Physical Sciences & Engineering

Limit: 4 // PIs:
A. Chignalia (Anesthesiology)
Y. Wang (College of Medicine - Tucson)
G. Sutphin (Molecular & Cellular Biology)
J. Streicher (College of Medicine - Tucson)
 

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.

Limit: 1  // PI: L. Folks (Semiconductor Strategy)  

Only one application per institution is allowed.

In support of the Department of State implementation of the International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) Fund, appropriated under the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act of 2022, ISN/CTR will sponsor activities to secure semiconductor supply chains and mitigate risks that some uses of advanced semiconductors can pose to national and international security.

The Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (ISN/CTR) is pleased to announce an open competition for assistance awards through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). ISN/CTR sponsors foreign assistance activities funded by the Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) and other accounts, and focuses on mitigating weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and WMD-related delivery systems proliferation and security threats from non-state actors and proliferator states. An underlying aim of all ISN/CTR’s efforts is long-term sustainability to maximize programmatic impact while minimizing the need for foreign partners to rely on outside financial or technical assistance.

No limit per institution* // 

*Eligibility note: PO has confirmed that the limitation applies to the lead PI, not the institution. That is, DOE wll accept multiple applications from a specific institution, but there can be only one application from an individual who is the lead PI. That individual could be a co-PI/collaborator on another submission from that same institution or on an application that is led by someone else at another institution.

The BER ESS program goal is to advance an integrated, robust, and scale-aware predictive understanding of terrestrial systems and their interdependent microbial, biogeochemical, ecological, hydrological, and physical processes. To support this goal, the program uses a systems approach to develop an integrative framework to elucidate the complex processes and controls on the structure, function, feedbacks, and dynamics of terrestrial systems, that span from molecular to global scales and extend from the bedrock through the soil, rhizosphere, and vegetation to the atmosphere. The ESS program scope advances foundational process knowledge with an emphasis on understudied ecosystems. Supported research emphasizes ecological and hydro-biogeochemical linkages among system components and characterization of processes across interfaces (e.g., terrestrial-aquatic, coastal, urban) to address key knowledge gaps and uncertainties across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Incorporation of scientific findings into process and system models is an important aspect of the ESS strategy, both to improve predictive understanding as well as to enable the identification of new research questions and directions.

Application Types:

Standard – Standard applications are solicited for research projects that may extend up to three years’ duration addressing a research project objective(s) associated with SRA #1 or SRA #2, as described below in this FOA. Standard applications must include significant new field experiments as part of the proposed activities, use observations and experimental outcomes to inform and/or improve models in a ModEx approach, and advance the understanding of ecosystem and/or watershed systems. Projects focused primarily on modeling or model development and/or those lacking substantial new empirical data collection are out of scope. Standard applications should have budgets commensurate with the scope of work (but no more than $1,000,000 in total costs); applications do not have to be proposed at the award ceiling but can and should include smaller-scope research applications with commensurate budgets. The potential impact, probability of success, and the risk-reward balance will be considered when making funding decisions.

Synthesis – Only Synthesis applications are solicited for SRA #3. Synthesis applications should propose new science that is focused on meta-analysis and synthesis research efforts that address development and testing of ESS-relevant hypotheses using existing data, and that have the potential for high impact regarding ESS research priorities. Synthesis awards will have a duration of up to two years and an award ceiling of $400,000 in total costs. Synthesis applications should target innovative questions that can be addressed by both interrogating and integrating existing data to address key knowledge gaps that are relevant and transferable across ecosystems and/or watershed systems. Synthesis applications may not request funding for collection of new data or field research, support for field-related supplies or equipment, travel to or maintenance of field sites or research facilities, or operational support for research networks.

Limit: 3 // Tickets Available: 1 // PIs:
S. Sullivan (Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
X. Dong (Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences) 

The DOE ASR  supports research on key cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and radiative transfer processes that affect the Earth’s radiative balance and hydrological cycle, especially processes that limit the predictive ability of regional and global models. This FOA solicits research grant applications for observational, data analysis, and/or modeling studies that use observations supported by the Biological and Environmental Research BER, including the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, to improve understanding and model representation of: 1) Aerosol processes at ARM sites; 2) Convective cloud processes; 3) Aerosol and cloud processes from ARM’s Eastern Pacific Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (EPCAPE); and 4) Mixed-phase cloud and ice cloud processes. All research supported by awards under this FOA is intended to benefit the public through increasing our understanding of the Earth system.

Limit: 2 // PIs:

Science & Engineering Track: Q. Hao (Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering)
Medical Research Track: M.  Kuhns (Immunobiology)

UA may submit one concept paper in Physical Sciences and Engineering and one concept paper in Medical Sciences in this cycle.
The selected projects must participate in the concept counseling session with the W.M. Keck Foundation between July 1 and August 15 to determine if they can proceed to the Phase I submission.

The W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program uses a three-step process for this opportunity. The first step is a Concept paper. The Undergraduate Education program is currently not accepting concept papers. The next steps are by the foundation’s invitation. UArizona review criteria reflect previous interactions with the W.M. Keck Foundation. Proposals should focus on basic, fundamental science with broad applications.

The proposed work should show a significant leap forward rather than an extension of existing work.  

To be considered by Keck, applicants must have a statement from a federal program officer expressing that the project is not a good fit due to risk (rather than technical or theoretical fit) or a decline from a federal program where the summary statement or individual reviews highlight the incredible novelty, but the high-risk nature that makes it difficult to fund at the federal level.

The Science and Engineering Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting high-risk/high-impact projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach to intractable problems, push the edge of their field, or question the prevailing paradigm. Past grants have been awarded to support pioneering science and engineering research and the development of promising new technologies, instrumentation, or methodologies. 

The Medical Research Program seeks to advance the frontiers of medicine to benefit humanity by supporting high-risk/high-impact projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach to intractable problems, push the edge of their field, or question the prevailing paradigm. Past grants have supported pioneering biological research, basic research, and the development of promising new technologies. The Keck Foundation does NOT fund work that is clinical, applied, or translational; treatment trials; or research for the sole purpose of drug development. 

Both senior and early career investigators are encouraged to apply. Team approaches, including interdisciplinary teams, are encouraged.