External Funding Opportunities for Subsurface Biosphere Research

Below are links to funding opportunities that may be of interest to the subsurface biosphere research community. To add information to this list, please email sbi@oregonstate.edu.

Funding opportunities are listed by due date.

Continuous Submission

Army Research Office, Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Research.
Description: The U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) solicits proposals for basic and scientific research in mechanical sciences, environmental sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, electronics, computational and information sciences, physics, chemistry, life sciences, and materials science. Targeted areas in life sciences include -- 8.3. Microbiology and Biodegradation - biochemical and physiological mechanisms, underlying the biodegradative processes in normal, extreme, and engineered environments and fundamental studies on organisms in these environments. There is also are also special awards for Young Investigators and Short Term Innovative Research. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate technical point of contact. This program received supplemental funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - see also http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=41952
Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Unsolicited Proposals Office of Environmental Management (EM).
Description: EM's focus is on these areas: waste management; stabilization of nuclear material and spent fuel; deactivation and decommission of facilities; remedial actions to soil and water; infrastructure and support; and national programs focused on activities including science technology development, transportation, emergency management and pollution prevention.
Department of Energy Office of Science Grants and Contracts.
Description: Includes a list of open announcements and other related material. This program received supplemental funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. For more info, contact Marilyn Oyler at marilyn.oyler@science.doe.gov or go to http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=45760. Refer to Sol# DE-PS02-09ER09-02. (Grants.gov 3/10/09)
NSF Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI).
Description: This solicitation targets high-risk/high-gain research with a focus on fundamental topics, new approaches to solving generic problems, development of innovative collaborative industry-university educational programs, and direct transfer of new knowledge between academe and industry. Types of awards include: faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students to conduct research and gain experience in an industrial setting; industrial scientists and engineers to bring industry's perspective and integrative skills to academe; and interdisciplinary university-industry teams to conduct research projects.
NSF-DOE/PNNL Interaction in Environmental Molecular Sciences.
Description: $20,000 supplements for NSF projects that allows reseachers to use facilities in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at PNNL in Richland, WA. The facilities cover an array of topics including: fundamental research on the chemistry and physics of complex systems; minerals and microbe surfaces; structural biology; proteomics research; the interfacial and nanoscale science of materials; computational studies of physical, chemical, and biological processes.
US DOT Federal Highway Administration - Transportation Environmental Research Program.
Description: The FHWA welcomes submissions on many environmental topic areas including: Environmental Laws, Environmental Planning and Management, Global Climate Change, Hazardous Materials, Public Involvement, Stormwater Constituents, Water Quality, and Wetlands. For a complete description of the research topic areas, see the Program Information (Section 3 of the Appendix).
Funding Details: TERP grants awards of approximately $20,000 to $50,000 and requires a 20% match. Project duration is from 6 months to 2 years.

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November 2009

16 November 2009. OSU Faculty Release Time.
Description: The Faculty Release Time program provides limited funding for individuals developing external grant proposals or who wish to further their scholarly activities.
Funding Details: Award amounts range between $3,500 and $6,000.
16 November 2009. NSF Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering (Preproposal due: 28 September 2009).
Description: This program supports the active involvement of K-12 teachers and community college faculty in engineering research in order to bring knowledge of engineering and technological innovation into their classrooms. This announcement features two mechanisms for support of in-service and pre-service K-12 teachers and/or community college faculty: RET supplements to ongoing ENG awards and new RET Site awards. RET supplements may be included in proposals for new or renewed NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) grants or as supplements to ongoing NSF ENG funded projects. Letters of Intent due to the OSU research office September 28.
17 November 2009. NSF Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH).
Description: This competition promotes quantitative, interdisciplinary analyses of relevant human and natural system processes and complex interactions among human and natural systems at diverse scales. Projects usually have three components: an integrated, quantitative systems-level method of inquiry, an education component, and a global perspective.
Funding Details: Grants are for up to $1.5M.
19 November 2009. Water Reuse Foundation Utilization of HACCP Approach for Evaluating Integrity of Treatment Barriers for Reuse (WRF-09-03).
Description: This project seeks to investigate and develop an alternative approach for managing and monitoring microbial water quality of reclaimed water effluent through the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) process. A key component of this study will be documenting the applicability of HACCP for risk management, monitoring, and control of reclaimed water processes.
30 November 2009. NSF: Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS).
Description: This program supports basic research in chemistry that promotes the understanding of natural and anthropogenic chemical processes in our environment. Projects supported by this program enable fundamentally new avenues of basic research and transformative technologies. Topics include studies of environmental surfaces and interfaces under laboratory conditions, the fundamental properties of water and water solutions important in environmental processes, dissolution, composition, origin and behavior of molecular scale systems under a variety of naturally occurring environmental conditions, chemical reactivity of synthetic nanoparticles and their molecular level interactions with the environment, and application of theoretical models and computational approaches to discover and predict environmental phenomena at the molecular scale.

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December 2009

5 December 2009. NSF Hydrologic Science.
Description: Hydrologic Sciences focuses on the flow of water and transport processes within streams, soils, and aquifers. Particular attention is given to spatial and temporal heterogeneity of fluxes and storages of water and chemicals over a wide range of scales, to geolimnology and to interfaces with the landscape, microbial communities, and coastal areas. Studies may also deal with processes in aqueous geochemistry and with the physical, chemical, and biological processes within water bodies. Study of these processes requires expertise from many basic sciences and mathematics, and proposals often require joint review with related programs.
Preproposal due: 11 December 2009. Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative MURI (Full Proposal due: 2 March 2010).
Description: The Fiscal Year 2010 MURI competition is comprised of 30 topics. Topic 4 is Biofuels: Microbial Communities, Biogeochemistry and Surface Interactions. The objective of Topic 4 is to explore molecular- and micro-biological approaches to establish the key organisms, reactions and mechanisms involved in biocontamination and subsequent biocorrosion processes in bio-derived hydrocarbon fuels. This program will require a multidisciplinary (molecular biology, fuel chemistry, analytical biochemistry, microbiology, surface and interfacial science, mathematical modeling, electrochemistry, corrosion) team that can identify and characterize the biofuel components and/or microbial metabolites that lead to fuel contamination, degradation and biocorrosion under varying biogeochemical and environmental conditions.
Funding Details: $1.5 million/yr for up to five years.

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January 2010

4 January 2010. USEPA P3 Award: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet.
Description: The P3 Award Program is composed of two phases that award grants on a competitive basis. The first phase of the P3 Award Program is a competition for one-year grants of up to $10,000 to test scientific hypotheses and principles by developing scientific or engineering designs that will promote sustainable development. Phase I grant recipients will be eligible to apply for Phase 2, $75k, two year grants.
Funding Details: Phase 1: one-year grants of up to $10,000.
Preproposal due: 7 January 2010. DOD Strategic Environmental Research & Development Program - Core Solicitation (Full Proposal due: 11 March 2010).
Description: Example topics include: ERSON-11-02 In Situ Remediation of Perfluoroalkyl Contaminated Groundwater, ERSON-11-03 Improved Understanding of Impacts to Groundwater Quality Post-Remediation, SISON-11-01 Impacts of Climate Change on Alaskan Ecological Systems, SISON-11-03 Ecological Forestry and Carbon Management, SISON-11-04 Ecology and Management of Source-Sink Populations.
Funding Details: The Core Solicitation provides funding opportunities for projects that vary in cost and duration.
9 January 2010. NSF Biological Sciences - Ecosystem Science Cluster - Ecosystem Studies Program.
Description: Supports investigations of whole-system ecological processes and relationships in ecosystems across a diversity of spatial and temporal (including paleo) scales. Proposals may focus on areas such as: biogeochemistry; decomposition of organic matter; belowground nutrient cycling and energy flow; primary productivity; radiatively active gas flux; element budgets on watershed, regional, continental, or global scales; relationships between diversity and ecosystem function; ecosystem services; and landscape dynamics. Inter- and multi-disciplinary proposals that fall across traditional programmatic boundaries are welcomed and encouraged.
9 January 2010. Long Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB).
Description: hrough the LTREB program, the Division of Environmental Biology encourages the submission of proposals aimed at generating extended time series of biological and environmental data that address ecological and evolutionary processes aimed at resolving important issues in environmental biology. Researchers must have collected at least six years of previous data to qualify for funding. The proposal also must present a cohesive conceptual rationale or framework for ten years of research. Questions or hypotheses outlined in this conceptual framework must guide an initial 5-year proposal as well as a subsequent, abbreviated renewal. Together, these will constitute a decadal research plan appropriate to begin to address critical and novel long-term questions in environmental biology. As part of the requirements for funding, projects must show how collected data will be shared broadly with the scientific community and the interested public.
9 January 2010. NSF Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories .
Description: The Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories Cluster supports research in taxonomy and systematics that contributes to: 1) using phylogenetic methods to understand the evolution of life in time and space, 2) discovery, description, and cataloguing global species diversity, and 3) organizing information from the above in efficiently retrievable forms that best meet the needs of science and society.
11 January 2010. NSF Research Initiation Grants to Broaden Participation in Biology.
Description: Currently, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are under-represented in biology. These grants are intended to increase the diversity of researchers who apply for and receive BIO funding to initiate research programs early in their careers.
Funding Details: Awards are for 24 months and are limited to $175,000 total costs (direct plus indirect) with up to an additional $25,000 for equipment (maximum total award amount of $200,000).
12 January 2010. NSF Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) - Cellular Systems Cluster.
Description: The Cellular Systems Cluster focuses on the structure, function, and regulation of plant, animal and microbial cells, and their interactions with the environment and with one another. Areas supported include studies of the structure, function, and assembly of cellular elements, such as the cytoskeleton, membranes, organelles, intracellular compartments, intranuclear structures, and extracellular matrix, including eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell walls and envelopes. In addition, support is provided for the study of intracellular and transmembrane signal transduction mechanisms and cell-cell signaling processes, including those that occur in biofilms. Research on cellular recognition and self defense mechanisms is included.
12 January 2010. NSF - Division of Integrative Organismal Systems -Physiological and Structural Systems Cluster.
Description: This program supports research aimed at furthering the understanding of organisms as integrated units of biological organization. It considers proposals focused on interacting physiological and structural systems, their environmental and evolutionary contexts, and how these components are constrained by their integration into the whole organism. Projects that use systems approaches to understand why particular patterns of architecture and regulatory control have emerged as general organismal properties are particularly encouraged. Multidisciplinary approaches to the study of organismal systems including research at the interfaces of biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and engineering are encouraged in each of the following areas: Symbiosis, Defense and Self-recognition; Processes, Structures and Integrity; Organism-Environment Interactions.
12 January 2010. NSF Biomolecular Systems Cluster.
Description: The Biomolecular Systems Cluster emphasizes the structure, function, dynamics, interactions, and interconversions of biological molecules. The context for such studies can range from investigations of individual macromolecules to the large-scale integration of metabolic and energetic processes. Research supported by this cluster includes development of cutting-edge technologies integrating theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches to the study of biological molecules and their functional complexes; mechanistic studies of the regulation and catalysis of enzymes and RNA, and higher-order characterization of the biochemical processes by which all organisms acquire, transform, and utilize energy from substrates. This cluster emphasizes the importance of multi-disciplinary research carried out at the interfaces of biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, and engineering.
12 January 2010. NSF Genes and Genome Systems Cluster.
Description: he Genes and Genome Systems Cluster supports studies on genomes and genetic mechanisms in all organisms, whether prokaryote, eukaryote, phage, or virus. Proposals on the structure, maintenance, expression, transfer, and stability of genetic information in DNA, RNA, and proteins and how those processes are regulated are appropriate. Areas of interest include genome organization, molecular and cellular evolution, replication, recombination, repair, and vertical and lateral transmission of heritable information. Of equal interest are the processes that mediate and regulate gene expression, such as chromatin structure, epigenetic phenomena, transcription, RNA processing, editing and degradation, and translation. The use of innovative in vivo and/or in vitro approaches, including biochemical, physiological, genetic, genomic, and/or computational methods, is encouraged, as is research at the interfaces of biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, and engineering.
13 January 2010. NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI).
Description: This program seeks to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for all undergraduate students. The program supports efforts to create new learning materials and teaching strategies, develop faculty expertise, implement educational innovations, assess learning and evaluate innovations, and conduct research on STEM teaching and learning. The program supports three types of projects representing three different phases of development, ranging from small, exploratory investigations to large, comprehensive projects.
14 January 2010. NSF Planetary Biodiversity Inventories.
Description: To accelerate the discovery and study of the world’s biodiversity, proposals are invited from teams of investigators to conduct a worldwide, species-level systematic inventory of a major group of organisms. Each project should conduct fieldwork necessary to fill gaps in existing collections, produce descriptions, taxonomic revisions, web-searchable databases, and interactive keys (or other automated identification tools) for all new and known species in the targeted group, analyze their phylogenetic relationships, and establish predictive classifications for the group. Proposals may target any particular group of organisms, from terrestrial, fresh-water, or marine habitats, at any feasible level in the taxonomic hierarchy, but must be global in scope.
15 January 2010. The United States - Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund.
Description: This program supports mission-oriented cooperative agricultural research projects of mutual interest to the United States and Israel. Among the six priority research areas is Biotic Protection of Animal and Plant Crops; Water Quality and Quantity; Functional Genomics and Proteomics; and Engineering of Sensors, Robotics.
Funding Details: The average BARD grant is $300,000 for a three- year award.
15 January 2010. NSF Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes Program (PASI).
Description: The Pan American Advanced Study Institutes (PASI) Program, is a jointly supported initiative between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Pan American Advanced Studies Institutes are short courses ranging in length from ten days to one month duration, involving lectures, demonstrations, research seminars and discussions at the advanced graduate and post-doctoral level. PASIs aim to disseminate advanced scientific and engineering knowledge and stimulate training and cooperation among researchers of the Americas in the mathematical, physical, and biological sciences, and in engineering fields. Whenever feasible, an interdisciplinary approach is recommended.
Funding Details: The cost for any one Institute is expected to range from $70,000 to $90,000, and may not exceed $100,000, aside from contributions from other sources.
16 January 2010. NSF Division of Earth Sciences - Geobiology and Low-Temperature Geochemistry Program.
Description: This program encourages studies of 1) the interactions between biological and geological systems at all scales of space and time; 2) geomicrobiology and biomineralization processes; 3) the role of life in the evolution of the Earth's system; 4) inorganic and organic geochemical processes occurring at or near the earth's surface now and in the past, and at the broad spectrum of interfaces ranging in scale from planetary and regional to mineral-surface and supramolecular; 5) mineralogy and chemistry of soils and sediments; 6) surficial chemical and biogeochemical systems and cycles and their modification through natural and anthropogenic change; and 7) development of tools, methods, and models for low-temperature geochemistry and geobiological research. GG facilitates cross-disciplinary efforts to harness new bioanalytical tools - such as those emerging from molecular biology - in the study of the terrestrial environment.
22 January 2010. Mazamas Standard Research Grant.
Description: The Mazamas is a 3,000 member Oregon mountaineering organization headquartered in Portland. Their organization supports research projects in keeping with the purposes of the Mazamas, including the investigation of geologic features, biotic communities, and human endeavors pertaining to mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes.
Funding Details: Up to $3000, They also offer $1500 graduate student awards.
22 January 2010. NSF: Collaboration in Mathematical Geosciences.
Description: The purpose of the Collaboration in Mathematical Geosciences (CMG) activity is to enable collaborative research at the intersection of mathematical sciences and geosciences, and to encourage cross-disciplinary education. Projects should fall within one of three broad themes: (1) mathematical and statistical modeling of complex geosystems, (2) understanding and quantifying uncertainty in geosystems, or (3) analyzing large/complex geoscience data sets. Research projects supported under this activity must be essentially collaborative in nature. Research groups must include at least one mathematical/statistical scientist and at least one geoscientist. Proposals that address problems with relevance to global change and sustainability are especially encouraged.
28 January 2010. USDA NIFA International Science and Education (ISE) Competitive Grants Program .
Description: International Science and Education Grants Program The International Science and Education Competitive Grants Program (ISE) supports research, extension, and teaching activities that will enhance the capabilities of American colleges and universities to conduct international collaborative research, extension and teaching. ISE projects are expected to enhance the international content of curricula; ensure that faculty work beyond the U.S. and bring lessons learned back home; promote international research partnerships; enhance the use and application of foreign technologies in the U.S.; and strengthen the role that colleges and universities play in maintaining U.S. competitiveness. Deadline 28 Jan.
Funding Details: Up to $150k

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February 2010 and Beyond

2 February 2010. USEPA NCER: Increasing Scientific Data on the Fate, Transport and Behavior of Engineered Nanomaterials in Selected Environmental and Biological Matrices.
Description: Proposals must address one of two areas:following two areas: 1. Evaluation of potential exposures to engineered nanomaterials including an exploration of environmental and biological fate, transport, and transformation of these materials throughout their lifetimes; and 2. Increasing the scientific understanding of engineered nanoscale additives and ingredients intentionally introduced into food matrices for delivery of important micronutrients and modification of sensory attributes.
Funding Details: Up to a total of $600,000, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 4 years.
10 February 2010. NSF Earth Sciences: Instrumentation and Facilities (EAR/IF).
Description: Supports meritorious requests within and across Earth science disciplines. EAR/IF will consider proposals for: 1) Acquisition or Upgrade of Research Equipment; 2) Development of New Instrumentation, Analytical Techniques or Software ; 3) Support of National or Regional Multi-User Facilities; 4) Support of Research Technicians; (5) Development of Cyberinfrastructure for the Earth Sciences (Geoinformatics). Planned research uses of requested instruments must include basic research on solid-Earth and surface-Earth processes.
Funding Details: Contact NSF if more than $500K.
15 February 2010. NSF Biological Oceanography.
Description: The Biological Oceanography Program supports research in marine ecology broadly defined: relationships among aquatic organisms and their interactions with the environments of the oceans or Great Lakes.
15 February 2010. NSF Ocean Drilling Program (OD) .
Description: Support for participation and drilling-related research performed by United States scientists is provided by NSF. This support focuses on the following: * Investigations of potential drilling regions, especially by means of regional geological and geophysical field studies. * The feasibility and initial development of downhole instruments and techniques. * Downhole geophysical and geochemical experiments. * Support for research proposals to meet the scientific objectives of specific drilling expeditions. Grants resulting from these Expedition Objective Research (EOR) proposals will be for significant support to address the research objectives of the drilling expedition and are intended to begin in the period between the co-chief approval of the expedition sampling plan and the end of the sample moratorium period. NSF ODP encourages potential submitters to submit EOR proposals in time for the existing OCE target dates of February 15 and August 15. In addition, NSF will consider proposals for studies leading to long-range definition of future drilling objectives.
15 February 2010. NSF Marine Geology and Geophysics.
Description: The Marine Geology and Geophysics program supports research on all aspects of geology and geophysics of the ocean basins and margins, as well as the Great Lakes. The Program includes: Structure, tectonic evolution and volcanic activity of the ocean basins, the continental margins, the mid-ocean ridges, and island arc systems; Processes controlling exchange of heat and chemical species between seawater and ocean rocks; Genesis, chemistry, and mineralogic evolution of marine sediments; Processes controlling deposition, erosion and transport of marine sediments; Past ocean circulation patterns and climates; and Interactions of continental and marine geologic processes.
16 February 2010. USDA NIFA Higher Education Program: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program.
Description: This competitive grants program is intended to promote and strengthen the ability of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to carry out higher education programs in the food and agricultural sciences. Programs aim to attract outstanding students and produce graduates capable of enhancing the Nation's food and agricultural scientific and professional work force.
Funding Details: Up to $500k
2 March 2010. NSF Undergraduate Research and Mentoring in the Biological Sciences (URM) (Preproposal due: 15 September 2009).
Description: Support will be provided to academic institutions to establish innovative programs to engage undergraduates in a year-round research and mentoring activity. Particular emphasis will be placed on broadening participation of members of groups historically underrepresented in science and engineering.
2 March 2010. Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative MURI (Preproposal due: 11 December 2009).
Description: The Fiscal Year 2010 MURI competition is comprised of 30 topics. Topic 4 is Biofuels: Microbial Communities, Biogeochemistry and Surface Interactions. The objective of Topic 4 is to explore molecular- and micro-biological approaches to establish the key organisms, reactions and mechanisms involved in biocontamination and subsequent biocorrosion processes in bio-derived hydrocarbon fuels. This program will require a multidisciplinary (molecular biology, fuel chemistry, analytical biochemistry, microbiology, surface and interfacial science, mathematical modeling, electrochemistry, corrosion) team that can identify and characterize the biofuel components and/or microbial metabolites that lead to fuel contamination, degradation and biocorrosion under varying biogeochemical and environmental conditions.
Funding Details: $1.5 million/yr for up to five years.
3 March 2010. NSF Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET) - Environmental Sustainability.
Description: This program supports engineering research that seeks to balance society's need to provide ecological protection and maintain stable economic conditions. Research is encouraged to advance the next generation of water and wastewater treatment that will decrease material and energy use, consider new paradigms for delivery of services, and promote longer life for engineered systems. Other activities of interest include: Advancing engineering methods to promote smart growth strategies, Integrating economic development and protection of natural resources, Regenerating ecological functions of degraded environments, Understanding how large complex environmental systems behave, and Developing effective principles for adaptive management of such systems. This program received supplemental funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Funding Details: Average individual awards $100K.
3 March 2010. NSF Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems: Biosensing.
Description: The program is targeting research in the area of the monitoring, identification, and/or quantification of biological phenomena and will support potential technological breakthroughs that exist at the intersection of engineering, life science, and information technology. Projects submitted to the Program must advance both engineering and life sciences.The Biosensing program primarily supports innovative fundamental and applied research with applications to the biomedical, food safety, energy, environmental, and security needs.
Funding Details: The typical award size for the program is $100k for individual investigators or $200k for multiple investigators per year (including indirect cost). Small equipment proposals will also be accepted.
11 March 2010. DOD Strategic Environmental Research & Development Program - Core Solicitation (Preproposal due: 7 January 2010).
Description: Example topics include: ERSON-11-02 In Situ Remediation of Perfluoroalkyl Contaminated Groundwater, ERSON-11-03 Improved Understanding of Impacts to Groundwater Quality Post-Remediation, SISON-11-01 Impacts of Climate Change on Alaskan Ecological Systems, SISON-11-03 Ecological Forestry and Carbon Management, SISON-11-04 Ecology and Management of Source-Sink Populations.
Funding Details: The Core Solicitation provides funding opportunities for projects that vary in cost and duration.
11 March 2010. DOD Strategic Environmental Research & Development Program - SEED Solicitation.
Description: The SEED Solicitation is designed to provide a limited amount of funding, not to exceed $150,000 in total cost and approximately one year in duration, for researchers to test proof of concept for work that will investigate new environmental approaches that entail high technical risk and/or have minimal supporting data. Example topics include: ERSEED-11-01 - In Situ Remediation of Contaminated Aquatic Sediments
Preproposal due: 20 April 2010. NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (Full Proposal due: 4 June 2010).
Description: This program provides funding for graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to bring their leading research practice and findings into K-12 learning settings. Funding can be used for graduate student fellowships, K-12 teacher professional development and program development at the university to enhance graduate education.
Funding Details: Up to $600k for five years.
Preproposal due: 20 April 2010. NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (Full Proposal due: 4 June 2010).
Description: This program provides funding for graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to bring their leading research practice and findings into K-12 learning settings. Funding can be used for graduate student fellowships, K-12 teacher professional development and program development at the university to enhance graduate education.
Funding Details: Up to $600k for five years.
1 July 2010. NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships (EAR-PF).
Description: The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) awards Postdoctoral Fellowships to highly qualified investigators within 3 years of obtaining their PhD to carry out an integrated program of independent research and education. The research and education plans of each fellowship must address scientific questions within the scope of EAR disciplines. The program supports researchers for a period of up to 2 years with fellowships that can be taken to the institution or national facility of their choice. The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential, and provide them with experience in research and education that will establish them in leadership positions in the Earth Sciences community. Because the fellowships are offered only to postdoctoral scientists early in their career, doctoral advisors are encouraged to discuss the availability of EAR fellowships with their graduate students early in their doctoral programs. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows.
5 July 2010. NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences - Research Coordination Networks in Biological Sciences (RCN).
Description: The goal of this program is to encourage and foster interactions among scientists to create new research directions or advance a field. Innovative ideas for implementing novel networking strategies are especially encouraged. Groups of investigators will be supported to communicate and coordinate their research, training and educational activities across disciplinary, organizational, institutional, and geographical boundaries. The proposed networking activities should have a theme as a focus of its collaboration. The focus could be on a broad research question, a specific group of organisms, or particular technologies or approaches. This year, the The Undergraduate Biology Education track in the Research Coordination Network program has an incubator program this year where they will award one year, $50k awards that will enhance communication and coordination among scientists and educators who are exploring new approaches to enhance undergraduate biology education. Refer to the Dear Colleague letter: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09057/nsf09057.jsp?govDel=USNSF_25
Preproposal due: 14 July 2010. NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) (Full Proposal due: 12 August 2010).
Description: This program makes grants to institutions of higher education to support scholarships for academically talented, financially needy students, enabling them to enter the workforce following completion of an associate; baccalaureate; or graduate-level degree in science and engineering disciplines. Grantee institutions are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients, reporting demographic information about student scholars, and managing the S-STEM project at the institution. Letters of Intent are optional.
31 July 2010. NSF Physics of Living Systems (PoLS).
Description: This program evolved from the successful Biological Physics program, which supported projects that applied analytical and experimental tools of physics to the study of biological problems at the molecular level. PoLS is replacing the Biological Physics program and will target theoretical and experimental research exploring the most fundamental biological processes that living systems utilize to perform their functions in dynamic and diverse environments. PoLS will stimulate those investigations that have the potential to transform the study of living systems.
Preproposal due: 14 July 2010. NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) (Full Proposal due: 12 August 2010).
Description: This program makes grants to institutions of higher education to support scholarships for academically talented, financially needy students, enabling them to enter the workforce following completion of an associate; baccalaureate; or graduate-level degree in science and engineering disciplines. Grantee institutions are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients, reporting demographic information about student scholars, and managing the S-STEM project at the institution. Letters of Intent are optional.
15 September 2010. Developing Global Scientists and Engineers (International Research Experiences for Students (IRES).
Description: The program supports groups of U.S. undergraduate or graduate students conducting research abroad in collaboration with foreign investigators. The goal is to educate a globally-engaged science and engineering workforce capable of performing in an international research environment in order to remain at the forefront of world science and technology.
Funding Details: The maximum award size is $50,000 per year for up to three years and is primarily for student expenses.
9 October 2010. NSF Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation 2009.
Description: The Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation has established the Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) to serve a critical role in focusing on important emerging areas in a timely manner. The EFRI Office is launching a new funding opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of researchers to embark on rapidly advancing frontiers of fundamental engineering research. For this solicitation, we will consider proposals that aim to investigate emerging frontiers in the following two specific research areas: (1) BioSensing & BioActuation: Interface of Living and Engineered Systems (BSBA), and (2) Hydrocarbons from Biomass (HyBi). EFRI seeks proposals with transformative ideas that represent an opportunity for a significant shift in fundamental engineering knowledge with a strong potential for long term impact on national needs or a grand challenge. The proposals must also meet the detailed requirements delineated in this solicitation. Dates shown are for letter of intent and preliminary proposals. Full proposals due: March 31, 2010.