June 2017

The FAS Research Development group publishes this monthly Funding Newsletter for SEAS faculty and researchers. The newsletter includes notable Federal, private, and internal Harvard funding opportunities. To provide feedback, please complete our two-question survey .  

Questions? 
Erin Hale:  [email protected] |  617-496-5252 
Jennifer Corby:  [email protected] |  617-495-1590  


For more information on our support services, please visit our  website .

Did you know?
 Harvard affiliates have access to Pivot, a funding opportunity database . 

News, Announcements, & Special Features

Special Event:  Register to Attend a Talk with Ravi Basavappa, NIH Program Leader :  NIH High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program
Thursday, June 22, 2017 3:00-4:00PM
Bio labs 1080 I Please register here. 

Dr. Basavappa will present an overview of the Early Independence, New Innovator, Pioneer, and Transform ative Research Awards that are part of the NIH Common Fund High-Risk, High-Reward Research  Program. These awards support exceptionally creative scientists pursuing unusually innovativ e  and impactful research projects.  Dr. Emily Balskus, Morris Kahn Associate Professor of  Chemistry and Chemical Biology, will join Dr. Basavappa to share her experience as a recipient of the NIH New Innovator Award.  Faculty, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and administrators are all welcome to attend this event.  Light refreshments will be served.


Funding News: Star Family Challenge for Promising Scientific Research: Recipients and Projects Featured in Harvard Gazette
" Created through a gift from James A. Star '83, the annual challenge funds high-risk, high-reward research that might not receive funding through other programs." This year's recipients were: 
  • Jesse Snedeker, Professor of Psychology, FAS, "Language creation: Modeling the rapid emergence of a new language in Nicaragua"
  • Elsie Sunderland, Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, SEAS; Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering in the Department of Environmental Health, HSPH, "Epidemics in the wind: Can airborne bacteria cause meningitis outbreaks?"
  • Amy Wagers, Forst Family Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology , FAS, "Why we age: a potentially common driver of age-related dysfunction across organ systems"
  • Robin Wordsworth, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, SEAS, "Resolving the status of oxygen as a biosignature to allow a search for life on exoplanets" 
To read the full story in the Gazette, please click here. 


Feature: New Investigator Opportunity Spotlight
Quick links to early career opportunities in this month's newsletter.

Funding Opportunities

Click on the links below to read a program synopsis

Internal Opportunities

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)


U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Foundation Opportunities

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Science Foundation: Dear Colleague Letters  
National Science Foundation: Directorate for Computer & Information Science and Engineering (NSF: CISE)
National Science Foundation: Directorate for Engineering (NSF: ENG)

Internal Opportunities

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

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

Residency Program:  This program will accept a small number of researchers focused on solar geoengineering to spend between 1 and 3 weeks at Harvard University, working directly with researchers at SGRP and other members of the Harvard community.  The main purpose of this program is to enable visitors to work in collaboration with Harvard researchers and each other on discrete research projects. SGRP will cover the cost of travel and accommodations as well as per diem for meals.

Harvard Faculty Research Grants:  SGRP will provide direct research support for activities that cannot be effectively supported with individual students or fellows. That could involve multi-investigator collaborations, field or laboratory work in the sciences, or field or survey work in the social sciences.


U.S. Department of Defense


DoDAFOSRBoltII
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
Boundary Layer Transition Experiment II (BOLT II)
OSP Deadline: June 16, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: June 23, 2017
Award Amount: AFOSR anticipates not more than $1.787 million in total funding will be made available for a project of 1-3 years duration
 
The Air Force Research Laboratory's AF Office of Scientific Research seeks unclassified proposals for advanced research to provide advances in our understanding of the boundary layer transition physics and transition front evolution on a low-curvature concave surface with a swept leading edge at high Mach numbers. The principal tasks of this BAA are providing the Launch Vehicle System, securing the test range, and conducting the launch event for the Flight Geometry provided by the AFOSR Performers. Applicants must demonstrate competency in hypersonic aerodynamics and hypersonic flight test. Further, proposers should be recognized by their peer community for sound technical contributions to the field of experimental hypersonics. Only one award is anticipated.


DODArmyBSS
Department of the Army -- Materiel Command
Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences Broad Agency Announcement for Basic Scientific Research (2017)
OSP Deadline: June 23, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: June 30, 2017
Award Amount: No award floor or ceiling thresholds have been established for individual awards under this BAA.    
 
The U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences is the Army's lead agency for the conduct of research, development, and analyses for the improvement of Army readiness and performance via research advances and applications of the behavioral and social sciences that address personnel, organization, training, and leader development issues. The basic research program supports research projects that are designed to expand fundamental knowledge and discover general principles in the behavioral and social sciences. In addition to looking for proposals that provide for programmatic efforts to develop and evaluate psychological and behavioral theory, applicants are strongly encouraged to propose novel, state-of-the-art, and multidisciplinary approaches that address difficult problems. A key  consideration in the decision to support a research proposal is that its findings are likely to stimulate new, basic behavioral research, which in turn, will lead to improved performance of Army personnel and their units. Proposals may address both traditional behavioral issues as well as psychophysiological (to include neuroscience) and network science approaches to social phenomena, memory, cognition, and personality. ARI cannot support proposals through this BAA that are primarily applied research projects (e.g., human factors studies or training program evaluations) or purely focused on physiology, psychopathology or behavioral health. While all proposals will be considered, ARI has identified the following six domains as particularly germane to its basic research needs: 1. Learning in Formal and Informal Environments; 2. Leader Development; 3. Personnel Testing and Performance; 4. Organizational Effectiveness; 5. Culture; and 6. Individual Differences.
 
The funding opportunity is divided into two types of proposals for basic research: (1) Standard
Basic Research proposals and (2) Early Career Basic Research proposals. Most basic research awards are awarded in response to Standard Proposals provided by Applicants with experienced researchers. In recent years, the performance period of these has typically been two to three years, with a median total award of $556,000.00. Standard Proposals may be formulated as either a complete effort, or as a base effort plus option(s) that may be exercised by ARI, if initial results are promising. To foster the development of innovative and creative researchers, ARI solicits Early Career Basic Research proposals from Applicants with individuals who are early in their research careers and have never received ARI funding as a Principal Investigator. Projects should be designed for one year of funding. Note that optional research (one to two additional years) may be included in the proposal and may be funded should the initial work prove promising. The Principal Investigator must have received their Ph.D. within five years of the time of proposal submission, and not previously received funding from ARI as a Principal
Investigator. While there is no specific amount of funding set aside for these proposals, initial budgets  should be modest: approximately $110K for the initial year.
 
Both single-investigator and collaborative research efforts are encouraged. Multidisciplinary approaches are especially encouraged. In some cases, where a proposal is of interest, but the underlying theory or research approach needs additional development, ARI may choose to offer an award designed to help the investigator develop his/her ideas. Such awards are made at the discretion of ARI, and will be in the $20-25K range for one year.


DoDDARPAL2M
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Lifelong Learning Machines (L2M)
OSP Deadline: June 23, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: June 30, 2017
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this solicitation has not been predetermined and will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds.   
 
The Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) at DARPA is soliciting highly innovative research proposals for the development of fundamentally new machine learning approaches that enable systems to learn continually as they operate and apply previous knowledge to novel situations. Current AI systems only compute with what they have been programmed or trained for in advance; they have no ability to learn from data input during execution time, and cannot adapt on-line to changes they encounter in real environments. The goal of Lifelong Learning Machines (L2M) is to develop substantially more capable systems that are continually improving and updating from experience.
 
Technical Area 1 (TA1) of the L2M program will focus on functional system development, and take inspiration from known biological properties. TA1's objective is to develop continual learning mechanisms operating in a unified system. TA1 performers will develop L2M machine learning software components,  incorporating necessary features for learning from the environment, and integrate these into a unified system. Technical Area 2 (TA2) will involve computational neuroscientists and computational biologists in identifying and exploring biological mechanisms that underlie real-time adaptation for translation into novel algorithms. TA2's objective is to explore new ideas for lifelong learning tied to mechanisms found in nature and translate those mechanisms into algorithms. This effort may include biological experiments, or leverage existing biological data. Methods of mathematical and computational biology are welcome in both TAs.
 
The L2M program is a four-year program divided into two, two-year phases. Multiple awards are anticipated.


DODONRFY18
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
FY18 Communications and Networking Discovery and Invention
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): June 26, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for invited Full Proposals: September 25, 2017
Award Amount: $300,000-$500,000 per year for 1-3 years
 
The goal of the Communications and Networking Program within the Office of Naval Research is to support the Navy's Information Warfare vision by developing measurable advances in technology that can directly enable and enhance end-to-end connectivity and quality-of-service for mission-critical information exchange among such widely dispersed naval, joint, and coalition forces. The vision is to provide high throughput robust communications and networking to ensure all warfighters -- from the operational command to the tactical edge - have access to information, knowledge, and decision-making necessary to perform their assigned tasks.
 
White papers for potential FY17 Exploratory Development/Applied Research (Budget category 6.2) projects are sought under the following focus areas:
 
1. Algorithms and techniques for digital beam forming and nulling with reduced                         computational complexity and improved side lobe and grating lobe suppression (both per-     element digital as well as hybrid sub-array architectures should be considered);
2. Novel approaches for low probability of detect/intercept communications against                   advanced electronic threats;
3. Dynamic scheduling, routing and topology control to efficiently and reliably deliver                 critical/high priority data to multiple nodes over directional tactical wireless network; and
4. Machine learning and other techniques/concepts for autonomous network management       by translating Commander's Intent into network policies.
 
ONR is receptive to innovative ideas, which are not within the above focus areas, but nonetheless are important to the Navy/Marine Corps communications and networking. ONR anticipates an annual budget of approximately $2,000,000 for this program. Multiple awards are expected.


DoDUSAirResearch
U.S. Air Force Academy
Research of Technologies Advancing Corrosion Prevention and Control
OSP Deadline: June 30, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): July 10, 2017
Award Amount: Award amounts will vary. The anticipated period of performance is up to 4 years.
 
The Air Force Academy's Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension (CAStLE) pursues a range of engineering mechanics, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, corrosion engineering and material science research efforts, with more emphasis on applied research, and that part of development not related to a specific system or hardware procurement. This call is focused on fundamental research that can lead to the future development of capabilities to prevent and control corrosion and degradation of materials and structures of systems and facilities, with the ultimate goal of reducing costs, improving availability of systems, and increasing the safety of military assets, which also serve interest and use to the general public. Projects must be new research efforts. Proposals for the continuation of existing research projects funded under previous grant or cooperative agreement awards are not desired. Collaboration among proposing institutions is strongly encouraged.
 
Specific research areas of interest include: Performance Prediction; Real-Time Condition Assessment; Advanced Materials and Processing; and Product Support.
 
The total anticipated funding for the total cumulative amount of 0-8 awards made as a result of this call is $0-$3.5M.


DoDDARPALagrange
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Lagrange
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Abstracts (strongly encouraged): July 6, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: August 30, 2017
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this BAA will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. Lagrange will be an 18-month program.
 
The Defense Sciences Office at DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals to develop novel mathematical methods, on both the theoretical and algorithmic fronts, which will solve high-dimensional, dynamic, data-driven optimization and decision-making problems. Proposed research should fully address challenges that arise from the nonlinear, nonconvex, hybrid (continuous, discrete) nature of underlying modeling and optimization of realistic complex application problems.
 
The expected outcomes of the program include: 1) new mathematical frameworks and solution methods for large-scale optimization of complex systems, and 2) algorithms that could be implemented on computing platforms that would utilize parallelizability and scalability. It is envisioned that the program will be comprised of multi-disciplinary teams focusing on a feasible application problem following an aggressive work schedule and with rigorous metrics to determine success.
 
DARPA anticipates multiple awards for this program.


DoDUSMAMRAA
Department of the Army - USAMRAA
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP): Peer Reviewed Medical Technology/Therapeutic Development Award
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Pre-Applications (required): July 13, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for invited Full Proposals: October 18, 2017
Award Amount: Up to $3M in direct costs. The maximum period of performance is 3 years.
 
The Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Technology/Therapeutic Development Award is a product-driven award mechanism intended to provide support for the translation of promising preclinical findings into products for clinical applications, including prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, or quality of life, in at least one of the Congressionally directed FY17 PRMRP Topic Areas (see the Program Announcement for a complete list). Products in development should be responsive to the healthcare needs of military Service members, Veterans, and/or beneficiaries.
 
The product(s) to be developed may be a tangible item such as a pharmacologic agent (drugs or biologics) or device, or a knowledge-based product. A "Knowledge Product" is a non-materiel product that addresses an identified need in a Topic Area, is based on current evidence and research, aims to transition into medical practice, training, tools, or to support materiel solutions (systems to develop, acquire, provide, and sustain medical solutions and capabilities), and educates or impacts behavior throughout the continuum of care, including primary prevention of negative outcomes. The Principal Investigator must provide a transition plan (including potential funding and resources) showing how the product will progress to the next level of development (e.g., clinical trials, delivery to the military or civilian market) after the completion of the PRMRP award. PIs are encouraged to develop relationships with industry and/or other funding agencies to facilitate moving the product into the next phase of development. Proof-of-concept demonstrating the potential utility of the proposed product, or a prototype/ preliminary version of the proposed product, should already be established. Applications must include relevant data that support the rationale for the proposed study. These data may be unpublished and/or from the published literature.
 
The CDMRP expects to allot approximately $58.5M of the $300M FY17 appropriation to fund approximately 13 Technology/Therapeutic Development Award applications.    


DoDDARPATopological
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Topological Excitations in Electronics
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Abstracts (strongly encouraged): June 27, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: August 16, 2017
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this solicitation has not been predetermined and will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds.   
 
The Defense Sciences Office at DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals exploring approaches to exploit topological excitations in electronics. The program aims to explore topological excitations that have recently been engineered in solid-state systems that have the potential to overcome fundamental limits faced by present electronic memory, digital logic, sensors, and quantum bits (qubits) as well as other potential applications. The Topological Excitations in Electronics program aims to advance the state of the field by demonstrating that the performance of such excitations in suitably designed prototype/proof-of-concept devices can be scaled up to make a significant impact in future technology. A particular focus of the program is the development of topological excitations that are nanometer-sized (<10 nm) and capable of being efficiently manipulated at room temperature. It is expected that close collaboration between theoretical modelers, materials scientists, and metrology experts will be needed to design, fabricate, and characterize the properties of the topological excitations proposed and eventually optimize their properties.

This program is composed of two separate but related Technical Areas (TAs): Classical topological excitations (TA1) and quantum topological excitations (TA2).
 
Topological Excitations in Electronics is a 42-month program. DARPA anticipates multiple awards.


DODDURIP
Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Army Research Office, and Office of Naval Research, in cooperation with The Office of the Director for Basic Research in the Office of the Secretary of Defense
Fiscal Year 2018 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)
OSP Deadline: June 29, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: July 7, 2017
Award Amount: $50,000-$1,500,000 for 1 year
 
DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of accredited U.S. institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation. Applicants may submit a single DURIP proposal to more than one administering agency; however, only one administering agency will fund it, if selected. Information about each agency's research interests is available here:
  • Army Research Office: Select "Broad Agency Announcements" in the "For the Researcher" section to see the most recent ARL or ARO Core Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research. An announcement for Army 2018 interests is expected by early spring 2017.
  • Office of Naval Research: Select "Contracts and Grants" and then "Funding Opportunities" to see the Long Range Broad Agency Announcement for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology, BAA N00014-17-S-B001.
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research: Navigate to http://www.grants.gov to view the "Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research" BAA. The current funding opportunity number for our general research interests is BAA-AFRL-AFOSR-2016-0007. An announcement for Air Force 2018 interests is anticipated in late spring or early summer 2017. You do not have to wait for the update to prepare your proposal.
Approximately $47 million will be awarded under this DURIP competition for fiscal year 2018, subject to availability of funds.


DoDAROHiPS
U.S. Army Research Office (ARO)
BAA for High Performance Superconducting Qubit Systems (HiPS)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (strongly encouraged): July 10, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: September 18, 2017
Award Amount: Two types of proposals are being requested (see below). Awards made under Option 1 will be up to $4M per year for up to 4 years. Awards under Option 2 will be up to $500k per year for up to 3 years.
 
The U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) in collaboration with the National Security Agency (NSA) is soliciting proposals for research in High Performance Superconducting Qubit Systems. This BAA has two primary goals; (a) substantially improve the fidelity of one and two-qubit operations over current state-of-the-art performance, and (b) design and test qubits with built-in error protection. While proposals that advance both primary goals in an integrated approach are encouraged, proposers may focus on either goal individually, given the state-of-the-art of their approach.
 
There are two types of proposals with different research scopes covered in this announcement:

1. High performance superconducting qubit systems
a. High Fidelity 2-qubit gates
b. Error protected qubits
2. Key supporting technology to high-performance superconducting qubits   

DODMURI
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Army Research Office (ARO) and Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (encouraged): July 17, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: November 1, 2017
Award Amount: Typical annual funding per grant is in the $1.25M to $1.5M range for up to 5 years of support.
 
The Department of Defense (DoD) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), one element of the University Research Initiative (URI), is sponsored by the DoD research offices. Those offices include the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). The MURI program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education that is of potential interest to DoD. The program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. DOD's MURI program addresses high risk basic research and attempts to understand or achieve something that has never been done before. Detailed descriptions of topics of interest to AFOSR, ARO and ONR are listed in the program solicitation.
 
The total amount of funding for five years available for grants resulting from this MURI FOA is estimated to be approximately $170 million dollars pending out-year appropriations.


DoDExtraDev
Department of the Army - USAMRAA
US Special Operations Command Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Biomedical Research and Development
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for Pre-Proposals (required): Pre-proposals will be reviewed in three submission cycles. The three deadlines are: July 28, 2017; November 3, 2017; and April 14, 2018.
Award Amount: A budget should be commensurate with the nature and complexity of the proposed research.    
 
Special Operations Forces (SOF) medical personnel place a premium on medical equipment that is small, lightweight, ruggedized, modular, multi-use, and designed for operation in extreme environments. The equipment should be easy to use, require minimum maintenance, and have low power consumption. Drugs and biologics should not require refrigeration or other special handling. All materiel and related techniques should be simple and effective. Research projects may apply existing scientific and technical knowledge for which concept and/or patient care efficacy have already been demonstrated to meet SOF requirements. The following are SOF's Research Areas of Interest (RAIs):

1.     Medical Simulation and Training Technologies;

2.     Damage Control Resuscitation;

3.     Prolonged Field Care (PFC);

4.     Portable Lab Assays and Diagnostics;

5.     Force Health Protection and Environmental Medicine;

6.     Canine Medicine; and

7.     Human Operational Performance.

 
Research and development funded through this BAA are intended and expected to benefit and inform both military and civilian medical practice and knowledge. It is estimated that approximately $3million is available for this BAA.



DoDDARPACHASE
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Cyber-Hunting at Scale (CHASE)
OSP Deadline: August 15, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: August 22, 2017
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this solicitation has not been predetermined and will depend on the quality of the proposals received  and the availability of funds. CHASE is a 4-year effort.    
 
DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of data-driven cyber-hunting tools for real-time cyber threat detection, characterization, and protection within enterprise-scale networks. The Cyber-Hunting at Scale (CHASE) program will develop, demonstrate, and evaluate these tools for use within enterprise networks, across enterprise networks, and at internet exchange points. The CHASE program will address the challenges of protecting dozens of enterprise networks in a coordinated manner. Proposed research should focus on dynamic approaches to accelerate cyber hunting via extraction of the right data from the right device at the right time. If successful, CHASE will transition technologies to defensive cyber protection teams, enabling warfighters to dynamically collect data from mission critical parts of a network, actively hunt for threats that evade routine security measures, and disseminate protective measures that semiautomatically bolster the collective cyber defense posture.
 
DARPA seeks innovative proposals in the following Technical Areas (TAs):
  • TA1 - Threat Detection and Characterization
  • TA2 - Informed Data Planning
  • TA3 - Global Analysis
  • TA4 - Protective Measure Generation and Dissemination
  • TA5 - Infrastructure for Evaluation Exercises
Multiple awards anticipated for Technical Areas 1-4, one award for Technical Area 5.

DODONRNavyMarineSci
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
FY17 Funding Opportunity Announcement for Navy and Marine Corps Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education, Outreach and Workforce Program
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (required): August 31, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for invited Full Proposals: September 25, 2017
Award Amount: Up to $250,000 per year for 1-3 years
 
The ONR seeks a broad range of proposals for augmenting existing or developing innovative solutions that directly maintain, or cultivate a diverse, world-class STEM workforce in order to maintain the U.S.  Navy and Marine Corps' technological superiority. The goal of any proposed effort must provide solutions that will establish and maintain pathways of diverse U.S. citizens who are interested in uniformed or civilian DoN (or Navy and Marine Corps) STEM workforce opportunities. As the capacity of the DoN Science and Technology (S&T) workforce is interconnected with the basic research enterprise and STEM education system, ONR recognizes the necessity to support efforts that can jointly improve STEM student outcomes and align with Naval S&T current and future workforce needs. This announcement explicitly encourages projects that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students including active learning approaches and incorporating 21st century skills. Projects must aim to increase student engagement in STEM and persistence of students in STEM degrees, while improving student technical capacity. ONR encourages proposals to utilize current STEM educational research for informing project design and advancing our understanding of how and why students choose STEM careers and opportunities of naval relevance. While this announcement is relevant for any stage of the STEM educational system, funding efforts will be targeted primarily toward the future and current DoN (naval) STEM workforce in High School, all categories of Post-Secondary institutions, the STEM research enterprise, and efforts that enhance the current naval STEM workforce and its mission readiness.
 
White paper pre-proposals will be considered as they are submitted. Therefore, Offerors are encouraged to submit early in the cycle as there is no guarantee of available program funding. It is strongly encouraged that Offerors contact the ONR STEM program in advance of white papers submission for the latest information on the availability of funds. Multiple awards are anticipated.


DoDONRYIP
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
FY2018 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP)
OSP Deadline: September 8, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: September 15, 2017
Award Amount: Up to $170,000 per year for 3 years. As an incentive for becoming involved with other Department of the Navy research activities, the Office of the Director of Research of ONR may match on a 1-for-1 basis, the first $25,000 of additional Department of the Navy funding which a successful applicant obtains each year to support additional, collaborative research with a Navy laboratory during the YIP award Additional funds for capital equipment may be requested for the first budget period based on the needs of the research.    
 
ONR's Young Investigator Program (YIP) seeks to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who are in their first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track equivalent academic appointment, have begun their first appointment on or after 31 December 2012, and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. The Principal Investigator of a proposal must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident (on the date proposals are due). The objectives of this program are to attract outstanding faculty members of Institutions of Higher Education to the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology (S&T) research program , to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers.
 
Applicants are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to contact the appropriate Program Officer who is the  point of contact for a specific technical area to discuss their research ideas. A list of most Program  Officers and their contact information can be found at:https://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Contacts . Brief informal pre-proposals may be submitted to facilitate these discussions but are not required.

 
DODONRSSBN
Office of Naval Research (ONR)
SSBN Security Technology
OSP Deadline: October 6, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: October 16, 2017
Award Amount: approximately $400,000 per year
 
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Undersea Influence, Counter-USW Branch (N974B) of the Chief of Naval Operations' (CNO) Undersea Warfare Division (N97) are interested in receiving proposals focused on the identification of science and physics based signal detection technologies that, individually or as a system, can impact the security of the SSBN and submarines in general. Passive and active detection technologies with near term (0-5 years), mid-term (5-10 years) and far term (10-20 years) implications will be considered. As part of its effort to understand the impact of technology on submarine security and survivability, the SSBN Security Technology Program (SSTP) may entertain proposals focused on improving the understanding of the generation, radiation, propagation, scatter, and detection of a variety of signal types (acoustic, chemical, optical, electromagnetic, hydrodynamic and radiological) associated with a submarine's operation.
 
White Papers are required prior to submitting a Full Proposal. Full proposals will be subsequently encouraged from those Offerors whose proposed technologies have been identified as being of particular value to the Navy.


DODBAAs
Other DoD Opportunities:

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


U.S. Department of Energy


DoEFossilSolidOxide
Office of Fossil Energy:  Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Prototype System Testing and Core Technology Development
OSP Deadline: July 7, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: July 14, 2017
Award Amount for Topic Area 1 - Prototype System Testing: DOE anticipates that awards will be in the $6,000,000 (DOE Share) range for the total project period, with the Recipient providing 20% cost share (cost share calculated on total project value)
Award Amount for Topic Area 2 - Core Technology Development: DOE anticipates that awards will be in the $300,000 (DOE Share) range for the total project period, with the Recipient providing 20% cost share (cost share calculated on total project value).
 
The Office of Fossil Energy's Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Program maintains a portfolio of projects that address the technical issues facing the commercialization of SOFC technology and a series of increasingly larger demonstration projects intended to validate the solutions to those issues. The objective of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to solicit and competitively award research projects to develop Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Technology to the level necessary for broad commercial success. 


DoEEnergyGolden
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Golden Field Office, Bioenergy Technologies Office
Fiscal Year 2017 Biomass Research and Development
Sponsor Concept Paper Deadline (required): July 7, 2017
OSP Deadline: September 13, 2017
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: September 22, 2017
Award Amount: $500,000-$2,000,000. Prime Recipient cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for research and development projects, and 50% of the total allowable costs for demonstration and commercial application projects, and must come from non-Federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law.
 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announce that up to $9 million in funding will be made available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) to increase the nation's energy independence by supporting the development of bioenergy feedstocks, biofuels, and biobased products.The projects funded through BRDI will help develop economically and environmentally sustainable sources of renewable biomass, increase the availability of renewable fuels and biobased products, and diversify our energy portfolio. Applicants are encouraged to form consortia so that a range of capabilities is available to address all aspects of the technical areas addressed.


DOENationalREE
National Energy Technology Laboratory:  Development of Separation and Extraction Processes for Production of Rare Earth Element (REE) Materials from Domestic U.S. Coal and Coal By-Products
OSP Deadline: July 11, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: July 18, 2017
Award Amount: Up to $675,000. Applicants are required to provide a minimum of 20% of the total project cost from non-Federal funding sources.
 
The Rare Earth Elements (REE) Program is focused on developing technologies for the recovery of REEs from coal and coal by-products. The program offers a pathway to improve the economics and reduce the environmental impact of a domestic coal-based REE value chain. The Department of Energy is looking to develop new technologies or technology advancements that result in improvements in technical, environmental, and economic performance of existing technologies to recover rare earth elements from domestic U.S. coal and coal by-products.


DoEUnivTurbine
National Energy Technology Laborator y:  University Turbine Systems Research
OSP Deadline: July 13, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: July 20, 2017
Award Amount: DOE anticipates that awards will be in the $600,000 range (DOE funding level) range for Topics 1-5 and in the $350,000 range (DOE funding level) for Topic 6. Applicants are required to provide a minimum of 20% of the total project cost from non-Federal funding sources.
 
The objective of this FOA is to solicit and competitively award university-based R&D projects that address and resolve scientific challenges and applied engineering technology issues associated with advancing the performance and efficiency of combustion turbines in combined cycle applications (e.g., IGCC/NGCC) in fossil fuel power generation.
 
The FOA will seek to solicit and competitively award laboratory/bench-scale R&D in the following six technical topic areas:
  

1.     Low-NOx Combustion Technology Development for 'Air-Breathing' Advanced Turbines

2.     Advanced Cooling Technology Development for 'Air-Breathing' Advanced Turbines

3.     Advanced Materials Technology Development for 'Air-Breathing' Advanced Turbines

4.     Big Data Analytics

5.     Advanced Instrumentation

6.     Pressure Gain Combustion

 

DoECollaborativeFusion
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science: Fusion Energy Sciences
Collaborative Fusion Energy Research in the DIII-D National Program
Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline (required): July 13, 2017
OSP Deadline: September 14, 2017
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: September 21, 2017
Award Amount: $50,000-$700,000/year for three years
 
The Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) Program of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announces its interest in receiving grant applications for collaborative research in fusion energy science as part of the DIII-D national research program. The mission of the DIII-D program is to establish the scientific basis for the optimization of the tokamak approach to fusion energy production. The primary means to accomplish this mission is research utilizing the DIII-D tokamak to develop the ultimate potential of the tokamak concept as a magnetic confinement system. The DIII-D program also involves foundational fusion energy science research to make progress on a broad front toward predictive understanding of fusion plasmas. The major strengths of the program are the highly flexible and well-diagnosed DIII-D tokamak and a large collaborative research team from the national and international fusion community. All applications will utilize the DIII-D National Fusion Facility at General Atomics in San Diego, California. This includes modeling validation and verification proposals utilizing DIII-D data.


DoEFossilPower
Office of Fossil Energy: National Energy Technology Laboratory:  Innovative Technology Development to Enhance Fossil Power System Efficiency
OSP Deadline: July 17, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: July 24, 2017
Award Amount: The maximum individual award size (DOE dollars) for each topic area is as follows: AOI 1: $500,000; AOI 2: $2,000,000; AOI 3: $750,000; AOI 4: $750,000; AOI 5: $750,000. Applicants are required to provide a minimum of 20% of the total project cost from non-Federal funding sources.
 
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/Fossil Energy's (FE) Crosscutting Research Program serves as a bridge between basic and applied research by targeting concepts that offer the potential for transformational breakthroughs and step-change benefits in the way energy systems are designed, constructed, and operated. DOE is seeking financial assistance applications that propose concepts and technologies that will make significant and cost-effective progress toward achieving these step-change benefits for electric generating units and industrial plants that use fossil fuel. Areas of interest include:
  • AOI 1: ImPOWER- Improvements to Coal Combustion Power Plants:
  • AOI 2: Characterization of Long-Term Service Coal Combustion Power Plan Extreme Environment Materials (EEMs) 
  • AOI 3: Fossil Energy EEM Model Development
  • AOI 4: Innovative Concepts for Water Management in Coal Power Generation Systems
  • AOI 5: Effluent Water Management at Coal-Fired Energy Plants

DoEAdvancedCombustion
U.S. Department of Energy
Advanced Combustion Systems: Existing Plant Improvements and Transformational Technologies
OSP Deadline: August 1, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: August 8, 2017
Award Amount: Up to $2,000,000
 
The objective of this FOA is to solicit and competitively award applied research projects to develop advanced combustion systems that will make substantial progress toward enabling cost-competitive, coal-based power generation systems to remain in operation and to expand coal use while meeting the goal of achieving near-zero pollutant emissions.   Projects resulting from this FOA will (in the near and long term) improve the overall economics of coal combustion systems ensuring that their performance and cost potential is substantially better than today's baseline pulverized coal power plant. 
 
Applications are sought for fundamental or bench scale R&D, dependent on the Area of Interest.  Proposals are solicited for two areas of interest (AOI):
  1. Advanced Combustion Coal Power Plant Improvement Technologies: AOI 1 includes two subtopics: 1A) Condition Based Monitoring of Coal-Based Power Generation Boilers and 1B) Near-Term Opportunities for Coal-Based Units.   
  2. Advanced Combustion Enabling Technologies and Advanced Concepts: AOI 2 includes three subtopics: 2A) Chemical Looping Combustion, 2B) Pressurized Oxy-combustion, and 2C) Advanced Concepts and Novel Approaches. 
R&D may be proposed for new concepts or for technology challenges that may already exist in pilot and/or commercial scale systems.


DoEModularGas
U.S. Department of Energy
 National Energy Technology Laboratory:  Small Scale Modularization of Gasification Technology Components for Radically Engineered Modular Systems
OSP Deadline: August 1, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: August 8, 2017
Award Amount: Up to $6,000,000. The Applicant will be required to cost share a minimum of 20% of the total project costs.
 
The mission of the DOE Clean Coal Program is focused on developing advancements in technology that increase the performance, efficiency and availability of existing and new coal-fueled power generation to provide the Nation with the best opportunity to tap into the full potential of its abundant fossil energy resources in an environmentally sound and secure manner. The Advanced Energy Systems (AES) program focuses on improving the efficiency of coal-based power systems, increasing plant availability, and maintaining the highest environmental standards. Applications are being solicited under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to develop emerging gasification technologies that may be advantageously reduced to practice at the modular small scale to support accomplishment of program goals via the Radically Engineered Modular Systems (REMS) concept.

DOEOther
DOE Opportunities

Environmental Protection Agency


EPAWildland
Wildland Fires Sensor Challenge
Harvard OSP Deadline: November 15, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: November 22, 2017
Prototype Submission Deadline: January
Award Amount: Up to $60,000
 
Six federal agencies have announced a Wildland Fire Sensors Challenge seeking an accurate, lower-cost, and low-maintenance air quality monitoring system that can be used during a wildfire or controlled fire. The data provided by the sensor system will help federal, state, local and tribal agencies protect the health of first responders and communities affected by the smoke. Developers are encouraged to submit a prototype sensor system that measures fine particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The system should be capable of rapid deployment and continuous real-time monitoring of highly dynamic air pollution levels during a fire event. Developers should also aim for designs that are easy to use and self-powered; include location data; and wirelessly transmit data to a central data-receiving station. 

Foundation Opportunities

FoundationsHHMIInvestigator
HHMI Investigator Program
OSP Deadline: June 20, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: June 27, 2017
Award Amount: Full salary/benefits for investigators/other eligible employees
Eligible Applicants: Details below
 
The HHMI investigator competition is open to basic researchers and physician scientists at more than 200 eligible institutions who bring innovative approaches to the study of biological problems in biomedical disciplines, plant biology, evolutionary biology, biophysics, chemical biology, biomedical engineering, and computational biology. Those selected in this competition will receive a seven-year appointment to HHMI, which is renewable pending favorable scientific review.  HHMI encourages its investigators to push their research fields into new areas of inquiry. By employing scientists as HHMI investigators-rather than awarding them research grants-the Institute is guided by the principle of "people, not projects." HHMI investigators have the freedom to explore and, if necessary, to change direction in their research. Moreover, they have support to follow their ideas through to fruition-even if that process takes many years.

Eligible applicants are tenured or tenure-track faculty who have more than 3, but no more than 12 years, of post-training, professional experience.  Applicants should be the principal investigator on one or more active, national, peer-reviewed research grants with an initial duration of at least three years.

RolexEnterprise
OSP Deadline: June 23, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: June 30, 2017
Award Amount: 100,000 Swiss Francs
Eligible Applicants: Candidates who are between the ages of 18 and 35 on the award on June 30, 2017
 
Five Rolex Awards will be offered to Young Leaders who have a ground-breaking proposal or initiative that will help to expand knowledge of our world and improve the quality of life on the planet.  Applications must be broadly in the areas of the environment, applied science and technology, or exploration.


FoundationSemiconductor

Semiconductor Research Corporation
Nanomanufacturing Materials and Processes
Sponsor White Paper Deadline: July 18, 2017
OSP Deadline: September 19, 2017
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): September 26, 2017 

Semiconductor Research Corporation Global Research Collaboration is soliciting white papers in the research program of Nanomanufacturing Materials and Processes. The principal goals of this program are to advance fundamental knowledge and innovations in the nanomanufacturing of semiconductors. This call, issued to universities worldwide, may be addressed by an individual investigator or a research team. Research needs generally fall into the following five categories: Patterning, Frond-End Processes, Back-End Processes, Common areas, ESH (Environment, Safety, and Health).

beckman
Beckman Young Investigator Program
SEAS Deadline to Request Endorsement: August 4, 2017
OSP Deadline: August 7, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: August 14, 2017
Award Amount: $600,000. Overhead is not provided.
Target Applicants: Assistant Professors appointed on or after August 14, 2014

The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.  Projects proposed for the BYI program should be truly innovative, high-risk, and show promise for contributing to significant advances in chemistry and the life sciences. They should represent a departure from current research directions rather than an extension or expansion of existing programs. Proposed research that cuts across traditional boundaries of scientific disciplines is encouraged. Proposals that open up new avenues of research in chemistry and the life sciences by fostering the invention of methods, instruments and materials will be given additional consideration.  

FoundationsEngineering
Grant Programs
OSP Deadline: August 24, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: August 31, 2017
Award Amount: $5,000-$25,000. Overhead is not allowed.
 
Grants support developmental projects, instructional projects, and training programs in engineering education and research that fit the foundation's fields of interest. These currently include the availability and use of published information, women in engineering, and information access in developing countries.

templeton
Core Funding Areas
Letter of Intent Deadline: August 31, 2017
OSP Deadline (if invited to submit full proposal): January 24, 2018
Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): January 31, 2018
Award Amount: Individual grants vary in amount. Smallest active grant is about $35,000 and largest is $7.6 million.
 
The Foundation offers grants in support of research and public engagement in the following major Funding Areas:
  • The Science & the Big Questions Funding Area supports innovative efforts to address the deepest questions facing humankind. Why are we here? How can we flourish? What are the fundamental structures of reality? What can we know about the nature and purposes of the divine?
  • The Character Virtue Development funding area seeks to advance the science and practice of character, with a focus on moral, performance, civic, and intellectual virtues such as humility, gratitude, curiosity, diligence, and honesty.
  • The Individual Freedom & Free Markets Funding Area supports education, research, and grassroots efforts to promote individual freedom, free markets, free competition, and entrepreneurship. Grounded in the ideas of classical liberal political economy, we seek and develop projects that focus on individuals and their place in a free society. 
  • The Exceptional Cognitive Talent & Genius Funding Area supports programs that aim to recognize and nurture exceptional cognitive talent, especially for those at an early stage of life. This Funding Area also supports research concerning the nature of cognitive genius, including extraordinary creativity, curiosity, and imagination.
  • The Genetics Funding Area seeks to advance genetics research by supporting novel approaches and contrarian projects, especially research that is undervalued by traditional funding sources. In addition to basic and translational research, this Funding Area supports educational programs that increase public awareness concerning the ways in which genetics-related research and its applications can advance human flourishing at the individual, familial, and societal levels.
  • The Voluntary Family Planning Funding Area supports programs that provide such resources for parents and families worldwide. The Foundation recognizes that research and programs in the area of Family Planning can be controversial politi
Banting
Deadline to Request Harvard Institutional Endorsement: September 12, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: September 20, 2017
Award Amount: $70,000 per year for 2 years

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, offered by the Government of Canada, provide two year fellowships to eligible postdoctoral students both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social and  research-based growth. Applications are accepted from all fields in the humanities, social sciences, health research, natural sciences and engineering. 

Candidates to be hosted by Harvard must fulfill all degree requirements for a PhD or equivalent between September 20, 2014 and September 30, 2018 and must be Canadian Citizens or permanent residents of Canada who have obtained/will obtain their PhD or equivalent from a Canadian university.  Those who wish to be hosted by Harvard University must include with their application a  Letter of Endorsement signed by the Vice Provost for Research. Applicants requesting a Letter of Endorsement are asked to provide the OVPR with a copy of their proposed  Supervisor's Statement through the online portal at the link above by September 12, 2017.  

Teagle
Liberal Arts and the Professions
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: $200,000 to $300,000 for 2 to 3 years
 
This initiative has the goal of embedding liberal arts education throughout the curriculum of undergraduate professional programs by forging links between faculty in the liberal arts and professional  fields. The target areas of focus are engineering and business education. Such curricular integration will not only have a positive effect on how students in professional fields pursue their future work, but will also enrich the liberal arts curriculum itself with perspectives that merit sharing beyond the community of professional practitioners. To be considered for a grant, please review Teagle's application guidelines and submit a brief 3-5 page concept paper to [email protected] .  
 
Full proposals are welcomed by invitation and typically reflect a collaboration of four to six colleges/universities that exhibit an alignment of priorities and draw participants together as a community of practice.



McDonnell
James S. McDonnell Foundation
Studying Complex Systems Collaborative Activity Awards
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: Budgets for collaborative activities vary greatly depending on the scope of the proposed project and on the number of people involved

The Foundation offers Collaborative Activity Awards to initiate interdisciplinary discussions on problems or issues, to help launch interdisciplinary research networks, or to fund communities of researchers and practitioners dedicated to developing new methods, tools, and applications of basic research to applied problems. Strong preference will be given to applications involving multi-institutional collaboration. 

Proposals furthering the science of complex systems and/or proposals intending to apply complex system tools and models to problems where such approaches are not yet considered usual or mainstream are appropriate.  Please note that this Foundation limits the number of inquiries an investigator may submit to one every three years. 



Simons
Targeted Grants in Mathematics and Physical Sciences
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.



IARPA


IARPABAA
Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days before submission to sponsor
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling between May 3, 2016 and July 3, 2017
Award Amount: Awards generally support a period of performance of 12 months or less; resources made available under this BAA will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds
 
IARPA invests in high-risk, high-payoff research that has the potential to provide our nation with an overwhelming intelligence advantage. This BAA solicits abstracts or proposals for IARPA.  IARPA is soliciting proposals for research on topics that are not addressed by emerging or ongoing IARPA programs or other published IARPA solicitations. The BAA primarily, but not solely, seeks proposals for early stage research (which IARPA refers to as "seedlings").


IARPAProteos
Proposers' Day Conference for Proteos
Registration Deadline: July 18, 2017
 
The Proteos Program seeks to analyze the relationship between polymorphisms in the proteome called genetically variable peptides (GVPs) and non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to provide an additional forensic tool for correlating an individual with particular objects, events, and locations.  IARPA will host a Proposers' Day Conference for the Proteos Program on July 25, 2017in anticipation of the release of a new solicitation. The Conference will be held from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM EDT in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The purpose of the conference will be to provide information on the Proteos Program and the research challenges the program seeks to address, to receive and discuss questions from potential proposers, and to provide an opportunity for potential proposers to present their capabilities for teaming opportunities. Due to space limitations, attendance will be limited to the first 125 registrants, with no more than two representatives attending per organization.


IARPAHector
IARPA
Proposers' Day Conference for Homomorphic Encryption Computing Techniques with Overhead Reduction (HECTOR)
Registration Deadline: July 19, 2017
 
The goal of the HECTOR program is to build a framework that enables system architects and application developers without extensive cryptographic expertise to develop a broad spectrum of secure distributed applications using advanced cryptographic techniques. IARPA will host a Proposers' Day Conference for the HECTOR program on July 14, 2017, in anticipation of the release of a new solicitation. The conference will be held from 9 AM to 4 PM EST in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The purpose of the conference will be to provide information on the HECTOR program, and on the research problems the program aims to address, to address questions from potential proposers, and to provide a forum for potential proposers to present their capabilities for teaming opportunities. The afternoon will include unclassified presentation & poster sessions to provide an opportunity for attendees to present their organizations' capabilities and to explore teaming arrangements. Attendees who wish to present organization capabilities for teaming opportunities may submit a request through the registration web site.



Other IARPA Opportunities

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASACANDual
Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) 2017 Dual Use Technology Development at NASA John C. Stennis Space Center
OSP Deadline: September 22, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: September 30, 2017
Award Amount: $25,000 - $75,000 for 12 months; matching details below
 
John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) is the primary NASA rocket propulsion testing center. SSC tests items ranging from multi-engine stages to individual components of rocket engines. CAN supports identification and implementation of cost-sharing partnerships to develop technology to meet a specific NASA need at SSC.
 
SSC technology interests, include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Propulsion system test technology;
  • Autonomous & intelligent systems;
  • Advanced sensors & instruments;
  • Image & signal processing;
  • Energy harvesting;
  • Innovative components & materials;
  • Big data processing & analysis;
  • Systems engineering & optimization;
  • Computational modeling & simulation;
  • Decision support tools & systems.
Partners must contribute an equal value of resources to match the NASA funding for the project. Partner contributions may be cash, non-cash or both.

NASAUSRC
University Student Research Challenge (USRC) - A Pilot Project
OSP Deadline: October 9, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: October 16, 2017
Award Amount: NASA's share of awards will not exceed the sum total of $70,000 in direct costs plus the institution's indirect costs. This program has a cost-share requirement through which NASA will match two dollars in direct costs for every crowdfunded dollar, up to a maximum of $35,000.
 
Through this solicitation the Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program (TACP) seeks to develop novel concepts with the potential to create new capabilities in aeronautics by stimulating aeronautics research in the student community. TACP will provide students, from accredited U.S. colleges or universities, with grants for aeronautics projects that also raise cost sharing funds using crowdfunding platforms. Projects that are successfully crowdfunded will necessarily engage the general public. This use of crowdfunding is being piloted to excite and bring in non-traditional communities in relationship with ARMD.
 
This challenge, which is being run as a pilot project, seeks students who have an aeronautics-related project idea and have the passion to develop that idea. The project must be relevant to the aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Strategic Implementation Plan and address one of ARMD's six strategic thrusts as they affect aviation:
 
1. Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations;
2. Innovation in Commercial Supersonic Aircraft;
3. Ultra-Efficient Commercial Vehicles;
4. Transition to Low-Carbon Propulsion;
5. Real-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance; and
6. Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation.
 
The solicitation goal can be accomplished through project ideas such as advancing the design, developing technology or capabilities in support of aviation, by demonstrating a novel concept, or enabling advancement of aeronautics-related technologies.
 
If proposal is selected by NASA, students are notified that they may proceed with crowdfunding. If crowdfunding is fully successful (the team receives 100% or more of the proposed cost share amount), then student submits proof to NASA and the student's institution of higher education is awarded the NASA grant. The NASA grants will have a one-year period of performance. NASA will consider around 6 awards in this pilot project.


NASAJohnsonSpace
Johnson Space Center:  Research Opportunities for ISS Utilization
Exploration Technology Demonstration and National Lab Utilization Enhancements
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to sponsor deadline
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers (recommended): October 31, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: December 31, 2017
Award Amount: Details below
 
This announcement is for the development of experiment hardware with enhanced capabilities; modification of existing hardware to enable increased efficiencies (crew time, power, etc.);  development of tools that allow analyses of samples and specimens on orbit; enhanced ISS infrastructure capabilities (ex. communications or data processing); and specific technology demonstration projects. Submission of a white paper is recommended in advance of a full proposal.
 
Within the NASA International Space Station (ISS) Research Integration Office, the Technology and Science Research Office (TSRO) and Commercial Space Utilization Office (CSUO) act as "gateways" to the ISS. The Technology and Science Research Office serves as the gateway for NASA-funded technology demonstrations. The Commercial Space Utilization Office serves as the gateway for non-NASA government-funded investigations, as well as non-profit or commercially-funded investigations.
 
Proposed technology demonstrations submitted to TSRO should address at least one of the technology areas mentioned in the ISS Technology Demonstration Plans . In addition, NASA seeks technology demonstrations related to the following thrust area: Space Suit CO2 Sensor.
 
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. 
One specific thrust area is still accepting proposals: Virtual Reality/360° Video System.

Funds are not currently available for awards under this NASA Research Announcement (NRA). The Government's ability to make award(s) is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment can be made and the receipt of proposals that NASA determines acceptable for award under this NRA. Successful proposals will have launch and integration costs covered by NASA.


OtherNASA
Other NASA Opportunities
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
nih_eia
NIH
NIH Director's Early Independence Award
Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline: July 10, 2017
OSP Deadline (if nominated): September 15, 2017
Sponsor Deadline (if nominated): September 22, 2017
Award Amount: $250,000/year for five years plus applicable F&A
Eligible Applicants:  Date of terminal doctoral degree or completion of clinical residency of the PI must be between June 1, 2016 and September 30, 2018. At the application deadline, the PI must not have served as a post-doctoral fellow following a previous doctoral degree for more than twelve months and must not yet have research independence.
 
The NIH Director's Early Independence Award Program supports exceptional investigators who wish to pursue independent research directly after completion of their terminal doctoral/research degree or clinical residency, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career. Though most newly graduated doctoral-level researchers would benefit by post-doctoral training, a small number of outstanding junior investigators would benefit instead by launching directly into an independent research career. For these select investigators, who have established a record of scientific innovation and research productivity and who have demonstrated unusual leadership, drive, and maturity, post-doctoral training would unnecessarily delay their entry into performing independent research. By the end of the award period, the Early Independence investigator is expected to be competitive for continued funding of his/her research program and for a permanent research-oriented position.
 
This is a limited submission opportunity and only two applications may be submitted from candidates to be hosted by Harvard University in the University Area (Cambridge Campus).  Information on the internal selection process administered by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research can be found here . 

nih_pioneer
NIH
NIH Director's Pioneer Award
OSP Deadline: August 25, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: September 1, 2017
Award Amount: $700,000/year for five years plus applicable F&A
 
The Pioneer Award supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose pioneering and possibly transforming approaches to addressing major biomedical or behavioral challenges that have the potential to produce an unusually high impact on enhancing health, lengthening life, and reducing illness and disability.  To be considered pioneering, the proposed research must reflect ideas substantially different from those being pursued in the investigator's research program or being pursued elsewhere. While the research direction may have as its foundation the applicant's prior work and expertise, it cannot be an obvious extension or scale up of a current research enterprise which could be anticipated to be competitive as a new or renewal R01 application. Rather, the proposed project must reflect a fundamental new insight into the potential solution of a problem, which may derive from the development of exceptionally innovative approaches and/or from the posing of radically unconventional hypotheses. Pioneer awardees are required to commit the major portion (at least 51%) of their research effort to activities supported by the Pioneer Award research project in the first three years of the project period. Effort expended toward teaching, administrative, or clinical duties should not be included in this calculation. Awardees will be allowed to reduce effort to 33% and 25% in the fourth and fifth years, respectively.

nih_newin
NIH
NIH Director's New Innovator Award
OSP Deadline: August 31, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: September 8, 2017
Award Amount: $300,000/year for five years plus applicable F&A
Eligible Applicants: Applicants must meet the definition of an Early Stage Investigator (ESI) at the time of application. An ESI is a new investigator (defined as a PD/PI who has not competed successfully for a significant NIH independent research award) who is within 10 years of completing his/her terminal research degree or is within 10 years of completing medical residency (or the equivalent). 
 
The NIH Director's New Innovator Award (DP2) supports a small number of early stage investigators of exceptional creativity who propose bold and highly innovative new research approaches that have the potential to produce a major impact on broad, important problems in biomedical and behavioral research.  It is designed specifically to support unusually creative investigators with highly innovative research ideas at an early stage of their career when they may lack the preliminary data required for an R01 grant application. The emphasis is on innovation and creativity; preliminary data are not required, but may be included. No detailed, annual budget is requested in the application. The review process emphasizes the individual's creativity, the innovativeness of the research approaches, and the potential of the project, if successful, to have a significant impact on an important biomedical or behavioral research problem.

nih_transformative
NIH
NIH Director's Transformative Research Award
OSP Deadline: September 8, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: September 15, 2017
Award Amount: Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. Maximum project duration is five years.
 
The goal of the NIH Director's Transformative Research Award is to provide support for collaborative investigative teams or individual scientists who propose unusually innovative research projects, which, if successful, would have a major impact in a broad area of biomedical or behavioral research. To be considered transformative, projects must have the potential to create or overturn fundamental scientific paradigms through the use of novel approaches, to transform the way research is conducted through the development of novel tools or technologies, or to lead to major improvements in health through the development of highly innovative therapies, diagnostic tools, or preventive strategies. Consistent with this focus, applications supported under the Transformative Research Award will reflect ideas substantially different from mainstream concepts. Little or no preliminary data are expected. 


OtherNIHOpps
Other NIH Opportunities:

National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation: Dear Colleague Letters

NSFDCBioDeadlines
Removal of Deadlines for Biological and Environmental Interactions of Nanoscale Materials Program in the Division of Chemical, Biological, Environmental, and Transport Systems in the Directorate for Engineering
OSP Deadline: N/A
Sponsor Deadline: N/A
Award Amount: Unspecified

The Biological and Environmental Interactions of Nanoscale Materials Program in the Division of Chemical, Biological, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET) has, as of April 2017, eliminated target dates and will accept proposals for consideration at any time. To allow time to adapt to the "open submission - no deadline" guidelines,new proposals will be considered for review after July 20, 2017.

For FAQs about this announcement, please see here. 

NSFDCUpdatedPrograms

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

NSFDCJST
NSF-Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Collaborative Research
Letter of Intent: August 25, 2017
OSP Deadline: October 5, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: October 15, 2017
Award Amount: $15,000 (supplemental funding)  

With this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), NSF/CISE is encouraging the submission of supplemental funding requests (of up to $15,000 each, covering travel, lodging and subsistence) to strengthen and expand collaborations between NSF- and Japan Science and Technology Agency-funded PIs in shared priority areas. CISE anticipates awarding up to 10 such supplemental funding requests in FY 2018. Supplemental funding to active NSF awards is intended to enable US-based researchers (i.e., PIs and co-PIs, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students) to collaborate with Japan-based researchers currently funded by JST. 610)

NSFDCLAIM
Research on Integrated Photonics Utilizing AIM Photonics Capabilities
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: ECCS window from October 1, 2017 to November 1, 2017
Award Amount: Not specified

This DCL seeks to encourage innovative exploratory and translational research by academic faculty and small businesses in all aspects of integrated photonics that utilize the current silicon photonics capabilities resident in AIM Photonics.  Research projects utilizing the AIM Photonics fabrication process technologies via multi-project wafer runs should have an objective to bring a specific innovation to integrated photonics circuits and components or to demonstrate a new approach that uses integrated photonics as its differentiator. Examples of such challenges may include:

  • Research into new applications of PICs that have promise of breakthrough performance due to the use of an integrated photonic component;
  • New devices that are realizable within AIM Photonics standardized integrated silicon photonics process;
  • PIC implementations that have innovative contributions to advancements of photonics circuits (i.e., low power, greater bandwidths and dynamic ranges, better tolerances, new topologies, etc.);
  • Innovative design approaches and new models of integrated photonics devices/circuits;
  • Materials and attachment technologies for incorporating integrated photonics into novel packages.

NSFDCTransitiontoGrad
Improving and Supporting the Transition to Graduate School in the Mathematical Sciences
OSP Deadline: November 29, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: December 6, 2017
Award Amount: Varies by division

The National Science Foundation's Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) are collaborating to encourage proposals that would improve and support student transition to and subsequent success in doctoral programs in the mathematical sciences. Participating divisions within the two directorates are the Divisions of Mathematical Sciences (DMS), Graduate Education (DGE), Undergraduate Education (DUE), and Human Resource Development (HRD).  Projects that develop partnerships among faculty, departments, and graduate schools, as well as those that leverage technology are expected. To achieve the dual aims of (1) scalability and (2) sustainability, it is envisioned that most proposed strategies will also: (3) reach students predominantly at their home institutions, with limited student travel required, and (4) have the potential to create systemic change regarding how students are prepared for success in graduate school, particularly doctoral programs. All projects should contain a rigorous evaluation plan that includes assessment of impact on students and the institution.


NSFDCLInternetThings
Encouraging Submission of Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) Proposals in Areas Related to the Internet of Things
OSP Deadline for Preliminary Proposal: October 11, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Preliminary Proposal: October 18, 2017
OSP Deadline for Full Proposal: December 13, 2017
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposal: December 20, 2017
Award Amount: See IUCRC details here.

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) encourages collaborations between industry and academe in research related to IoT specifically and, more broadly, cyber-physical systems. The aim is to establish multi-university IUCRCs that, in collaboration with their industry partners, are capable of collectively addressing large-scale and cross-disciplinary challenges in the broad context of IoT. NSF therefore welcomes and encourages proposals in response to the IUCRC program solicitation,  NSF 17-516, in the areas outlined in this DCL. Potential areas of precompetitive research that are of interest include, but are not limited to:
  • Mobile technologies and applications;
  • Healthcare and biomedical technologies;
  • Smart grids and energy management;
  • IoT Platforms, sensors, controls, and actuators;
  • Agriculture and farming-based applications;
  • Smart City/Community applications;
  • Transportation and traffic management systems;
  • Industrial and Manufacturing applications;
  • Metrics, measurements, and benchmarking;
  • Standards, practices, and policies (e.g., legal, regulatory); and
  • Trust, security, and privacy in IoT.

 NSFDCQuantum
Funding Opportunity - A "Quantum Leap" Demonstration of Topological Quantum Computing
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to proposal submission
Sponsor White Paper Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: $300,000 maximum for up to 2 years
 
The Division of Materials Research (DMR) invites submission of high-risk / high-payoff proposals aiming at fundamental research to realize topological qubits and encourages PIs to submit Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) proposals. Prior to submission of an EAGER proposal, a one-page whitepaper must be prepared and discussed with a cognizant Program Director. Proposals must be focused on fundamental materials research aspects within the scope of DMR and offer potentially transformative exploratory concepts of topological computing with a high-risk / high-payoff characteristic.


NSFDCMPSAST
MPS-AST Facility Divestment Activity
OSP Dealdine: N/A
Sponsor Deadline: N/A
Award Amount: N/A

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and its Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST) remain committed to the provision of leading-edge facilities as well as small and mid-scale funding opportunities that are made available to the U.S. astronomical community for the conduct of merit-reviewed science. This Letter provides the community with a top-level summary of the current status of NSF actions regarding facility divestment recommendations made in 2012 by a committee chartered to review the AST facility and program portfolio.

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

NSFCISELeaderPhase1
Towards a Leadership-Class Computing Facility - Phase 1
Letter of Intent: July 14, 2017
OSP Deadline: November 13, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: November 20, 2017
Award Amount:  A total of $60,000,000 in FY 2018 will be used to fund one award, subject to the availability of funds. At least 95% of the proposal amount should be for the system acquisition cost.
NSF invites proposals for the acquisition and deployment of a High Performance Computing (HPC) system, called the Phase 1 system, with the option of a possible future upgrade to a leadership-class computing facility. The Phase 1 system will serve two important and complementary purposes:
  1. It will serve as a robust, well-balanced, and forward-looking computational asset for a broad range of research topics for which advances in fundamental understanding require the most extreme computational and data analysis capabilities; and
  2. It will serve as an evaluation platform for testing and demonstrating the feasibility of an upgrade to a leadership-class facility five years following deployment.
Note: This is a limited submission opportunity. Please contact Erin Hale ( [email protected]) if you are interested in submitting.


NSFCISECRII
CISE Research Initiation Initiative (CRII)
OSP Deadline: August 2, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: August 9, 2017
Award Amount: $175,000 max. for over up to 24 months

With the goal of encouraging research independence immediately upon obtaining one's first academic position after receipt of the PhD, the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) will award grants to initiate the course of one's independent research. Understanding the critical role of establishing that independence early in one's career, it is expected that funds will be used to support untenured faculty or research scientists (or equivalent) in their first three years in a primary academic position after the PhD, but not more than a total of five years after completion of their PhD. 

One may not yet have received any other grants or contracts in the Principal Investigator (PI) role from any department, agency, or institution of the federal government, including from the CAREER program or any other program, post-PhD, regardless of the size of the grant or contract, with certain exceptions. 


OtherNSFCISE
NSF: CISE Opportunities

National Science Foundation: Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences (NSF: MPS)

NSFMPSEDT
Enriched Doctoral Training in the Mathematical Sciences
OSP Deadline: July 5, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: July 12, 2017
Award Amount: $600,000 max. over three years  

The long-range goal of the Enriched Doctoral Training in the Mathematical Sciences (EDT) program is to strengthen the nation's scientific competitiveness by increasing the number of well-prepared U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents who pursue careers in the mathematical sciences and in other professions in which expertise in the mathematical sciences plays an increasingly important role.  The EDT program will achieve this by supporting efforts to enrich research training in the mathematical sciences at the doctoral level by preparing Ph.D. students to recognize and find solutions to mathematical challenges arising in other fields and in areas outside today's academic setting.  Graduate research training activities supported by EDT will prepare participants for a broader range of mathematical opportunities and career paths than has been traditional in U.S. mathematics doctoral training.

 
OtherNSFMPS 
NSF: MPS Opportunities  


OtherNSFDFE 
NSF: ENG Opportunities
National Science Foundation: Crosscutting and Interdisciplinary

NSFCICareer2
Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: July 19, 2017 for BIO, CISE, EHR; July 20, 2017 for ENG; July 21, 2017 for GEO, MPS, SBE
Award Amount: Details below
 
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from early-career faculty at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply. A Principal Investigator (PI) may submit only one CAREER proposal per annual competition. In addition, a Principal Investigator may not participate in more than three CAREER competitions. PIs must be employed in a tenure-track position as an assistant professor as of October 1 after the proposal submission and be untenured as of October 1 following the proposal submission. Associate Professors are not eligible for the CAREER Award program.

The CAREER award, including indirect costs, is expected to total a minimum of $400,000 for the 5-year duration, with the following exceptions: Awards for proposals to the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), or the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) are expected to total a minimum of $500,000 for the 5-year duration.

NSFCISemiSynBio
Semiconductor Synthetic Biology for Information Processing and Storage Technologies (SemiSynBio)
OSP Deadline: October 23, 2017
Sponsor Deadline: October 30, 2017
Award Amount: up to $500,000 per year for three years

NSF has established a partnership with the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) Global Research Collaboration (GRC) program and the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) to announce a solicitation on the "Semiconductor Synthetic Biology for Information Processing and Storage Technologies (SemiSynBio)". Future ultra-low-energy computing, storage and signal-processing systems can be built on principles derived from organic systems that are at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and engineering. New information technologies can be envisioned that are based on biological principles and that use biomaterials in the fabrication of devices and components; it is anticipated that these information technologies could enable stored data to be retained for more than 100 years and storage capacity to be 1,000 times greater than current capabilities. These could also facilitate compact computers that will operate with substantially lower power than today's computers. Research in support of these goals can have a significant impact on advanced information processing and storage technologies. This focused solicitation seeks high-risk/high-return interdisciplinary research on novel concepts and enabling technologies that will address the 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, engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science, computer science, and information science that will enable heretofore-unanticipated breakthroughs as well as meet educational goals.

 
OtherNSFCross2 
Other NSF: Crosscutting and Interdisciplinary Opportunities

_________________________________________

For assistance, please contact:

Erin Hale
Senior Research Development Officer
[email protected] | 617-496-5252

Jennifer Corby
Research Development Officer
[email protected] | 617-495-1590


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