Completed

1. F. Duka ( Gastrointestinal Microbiology)
2. One slot is still available.

The Equipment Grants Program (EGP) serves to increase access to shared-use special purpose equipment/instruments for fundamental and applied research for use in the food and agricultural sciences programs at institutions of higher education, including State Cooperative Extension Systems. The program seeks to strengthen the quality and expand the scope of fundamental and applied research at eligible institutions, by providing them with opportunities to acquire one shared-use piece of equipment/instrument that supports their research, research training, and extension goals and may be too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NIFA grant programs. EGP grants are not intended to replace requests for equipment in individual project applications. The program emphasizes shared-use instrumentation that will enhance the capabilities of researchers, educators, and extension specialists both within and outside the proposing organization.

Proposals to the EGP must involve acquisition of a single, well-integrated piece of equipment/instrument. Well-integrated means that the ensemble of equipment that defines the instrument enables specific fundamental or applied research experiments in the food and agricultural sciences, including data science and data systems; separating or removing an element or component of such an integrated instrument would preclude that research from occurring or succeeding. An instrument acquired with support from EGP is expected to be fully operational by the conclusion of the first year of the project. 

• C. Roman Palacios  (School of Information)
• R. Schomer (Plant Sciences)
• S. Sullivan (Chemical & Environmental Engineering)
• J.Green (Environmental Science)
• A. Mallik (Geosciences)
• M. Taylor (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

UA may submit up to three candidates per eligible department. Please note the Department of Astronomy will hold its internal competition. Please contact the department head for more information.

The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. These $75,000, two-year fellowships are awarded to researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field. Successful candidates for a Fellowship generally have a strong record of significant independent research accomplishments that demonstrate creativity and the potential to become future leaders in the scientific community.

Eligibility:

• Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in chemistry, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, physics, or a related field.
• Candidates must be tenure-track, though untenured, as of September 15, 2023.
• Candidate’s faculty position must carry a regular teaching obligation.

In keeping with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's longstanding support of underrepresented minorities in the sciences, the Foundation strongly encourages the nomination of qualified women and minority candidates.

M. Chamberland (Maricopa County Cooperative Extension)

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust supports education and research in ornamental horticulture through grants to botanical gardens, arboreta, universities, and other charitable organizations strongly-aligned with its funding interests.

Research 
The advancement of research in ornamental horticulture and the publication of the results of such research. Examples include:

• trial/evaluation gardens for horticultural potential of selected plants in a region
• discerning appropriate cultural techniques and best horticultural practices for a specific group of plants
• laboratory freezer for DNA samples

Public gardens
Assisting in the creation, development, preservation, and maintenance of gardens accessible to the public for educational purposes. Examples include:

• new or revised home demonstration gardens or beds
• resurfacing garden trails for all-weather accessibility or ADA compliance
• damage remediation following a natural disaster

Ornamental Plants
Promotion of the environmentally responsible introduction, cultivation, and distribution of plants which have ornamental horticultural value. Examples include:

• testing potential new ornamentals for invasiveness
• promotion and demonstration of the use of local native ornamentals in local or home landscaping
• collections management software for ornamentals

Publications
Assisting in the publication of books or other works relating to ornamental horticulture. Examples include:

• guide to appropriate ornamentals for local and regional landscaping
• guide to best practices for controlling diseases and pests in ornamentals
• online publication of horticultural inventory for public access

Education

Informal and/or formal educational activities that further ornamental horticulture. Examples include:

• classes and workshops on developing and maintaining home gardens
• garden signage that notes cultural requirements, water- or fire-wise properties, or aesthetic attributes of plants
• horticultural internships
• construction or remodeling of educational facilities

No Applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 


UArizona may submit one proposal as the lead organization of a collaborative project on only one submission per cycle, regardless of track, but may serve as the non-lead organization of a collaborative project more than once per cycle.

The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) supports the Pathways into the Geosciences - Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric Sciences (GEOPAths) funding opportunity. GEOPAths invites proposals that specifically address the current needs and opportunities related to education, learning, training and professional development within the geosciences community through the formation of STEM Learning Ecosystems that engage students in the study of the Earth, its oceans, polar regions and atmosphere. The primary goal of the GEOPAths funding opportunity is to increase the number of students pursuing undergraduate and/or postgraduate degrees through the design and testing of novel approaches that engage students in authentic, career-relevant experiences in geoscience. In order to broaden participation in the geosciences, engaging students from historically excluded groups or from non-geoscience degree programs is a priority. This solicitation features three funding tracks that focus on Geoscience Learning Ecosystems (GLEs):

1. GEOPAths: Informal Networks (IN). Collaborative projects in this track will support geoscience learning and experiences in informal settings for teachers, pre-college (e.g., upper level high school) students, and early undergraduates in the geosciences.
2. GEOPAths: Undergraduate Preparation (UP). Projects in this track will engage pre-college and undergraduate students in extra-curricular experiences and training in the geosciences with a focus on service learning and workplace skill building.
3. GEOPAths: Graduate Opportunities (GO). Projects in this track will improve research and career-related pathways into the geosciences for undergraduate and graduate students through institutional collaborations with a focus on service learning and workplace skill building.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

The PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Drug Discovery Targets and Pathways supports individuals engaged in a multidisciplinary, collaborative research training program at an accredited U.S. university that will extend their credentials in drug discovery research. 

Successful drug discovery involves the innovative application and integration of multiple scientific disciplines to create efficacious, safe, and differentiated treatment options for patients. The PhRMA Foundation seeks to fund novel early-stage, exploratory drug discovery research with the potential for translation to humans, including biological validation of potential drug targets, signaling pathways, or mechanisms of disease.  
Research topics could include, but are not limited to:   

• Genomics and Proteomics  
• Cellular and Molecular Biology  
• Design and Generation of Pharmacological Tools   
• In Vitro and/or In Vivo Pharmacology  
• Protein Biochemistry  
• Molecular Modelling  
• Structural Biology  
• Cell Imaging  
• Single Cell Analysis  
• Artificial Intelligence and Computational Approaches  

Projects that focus exclusively on single aspects such as identification of and development of assays for single targets, chemical probes, biomarkers, chemical library screening, or diagnostics will not be considered for review. Project aims should have a high likelihood of completion in the award timeframe.

Eligibility

• Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must be based at a PhD and/or MS degree-granting accredited U.S. university. 
• Applicants have a firm commitment from a research supervisor or sponsor at their university.  
• Applicants must hold a PhD, PharmD, MD, or appropriate terminal research doctorate. If you do not hold one at the time of application submission, please state in your extended letter when you expect to receive it, as it must be received before funding can begin. Funding can begin as early as January 1, 2024, or as late as August 1, 2024.  
• Applicants must be within their first five years of postdoctoral study at the time of award activation. 
• Applicants who are applying for funds to support postdoctoral work in the laboratory where their graduate work was performed will be given lower preference. One of the objectives of this fellowship is to gain new skills, and therefore, an ideal candidate will be conducting their research in a new laboratory and not where their graduate work was performed. 
• The Foundation will not consider multiple applications for similar efforts on the same project. For instance, if a predoc, postdoc, and faculty member from the same lab are all submitting applications for proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities and not duplicative.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

UArizona may submit one application per lab may apply for this award. 

The PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery supports individuals engaged in a multidisciplinary, collaborative research training program at an accredited U.S. university that will extend their credentials in drug delivery research, including basic pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, or biomedical engineering.  Successful proposals in Drug Delivery emphasize the quantitative understanding of the principles, pathways, and/or mechanisms underlying improved or optimized: 

• formulation composition and delivery modalities/technologies that enable more favorable transport (absorption, targeting, elimination) of drugs; and/or 
• drug dosage forms that can be manufactured to achieve higher quality, lower cost, and greater stability or flexibility. 

Today’s drugs include biologics, small molecules, and cell and gene therapy. Delivering increasingly complex drugs demands thorough understanding of technologies and formulation approaches. 
Research that focuses on findings that can be generalized to other systems will be prioritized. Testing the delivery of a single drug by one approach is less preferred. 

Eligibility

• Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must be based at a PhD and/or MS degree-granting accredited U.S. university. 
• Applicants have a firm commitment from a research supervisor or sponsor at their university.  
• Applicants must hold a PhD, PharmD, MD, or appropriate terminal research doctorate. If you do not hold one at the time of application submission, please state in your extended letter when you expect to receive it, as it must be received before funding can begin. Funding can begin as early as January 1, 2024, or as late as August 1, 2024.  
• Applicants must be within their first five years of postdoctoral study at the time of award activation. 
• Applicants who are applying for funds to support postdoctoral work in the laboratory where their graduate work was performed will be given lower preference. One of the objectives of this fellowship is to gain new skills, and therefore, an ideal candidate will be conducting their research in a new laboratory and not where their graduate work was performed. 
• The Foundation will not consider multiple applications for similar efforts on the same project. For instance, if a predoc, postdoc, and faculty member from the same lab are all submitting applications for proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities and not duplicative.  

1. H.J. Kim (Civil Engineering-Engineering Mechanics)
2. M. Tfail (Environmental Science) 
3. M. Chertkov (Applied Mathematics)

UA may submit three pre-proposals to this funding program.
 

Applications must focus on addressing basic research challenges motivated by the Energy Earthshots listed above. The scope of the Energy Earthshots are described below. This FOA is a collaborative effort across three SC research programs: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, and Biological and Environmental Research. Program descriptions follow below. Multi-disciplinary applications are encouraged, addressing more than one SC research program. Additionally, the following common considerations apply to all Energy Earthshots:

Applicants should consider how innovative high-performance and scientific-computing techniques can contribute to advancing the goals of the proposed research. Applicants should also leverage the applications and software technologies developed by DOE’s Exascale Computing Project (ECP)10 to make use of computing at all scales. Applicants should also consider how to leverage data, software, models, and other information from recent and concurrent activities, including those funded by SC, other DOE departmental elements, and other agencies. SC resources include, but are not limited to, those with the Public Reusable Research (PuRe) Data designation11. Applicants are encouraged to consult the references posted on each Energy Earthshot’s webpage for information on other potentially-leverageable resources. 

R. Hossein ( Aerospace-Mechanical Engineering)

NIOSH organizes its research program under the framework of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). NORA is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research and improved workplace practices. Unveiled in 1996, NORA entered its third decade (2016-2026) with an enhanced structure. It now consists of ten industry sectors based on major areas of the U.S. economy, and seven health and safety cross-sectors organized according to the major health and safety issues affecting the U.S. working population. The national agenda is developed and implemented through the NORA Sector and Cross-Sector Councils. Each council develops and maintains an Agenda for its sector or cross-sector. The collection of agendascomprises the agenda for the nation for improvements in occupational safety and health. The agenda also provides a vehicle for stakeholders to describe the most relevant safety and health issues, research gaps, and needs.

Protecting the health and safety of mine workers by preventing diseases, injuries, and fatalities is a NIOSH priority, along with making certain that workers are qualified, trained, and properly equipped. The NORA Mining Agenda was developed and implemented through NORA Sector Councils and is guidance for the nation as a whole, while the 2019-2023  Mining Program Strategic Plan is specific to NIOSH and its capabilities and resources. 
 

The NIOSH Mining Program has established three overarching strategic goals for this plan:

Strategic Goal 1: Reduce mine workers’ risk of occupational illness

Strategic Goal 2: Reduce mine workers’ risk of traumatic injuries and fatalities

Strategic Goal 3: Reduce the risk of mine disasters and improve post-disaster survivability of mine workers.

This is a collaborative grant and applicants should outline their expected interactions with NIOSH researchers and subject matter experts.

Objectives

The objective of this cooperative agreement is to address research initiatives in automation, robotics, and intelligent mining systems to improve workplace safety and health in U.S. mining operations. 

The impact of research conducted by recipients should focus on advances in assured autonomy, i.e., assuring autonomous mining equipment and robotics achieve improved workplace safety and health for mine workers while meeting efficiency and productivity goals.

Interactions with mining stakeholders have shown that the U.S. industry is lagging behind other parts of the world in the implementation of automation technologies due to a lack of guidance in implementing new technology, questions about technology readiness, a lack of guidance and tools for effectively dealing with the migration from human-operated equipment to autonomous equipment, and concerns about the potential unsafe interactions between autonomous equipment and workers. Impacts could include but are not limited to:

Applicants are encouraged to consider those aspects of their graduate degree program in mining and explosives engineering, including unique facilities, that could best support their proposed research related to automation, robotics, and intelligent mining systems.

Clearly state your proposed goals and objectives, and directly link these to the occupational health and safety burdens you are addressing.

Provide data to support your selection of the proposed work, such as morbidity or mortality rates and indicators of the size of the population at risk (including estimates of the target population’s potential risk of exposure to the hazard, frequency of exposure, or sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and race/ethnicity). Similarly, provide qualitative data that describe exposures, the magnitude of the problem, and potential benefits and impacts of addressing the issue. Qualitative data may be necessary when the nature of the exposure or population at risk makes it difficult to collect large-scale, representative quantitative data.

1. • Advances in and implementation of human-centered design principles for automated equipment and the systems used to monitor or interact with them.
   • New methods, guidance, and best practices in change management, training/retraining workers, technology integration, and safety evaluation.
   • New methods and evaluation techniques for safe design that consider the entire mining operation as a system.
   • Advances and availability of enabling technologies for assured autonomy including sensors, data fusion and processing, artificial intelligence, and systems for improved machine and operator situational awareness.
   • Availability of new miner rescue and post-disaster surveillance technologies.

Y. Shirai (Family & Community Medicine)

UArizona may submit one proposal per cycle and may receive only one Lifelong Arts Engagement Grant per fiscal year.


 

Lifelong Arts Engagement Grants support projects that foster meaningful arts learning experiences for adult learners of any age and/or intergenerational projects in community settings.

Lifelong Arts Engagement Grants support projects that…

• focus on learners across the aging spectrum,
• occur in accessible community spaces, and
• center arts learning practices.

Such projects should also…

• provide opportunities for creative expression in safe and nurturing environments, and
• utilize the assets of the community being served.

Projects may take place in…

• arts venues,
• community or senior centers,
• residential facilities, and
• other settings that serve adult learners of any age and/or intergenerational projects.

Arts learning projects feature sequential, hands-on learning through the arts to develop artistic skills, processes and creativity. Artistic and/or cultural discipline(s) may include, but are not limited to dance, literary arts, media arts, music, theatre, traditional and folk arts, and visual arts. Arts learning projects include specific objectives, outcomes and methods of evaluation that are well defined and relevant for the learners involved.

Organizations can request $5,000 to $7,500.

There is no cash match required for this grant opportunity.

No applicants // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 2 


UArizona may submit no more than two (2) applications in response to this announcement.

The program provides funding to support research and development (R&D) for nuclear science, engineering, technology, and related disciplines to develop a workforce capable of supporting the design, construction, operation, and regulation of nuclear facilities and the safe handling of nuclear materials. University R&D activities provide an opportunity to complement current, ongoing NRC-led research.

More specifically, the program shall be used to provide financial assistance for R&D projects relevant to the programmatic mission of the NRC referenced above, with an emphasis on providing financial assistance with respect to research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of new and advanced nuclear technologies. New this year, non-technical research will be considered under this announcement (for example, projects that would foster the development of innovative community engagement strategies, including incorporation of principles of equity and environmental justice).

The estimated budget for this program is $6,000,000.00 for a project period of three years. 

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Application of wireless communications, drones, robotics, and autonomous control in operations and maintenance activities;

• Digital engineering/analytics, advanced sensors, and digital instrumentation/controls at nuclear facilities;

• Evaluation of technical gaps and major uncertainties in assessing risk for operating, new and advanced reactors (e.g., modeling of complex dependencies, advanced calculation techniques, multi-unit and multi-moule risk, application of risk techniques to radiological consequence analysis, development of improved risk metrics);

• Human and organizational factors and human reliability analysis for advanced nuclear applications, (e.g., improved models for dependency, consideration of organizational factors, dynamic methods, and risk analysis).

• Characterization of fire hazards in new reactor designs (e.g., sodium) and post-fire safe shutdown capability;

• Characterization of natural hazards including but not limited to flooding, high winds, hurricanes, wildfires, climate change;

• Analysis models and methods for fuel and cladding performance;

• Advanced technology approaches (e.g., data and text analytics, data visualization techniques, and artificial intelligence) and applications (e.g., data mining, autonomous control) in nuclear power-related applications; Evaluation of the radiological releases and offsite consequences for fusion reactor accidents;

• Application of innovative and advanced technologies for decommissioning and remediation of radiologically contaminated sites;

• Evaluation of the technical gaps and uncertainties in licensing new veterinary and medical uses of byproduct materials;

• Analytical approaches that combine probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) risk quantification methods with reactor systems sensitivity or uncertainty analysis methods to quantify the risk significance of safety analysis errors or uncertainties; Performance-based technology-neutral safety assurance;

• Evaluation of technical gaps and major uncertainties in assessing risk for decommissioning and waste management; and

• Comparative analysis, consistencies, and harmonization in application of dosimetry and dose coefficients