control Resuscitation;
  3. Prolonged Field Care (PFC);
  4. Portable Lab Assays and Diagnostics;
  5. Force Health Protection and Environmental Medicine;
  6. Canine Medicine; and
  7. Human Operational Performance.
Research and development funded through this BAA are intended and expected to benefit and inform both military and civilian medical practice and knowledge. It is estimated that approximately $3 million is available for this BAA.
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific (SSC Pacific)
C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology System Research
OSP Deadline: May 7, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): May 14, 2018
Award Amount: The amount of resources made available under this BAA will depend on the quality of the submissions received and the availability of funds.
 
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific (SSC Pacific), is soliciting proposals for research in areas relating to the advancement of C4ISR capabilities, enabling technologies for Information Operations and Cyber Operations, and Information Technology systems. Proposed research should investigate unique and innovative approaches for defining and developing next generation integratable C4ISR capabilities and command suites.
 
Technical topics of interest include:
  1. General C4ISR
  2. Command and Control
  3. Communications
  4. Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
  5. Unmanned Vehicles
  6. Information Operations/Cyber Operations
  7. Ubiquitous Communications and Computing Environment
  8. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Research
  9. Advanced Power and Energy Production and Efficient Use
Multiple awards are anticipated.
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
FY18 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Navy and Marine Corps Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), Education and Workforce Program
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Window for White Papers (required): April 2-July 31, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Invited Full Proposals: September 28, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $250,000 per year, with one-year option periods, for up to 3 years
 
The ONR seeks a broad range of applications for augmenting existing or developing innovative solutions that directly maintain, or cultivate a diverse, world-class STEM workforce in order to maintain the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps' technological superiority. The goal of any proposed effort must provide solutions that will establish and maintain pathways of diverse U.S. citizens who are interested in uniformed or civilian DoN (or Navy and Marine Corps) STEM workforce opportunities. As the capacity of the DoN Science and Technology (S&T) workforce is interconnected with the basic research enterprise and STEM education system, ONR recognizes the need to support efforts that can jointly improve STEM student outcomes and align educational efforts with Naval S&T current and future workforce needs. This announcement explicitly encourages projects that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students and workers. Submissions are encouraged to consider including active learning approaches and incorporating 21st century skill development. Projects must aim to increase student and worker engagement in STEM and enhance people with needed Naval STEM capabilities. ONR encourages applications to utilize current STEM educational research for informing project design and advancing our understanding of how and why people choose STEM careers and opportunities of naval relevance.
 
While this announcement is relevant for any stage of the STEM educational system, funding efforts will be targeted primarily toward projects addressing the below communities or any combination of these communities:
  • Secondary education communities;
  • Post-Secondary communities;
  • Informal science communities;
  • Current naval STEM workforce communities.
ONR intends to award approximately 25 awards for an estimated total value of $6,250,000, subject to the availability of funds.
 DoD_Other

Other DoD Opportunities:

I f you are interested in DoD funding opportunities, please note:
The  Defense Innovation Marketplace  is a centralized source for Department of Defense science and technology (S&T) planning, acquisition resources, funding, and financial information. 
 

DOE_Bioimaging
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research - Bioimaging Research and Approaches for Bioenergy
Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline: January 19, 2018 by 5:00PM
OSP Deadline for Full Proposals: March 9, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 16, 2018
Award Amount: $250,000-$500,000 per year for up to three years
 
This program supports fundamental research towards enabling new bioimaging capabilities for the study of plant and microbial systems relevant to bioenergy research. New imaging instrumentation is needed to observe and characterize multiple metabolic processes occurring within the living plant and microbial systems relevant to bioenergy and bioproduct production from renewable biomass. These processes include, but are not limited to real-time dynamic imaging of metabolic pathways, the transport of materials within and among cellular organelles including plant-root and organismal interactions, enzyme function and cellular structures. Of interest is the development of multimodal imaging devices constructed by merging new, innovative and/or transformational improvements to existing capabilities which will enable simultaneous observations in synergistic combination with correlated structural and/or chemical imaging to interpret biological function in and among whole microbial or plant cells.
 
This FOA is envisioned as a multidisciplinary research endeavor involving expertise from different disciplines of physical sciences and biology. This will require a multidisciplinary team effort from imaging and physical scientists, plant biologists, microbiologists, and engineers in conceptualizing interdisciplinary approaches and leveraging tools and resources (including those available at the DOE National Laboratories and national scientific user facilities) to advance the development of novel bioimaging capabilities from proof of principle to common research practice.

DOE_EarlyCareer
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science - Early Career Research Program
Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline: January 25, 2018 by 5:00PM
OSP Deadline (if invited to submit full proposal): March 28, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals (if invited): April 4, 2018
Award Amount: Median award size is $750,000, with 80% of awards made for exactly $750,000 over five years. The largest award made under this program received no more than $960,000 over five years.
Target Applicants: Assistant Professors or Associate Professors. No more than ten years can have passed between the year the Principal Investigator's Ph.D. was awarded and the year that the FOA was issued. Those who received doctorates no earlier than 2007 are eligible.
                                    
The purpose of the DOE Early Career Research Program is to support the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and to stimulate research careers in the areas supported by the DOE Office of Science. Early Career Research Program opportunities exist in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP), and Nuclear Physics (NP).Nuclear Physics (NP). A more detailed synopsis of the program can be found here .
ARPA-E_OPEN

U.S. Department of Energy
Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) - OPEN 2018
Sponsor Concept Paper Deadline: February 12, 2018
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to full proposal deadline
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: TBD
Award Amount: $500,000-$10,000 for 18-36 months
 
ARPA-E's OPEN FOAs ensure that the agency does not miss opportunities to support innovative energy R&D that falls outside of the topics of the focused technology programs or that develop after focused solicitations have closed. The objective of an ARPA-E OPEN FOA is to support high-risk R&D leading to the development of potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications. ARPA-E seeks to support early-stage, but potentially transformational research in all areas of energy R&D, covering transportation and stationary applications. Areas of research responsive to this FOA include (but are not limited to) electricity generation by both conventional and renewable means; electricity transmission, storage, and distribution; energy efficiency for buildings, manufacturing and commerce, and personal use; and all aspects of transportation, including the production and distribution of both renewable and non-renewable fuels, electrification, and energy efficiency in transportation.
 
Because of the enormous breadth of energy technologies solicited under an OPEN FOA, it is impossible to provide the well-defined technical targets contained in an ARPA-E FOA for a focused technology program. Rather, ARPA-E asks applicants to address the potential impact of the proposed technology on the agency's Mission Areas: reducing imported energy, reducing energy-related emissions, and improving energy efficiency. The critical question for applicants to consider in assessing potential impact is: "If it works, will it matter?" In an OPEN FOA, the burden of demonstrating potential impact lies solely upon the applicant, who must make the strongest possible case for why the proposed technology will matter - that it has the potential to change our energy future.
DOE_Plant

U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research - Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy
Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline (required): February 9, 2018
OSP Deadline: April 13, 2018
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: April 20, 2018
Award Amount: $200,000-$400,000 per year for up to three years
 
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) hereby announces interest in receiving applications for genomics-based research that will lead to the improved use of plant biomass and feedstocks for the production of biofuels and renewable chemical feedstocks. Applications are sought for research on candidate herbaceous and woody plants with improved resistance/tolerance to disease and disease complexes, and non-food oil seed crops for improved winter cold tolerance/survivability and agronomic traits. Research to overcome these biological barriers to the low-cost, high-quality, scalable and sustainable production of dedicated bioenergy biomass feedstocks using the tools of genetics and genomics are encouraged.

DOE_Other
Other DOE Opportunities


Foundation Opportunities
Global Call for Ideas
Sponsor Deadline for Letters of Intent: January 21, 2018
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to full proposal deadline
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: TBD Fall 2018
Award Amount: Not specified. CIFAR determines the necessary funding for the given team, based on the size of the team and the planned interactions. 
Target Applicants: The proponents of an LOI should include at least one researcher currently living and working in Canada (with or without Canadian citizenship).
 
CIFAR invites research leaders from around the world to identify important global research challenges that would benefit from CIFAR's approach to sustained research interactions that include diverse perspectives. Submissions must address global, complex questions and identify an interdisciplinary research approach. Proposals will be accepted from all areas of research.
 
CIFAR supports research in two ways: (1) Two to three times per year, CIFAR brings researchers from across the world together for face-to-face interactions and to maintain active collaboration. (2) CIFAR Fellows receive support on an individual basis, which is intended to enable researchers to have more time and space to work on the goals of the research program. This can be used quite flexibly - for teaching load adjustments, student stipends and postdoctoral fellow support, amongst other uses.
 
Stage I of the application process requires a Letter of Intent (LOI) from researchers who would be key members of the program. This submission should identify the core elements of the research idea and the range of possible research questions for consideration. CIFAR will shortlist LOIs based on the recommendations from the International Review Body and CIFAR's Research Council. Stage II of the process will support the development of full proposals. Each LOI team that passes Stage I will work with CIFAR to convene up to two small workshops over a four-month period to prepare a full proposal.
Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Awards Program
Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline ( for Chemical Biology proposals only ): January 24, 2018 by 10:00AM
Sponsor Deadline for Letters of Intent: February 28, 2018
Award Amount: $900,000 over three years
 
The Ono Initiative supports scientist Principal Investigators with creative ideas in selected scientific research fields with the mission of seeking discoveries/solutions and development of high impact science. The goals of the Ono Initiative are to id entify and help develop innovative research proposals and results that could lead to the development of breakthrough treatment solutions for patients, s upport academic research and the career development of promising young and established scientists, and build strong relationships within potential partner institution s to identify early research projects aligned within the strategic areas of interest of Ono. Through this call the foundation will be considering proposals for scientific research projects in Chemical Biology and Oligonucleotide Medicine Research.
 
There is no limit to the number of applications that may be submitted in Oligonucleotide Medicine Research, but Harvard is limited to nominating just two candidates in Chemical Biology ResearchProspective applicants in Chemical Biology Research are asked to submit an internal pre-proposal online here by January 24, 2018. Applicants in Oligonucleotide Medicine Research may submit directly to the foundation.
Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians
OSP Deadline: January 24, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: January 31, 2018
Award Amount: $8,400 per year for five years ($6,000 per year for collaboration, travel and research expenses; $1,000 per year in discretionary funds for the awardee's department; and $1,400 per year in indirect costs to the awardee's institution)
 
The goal of the program is to support the "mathematical marketplace" by substantially increasing collaborative contacts between mathematicians. The foundation will make a large number of collaboration grants to accomplished, active researchers in the United States who do not otherwise have access to funding that allows support for travel and visitors.
 
To be eligible to apply, an individual must hold a tenure-track or tenured position, or be a professor emeritus, within a mathematics department with a Ph.D. degree granting program. Collaboration grant awardees may not hold any other external PI or PI equivalent grants of over $3,000 per year that allow for support for travel or visitors during the award period.

FoundationalQuestions
Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi)
Agency in the Physical World
Sponsor Deadline for Letters of Intent: February 1, 2018
OSP Deadline for Full Proposals (if invited): June 5, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals (if invited): June 12, 2018
Award Amount: Grants totaling about $1.2M will be available to researchers in academic and other non-profit institutions for projects up to two years in duration, with an end date of August 31, 2020.
 
The current request for proposals targets research on Agency in the Physical World, both in physics and also in related fields including cosmology, astrophysics, philosophy of physics, complex systems, biophysics, neuroscience, computer science, and mathematics. This program builds upon FQXi's past programs, most recently Physics of the Observer, and intersects with the FFF's focus on foundational questions at the frontiers of physics, biology, and consciousness research. Agency in the Physical World hopes to inspire the drawing of deep connections from the most fundamental descriptions in physics and cosmology, to description in terms of agency, intelligence, and consciousness within our physical theories.
 
Appropriate research topics in this category will address questions such as:
  • How should we define agency, intelligence, and consciousness?
  • How can we identify and classify physical systems with those attributes?
  • How do these three attributes interact and inter-relate with each other?
  • How might these attributes arise from physical laws?
2018 International AI Safety Grants Competition
Sponsor Deadline for Letters of Intent: February 18, 2018
OSP Deadline for Full Proposals (if invited): May 13, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals (if invited): May 20, 2018
Award Amount: $50,000 - $400,000 for up to 3 years
 
This 2018 grants competition is the second round of the multi-million dollar grants program announced in January 2015, and will give grants totaling millions more to researchers in academic and other nonprofit institutions for projects up to three years in duration, beginning September 1, 2018. It is limited to research that aims to help maximize the societal benefits of AGI, explicitly focusing not on the standard goal of making AI more capable, but on making it more robust and/or beneficial. In consultation with other organizations, FLI has identified a list of relatively specific problems and projects of particular interest to the AGI safety field. These will serve both as examples and as topics for special consideration. Successful grant proposals will either relate directly to AGI issues, or clearly explain how the proposed work is a necessary stepping stone toward safe and beneficial AGI.
 
Researchers and outreach specialists working in academic and other nonprofit institutions are eligible to apply, as well as independent researchers.
Internet Freedom Fund
OSP Deadline: February 22, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: March 1, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $900,000 for a yearlong contract, though most supported efforts range between $50,000 and $200,000.
 
The Internet Freedom Fund is OTF's primary way to support projects and people working on open and accessible technology-centric projects that promote human rights, internet freedom, open societies, and help advance inclusive and safe access to global communications networks for at-risk users including journalists, human rights defenders, civil society activists, and every-day people living within repressive environments who wish to speak freely online.
 
Preference is given to organizations and individuals without a history of prior support, and who have a deep understanding of the surveillance, censorship and security issues affecting communities from the Global South living in repressive environments. Strong priority goes to projects with the potential for immediate impact and long-term sustainability, and that make intellectual property publicly available via open licensing and open source code. OTF highly values projects that incorporate collaborative partnerships with other organizations and/or individuals within the internet freedom community or their respective area of focus.
Gulf Research Program Early-Career Research Fellowship
OSP Deadline: February 13, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: February 21, 2018
Award Amount: $76,000 over two years
Target Applicants: Early-career scientists who have received their final degree within the past 10 years (on or after September 1, 2008) and who hold fully independent positions as investigators. Applicants must be pre-tenure if in a tenure track position. A postdoc is not considered a fully independent position.
 
The Gulf Research Program's Early-Career Research Fellowship supports emerging scientific leaders as they take risks on research ideas not yet tested, pursue unique collaborations, and build a network of colleagues who share their interest in improving offshore energy system safety and the well-being of coastal communities and ecosystems. Because the early years of a researcher's career are a critical time, the relatively unrestricted funds and mentoring this fellowship provides help recipients navigate this period with independence, flexibility, and a built-in support network.
 
Applicants must come from an area of research including social and behavioral sciences, health sciences and medicine, engineering and physical sciences, earth and life sciences, and interdisciplinary scientific fields relevant to one or more initiatives of the Gulf Research Program. In addition, applicants must be involved in research relating to one or more initiatives of the Gulf Research Program.
 
All fellows will attend an orientation in Washington, D.C., in September 2018 and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference in New Orleans in February 2019. Travel expenses for these events will be covered by the Gulf Research Program; they are in addition to the $76,000 fellowship award.
Wireless Innovation Project
OSP Deadline: February 26, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: March 5, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $300,000 over three years
 
The Wireless Innovation Project seeks to identify and fund the best innovations using wireless related technology to address critical social issues. Project proposals must demonstrate significant advancement in the field of wireless-related technology applied to social benefit use. The project must be at a stage of research where an advanced prototype or field/market test can occur during the award period.
 
Projects should involve an established multi-disciplinary team that demonstrates the expertise needed for a comprehensive solution to the targeted problem. For example, a team may consist of members from two or more of the following disciplines: engineering, design, business, international development, or other relevant disciplines. A team may also consist of university-based researchers and non-profit organizations working such areas as international development, health or environment.
Research Grants
Sponsor Deadline for Letters of Intent: March 28, 2018
Award Amount: $250,000 for a team of 2; $350,000 for a team of 3; $450,000 for a team of 4 or more. A maximum of 10% overhead may be charged to the Program Grants. This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application. The Young Investigator Grants are exempt from this policy.

HFSP supports international preferably intercontinental collaborations in basic life science research. Applications are invited for grants to support innovative approaches to understanding complex mechanisms of living organisms. Applicants are expected to develop novel lines of research distinct from their ongoing research. The principal applicant must be located in one of the HFSP member countries but co-investigators may be located in any country.
 
Two types of Research Grant are available:
  • Young Investigators' Grants are awarded to teams of researchers, all of whom are within the first five years after obtaining an independent laboratory (e.g. Assistant Professor, Lecturer or equivalent). Applications for Young Investigators' Grants will be reviewed in competition with each other independently of applications for Program Grants.
  • Program Grants are awarded to teams of independent researchers at any stage of their careers. The research team is expected to develop new lines of research through the collaboration. Applications including independent investigators early in their careers are encouraged.

Industry/Corporate Opportunities

Cisco 
Cisco Research Center Grants
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: Budgets depend on the institution and geography. Overhead is limited to 5%. This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application.

Cisco Research Center (CRC) connects researchers and developers from Cisco, academia, governments, customers, and industry partners with the goal of facilitating collaboration and exploration of new and promising technologies. Cisco is primarily interested in exploring issues, topics, and problems that are relevant to its core business of improving the Internet. It is also deeply interested in adjacent technologies that leverage the power of the network to change the world around us.
 
CRC supports a broad range of research interests and award types in engineering and applied sciences. For a complete list of Requests for Proposals (RFPs), please scroll to the bottom of this link. Please note that CRC also welcomes research proposals that do not fit cleanly into any of the RFPs listed.
 IBM_World

IBM
World Community Grid
OSP Deadline: Not required 
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: Up to 150,000 years of computing power through World Community Grid; weather data from The Weather Company, an IBM Business; and cloud storage from IBM Cloud

IBM invites scientists studying climate change or ways to mitigate or adapt to its impacts to apply for free crowdsourced supercomputing power, weather data and cloud storage to support their climate or environmental research projects. In return, awardees are asked to publicly release the research data from their collaboration with IBM, enabling the global community to benefit from and build upon those findings.
 
Grantees will receive free, 24/7 access to computing power though World Community Grid, an award-winning IBM Citizenship initiative that enables anyone with a computer or Android device to support scientific research by carrying out computational research tasks on their devices. This allows researchers to conduct large-scale investigations, often magnitudes larger than they would have otherwise been able to conduct. Grantees may also request access to weather data and cloud storage.

IARPA
IARPA_other

IARPA Opportunities

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Cooperative Agreement Notice: Dual Use Technology Development at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) - 2018
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Step-1 White Papers (required): May 2, 2018
Award Amount: MSFC resource contribution awards will range from $10,000 to $100,000, and must be matched or exceeded by Offeror contributions. Contributions can be cash, in-kind (non-cash) resources, or a combination of each. Project duration is up to 12 months.
 
NASA will award cooperative agreements for technology development partnerships with United States commercial businesses and/or colleges and universities with the goal of developing a technology to meet a specific NASA need at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), as well as those of the partner. This goal will be accomplished by selecting Offerors who will cooperatively share in the development cost of the technology that meets the specified NASA need.
 
MSFC has several technology development focus areas for this solicitation, including:
  • Innovative/Advanced Propulsion Systems
  • Advanced Manufacturing; Structures and Materials
  • Technologies Supporting Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS)
  • Technologies Supporting Spacecraft Systems
  • Technologies Enabling Science Research
  • Technologies Supporting Systems Engineering
For more information on the technology programs and capabilities at MSFC, please see the following link: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/capabilities/index.html.
 
NASA anticipates funding up to 10 pending acceptable proposals.
Unsolicited Proposals
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through September 30, 2018
Award Amount: Proposed budget should be commensurate with the scope of the project.
 
NASA encourages the submission of unique and innovative proposals that will further the Agency's mission. While the vast majority of proposals are solicited, a small number of unsolicited proposals that cannot be submitted to those solicitations and yet are still relevant to NASA are reviewed and some are funded each year. Proposals should be submitted at least six months in advance of the desired starting date.

Before any effort is expended in preparing a proposal, potential proposers should:
  1. Review the current versions of the NASA Strategic Plan and documents from the specific directorate, office, or program for which the proposal is intended to determine if the work planned is sufficiently relevant to current goals to warrant a formal submission.
  2. Potential proposers must review current opportunities (e.g., at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/solicitations.do?method=init&stack=push) to determine if any solicitation already exists to which the potential project could be proposed.
  3. Potential proposers should review current awards (e.g., by doing key word searches at Research.gov, or at the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) grant status page, and the NASA Life and Physical Sciences Task Book) to learn what, if any, related work is already funded by NASA. Such preparation reduces the risk of redundancy, improves implementation, and sometimes results in collaboration.
After those three things have been done, the proposer may contact an appropriate NASA person to determine whether NASA has any interest in the type of work being proposed and if any funding is currently available.
Dual Use Technology Development Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) 2018
OSP Deadline: Not required for Notices of Intent 
Sponsor Deadline for Notices of Intent (required): Rolling through September 30, 2018
Award Amount: The budget must be sufficient and reasonable to accomplish the project. The participating partner will contribute an equal value of resources to match the NASA funding for the project.
 
John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) is the primary NASA rocket propulsion testing center. SSC tests items ranging from multi-engine stages to individual components of rocket engines. Propulsion test customers include NASA, the Department of Defense and the commercial space launch industry. SSC manages a large federal city that is home to over forty federal, state, university and industry entities. SSC manages a restricted airspace that is available for development, testing and operation of unmanned aerial vehicles. SSC engineering laboratories design and test electronics, sensors, algorithms and mechanical components. This CAN supports identification and implementation of cost-sharing partnerships to develop technology to meet a specific NASA need at SSC. This notice seeks responses from potential partners interested in entering into a Cooperative Agreement with NASA for the joint development of technologies to meet SSC needs.
 
SSC technology interests include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Propulsion system test technology
  • Autonomous & intelligent systems
  • Advanced sensors & instruments
  • Image & signal processing
  • Energy harvesting
  • Innovative components & materials
  • Big data processing & analysis
  • Systems engineering & optimization
  • Computational modeling & simulation
  • Decision support tools & systems

NASAJohnsonSpace
Johnson Space Center:  Research Opportunities for ISS Utilization
Exploration Technology Demonstration and National Lab Utilization Enhancements
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to sponsor deadline
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (recommended): Rolling through October 31, 2019 (see solicitation for schedule of review cycles)
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: Rolling through December 31, 2019 (see solicitation for schedule of review cycles)
Award Amount: Details below
 
This announcement is for the development of experiment hardware with enhanced capabilities; modification of existing hardware to enable increased efficiencies (crew time, power, etc.);  development of tools that allow analyses of samples and specimens on orbit; enhanced ISS infrastructure capabilities (ex. communications or data processing); and specific technology demonstration projects. Submission of a white paper is recommended in advance of a full proposal.
 
Within the NASA International Space Station (ISS) Research Integration Office, the Technology and Science Research Office (TSRO) and Commercial Space Utilization Office (CSUO) act as "gateways" to the ISS. The Technology and Science Research Office serves as the gateway for NASA-funded technology demonstrations. The Commercial Space Utilization Office serves as the gateway for non-NASA government-funded investigations, as well as non-profit or commercially-funded investigations.
 
Proposed technology demonstrations submitted to TSRO should address at least one of the technology areas mentioned in the ISS Technology Demonstration Plans . In addition, NASA seeks technology demonstrations related to the following thrust areas: Space Suit CO2 Sensor anExperiment Housing for Space Biology Pathfinder Research on Orion EM-1 (please note that submissions for this second Thrust Area do not fit into a standard NRA Cycle.
 
NASA also seeks technological concepts via CSUO related to the National Lab Thrust Areas and to expand the onboard research and analytical capabilities. The general thrust areas are:
  • Innovative uses of the ISS or ISS hardware that leverage existing capabilities to stimulate both utilization of the ISS and economic development in the U.S.
  • Other improvements to existing ISS capabilities, including but not limited to infrastructure, in situ analytical tools, and communication/data transmittal, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the technology demonstrations and science investigations performed on the ISS.
  • Unique partnering arrangements that leverage NASA's existing capabilities but increase the commercial participation in research and on board services. 
Funds are not currently available for awards under this NASA Research Announcement (NRA). The Government's ability to make award(s) is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment can be made and the receipt of proposals that NASA determines acceptable for award under this NRA. Successful proposals will have launch and integration costs covered by NASA. 

OtherNASA

Other NASA Opportunities
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

OtherNIHOpps
NIH Opportunities
 
National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation: Dear Colleague Letters
Rules of Life (RoL): Forecasting and Emergence in Living Systems (FELS)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to sponsor deadline
Sponsor Deadline: February 20, 2018 (RoL: FELS EAGERs & RoL FELS RAISE 2-page prospectus); June 1, 2018 (RoL: FELS Conference proposals)
Award Amount: Varies
 
NSF seeks to highlight the importance of research that forecasts the direction and dynamics of change in living systems. The robustness and reproducibility of processes associated with the emergence of complex properties in biological systems suggests the existence of underlying general principles ("rules") across the spectrum of biological phenomena. Identification and application of these fundamental rules would be of high value to both the scientific community and the Nation. This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) describes an initial opportunity to identify areas where such rules may exist, to catalyze approaches toward their discovery, and to focus efforts on using these rules for prediction and design of useful biological systems. Activities supported via this DCL include Conferences, EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGERs), and Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering (RAISE) grants to create opportunities for enabling predictive capability.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Supplemental Funding
OSP Deadline: March 23, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: March 30, 2018
Award Amount: $8,000 per student

NSF CISE invites grantees with active CISE awards to submit requests for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Supplemental funding, following the guidelines in the NSF REU program solicitation. A student must be a US citizen or permanent resident of the US. The duration for new requests is typically one year.
Division of Chemistry's 2018 Supplemental Funding Request for International Collaboration
OSP Deadline: March 26, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: April 2, 2018
Award Amount: Varies
 
The Division of Chemistry is inviting requests for supplemental funding from its existing awardees who may wish to add a new, or strengthen an existing, international dimension of their award when such collaboration advances the field of chemistry and enhances the U.S. investigator's own research and/or education objectives.   NSF's Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG)  Chapter VI.E.4, provides specific guidance on preparing a request for supplemental funding.   Principal Investigators supported by NSF Division of Chemistry awards are advised to consult with their NSF program director prior to submitting a supplemental funding request.
 
Supplemental funding requests for international collaboration should fully address these two criteria:
  • True intellectual collaboration with the foreign research partner; and
  • Benefit to the U.S. science/engineering community from expertise, facilities, or resources of the international collaborator.
Additionally, one or both of the following criteria may be described but are not required:
  • New international collaborations;
  • Active engagement of U.S. students and postdoctoral researchers at the foreign site.

NSFDCIncludes
Announcement of an Effort to Expand the NSF INCLUDES National Network
OSP Deadline: April  9, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: April 16, 2018
Award Amount: $300,000 for two years (EAGER); $250,000 for up to two years (Conference) 
 
Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is a comprehensive effort to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering discovery and innovation by proactively seeking and effectively developing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent from all sectors and groups in our society. As one element of its multi-faceted approach to NSF INCLUDES, NSF is currently focusing on and identifying novel ways in which new and currently-funded NSF projects from across all NSF directorates can engage with the NSF INCLUDES National Network. We have called this process building "on-ramps" to the NSF INCLUDES National Network. To do this, we encourage the submission of funding requests for i) Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), ii) Conferences and Workshops, and iii) Supplements to existing NSF-funded grants.
NSF Accepting Proposals Related to Hurricane Irma
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: N/A
Award Amount: See details below
 
Through this Dear Colleague Letter, NSF encourages the submission of proposals that seek to address the challenges related to Hurricane Irma. NSF also will support fundamental science and engineering research projects whose results may enable our country to better prepare for, respond to, recover from, or mitigate future catastrophic events. Research proposals relating to a better fundamental understanding of the impacts of the storm (both physical, biological and societal), human aspects of natural disasters (including first responders and the general public), emergency response methods, and approaches that promise to reduce future damage also are welcome.

Multiple proposal mechanisms are available to conduct new research related to Hurricane Irma.
  • RAPID: Proposals focusing on projects with severe urgency with regard to availability of, or access to, data, facilities or specialized equipment, including quick-response research on natural disasters. RAPID proposal project descriptions are expected to be brief and may not exceed 5 pages, with a maximum request of $200K for one year, although many are much smaller.
  • EAGER: Proposals to conduct fundamental research representing exploratory work in its early stages on untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches. This research may be considered especially "high risk-high payoff" in the sense that it, for example, involves radically different approaches, applies new expertise, or engages novel disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspectives. EAGER proposal project descriptions are expected to be brief, and may not exceed 8 pages. Requests may be up to $300K and with a maximum award duration of two years.
  • Supplements to existing awards: Small amounts of supplemental funding to existing awards may be requested.
Proposals may be submitted at any time.

NSFDCD3SC
 
Successful D3SC proposals will emphasize new information that can be obtained from better utilization of data (including data from multiple laboratories, techniques, and/or chemical systems), and how this can lead to new research directions. Proposals that foster and strengthen interactions among chemists (especially experimental chemists) and data scientists to advance research goals are strongly encouraged. The most competitive proposals will provide detailed discussion of specific data-enabled approaches to be used, the significant chemical problem to be studied, new fundamental chemical knowledge to be gained, as well as the broader relevance of the proposed activities to other areas of chemical research. Proposal elements that consider error and uncertainty analysis, record and store appropriate metadata, and determine the robustness and reliability of data are encouraged. Examples of possible topics include (but are not limited to) using tools of data visualization, data mining, machine learning (including emerging approaches such as deep learning and active learning), or other data analysis approaches to: 
  • Accelerate the discovery of more efficient or selective catalysts; 
  • Advance the design of new chemical species and/or synthetic reactions, and forecast improved synthetic conditions; 
  • Map the mechanisms by which chemicals interact and transform, both covalently and noncovalently, and predict structure/property relations based on existing chemical datasets; 
  • Discover principles of multiscale organization underlying emergent chemical phenomena in macromolecular systems; 
  • Enable real-time feedback loops between chemical data collection and processing for rapid identification and correlation of key events during chemical measurements; 
  • Harness chemistry's rich, diverse but distributed datasets and identify novel ways of sharing and utilizing chemical data derived from multiple instruments, datatypes, and locations; 
  • Develop innovative approaches for integrating, correlating, and analyzing chemical simulation or measurement data to provide new chemical insights.

NSFDCUpdatedPrograms
 
  • Biophotonics: This program's scope remains unchanged.
  • Cellular and Biochemical Engineering (CBE): The name change for this program, formerly Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (BBE), indicates the addition of the characterization and engineering of therapeutic live cells to the program. Another significant revision is that all proposals are required to include a section on the impact of proposed research on the associated biomanufacturing process.
  • Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering (DARE): This program has been refocused from the previous General and Age Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE) program. The new scope retains the primary emphasis on engineering advancements that will positively impact the lives of individuals with disabilities while expanding the focus to include fundamental research in two areas: human movement and injury mechanisms. Fundamental research in these focus areas is linked directly to both minimizing disabilities and improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
  • Engineering of Biomedical Systems (EBMS)This program has been refocused from the previous Biomedical Engineering (BME) program. The primary shift in focus is to emphasize the engineering nature of research to be funded by EBMS, as compared to an application of existing technology. The targeted themes were removed to instead focus on the engineering process of studying biomedical systems, including the validation of hybrid system designs and models of physiological and pathophysiological systems.
  • Nano-BiosensingThis program was revised to emphasize the importance of incorporating reproducibility of measurements and sensor performance, while decreasing error rate in the developed nano-biosensing systems.

National Science Foundation: Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (NSF: CISE)

CISE_CampusCyber
NSF: CISE
Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC) 
OSP Deadline: January 23, 2018 
Sponsor Deadline: January 30, 2018 
Award Amount: Varies; see details below

The Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) program invests in coordinated campus-level networking improvements, innovation, integration, and engineering for science applications and distributed research projects. Learning and workforce development (LWD) in cyberinfrastructure is explicitly addressed in the program. Science-driven requirements are the primary motivation for any proposed activity.

CC awards will be supported in four program areas:
  1. Data Driven Networking Infrastructure for the Campus and Researcher awards will be supported at up to $500,000 total for up to 2 years;
  2. Network Design and Implementation for Small Institutions awards will be supported at up to $750,000 total for up to 2 years;
  3. Network Integration and Applied Innovation awards will be supported at up to $1,000,000 total for up to 2 years; and
  4. Network Performance Engineering and Outreach awards will be supported at up to $3,500,000 total for up to 4 years.

CISE_Exped
NSF: CISE
Expeditions in Computing
OSP Deadline for Preliminary Proposals: April 18, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Preliminary Proposals: April 25, 2018
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: January 16, 2019
Award Amount:
Up to $2,000,000 per year for five years
 
The far-reaching impact and rate of innovation in the computer and information science and engineering fields has been remarkable, generating economic prosperity and enhancing the quality of life for people throughout the world. The Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) has established the Expeditions in Computing (Expeditions) program to provide the CISE research and education community with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, fundamental research agendas that promise to define the future of computing and information. In planning Expeditions projects, investigators are encouraged to come together within or across departments or institutions to combine their creative talents in the identification of compelling, transformative research agendas that promise disruptive innovations in computer and information science and engineering for many years to come.
National Science Foundation: Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences (NSF: MPS)
Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD) 
OSP Deadline: February 12, 2018 
Sponsor Deadline: February 20, 2018 
Award Amount: Anticipated funding amount is $3,000,000 annually. Estimated number of awards and funding amounts are subject to the availability of funds.
 
The Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD) program will support research projects to develop the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms for analysis of large spatiotemporal datasets with application to quantitative models of human dynamics. The program is a partnership between the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA). The ATD program will support research projects that aim to develop novel mathematical and statistical algorithms for analysis of large geospatial datasets. Means to quantify confidence levels are desired, as are insights into new spatiotemporal datasets and valuable means of assembling them. Models may range from those that address activities of individuals to those applicable to small groups or entire nations. These models may leverage mathematical research areas including, but not limited to, point processes, time series, dynamical systems, partial differential equations, and optimal control. Models that depend almost entirely on the spatial and temporal aspects of the data are of greatest interest. General applications of interest include threat detection, predictive analytics, human mobility, and human geography. DMS and NGA recognize the needs and opportunities for the mathematical sciences community to develop methodology for reducing threats from a variety of sources. This program seeks ambitious and creative research proposals from individual investigators and collaborative groups in the mathematical sciences community. Research collaborations among mathematical scientists and social, behavioral, and economic scientists are encouraged.
 
OtherNSFMPS 
Other NSF: MPS Opportunities 

National Science Foundation: Directorate for Engineering (NSF: ENG)

NSF_ENG_Partnerships
NSF: ENG
Partnerships for Innovation (PFI)
OSP Deadline: January 25, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: February 1, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $200,000 for 18 months (PFI-TT); up to $750,000 for 36 months (PFI-RP)

The NSF Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Program within the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) offers researchers the opportunity to transform new knowledge into societal benefits through translational research and technology development efforts which catalyze partnerships to accelerate innovations that address significant societal needs. PFI has six broad goals:
  1. Identifying and supporting Foundation-sponsored research and technologies that have the potential for accelerated commercialization;
  2. Supporting prior or current Foundation-sponsored researchers, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations that partner with an institution of higher education to undertake proof-of-concept work, including the development of technology prototypes that are derived from NSF-funded research and have potential market value;
  3. Promoting sustainable partnerships between Foundation-funded institutions, industry, and other organizations within academia and the private sector with the purpose of accelerating the transfer of technology;
  4. Developing multi-disciplinary innovation ecosystems which involve and are responsive to the specific needs of academia and industry;
  5. Catalyzing professional development activities, mentoring, and best practices in entrepreneurship and technology translation for faculty, students and researchers; and
  6. Expanding the participation of women and individuals from underrepresented groups in innovation, technology translation, and entrepreneurship.
This solicitation offers two broad tracks for proposals in pursuit of the six aforementioned goals. The Technology Translation (PFI-TT) track offers an NSF-funded researcher the opportunity to advance his or her prior NSF-funded research results towards developing technological innovations with promising commercial potential and societal impact.  The  Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) track  provides an opportunity to support technology development activities through a multi-organization collaboration. See https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18511/nsf18511.htm#elig for detailed information on eligibility.
 
This is a limited submission opportunity and Harvard may submit only two (2) proposals in response to this solicitation. Please contact Erin Hale ( erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu) if you are interested in applying.

NSF_ENG_CASIStissue 
NSF: ENG
NSF/CASIS Collaboration on Tissue Engineering on the International Space Station to Benefit Life on Earth 
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission 
Submission Window:  January 30-February 12, 2018   
Award Amount: Up to $300,000 over up to 3 years
 
The Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, and Environmental Transport is partnering with The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to solicit research projects in the general field of tissue engineering that can utilize the International Space Station National Lab to conduct research that will benefit life on Earth. Research at the interface of engineering and biomedical sciences in microgravity that advances both engineering and biomedical sciences for terrestrial benefit is solicited. The projects should focus on high impact transformative methods and technologies. Projects should include methods, models and enabling tools of understanding and controlling living systems; fundamental improvements in deriving information from cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems; or new approaches to the design of systems that include both living and non-living components eventual medical use in the long-term. The long-term impact of the projects can be related to fundamental understanding of cell and tissue function in normal and pathological conditions, effective disease diagnosis and/or treatment, or improved health care delivery. 

NSF_ENG_PFE 
NSF: ENG 
Professional Formation of Engineers : Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: REIF) 
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission 
Submission Window: February 1-March 5, 2018
Award Amount: Up to $200,000 over up to 2 years

The PFE: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (PFE: RIEF) program has two goals: 1) Support research in the Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE), and 2) Increase the community of researchers conducting PFE research. PIs are expected to have little or no experience conducting social science research. At least one (co) PI must be a member of an engineering department AND not have received engineering education or professional formation funding through EEC in the last three years. Submissions from senior faculty and faculty who have recently received tenure and are exploring alternative career paths are especially encouraged. The program is not intended to create an additional funding channel for researchers with expertise in social science research; such researchers should apply to the Research in the Formation of Engineers program
( https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503584),
or other related NSF opportunities. 

NSF_ENG_CASISfluid
NSF: ENG 
NSF/CASIS Collaboration on Fluid Dynamics and Particulate and Multiphase Processes Research on the International Space Station to Benefit Life on Earth 
OSP Deadline: February 26, 2018 
Sponsor Deadline: March 5, 2018 
Award Amount: up to $400,000 over up to 4 years
 
The Division of Chemical, Bioengineering and Environmental Transport (CBET) in the Engineering Directorate of the NSF is partnering with The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to solicit research projects in the general field of fluid dynamics and particulate and multiphase processes that can utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab to conduct research that will benefit life on Earth. NSF awards under this solicitation will provide PIs with support to conduct fundamental and translational research, to prepare experiments for on board the ISS, to collaborate with service providers as necessary, to provide preliminary analysis to conduct the experiment, to analyze and interpret data, and to disseminate results broadly. CASIS operations will assist grantees in translating ground-based experiments and technologies into an appropriate ISS certified hardware solution, where possible. All costs associated with the translation of the proposed experiments to experiments on board the ISS, including training of ISS crews, transporting equipment to the ISS, and conducting experiments aboard the ISS, will be supported by CASIS.

NSF_ENG_CRISP20
NSF: ENG 
Critical Resilient Interdependent Infrastructure Systems and Processes 2.0 FY18 (CRISP 2.0) 
OSP Deadline: February 28, 2018 
Sponsor Deadline: March 7, 2018 
Award Amount: Type 1 Awards: Smaller-scale Projects that are 2-3 years in duration with a maximum total budget of $750,000; Type 2 Awards: Larger-scale projects that are 3-4 years in duration with a total budget ranging from $750,001 to 2 million.
 
The goals of the Critical Resilient Interdependent Infrastructure Systems and Processes 2.0 (CRISP 2.0) solicitation are to: (1) foster an interdisciplinary research community of engineers and social, behavioral, and economic (SBE) scientists who work synergistically together for innovation in the design and management of infrastructures as processes and services; (2) transform relevant fields by re-thinking Interdependent Critical Infrastructures (ICIs) as processes and services that may have complementary and/or substitutional roles with each other; (3) create innovations in ICIs that contribute directly and positively to people's quality of life, spur economic growth, and respond to both internal perturbations and external shocks, regardless of whether they are natural, technological or human-induced. These goals lead to the following specific objectives for this solicitation:
  • To generate new knowledge, approaches, and solutions to resilience and improve the capability of existing and future ICIs to respond to internal and external changes;
  • To create innovative, theoretical frameworks and multidisciplinary models of ICIs, processes and services, capable of modeling, monitoring, and predicting complex behaviors and outcomes in response to both internal and external shocks;
  • To develop integrative frameworks to understand interdependencies among ICIs and leverage them to enhance the processes and services that ICIs provide;
  • To study socioeconomic, cultural, political, legal, and psychological and other obstacles to improving ICIs and to identify strategies for overcoming these obstacles; and
  • To support the creation, curation, and use of publicly accessible data on infrastructure systems and processes, whether in the context of explanation, prediction or modeling.
Successful proposals are expected to study at least two infrastructures which are interdependent in the provision of one or more services, thereby contributing to a new interdisciplinary paradigm in research on ICIs. Proposals must broadly integrate engineering and social, behavioral and/or economic sciences. Therefore, proposals that do not have at least one social, behavioral, and economic (SBE) scientist and one engineer on the team will be returned without review. Additionally, PIs are also encouraged to incorporate complementary perspectives from other disciplines such as computing and data science, ecology, seismology, and statistics.
 
NSF:ENG
Other NSF: ENG Opportunities
National Science Foundation: Crosscutting and Interdisciplinary
RAISE on Enabling Quantum Leap: Transformational Advances in Quantum Systems 
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers: February 16, 2018 
Award Amount: Up to $1,000,000 over up to 5 years
 
This Dear Colleague Letter aims to encourage researchers to submit interdisciplinary research projects that must include at least three complementary components represented by researchers with expertise in the areas of physics, chemistry, mathematics, materials science, engineering, and computer/computational science, which are more broadly represented by the NSF Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Engineering (ENG), and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). The innovative proposals must focus on quantum functionality by assessing aspects relevant to both fundamental and application concepts, and must result in experimental demonstrations of transformative advances towards quantum systems and/or proof-of-concept validations.
 
How To Apply:

Step 1 . Submit a one-page white paper to the cognizant Program Directors from at least THREE (3) of the following divisions/office: DMR, PHY, CHE, DMS, ECCS, CCF, and OAC. Upon receipt of an invitation from the cognizant Program Directors, a full proposal may be submitted. Cognizant NSF Program Directors are:

Step 2. If invited to submit a full proposal, PIs must submit a full proposal using the RAISE funding mechanism (Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering). Guidance on how to submit a RAISE proposals is here (PAPPG; see Chapter II.E.3).


NSF_CI_International
NSF: Crosscutting and Interdisciplinary
International Research Experiences for Students (IRES)
OSP Deadline: January 23, 2018 (Track-I); January 30, 2018 (Track-II) 
Sponsor Deadline: January 30, 2018 (Track-I); February 6, 2018 (Track-II)  
Award Amount: Up to $300,000 (Track-1); $150,000 (average; Track-II)

The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. IRES focuses on active research participation by undergraduate or graduate students in high quality international research, education, and professional development experiences in NSF-funded research areas.
  1. IRES - Track I: IRES Sites (IS) projects engage a group of undergraduate and/or graduate students in active high quality collaborative research at an international site with mentorship from researchers at a host lab. IRES Sites must be organized around a coherent intellectual theme that may involve a single discipline or multiple disciplines funded by NSF.
  2. IRES - Track II: Advanced Studies Institutes (ASI) are intensive short courses with related activities that engage advanced graduate students in active learning and research at the frontiers of knowledge. ASIs typically range in length from ten to twenty-one days and must be held outside the United States. ASIs must have a compelling rationale for their international location and should involve distinguished active researchers in the target field from the U.S. and abroad. ASIs should enable students to develop skills and broaden professional networks, leveraging international participation and complementary resources (expertise, facilities, data, field site, etc.) for mutual benefit.

NSF_CI_Smart
NSF: Crosscutting and Interdisciplinary
Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC) 
Letter of Intent Deadline: January 30, 2018 
OSP Deadline: February 21, 2018 
Sponsor Deadline: February 28, 2018 
Award Amount: $750,000 - $3,000,000 for up to 4 years

The goal of the NSF Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC) program solicitation is to accelerate the creation of the scientific and engineering foundations that will enable smart and connected communities to bring about new levels of economic opportunity and growth, safety and security, health and wellness, and overall quality of life. This goal will be achieved through integrative research projects that pair advances in technological and social dimensions with meaningful community engagement. A proposal for an S&CC Integrative Research Grant must include the following:
  • Integrative research that addresses the technological and social dimensions of smart and connected communities;
  • Meaningful community engagement that integrates community stakeholders within the project;
  • A management plan that summarizes how the project will be managed across disciplines, institutions, and community entities; and
  • An evaluation plan for assessing short-, medium-, and long-term impacts of the proposed activities.
Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (CyberTraining) 
OSP Deadline: February 7, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: February 14, 2018
Award Amount: $300,000 - $500,000 over up to 3 years
 
The overarching goals of this program are to (i) prepare, nurture, and grow the national scientific research workforce for creating, utilizing, and supporting advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) that enables potentially transformative fundamental science and engineering research and contributes to the Nation's overall economic competitiveness and security; (ii) ensure broad adoption of CI tools, methods, and resources by the fundamental science and engineering research community to enable new modes of discovery; and (iii) integrate core literacy and discipline-appropriate advanced skills in advanced CI as well as computational and data science and engineering into the Nation's educational curriculum/instructional material fabric spanning undergraduate and graduate courses. For the purpose of this solicitation, advanced CI is broadly defined as the set of resources, tools, and services for advanced computation, data handling, networking, and security that collectively enable potentially transformative fundamental research.

This solicitation calls for developing innovative, scalable training and education programs to address the emerging needs and unresolved bottlenecks in scientific and engineering research workforce development, from the postsecondary level to active researchers. The resultant training and education programs, spanning targeted, multidisciplinary communities, will lead to transformative changes in the state of workforce preparedness for advanced CI-enabled research in the short and long terms. As part of this investment, this solicitation seeks to broaden CI access and adoption by (i) increasing or deepening accessibility of methods and resources of advanced CI and of computational and data science and engineering by a wide range of scientific disciplines and institutions with lower levels of CI adoption to date; and (ii) harnessing the capabilities of larger segments of diverse underrepresented groups. Proposals from, and in partnership with, the aforementioned communities are especially encouraged.
National Robotics Initiative 2.0: Ubiquitous Collaborative Robots (NRI-2.0)
OSP Deadline: February 12, 2018
Sponsor Deadline: February 20, 2018
Award Amount: $250,000 - $750,000 for up to 3 years (Foundational Projects); $500,000 - $1,500,000 for up to 4 years (Integrative Projects)

The focus of the NRI-2.0 program is on ubiquity, which in this context means seamless integration of co-robots to assist humans in every aspect of life. The program supports four main research thrusts that are envisioned to advance the goal of ubiquitous co-robots: scalability, customizability, lowering barriers to entry, and societal impact. Topics addressing scalability include how robots can collaborate effectively with multiple humans or other robots; how robots can perceive, plan, act, and learn in uncertain, real-world environments, especially in a distributed fashion; and how to facilitate large-scale, safe, robust and reliable operation of robots in complex environments. Customizability includes how to enable co-robots to adapt to specific tasks, environments, or people, with minimal modification to hardware and software; how robots can personalize their interactions with people; and how robots can communicate naturally with humans, both verbally and non-verbally. Topics in lowering barriers to entry include development of open-source co-robot hardware and software, as well as widely-accessible testbeds. Topics in societal impact include fundamental research to establish and infuse robotics into educational curricula, advance the robotics workforce through education pathways, and explore the social, economic, ethical, and legal implications of our future with ubiquitous collaborative robots. Collaboration between academic, industry, non-profit, and other organizations is encouraged to establish better linkages between fundamental science and engineering and technology development, deployment, and use.
 
OtherNSFCross2 
Other NSF: Crosscutting and Interdisciplinary Opportunities

_________________________________________

For assistance, please contact:

Erin Hale
Senior Research Development Officer
erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu | 617-496-5252

Jennifer Corby
Research Development Officer
jcorby@fas.harvard.edu | 617-495-1590


Research Development | Research Administration Services | research.fas.harvard.edu