Engineering Information Foundation Grant Program

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 21, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: February 28, 2020

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

 

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

 

 

Open Technology Fund: Internet Freedom Fund

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 21, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 1, 2020 

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

 

The Internet Freedom Fund supports projects and people working on open and accessible technology-centric projects that promote human rights, internet freedom, open societies, and help advance inclusive and safe access to global communications networks for at-risk users including journalists, human rights defenders, civil society activists, and every-day people living within repressive environments who wish to speak freely online.

 

Preference is given to organizations and individuals without a history of prior support, and who have a deep understanding of the surveillance, censorship, and security issues affecting communities from the Global South living in repressive environments. Strong priority goes to projects with the potential for immediate impact and long-term sustainability, and that make intellectual property publicly available via open licensing and open source code. OTF highly values projects that incorporate collaborative partnerships with other organizations and/or individuals within the internet freedom community or their respective area of focus.

Open Technology Fund: Information Controls Fellowship

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

Sponsor Deadline: February 24, 2020

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

 

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

 

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

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

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 28, 2020

Sponsor Pre-Proposal Deadline: March 6, 2020

Award Amount: $1.2M. Indirect costs are not allowed.  This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application.   

 

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

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI): Bridge to Independence Award Program *

Sponsor Letter of Intent Deadline: March 2, 2020

Award Amount: $495,000 over 3 years (including 20% for indirect costs)  activated upon assumption of a tenure-track professorship

Eligibility: Applicants must be currently in a non-independent, mentored, postdoctoral training position with fewer than 6 years of training. Applicants must not have accepted a formal offer for a tenure-track faculty position.

 

The Bridge to Independence (BTI) Award program engages talented early-career scientists in autism research by facilitating their transition to research independence and providing grant funding at the start of their professorships at a U.S. or Canadian research institution. The program's selection process is uniquely designed to enhance the BTI awardees' job prospects by providing a letter that specifies  SFARI  financial commitment to the research project once the BTI awardee has secured a suitable faculty position.

 

The BTI program welcomes applications that span the breadth of science that   SFARI   normally supports, including genetics, molecular mechanisms, circuits and systems, and clinical science. This award is also open to researchers who are not currently working on autism but who are interested in starting research projects in this area and who have expertise that could be brought to bear on this complex disorder.

 

Applicants are not eligible if they are recipients of other career development awards with similar budgetary scopes as the SFARI Bridge to Independence Award.

American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund New Directions Grants

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 6, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 13, 2020

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

 

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

 

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

American Physical Society Innovation Fund *

Preliminary Proposal Application Deadline: March 9, 2020

OSP Deadline: June 8, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): June 15, 2020

Award Amount: Up to $100,000 per year for up to two years

 

The American Physical Society (APS) Innovation Fund provides grants to collaborative projects that support the APS mission "to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics for the benefit of humanity, promote physics, and service the broader physics community". The proposals must align with the society's strategic plan , advance the interests of the physics community, enable creative ideas that are not a continuation of current activities, and provide clear metrics for assessing the expected results.

 

Proposals should not support existing activities or physics research. Proposals could include, but are not limited to:

• A task force, workshop, or study to explore a critical issue facing the physics community
• An innovative public engagement experiment
• A new approach to science advocacy
• A means to advance key APS member interests including diversity, careers, education, or member services
• A path to enable APS to have greater industry engagement or global impact

Any current APS member can submit a preliminary proposal. All proposals must identify at least one partnering Unit or Committee. Up to 10 pre-proposals will be selected to proceed to submission of a full proposal , of which 3-5 projects will receive funding.

 

Eppley Foundation for Research: Support for Advanced Scientific Research

Sponsor LOI Deadline: March 15, 2020

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

 

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

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

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 26, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: April 2, 2020 

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

 

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

Sponsor LOI Deadline: March 30, 2020

Award Amount: up to $450,000 per year for the whole team depending on the size of the team. A maximum of 10% overhead may be charged to the Program Grants. This falls short of the 15% overhead required by FAS/SEAS policy. Please discuss with your grants administrator before preparing an application. The Young Investigator Grants are exempt from this policy.

 

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

 

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

 

Two types of Research Grants are available:

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

Breakthrough Prizes - Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences, and Mathematics *

Sponsor Deadline: April 1, 2020

Review by Harvard OSP not required

Prize Amount: $3,000,000

 

The Breakthrough Prizes recognize major achievements in life sciences, fundamental physics and mathematics, with special attention to recent developments.  

 

One Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics ($3 million) will recognize an individual(s) who has made profound contributions to human knowledge. It is open to all physicists - theoretical, mathematical, and experimental - working on the deepest mysteries of the Universe. The prize can be shared among any number of scientists. Nominations are also being taken for the New Horizons Prize in Physics, which awards $100,000 to junior researchers who have already produced important work in their fields.  Up to three  New Horizons in Physics  Prizes are available for early-career researchers.

 

Up to four Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences ($3 million each) will be awarded to individuals who have made transformative advances in understanding living systems and extending human life. One prize per year is for work contributing to the understanding of Parkinson's Disease & Neurodegenerative Disorders. 

 

One Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics ($3 million) will be awarded to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of mathematics. Nominations are also being taken for the New Horizons Prize in Mathematics, which awards $100,000 to early career mathematicians who have already produced important work in their fields.  Up to three New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes are available for early-career researchers. The Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize ($50,000) will be presented to women mathematicians who have completed their PhDs within the past two years.

 

Nominations:

 

While institutional review is not required, nominators are asked to provide the names of any FAS or SEAS nominees to Erin Hale at  erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu . 

1907 Trailblazer Award *

University Area Pre-Proposal Deadline: March 30, 2020 by 5:00PM

SEAS/FAS/OSP Deadline (if nominated): May 21, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: May 31, 2020

Award Amount: $100,000 for research to be spent over a two-year duration, a $20,000 prize to enhance the economic security of the scientist, and travel & expense coverage for attendance at two annual meetings

 

The 1907 Trailblazer Award was established to encourage high-impact, step-change approaches to research in the brain and mind sciences for mental health. Projects must be grounded in the study of biological mechanisms underlying brain function, cognitive processes, and/or consciousness. The sponsor supports projects for basic science in addition to near-term applications (e.g. disruptive technologies and potential clinical interventions). 

 

Eligibility Criteria:

 

This is a limited submission opportunity and the University Area (Cambridge Campus) may nominate two candidates for this opportunity. FAS and SEAS pre-proposals must be submitted online by March 30, 2020 by 5:00pm via the link above.

Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grants Program *

Harvard Pre-Proposal Deadline: June 1, 2020 by 12 PM

Sponsor Deadline: August 1, 2020

Award Amount: $60,000 per year for up to three years

 

The Mallinckrodt Foundation supports early stage investigators engaged in biomedical research that has the potential to significantly advance the understanding, diagnosis, or treatment of disease. The funds are designed to provide faculty members who hold M.D. and/or Ph.D. degrees, and who are in the first to fourth year of a tenure-track position (appointed on or after August 1, 2016), with support to move the project forward to the point where R01 or other independent funding can be obtained. Applicants with current R01 funding are not eligible to apply.

 

This is a limited submission opportunity and Harvard may put forward only one nominee to submit a proposal. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research will conduct the internal competition to select the Harvard nominee. To be considered for the Harvard nomination, potential applicants must submit an internal pre-proposal via the link above.

BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards *

FAS/SEAS/OSP review not required

Sponsor Nomination Deadline: June 30, 2020

Award Amount: 400,000 euros, a diploma, and a commemorative artwork

 

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards recognize fundamental contributions in a broad array of areas of scientific knowledge, technology, humanities, and artistic creation. The name of the award is intended to denote not only research work that substantially enlarges the scope of our current knowledge-pushing forward the frontiers of the known world-but also the meeting and overlap of different disciplinary areas and the emergence of new fields. 

 

The disciplines and domains of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards are:

Any scientific or cultural organization or institution may nominate more than one candidate, but no candidate may be nominated in more than one award category. The awards are also open to scientific or cultural organizations that can be collectively credited with exceptional contributions. Candidates may be of any nationality. Self-nomination is not permitted.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Essential Open Source Software for Science

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: July 24, 2020

Sponsor Deadlines: August 1, 2020

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

 

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

 

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

Simons Foundation Targeted Grants in Mathematics and Physical Sciences

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

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling

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

 

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

Star-Friedman Challenge for Promising Scientific Research

Deadline: February 28, 2020 by 5:00PM

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

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

 

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

Dean's Competitive Fund for Promising Scholarship *

Deadline: March 10, 2020 by 5:00PM

Award Amount: $5,000 - $50,000
Eligible Applicants: FAS and SEAS assistant, associate and tenured faculty; professors in residence and professors of the practice are also eligible.

 

The Dean's Competitive Fund for Promising Scholarship is a targeted program that provides funding in the following categories:

In addition, the  Inequality in America Initiative will provide an additional increment of bridge and seed funding to support research that will advance our understanding of the causes and consequences of inequality, including its implications for a range of outcomes from economic growth and political stability to crime, public health, family wellbeing, and social trust. The Initiative is especially interested in supporting research projects that engage with the  core themes  of the initiative and that involve any of the following: interdisciplinary collaboration among departments or Harvard schools; new and early career investigators; training opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students. 

The William F. Milton Fund *

Deadline: April 1, 2020

Award Amount: Up to $50,000

Eligible Applicants: Applications are invited from individuals who hold a junior faculty appointment. This includes Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Junior Fellows of the Harvard Society of Fellows.

The Milton Fund supports research projects in the fields of medicine, geography, history and science that promote the physical and material welfare and prosperity of the human race, investigate and determine the value and importance of any discovery or invention, or assist in the discovery and perfecting of any special means of alleviating or curing human disease. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research administers the Milton Fund.

Amazon Machine Learning Research Awards

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

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: TBA

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

Topics J1-J5 are interested in research projects that span from those that focus on exploratory aspects of a unique problem or approaches to those that involve a comprehensive program with interdisciplinary areas. Consistent across all proposals should be the focus on innovative research with the potential for high impact to C-WMD science.

 

The Topics are:

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

 

ESTCP FY2021 Non-Federal Broad Agency Announcement

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

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

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: TBD

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

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

 

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

SERDP FY2021 Non-Federal Broad Agency Announcement

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

Sponsor Deadlines: March 5, 2020 for SEED Solicitation Proposals and invited Core Solicitation Full Proposals

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

The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) is the Department of Defense's (DoD) environmental research and development program, planned and executed in partnership with the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. SERDP supports environmental research relevant to the management and mission of the DoD and supports efforts that lead to the development and application of innovative environmental technologies or methods that improve the environmental performance of DoD by improving outcomes, managing environmental risks, and/or reducing costs or time required to resolve environmental problems. SERDP is interested in receiving pre-proposals in response to its Core Solicitation for research focusing in the areas of Environmental Restoration, Munitions Response, Resource Conservation and Resiliency, and Weapons Systems and Platforms technologies. Proposed research must address SERDP's  Statements of Need  in these areas. SERDP funds research and development programs in basic and applied research and advanced technology development.

 

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

DARPA Atmospheric Water Extraction (AWE)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 5, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 12, 2020

Award Amount: The amount of resources made available under this BAA will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. AWE is divided into two sequential phases: Phase I (Base) for 24 months and Phase II (Option) for 24 months.

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

 

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

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

 

Multiple awards are anticipated.

DARPA Disruption Opportunity (DO): Quest for Undiscovered Energy Storage and Thrust (QUEST) *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 6, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 13, 2020

Award Amount: The total award value for the combined Phase 1 base (Feasibility Study, 6 months, up to $200,000) and Phase 2 option (Proof of Concept, 12 months, up to $800,000) is limited to $1M.

 

DARPA's Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is issuing a Disruption Opportunity (DO) inviting submissions of innovative basic or applied research concepts. The Quest for Undiscovered Energy Storage and Thrust (QUEST) Disruptioneering effort seeks to develop testable theories that remain consistent with, but which also incorporate, conventional gravitational, electromagnetic and quantum frameworks. Theories developed under QUEST should describe new energy and momentum harvesting mechanisms, to include exploiting vacuum energy concepts. The goal is to determine whether there are underexplored or new mechanisms that can be formulated in terms of predictive and testable concepts. Examples of applications of relevance to DoD are numerous and range from deriving energy from controlled nuclear interactions to new forms of propulsion.

 

DARPA expects that proposals will touch on all of the following technical aims:

 

This Disruptioneering Opportunity is issued under the  Program Announcement for Disruptioneering, DARPA-PA-19-02.

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

This program has three primary potential focus areas:

DARPA Wideband Adaptive RF Protection (WARP) *

Sponsor Deadline for Proposal Abstracts (strongly encouraged): March 9, 2020

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

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: April 23, 2020 for the initial round of consideration; proposals will continue to be accepted through May 21, 2020, however proposers are warned that the likelihood of available funding is greatly reduced for proposals submitted after the initial closing date

Award Amount: It is anticipated that $40M of total funding will be awarded across both technical areas, approximately partitioned as follows: $20M for Technical Area 1 (TA1), 3 phases, 48 months, 6.2 funding; and $20M for Technical Area 2 (TA2), 3 phases, 48 months, 6.2 funding. The total program is expected to run 48 months, where Phase 1 and Phase 2 will each be 18 months long, while Phase 3 will last 12 months.

DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) seeks innovative proposals to develop wideband, adaptive RF filters and cancellers that selectively attenuate interference and protect wideband digital radios from saturation. When exposed to interference/self-interference, the filters and cancellers will automatically sense and adapt to the electromagnetic environment through the intelligent control of its adaptive hardware. WARP will ultimately enable the use of wideband software defined radios in congested and contested environments.

 

WARP will be executed across two technical areas (TAs): TA1 - Wideband Adaptive Filtering and TA2 - Wideband Signal Cancellation. Proposers should not propose to more than one Technical Area in a single proposal. Proposers who wish to propose to more than one Technical Area must submit a separate full proposal for each individual Technical Area. Proposals must include all phases for the associated Technical Area.

Multiple awards with a variety of technical approaches in each technical area are anticipated.

DARPA Open Programmable Secure 5G (OPS-5G) *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 10, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 17, 2020

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. OPS-5G is a 4-year program organized into three phases - two 18-month phases followed by a 12-month phase.

DARPA's Information Innovation Office (I2O) is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of open source software and systems enabling secure 5G and follow-on mobile networks such as 6G.

The OPS-5G program consists of four Technical Areas (TAs):

• Technical Area 1: Standards Meet Software
• Technical Area 2: Cross-scale 5G node and network security
• Technical Area 3: Secure slices
• Technical Area 4: Principled programmable defenses

Proposals must address only one TA, but there are no restrictions on the number of proposal submissions. Any combination of TAs (e.g., TA1 and TA4, or TA2, TA3, and TA4) may be awarded to the same proposer. Proposals should encompass all three phases under a single, four-year effort.

 

DARPA anticipates multiple awards for each of TA1, TA2, TA3, and TA4.

ARO Quantum Characterization of Intermediate Scale Systems (QCISS)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 10, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 17, 2020

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

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

 

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

 

Multiple awards are anticipated in both categories.

DARPA No Manning Required, Ship (NOMARS) *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 26, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: April 2, 2020

Award Amount: The total budget for Phase 1 Track A awards is $31M including options, and the total budget for Phase 1 Track B awards is $10M. Track A proposals shall comprise of: a 9-month Phase 1A Base period culminating in a Conceptual Design Review (CoDR); a Phase 1B Option 1, 9-month priced option culminating in a Preliminary Design Review (PDR); and a Phase 1B Option 2, 3-month post-PDR priced option (options are collectively Phase 1B). Track B proposals should consist of a single phase effort with a period of performance not to exceed 14 months, to enable potential integration of Track B solutions into Track A designs for Phase 2A.

DARPA's Tactical Technology Office (TTO)'s No Manning Required, Ship (NOMARS) program will design, build, and field test an unmanned surface ship that can operate autonomously for long durations at sea with no human interventions or underway maintenance. NOMARS will challenge the traditional naval architecture paradigm by starting with a clean-sheet ship design process that eliminates design considerations associated with crew. NOMARS is a two-phased program, but this BAA seeks full proposals for Phase 1 (comprised of two tracks) only. This period will explore the NOMARS design space from Conceptual Design Review (CoDR) through Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and system definition.

 

This BAA encompasses two independent tracks for NOMARS Phase 1:

While multiple proposals against a single track will be considered, DARPA does not intend to select the same prime performer for both Track A and Track B.

 

A future solicitation may be issued in a limited competition among Track A Phase 1B performers to encompass Phase 2:

Multiple awards are anticipated for both tracks.

NRC Research Associateship Program (RAP)

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

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

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

 

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

 

Prospective applicants should carefully read the details and eligibility of the program to which they are applying. Some laboratories have citizenship restrictions (open only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents), and some laboratories have Research Opportunities that are not open to senior applicants (more than 5 years beyond the Ph.D.). When searching for Research Opportunities, applicants may limit their search to only those laboratories which match their eligibility criteria. In addition, applicants should note application deadlines, as not all laboratories participate in all reviews.

• Army Research Office (ARO) - see the ARO Broad Agency Announcement for Fundamental Research for 1 April 2017-31 March 2022
• Office of Naval Research (ONR) - see the FY20 Long Range Broad Agency Announcement for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology
• Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) - see the Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Broad Agency Announcement

FY2020 Research Opportunities in Accelerator Stewardship *

Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline (required): February 21, 2020

SEAS/FAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline: March 27, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: April 3, 2020

Award Amount: Up to $3M. Award ceiling varies by track.

 

The Accelerator Stewardship program's mission is to support fundamental accelerator science and technology development of relevance to many fields beyond HEP and to disseminate accelerator knowledge and training to the broad community of accelerator users and providers.

 

Central goals of Accelerator R&D Stewardship are to:

This FOA focuses on three distinct activities:

• Battery R&D
  • Lithium Ion Batteries Using Silicon-based Anodes Research (AOI 1a)
  • Lithium Ion Batteries Using Silicon-based Anodes Research, Development, and Validation (AOI 1b)
• Electric Drive Technologies
  • Low Cost Electric Traction Drive Systems Using No Heavy Rare Earth Materials (AOI 2)
• Electrification
  • Utility Managed Smart Charging Research and Demonstration (AOI 3)
• Advanced Combustion Engine and Fuels R&D
  • Platinum Group Metals (PGM) Content Reduction to Enable Cost-Effective Aftertreatment for Gasoline and Diesel Engines (AOI 4)
  • Improved Efficiency of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Natural Gas and Propane (LPG) Engines (AOI 5)
  • Research to Transform the Efficiency of Off-Road Vehicles (AOI 6a)
  • Efficient Agricultural Vehicle Research, Development, and Validation (AOI 6b)
  • Two-Stroke, Opposed Piston Engine Research and Development
• Materials Technology (AOI 7)
  • Lightweight and High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Vehicle Applications (AOI 8)
• Energy Efficient Mobility Systems
  • Improving Transportation System Efficiency Through Better Utilization (AOI 9)
  • Enabling Vehicle and Infrastructure Connectivity (AOI 10)
  • Improving Mobility, Affordability, and Energy Efficiency Through Transit (AOI 11)
• Technology Integration
  • Gaseous Fuels Technology Demonstration Projects (AOI 12)
  • Alternative Fuel Proof-of-Concept in New Communities and Fleets (AOI 13)
  • Electric Vehicle and Charging Community Partner Projects (AOI 14)
  • Technology Integration Open Topic (AOI 15)
• Analysis
  • Transportation and Energy Analysis (AOI 16)

• Topic 1: Electrolyzer Manufacturing R&D
• Topic 2: Advanced Carbon Fiber for Compressed Hydrogen and Natural Gas Storage Tanks
• Topic 3: Fuel Cell R&D for Heavy Duty Applications
  • Subtopic 3a: Membranes for Heavy-Duty Applications
  • Subtopic 3b: Domestically Manufactured Fuel Cells for Heavy-Duty Applications
• Topic 4: H2@Scale New Markets R&D-HySteel
• Topic 5: H2@Scale New Markets Demonstrations
  • Subtopic 5a: Maritime Demonstrations
  • Subtopic 5b: Data Center Demonstrations
• Topic 6: Training and Workforce Development for Emerging Hydrogen Technologies

Collaborative Research on International and Domestic Spherical Tokamaks *

Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline (required): February 27, 2020

SEAS/FAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline: March 26, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: April 2, 2020

Award Amount: Up to $2M/year for 5 years

 

The DOE SC program in Fusion Energy Sciences announces its interest in receiving grant applications for collaborative research on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, as well as other international and domestic spherical tokamak facilities. This FOA will be one of two accepting applications for research pertaining to spherical tokamaks in Fiscal Year 2020. Only applications for collaborative research on international and domestic spherical tokamaks should be submitted to this FOA. Applicants may wish to search for DE-FOA-0002255 to see the details of the other FOA supporting research in spherical tokamaks.

 

The Spherical Tokamak program helps to build the scientific foundations for fusion energy by both contributing to the fundamental understanding of magnetically confined plasmas and assessing the attractiveness of the spherical tokamak for future fusion facilities. Applications for collaborative research must support the Spherical Tokamak program by addressing key scientific issues related to one or more of the following topics: Macroscopic Stability, Multi-Scale Transport Physics, Plasma Boundary Interfaces, Plasma Waves and Energetic Particles, and Advanced Operating Scenarios and Control.

 

 

National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade: Diagnostic Measurements of Spherical Tokamak Plasmas *

Sponsor Pre-Application Deadline (required): February 27, 2020

SEAS/FAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline: March 26, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline: April 2, 2020

Award Amount:

 

The DOE SC program in Fusion Energy Sciences announces its interest in receiving grant applications for plasma diagnostic instruments on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. This FOA will be one of two accepting applications for research pertaining to spherical tokamaks in Fiscal Year 2020. Only applications for collaborative research focused on implementing and operating a diagnostic instrument and analyzing the resulting NSTX-U data should be submitted to this FOA. Applicants may wish to search for DE-FOA-0002259 to see the details of the other FOA supporting research in spherical tokamaks.

 

The Spherical Tokamak program helps to build the scientific foundations for fusion energy by both contributing to the fundamental understanding of magnetically confined plasmas and assessing the attractiveness of the spherical tokamak for future fusion facilities. Applications for collaborative research must support the Spherical Tokamak program by addressing key scientific issues related to one or more of the following topics: Macroscopic Stability, Multi-Scale Transport Physics, Plasma Boundary Interfaces, Plasma Waves and Energetic Particles, and Advanced Operating Scenarios and Control.

 

• Topic Area 1 - Exploration RD&D: Hidden Geothermal Systems in the Basin and Range
• Topic Area 2 - Advanced Energy Storage Initiative (AESI): Bi-directional Energy Storage Using Low-Temperature Geothermal Applications

• Topic 1: Scale Up of Bench Applications (SCUBA)
• Topic 2: Waste to Energy Strategies for the Bioeconomy
• Topic 3: Algae Bioproducts and CO₂ Direct-Air-Capture Efficiency (ABCDE)
• Topic 4: Bio-Restore: Biomass to Restore Natural Resources
• Topic 5: Efficient Wood Heaters
• Topic 6: Biopower and Products from Urban and Suburban Wastes: North American Multi-University Partnership for Research and Education
• Topic 7: Scalable CO₂ Electrocatalysis

Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2020 Funding Program *

Sponsor LOI Deadline for Topic Areas 1-7: March 9, 2020

Sponsor LOI Deadline for Topic Area 8: March 16, 2020

Sponsor Concept Paper Deadline for Topic Areas 1-7 (Topic Area 8 SIPS applicants DO NOT submit a Concept Paper): March 16, 2020

SEAS/FAS/OSP Full Proposal Deadline: May 14, 2020

Sponsor Full Proposal Deadline for all Topic Areas: May 21, 2020

Award Amount: Individual awards may vary between $300,000 and $39M. Award ceiling varies by topic area. Cost sharing of at least 20% of the total allowable costs is required for R&D projects and cost sharing of at least 50% of the total allowable costs is required for demonstration and commercial application projects.

 

The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) works across the solar energy technology spectrum with the goal of improving the affordability, reliability, and performance of solar technologies on the grid. Ensuring that more Americans can benefit from the declining costs of solar is one of SETO's primary goals, which support early-stage research, development, and demonstration of solar technologies. Achieving SETO's priorities across the solar energy technology landscape requires sustained, multifaceted innovation.

 

With this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the office intends to fund high-impact, early-stage research in the following areas:

 

Research for Innovative Emission Reduction Technologies Related to Coal Combustion Residuals *

SEAS/FAS/OSP Deadline: March 30, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: April 6, 2020

Award Amount: Up to $1M. Cost sharing of at least 20% is required.

 

This FOA supports the DOE Office of Fossil Energy's mission of helping the United States meet its continued need for secure and reasonably priced and environmentally sound fossil energy supplies. R&D under this FOA is intended to increase the beneficial use and advance the management of coal combustion residuals (CCR), thereby reducing the volume of CCR needed to be disposed of in impoundments while protecting the environment and the health and safety of the public. In light of recent CCR rulemaking, projects funded under this FOA must perform R&D to address a technology gap that would economically achieve an objective as described in the two areas of interest (AOIs) as follows:

 

Other DOE Opportunities

• Request for Information: Biomass Co-Firing Impacts on Carbon Capture
  - March 3, 2020*
• Request for Information: Prediction of Solar Variability for Better Grid Integration - March 4, 2020*
• Critical Components for Coal FIRST Power Plants of the Future - March 30, 2020*
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: Workforce Development in Emerging Fields
• FY 2020 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program, Department of Energy, Office of Science - September 30, 2020 or until replaced by a successor FOA
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), Electrolyzer and Hybrid Technology Development *
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled:Engineering Scale Testing for Carbon Capture from Coal- and Natural Gas-Based Flue Gas and Initial Engineering Design for Industrial Sources *
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: Connected Communities*
• Notice of Intent to Issue 2 Coal FIRST Funding Opportunity Announcements
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: BOTTLE: Bio-Optimized Technologies to Keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: Extreme Environment Materials for Power Generation
• Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled: University Training and Research for Fossil Energy Applications

NASA Space Technology - Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2020 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2020): Early Career Faculty (ECF) Appendix *

Sponsor Deadline for Notices of Intent (strongly encouraged): February 26, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 18, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: March 25, 2020

Award Amount: The typical annual award value is $200,000; though smaller amounts may be proposed. The amount in any year may not exceed $220,000 and is subject to a maximum limit of $600,000 for three years. The maximum award duration will be three years.

 

NASA's Early Career Faculty (ECF) program is focused on supporting outstanding faculty researchers early in their careers as they conduct innovative, early-stage space technology research of high priority to NASA's Mission Directorates. This Appendix seeks proposals on specific space technologies that are currently at low Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). It is the intent of the Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program and this Early Career Faculty opportunity to foster interactions between NASA and the awarded universities/PIs. Therefore, collaboration/interaction with NASA researchers should be expected while conducting space technology under these awards.

 

To be eligible, the PI must be an untenured Assistant Professor on the tenure track at the sponsoring U.S. university at the time of award. If the PI's appointment is scheduled to change to Associate Professor (either tenure-track or tenured) on or before the award date, he/she is not eligible for an ECF award. The PI must be a U.S. citizen or have lawful status of permanent residency (i.e., holder of a U.S. Permanent Resident Card, also referred to as a Green Card) no later than August 1 following the proposal submission deadline.

 

This Appendix exclusively seeks proposals that are responsive to one of the following four topics:

NASA plans to make approximately 8 awards.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Multiple awards are anticipated.

Dual Use Technology Development Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) at Stennis Space Center 2020 *

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

Sponsor Deadline for Notices of Intent (required): Rolling through September 30, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals (if invited): TBA

Award Amount: SSC resource contribution awards will range from $10,000 to $300,000, and must be matched or exceeded by Offeror contributions. SSC contributions to the Offeror can be cash, in-kind (non-cash) resources or a combination of each. The Period of Performance is up to 12 months.

 

This Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) supports identification and implementation of cost-sharing partnerships with commercial firms, academic institutions, and nonprofit institutions to develop technology to meet a specific NASA need at the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC). SSC is the primary NASA rocket propulsion testing center. SSC tests items ranging from multi-engine stages to individual components of rocket engines. Propulsion test customers include NASA, the Department of Defense and the commercial space launch industry. SSC manages a large federal city that is home to over forty federal, state, university and industry entities. SSC manages a restricted airspace that is available for development, testing and operation of unmanned aerial vehicles. SSC engineering laboratories design and test electronics, sensors, algorithms and mechanical components.

 

SSC technology interests, include, but are not limited to, the following:

Unsolicited Proposals

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

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through September 30, 2020

Award Amount: Proposed budget should be commensurate with the scope of the project.

 

NASA encourages the submission of unique and innovative proposals that will further the Agency's mission. While the vast majority of proposals are solicited, a small number of unsolicited proposals that cannot be submitted to those solicitations and yet are still relevant to NASA are reviewed and some are funded each year. Proposals should be submitted at least six months in advance of the desired starting date.

 

Before any effort is expended in preparing a proposal, potential proposers should:

After those three things have been done, the proposer may contact an appropriate NASA person to determine whether NASA has any interest in the type of work being proposed and if any funding is currently available. Proposals should be submitted at least six months in advance of the desired starting date.

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

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

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

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

 

This announcement is for the development of experiment hardware with enhanced capabilities; modification of existing hardware to enable increased efficiencies (crew time, power, etc.); development of tools that allow analyses of samples and specimens on orbit; enhanced ISS infrastructure capabilities (eg, communications or data processing); and specific technology demonstration projects. Submission of a white paper is recommended in advance of a full proposal.

 

Within the NASA International Space Station (ISS) Research Integration Office, the Technology and Science Research Office (TSRO) and Commercial Space Utilization Office (CSUO) act as "gateways" to the ISS. The Technology and Science Research Office serves as the gateway for NASA-funded technology demonstrations. The Commercial Space Utilization Office serves as the gateway for non-NASA government-funded investigations, as well as non-profit or commercially-funded investigations.

 

Proposed technology demonstrations submitted to TSRO should address at least one of the technology areas mentioned in the ISS Technology Demonstration Plans .

NASA also seeks technological concepts via CSUO related to the National Lab Thrust Areas and to expand the onboard research and analytical capabilities. The general thrust areas are:

• Innovative uses of the ISS or ISS hardware that leverage existing capabilities to stimulate both utilization of the ISS and economic development in the U.S.
• Other improvements to existing ISS capabilities, including but not limited to infrastructure, in situ analytical tools, and communication/data transmittal, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the technology demonstrations and science investigations performed on the ISS.
• Unique partnering arrangements that leverage NASA's existing capabilities but increase the commercial participation in research and on board services. 

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

Other NASA Opportunities

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

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

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

Sponsor Deadline: June 16 and October 16, annually

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

 

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

 

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

 

Exploring the NSF 2026 Idea Machine *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission of a full proposal
Sponsor Deadline: March 1, 2020 (EAGER Research Concept Outlines); March 15, 2020 (Conference Proposals)
Award Amount: up to $100,000 over up to 1 year (Conference Proposals); up to $300,000 over up to 2 years (EAGER Proposals)

 

NSF seeks to further explore the pool of ideas submitted to the NSF 2026 Idea Machine, for the purpose of framing new potential areas for NSF investment. This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) invites the submission of proposals for Conferences, and EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGERs), following the themes that emerged in the top group of Idea Machine entries . The submitted Idea Machine entries were in the form of short concept outlines and videos rather than full-length research proposals. To develop these conceptual descriptions into actionable research agendas that include sets of specific research questions, NSF seeks proposals for catalytic activities in the form of:

 

 

Opportunities for participation by undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, K-12 students, industry representatives, and others are encouraged. NSF welcomes proposals that include efforts to broaden participation of underrepresented groups (women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) in the development of the research agendas. Reflecting the Idea Machine concept, NSF seeks proposals on topics that cross disciplinary boundaries. Each proposal submitted in response to this DCL should be grounded in a compelling, cross-disciplinary research challenge in line with one or more of the top-ranked Idea Machine entries. The proposal should address the current state of the research challenge and describe an integrated strategy for addressing the challenge. Proposals must identify which concepts from among the  33 entries   the activity proposes to enrich or extend.

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

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

 

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

 

 

Research Opportunities for the Directorate for Engineering in Artificial Intelligence

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

 

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

 

 

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

NSF/NSFC Joint Research on Environmental Sustainability Challenges

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 28, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 6, 2020

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

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

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

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

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: February 21, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 1, 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through March 30, 2020

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

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

Secure Analog-RF Electronics and Electromagnetics (SARE) *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 30, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: April 6, 2020
Award Amount: up to $300,000 over up to 2 years

 

With this Dear Colleague Letter, the Directorate for Engineering and the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences of the National Science Foundation announce their interest in receiving EArly-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) proposals to support research in fundamental theory, design, algorithm, and experimental verification of RF, analog, and mixed-signal techniques that will significantly enhance and ensure the security of electronic devices. To encourage convergence in research, PIs are expected to submit proposals demonstrating complementary expertise to tackle the challenging security problems involving multiple disciplines. Examples of research topics include novel RF, analog, and mixed-signal approaches to:

 

 

Proposals must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the guidance for EAGER proposals contained in Chapter II.E.2 of the  NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide   (PAPPG). This includes discussing the proposal with at least one of the program directors listed below well before submission, and establishing that the project satisfies the high-risk/high-return expectations for EAGERs. In addition, as stated above, proposals are expected to demonstrate sufficient complementary expertise to tackle the challenging security problems. Proposals may then be submitted to the program of one of the program directors contacted, with the prefix "EAGER: SARE: [title]". Proposals will be evaluated as received. For consideration for funding in Fiscal Year 2020, proposals must be submitted by April 6, 2020. 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

2020 CHE International Supplement

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

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through May 1, 2020

Award Amount: Budget and budget justification required. 

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

In this context, the Division of Chemistry is inviting requests for supplemental funding from its existing awardees who may wish to add a new, or strengthen an existing, international dimension of their award when such collaboration advances the field of chemistry and enhances the U.S. investigator's own research and/or education objectives.  Principal Investigators supported by NSF Division of Chemistry awards are advised to consult with their cognizant NSF program director prior to submitting a supplemental funding request. 

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

 

MPS/DMS-EPSRC Lead Agency Opportunity in Mathematical Sciences

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

Sponsor Deadline: varies by opportunity

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

 

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

Please Note:   At least two months in advance of the date the proposers expect to submit a formal proposal, an expression of interest/white paper must be submitted to their prospective lead agency. 

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

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

 

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

The goals of these supplements are the following:

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

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 5, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 12, 2020

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

Computer Science for All (CSforAll: Research and RPPs) *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: April 6, 2020
Sponsor Deadline: April 13, 2020
Award Amount: up to $300,000 for up to 2 years (Small RPPs); up to $1M for up to 3 years (Medium RPPs); up to $2M for up to 4 years (Large RPPs); up to $500,000 for up to 3 years (Research proposals)

 

This program aims to provide all U.S. students with the opportunity to participate in computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) education in their schools at the preK-12 levels. With this solicitation, NSF focuses on both research and researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPs) that foster the research and development needed to bring CS and CT to all schools. Specifically, this solicitation aims to provide (1) high school teachers with the preparation, professional development (PD) and ongoing support they need to teach rigorous computer science courses; (2) preK-8 teachers with the instructional materials and preparation they need to integrate CS and CT into their teaching; and (3) schools and districts with the resources needed to define and evaluate multi-grade pathways in CS and CT.

This program supports (1) researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPs) and (2) research with the goal of building knowledge from research and development to support efforts that aim to provide opportunities for all students to participate in CS and CT formal STEM learning at the pre-k, elementary, middle, and high school grade levels. Proposals will be funded in four "strands" that foster design, implementation at scale, and/or research:

RPP Strands:

For the Research Strand, the focus is on building strategically instrumental, or "high leverage" knowledge about the learning and teaching of introductory computer science to support key CS and CT understandings and abilities for all students.

 

Expeditions in Computing *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline for Preliminary Proposal: June 9, 2020

Sponsor Deadline for Preliminary Proposal: June 16, 2020
Award Amount: up to $15,000,000 for durations of seven years

 

The Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering has established the Expeditions in Computing (Expeditions) program to provide the CISE research and education community with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, fundamental research agendas that promise to define the future of computing and information. In planning Expeditions projects, investigators are encouraged to come together within or across departments or institutions to combine their creative talents in the identification of compelling, transformative research agendas that promise disruptive innovations in computer and information science and engineering for many years to come. Together with the Science and Technology Centers that CISE supports, Expeditions projects form the centerpiece of the directorate's center-scale award portfolio. With awards funded at levels that promote the formation of large research teams, CISE recognizes that concurrent research advances in multiple fields or sub-fields are often necessary to stimulate deep and enduring outcomes. The awards made in this program will complement research areas supported by other CISE programs, which target particular computer and information science and engineering fields. 

Additionally, CISE offers Innovation Transition (InTrans) awards for teams nearing the end of their Expeditions as well as Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) Frontier projects. The goal of InTrans is to continue the long-term vision and objectives of CISE's center-scale projects. Through InTrans awards, CISE will provide limited funds to match industry support. InTrans proposals can be submitted on a rolling basis beginning on April 25.

Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD)

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 11, 2020
Sponsor Deadline: March 18, 2020
Award Amount: Anticipated funding amount is $3,000,000 annually. Estimated number of awards and funding amounts are subject to the availability of funds.

 

The Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD) program supports research on new ways to use spatiotemporal datasets to develop quantitative models of human dynamics. The objectives include improved representation of complicated group dynamics and the development of algorithms that can process data in near real-time to accurately identify unusual events and forecast future threats indicated by those events. The ATD program will support research projects in two topical areas:

The Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency recognize the needs and opportunities for the mathematical sciences community to develop methodology for reducing threats from a variety of sources. This program seeks ambitious and creative research proposals from individual investigators and collaborative groups in the mathematical sciences community. Research collaborations among mathematical scientists and social, behavioral, and economic scientists on the first topic are encouraged.

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

Reproducible Cells and Organoids via Directed-Differentiation Encoding (RECODE) *

FAS/SEAS/OSP Letter of Intent Deadline: February 24, 2020

Sponsor Letter of Intent Deadline: March 2, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: April 23, 2020
Sponsor Deadline: April 30, 2020
Award Amount: $1M-$1.5M over up to 4 years

 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET) seeks proposals that elucidate mechanisms of, and develop strategies to, direct the differentiation of undifferentiated cells into mature, functional cells or organoids. Projects responsive to this solicitation must aim to establish a robust and reproducible set of differentiation design rules, predictive models, real-time sensing, control, and quality assurance methods, and integrate them into a workable differentiation strategy. They must develop a fundamental understanding of how cells develop, including mechanisms, molecular machinery, dynamics, and cell-cell interactions, and use this understanding to manipulate cells purposefully. Investigators can choose any undifferentiated cell type, from any animal species, as a starting point and choose any appropriate functional product (cell, organoid, etc.) with real-world relevance. This solicitation parallels NSF's investment in  Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL): Predicting Phenotype , NSF's Big Idea focused on predicting the set of observable characteristics (phenotype) of an organism based on its genetic makeup and the nature of its environment and applies it to understanding and accomplishing the intentional and guided differentiation of an undifferentiated cell into cells, organoids or tissues with predetermined activities and functions.

 

The convergence of many disciplines is necessary to answer the fundamental questions and devise the tools needed to realize truly deterministic cell induction and differentiation strategies. As such, investigators are encouraged to form interdisciplinary teams with expertise in developmental biology, stem cell biology, cell biology, engineering, synthetic and systems biology, computation, sensing, and physics. Proposals will not be responsive to this solicitation if they address only one aspect of the differentiation process or aim to create a functional living product without improving our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie developmental processes. The solicitation will support teams of three or more PI/co-PIs and senior personnel. Proposals with only one PI or one PI with one other senior personnel are not permitted.

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

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

Sponsor Deadline: rolling until March 2, 2020

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

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

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

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

Sponsor Deadline: rolling until March 2, 2020

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

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

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

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

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

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling; a Research Concept Outline (RCO) must be submitted to  ENGUKRI@nsf.gov  at least 60 days prior to the submission of a full proposal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling until February 26, 2020

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

The NRI-2.0 program builds upon the original National Robotics Initiative (NRI) program to support fundamental research in the United States that will accelerate the development and use of collaborative robots (co-robots). A co-robot is a robot whose main purpose is to work with people or other robots to accomplish a goal. An ideal co-robot is an adaptable partner, not limited to a narrow set of specified interactions or functions, but able to significantly enhance team performance despite changes in its role, its teammates, or the team's collective goals. The focus of the NRI-2.0 program is on ubiquity, which in this context means seamless integration of co-robots to assist humans in every aspect of life.

The program supports four main research themes that are envisioned to advance the goal of ubiquitous co-robots: scalability, customizability, lowering barriers to entry, and societal impact, including human safety. Topics addressing scalability include how robots can collaborate effectively with orders of magnitude more humans or other robots than is handled by the current state of the art; how robots can perceive, plan, act, and learn in uncertain, real-world environments, especially in a distributed fashion; and how to facilitate large-scale, safe, robust and reliable operation of robots in complex environments. Customizability includes how to enable co-robots to adapt to specific different tasks, environments, or people, with minimal modification to hardware and software; how robots can personalize their interactions with people; and how robots can communicate naturally with humans, both verbally and non-verbally. Topics in lowering barriers to entry should focus on lowering the barriers for conducting fundamental robotics research and research on integrated robotics application. This may include development of open-source co-robot hardware and software, as well as widely-accessible testbeds. Outreach or using robots in educational programs do not, by themselves, lower the barriers to entry for robotics research. Topics in societal impact include fundamental research to establish and infuse robotics into educational curricula, advance the robotics workforce through education pathways, and explore the social, economic, ethical, security, and legal implications of our future with ubiquitous collaborative robots. Collaboration between academic, industry, non-profit, and other organizations is encouraged to establish better linkages between fundamental science and engineering and technology development, deployment, and use.

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

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: March 2, 2020

Sponsor Deadline: March 9, 2020

Award Amount: Two classes of proposals will be considered through this solicitation: FW-HTF Planning Grants (FW-HTF-P) may be requested for a total budget not to exceed $150,000 for a period of 1 year. FW-HTF Research Grants (FW-HTF-R) may be requested at two levels: Medium FW-HTF-R proposals may request support for a period of up to 3 years, with a total budget not to exceed $1,500,000. Large FW-HTF-R proposals may request support for a period of up to 4 years, with a total budget between $1,500,001 and $3,000,000

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

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

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

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

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling until March 16, 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

NSF-Simons Research Collaborations on the Mathematical and Scientific Foundations of Deep Learning (MoDL)*

Sponsor Deadline for Letter of Intent: March 20, 2020

FAS/SEAS/OSP Deadline: April 23, 2020
Sponsor Deadline: April 30, 2020
Award Amount: up to $2M over five years

The NSF-Simons Research Collaborations on the Mathematical and Scientific Foundations of Deep Learning (MoDL) is a new program that expects to fund two projects of up to five years duration from this one-time call for proposals. The National Science Foundation Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Engineering (ENG), and the Simons Foundation Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences will jointly sponsor up to two new research collaborations consisting of mathematicians, statisticians, electrical engineers, and theoretical computer scientists. Please note that the order of the communities is arbitrary and is not meant to emphasize any one discipline over another. This program complements NSF's   National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes   program by supporting collaborative research focused on the mathematical and scientific foundations of Deep Learning through a different modality and at a different scale. 

Successful projects are expected to have a cohesive set of goals and a convincing plan that shows that substantial progress will be made in research activities focused on explicit topics involving some of the most challenging questions in the general area of Mathematical and Scientific Foundations of Deep Learning. Projects are required to bring together theories and approaches from theoretical computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, and statistics and each project must clearly demonstrate substantial collaborative contributions from members of these four communities. Each project team will conduct training through the research involvement of recent doctoral degree recipients, graduate students, and/or undergraduate students from across this multi-disciplinary spectrum. While the scientific focus must be on the theoretical foundations, relevance to application domains and industry is also important. Projects are encouraged to leverage, as resources, existing NSF investments such as  Big Data Regional Innovation Hubs ,  Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes ,  Engineering Research Centers ,  Science and Technology Centers ,  Cyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation (CSSI) , and   Transdisciplinary Research in Principles of Data Science (TRIPODS) Institutes   as appropriate through collaborations or partnerships.

 

Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Enabled by Future Technologies

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

 

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