Physical Sciences & Engineering

No applicants.

The selection process and submission of this funding program are coordinated by the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC). For any other questions, please contact UACC Research Development (UACC-PreAward@arizona.edu)

The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) can nominate one new (A0) application and one resubmission (A1) application for the NCI Research Specialist (Clinician Scientist) Award funding opportunityper receipt date.

Purpose of Award:

The UACC is seeking nominations for an National Cancer Institute (NCI) Research Specialist Award in any area of NCI-funded clinical cancer research. This FOA is specifically for clinician scientists to continue to participate in the NCI clinical trials networks through leadership in the 1) development of national clinical trials, 2) implementation of NCI clinical trials in their institutions, and 3) national service to the NCI clinical trials networks through participation in the scientific review committees, monitoring committees, and other activities, but not serve as principal investigators of research project grants. These clinician scientists are vital to sustaining the NCI-funded clinical trials enterprise. The Research Specialist Award is intended to provide stable support for clinician scientists at their institutions for significant leadership and exceptional participation in the NCI-sponsored clinical trials networks that conduct cancer treatment, prevention and control, and care delivery clinical trials. NCI-sponsored clinical trials networks include but are not limited to the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), the Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN), and the Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (CP-CTNet).

The Research Specialist Award is designed to encourage the development of a career path for cancer clinical trial investigators who provide leadership, participation, and scientific support for the NCI clinical trials networks at their institutions and within those networks. This leadership includes the development of concepts and protocols for clinical trials, participation in scientific steering committees and network committees, and accrual to NCI-sponsored clinical trials. The institutional activities may include the implementation of cancer clinical trials including participation in the review of safety data, monitoring the conduct and progress of open clinical trials, and serving on institutional review committees. These activities are necessary for the successful conduct of NCI-sponsored cancer clinical trials. The Research Specialist Award is intended to provide salary support and sufficient autonomy so that individuals are not solely dependent on NCI grants held by others or other sources of funding for cancer research career continuity.

Applicant Eligibility

• Eligible applicants will be clinician scientists who have a clinical degree (M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., O.D., D.C., PharmD., N.D., D.V.M.), possess active licensure, and are actively practicing in an oncology clinical setting.
• Individuals with a Ph.D. or other doctoral degree that have direct contact with patients or healthy subjects in clinical disciplines such as clinical psychology, nursing, clinical genetics, speech-language pathology, audiology, or rehabilitation are also eligible.

• At the time of application, the applicant cannot hold as a Principal Investigator current R01, P01, or other significant NIH funding (past funding does not affect eligibility). Support from P50 Career Development awards, R03, R21, P30 funding, or national network funding will be allowed, as long as the total NCI support does not exceed 6 person-months. Future substantial independent NIH funding will require the awardee to forfeit the R50.
• The applicant must be engaged in the conduct of NCI-funded cancer clinical trials research at an academic medical center and have a record of involvement in NCI-funded cancer clinical trial-related activities.
• At the time of application, the Research Specialist must have been at the institution for at least the previous two years.
• The Research Specialist must have a full-time position at the institution.
• The Research Specialist must commit 2.4 to 4.8 person-months to NCI-funded clinical activities during the life of the award. The Research Specialist may engage in other duties as part of the remaining 9.6 to 7.2 person-month effort not covered by this award. The maximum funded effort allowed on all NCI grants, including the R50, will be capped at 6 person-months.
• The Research Specialist must have demonstrated professional accomplishments consonant with his or her career status, and should have demonstrated cancer clinical research experience relevant to the NCI mission.

K. Sierra-Cajas (Undergraduate Research and Inquiry)

The new Beginning for Tribal Students program (NBTS) makes competitive grants to Land-grant Colleges and Universities to provide identifiable support specifically targeted for tribal students. A Land-grant College or University that receives this grant shall use funds for, but not limited to, recruiting; tuition and related fees; experiential learning; student services, including tutoring; counseling; academic advising; and other student services that would increase the retention and graduation rate of tribal students enrolled at the land-grant college or university. The maximum one state can receive is $500,000 per year. 

Limit: 1 //  S. Song (Biomedical Engineering)

The funds are designed to provide to tenure track faculty members in their first to fourth year, at American Institutions, who hold M.D. and/or Ph.D. degrees, start-up support to move the project forward to the point where R01 or other independent funding can be obtained.  Applicants with current R01 funding should not apply.

Beginning in 2023, the grant provides $75,000 annually for a period of up to three years.  Grants are not renewable.  Institutions may submit one proposal per session.  Interested candidates should work through their sponsored projects office.

Proposals must contain an adequately detailed description of the project to be clearly understandable by the scientific members of the Trustees.  They need not be in the detail requested by the NIH for R01 grants and should not exceed five pages in length.  Additional material can be submitted, but the five-page application should contain the essential information.  References should also be included to support the proposal.  Note that the five page limit is only for the project description.  

A one-two page lay summary must be provided as part of the proposal. Applicants should bear in mind that our Board includes non-scientist members, making this summary of particular importance.  The summary should include the project’s title, and the investigator's contact information.

In addition to the institution providing recognition of an internal selection process resulting in no more than one candidate, (this requires just a sentence that may be included in the letters), the proposal must be accompanied by letters of approval by the Dean of the medical school and/or another senior faculty member or members who can represent the support of the institution and who are acquainted with the qualifications of the applicant and the potential impact of his/her work.

S. Mathena (Pediatrics)
One slot is still available.

UArizona may submit two proposals.

The NIH Director's Early Independence Award supports rigorous and promising junior investigators who wish to pursue independent research soon after completion of their terminal doctoral degree or post-graduate clinical training, thereby forgoing the traditional post-doctoral training period and accelerating their entry into an independent research career. For the program to support the best possible researchers and research, applications are sought which reflect the full diversity of the research workforce. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups and from the full spectrum of eligible institutions in all geographic locations, are strongly encouraged to apply to this Funding Opportunity Announcement. In addition, applications in all topics relevant to the broad mission of NIH are welcome, including, but not limited to, topics in the behavioral, social, biomedical, applied, and formal sciences and topics that may involve basic, translational, or clinical research. The NIH Director's Early Independence Award is a component of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program of the NIH Common Fund.

Eligibility Requirements

Applications with multiple PDs/PIs will not be accepted. Only single PD/PI applications are allowed. Only the PD/PI may be listed as a Senior/Key Person and provide a Biographical Sketch.

U.S. citizenship is not required for PDs/PIs. For applications submitted on behalf of non-U.S. citizens with temporary U.S. visas, visa status must allow the PD/PI to conduct the proposed research at the applicant institution for the entire project period. The applicant institution is responsible for determining if and documenting that the PD's/PI's visa will allow the PD/PI to remain in the U.S. for the duration of the award.

Time window for eligibility: Given the focus on early research independence, the receipt date of the terminal doctoral degree or end of post-graduate clinical training of the PD/PI must be between June 1, 2022, and September 30, 2024. The degree receipt date is that which appears on the official transcript for the degree. The end of post-graduate clinical training includes residency and fellowship periods. The PD/PI must not have served as a post-doctoral fellow for more than 12 months following a previous, non-terminal doctoral degree (i.e., a post-doctoral fellowship served before June 1, 2022).

At the time of award, either 1) the Early Independence investigator must have received a PhD, MD, DO, DC, DDS, DVM, OD, DPM, ScD, EngD, DrPH, DNSc, ND (Doctor of Naturopathy), PharmD, DSW, PsyD, or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution (it is the responsibility of the sponsoring institution to determine if a foreign doctoral degree is equivalent), or 2) an authorized official of the degree-granting or training institution must certify that all degree requirements have been met and that the receipt date of the degree (as will appear on the transcript) will be before September 30, 2024.  An authorized official of the host institution must certify that the PD/PI will be able to conduct independent research at the institution at the time of the project start date.

Level of effort: In the first and second years of the project period, awardees must commit at least 9.6 person-months of effort to the Early Independence Award project each year (which is 80% effort per year). In years 3-5 of the project period, awardees may reduce their effort on the Early Independence Award project, but they must still conduct at least 9.6 person-months of general independent research each year (which is 80% effort per year). General independent research includes the effort spent on the Early Independence Award project and any other independent research projects the awardee is working on.

Research independence at time of application: Individuals are eligible only if they, at the time of application submission, do not have research independence. Lack of research independence is defined functionally rather than by position title. Eligible individuals must have all the following characteristics:

• The PD/PI's current research agenda is set through concurrence with mentors.
• The PD/PI's research is funded primarily through support to other investigators (mentored fellowships such as NIH F31 or F32 Fellowships or NSF Graduate Research Fellowships do not preclude eligibility).
• The PD/PI does not have any space assigned directly by the institution for the conduct of their research.
• The PD/PI, according to institutional policy, cannot apply for an NIH R01 grant without a special waiver or exemption from the institution.

Though PDs/PIs must not be functionally independent at the time of application submission, they may become functionally independent prior to time of award and still retain eligibility for the award.

Prospective PDs/PIs should contact appropriate institutional leaders to seek an appointment to an independent research position. Alternatively, institutions may actively recruit eligible junior scientists to apply for support through this program. In either case, the institution is expected to provide substantial support for the junior scientist, as detailed below. To foster independence, PDs/PIs may benefit from being hosted by an institution at which they have not previously studied or trained.

PDs/PIs may apply for a research career development (K) award and DP5 at the same time, but NIH policy prohibits scientific and commitment overlap. A PD/PI may not hold a DP5 and career development (K) award concurrently. If the PD/PI receives a career development (K) award, the career development (K) award must be relinquished to receive the DP5.

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

TERA will recognize and promote excellence in teaching in the food and agricultural sciences within colleges and universities; teaching is defined to include all aspects of developing human capital in order to help meet current and future national food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) workplace needs. Examples of relevant activities under this project type include (but are not limited to) the following: formal classroom instruction; laboratory instruction; and practicum experience such as faculty development, student recruitment and services, curriculum development, and innovative teaching methodologies. It also includes activities that directly or indirectly contribute to student learning such as research, extension/outreach, and organizational arrangements needed for the proper functioning of the educational institution.

This program addresses the national priority of developing competent human capital for employment in the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human (FANH) sciences.  NIFA, subject to the availability of funds, will administer this TERA project. This cooperative agreement program also addresses the national priority of developing competent human capital for employment in the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human (FANH) sciences. USDA is designated as the lead federal agency that supports higher education in the FANH sciences. In this context, NIFA has a specific responsibility to initiate and support projects that strengthen higher education teaching programs in these areas.

Program Goals include:

• Annually recognize and honor a select group of college and university teachers who excel at teaching, research and extension.

• Help disseminate best practices in teaching through workshops, conferences, blogs, social media and other appropriate activities; and

• Increase the number and diversity of academic programs participating in TERA.

H-J. Kim (Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics) - Topic 7: Decarbonizing Cement and Concrete.
 

UArizona may submit one proposal to this funding program.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced a $156 million funding opportunity that will advance high impact applied research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the U.S. industrial sector. The FOA, led by EERE’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO), will drive innovation to develop the next-generation technologies required to decarbonize industry, revitalize American manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and improve community health.

Decarbonizing the industrial sector is critical to achieving the nation’s climate goals, as it is currently responsible for approximately one third of domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. DOE is building an innovation pipeline to accelerate the development and adoption of industrial decarbonization technologies with investments spanning foundational science; research, development, deployment, and demonstrations (RDD&D); and technical assistance and workforce development. 

IEDO’s efforts in this area are part of DOE’s new Technologies for Industrial Emissions Reduction Development (TIEReD) Program which leverages resources across different technology offices to invest in fundamental science, research, development, and initial pilot-scale demonstrations projects. 

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.

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.

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.