Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering

Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline: January 21, 2020 by 12:00pm

Award Amount: $875,000 over five years

Eligibility: Initial faculty appointments should have begun no earlier than May 31, 2017 and no later than May 31, 2020.

The Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering program provides the nation's most promising early-career scientists and engineers with flexible funding and the freedom to take risks and explore new frontiers in their fields of study. Packard Fellows are encouraged to think big and look at complex issues with a fresh perspective. The Foundation encourages them to use their funds in whatever ways would best advance their research. Initial faculty appointments should have begun no earlier than May 31, 2017 and no later than May 31, 2020. The following disciplines are eligible for support: chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all branches of engineering. The full guidelines from the Packard Foundation can be found here.

Please Note:  This is a limited submission opportunity and Harvard University may put forward only two nominations. Applicants for the Harvard nomination must be nominated by a department chair or area chair and must submit a pre-proposal to an internal competition administered by the Office for Vice Provost of Research (OVPR) at the link above.

Smith Family Foundation Odyssey Award *
SEAS Pre-Proposal Deadline: January 22, 2020 by 5:00PM
Award Amount: $300,000 over two years
Eligible Applicants: Untenured faculty appointed to their first independent faculty appointment between July 1, 2011 and July 1, 2016. Time taken for leaves of absence does not count toward the eligibility window.

 

The Smith Family Foundation Odyssey Award was created to fuel creativity and innovation in junior investigators in the basic sciences. The two-year award supports established junior faculty in pursuit of high impact ideas to generate breakthroughs and drive new directions in biomedical research. The awards will fund high-risk, high-reward pilot projects solicited from the brightest junior faculty in the region. Investigators in the physical sciences (physics, chemistry and engineering) whose projects focus on biomedical science are also encouraged to apply. Clinical research is beyond the scope of this program.

 

Applicants are ineligible if they have combined federal and non-federal funding totaling $750,000 or more in direct costs per year in either of the first two years (7/1/20 - 6/30/21 or 7/1/21- 6/30/22) of the two-year Smith Family Foundation Odyssey Award. 

 

This is a limited submission opportunity and SEAS may nominate two candidates for this opportunity. SEAS pre-proposals must be submitted by January 22, 2020 by 5:00pm.

Simons Foundation: Collaboration Grants for Mathematicians *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: January 23, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: January 30, 2020

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 substantially increase collaborative contacts between accomplished, active mathematicians 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 have a Ph.D. degree and hold a tenure-track or tenured position within a mathematics department with a Ph.D. degree granting program. The five-year grant will commence September 1, 2020. Collaboration grant awardees may not hold any other external PI or PI equivalent grants with an end date after September 1, 2020.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Essential Open Source Software for Science

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: January 24, 2020; July 24, 2020

Sponsor Deadlines: February 1, 2020; August 1, 2020

Award Information: $50,000 - $250,000 (inclusive of up to 15% for indirect/overhead costs) for one year

 

In an effort to support open source software for science, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) seeks applications for software projects that are essential to biomedical research, have already demonstrated impact, and can show potential for continued improvement. Grants will be for a one-year period with the potential to apply for renewal in future cycles. The goal of the program is to support software maintenance, growth, development, and community engagement for these critical tools.

 

Applications for two broad categories of open source projects will be considered in scope:

Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Award

Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline: January 27, 2020

Award Amount: $300,000/year for up to 3 years

 

The Ono Pharma Foundation's 2020 Breakthrough Science Initiative Awards Program accepts proposals from Principal Investigators involved in original research of Chemical Biology. Chemical Biology is defined as research that deals with the interface between chemistry and biology. The criteria for this field are deliberately broad so as not to disqualify potentially innovative and groundbreaking projects.

 

To be eligible, the PI must be a junior or mid-career scientist (within 15 years of starting an independent academic position). The PI may not already be engaged in other sponsored research with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and/or other grant programs with the Ono Pharma Foundation. The PI may not apply for funding to amplify current work. However, PIs may research a new idea based on a prior finding.

 

Please Note: This is a limited submission opportunity and Harvard University may put forward only two proposals. Applicants for the Harvard nomination must submit a pre-proposal to an internal competition administered by the Office of the Vice Provost of Research (OVPR) at the link above.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Collaborative Research Travel Grants *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 5, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: February 12, 2020 by 3:00PM

Award Amount: up to $15,000. Overhead is not allowed. This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application.  

 

The Collaborative Research Travel Grant (CRTG) program provides up to $15,000 in support for relatively unrestricted travel funds to academic scientists (faculty and postdocs) at U.S. or Canadian degree-granting institutions. Travel must take place no earlier than June 1, 2020 and no later than December 31, 2021. Grants must be used for domestic or international travel to another lab to learn new research techniques or begin or continue a collaboration to address biomedical questions. All proposals must be cross-disciplinary. 

 

Applicants with a doctoral degree in the physical, mathematical, or engineering sciences working on a biological problem are encouraged to apply. Biologists holding a doctorate degree at the time of application who are interested in working with physical scientists, mathematicians, engineers, chemists, statisticians, or computer scientists to incorporate their ideas and approaches to answering biological questions are eligible to apply.

Foundational Questions Institute: Consciousness in the Physical World *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 5, 2020

Sponsor Initial Proposal Deadline: February 12, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): May 28, 2020

Award Amount: Grants totaling about $1.8M will be available for projects up to 2 years in duration

 

This Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi) program targets research on Consciousness in the Physical World, in fields including physics, cosmology, astrophysics, philosophy of science, complex systems, biophysics, cognitive science, neuroscience, computer science, and mathematics. Consciousness in the Physical World seeks to inspire investigations into the many connections between basic physical laws and the nature of consciousness and conscious agents. To aid prospective applicants in determining whether a project is appropriate for this program, a list of questions that make suitable targets for research funded under this program is available here. Applicants can also review projects supported by previous RFPs on Agency in the Physical World and Intelligence in the Physical World.  

 

Applicants should ensure that the research or outreach project can be completed with a guaranteed final date of August 31, 2022 or earlier.

 

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM): Gulf Research Program Early-Career Research Fellowship *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 11, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: February 19, 2020

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, 2010) 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.

  

All fellows will attend an orientation in Washington, D.C., in September 2020. Travel expenses for this orientation and other mandatory events/conferences will be covered by the Gulf Research Program in addition to the $76,000 fellowship award.

 

 

Engineering Information Foundation Grant Program *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 21, 2019

Sponsor Deadline: February 28, 2019

Award Amount: $5,000 - $25,000. Overhead is not allowed. This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application.  

 

The Engineering Information Foundation supports developmental projects, instructional projects, and training programs in engineering education and research that fit their  fields of interest . These currently include the availability and use of published information, women in engineering, and information access in developing countries. The foundation is interested in innovative projects with measurable results that promote significant and lasting change, projects that can be successfully replicated elsewhere, and methodologies that are specific, well-defined and cost-effective.

 

 

Open Technology Fund: Internet Freedom Fund *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 21, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 1, 2020 

Award Amount: Up to $900,000 for a year-long contract, though most supported efforts range from $50,000 - $200,000.

 

The Internet Freedom Fund supports 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.

Open Technology Fund: Information Controls Fellowship

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: not required for grants awarded directly to individuals

Sponsor Deadline: February 24, 2020

Award Amount: Monthly stipend of $4,200 plus travel stipend of $1,250 to $5,000 USD depending on the fellowship length. Three, six, nine or twelve month fellowships are available.

 

The Information Controls Fellowship Program (ICFP) cultivates research, outputs, and creative collaboration on topics related to repressive Internet censorship and surveillance. The fellowship supports examination into how governments in countries, regions, or areas of OTF's core focus are restricting the free flow of information, cutting access to the open Internet, and implementing censorship mechanisms, thereby threatening the ability of global citizens to exercise basic human rights and democracy; work focused on mitigation of such threats is also supported.

 

Fellowships are usually offered to postdoctoral, doctoral students, and experienced researchers with demonstrated ability and expertise. Typically, ICFP fellows have experience in fields such as computer science, engineering, information security research, software development, social sciences, law, and data visualization, among others. ICFP fellows embed with a host organization for the duration of their fellowship. Non-academic host organizations are welcome, as are those based outside the United States.

Beckman Foundation: Beckman Center for Advanced Light-Sheet Microscopy and Data Science

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 28, 2020

Sponsor Pre-Proposal Deadline: March 6, 2020

Award Amount: $1.2M. Indirect costs are not allowed. Please discuss with your grants administrator before beginning an application.

 

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation's mission is to provide funding for promising technologies, particularly in cutting edge instrumentation and interfaces between disciplines. In support of this mission, the Foundation is requesting proposals for a one-time grant opportunity for the procurement and potential further development of groundbreaking advanced light-sheet instrumentation capabilities, including establishment of robust multidisciplinary science/technology teams involving data scientist collaborations within the research group. The Foundation will provide support of up to $1.2 million per site, which can be used for instrumentation acquisition, development, and maintenance; support for data science collaborations within the research teams; and costs for the proposed research programs.

American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund New Directions Grants *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 6, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 13, 2020

Award Amount: $110,000 over 2 years. Overhead is not allowed. This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application.      

 

The goals of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) are to support fundamental research in the petroleum field, and to develop the next generation of engineers and scientists through support of advanced scientific education. The New Directions (ND) Grants Program aims to stimulate a new direction of research for established faculty, and to support the careers of their student scientists and engineers. The ND grants program provides funds to scientists and engineers with limited-or even no-preliminary results for a research project they wish to pursue, and who intend to use the PRF-driven preliminary results to seek continuation funding from other agencies. ND grants are to be used to illustrate proof of concept/feasibility. Accordingly, they are to be viewed as seed money for new research ventures. The lead principal investigator must demonstrate that this is an entirely new research direction from what the lead principal investigator has done to date.

 

The PRF Committee requires at least 60 percent of the total proposal budget be devoted to support the education and training of students (graduate students, undergraduates, graduate stipends and/or postdoctoral fellows). 

 

 

Eppley Foundation for Research: Support for Advanced Scientific Research *

Sponsor LOI Deadline: March 15, 2020

Award Amount: Unspecified; the foundation disburses up to $460,000 a year; recent past awards have ranged from $11K to $28K

 

The Eppley Foundation for Research was incorporated in 1947 for the purpose of "increasing knowledge in pure or applied science...in chemistry, physics and biology through study, research and publication."  Particular areas of interest include innovative medical investigations, climate change, whole ecosystem studies, as well as research on single species if they are of particular significance in their environments, in the U.S. and abroad. The proposal is expected to be concise and incorporate clear statements of significance, objectives, novelty, methods, expectations of success, and why the researcher believes the work cannot reasonably expect federal support, or support from other conventional funding sources. The Eppley Foundation supports advanced, novel, scientific research by PhDs or MDs with an established record of publication in their specialties. 

Camille Dreyfus Foundation: Machine Learning in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 26, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: April 2, 2020 

Award Amount: The amount of support requested is determined by the applicant. Partial contributions to larger scale efforts will be considered. Overhead is not allowed. This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application.      

 

The Dreyfus program for Machine Learning in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering provides funding for innovative projects in any area of Machine Learning (ML) consistent with the Foundation's broad objective to advance the chemical sciences and engineering. The Foundation encourages proposals to significantly stimulate and accelerate the development of the use of ML and other related aspects of data science to the chemical sciences and engineering. The Foundation anticipates that these projects will contribute new fundamental chemical understanding, insight, and innovation in the field.

Sponsor LOI Deadline: March 30, 2020

Award Amount: up to $450,000 per year for the whole team depending on the size of the team. 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.

 

The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) supports innovative basic research into fundamental biological problems with emphasis placed on novel and interdisciplinary approaches that involve scientific exchanges across national and disciplinary boundaries. Awards are made to international (preferably intercontinental) teams of 2 to 4 members.

 

The research team must designate one member as Principal Applicant. The Principal Applicant must be located in one of the HFSP member countries but co-investigators may be located in any country. HFSP encourages projects that are at the frontiers of knowledge and therefore entail risk.

 

Two types of Research Grants are available:

In order to submit an LOI, the Principal Applicant must first connect to the HFSP extranet site and obtain a reference number by March 19, 2020.

Simons Foundation Targeted Grants in Mathematics and Physical Sciences

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling

Award Amount: A typical Targeted Grant in MPS provides funding for up to five years. The funding provided is flexible and based on the type of support requested in the proposal. There is no recommended funding limit.

 

The Simons Foundation division for Mathematics and Physical Sciences seeks to extend the frontiers of basic research. The division's primary focus is on mathematics, theoretical physics and theoretical computer science. This program is intended to support high-risk projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance on a case-by-case basis. Expenses for experiments, equipment, or computations, as well as for personnel and travel, are allowable. If invited to submit a full proposal, the deadline will be noted in the LOI notification and will be no sooner than three months from the date of the LOI approval.

Lemann Brazil Research Fund

Deadline: January 27, 2020

Award Amount: up to $150,000 payable over one or two years

 

The Lemann Brazil Research Fund is intended to foster collaboration between scholars and to support research projects focused on current issues facing Brazil. Proposals are sought for research 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. Applications are invited from individuals who hold a faculty appointment at a Harvard school and who have principal investigator rights at that school. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of academic merit, feasibility, and their anticipated advancement of the objectives of the Fund.

Harvard Data Science Initiative Competitive Research Fund *

Deadline: February 10, 2020 by 4:00PM

Award Amount: $5,000-$100,000 for one year (the Fund will support two awards of up to $100,000 each, and two to four smaller awards of up to $50,000 each. A total of $250,000 of funding is available).

Eligible Applicants: Individuals who hold a faculty appointment at a Harvard school and who have principal investigator rights at that school

 

The 2020 DSI Competitive Research Fund will support  planning grants that coalesce and accelerate  methodologically-focused research. For applied work, the DSI is especially interested in projects that intersect with or are likely to have impact within or across the DSI's research themes:

 

Work that is primarily methodological is also strongly encouraged. The DSI is interested in promoting advances across many areas that relate to the science of data, including causal inference, visualization, scalable and robust inference, experimental design, interpretability and robustness, ethics (including privacy and fairness), control of false discovery, human-in-the-loop systems, reinforcement learning, adaptive data systems, deep learning, streaming algorithms, theoretical foundations, reproducibility, and data sharing.

 

Proposed projects should suggest the possibility of longer-term research programs and should describe creative and innovative approaches to advancing research over one to two years. 

Star-Friedman Challenge for Promising Scientific Research *

Deadline: February 28, 2020 by 5:00PM

Award Amount: $150,000 maximum for single investigator projects; $300,000 maximum for multi-investigator projects

Eligible Applicants: Ladder faculty members in SEAS, FAS, HMS, and HSPH

 

The Star-Friedman Challenge for Promising Scientific Research provides seed funding to interdisciplinary high-risk, high-impact projects in the life, physical, and social sciences. Early-stage projects that are unlikely to receive funding from traditional grant-making agencies are encouraged.  Applications will be evaluated for their significance, innovation, potential impact, interdisciplinarity, and the ability of the applicant or team of applicants to successfully carry out the project. 

Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation - GSAS Nominations*

GSAS Pre-Proposal Deadline: February 3, 2020 by 12:00PM

Sponsor Deadline: March 2, 2020

Award Amount: $50,000 plus a $5,000 donation to support the institution's seminar series

 

The Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation recognizes and honors Excellence in Biomedical Science conducted by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. One graduate student and one postdoctoral fellow are selected to receive the Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation each year. Each winner receives a check for $50,000, which can be used in any way the winner chooses. Finalists are each awarded $5,000. In addition, the home institution of the winners will each receive a $5,000 donation to support the institution's seminar series. 

 

Each institution may nominate no more than two (2) PhD students and two (2) postdoctoral fellows. All GSAS students doing research in the field of biomedicine are invited to apply to this internal competition. Nominees chosen by the internal selection committee will be invited to submit complete proposals to the Regeneron Prize committee.

 

To be considered for the Harvard nomination, GSAS students should submit the following to [email protected]  by Monday February 3, 2020 at noon :

Please note: the "dream project" must be within the field of biomedicine, broadly defined, but can be unrelated to the student's thesis research ; this idea does not have to be something the student is doing or even planning to pursue in the future. 

Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation - FAS/SEAS Postdoctoral Nominations*

FAS/SEAS Pre-Proposal Deadline: February 3, 2020 by 12:00PM

Sponsor Deadline: March 2, 2020

Award Amount: $50,000 plus a $5,000 donation to support the institution's seminar series

 

The Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation recognizes and honors Excellence in Biomedical Science conducted by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. One graduate student and one postdoctoral fellow are selected to receive the Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation each year. Each winner receives a check for $50,000, which can be used in any way the winner chooses. Finalists are each awarded $5,000. In addition, the home institution of the winners will each receive a $5,000 donation to support the institution's seminar series. The research that is proposed is not necessarily meant to be conducted, nor is the prize meant as a funding mechanism for research. The prize is a cash prize to the trainee, and the trainee may use the money in any way he or she wishes.

 

Each institution may nominate no more than two (2) PhD students and two (2) postdoctoral fellows. To be considered for the nomination, FAS and SEAS postdoctoral fellows should submit the following to Erin Hale at  [email protected]  by Monday February 3, 2020 at noon :

Amazon Machine Learning Research Awards

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling

Award Amount: The amount awarded is at the discretion of the awards panel and may be based on the number of applicants and number of awards granted during an award cycle. Awards are structured as one-year unrestricted gifts to academic institutions and can include funding and AWS Promotional Credits. 69% overhead is required per FAS/SEAS policy.

 

The AWS Machine Learning Research Awards (MLRA) program funds eligible universities, faculty, PhD students and post-docs under the supervision of faculty, that are conducting novel research in machine learning (ML). The goal is to enable research that accelerates the development of innovative algorithms, publications, and source code across a wide variety of ML applications and focus areas. Selected applicants will receive awards that include unrestricted cash funding as well as AWS Promotional Credits. Award recipients will receive an invitation to attend an annual research seminar and may receive live one-on-one training sessions with Amazon scientists and engineers.

 

Full-time faculty members and university departments leading a team of students and postdocs at education institutions in North America and Europe which are conducting innovative research related to Machine Learning are eligible to apply. Awards provided to faculty or university institutions will support the researchers identified in the application conducting research under the guidance of this PI.

Research Interests of the USAFA Call 0010: Diode Pumped Alkali Laser Physics Research

Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): January 16, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: TBD

Award Amount: $450,000 - $475,000 for 48 months

The United States Air Force Academy is soliciting white papers for research under Section l - Funding Opportunity Description (a)(8), Laser and Optics Research Center of the  Broad Agency Announcement USAFA-BAA-2015 Amendment 4 , covering requests for Laser Research.

 

The Laser and Optics Research Center (LORC) performs a range of research tasks in support of the Air Force, DoD, DOE, NSF and other government and commercial sponsors. Making use of the extensive experimental facilities housed in the USAFA Department of Physics, the LORC pursues a range of research efforts. The research programs in this center are geared toward providing all USAFA undergraduates with a rich, relevant research experience while answering critical research needs of USAFA's highly varied customer base. Researchers may expect extensive access to premier facilities, tremendous latitude of pursuits and single-minded focus on research tasks, but must seek to incorporate student participation in their research projects, typically two to four students per semester. 

 

Current topics of interest include fundamental studies surrounding high power lasers and their application within physics experiments. High power laser research involves improving diode pumped alkali lasers and is the primary focus of this announcement. New diagnostics that measure densities, temperatures and ionization fraction are desired. Reports and published papers that describe these diagnostics are expected. Secondary research interests involve laser applications including atom interferometers, nonlinear optics, high harmonic generation, laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms, and quantum  computing. Researchers are encouraged to pursue basic and applied research topics in these other  areas and related subjects.

 

The Government anticipates awarding one Cooperative Agreement as a result of this Call.

DARPA Artificial Intelligence Exploration (AIE) Opportunity: Signal Processing in Neural Networks (SPiNN) *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: January 24, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: January 31, 2020

Award Amount: The total award value for the combined Phase 1 base (Feasibility Study, 9 months) and Phase 2 option (Proof of Concept, 9 months) is limited to $1M (up to $500,000 per phase).

 

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is issuing an Artificial Intelligence Exploration (AIE) Opportunity inviting submissions of innovative basic or applied research concepts in the  technical domain of intelligent edge signal processing and application. The Signal Processing in Neural Networks (SPiNN) program will develop a new set of advanced neural network (NN) computing kernels that embed established physics-based mathematical digital signal processing (DSP) models. The SPiNN program will leverage the established physics-based signal processing algorithms and associated mathematical tool kits as a basis to establish a set of trained, verifiable, accurate and efficient neural network kernels. Each proposal should propose one of the following two application areas, communications or radar, to best illustrate the measurable advantages and key goals of the SPiNN program.

 

This AIE Opportunity is issued under the Program Announcement for AIE, DARPA-PA-19-03 .

ARO Quantum Characterization of Intermediate Scale Systems (QCISS) *

Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (strongly encouraged): January 28, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 17, 2020

Award Amount: Category 1 proposals may request up to $1.5M per year for 4 years. Category 2 proposals may request up to $700,000 per year for 4 years, with Theory only proposals limited to $400,000 per year.

The U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) in partnership with the National Security Agency (NSA) is soliciting proposals for research in Quantum Characterization of Intermediate Scale Systems (QCISS). The goal of the BAA is to develop efficient and practical protocols and techniques that allow Quantum Characterization, Verification, and Validation (QCVV) of larger systems with direct relevance to Fault Tolerant Quantum Computing (FTQC), and to demonstrate these protocols on intermediate-scale systems. In this BAA, intermediate-scale refers to systems of size 10-20 qubits and larger systems greater than 20 qubits. Proposals are sought to develop reliable, efficient, and scalable protocols for evaluating intermediate-scale quantum systems and selectively characterizing only the subset of information relevant to FTQC. These new methods are sought as the next advances that will empower the quantum computing community to reliably interpret and evaluate emerging larger-scale quantum systems, and not merely a continuation of work applicable to one or two-qubit QCVV. The program success criterion is to identify the subset of information needed to characterize, verify, and validate a system's behavior relevant for FTQC and create a suite of procedures for measuring that information.

 

Two categories of proposals are sought for this BAA. The first category seeks proposals that integrate theoretical and experimental research to fully identify and address the challenges of QCVV for intermediate-scale quantum systems. The second category seeks theoretical research that may significantly advance QCVV for intermediate-scale quantum systems through novel approaches that retire a set of key challenges.

 

Multiple awards are anticipated in both categories.

 

DARPA Atmospheric Water Extraction (AWE) *

Sponsor Deadline for Proposal Abstracts (strongly encouraged): January 28, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 12, 2020

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. AWE is divided into two sequential phases: Phase I (Base) for 24 months and Phase II (Option) for 24 months.

The goal of the Atmospheric Water Extraction (AWE) program is to enable water extraction from the atmosphere to produce a small, low-powered, lightweight system with two form-factors: one capable of providing potable water for expeditionary forces (daily output sufficient for the individual warfighter), and another for stabilization missions (daily output to supply ~150 people). DARPA's Biological Technologies Office (BTO) is soliciting innovative proposals to address: (1) the development of novel sorbent materials, (2) materials synthesis and scale up, (3) component and systems modeling, and (4) complete integration and fabrication of the aforementioned elements into a device to extract potable water from the atmosphere.

 

The AWE program includes two technical areas (TAs) that will run concurrently for the duration of the program. Proposals must address both TAs:

AWE will address atmospheric water extraction needs in two tracks: (1) expeditionary and (2) stabilization. The expeditionary unit will provide sufficient drinking water for an individual warfighter, with SWaP parameters restricted by the need for portability and operation in austere environments. The stabilization device will provide the daily drinking needs for up to 150 people (i.e., a company or humanitarian mission), with SWaP requirements tailored to resources typically available to missions of that scale. Proposers may propose to one or both tracks. Separate proposals should be submitted for  those proposing to both tracks.

 

Multiple awards are anticipated.

DARPA Lasers for Universal Microscale Optical Systems (LUMOS)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: January 31, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: February 7, 2020 

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. LUMOS will be a 48-month program divided into three phases: Phase 1 (base) - 18 months, Phase 2 (option) - 18 months, and Phase 3 (option) - 12 months.

DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) is soliciting innovative research proposals to develop heterogeneous photonic integrated circuit platforms that incorporate on-chip optical gain for disruptive optical microsystems. The objective of the Lasers for Universal Microscale Optical Systems (LUMOS) program is to bring efficient on-chip optical gain to highly-capable integrated photonics platforms and enable complete photonics functionality on a single substrate for disruptive optical microsystems. LUMOS platforms will integrate lasers and amplifiers with high-performance modulators, waveguides, and detectors for diverse use cases, including digital and analog communications, navigation and timing, long-range sensing, microwave signal generation and processing, and quantum sensing and computing. Such uses demand a diversity of material combinations on photonics platforms tailored to address specific application areas. LUMOS will develop transformative PIC capabilities through heterogeneous integration to achieve integrated photonics scalability along three key directions: complexity, power, and spectrum.

 

In order to meet these goals, LUMOS is soliciting innovative research proposals in three main Technical Areas (TAs):

Each proposal must address only a single TA and include all phases.

 

Approximately $70M of total funding is anticipated for awards made against this BAA, with a distribution of $40M in Technical Area 1 (TA1); $15M in Technical Area 2 (TA2); and $15M in Technical Area 3 (TA3). Multiple awards are anticipated in each Technical Area.

NRC Research Associateship Program (RAP)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: Review not required for awards made directly to individuals

Sponsor Deadlines for Full Proposals: February 1, 2020; May 1, 2020; August 1, 2020; November 1, 2020

Award Amount: Awards include stipends ranging from $45,000 to $80,000, health insurance, professional travel, and relocation. Awards are for up to 12 months (Summer Faculty awards are for 8-14 weeks), with the possibility of extension through a second or third year.

 

The NRC Research Associateship Programs (RAP) promote excellence in scientific and technological research conducted by the U.S. government through the administration of programs offering graduate, postdoctoral, and senior level research opportunities at sponsoring federal laboratories and affiliated institutions. In the NRC Research Associateship Programs, prospective applicants select a research project or projects from among a large group of  Research Opportunities . Prior to completing an application, prospective applicants should contact the Research Adviser listed with the selected Research Opportunity(ies) to assure that funding will be available if the application is recommended by NRC Research Associateship Programs panels.

 

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.). When searching for Research Opportunities, applicants may limit their search to only those laboratories which match their eligibility criteria. In addition, applicants should note application deadlines, as not all laboratories participate in all reviews.

DARPA Personalized Protective Biosystem (PPB)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 12, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: February 20, 2020

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 PPB program is structured as a 5-year effort consisting of 3 phases: Phase I (Base), Phase II (Option One), and Phase III (Option Two).

DARPA's Biological Technologies Office (BTO) is soliciting innovative proposals through the Personalized Protective Biosystem (PPB) program to develop an integrated ensemble that simultaneously reduces protective equipment needs while increasing protection for the individual against existing and future chemical and biological (CB) threats. The capability to provide unburdened CB protection will maximize time on target for the warfighter and the stability operator, provide operational flexibility, extend mission duration, and enable military operations in austere environments regardless of the threat. PPB will consist of lightweight materials that protect the warfighter from exposure to any CB threat while simultaneously providing a second layer of protection, at the tissue barrier, with biomolecular, commensal organisms, or other technologies that protect the skin, eyes, and airway from CB threats. PPB will improve mission execution by solving the current ("state of the art") protective equipment limitations, including threat-specific vulnerabilities, thermal/logistical burdens, exposure risks during equipment removal/decontamination, and on-demand availability during unexpected threat situations.

 

The PPB program envisions two technical areas (TAs) for development under this BAA:  

• Technical Area 1 (TA1) technologies will prevent contact between the body and CB agents using protective, smart materials with near-zero logistical burden.
• Technical Area 2 (TA2) technologies will neutralize threats at vulnerable tissue barriers using a configurable tissue barrier countermeasure.

From the outset, proposed approaches and developed technologies should identify outputs that align to both TA1 and TA2.

 

Multiple awards are anticipated.

• Technical Area 1: Development, validation, and demonstration of an integrated design comprising a hull form, hull connector, propulsion, and gap mitigation between the vessels to achieve Sea Train efficiencies for Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels (MUSVs).
• Technical Area 2: Development and demonstration of a dynamic control architecture capable of monitoring environmental conditions, multi-vessel alignment and spacing, and structural loads and moments to develop real-time control solutions to maximize Sea Train efficiency and seaway survivability.

DARPA Ocean of Things Phase 2, Technical Area 1: Float Development *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 18, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: February 25, 2020

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 12 months.

DARPA's Strategic Technology Office (STO) is soliciting innovative proposals for the second phase of a two-phase program to design, develop, and manufacture low-cost, persistent maritime floats that sense and report relevant data from the physical and operational environment. The program, Ocean of Things, is a vital part of the Mosaic Warfare end-state vision.

 

To achieve these research objectives, DARPA divides the program into two technical efforts. Technical Area 1 (TA-1) includes the design and production of floats; Technical Area 2 (TA-2) includes the development of advanced data analytics to generate mission products. At this time, DARPA seeks innovative proposals for TA-1 float design and production only.

 

During Phase 1, performer teams each produced over 1,000 floats with standard hotel sensors and modular mission sensors tested at-sea in drift tests of varying scale. Phase 2, the design refinement phase, similarly consists of multiple milestones with design and proof of capability demonstrated in at-sea environments, but at a larger scale with improved float designs (each performer will manufacture 5,000 floats).

 

Multiple awards are anticipated.

DARPA Detect It with Gene Editing Technologies (DIGET)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 18, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: February 25, 2020

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. DIGET will be a 48-month program divided into two phases: Phase I (Base), 24 months; and Phase II, 24 months.

DARPA's Biological Technologies Office (BTO) is soliciting innovative proposals to develop distributed point-of-need and massively multiplexed gene editing-based nucleic acid detection capabilities for diagnostics and biosurveillance. The goal of the Detect It with Gene Editing Technologies (DIGET) program is to leverage advances in gene editing technologies to develop low-cost, high-trust, sensitive, multiplexed, rapidly reconfigurable, and fieldable diagnostics and biosurveillance technologies to address the need for timely and comprehensive threat detection surveillance to support Department of Defense (DoD) stabilization missions and outpace infectious disease.

 

The program consists of two Technical Areas (TAs) to be addressed concurrently:  

Multiple awards are anticipated.

DTRA Fundamental Research to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction: Basic Research - Thrust Area 7 - Topics J1-J5 *

Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): March 4, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: TBA

Award Amount: Varies by topic (see below for details)

Topics J1-J5 are interested in research projects that span from those that focus on exploratory aspects of a unique problem or approaches 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.

 

The Topics are:

These topics do NOT require pre-coordination of an abstract prior to the submission of pre-application white papers.

 

ESTCP FY2021 Non-Federal Broad Agency Announcement *

Sponsor Deadline for Pre-Proposals (required): March 5, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: TBD

Award Amount: Costs should be appropriate and traceable to the level of effort required to execute the project. It is expected that multiple awards totaling approximately $10 million will result, depending on availability of funds.

The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) is the Department of Defense's (DoD) demonstration and validation (Dem/Val) program for environmental and installation energy technologies. ESTCP responds to high priority DoD environmental and installation energy technology requirements and the need to improve defense readiness by reducing the drain on the Department's operation and maintenance dollars caused by real world commitments such as environmental restoration, waste and facility management, range sustainability, energy security, and water conservation. The goal is to enable promising technologies to receive regulatory and end-user acceptance and be fielded and commercialized more rapidly. To achieve this goal, ESTCP projects create a partnership between technology developers, responsible DoD organizations, and the regulatory community. ESTCP demonstrations are conducted under operational conditions at DoD facilities or locations for which DoD holds environmental responsibility.

 

The FY2021 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) requests pre-proposals which address the following topics:

SERDP FY2021 Non-Federal Broad Agency Announcement

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadlines: January 7, 2020 for Core Solicitation Pre-Proposals; March 5, 2020 for SEED Solicitation Proposals and invited Core Solicitation Full Proposals

Award Amount: It is anticipated that multiple awards totaling approximately $12M will be made available for projects dependent upon the quality of proposals received and availability of funds. SEED Awards will not exceed $250,000 for one year.

The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) is the Department of Defense's (DoD) environmental research and development program, planned and executed in partnership with the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. 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. SERDP is interested in receiving pre-proposals in response to its Core Solicitation for research focusing in the areas of Environmental Restoration, Munitions Response, Resource Conservation and Resiliency, and Weapons Systems and Platforms technologies. Proposed research must address SERDP's  Statements of Need  in these areas. SERDP funds research and development programs in basic and applied research and advanced technology development.

 

In addition to the Core Solicitation, SERDP has issued a call for full proposals to the  SERDP Exploratory Development (SEED) program , which competitively funds projects to establish proof of concept for innovative environmental technologies and methods in the area of  Detection, Classification, and Remediation of Military Munitions Underwater . Successful SEED projects may be requested to submit a proposal for follow-on work.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Manufacturing Science Program *

Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): March 6, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals (if invited): June 8, 2020

Award Amount: Up to $100,000 per year for 1-3 years. Applications for larger amounts will be considered on a case-by-case basis. ONR intends to award a total of approximately $650,000 under this FOA.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is interested in receiving proposals for the ONR Manufacturing Science (ManScience) program. The objective of this research opportunity is to support fundamental (6.1) scientific research programs that will facilitate or enable advances in Naval manufacturing. Preference will be given to Naval-unique or Naval-centric topics that will develop a fundamental understanding of manufacturing processes and/or materials and thereby provide scientific understanding to support advances in the manufacturing technology of Naval components.

 

This program has three primary potential focus areas:

Atmospheric System Research

Sponsor Pre-Proposal Deadline (required): January 21, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): March 3, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): March 10, 2020

Award Amount: $900,000 maximum for 3-year projects, $600,000 maximum for 2-year projects in response to FOA topics 1, 2, or 3; $600,000 maximum for 3-year or 2-year projects in response to FOA topic 4 (New Data Products)

 

The program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) announces its interest in receiving applications for Atmospheric System Research (ASR) within BER's Climate and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD). ASR supports research on key cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiative transfer processes that affect the Earth's radiative balance and hydrological cycle, especially processes that limit the predictive ability of regional and global models. This FOA solicits research grant applications for observational, data analysis, and/or modeling studies that use observations supported by BER, including the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, to improve understanding and model representation of 1) aerosol-cloud interactions and 2) high-latitude atmospheric processes; 3) to support aerosol and cloud research associated with ARM's Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER); and/or 4) to develop new proof-of-concept data products from ARM site instruments. All research supported from awards under this FOA is intended to benefit the public through increasing our understanding of the Earth system.

 

ARPA-E: Range Extenders for Electric Aviation with Low Carbon and High Efficiency (REEACH) *

Sponsor Concept Paper Deadline (required): January 31, 2020 by 9:30AM

SEAS/FAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline: 5 business days in advance of sponsor full proposal deadline

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: TBD

Award Amount: $500,000-$10,000,000 for up to 48 months

 

ARPA-E seeks to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with commercial air travel at minimum economic cost by developing elements of an ultra-high efficient aircraft propulsion system that uses Carbon Neutral Liquid Fuels (CNLFs). Since these fuels generally either have lower specific-energies (kWh/kg) or are projected to have higher cost than traditional fossil-based jet fuels, ultra-high conversion efficiency is critical for the economic viability of this approach. An electrified propulsion system framework postulated by ARPA-E could potentially leverage multiple sources of stored energy (e.g. CNLF, batteries, etc.) to facilitate emerging propulsion concepts (e.g. distributed propulsion) and enable net-zero carbon emissions for long range, narrow-body, commercial aircraft. The objective of the Range Extenders for Electric Aviation with Low Carbon and High Efficiency (REEACH) program is the development of one element of the electrified propulsion system framework: a system for the conversion of chemical energy contained in energy dense CNLFs to electric power for aircraft propulsion and hotel loads.

 

 

ARPA-E: Aviation-Class Synergistically Cooled Electric-Motors with Integrated Drives (ASCEND) *

Sponsor Concept Paper Deadline (required): January 31, 2020 by 9:30AM

SEAS/FAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline: 5 business days in advance of sponsor full proposal deadline

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: TBD

Award Amount: $250,000-$10,000,000 for up to 42 months

 

The Aviation-class Synergistically Cooled Electric-motors with iNtegrated Drives (ASCEND) program supports the development of novel lightweight and ultra-efficient electric motors, drives, and associated thermal management system (collectively referred to as the all-electric powertrain) that will facilitate net-zero carbon emissions in the single-aisle, 150-200 passenger commercial aircraft segment. This FOA represents part of a wider ARPA-E effort in the development of enabling technologies for long-range (≥ 2,800 nautical miles), carbon neutral commercial aviation. The other part of the wider ARPA-E effort is included in a separate FOA targeting ultra-efficient and lightweight energy storage and fuel-to-electric power conversion system. The overarching goal of the two FOAs is to reduce the emissions from commercial aviation by developing cost-competitive systems for the efficient conversion of the chemical energy of carbon-neutral liquid fuels (CNLFs)  to delivered electric energy, which is then further converted to thrust via propulsors driven by electric motors and associated motor drives. The focus of the ASCEND program is the development of an all-electric powertrain as the prime mover for long-range, narrow-body aircraft such as the Boeing 737. Current electric powertrains do not have high enough power density and efficiency to enable competitive and fully decarbonized aviation for the narrow-body class of aircraft.

Computational Tool Development for Integrative Systems Biology Data Analysis

Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline (required): January 31, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): April 2, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): April 9, 2020

Award Amount: $350,000 maximum per year for multi-institutional collaborations; $200,000 maximum per year for single institution awards for up to three years

 

The DOE SC program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER), announces its interest in receiving applications for research in developing computational approaches that can integrate large, disparate data types from multiple and heterogeneous sources, such as those used in the Genomic Science program (GSP) ( http://genomicscience.energy.gov ). Research supported by awards resulting from this FOA will promote human understanding of the natural world through analysis of high-throughput biological systems data. BER has an ongoing mission of improving translation from the molecular to cellular realm within scientific disciplines supported by DOE.

Novel Concepts for the Utilization of Carbon Dioxide from Utility and Industrial Sources*
SEAS/FAS/OSP Deadline: February 12, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: February 20, 2020

Award Amount: Up to $3,000,000 for 3 years

 

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) seeks to develop novel marketable products using CO₂ as a feedstock. Technologies that convert CO₂ must show a net decrease in CO₂ emissions through life cycle analysis, show a potential to generate a marketable product, and show that the product displays beneficial aspects when compared to commercially available products produced with fossil fuel feedstocks. There will be 3 Areas of Interest (AOIs):

Extreme Environment Materials for Power Generation *

SEAS/FAS/OSP Deadline: February 13, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: February 21, 2020

Award Amount: $5,000,000 maximum for 2-3 years

 

This Funding Opportunity Announcement will fill a gap with advanced materials and technologies to enhance the reliability and performance of the existing fleet while reducing O&M costs. The Crosscutting High Performance Materials Program has a unique ability to identify needs and foster technology development across many applications. Materials challenges will be targeted that apply to both coal-based and gas-based steam cycle components. Gas turbine applications will be considered non-responsive and hence any gas-focused work should focus on the bottoming cycle of a Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC). The Program focuses on development and validation of materials and technologies for existing and new fossil power generation applications with improved cost, performance, and reliability. This not only supports fossil power generation but also provides targeted support to the nation's high-temperature materials supply chain thereby enhancing competitiveness in the global marketplace.

 

 

Earth System Model Development and Analysis *
Sponsor Preliminary Application Deadline (required): February 14, 2020 by 5:00PM

SEAS/FAS/OSP Deadline: March 24, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: March 31, 2020

Award Amount: $450,000-$900,000 over 3 years

 

The DOE Office of Science program in Biological and Environmental Research (BER) announces its interest in receiving research applications for Earth and Environmental Systems Modeling (EESM). The goal of the EESM portfolio within the BER program is to develop and demonstrate advanced modeling and simulation capabilities, in order to enhance the predictability of the Earth system over multiple temporal and spatial scales. The EESM vision is to provide the best possible information about the Earth's evolving system: in addition to promoting understanding of the natural world, this knowledge could be used to inform planning for energy assets and infrastructures.

 

This FOA solicits research applications to advance the fundamental understanding of dynamic, physical, and biogeochemical processes required to systematically develop and analyze high resolution Earth System Models. The FOA will support model development of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM), analysis to enhance understanding of biogeochemical, aerosol, cloud, and/or aerosol-cloud interactions and feedbacks using global and regional Earth system models, techniques for model initialization, and development of metrics to quantify and reduce the uncertainty in Earth System model projections.

Other DOE Opportunities

• ARPA E Request for Information: Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR) - January 20, 2020*
• Systems Biology Research to Advance Sustainable Bioenergy Crop Development Department of Energy  - January 27, 2020*
• ARPA-E: Systems for Monitoring and Analytics for Renewable Transportation Fuels from Agricultural Resources and Management (SMARTFARM)  - February 19, 2020*
• Notice of intent to issue funding opportunity announcement entitled: FY 2020 Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement*
• Notice of intent to issue funding opportunity announcement entitled: H2@Scale New Markets FOA*
• Notice of intent to issue funding opportunity announcement entitled: Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Funding Program*
• FY 2020 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program, Department of Energy, Office of Science - September 30, 2020 or until replaced by a successor FOA
• Notice of Intent to Issue 2 Coal FIRST Funding Opportunity Announcements
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: BOTTLE: Bio-Optimized Technologies to Keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: Extreme Environment Materials for Power Generation
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: University Training and Research for Fossil Energy Applications

1. Determine if complex human in vitro or ex vivo models could be an effective human analog for radiation studies; and
2. Test and characterize countermeasures for efficacy against high LET ionizing radiation.

NASA Fellowship Activity for Fiscal Years (FY) 2020, 2021, and 2022 *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline for 2020 Phase 1 Proposals (required): February 21, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for 2020 Phase 2 Proposals (if necessary): TBD

Award Amount: For each Fellow, his or her institution receives up to a $55,000 annual award ($50,000 for Master's students and $55,000 for Doctoral students) for 3-4 years.

 

This NASA Research Announcement (NRA), titled the NASA Fellowship Activity, solicits proposals from accredited U.S. institutions for research training grants to begin in the 2020-2021 Academic Year. This NRA is designed to support independently conceived research projects by highly qualified graduate students, in disciplines needed to help advance NASA's mission, thus affording these students the opportunity to directly contribute to advancements in STEM-related areas of study. Eligibility criteria for the Fellows are listed in the NRA. NASA Fellowship opportunities are focused on innovation and the generation of measurable research results, which contribute to NASA's current and future science and technology goals. NASA strongly encourages the submission of applications from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), historically underrepresented groups and underserved populations, such as women, minorities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQs and veterans. The NASA Fellowship Activity opportunity is administered by NASA's Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM).

 

The institution's Fellowship candidate and his or her Faculty Adviser develop the proposal in collaboration with a NASA Technical Adviser in order to assure institutional capability and capacity, ensure relevance to Mission Directorate priorities, and secure NASA's technical support for use of its unique facilities, content and/or SMEs. The institution submits the proposal for support of a graduate student. If a NASA Training Grant is awarded, the Faculty Adviser serves as the PI under the awarded grant. Unique to this research and development fellowship, OSTEM's programmatic structure establishes a Professional Learning Community (PLC) consisting of active NASA Fellowship cohorts, institutional faculty advisers as the grant Principal Investigators (PIs), NASA researchers, scientists, program managers and subject matter experts (SMEs) from industry and other federal agencies. The PLC is designed to provide a network of mentors committed to the successful completion of the proposed research.

 

A number of Fellowships will be funded by NASA's Minority University Research and Education Program (MUREP); others may be supported by NASA Centers and JPL with project funds associated with the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD), Science Mission Directorate (SMD), Science Technology Mission Directorates (STMD) and /or the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD).

NASA Dual Use Technology Development at Marshall Space Flight Center 2020 Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN)

Sponsor Deadlines for Step -1 White Papers (required): May 6, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadlines for Full Proposals (if invited): TBD (approximately 40 calendar days after Invitation to Propose is sent to invited Offerors)

Award Amount: MSFC awards will range from $10,000 to $250,000 (though the majority will range between $10,000 - $100,000) for up to 12 months, to be matched or exceeded by Offeror contributions. MSFC contributions to the Offeror can be cash, in-kind (non-cash) resources, or a combination of each. The participating partner is expected to contribute at least 50 percent of the total combined partner and NASA resources necessary to accomplish the project.

NASA seeks to award cooperative agreements for technology development partnerships with United States commercial businesses, colleges and universities with the goal of developing a technology that meets a specific NASA need at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), as well as a need of the partner. This goal will be accomplished by selecting Offerors that will cooperatively share in the development cost of the technology that meets the specified NASA need. NASA's MSFC, located in Huntsville, Alabama is one of NASA's largest and most diversified installations. The Marshall Center provides leadership in the complex engineering of space transportation and propulsion systems, large space structures and systems, and scientific research to make human space exploration a reality. For more information on the technology programs and capabilities at MSFC, please see the following:  http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/capabilities/index.html . 

MSFC has several technology development focus areas for this notice, including

Multiple awards are anticipated.

Unsolicited Proposals

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through September 30, 2020

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:

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. Proposals should be submitted at least six months in advance of the desired starting date.

Johnson Space Center Research Opportunities for ISS Utilization: Exploration Technology Demonstration and National Lab Utilization Enhancements 

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to sponsor deadline

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: Rolling through December 31, 2024

Award Amount:  As a result of this solicitation, the ISS Program intends to offer a series of targeted awards in three Phases: 1) Early concept development (awards nominally up to $200k), 2) Design maturation and prototype development (awards nominally up to $1.5M), and 3) Flight hardware production and in-flight operations to gain actual experience in the LEO environment (awards nominally up to $5M).

 

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 (eg, 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 .

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. 

Other NASA Opportunities

• Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences 2019 (ROSES-2019) - April 3, 2020
• NASA Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion-2020 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2020)  - December 18, 2020

NIBIB Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21) *

SEAS/FAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days in advance of sponsor deadline

Sponsor Deadline: February 16, June 16, and October 16, annually

Award Amount: $400,000 in direct costs over 3 years

 

This Trailblazer Award is an opportunity for NIH-defined New and Early Stage Investigators ( https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm ) to pursue research programs of high interest to the NIBIB that integrate engineering and the physical sciences with the life and/or biomedical sciences. A Trailblazer project may be exploratory, developmental, proof of concept, or high risk-high impact, and may be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven. Importantly, applicants must propose research approaches for which there are minimal or no preliminary data. A distinct feature for this FOA is that no preliminary data are required, expected, or encouraged. However, if available, minimal preliminary data are allowed. Preliminary data are defined as material which the applicant has independently produced and not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal.

 

A Trailblazer project may be exploratory, developmental, proof of concept or have high risk-high impact goals. Importantly, the proposed research for this FOA may be technology design-directed and may or may not be hypothesis-driven. In the context of this FOA, innovation encompasses approaches to address well-defined, unmet biomedical research needs through the development of new methods, ideas, or technologies; early steps along the path toward delivery of a new capability or method; and the integration of existing components in a previously unproven format. High-impact projects should transform our understanding or practice by applying an innovative approach to an important biomedical challenge. For projects supported by a Trailblazer Award, successful results should provide a solid foundation for further research under other funding mechanisms, such as the R01. Applicants will be considered ineligible for this funding opportunity if they have submitted an R01, R15 or any other R21 application, with NIBIB as the primary IC within the same review cycle.

Data Science Activities for the Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation Communities *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: Supplements will be considered for active awards in CMMI Core Programs and for awards made under certain program solicitations, including CAREER awards. Proposed budget requests may not exceed 20% of the original award budget amount and are not anticipated to exceed $70,000.

 

With this Dear Colleague Letter, the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) of the Engineering Directorate  invites current grantees to request supplemental funds to expand the breadth of their current activities through exploration and implementation of Data Science approaches. This may include the addition of a new collaborator, student, or postdoctoral researcher; expansion of the activities of currently funded awards to include new data-driven approaches to address the current award scope; additional training of participants in Data Science methods; community-building activities to enhance current research programs; or other approaches and activities that expand the impact of current CMMI awards through Data Science approaches and techniques. This supplemental funding opportunity is intended to introduce new Data Science approaches to current activities and is not intended for data collection, curation or infrastructure development unless those activities are part of the development and deployment of new data-driven analysis or techniques.

 

 

Research Opportunities for the Directorate for Engineering in Artificial Intelligence *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: varies by program
Award Amount: varies by program

 

Synergy between research frontiers in AI and the projects sponsored by the Directorate for Engineering have the potential to stimulate further transformative progress and continued advancement in engineering processes and systems, addressing issues of national importance with potential for economic impact and quality-of-life improvements. The  National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan  (National Science and Technology Council, June 2019) provides a framework for the visioning activities and strategic objectives of investments in AI research in the United States. This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) highlights existing programs and other potential opportunities for ENG researchers to participate in the submission of proposals and supplemental funding requests for AI projects:

 

 

The activities described in this DCL constitute neither a special competition nor a new program. Interested PIs should contact the cognizant Program Officer for the respective topic of the proposed project or for the active award they seek to supplement to discuss specific program requirements. 

NSF/NSFC Joint Research on Environmental Sustainability Challenges

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 19, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: February 26, 2020

Award Amount: NSF will fund the U.S. researchers up to a total of $500,000 for 4 years for each recommended award, while NSFC will fund the China researchers up to a total of 3 million yuan for 4 years for each recommended award.

The NSF Engineering Directorate (ENG) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Department of Engineering and Material Sciences (DEMS) and Department of Geosciences are partnering to encourage joint research by U.S. - China teams collaborating on fundamental research that addresses critical environmental sustainability challenges. This Dear Colleague Letter is for research proposals from joint U.S. - China teams in the environmental sustainability themes of: "Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS: U.S.-China)": 

Every proposal must include the participation of researchers from at least one U.S. organization and at least one institution in China. U.S.-based researchers, through their U.S. organizations, may submit unsolicited proposals to collaborate with China-based researchers on the INFEWS topic described above to the ENG/CBET Environmental Sustainability (7643) program. Please note that, even though the Environmental Sustainability program has no submission deadline, proposals submitted for consideration under this DCL must be received by 5:00 pm local submitter's time on February 26, 2020.

Supporting Transition of Research into Cities Through the U.S. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation Cities) Smart Cities Partnership

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 21, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 1, 2020

Award Amount:  Supplemental funding requests and EAGER proposals will provide support for periods of up to two years and up to $300,000.

Through this Dear Colleague Letter, the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) together with the Department of State's Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs wishes to notify the U.S. community of its intention to support the following high-impact research-transition funding requests aligned with the U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership:

• Supplemental funding requests for active awards funded by the NSF Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC) programs; and
• Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) proposals exploring early-stage, untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches building on prior success in activities related to smart and connected communities and/or transitioning to practice research that is relevant to communities.

S&CC research integrates social and technological dimensions and is targeted at one or more communities. While S&CC research may eventually yield successful outcomes in the targeted communities, when initially applied to new environments and cultural contexts, new challenges will emerge. Such challenges introduce an element of high risk where the solutions have a corresponding potential for high impact in improving quality of life. Through this DCL, NSF is specifically announcing its intention to support such activities, where the "new environment" is within the ASEAN region.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Supplemental Funding in Computer and Information Science and Engineering

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through March 30, 2020

Award Amount: up to $8,000 per student per year through an REU supplement; up to $10,000 per K-12 STEM teacher per year through an RET supplement

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) invites grantees with active CISE awards to submit requests for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Supplements, following the guidelines in the REU Sites and Supplements solicitation ( NSF 19-582) . CISE also invites grantees with active CISE awards to submit requests for Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Supplements, following the guidelines in the RET in Engineering and Computer Science: Supplements and Sites solicitation ( NSF 19-575 ). Requests will be considered as they are received. CISE strongly encourages the submission of requests before March 30, 2020; the potential for funding requests after this date may be limited.  Since a supplemental funding request is handled by the cognizant NSF program officer who oversees the active award for which the request is submitted, grantees should contact the cognizant NSF program officers of their awards if they have questions or need additional information.

Models for Uncovering Rules and Unexpected Phenomena in Biological Systems (MODULUS)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission of full proposal

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through April 1, 2020 for proposals to MCB. Proposals submitted to DMS through the Mathematical Biology program must be submitted during the program's normal submission window: August 20-September 8, 2020.

Award Amount: no specified limit; budgets to be appropriate for the scope of the project proposed

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS), in collaboration with the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB), seeks to promote interdisciplinary research that enables novel mathematical and computational approaches that capture and explore the full range of mechanisms and biological variability needed to better understand biological systems behavior across multiple scales. Funding opportunities are available in fiscal years FY2019 and FY2020 to provide support for proposals from interdisciplinary teams comprised of mathematical, computational, and biological scientists to develop  MOD els for  U ncovering Ru l es and  U nexpected Phenomena in Biological  S ystems ( MODULUS ). This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) is to encourage researchers involved in the biosciences and the mathematical sciences to collaborate formatively in biological investigations using novel mechanistic mathematical models to guide biological exploration and discovery of new rules in living systems.

 

Proposals funded through this DCL are anticipated to cultivate innovative modes of collaboration among researchers working at the interface of mathematics and molecular and cellular biology, with an emphasis on systems-scale integration. Each proposal submitted in response to this DCL should address a current state-of-the-research challenge and describe a strategy for formative integration of mathematical and biological understanding to address the challenge. In addition, the proposal should describe the unique interdisciplinary training opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers working on the project. Proposals in response to this DCL should be submitted to either DMS via the  Mathematical Biology Program Description   or the MCB solicitation,  NSF 18-585 , directed to the Systems and Synthetic Biology program (8011). The proposal title should be prefaced with "MODULUS:". The MCB solicitation accepts proposals to core programs or to a Rules of Life (RoL) track. Submission to either track is permissible given that the guidance as detailed in the solicitation ( NSF 18-585 ) for each is followed. For proposals submitted to MCB and targeted for the RoL track, a second program in another BIO Division must  also be identified.

2020 CHE International Supplement

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through May 1, 2020

Award Amount: Budget and budget justification required. 

The  National Science Foundation (NSF) Strategic Plan "Building the Future: Investing in Discovery and Innovation" (2018 - 2022)  states, "NSF must continue to invest in a world-class research enterprise, support the development of a globally competitive scientific and engineering workforce, and foster greater understanding of science and technology among the American public" and "NSF will promote a research culture that is broadly inclusive in its demography and range of intellectual ideas, has access to cutting-edge infrastructure, and is globally engaged, with increased opportunities for exchanging ideas and collaborating on an international scale. NSF will increase opportunities for broadening the training of U.S. graduate students and early-career researchers through international exchanges and partnerships with industry." NSF's Division of Chemistry seeks to fulfill this vision by advancing research and education in chemistry and ensuring that the U.S. research community remains at the forefront of the field by providing access to the knowledge and resources that exist globally.

In this context, 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.  Principal Investigators supported by NSF Division of Chemistry awards are advised to consult with their cognizant NSF program director prior to submitting a supplemental funding request. 

Supplemental funding requests must be received by 5 p.m., submitter's local time on May 1, 2020. Supplemental funding requests should address how the proposed international collaboration enhances intellectual merit and broader impacts in the following ways:

Announcing Two Program Name and Scope Changes

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: N/A

Sponsor Deadline: N/A

Award Amount: N/A

The Division of Chemical, Biological, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET), within the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Engineering (ENG), announces the name change of the Molecular Separations program and the Biological and Environmental Interactions of Nanoscale Materials program. The program names have changed to the Interfacial Engineering program and the Nanoscale Interactions program, respectively.

Interfacial Engineering Program: The scope of the Molecular Separations program, PD 19-1417, will be expanded to include fundamental research on atomic- and molecular-scale interfacial phenomena and engineering of interfacial properties, processes, and materials unrelated to a separation process. The program name will be changed to Interfacial Engineering, PD 20-1417. Proposals related to chemical and biological separation processes, phenomena, and materials will continue to be accepted within the Interfacial Engineering program, as described on the program webpage.

Nanoscale Interactions Program: The scope of the Biological and Environmental Interactions of Nanoscale Materials Program, PD 19-1179, will be expanded to include nanoscale interface and surface interactions with biological and environmental media. Nanoparticles and nanostructured materials have large surface areas, and thus for the materials, products and devices into which they are integrated there are large interfacial areas. Elucidation of the constructs of these interfaces and the resulting alteration of the material and its behavior is necessary to accurately understand and predict the fate and effects of nanomaterials in biological and environmental systems. This includes understanding interfacial chemistries, spatial-temporal properties, dynamic interplays and impacts of external forces. The program name will be changed to Nanoscale Interactions, PD 20-1179.

These changes are effective September 19, 2019. Principal Investigators are strongly encouraged to discuss proposal ideas with the cognizant Program Directors prior to submission.

 

MPS/DMS-EPSRC Lead Agency Opportunity in Mathematical Sciences

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission

Sponsor Deadline: varies by opportunity

Award Amount: Each agency has its own funding parameters and principles that will be followed when reviewing proposals. Proposals are expected to adhere to typical proposal sizes and durations for the DMS and EPSRC Themes from which funding is sought.

 

The NSF and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Research Cooperation. The MOU provides an overarching framework to encourage collaboration between US and UK research communities and sets out the principles by which jointly supported activities might be developed. The MOU allows for a lead agency opportunity whereby a single international collaborative proposal may be submitted to either NSF or UKRI. Proposals will be accepted for collaborative research in areas at the intersection of the MPS/DMS and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) missions. Proposers will be expected to review the relevant  NSF-MPS/DMS Program Descriptions  and the  EPSRC website  for information on which areas of research are eligible for support through this collaboration. This collaboration principally covers unsolicited (NSF) or standard (EPSRC) proposals, with managed/solicited calls included on a case-by-case basis by prior agreement of MPS/DMS and EPSRC. This collaboration covers a pilot phase from January 2020, with a review point after three years (January 2023).

Please Note:   At least two months in advance of the date the proposers expect to submit a formal proposal, an expression of interest/white paper must be submitted to their prospective lead agency. For the period September 1 - December 31, 2019, this stage may be waived. However, applicants are strongly advised to contact the prospective lead agency prior to application. 

Supplemental Funding Opportunity to Support Student Design Projects Directly Related to NSF Research

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission 
Sponsor Deadline:  Supplemental funding requests may be submitted at any time. However, sufficient time must be allowed (e.g. a minimum of 8 weeks) to permit review and recommendation in advance of the project's initiation.
Award Amount: up to $4,000 per supplement

 

A supplemental funding opportunity is being made available starting in FY 2019 to provide support for mentored, student-led design projects that are directly related to currently funded NSF awards from the Engineering Directorate. This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) describes a new opportunity for principal investigators to expand the Broader Impact of their awards through a Design Supplement.

The goals of these supplements are the following:

EarthCube: Developing a Community-Driven Data and Knowledge Environment for the Geosciences

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 5, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 12, 2020

Award Amount: up to 36 months with budgets that are commensurate with the size and scope of the project and scientific impact (Science-Enabling Capabilities); up to 24 months with budgets that are commensurate with the size and scope of the project and scientific impact (Science-Enabling Pilots); up to 36 months and a maximum of $300,000 (Research Coordination Networks). In addition to these solicited opportunities, the EarthCube program will accept requests for supplements to support adoption of emerging EarthCube open web standards and existing cyberinfrastructure by science projects and data resources. Please see details below. 

Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD) *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 11, 2020
Sponsor Deadline: March 18, 2020
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 supports research on new ways to use spatiotemporal datasets to develop quantitative models of human dynamics. The objectives include improved representation of complicated group dynamics and the development of algorithms that can process data in near real-time to accurately identify unusual events and forecast future threats indicated by those events. The ATD program will support research projects in two topical areas:

The Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency 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 on the first topic are encouraged.

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

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline for Preliminary Proposal: February 5, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Preliminary Proposal: February 12, 2020

Award Amount:  $1.5M to $1.7M for a duration of four years

The Environmental Convergence Opportunities in Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (ECO-CBET) solicitation will support activities that substantially advance our capabilities to address environmental and sustainability grand challenges by integrating the expertise and fundamental advancements of chemical processes, transport phenomena, and bioengineering. The proposed research is expected to be compelling and broad reaching, going well beyond that typically supported by any single CBET core program. This solicitation is an opportunity to build and sustain collaborative bridges with research communities across the programmatic clusters of CBET, which include  Chemical Process Systems ,  Engineering Biology and Health ,  Environmental Engineering and Sustainability , and  Transport Phenomena .

Teams are expected to work cooperatively over the life of the project to understand and address the proposed challenge. Sustained open dialogue will be necessary to fully benefit from the unique skills and perspective each member brings to the table. Teams are also encouraged to apply, and further develop, advanced research tools required to address problems of the magnitude represented by global environmental and sustainability challenges. 

NSF/CASIS Collaboration on Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology on the International Space Station (ISS) to Benefit Life on Earth

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission of a full proposal

Sponsor Deadline: rolling until March 2, 2020

• Development of validated models (living or computational) of normal and pathological tissues and organ systems that can support development and testing of medical interventions;
• Design of systems that integrate living and non-living components for improved diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of disease or injury; and
• Advanced biomanufacturing of three-dimensional tissues and organs.

• Multiscale mechanics approaches that integrate across molecular, cell, tissue, and organ domains; and
• The influence of in vivo mechanical forces on cell and matrix biology in histomorphogenesis, maintenance, regeneration, and aging of tissues.

NSF/CASIS Collaboration on Transport Phenomena Research on the International Space Station (ISS) to Benefit Life on Earth

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission of a full proposal

Sponsor Deadline: rolling until March 2, 2020

Award Amount: up to $400,000 for up to 4 years

The purpose of this solicitation is to attract proposals that make use of the ISS National Lab for research projects in the fields related to the Transport Phenomena Cluster and Nanoscale Interactions programs. Responsive proposals will describe using the ISS National Lab for development and testing of fluid dynamics, particulate and multiphase processes, combustion and fire systems, thermal transport processes, and nanoscale interactions that will lead to Earth-based applications and increase the return on the U.S. investment in the ISS National Lab. CASIS goals are to advance science research and technology development, expand human knowledge, inspire and educate the next generation, foster the commercial development of space, and demonstrate scientific capabilities in space for Earth benefit. Fundamental research to study fluid dynamics, particulate and multiphase processes, combustion and fire systems, thermal transport processes, and nanoscale interactions where the results will have direct terrestrial benefit but will involve flight research utilizing the ISS, is solicited.

The collaboration seeks to exploit the complementary missions of (i) research and development for NSF, and (ii) stimulation, development and management of U.S. national uses of the ISS National Lab by U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and private firms for CASIS. Proposals must seek to exploit the ISS National Lab for fluid dynamics, particulate and multiphase process, combustion and fire systems, thermal transport processes, and nanoscale interactions studies to support applications on Earth. The proposal must include a description of project benefits for life on Earth. Proposals focused on research and technology development supporting only space exploration-related goals do not fall within the scope of the NSF and CASIS mission and will be considered non-responsive to this solicitation. For example, this program does not support research strictly focused on space propulsion.

NSF Engineering - UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Lead Agency Opportunity (ENG-EPSRC)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission of a full proposal

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling; a Research Concept Outline (RCO) must be submitted to  [email protected]  at least 60 days prior to the submission of a full proposal.

Award Amount: The overall funding for the program is established independently by each participating division. Budgets are not set aside separately but are, instead, parts of existing program budgets.

The Directorate for Engineering (ENG), Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET), the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), and the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) of the National Science Foundation and the Engineering, ICT and Manufacturing the Future Themes of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are pleased to announce the ENG-EPSRC Lead Agency Opportunity. The goal of this opportunity is to reduce some of the barriers that researchers currently encounter when working internationally. The ENG-EPSRC Lead Agency Opportunity will allow US and UK researchers to submit a single collaborative proposal that will undergo a single review process.

Proposals will be accepted for collaborative research in areas at the intersection of CBET, CMMI, and/or ECCS with the EPSRC Engineering, ICT and/or Manufacturing the Future Themes. Proposers choose either NSF or EPSRC to serve as the "lead" agency to review their proposal. The non-lead agency will honor the rigor of the review process and the decision of the lead agency. For research teams that would like EPSRC to act as lead agency, please see the instructions here . Proposers should review the CBET, CMMI, and ECCS Program Descriptions for research supported through these divisions and the EPSRC website for further information on what areas of research are eligible for support through this activity. Proposals are expected to adhere to typical proposal budgets and durations for the relevant NSF programs and EPSRC Themes from which funding is sought.

Please Note:  A Research Concept Outline (RCO) must be submitted to  [email protected]  at least 60 days prior to the submission of a full proposal. A proposal that is submitted without a previously approved RCO will be returned without review (RWR).

• Advanced Manufacturing (AM) - Rolling
• Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB) - Rolling
• Biophotonics - Rolling
• Biosensing - Rolling
• Catalysis - Rolling
• Cellular and Biochemical Engineering (CBE) - Rolling
• Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) - Rolling
• Combustion and Fire Systems - Rolling
• Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS) - Rolling
• Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering (DARE) - Rolling
• Dynamics, Control and Systems Diagnostics (DCSD) - Rolling
• Electrochemical Systems - Rolling
• Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) - Rolling
• Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN) - Rolling
• Engineering Design and System Engineering (EDSE) - Rolling
• Engineering for Civil Infrastructure (ECI) - Rolling
• Engineering of Biomedical Systems (EBMS) - Rolling
• Environmental Engineering - Rolling
• Environmental Sustainability - Rolling
• Fluid Dynamics - Rolling
• Humans, Disasters, and the Built Environment (HDBE) - Rolling
• Mechanics of Materials and Structures (MOMS) - Rolling
• Mind, Machine and Motor Nexus (M3X) - Rolling
• Operations Engineering (OE) - Rolling
• Particulate and Multiphase Processes - Rolling
• Process Systems, Reaction Engineering and Molecular Thermodynamics - Rolling
• Thermal Transport Processes - Rolling
• Re-entry to Active Research Program (RARE) - Rolling 

National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: January 21, 2020 (Institute Proposals); January 23, 2020 (Planning Proposals) 

Sponsor Deadline: January 28, 2020 (Institute Proposals); January 30, 2020 (Planning Proposals) 

Award Amount:  $16,000,000 and $20,000,000 for 4-5 years (up to $4,000,000 per year) (Institute Proposals); up to $500,000 for up to 2 years (Planning Proposals)

• Trustworthy AI;
• Foundations of Machine Learning;
• AI-Driven Innovation in Agriculture and the Food System;
• AI-Augmented Learning;
• AI for Accelerating Molecular Synthesis and Manufacturing; and
• AI for Discovery in Physics.

Navigating the New Arctic (NNA)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 4, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: February 11, 2020

Award Amount: up to $3M over up to 5 years (Track 1: Research Grants); up to $250,000 over up to 24 months (Track 2: Planning Grants) 

• Improved understanding of Arctic change and its local and global effects that capitalize on innovative and optimized observation infrastructure, advances in understanding of fundamental processes, and new approaches to modeling interactions among the natural environment, built environment, and social systems.
• New and enhanced research communities that are diverse, integrative, and well-positioned to carry out productive research on the interactions or connections between natural and built environments and social systems and how these connections inform our understanding of Arctic change and its local and global effects.
• Research outcomes that inform national security, economic development, and societal well-being, and enable resilient and sustainable Arctic communities.
• Enhanced efforts in formal and informal education that focus on the social, built, and natural impacts of Arctic change on multiple scales and broadly disseminate research outcomes.

National Robotics Initiative 2.0: Ubiquitous Collaborative Robots (NRI-2.0)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission of a full proposal

Sponsor Deadline: February 12, 2020 - February 26, 2020

Award Amount: $250,000 to $750,000 in total costs for up to three years (Foundational Projects); $250,000 to $1,500,000 in total costs for up to four years (Integrative Projects)

The NRI-2.0 program builds upon the original National Robotics Initiative (NRI) program to support fundamental research in the United States that will accelerate the development and use of collaborative robots (co-robots). A co-robot is a robot whose main purpose is to work with people or other robots to accomplish a goal. An ideal co-robot is an adaptable partner, not limited to a narrow set of specified interactions or functions, but able to significantly enhance team performance despite changes in its role, its teammates, or the team's collective goals. 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 themes that are envisioned to advance the goal of ubiquitous co-robots: scalability, customizability, lowering barriers to entry, and societal impact, including human safety. Topics addressing scalability include how robots can collaborate effectively with orders of magnitude more humans or other robots than is handled by the current state of the art; 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 different 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 should focus on lowering the barriers for conducting fundamental robotics research and research on integrated robotics application. This may include development of open-source co-robot hardware and software, as well as widely-accessible testbeds. Outreach or using robots in educational programs do not, by themselves, lower the barriers to entry for robotics research. 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, security, 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.

Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier: Core Research (FW-HTF)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 2, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 9, 2020

Award Amount: up to $150,000 

The specific objectives of the Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier program are to (1) facilitate convergent research that employs the joint perspectives, methods, and knowledge of computer science, design, engineering, learning sciences, research on education and workforce training, and social, behavioral, and economic sciences; (2) encourage the development of a research community dedicated to designing intelligent technologies and work organization and modes inspired by their positive impact on individual workers, the work at hand, the way people learn and adapt to technological change, creative and supportive workplaces (including remote locations, homes, classrooms, or virtual spaces), and benefits for social, economic, educational, and environmental systems at different scales; (3) promote deeper basic understanding of the interdependent human-technology partnership to advance societal needs by advancing design of intelligent work technologies that operate in harmony with human workers, including consideration of how adults learn the new skills needed to interact with these technologies in the workplace, and by enabling broad workforce participation, including improving accessibility for those challenged by physical or cognitive impairment; and (4) understand, anticipate, and explore ways of mitigating potential risks arising from future work at the human-technology frontier. Ultimately, this research will advance understanding of how technology and people interact, distribute tasks, cooperate, and complement each other in different specific work contexts of significant societal importance. It will advance the knowledge base related to worker education and training and formal and informal learning to enable all potential workers to adapt to changing work environments. It will advance our understanding of the links between the future of work at the human-technology frontier and the surrounding society, including the intended potential of new technologies and the unintended consequences for workers and the well-being of society.

A proposal for a research grant in this program must focus on advancing fundamental understanding of future work, and potential improvements to work, workplaces, workforce preparation, or work outcomes for workers and society. It must be convergent research that addresses the human and societal dimensions as well as the technological innovation and their potential impact on future work. In doing so, the research should make significant contributions to both intellectual merit and broader impact. Achieving this goal requires integration and convergence of disciplines across behavioral science, computer science, economic science, engineering, learning sciences, research on education and workforce training, and the social sciences. A convergent perspective is essential to understand and shape long-term social and economic drivers, so that advanced intelligent technology will strengthen the social fabric. A convergent perspective also provides insights into education and re-skilling, so that the benefits of emerging technology can be conferred upon both current and future workers.

Semiconductor Synthetic Biology for Information Storage and Retrieval (SemiSynBio-II)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission of a full proposal

Sponsor Deadline: February 14, 2020 - March 16, 2020

Award Amount: up to $1,500,000 for 3 years

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Divisions of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS), Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF), Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB), and Materials Research (DMR) announces a follow-up solicitation on the Semiconductor Synthetic Biology for Information Storage and Retrieval Program (SemiSynBio-II). Future ultra-low energy storage-based computing systems can be built on principles derived from organic systems that are at the intersection of physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and engineering. Next-generation information storage technologies can be envisioned that are driven by biological principles and use biomaterials in the fabrication of devices and systems that can store data for more than 100 years with storage capacity 1,000 times more than current storage technologies. Such a research effort can have a significant impact on the future of information storage and retrieval technologies. This focused solicitation seeks high-risk/high-return interdisciplinary research on novel concepts and enabling technologies that will address the fundamental scientific issues and technological challenges associated with the underpinnings of synthetic biology integrated with semiconductor technology. This research will foster interactions among various disciplines including biology, physics, chemistry, materials science, computer science and engineering that will enable in heretofore unanticipated breakthroughs.

This solicitation addresses the overlapping objectives of the  National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan  (NSW-SAP) and the  National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) Update  through a pilot program. The goal of this pilot program is to transform development of predictive modeling of the coupled evolution of the magnetized solar atmosphere and the solar wind, and their interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere. This requires advancing our understanding of the necessary and sufficient requirements of model complexity, computational performance, and observational inputs. The pilot program is also expected to directly contribute to the long-term goal of creating space weather models with quantifiable predictive capability.  It is expected that the proposing teams will seek to develop methodology, computationally scalable algorithms, and open-source software elements for one or more of the following:

1. On-the-fly reduction and assimilation of observational data from diverse and distributed sources - including sparse in situ and remote sensing ground and space-based data - into physics-based numerical models (e.g., numerical solutions of highly non-linear systems of spatially and temporally discretized partial differential equations (PDEs)).
2. Evaluation and propagation of uncertainties associated with the data assimilation and numerical solutions of the PDEs in the presence of large numbers of model parameters, as well as the model uncertainty of a reduced physical description.
3. Integrated modeling of the multi-physics and spatially and temporally multi-scale space plasma phenomena with uncertainty quantification and efficient implementation on heterogeneous computer architectures.

A competitive proposal must present a compelling case that, if awarded, one or more of the above software elements or their algorithmic prototypes will be developed within a three-year time frame. It is expected that any software elements will be developed using sustainable software infrastructure best practices with a specific vision for integration of multiple software elements.

Successful proposals will be funded for the duration of three years with awards providing resources beyond those available to an individual investigator, so as to promote a collaborative transdisciplinary approach to a focused topic while encouraging participation of scientists at the beginning of their scientific careers. The pilot program is intended to motivate early-career scientists to integrate knowledge, techniques, and expertise from multiple fields towards the goal of a predictive space weather model via support for training, workshops, and collaboration meetings to be included in the proposed research effort. It is therefore strongly encouraged that the proposed research effort include early-career scientists and software engineers in substantive roles central to the completion of the proposed project. For this solicitation, early career scientists and engineers are defined as graduate students, post-doctoral scientists, and those otherwise within 5 years of receiving their terminal-level degree.

Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Enabled by Future Technologies *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 27, 2020
Sponsor Deadline: April 3, 2020
Award Amount: up to $500,000 for 3 years (Small Team); up to $1.5M for 3 years (Large Team)

 

The National Science Foundation's Directorates for Engineering (ENG), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), and Geosciences (GEO) are coordinating efforts to identify new concepts and ideas on Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies (SWIFT). A key aspect of this new solicitation is its focus on effective spectrum utilization and/or coexistence techniques, especially with passive uses, which have received less attention from researchers. Coexistence is when two or more applications use the same frequency band at the same time and/or at the same location, yet do not adversely affect one another. Coexistence is especially difficult when at least one of the spectrum users is passive, i.e., not transmitting any radio frequency (RF) energy. Examples of coexisting systems may include passive and active systems (e.g., radio astronomy and 5G wireless communication systems) or two active systems (e.g., weather radar and Wi-Fi). Breakthrough innovations are sought on both the wireless communication hardware and the algorithmic/protocol fronts through synergistic teamwork. The goal of these research projects may be the creation of new technology or significant enhancements to existing wireless infrastructure, with an aim to benefit society by improving spectrum utilization, beyond mere spectrum efficiency. The SWIFT program seeks to fund collaborative team research that transcends the traditional boundaries of individual disciplines.

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For assistance, please contact:

Jennifer Corby

Research Development Officer

[email protected] | 617-495-1590