Physical Sciences & Engineering

 Limit: 1 // R. Schomer (School of Plant Sciences)

Institutions may submit one nominee to the New Innovator Award program.

*Deadline note: This selection process is running with an anticipated deadline. We will inform all applicants of relevant updates in the guidelines, submission deadlines, and eligibility as soon as more information becomes available.

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR)  New Innovator Program,  will allow investigators to explore new avenues of inquiry that arise during their research. Therefore, FFAR is interested in the program of research to be explored and its impact as opposed to a list of very specific aims. The review process emphasizes the individual’s creativity, the innovativeness of the research approaches, and the potential of the program; collaborations are encouraged. While this award is made to an outstanding early career investigator, applicants should include information regarding any essential collaborators and include letters of support from those collaborators. Each applicant can receive from FFAR up to $150,000 per year for a maximum of three years totaling $450,000 investment.

Research programs should fall within one of FFAR’s Challenge Areas

• Advanced Animal Systems
• Health-Agriculture Nexus
• Next Generation Crops
• Soil Health
• Sustainable Water Management
• Urban Food Systems
•  Climate change  

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 1

 H-J. Kim (Civil Engineering)

Institutions can receive only two awards each year and can submit a limit of two applications per year.
*The ORAU Innovation Partnerships Grant Program is a single fiscal year award for events held between September 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024.

Event or conference sponsorship is often beneficial to the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Council of Sponsoring Institution Members, whether as a means of fostering collaboration among Council members, gaining new and important information for a proposal or business plan, and more. Up to $4,000 may be requested to support an in-person or virtual event that involves participants from more than one ORAU member institution, including students. Innovation Partnership applications should focus on focused workshops/conferences that highlight your university’s strategic STEM research and education growth areas, and where collaborations with other member universities would add value. We are specifically interested in events that can bring more thought leadership in building a national strategy for STEM education and workforce development. Member universities are encouraged to collaborate around this topic in anticipation of federal funding initiatives. 

FY 2024 Innovation Partnerships Grant Focus Areas:

• Climate and Environment - sustainability, environmental justice, clean energy, resilience to climate hazards, emerging technologies, measurement and impact assessment, diversity and inclusion, policy, and data science and analytics
• Health Equity - telemedicine, telehealth, health literacy, health communication, behavioral and mental health, health disparities, diversity and inclusion, policy, and data science and analytics
• Future of the STEM Workforce - new ways of teaching and learning (K-16), transformative workforce capacity building and mentoring, diversity and inclusion, policy, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence

UPDATED from NSF 21-536 to NSF 24-597 to reflect the updated solicitation posted August 16, 2024

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 1
Track 1 ONLY

H. Kim (Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics)

Proposals may be submitted under two tracks (i.e., Track 1 and Track 2). All projects should include a focus on STEM graduate students in research-based PhD and/or master's degree programs. Track 1 proposals may request a total budget up to $3 million for projects up to five years in duration; Track 2 proposals may request a total budget up to $2 million for projects up to five years in duration; NSF requires that Track 2 proposals focus on programs from institutions not classified as Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1). U of A is not eligible for Track 2.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master's and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.

The NRT Program accepts proposals in any interdisciplinary or convergent research theme of national importance and encourages specific priority research areas that change periodically. All interdisciplinary or convergent research themes should align with NSF or other national STEM research priority areas and have high potential to develop novel, innovative practices in graduate education. Proposers should describe the importance of the NRT project's thematic focus to the Nation and the particular need to train students for a variety of careers in that thematic area.

 Limit: 4 //

M. Verhougstraete (Community, Environment & Policy)
J. Schroeder (Molecular and Cellular Biology)
H. Cai (Neuroscience)
J. Bibb (Translational Neurosciences)
 

The mission of The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation is to advance knowledge in the life sciences by sponsoring scientific research that will benefit mankind. The foundation’s grants program seeks to support basic science, ideally with potential translational applications. Immunology, microbiome, genomics, structural biology, cellular physiology, neuroscience, etc., are some noteworthy examples of current research support. 

For many years the Foundation has enjoyed special recognition in the research community for supporting “basic” scientific research, realizing that true transformative breakthroughs usually occur after a thorough understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying natural phenomena. More recently, and with the advent of newer investigative methodologies, technology, and tools, the Foundation now embraces innovative translational research proposals.

The grant duration must be three years. The budget should be reasonable based on the aims of the project. Indirect costs may not exceed 10%. Preliminary Budgets are required during the LOI phase. A detailed budget justification is not required until the proposal phase.  The Foundation’s grant award is not intended to be utilized for purchasing capital equipment (“bricks-and-mortar”) for the lab and is intended only to support the actual investigation. The Foundation assumes and expects that capital equipment must be provided by the research institution or university.
 

Application Guidance:

• Grant budgets cannot exceed $600-750K 
• The Foundation primarily supports basic science, ideally with potential translational applications.
• Immunology, microbiome, genomics, structural biology, cellular physiology, neuroscience, etc., are some noteworthy examples of current research support.
• Covid-19-related research projects (aims or sub-aims) will not be considered for support.
• Medical imaging technology-related projects and/or electrical engineering technology development projects will not be considered for support.
• Plant Biology Research, Oceanography, Space Exploration. and Global warming-related research will not be considered for support.
• As technology continues to advance, it is apparent that investigations in the area of basic science and translational research may become more and more reliant on collaborative, interdisciplinary projects. It is important to note that any interdisciplinary project proposals may require additional information regarding the collaborator(s)’ achievements and relevant expertise.
• Feedback for declined LOI Requests will not be provided; LOIs or Formal Proposals that have been declined should not be resubmitted at a later date for consideration.
• Renewal applications for the same or related research will not be accorded priority consideration. It is strongly advised that any re-application for grant renewal consider a new direction based on prior research or emphasize some new potential translational aspects and not merely an extension of previously funded research.
• Requests for funding previously federally supported research and/or applications pending federal approval will not be accorded priority consideration.
• Requests for support of clinical trials or drug discovery will not be approved. The Foundation will not support projects which we consider pre-clinical drug development.

No Applicants  // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 2 

Applicant institutions are limited to no more than two pre-applications or applications as the lead institution for each PI at the applicant institution.

The DOE SC program in Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications to carry out experimental research in magnetic fusion energy sciences on long-pulse overseas stellarator facilities, namely, Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X – Germany) and the Large Helical Device (LHD – Japan). The research should be related to the planning, execution, and analysis of experiments concerning the topical areas described below. The FES Burning Plasma Science: Long Pulse portfolio supports U.S. researchers who work in collaboration with foreign scientists to explore critical science and technology issues at the frontiers of magnetic fusion research. These collaborations take advantage of the unique capabilities of the most advanced overseas research facilities.

Limit: 1 // P. C. Ellsworth (Entomology/ Maricopa Agricultural Center)

Duplicate or multiple submissions are not allowed.

NIFA requests applications for the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) program for fiscal year (FY) 2024 to address critical state, regional and national integrated pest management (IPM) needs to ensure food security and respond effectively to other major societal pest management challenges. The CPPM program supports projects that address these challenges with IPM approaches developed by coordinated state, regional, and national research, and extension efforts. The impact of these research and extension efforts will be increased by the establishment of communication networks and stakeholder participation in setting priorities. In FY 2024, NIFA will only accept competitive applications for funding in the Applied Research and Development Program (ARDP) and the Extension Implementation Program (EIP) areas of CPPM. NIFA will fund current Regional Coordination Program (RCP) area projects through continuation applications.

The purpose of the Crop Protection and Pest Management program is to address high priority issues related to pests and their management using IPM approaches at the state, regional and national levels. The CPPM program supports projects that will ensure food security and respond effectively to other major societal pest management challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, ecologically prudent, and safe for human health. The CPPM program addresses IPM challenges for emerging issues and existing priority pest concerns that can be addressed more effectively with new and emerging technologies. The outcomes of the CPPM program are effective, affordable, and environmentally sound IPM practices and strategies needed to maintain agricultural productivity and healthy communities. ​

No applicants  // Limit: 4* // Tickets Available: 4


*An entity may submit only one Concept Paper and one Full Application for each topic area of this FOA.

The Critical Materials Accelerator aims to validate and prototype technologies and processes that address critical materials challenges by developing alternatives, diversifying and expanding supply, increasing manufacturing and material efficiency, and establishing a circular economy. The Accelerator intends to speed up the adoption of innovation while promoting safe, sustainable, economic, and environmentally just solutions to meet current and future critical materials supply chain needs​.

This FOA solicits proposals that advance innovation to realize the Department’s critical minerals and materials vision of a reliable, resilient, affordable, diverse, sustainable, and secure domestic supply chains for the clean energy economy. Projects funded under this FOA will de-risk innovation and mature technology development in partnership with industry to reduce demand through alternative materials or technologies, extend the lifetime of critical materials, and advance secure and sustainable critical materials manufacturing technologies. Each topic area of the FOA addresses priority technologies and supply chain gaps identified by the Critical Materials Collaborative.

Topic Areas:

• Topic 1 – Use of Magnets with Reduced Critical Materials Content 
  • Topic 1a – Critical Material Lean/Free Magnets for Clean Energy Technologies: Projects will validate alternative magnet compositions that reduce or eliminate the use of critical materials by at least 25 wt.% 
  • Topic 1b – Motors and Drivetrains using Critical Material Lean/Free Magnets: Projects will prototype electric machines or drivetrains that use magnets that reduce or eliminate the use of critical materials by at least 25 wt.% 
• Topic 2 – Improved Unit Operations of Processing and Manufacturing of Critical Materials: Projects will make improvements to unit operations and/or processes to separate, refine/process critical materials for clean energy technologies that rely on critical materials.  
• Topic 3 – Critical Material Recovery from Scrap and Post-Consumer Products: Selectees will develop and validate approaches to recycle or recover critical materials from post-consumer products, including but not limited to, design for recycling and reuse and de-risking critical material recovery from waste and manufacturing scrap.  
• Topic 4 – Reduced Critical Material Demand for Clean Energy Technologies: Selectees will develop and validate materials, technologies, or processes that reduce or eliminate the use of critical materials for clean energy technologies. 

Submit ticket request  // Limit:2* // Tickets Available: 1

C. Algie (Architecture)

*If more than two submissions are received from a competitor, the two most recently submitted submissions will be considered. Only one submission per competitor can advance to Phase 2: Prepare!.

The Re-X Before Recycling Prize will award up to $5.6 million in federal funding and technical assistance from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories. The prize is designed to stimulate innovation and private investment in circular economy approaches that can transform waste streams into diverse, integrated circular supply networks and contribute to a robust, environmentally sustainable economy.

The prize is seeking innovations to unlock new or expanded supply chains that can reintegrate end-of-use products into the economy via re-use, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and/or repurposing (“Re-X”) before recycling.

The Re-X Before Recycling Prize invites competitors to work on one of two categories: established or emerging waste streams.

The Re-X Before Recycling Prize has three phases that will run from 2023 to 2025. During Phase 1, also called Identify!, competitors will identify new or expanded circular supply chain opportunities and the innovations needed to realize them and deliver community benefits. During Phase 2, called Prepare!, competitors will prepare to develop their innovation. During the final Phase 3, Develop!, competitors will continue to advance their idea toward implementation.

Areas of interest: 

Established Waste Streams: This topic area includes innovations focusing on how to utilize products that are currently available in U.S. waste streams. This topic area would include currently discarded products such as electrical devices, furnishings, consumer goods, and building materials.

Emerging Waste Streams: This topic area includes innovations focusing on how to utilize products that will be available in the future in waste streams. For example, clean energy technologies such as wind, solar, and batteries must expand dramatically to reach our decarbonization goals resulting in waste at the end of their product lifespans. These products may not be available in current waste streams in large volumes but will be in the future.

Limit: 1 // C-k Chan (Steward Observatory) & G. Leroy (Management Information Systems)

The overarching goal of this solicitation is to democratize access to NSF’s advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) ecosystem and ensure fair and equitable access to resources, services, and expertise by strengthening how Cyberinfrastructure Professionals (CIP) function in this ecosystemThis solicitation will support NSF’s advanced CI ecosystem with a scalable, agile, diverse, and sustainable network of CIPs that can ensure broad adoption of advanced CI resources and expert services including platforms, tools, methods, software, data, and networks for research communities, to catalyze major research advances, and to enhance researchers' abilities to lead the development of new CI.

UArizona is ineligible to propose as a lead institution * // Limit: 1 

*Eligibility note: Universities awarded as part of MIRO Group 6, Group 6R, and Group 7 are ineligible to propose as a lead institution to this funding opportunity. 
UArizona was awarded a  MUREP APPENDIX G MUREP Institutional Research Opportunity – MIRO Group 7 in 2018, which makes the institution ineligible to lead a proposal to this funding program.

The NASA OSTEM MUREP Program solicits proposals from four-year colleges/universities designated by the U.S. Department of Education as MSIs for the MUREP Institutional Research Opportunity (MIRO) awards. MIRO develops significant scientific, engineering, and/or technology research centers. The purpose of MIRO is to strengthen and develop the research capacity and infrastructure of MSIs in areas of strategic importance and value to NASA’s mission and priorities. MIRO awards promote STEM literacy and enhance and sustain the capability of institutions to perform NASA-related research and education. Additionally, MIRO strengthens student participation in research at MSIs in order to develop and diversify the next generation of the STEM workforce. MIRO awards directly support research pertinent to NASA’s five Mission Directorates (MDs) – Aeronautics Research, Exploration Systems Development, Space Operations, Science, and Space Technology. 

MIRO cooperative agreements are competitively awarded to MSIs to promote research capacity, expand aerospace research, increase workforce diversity, and strengthen students’ STEM skills.  The MIRO awards goals and objectives are to: 

1) Expand the nation's base for aerospace research and development by fostering new aerospace research and technology development concepts aligned with NASA research priorities as defined by NASA’s MDs. 

Objective 1.1: Develop significant scientific, engineering, and/or technology research centers at the MSI that align and engage one or more programs of the NASA Mission Directorates.

Objective 1.2: Increase the lead institution’s capacity to contribute to the priorities of NASA’s Mission Directorates (Aeronautics Research, Exploration Systems Development, Science, Space Operations and Space Technology) and NASA’s Centers and facilities.

2) Promote institutional advancement and enhanced research capacity through partnerships among MSIs, other academic institutions, NASA, and industry.

Objective 2.1: Increase the lead institution’s ability to sustain research efforts through development of strategic partnerships. .  

 Objective 2.2: Increase the lead institution’s pursuit of additional funding opportunities offered by NASA, industry, and other agencies.

 Objective 2.3: Increase the ability of research leadership at the lead institution to leverage resources to enhance its research capacity at the project, program, department, college, and/or university levels.

3) Strengthen participation of faculty, researchers, and students at MSIs in the research programs of NASA’s MDs.

Objective 3.1: Increase faculty and researcher knowledge and skills in NASA-related research through professional development and NASA research opportunities.

Objective 3.2: Increase capacity to develop student knowledge and skills in NASA-related research through curriculum enhancement, redesign, and development at the course, degree, and/or department levels.

Objective 3.3: Increase capacity to develop student knowledge and skills in NASA-related research through NASA internships and opportunities.

4) Facilitate mechanisms to ensure degrees awarded to students from MSIs in NASA-related fields reflect the diversity of our nation and contribute to the diversity of the NASA workforce.

Objective 4.1: Increase the number of undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded to students from MSIs in NASA-related fields.