The information on this page  is for the use of the faculty, staff, and students of the University of California, Riverside, Bourns College of Engineering. It is compiled from information that we believe to be reliable, but the University takes no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies.

UCR's Office of Research posts additional opportunities at http://or.ucr.edu/RD/Federal.aspx.

May

https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/#1b1e6241-0135-4e0f-8a39-874cfac2566f or http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=162433

This program will make multiple awards from a $15 million pool to accelerate the development of thermochemical liquefaction technologies to produce a bio-oil feedstock from biomass considered to be a high-impact feedstock or from algal biomass. A proposal must describe a process to introduce biomass products into a traditional oil refinery process. Applications proposing to blend a bio-oil feedstock only at the beginning of the refining process with the crude oil (i.e. pre-vacuum distillation or pre-atmospheric distillation) or only at the end of the refining process as finished fuels (i.e. blending) will not be considered responsive. Also, projects proposing gasification or biodiesel (FAME) conversion technologies are not considered responsive.

For purposes of this program, “high-impact” biomass feedstocks are ones that are managed to reduce required inputs, such as water and nutrients; can potentially improve soil health and water quality, may provide additional ecosystem services, and the feedstock itself is not considered an invasive species where it will be grown.

Type 1 projects do not require a refinery partner. They are limited to $750,000 over one year and should be at Technology Readiness Levels 2 or 3 (analytical studies, laboratory studies). DOE expects to make 5-6 Type 1 awards. Cost sharing of 20% of total costs (i.e., 1:4) is required.

Type 2 projects will be up to $4 million over up to three years with 1:4 cost sharing. These projects do require a refinery partner and should be at Technology Readiness Levels 4 through 6 (lab validation, in-situ validation, and prototyping). DOE expects to make 3-4 Type 2 awards.

EPA Anthropogenic Influences on Organic Aerosol Formation and Regional Climate Implications

Due May 3, 2012

http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2012/2012_star_organics.html

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released two solicitations for a program titled Anthropogenic Influences on Organic Aerosol Formation and Regional Climate Implications. EPA-G2012-STAR-D1 is the general call, and EPA-G2012-STAR-D2 is reserved for early-career investigators. Proposals for both opportunities are due May 3, 2012.

Applications under this solicitation should address at least one of the following questions relating to organic aerosol formation and properties:

1.How do anthropogenic emissions influence the oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) and the subsequent formation of secondary organic aerosol, ozone, stable organic intermediates or reactive nitrogen compounds?

2.How can the linkages between gas phase chemistry and secondary organic aerosol formation be improved in air quality models using observations of gas and aerosol concentration and properties?

3.How are the climatically relevant properties of biogenic secondary organic aerosols (either optical properties or cloud interactions) impacted by anthropogenic emissions?

The focus of this solicitation is on the development and analysis of new data sets, primarily from measurements in the field. Applicants are strongly encouraged to leverage planned or ongoing field studies such as SOAS described above. Proposals for modeling projects or the development of new model methods and parameters should demonstrate a strong linkage to a field campaign.

EPA expects to make five regular awards and three early-career awards. Regular awards will be up to $400,000 each total, and early-career awards will be up to $300,000 each. Maximum project duration is three years.

To be eligible for the early-career award, you must meet all of the following criteria: (1) Hold a doctoral degree in a field of science or engineering by the closing date of the RFA; (2) Be untenured at the closing date of the RFA; (3) By the award date, be employed in a tenure-track position (or tenure-track-equivalent position) as an assistant professor (or equivalent title) at an institution in the U.S., its territories, or possessions. Note: For a position to be considered a tenure-track-equivalent position, it must meet all of the following requirements: (1) the employing department or organization does not offer tenure; (2) the appointment is a continuing appointment; (3) the appointment has substantial educational responsibilities; and (4) the proposed project relates to the employee's career goals and job responsibilities as well as to the goals of the department/organization.

https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/#0b3ce334-8643-42f8-b240-68f5a05d34b7 or http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=157473

The U.S. Department of Energy has released DE-FOA-0000648, Predictive Modeling for Automotive Lightweighting Applications and Advanced Alloy Development for Automotive and Heavy-Duty Engines. This program will make four awards in the following technical areas:

Area of Interest 1: Predictive Engineering Tools for Injection Molded Long Carbon Fiber Thermoplastic Composites. Maximum award is $1.2 million with 1:1 cost sharing.

Area of Interest 2: Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) Development of Advanced Steel for Lightweight Vehicles. Maximum awrd is $6 million with 30% cost sharing (i.e., 3:7 cost sharing, so 30% of the money is non-federal).

Area of Interest 3: Advanced Alloy Development for Automotive and Heavy-Duty EngineL: 3a) Lightweight Cast Alloy Development for Light Duty Automotive Engine Applications. Maximum $3.5 million with 30% cost sharing (3:7).

3b) High Strength Cast Alloy Development for Heavy-Duty On-Road Engine Applications. Maximum $3.5 milion with 30% cost sharing (3:7).

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=d9c1873f2d0012e03232bc3de834f042&tab=core&_cview=1

This program seeks to develop advanced heterogeneous integration processes, allowing diverse material systems and device technologies to be tightly integrated on a common silicon substrate. The DAHI program thrust aims to establish a manufacturable foundry technology to provide accessibility to a broad community of designers for innovative circuit or microsystem designs.

The program has three technical areas. Only technical areas I and III will support fundamental research, which has no restrictions on publishing and foreign personnel participation.

Technical Area I: DAHI Process Development: The DAHI Process Development area focuses on developing heterogeneous integration processes that can integrate at least three different component technologies (for example, InP HBTs, InP HEMTs, GaN HEMTs, SiC devices, MEMS structures and sensors, magnetic components, and sensors/devices optimized in materials technologies other than silicon.). The proposed approaches under this Technical Area are not specifically required to be demonstrated on ≥200 mm wafers, but should have practical technical paths and plans to integrate the process module with or onto at least 200 mm diameter silicon wafers.

Technical Area III: DAHI Circuit Design Innovation: The DAHI Circuit Design Innovation Technical Area focuses on exploring the potential circuit design techniques and methodologies that enable revolutionary DAHI circuit architectures, and establishing DAHI design/simulation tool flows necessary to realize the full potential of heterogeneous microsystems integration. It is envisioned that work in this area will begin in parallel with process technology work. While Technical Area I and II performers are developing and maturing manufacturing processes, Technical Area III activities can include, but are not limited to, the development of innovative DAHI circuit design(s) based on available device models or design kits of existing technologies, or development of enhancements to existing models/algorithm that provide breakthroughs in heterogeneous microsystem design. During the initial phase of the efforts in this Technical Area, participants will be expected to provide input to Technical Area I and II participants regarding the device/material technologies that are of greatest interest to be included in the DAHI foundry offering. Subsequent efforts can be focused toward particular heterogeneous technology implementations as those processes mature and provide opportunities for innovative new design techniques. This area seeks those types of innovations in design that can both guide the needs of the technology and allow the technology to realize microsystem performance that cannot be achieved by any one material/device technology alone. As part of this area, offerors may propose to perform detailed simulations of heterogeneously integrated circuits. The simulation results of the Technical Area III will be leveraged by the government to provide technical input and feedback to Technical Area I & II performers. In addition, the proposers are encouraged to propose associated design tool augmentations or developments that are necessary to enable or optimize future DAHI technology design environments.

Technical Area II is DAHI Foundry Establishment.

Projects will be in the 36-48 month range. Total funding is $80 million to $100 million, but there is no guidance on the size of a typical project. Cost sharing is not required.

NIH Biomedical Technology Research Centers

Pre-proposals accepted December 14, 2010; May 11, 2011; December 13, 2011; May 11, 2012; and December 13, 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-224.html. The more detailed call that describes what goes into one of these centers is at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-225.html

The National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources, is inviting pre-applications for the Biomedical Technology Research Center program. BTRCs create critical, often unique technologies and methods at the forefront of their respective fields, and apply them to a broad range of basic, translational, and clinical research. They also promote the broadest possible use of those technologies through training and dissemination activities.

The pre-proposal is only 12 pages long. If you are invited to submit a full proposal, it will be quite a significant document with sections on each individual technology research and development project, collaboration and service, and training, dissemination, and administration.

A typical award is up to $700,000 per year (direct costs) for five years.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-GM-13-004.html

. This program will make multi-investigator awards of up to $250,000 per year (direct costs) for up to four years to advance studies of macromolecular interactions and their relationship to function in cells. These collaborations are designed to integrate additional research strategies into NIGMS' research base of laboratories specializing in macromolecular function in living systems. Grantees may use this funding opportunity to (i) complement each other's capabilities (for example, in biochemistry, genetics, chemistry, or pharmacology), where the innovation is in the biology rather than in the technology; (ii) apply proven technologies that are technically challenging, expensive, or not yet widely used in cell biology and allied fields (for example, mass spectrometry, high-throughput screening); (iii) develop, pilot, evaluate, and/or apply emerging technologies (for example, superresolution light microscopy); (iv) carry out feasibility studies or upstream research and development of new technological concepts that are unproven, but potentially useful for study of macromolecular interactions.

Collaborations should involve more than one institution.

Specific areas of interest are:

-- Physical and Functional Interactions in Cells.

-- Functional Reconstitution.

-- Screening.

-- Relating Functional and Physical Interactions.

-- Quantitative, Systems, Computational, and High-Throughput Approaches.

-- Imaging and Spectroscopy.

This solicitation is one of three under the NIH initiative for research on macromolecular interactions in cells in vivo. A second FOA, "Research Networks for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (U54)" (RFA-GM-13-005), supports multiple-PD(s)/PI(s) specialized center cooperative agreements (U54); its maximum budget is $500,000 direct costs per year. A third FOA, "Competing Revisions for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (R01)" (RFA-GM-13-003), supports competing revisions (formerly "competing supplements") of funded NIGMS R01 and R37 projects; its maximum budget is $80,000 direct costs per year. All three FOAs are intended to diversify and extend the scope and capabilities of existing NIGMS cellular, molecular and developmental biology, genetics, pharmacology and physiology research projects, rather than to support independent stand-alone projects.

ONR Decentralized Online Operation (Special Notice 12-SN-0006)

Optional white papers due March 29, full proposals May 15, 2012

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=144213 (click on Full Announcement at the top-center of the screen).

The Office of Naval Research has released Special Notice 12-SN-0006, an amendment to its long-range broad agency announcement titled “Basic Research Challenge: Decentralized Online Optimization.”

The objective of this topic is to develop scientific principles and algorithms for solving decentralized, online optimization problems. To achieve this, first, solid mathematical frameworks need to be proposed and put into place so that various algorithmic strategies can be developed, analyzed, and compared. Second, canonical models need to be defined. These models should capture the fundamental difficulties associated with decentralized, online optimization. The aim in defining a few, simple canonical models is not to include all possible real-world complexities, but rather create a set of models whose rigorous treatment will drive design and analysis principles. Third, promising algorithmic strategies need to be identified and developed.

A proposed project should address all three of the following criteria:

1) The techniques can be applied to problems possessing a high degree of decentralization, and in which there is limited communication between system components,

2) The techniques can be applied to problems in which not all relevant information of the environment is known a priori, and is revealed incrementally to individual system components; information spreads through the system as communications become available and with potentially substantial time delays, and

3) The techniques are capable of producing high-quality solutions in a reasonable amount of time. Solution quality is measured against optimality, and solution time is measured against the time scale of changes in the environment. Analysis of these measures is expected to be mathematically rigorous.

Four-page white papers are requested by March 29. You will get comments back by April 13. Full proposals are due May 15. Full proposals need to be responsive to the ONR long-range BAA, which you can get to from the web link above. Follow the link to all ONR BAAs.

http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations/Pages/introduction.aspx

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has released its Grand Challenges Round 9 solicitation. Phase 1 proposals are eligible for up to $100,000. Successful projects are eligible to apply for much larger Phase 2 grants.

The topic areas of interest are:

New Approaches for the Interrogation of Anti-malarial Compounds. The goal of this topic is to support unconventional and radically new approaches, methods, and assays to analyze, characterize and prioritize anti-malarial compounds and to glean more information required for the development of next generation malaria drugs.

Aid is Working. Tell the World. A few of the many specific examples to be considered include (but are by no means limited to…) New ways to collect and share first-person stories from those impacted by aid in the developing world; Data collection and visualization that demonstrates the “how” and “what” of aid, e.g. where funding goes and how it impacts people and communities; money spent on development relative to other areas; measurable progress against the Millennium Development Goals. (The foundation is particularly interested in MDGs 1,4,5,and 6.); Creative distribution mechanisms to deliver stories, data, and information to key audiences; Concepts that spark active engagement and collaborative problem-solving, e.g. games, crowdsourcing, and other projects that move the field from one-way communications towards authentic engagement; Revolutionary ways to humanize the challenge and the solutions and to connect communities receiving aid to those who provide it.

Explore New Solutions in Global Health Priority Areas. Proposals are invited for: Solutions applying to global health priority areas: malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, pneumonia, enteric disease & diarrhea, polio, maternal and neonatal health, and/or family planning; Revolutionary new technologies or improvements upon current technologies; Low-cost solutions: Interventions that are targeted for populations with individuals living on less than $1 per day, deliverable, and scalable in low- and middle-income countries; Projects with clear and testable scientific plans.

Design New Approaches to Optimize Immunization Systems. This topic aims to generate novel approaches to optimizing the performance of immunization logistics and supply systems in low-resource settings. Applicants are encouraged to re-examine the systems trusted with delivering vaccines and design innovative solutions to optimize the performance of these systems, both today and in the future.

Protect Crop Plants from Biotic Stresses From Field to Market. The aim of this topic is to solicit transformative solutions to the pest and pathogen pressures faced by smallholder farmers in developing countries. We encourage researchers and entrepreneurs to harness the emerging information and tools in biology and engineering for the goals of agricultural development, to generate ideas that will revolutionize current approaches to crop protection by focusing on the plant, the pests, pathogens, weeds, and/or their interactions. Preliminary data is not required, but proposals should clearly demonstrate how the idea is an innovative leap in progress with the potential to be transformative.

NIH Design and Development of Technologies for Healthy Independent Living (PAR-11-021)

Letters of intent due December 19, 2010; proposals accepted January 19, 2011; May 19, 2011; September 19, 2011; January 19, 2012; May 18, 2012; September 19, 2012; January 18, 2013; May 17, 2013; September 19, 2013

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-021.html

The program will support the design and development of home or mobile technologies that enable functional independence and can improve quality of life for people with disabilities, chronic conditions, or mild impairments associated with aging. Home-health and mobile-health technologies are expected to function not only as monitoring devices, but as essential components in the delivery of healthcare.

Projects that address a specific and well-characterized clinical need will be considered of high potential impact. Some examples of appropriate topics for this FOA include but are not limited to: -- Activity monitoring devices or sensors to detect personal care needs -- Activity monitoring devices or sensors to detect acute medical events -- Devices to ensure adherence to rehabilitation and medical regimens -- Real-time monitoring and management of chronic conditions -- Monitoring systems to detect progressive decline in physical and cognitive abilities -- Therapeutic or management systems to address physical or cognitive decline -- Fall detection or prevention systems -- Devices to monitor and facilitate sleep health -- Technologies aimed at helping the lay care-giver or professional provider -- Research and development for improved human-computer interfaces for home-use technologies

Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with federally funded programs such as the NCRR Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), the NIBIB Point-of-Care Technologies Network (POCTRN), the NICHD Medical Rehabilitation Research Infrastructure Network, the NIH Basic and Behavioral & Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet), the NIH National Centers for Biomedical Computing (NCBC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Practice Based Research Networks (PBRNs), the AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet), the AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC), and the AHRQ Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness (DEcIDE) Network. If collaborating with such a program, applicants should describe how the collaboration would enhance performance and productivity to explore, develop, and integrate novel technologies for supporting healthy independent living. Applicants are advised to provide a letter of agreement that identifies the level of support from the Principal Investigator or Program Director of those centers.

This is an NIH R21 program, limited to two years and $275,000 of direct costs.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12538/nsf12538.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

This program is supported by the Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, and Office of Cyberinfrastructure. It will support research communities to develop visions, teams, and capabilities dedicated to creating new, large-scale, next-generation data resources and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research for the SBE and EHR sciences.

Successful proposals should examine the following questions in an integrated manner:

1. What broad, important, fundamental research questions are to be addressed? What research communities would be interested in exploring these questions?

2. What kinds of data are to be involved, including the metadata and the broader infrastructure in which the data are embedded? The data involved may be newly gathered, newly aggregated, and/or newly created.

3. How will the databases/assets be constructed? What new analytic or statistical approaches are needed to analyze the data?

4. What infrastructure is required to ensure access to and long-term maintenance of these large-scale data?

In addition, investigators should begin thinking about these related longer-term issues:

1. What types of infrastructure and data acquisition approaches are required to support wide scale deployment and use?

2. How will these new research communities address governance and sustainability issues?

NSF expects to make 25-60 awards from a $5 million pool.

DARPA Extended Solids (DARPA-BAA-12-20)

Optional abstracts due March 20, full proposals May 22, 2012

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=9779fbb0122425d338a012b495c1ba77&tab=core&_cview=0

The program solicits innovative multidisciplinary research proposals to develop and demonstrate synthesis methods of materials with superior properties (>1.5X over the current state of the art) that currently can only be made using ultrahigh pressure techniques, such that processing under conditions amenable to production scales (<2000 K and 0.5 GPa) and stability under ambient conditions is achieved. Extended solids are polymorphs/phases of simple molecules that are currently formed under ultrahigh pressure conditions where strong intermolecular bonding and tight crystal packing can be induced, leading to dramatic changes in physical, mechanical, and functional properties.

A proposal must address all three of the following technical areas:

Technical Area One: Development and implementation of computational techniques to assist in discovery, stabilization and synthesis of high pressure polymorphs/phases with superior properties. The goal for this area is to efficiently map “energy landscapes” that elucidate the relationship.

Technical Area Two: Synthesis and stabilization of intermediates and extended solid polymorphs/phases to room temperature and pressure.

Technical Area Three: Reduced pressure synthesis, scale-up and demonstration of properties of extended solid polymorphs/phases.

DARPA will accept proposals for fundamental research, meaning that we can propose projects that will not have export controls or restrictions on foreign workers.

DOE Clean Biomass Cookstoves (DE-FOA-0000709)

Due May 23, 2012

This program will make several awards to increase the viability and deployment of renewable energy technologies through research, development, and tools that lead to biomass cookstoves that address the highest levels of performance (for emissions, indoor emissions, efficiency, and safety) defined through the ISO/IWA.

There are three topic areas:

Topic Area 1 – Applied research and development for products with auxiliary devices, including fans, sensors, and controls. DOE expects to make 1-2 awards under this area.

Topic Area 2 - Combustion and heat transfer research applied to stove development. DOE expects to make 1-2 awards under this area.

Topic Area 3 - Development of a design tool for stove design and manufacturing. DOE expects to make 1 award under this area.

Awards are expected to be between $450,000 and $1 million. The total amount available for the program is $2.5 million. Cost sharing is not required for non-profit organizations, including academic institutions. Cost sharing for large companies will be between 10 and 20%, depending on the makeup of the team.

NIH Climate Change and Health: Assessing and Modeling Population Vulnerability to Climate Change (PAR-10-235)

Due May 24, 2011; and May 24, 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-235.html

This is a wide-ranging solicitation that will make small exploratory grants (R21) of up to $275,000 direct costs over up to two years. The program will make two basic types of grants:

1. Applied studies focused on specific populations, diseases, health outcomes, environmental exposures, or events (e.g., extreme weather events) likely to be impacted by climate change.

2. Development of general methods or models to assess and characterize population variability to climate change that can be adapted to multiple population, health outcome/disease, or exposure scenarios.

Several of the individual institutes within NIH are participating in this program, and each institute has its own research priorities. Examples from the solicitation that are most relevant to BCOE include these following.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS): -- Effects of changes in air quality resulting from climate change (e.g., increases in exposure to air pollutants including toxic chemicals, fungi, and aeroallergens) on health issues including asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other respiratory illnesses. -- Exposure of at-risk populations. -- Research to better understand the environmental conditions and concomitant behaviors (recreational water use, consumption of seafood) that may increase individual risk to climate change-related increases in exposure to harmful algal blooms. -- Community-based research involving community organizations, environmental health scientists, climatologists, geographers, and community planners to determine and prioritize the greatest climate-related risk for a given community, with a particular focus on anticipated environmental changes, to facilitate allocation of resources for adapting and mitigating climate change.

National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities: -- Vulnerability to health impacts of climate change in the context of social, economic, behavioral and cultural determinants, geographic factors, public policies, biological susceptibility, and the built environment.

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering: -- Predictive multiscale modeling.

National Library of Medicine: -- Novel data mining approaches for discovering, visualizing and testing hypotheses about climate effects on particular disease or population groups. -- Advanced applications of computational intelligence to support information integration, minimizing the human intervention needed to map and standardize data elements in large health, demographic or climate data sets.

There are many more examples from these institutes and others.

NIH India-US Collaboration on Low-Cost Medical Devices (PAR-11-044)

Letter of intent due December 26, 2010; proposals accepted January 26, 2011; May 24, 2011; September 23, 2011; January 24, 2012; May 24, 2012; September 24, 2012; January 24, 2013; May 24, 2013; and September 24, 2013

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-044.html

This program will make R03 awards of up to $75,000 per year (direct costs) for two years for the US side of a collaboration with Indian researchers. The Indian government simultaneously funds the Indian collaborator.

The vision of this program is to support development of medical technologies that can be used in underserved areas, and especially that contribute to the health of women and children. There is great potential for improved technology to expand the current reach of biomedical systems into presently underserved areas. For example, there is a need to develop multiplexed, “lab-on-chip” technologies to bring multiple biomarker tests onto a single, universal platform that could be used in remote clinics, low-resource settings, and hospitals. Under this FOA applications could be developed for the diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases, rainy season diseases, fevers, and other infections. As another example, newborn screening for the detection of hemoglobinopathies, hypothyroidism, and other heritable conditions might be implemented with new technologies including, but not limited to lab-on-a-chip or microfluidic technologies.

Areas of particular interest are:

Cardiovascular diseases

--Immediate needs include detection and monitoring of cardiovascular diseases in low-resource settings.

--New methods for delivering treatment of cardiovascular disease are also needed.

Cancer Screening

--New technologies need to be developed as collaboration between engineers, clinicians, technologists and global health experts.

--Screening technologies need to be simple enough to be operated by people with minimal education (10th grade).

--Quantitative tools for monitoring therapy and for pre-clinical models are needed

Endocrine Disorders

--Diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for endocrine disorders, and specifically diabetes, are needed

New or reengineered low-cost technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of GI tract diseases

Maternal/Neonatal/Infant Health

--There is a need to focus on a high-priority problems and implement technologies that will have a significant impact.

--There is a need to screen newborns for treatable conditions with high morbidity and mortality such as hemoglobinopathies, hypothyroidism, and other metabolic or inherited disorders

--For example, technologies are needed to help prevent hypothyroidism.

Trauma and Injury needs include:

--Low-cost prostheses and prosthetic materials

--Low-cost imaging for tertiary care hospitals

--Mobile or portable imaging devices

--Low-cost EMS technologies such as a “trauma backpack”

--Improved, low-cost telemedicine technologies

--Low-cost hemostats, surgifoam, gelfoam, implants, sutures, pre-loaded syringes, fixative

--Low-cost C-arm, ultrasound, and CT

--Rehabilitation technologies, particularly for children who have been injured

--Low-cost wheelchairs

--Technologies for airway clearing

--Technologies for CNS assessment

Translational Research

--Technologies developed in the West need to be re-engineered to suit local needs in India. For example, technologies such as the flow cytometers, insulin pumps could be made using readily available standard components.

Letters of intent are due December 26 for the current funding cycle. Proposals will be accepted January 26, 2011; May 24, 2011; September 23, 2011; January 24, 2012; May 24, 2012; September 24, 2012; January 24, 2013; May 24, 2013; and September 24, 2013. Simultaneous submission of a proposal by the Indian collaborator to the Indian government is required.

NIH/NIBIB Program Project Applications (P01, PAR-10-233)

Due January 25, May 25, and September 25 through May 2013

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-233.html

This program will make a small number of awards for broad-based multidisciplinary research programs, which have a well-defined major objective or central theme, but which are addressing a range of imaging or bioengineering questions in contrast to the traditional research project (R01). Proposed program projects may address any of the broad areas of imaging and bioengineering research supported by the Institute.

Areas of interest include (but are not limited to) Areas include but are not limited to: Biomaterials, Biomedical Informatics, Drug and Gene Delivery Systems and Devices, Image-Guided Interventions, Image Processing, Visual Perception and Display, Magnetic, Biomagnetic and Bioelectric Devices, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy, Mathematical Modeling, Simulation and Analysis, Medical Devices and Implant Science, Micro-biomechanics, Micro- and Nano-Systems, Platform Technologies, Molecular Imaging, Nanotechnology, Nuclear Medicine, Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy, Rehabilitation Engineering, Sensors, Structural Biology, Surgical Tools, Techniques and Systems, Telehealth, Tissue Engineering, Ultrasound (diagnostic and interventional), and X-ray, Electron, and Ion Beam Technologies.

The proposal must explain why funding several research projects as a group is better than funding the projects individually. These proposals compete against R01 single-project proposals, so the proposal needs to convince NIH that one big award is better than several individual awards.

There must be at least three subprojects within the program. The PI must devote at least 3.0 months per year to the project and must lead at least one of the subprojects. The sole PI of a subproject must devote at least 2.4 months per year to the project, and/or co-PIs of a subproject must devote at least 1.2 months each. A typical budget for one of these programs is $1.2 million to $1.4 million per year (direct costs). It is not required that all of the subprojects take place at the same institution.

Proposals will be accepted January 25, May 25, and September 25 through May 2013. There is a limit of one proposal per PI, but no institutional limit.

NIH Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award (T32) and Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grants (T35)

Due January 25, May 25, and September 25

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-036.html (T-32, graduate/postdoctoral fellowships)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-037.html (T-35, short-term training programs)

The T32 program can be for up to five years, and it is renewable. The program makes fellowships to U.S. graduate students pursuing Ph.D. degrees in NIH-supported fields, and for postdocs in these fields. Proposal due dates depend on the institute or center you are applying to, but in general they are January 25, May 25, and September 25. The due dates by agency can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/contacts/pa-06-468_contacts.htm.

The T35 program covers short courses and short-term research training opportunities for predoctoral and postdoctoral individuals interested in careers in biomedical, behavioral and clinical research. The short-term programs must be 8-12 weeks of full-time effort. The program provides stipends and training-related expenses for the participants.

NSF Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (TUES) (formerly CCLI) 10-544

Type 1 due May 26, 2010, May 26, 2011, and May 28, 2012; Types 2 and 3 due January 14, 2011, January 13, 2012, and January 14, 2013

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10544/nsf10544.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_179

NSF has changed the name of the Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program to “Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (TUES)” (Program Solicitation 10-544). This program emphasizes a special interest in projects that have the potential to transform undergraduate STEM education, and NSF now is looking at how any planned educational improvements will be institutionalized.

This program makes grants to improve undergraduate education in STEM. You can propose to use proven pedagogical techniques in ways that encourage widespread adoption, or you can propose “untested, forward-looking, and unconventional activities that could have a high impact and contribute to transforming undergraduate STEM education.” If you go the untested route, you are strongly encouraged to contact the NSF program officer before writing the proposal. NSF is especially interested in projects that involve cyberlearning, “learning with cyberinfrastructure tools such as networked computing and communications technologies.”

All projects must have one or more of the following elements:

-- Creating learning materials and strategies. -- Implementing new instructional strategies. -- Developing faculty expertise. -- Assessing and evaluating student achievement. -- Conducting research on undergraduate STEM education.

All projects should have the following characteristics:

-- Quality, relevance, and impact. -- Student focus. -- Use of and contribution to knowledge about STEM education. -- STEM education community-building. -- Sustainability. -- Expected measurable outcomes. -- Project evaluation.

Type 1 projects will be up to $200,000 over up to three years ($250,000 when a four-year institution collaborates with a two-year institution). NSF expects 70 to 75 type 1 awards.

Type 2 projects will be up to $600,000 over two to four years. NSF expects 20 to 25 Type 2 awards.

Type 3 projects can be up to $5 million over up to 5 years for large-scale efforts. NSF expects 1 to 3 Type 3 awards.

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=83a9149e8f91ae261534dd26dd5ac777&tab=core&_cview=0

The DARPA Information Innovation Office has released DARPA-BAA-11-34, the Office-Wide Broad Agency Announcement for the Information Innovation Office (I2O). This is a vehicle for new projects that investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that results primarily in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of the art.

A project should address at least one of the following three themes.

• Understand: Change is pervasive and accelerating throughout all aspects of human, world and military affairs, bringing with it both opportunities and threats. Examples of threats include emerging regional peer rivals, rogue and failed nation-states, insurgent groups, militant/radicalized populations, transnational terrorist organizations and criminal enterprises, and new classes of cyber-human-physical threats. Military success requires understanding threat capabilities, intentions, and activities as well as local human, social, cultural, and behavioral factors. I2O seeks to enable this understanding through the development of computational and analytic techniques that can process and assimilate the huge volumes of data generated by modern sensor, information, and communication systems, and by incorporating these techniques and new enabling sensor technologies in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) exploitation and language processing systems that can classify behaviors, correlate events, identify trends, detect anomalies, and generate alerts.

• Empower: Just as the world has gotten more complex, so have military operations, which require the precise tasking, coordination and control of air, ground and naval forces, ISR assets, weapons systems, communications resources and logistics under highly dynamic, uncertain, and dangerous conditions. I2O works to empower warfighters at all echelons to meet these challenges by developing advanced computing technologies, including modeling and simulation, visualization, knowledge management, geographic information systems, semantic web techniques, social networks, crowd-sourced, and Web 2.0/3.0 techniques, and implementing these in command and control systems that automate and improve the application of information to military decision-making, planning, training, mission rehearsal, and operations support.

• Connect: Modern warfighting depends on reliable connectivity for access to theater and national sensor data and to coordinate the action of widely distributed forces. This connectivity is being challenged by increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks on network and computational resources. I2O aims to ensure this connection by developing more resilient computing and communication technologies and by creating new approaches to ensure the security of Defense networks and computing systems. These technologies will enable more rapid detection, analysis, and mitigation of cyber threats; more efficient utilization of network resources; and more effective monitoring and control of computing and communications infrastructure.

DARPA has no funding set aside specifically for this program. The basic idea is that you submit an idea, and they can find the money for it if they like it. Submissions will be accepted until May 30, 2012.

June

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=7cac5822693df9ba870dc9a1445d4c04&tab=core&_cview=0

The Naval Facilities Engineering Command has released solicitation N6258312R0755, “Broad Agency Announcement for expeditionary technologies / methodologies that are either new, innovative, advance the state-of-the-art, or increase knowledge / understanding of a technology / method.” This program seeks innovative ideas in the following five topic areas:

1: ENHANCED INFRASTRUCTURE. Innovative technologies are sought for lightweight, mobile infrastructure elements such as bridging systems, shelter systems, protective barrier systems, power distribution and monitoring equipment, roadway, and landing pad systems. Technologies may include but are not limited to: advanced materials, fabrication techniques, repair techniques, modular construction, high voltage power transmission systems, and intelligent resource allocation systems.

2: ENHANCED SELF SUFFICIENCY FOR WATER. Innovative ideas are sought for the treatment of water in small scale systems with production rates of up to 1 gallon per minute.

3: ENERGY EFFICIENT EXPEDITIONARY FACILITIES. Technologies are sought for increasing the energy efficiency of expeditionary facilities. This includes advanced measurement, planning, distribution, and allocation technologies for control of electrical, water, natural gas, and thermal systems, as well as automated tools for conducting energy audits.

4: MODELING TOOLS TO FORECAST EFFECTS OF ENHANCED TECHNOLOGIES. Innovative tools and techniques are sought for investigation of the effects of improved logistics technologies and their added capabilities on future expeditionary operations. Such modeling and simulation tools may be used to guide future logistics technology development.

5: ENHANCED NAVAL PORT SECURITY. Assistance is sought for the research, development, testing and analysis of technologies and methods related to supporting Navy port security capabilities and requirements. Technologies providing capabilities to detect, classify, delay, deter and respond to threats posing risk to Navy personnel and equipment are areas of interest. Navy ports consist of the land, air and sea spaces.

6: ENHANCED LOGISTICS TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES. Innovative sensors, prognostics, logistics command and control, and modeling and simulation technologies are sought to provide improved awareness of both inventory location and condition.

Abstracts will be accepted on June 1, 2012; September 1, 2012; December 1, 2012; and March 1, 2013. If they like your idea, they will invite a full proposal.

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=162673 (click on the Full Announcement button near the top-center of the screen)

The mission of the cooperative institute, or CI, is to support the following five objectives identified in the NOAA Next Generation Strategic Plan: (1) Climate Adaption and Mitigation, (2) Weather-Ready Nation, (3) Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies, (4) Science and Technology Enterprise, and (5) NOAA Engagement Enterprise. There are nine “themes” that a CI should be able to address:

1. Air quality in a changing climate.

2. Climate forcings, feedback, and analysis.

3. Earth system dynamics, variability, and change.

4. Management and exploitation of geophysical data.

5. Regional science and applications.

6. Scientific outreach and education.

7. Space weather understanding and prediction.

8. Stratospheric processes and trends.

9. Systems and prediction models development.

It is unclear how many awards this program will make. Also, I don’t know whether there is an incumbent. Awards are for five years, renewable for another five years. The project will be a cooperative agreement for collaborations with NOAA scientists on specified tasks and additional activities proposed by the organization. NOAA expects to have $750,000 available each year for Task I, which is “the management of the CI, as well as general education and outreach activities. This task also includes support of postdoctoral and visiting scientists conducting research that is approved by the CI Director in consultation with NOAA, and is relevant to NOAA and the CI's mission goals.”

at http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=133134

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released 2012-NIST-MSE-01, Measurement Science and Engineering Grant Programs. This program will make awards for nine NIST organizations. In most cases, the maximum award is $500,000 over five years.

The descriptions of the research areas run on for about 10 pages, so I’m just giving the labs and major topic headings here. Proposals will be accepted on an ongoing basis until June 1, 2012; the earlier a proposal goes in, the greater its chance of success.

1. Material Measurement Laboratory

a. MML office – conferences, workshops.

b. Analytical Chemistry.

c. Biochemical Sciences.

d. Ceramics.

e. Chemical and Biochemical Reference Data.

f. Materials Reliability.

g. Metallurgy.

h. Polymers.

i. Surface and Microanalysis.

j. Thermophysical Properties.

2. Physical Measurement Laboratory

a. PML Office.

b. Weights and Measures.

c. Radiation and Biomolecular Physics

d. Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrology

e. Quantum Measurement.

f. Sensor Science.

g. Quantum Electronics and Photonics.

h. Electromagnetics.

i. Time and Frequency.

j. Quantum Physics.

3. Engineering Laboratory

a. Applied Economics.

b. National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program.

c. Smart Grid and Cyber-Physical Systems.

d. Materials and Structural Systems.

e. Energy and Environment.

f. Systems Integration.

g. Intelligent Systems.

h. National Windstorm Impact Reduction.

i. Disaster and Failure Studies.

4. Fire Research Grant Program

a. Fire Fighting Technology.

b. Engineered Fire Safety Group.

c. Flammability Reduction Group.

d. Wildland Urban Interface Fire Group.

e. National Fire Research Laboratory.

5. Information Technology Laboratory

6. NIST Center for Neutron Research

7. Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology

8. Standards Services Group

9. Office of Special Programs

a. Greenhouse Gas and Climate Science.

b. Office of Law Enforcement Standards

NASA Atmospheric Composition: Modeling and Analysis (NNH12ZDA001N-ACMAP)

Due June 1, 2012

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=305029/solicitationId=%7B0E173D1E-59DB-8465-211D-618BC4048180%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/A.16%20ACMAP%20Final.pdf. More information about ROSES and how to prepare and submit a proposal is at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={0E173D1E-59DB-8465-211D-618BC4048180}&path=open.

NASA has released NNH12ZDA001N-ACMAP, “Atmospheric Composition: Modeling and Analysis” as part of its Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences(ROSES) program. This project will support research into the following questions:

-- How is atmospheric composition changing?

-- What trends in atmospheric composition and solar radiation are driving global climate?

-- How does atmospheric composition respond to and affect global environmental change?

-- What are the effects of global atmospheric composition and climate changes on regional air quality?

-- How will future changes in atmospheric composition affect ozone, climate, and global air quality?

There are three specific research topic areas:

A. Research topics in the area of tropospheric air quality and oxidizing capacity include the effects of climate change on tropospheric air quality and air quality on climate. Studies of the attribution of changes in air quality and oxidizing capacity over the past 20 years are encouraged.

B. Studies of aerosol characteristics with respect to their impacts on actinic fluxes and tropospheric chemical processes are encouraged.

C. Stratospheric chemistry and ozone depletion studies of interest to the program include utilizing observations to understand the chemical, dynamical, and radiative processes controlling interaction between the stratosphere and troposphere. The polar regions are of particular interest with respect to chemical and radiative impacts of stratospheric ozone change on the lower atmosphere.

Research should use data from NASA’s spaced-based observation platforms to some extent. Ground-based measurements may also be used/included.

NASA expects to make 10-15 awards from a $2.2 million pool. Awards can be up to three years each.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12540/nsf12540.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

This program will make awards of up to $250,000 to enable a professor to spend at least one semester and up to one year as a visiting researcher at another institution and in another discipline to advance the field of quantum information science. The PI must be a tenured professor. After the time as a visiting researcher in over, the PI can request a follow-on grant of $50,000 to support one graduate student in this area. NSF prefers the collaborations to be domestic, but international collaborations will be considered.

The goal of the CISE-MPS Interdisciplinary Faculty Program in Quantum Information Science is to bring together quantum information science (QIS) researchers and researchers from the CISE or MPS disciplines to:

1. Address cross-disciplinary research questions in QIS that explore the power of quantum computation and its impact on computer science, advance knowledge on the fundamental limits of quantum computation and systems, and explore advances in physical realization of quantum systems, as well as

2. Increase the number of US researchers actively working in QIS and train the future generation of QIS scientists.

The awards provide support for faculty with demonstrated success in MPS or CISE research fields to actively engage in new interdisciplinary research with QIS scientists.

The PI (referred to as the scholar) must be in a tenured faculty position in his or her US home institution and must be prepared to spend a minimum of one contiguous semester with the host's group. Scholar and host must be from substantially different intellectual backgrounds, such that the collaborative activity represents a broadening of experience and a bone fide change in the scholar's research direction. Scholar and host must also be based in different institutions, so that the interaction with the host research group represents a full immersion and not a part-time activity. Requests from scholars wishing to visit well-established research groups and centers in Quantum Information Science are particularly welcome.

There is a limit of one proposal per PI.

Semiconductor Research Corporation, Cross-disciplinary Semiconductor Research

Due June 4, 2012

http://www.src.org/compete/s201212/

The goal of the Cross-disciplinary Semiconductor Research (CSR) program is to foster exploratory, multi-disciplinary, longer-term university research leading ot novel high-payoff solutions for the science and technology challenges faced by the semiconductor industry at and beyond the time horizons of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. Successful CSR projects will offer innovative and possibly disruptive solutions to the challenge of continuing the exponential gains in cost/performance benefits provided by the semiconductor industry for the foreseeable future, and may lead to novel applications for this industry. Areas of interest include FETs, emerging memory devices, emerging devices based on new physical principles, integrated sensors, and radically new ideas for efficient light sources for optical interconnects. Awards are for one year at $40,000 without overhead.

Due February 5,  June 5, and  October 5  through June 2014 (letters of intent due 30 days earlier)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-058.html

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages investigators to form collaborations with an established academic, nonprofit, or commercial high throughput screening (HTS) facility that has the requisite expertise and experience to implement HTS-ready assays for the discovery and development of small molecule chemical probes. NIH wishes to stimulate research in 1) discovery and development of novel, small molecules for their potential use in studying disease treatment relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes, and 2) discovery and/or validation of novel, biological targets that will inform studies of disease mechanisms.  Emphasis will be placed on assays that provide new insight into important disease targets and processes.

Solicitation of Validated Hits for the Discovery of in vivo Chemical Probes (R01) (NIH PAR-12-060)

Due February 5, June 5, and October 5 through June 2014 (letters of intent due 30 days earlier)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-060.html

 This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) intends to support investigators who have interest and capability to join efforts for the discovery of in vivo chemical probes. It is expected that applicants will have in hand the starting compounds (“validated hits”) for chemical optimization and bioassays for testing new analog compounds. NIH wishes to stimulate research in 1) discovery and development of novel, small molecules for their potential use in studying disease treatment relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes, and 2) discovery and/or validation of novel, biological targets that will inform studies of disease mechanisms. Emphasis will be placed on assays that provide new insight into important disease targets and processes.

NIH Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine (. PA-11-148 and PA-11-149)

R01 (regular grants): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-148.html; proposals due February 5, June 5, and October 5 through February 2014

R21 (exploratory): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-149.html: proposals due February 16, June 16, and October 16 through February 2014

Each participating institute has a list of areas of interest that goes on for several pages, so I won’t repeat that here. Overall, the objective of the program is to encourage the study of basic biological phenomena and engineer nanotechnology solutions that will enable biomedical breakthroughs in the diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases and traumatic injuries. Research projects may include the development, modification, or integration of advanced nanotechnologies and nanoscience-based tools, methods, concepts, and devices in addition to engineering nanoscale structures and systems to study and understand biological processes in health and disease and to develop novel diagnostics and interventions for treating disease.

NIH Bioengineering Research Partnerships (PAR-10-234)

Proposals accepted February 5, June 5, and October 5 through mid-2013

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-234.html

This program will support basic, applied, and translational multi-disciplinary research that addresses important biological, clinical or biomedical research problems. In the context of this program, a partnership is a multi-disciplinary research team, that applies an integrative, systems approach to develop knowledge and/or methods to prevent, detect, diagnose, or treat disease or to understand health and behavior.

By NIH’s definition, bioengineering integrates physical, engineering, and computational science principles for the study of biology, medicine, behavior, or health. It advances fundamental concepts, creates knowledge from the molecular/cellular to the organ systems and holistic level, and develops innovative biologicals, materials, processes, implants, devices, and informatics approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, for patient rehabilitation, and for improving health. Some BRP projects may propose research that could lead to a novel device as a product. Partnership with companies that have relevant expertise or that may eventually be involved in commercialization is appropriate under the BRP program. It is expected that a BRP will have a well-defined goal or deliverable that will be achieved within the 5-10 year funding period. Projects with a translational focus are encouraged.

The solicitation points out that there are two other bioengineering programs – Bioengineering Research Grant (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-279.html) and Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grant (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-418.html), with somewhat different emphases.

NIH Bioengineering Research Grants (R01)

Due February 5, June 5, and October 5 through 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-009.html

Proposals due February 5, June 5, and October 5 through 2012

This program supports multidisciplinary research that addresses important biological, bioengineering or medical research problems. Multi-disciplinary research performed in a single lab or by a small number of investigators that applies an integrative, systems approach to develop knowledge and/or methods to prevent, detect, diagnose, or treat disease or to understand health and behavior will be funded. A BRG application may propose hypothesis-driven, discovery-driven, developmental, or design-directed research. Proposals requesting more than $500,000 per year in direct costs must be approved at least six weeks in advance. This program will use the new NIH formatting requirements; the major change is that the main body of the technical proposal is limited to 12 pages.

NIH Non-Invasive Methods for Diagnosis and Progression of Diabetes, Kidney, Urological, Hematological and Digestive Diseases and Hypertensive Disorders, PA-09-181

Proposals accepted February 5, June 5, and October 5 until May 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-09-181.html

This R01 program will fund new approaches to diagnosing diseases non-invasively. These might include new ways to measure flux through enzymatic pathways in tissues, to measure the unique functions or specialized cells in vivo, to monitor the activity of short-lived, small molecule signals, to explore the physical environment of intracellular compartments, or to assess nerve activation in an organ. Spectroscopic techniques and computer modeling approaches also are within the scope of this program. However, the development of novel imaging or sensing technologies that may have general applications, such as imaging devices or computational methods, are outside the scope of what this program will fund.

Project sizes will vary. Durations can be up to five years. Proposals will be accepted February 5, June 5, and October 5 until May 2012.

NIH Collaborations with National Centers for Biomedical Computing (PAR-12-001)

Accepting proposals February 5, June 5, and October 5 through June 2014

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-001.html

This program will support a wide range of research activities in collaboration with the existing Centers for Biomedical Computing. The mission of these centers is to conduct basic research in computational science and to provide the tools and resources (hardware, software, and staff) that biomedical and behavioral researchers need to do their work. In addition to carrying out fundamental research, the NIH NCBCs play a major role in educating and training researchers to engage in biomedical computing. They provide tools and resources that biomedical and behavioral researchers can use at a variety of levels. The NIH NCBCs are partnerships, bringing together three types of scientists: 1) computational scientists, who invent and develop efficient and powerful languages, data structures, software architectures, hardware, and algorithms for solving biomedically significant computing problems; 2) biomedical computational scientists, who adapt and deploy resources from computational science to solve significant biomedical problems; and 3) experimental and clinical biomedical and behavioral scientists, who generate data that can be transformed into knowledge by computational simulation, analysis, modeling, data mining, and visualization.

Awards will be R01 grants, which means you should already have some preliminary data to include in your proposal. Awards can be up to five years.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-12-134.html

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-12-133.html

The National Institute of Nursing Research and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have released two solicitations for a program titled Environmental Exposures and Health: Exploration of Non-Traditional Settings. The purpose of is to encourage interdisciplinary research aimed at promoting health, limiting symptoms and disease, and reducing health disparities in children and older adults living or spending time in non-traditional settings. These settings result in exposure to environmental pollutants and toxins that result in health risks, symptoms, and other health conditions/diseases including lower respiratory diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular diseases. Risk identification and symptom management include prevention and behavior changes and actions to maintain health and prevent disease with an emphasis on the individual, family, and community which will advance nursing science. For purposes of this FOA, non-traditional settings, for children and older adults, include, but are not limited to places such as community centers, pre-school and non-traditional school environments (e.g., churches, daycare, home-based schools, dormitories, and alternative schools), child and older adult foster care facilities, older adult day care facilities, half-way homes, assisted living and long-term care facilities.

at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/#49ecd369-be51-41fa-957a-9a81ff1a288e

This program will make 1-3 awards from a $750,000 pool to support international collaborative efforts that accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies. DOE seeks to deploy U.S. technical expertise in the area of sustainable urban development to cities in China and India through a variety of activities such as strategic and policy planning and analysis, design and management, energy market assessment, energy modeling, financial management, improvement of governance in local bodies, workforce development, technical assessment, and analysis.

A proposal must identify a specific urban area of India or China (or both) and must do all of the following:

1. Identify key issues/barriers that constrain the implementation of policies and activities for sustainable urban energy planning and development in the proposed area.

2. Describe how proposed activities would support the current energy related agenda of the target country and how it would establish a common agenda to address barriers for sustainable urban development.

3. Discuss how the exchange of ideas will be facilitated among relevant stakeholders and between the country governments.

4. Discuss how the proposed activities would result in potential energy and environmental gains for the city and region in China and/or India, and offer new business and new market opportunities for American firms in both countries.

Concept papers aer mandatory and are due June 7. DOE will encourage or discourage full proposals, which are due July 26.

at https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect/?doc=DE-FOA-0000703&agency=DOE

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, has released DE-FOA-0000703, Small Scale Coal-Biomass to Liquids (CBTL) Production and Feasibility Study of a Commercial Scale CBTL Facility. This program will make a small number of awards in two areas:

Area of Interest 1. Laboratory Scale Liquids Production and Assessment (awards up to $1.56 million; 2 awards expected; 1:4 cost sharing required)

Applicants shall propose technology R&D to convert coal-biomass feedstocks to liquid transportation fuels, producing at a rate approximating 2 liter/day or higher. For this FOA, liquid transportation fuels are defined as liquid-naphtha or diesel blends – alternative fuels such as hydrogen, methane/SNG and alcohol products are not being considered under this area of interest. Selected projects will be required to demonstrate liquids production on a laboratory scale from low-level biomass and coal feedstock mixtures (optimal range 8-15% agricultural biomass, dry weight % basis). The conversion approach may include direct (liquefaction) or indirect (synthesis gas FT chemistry) processes. The following topics are excluded from consideration.

• Conversion via a substitute natural gas (methane) intermediate; • Catalysis R&D; • Co-generation with power.

The applicant shall define and submit in the application planned downstream processes for converting crude products to desired-range hydrocarbons. The chemical composition of the coal/biomass-derived liquids will be determined in order to assess the property differences from liquids produced from a coal-only feed. Applicants shall submit methodologies planned to test and characterize the quality of the coal-biomass derived liquid fuels and the differences and similarities of properties with coal-derived liquids. In addition, the applicant shall conduct a general analysis of the comparative process economics of the evolved coal-biomass-to-liquids process relative to a coal only process. Applicants will be required to provide finished liquid product samples (1 liter minimum) as a final deliverable under the agreement.

Area of Interest 2. Feasibility Study for a Coal-Biomass to Liquids Facility (awards up to $375,000; 2-3 awards expected; 1:4 cost sharing required)

Applicants shall propose feasibility studies for the development, construction and operation of a U.S. site specific, greenfield, integrated commercial sized CBTL plant. The key focus of the study will be the business development, cost estimate, and economic sensitivity analysis of a commercial facility using cost, performance and operating data from existing and available technology. Sensitivity studies should include, but are not limited to, evaluation of competing technologies, feedstock variation and product mix. Major feedstocks are limited to coal and agricultural biomass (biomass level of 8-15 dry weight % basis), with a minimum plant size of 10,000 barrels-per-day (BPD). Plant data may be obtained from published reports, commercial vendors, existing commercially-available process units or operation data from large-scale pilot plants. The study should include evaluation of various U.S. sites and sources of feedstocks. Deliverables from these projects shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Description of the proposed facility and process, including major processing units. A process block flow diagram (BFD) should be included. Material and energy balances, water, steam, and utilities summary should be included and be consistent with the streams shown in the BFD. 2. Discussion on the technology readiness level (TRL), with a supporting preliminary process flow diagram. 3. Plant cost estimate broken down according to the BFD. The sources of the cost data and the methodology in estimating the total installed cost and the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) cost should be clearly defined. 4. Economic sensitivity analysis which includes a summary of the major financial and project assumptions, including a sufficient break-down of the annual operating requirements and cost. 5. Discussion of the execution plan, including but not limited to issues related to feedstock supplies, site acquisition, product off-takes, and permitting.

NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01)

Proposals accepted on February 12, June 12, and October 12 through September 2014

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-190.html

The purpose of the NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) is to provide support and “protected time” (three, four, or five years) for an intensive, supervised career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences leading to research independence.  Although all of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) use this support mechanism to support career development experiences that lead to research independence, some ICs use the K01 award for individuals who propose to train in a new field or for individuals who have had a hiatus in their research career because of illness or pressing family circumstances. Other ICs utilize the K01 award to increase research workforce diversity by providing enhanced research career development opportunities.  Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the relevant NIH staff for IC-specific programmatic and budgetary information. The PI must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and must have a Ph.D. in a research or health field. Other eligibility requirements (e.g., tenure vs. tenure track appointment) vary by IC.

NIH Independent Scientist Award (Parent K02)

Proposals accepted on February 12, June 12, and October 12 through September 2014

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-191.html

The purpose of the NIH Independent Scientist Award (K02) is to foster the development of outstanding scientists and enable them to expand their potential to make significant contributions to their field of research. The K02 award provides three, four, or five years of salary support and “protected time” for newly independent (see IC provisions) scientists who can demonstrate the need for a period of intensive research focus as a means of enhancing their research careers. The definition of “newly independent” varies by NIH Institute/Center. Each independent scientist career award program must be tailored to meet the individual needs of the candidate. Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the relevant Institute or Center (IC) staff for IC-specific programmatic and budgetary information.

Academic Career Award (Parent K07)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-192.html

Proposals accepted on February 12, June 12, and October 12 through September 2014

The purpose of the NIH Academic Career Award (K07) is to provide support to increase the pool of individuals with academic and research expertise to become academic researchers and to enhance the educational or research capacity at the grantee sponsoring grantee institution. The Academic Career Award supports K07 Development awards for more junior level candidates and K07 Leadership awards for more senior individuals with acknowledged scientific expertise and leadership skills. Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the relevant NIH staff for IC-specific programmatic and budgetary information.

Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Parent K25)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-196.html

Proposals accepted on February 12, June 12, and October 12 through September 2014

The purpose of the Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25) is to attract to NIH-relevant research those investigators whose quantitative science and engineering research has thus far not been focused primarily on questions of health and disease.  The K25 award will provide support and “protected time” for a period of supervised study and research for productive professionals with quantitative (e.g., mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, imaging science, informatics, physics, chemistry) and engineering backgrounds to integrate their expertise with NIH-relevant research.  Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the relevant NIH staff for IC-specific programmatic and budgetary information.

NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-197.html

Proposals accepted on February 12, June 12, and October 12 through September 2014

The primary purpose of the Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program is to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented NIH-supported independent investigators. The program is designed to facilitate a timely transition from a mentored postdoctoral research position to a stable independent research position with independent NIH or other independent research support at an earlier stage than is currently the norm. Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the relevant NIH staff for IC-specific programmatic and budgetary information.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12499/nsf12499.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_179

This program aims to advance the core scientific and technological means of managing, analyzing, visualizing, and extracting useful information from large, diverse, distributed and heterogeneous data sets so as to: accelerate the progress of scientific discovery and innovation; lead to new fields of inquiry that would not otherwise be possible; encourage the development of new data analytic tools and algorithms; facilitate scalable, accessible, and sustainable data infrastructure; increase understanding of human and social processes and interactions; and promote economic growth and improved health and quality of life. The new knowledge, tools, practices, and infrastructures produced will enable breakthrough discoveries and innovation in science, engineering, medicine, commerce, education, and national security -- laying the foundations for US competitiveness for many decades to come.

BIGDATA seeks proposals that develop and evaluate core technologies and tools that take advantage of available collections of large data sets to accelerate progress in science, biomedical research, and engineering. Each proposal should include an evaluation plan. (See details in the Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions section). Proposals can focus on one or more of the following three perspectives:

1. Data collection and management. 2. Data analytics. 3. E-science collaboration environments.

In addition to the three science and engineering perspectives on big data described above, all proposals must also include a description of how the project will build capacity. These CB activities are critical to the growth and health of this emerging area of research and education. There are three broad types of CB activities: (1) appropriate models, policies and technologies to support responsible and sustainable big data stewardship; (2) training and communication strategies, targeted to the various research communities and/or the public; and (3) sustainable, cost-effective infrastructure for data storage, access and shared services.

NSF and NIH have separate lists of areas of interest. There is a limit of two proposals per investigator, but no other restrictions on the number of proposals an institution can submit. Small projects are intended for 1-2 investigators at up to $250,000 per year for up to three years. Mid-scale projects involve three or more investigators and can be up to $1 million per year for up to five years.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12546/nsf12546.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

The National Science Foundation has released Program Solicitation 12-546, Enhancing Access to the Radio Spectrum. This is supported by the Directorates for Mathematics & Physical Sciences, Engineering, Computer & Information Science & Engineering, and Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences.

The National Broadband Plan was released in 2010 and, among many other recommendations, calls on the NSF to fund wireless research and development that will advance the science of spectrum access. This program will support efforts to identify bold new concepts with the potential to contribute to significant improvements in the efficiency of radio spectrum utilization, and in the ability for traditionally underserved Americans to benefit from current and future wireless-enabled goods and services. EARS seeks to fund innovative collaborative research that transcends the traditional boundaries of existing programs, such as research that spans disciplines covered by two or more of the participating NSF directorates.

The key research areas of interest to the EARS program include, but are not limited to, those that impact a wide range of technologies, applications, and users. Some broad examples and general topic areas include, but are not limited to:

-- Spectral efficiency. -- Reconfigurable wireless platforms. -- Security of wireless signals and systems. -- Coexistence with legacy systems. -- Special-purpose wireless systems. -- Wireless system tests, measurements, and validation. -- Economic models for spectrum resource sharing. -- New and novel measurement-based spectrum management techniques.

An individual may be PI on no more than two proposals. Synergistic collaborations or partnerships with industry or government are encouraged where appropriate, though no NSF funds will be provided to these organizations. Researchers from foreign academic institutions who contribute essential expertise to the project may participate as senior personnel but may not receive NSF support.

Awards will be up to $500,000 total for up to three years.

Semiconductor Research Corporation/DARPA, Focus Center Research Program

Due June 15, 2012

http://www.src.org/compete/s201209/

The Focus Center Research Program, a consortium of industrial participants and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA", solicits white papers from U.S. universities for collaborative, multidisciplinary, multi-university research in selected areas of principal interest. The goal of this collaborative effort is to increase substantially the multi-decade record of uninterrupted performance improvement in information processing power and storage capacity of integrated circuits and related systems. There are seven research areas of interest:

Highly Complex Systems

1. High Performance Analog Devices for High Speed Wireless, THz Electronics for Imaging, Sensing, Novel Power Devices

2.Vehicle and Distributed Sensor Networks

3.Computing System Architectures based on CMOS Technology

4.Tools and Methods for Design, Verification, and Predictive Modeling, including Physical Modeling

Semiconductor Technologies beyond CMOS

1. Nonconventional Material Systems

2. Quantum Engineered Devices and New Sensors and Transducers

3. Integrated Circuits and Computing Architectures based on Novel Devices, including both Digital and Analog

White papers are due June 15, 2012. A proposers' conference will take place May 14; registration is required by May 5. Full proposals will be invited in early July and will be due in mid-September.

NSF Innovation Corps Program (I-Corps) (NSF 11-560)

Multiple due dates annually: September 9, 2011; December 15, 2011; March 15, 2012; June 15, 2012; September 15, 2012; October 1 - December 15, Annually starting 2012; January 1-March 15 annual starting 2013; April 1-June 15 starting 2013.

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504672

A PI who already has NSF support can apply for an I-Corps grant to accelerate innovation that can attract subsequent third-party funding.

An I-Corps team consists of the NSF-funded PI, an Entrepreneurial Lead (a grad student or postdoc with relevant knowledge of the technology and a deep commitment to investigate the commercial landscape surrounding the innovation), and an I-Corps Mentor, who can be arranged by NSF. The outcome of the I-Corps projects will be threefold: 1) a clear go/no go decision regarding viability of products and services, 2) should the decision be to move the effort forward, a transition plan to do so, and 3) a technology demonstration for potential partners.

I-Corps grants are $50,000 ($45,000 direct, $5,000 indirect). This amount includes the costs of having all three participants attend a three-day I-Corps workshop (roughly $6,000).

PI(s) must contact one of the cognizant I-Corps program officers and receive prior written authorization to submit a proposal. PI(s) are strongly encouraged to discuss the commercial readiness of their effort with a Topic-specific program officer prior to contacting a cognizant I-Corps program officer. This will facilitate determining whether the proposed work is appropriate for I-Corps funding. Also, NSF is planning to hold web-conferences on the I-Corps program on the first Tuesday of every month.

Due February 16, June 16, October 16 through June 2014

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-059.html

This R21 exploratory grant program encourages investigators to form collaborations with an established academic, nonprofit, or commercial high throughput screening (HTS) facility that has the requisite expertise and experience to implement HTS-ready assays for the discovery and development of small molecule chemical probes. Through this FOA, NIH wishes to stimulate research in 1) discovery and development of novel, small molecules for their potential use in studying disease treatment relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes, and 2) discovery and/or validation of novel, biological targets that will inform studies of disease mechanisms.  Emphasis will be placed on assays that provide new insight into important disease targets and processes.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12559/nsf12559.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

The National Science Foundation has released Program Solicitation 12-559, NSF/DOE Partnership on Advanced Combustion Engines. This program will make up to 20 awards, each at $200,000 to $800,000 per year for three years, for fundamental research and preliminary development activities that improve the efficiency of liquid-fueled internal combustion engines. The vision includes a 25-40% improvement in fuel economy in a light-duty vehicle and the attainment of 55% brake thermal efficiency in heavy-duty engine systems, and the reduction of the design cycle for testing, manufacturing and implementation of new ideas, which is currently expensive and time-consuming.

This program is jointly funded by NSF and DOE. The lead organization at NSF is Chemical, Engineering, Biological, and Transport Systems (CBET), specifically the programs in thermal transport, catalysis, and combustion.

Key areas of interest are:

1. Low-temperature combustion (<1900K) -- stochastic and deterministic in-cylinder processes that influence the stability of LTC -- methodologies to increase power density in LTC or lean-burn operation -- validated, predictive models of combustion control, pollutant formation and ignition chemistry at engine-relevant pressures and temperatures -- ignition characteristics of lean mixtures of various fuels -- liquid fuel properties and their combustion characteristics, including bio (renewable) fuels and surrogates -- near wall heat transfer and unsteady reciprocating effects on boundary layer behavior -- droplet impingement and surface heat transfer mechanisms -- spray/droplet evaporation and combustion of bio (renewable) and surrogate fuels -- turbulence-radiation Interactions -- atomizer design and spray type, effects of swirl, and combustion chamber geometry -- high temperature, low heat-loss materials for engine application

2. Emission control -- new catalysts and their performance; particularly those catalyst designs that will lower the light-off temperatures (i.e., the temperature at which 90% effectiveness is achieved) to less than 150ºC -- new concepts for SCR, lean NOx trap or NOx adsorber catalysts, particulate filters and regeneration technologies -- understanding and mitigating the negative effects of sulfur and other contaminants on catalyst durability, especially at low temperatures -- determination of pre-catalytic converter emissions as a function of engine combustion modes and operating parameters, and evaluation of anticipated reference catalyst performance with these input emission -- understanding aging mechanisms in lean NOx traps and new models to predict catalyst performance -- enabling cost-effective and fuel-efficient thermal management of catalyst systems including active control

Successful proposals will involve collaborations between a lead academic PI and with industry, and/or other academic and/or national laboratory collaborators that provide complementary experimental/modeling/facility capabilities. PI teams will not be at a disadvantage in the proposal competition if they do not have access to IC engine facilities to demonstrate the efficacy of their approach. However, it is expected that proposed concepts will establish a clear connection to improving ICE efficiency. This connection may be accomplished by system-level modeling, by employing modifications yielding self-evident efficiency improvements by bench-scale experiments, or by testing in an actual ICE. The narrative should detail what each collaborator contributes to the project, and how the collaboration will be effectively coordinated and managed.

The PI must be “at the faculty level as determined by the submitting organization.” We might need to check on PI eligibility, depending on what we decide to go forward with.

There is no limit on the number of proposals per institution. A PI or co-PI may participate in only one proposal.

EPA Measurements and Modeling for Quantifying Air Quality and Climatic Impacts of Residential Biomass or Coal Combustion for Cooking, Heating, and Lighting (EPA-G2012-STAR-E1 and EPA-G2012-STAR-E2)

Due June 19, 2012

This program will support research on quantifying, via field measurements and modeling, the improvements in climate and ambient and indoor air quality, and the subsequent impacts on health and welfare, resulting from ongoing, planned, or potential interventions in cooking, heating, or lighting practices. This research should focus on communities in the developing world and on Indian tribes and Alaska Native groups.

EPA expects to make two regular awards (maximum $1.5 million) and two early career awards (maximum $250,000) from a $3.5 million pool. The maximum award duration is three years.

Regular proposals should address at least one of these questions:

1.How would a feasible set of interventions for residential cooking, heating, or lighting in a developing part of the world impact air quality and climate?

2.What is the realistic range and timeframe of foreseeable benefits to air quality and climate of various interventions in cooking, heating, or lighting practices in a developing part of the world, considering regional constraints (e.g., acceptability and availability of different technologies or fuels) and sustainability of alternate fuels or technologies?

Early career proposals should address at least one of these questions:

1.How would a feasible set of interventions for residential heating or lighting in Indian tribal or Alaska Native households impact air quality?

2.How would a feasible set of interventions for residential cooking in Indian tribal or Alaska Native households impact air quality?

Pre-proposals due June 19, 2012; invited full proposals September 12, 2012

http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml

The FY12 PRCRP fosters the next generation of cancer research by providing new and early career investigators opportunities to excel in groundbreaking cutting-edge research for the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer. A proposal must address one of the following topic areas: blood cancers; colorectal cancer; genetic cancer research; kidney cancer; listeria vaccine for cancer; melanoma and other skin cancers; mesothelioma; pancreatic cancer; pediatric brain tumors. The PI must be within 5 years of his or her first faculty appointment or equivalent and hold a position at the level of Assistant Professor, instructor, or equivalent. A mentor must be designated.

DOD CDMRP Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program Visionary Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (W81XWH-12-PRCRP-VPFA)

Pre-proposals due June 19, 2012; invited full proposals September 12, 2012

http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/prgdefault.shtml

A proposal must address one of the following topic areas: blood cancers; colorectal cancer; genetic cancer research; kidney cancer; listeria vaccine for cancer; melanoma and other skin cancers; mesothelioma; pancreatic cancer; pediatric brain tumors. The PI must have successfully defended a doctoral thesis or possess an M.D. degree , and have been in the laboratory or clinical research setting in which the proposed research is to be performed for no more than 2 years as a postdoctoral fellow, and have a total of less than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience (excluding clinical residency training).

http://heron.nrl.navy.mil/contracts/baa/index02.htm

The Naval Research Laboratory has released its broad agency announcement, BAA-N00173-02, for the coming year. This is essentially a “shopping list” of technologies that NRL would like to have. (To add to the confusion, NRL is not the same as the Office of Naval Research, which has its own shopping list.) If you have a concept that responds to one of these needs, you first write a brief concept paper. If they like the idea, they invite a full proposal. All of the details are at http://heron.nrl.navy.mil/contracts/baa/index02.htm.

Here are the topics for this year. On the web site, you will find a page or so of description about each topic.

CODE 5300 - RADAR DIVISION

53-11-01 HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR

53-11-01C HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR (CLASSIFIED)

CODE 5500 - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIVISION

55-11-01 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND DECISION ARCHITECTURES

55-11-02 MATHEMATICAL FOUNDATIONS OF HIGH ASSURANCE COMPUTING

55-11-03 HIGH ASSURANCE ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING

55-11-04 ADVANCED NAVAL NETWORK SOLUTIONS

55-11-05 ADVERSARIAL MODELING AND DECISION SUPPORT

55-11-06 ENGINEERING HIGH ASSURANCE COMPUTER SYSTEMS

CODE 5600 - OPTICAL SCIENCES DIVISION

56-11-01 VIS-IR GLASS WINDOWS AND HEAVY METAL OXIDE GLASSES

56-11-02 LOW LOSS, NEAR AND MID-IR TRANSMITTING FIBERS

56-11-03 LASER THREAT COUNTERMEASURE TECHNOLOGY

56-11-04 IMAGING SEEKER ADVANCED COUNTERMEASURES

56-11-05 OPTICAL SCIENCES R&D

56-11-06 INFRARED FIBER OPTIC CABLES AND COMPONENTS

CODE 5700 - TACTICAL ELECTRONIC WARFARE DIVISION

57-11-01 INNOVATIVE ANTI-SHIP MISSILE - ELECTRONIC WARFARE SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY

57-11-02 HIGH POWER MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY

57-11-03 OFFBOARD COUNTERMEASURES

57-11-04 SHIPBOARD ELECTRONIC WARFARE

MATERIALS SCIENCE AND COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE - CODE 6000 TOPICS

CODE 6100 - CHEMISTRY DIVISION

61-11-01 POWER/ENERGY SOURCE MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS

CODE 6300 - MATERIALS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIVISION

63-11-01 MATERIALS PERFORMANCE, PROCESSING AND MODELING

CODE 6700 - PLASMA PHYSICS DIVISION

67-11-01 BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH IN HIGH TEMPERATURE PLASMAS

CODE 6800 - ELECTRONICS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIVISION

68-11-01 RF VACUUM ELECTRONICS

68-11-02 RADIATION EFFECTS RESEARCH

68-11-03 PHOTOVOLTAICS FOR PORTABLE POWER

OCEAN AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE - CODE 7000 TOPICS

CODE 7100 - ACOUSTICS DIVISION

71-11-01 ACOUSTIC SIMULATION, MEASUREMENTS AND TACTICS

CODE 7200 - REMOTE SENSING DIVISION

72-11-01 LOW FREQUENCY RADIO INTERFEROMETRY

CODE 7300 - OCEANOGRAPHY DIVISION

73-11-01 OCEAN DYNAMICS AND PREDICTION OCEANOGRAPHY

CODE 7400 - MARINE GEOSCIENCES DIVISION

74-11-01 AIRBORNE AND SHIPBOARD DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS

74-11-02 SEAFLOOR SCIENCES

74-11-03 GEOSPATIAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

CODE 7600 - SPACE SCIENCE DIVISION

76-11-01 RESEARCH INTO SPACE - ITS IMAGING AND MODELING

NAVAL CENTER FOR SPACE TECHNOLOGY - CODE 8000 TOPICS

CODE 8200 - SPACECRAFT ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

82-11-01 SPACE AND SPACE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

July

NSF Cyberlearning (11-587)

Proposals due January, March, July, October, December 2012-13, depending on type

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11587/nsf11587.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

This program will make five types of awards to integrated projects that advance the state of technology for cyberlearning, develop and demonstrate the technology, and measure its effectiveness. Of particular interest are technological advances that allow more personalized learning experiences, draw in and promote learning among those in populations not served well by current educational practices, allow access to learning resources anytime and anywhere, and provide new ways of assessing capabilities. It is expected that Cyberlearning research will shed light on how technology can enable new forms of educational practice and that broad implementation of its findings will result in a more actively-engaged and productive citizenry and workforce.

The types of awards are:

Exploratory ($550,000 over 2-3 years). These will explore the feasibility of a technological innovation and shed light ont eh anzsers to fundamental research questions related to learning with technology. Proposals are due December 15, 2011, and December 17, 2012.

Development and Implementation ($1,350,000 over 4-5 years). These will ascertain the potential of ideas, develop guidelines for the use of an innovation, and answer research questions about learning with technology. Proposals are due January 18, 2012, and January 16, 2013.

Implementation and Deployment ($2,500,000 over 4-5 years). These will integrate or extend the use of one or more technologically sophisticated efforts that have already shown promise and answer a variety of research questions related to learning with technology. Proposals are due July 16, 2012, and July 15, 2013.

Capacity Building (dollar amounts vary). These will build partnerships and communities, including conferences, workshops, and short courses. Proposals are due March 16, 2012, October 13, 2012, and March 15, 2013.

Cyberlearning Resource Center (up to $500,000 in year 1 and $1 million in subsequent years). These will support cyberlearning projects and programmatic efforts.

A PI may be involved in no more than three proposals in any one-year cycle.

NSF Geoinformatics (11-581)

Due January 13, 2012; July 1, 2013; and July 1 annually after that

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11581/nsf11581.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

This program will make 5-10 awards from a $4.8 million pool for the development of cyberinfrastructure for the geosciences (Geoinformatics). NSF seeks the development and implementation of enabling information technology with impacts that extend beyond an individual investigator or small group of investigators and that facilitates the next generation of geosciences research. Proposals to this solicitation may seek support for community-driven development and implementation of databases; tools for data integration, interoperability, and visualization; software development and code hardening; and data-intensive/new computing methodologies that support the enhancement of geosciences research and education activities. Collaboration with computational scientists and the development of public/private partnerships are strongly encouraged.

The efforts supported by this solicitation do not overlap with, but are complementary to, EarthCube, a partnership between the Geosciences Directorate (GEO) and the Office of Cyberinfrasrtructure (OCI) to build an integrated geosciences-wide cyberinfrastructure.

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) deals with deep earth processes and surface earth processes. At least on paper, it does not cover atmospheric or ocean processes.

You are strongly encouraged to discuss your idea with a program officer before submitting a proposal.

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=2G46PNfQVQ9Hy4QkTnLQJhLd2sRsSzhXKG7fHyTTpvx0vQnwP6F2!-2135146600?oppId=164713&mode=VIEW.

This program will make five-year awards for basic research or translational regenerative medicine research and development in the following areas. Preclinical studies will be supported, but, in general, human clinical studies are outside the scope of what this program will fund.

1) Extremity Regeneration: Soft tissue regeneration; hard tissue regeneration; limb salvage; trauma induced damage to joints.

2) Craniomaxillofacial Regeneration: Soft tissue regeneration; hard tissue regeneration.

3) Skin Regeneration: scarless wound repair; full-thickness skin repair.

4) Composite Tissue Allotransplantation and Immunomodulation.

5) Genitourinary/Lower Abdomen Reconstruction: Pelvic reconstruction; urogenital reconstruction.

The program has a total of $15 million per year over five years to award. Pre-applications are due July 2 and full proposals July 11, 2012.

NIH Innovations in Biomedical Computational Science and Technology (PAR-09-218)

Accepting proposals November 5, March 5, and July 5 until July 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-09-218.html

This R01 grant program is part of the NIH Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative (BISTI). It will fund areas of biomedical computing that will enable progress in biomedical research. Examples of data types that could be considered include but are not limited to genomic sequences, gene expression, proteomics, pathway data, scientific and biomedical images, qualitative descriptors for health and social science, and remote sensing and geospatial images. NIH particularly encourages research in (1) tools for data acquisition, archiving, querying, retrieval, visualization, integration, and management; (2) platform-independent translational tools for data exchange and for promoting interoperability; (3) analytical and statistical tools for interpretation of large data sets; and (4) new models or simulations of complex biological processes at single and multiple levels or across multiple scales (and the development of computational or mathematical tools for the analysis of these processes).

R01 is NIH’s “plain vanilla” research program. BISTI has companion programs in biomedical computational science for small business innovation research and small business technology transfer. An R21 program, which makes smaller awards for high-risk/high-impact research, will be announced as early as this week (PAR-09-219).

DARPA High-Assurance Cyber Military Systems (HACMS) (DARPA-BAA-12-21)

Initial closing date April 12, 2012; final closing date July 12, 2012

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=925ab03b1bb59b1ac484e5a240b77097&tab=core&_cview=0

This program has five thrust areas, three of which will require access to classified information. In the other two areas, DARPA will accept proposals for fundamental research – basic and proof-of-concept research with no restrictions on publishing or foreign involvement.

DARPA is seeking innovative research proposals in the area of the clean-slate development of software for high-assurance cyber-physical systems. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

The goal of the HACMS program is to create technology for the construction of high-assurance cyber-physical systems, where high assurance is defined to mean functionally correct and satisfying appropriate safety and security properties. For purposes of concreteness, HACMS will focus on cyber-physical systems in the vehicle space, but it is anticipated that the tools and techniques will be relevant to other kinds of systems as well. The new technology will be embodied in a set of publicly available tools integrated into a formal-methods workbench for high-assurance software, which will be widely distributed for use in both the commercial and defense software sectors. HACMS will: (1) use these tools to generate open-source, high-assurance operating systems and control system components, and (2) use these components to construct high-assurance military vehicles.

The program has five topic areas:

1. Military Vehicle Experts (includes classified information) 2. Operating Systems 3. Control Systems 4. Research Integration (includes classified information) 5. Red Team (includes classified information)

The initial proposal due date is April 12, 2012, but proposals will be accepted until July 12, 2012. Apparently, a bidders’ conference was held on February 21 and February 27.

FDA Small Scientific Conferences (PA-11-310)

Proposals accepted October 15, January 15, April 15, and July 15 through July 2014

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-310.html

A proposal must specifically identify the FDA office or center that is best suited to support their proposed conference in the cover letter. A small scientific conference is defined as a symposium, seminar, workshop, or any formal meeting, whether conducted face-to-face or virtually to exchange information and explore a defined subject, issue, or area of concern impacting the public's health within the scope of the FDA's mission. Support of such meetings is contingent upon the fiscal and programmatic interests and priorities of the FDA's respective Offices and Centers.

NIH Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (R21)

Proposals accepted March 16, July 16, and November 16 through 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-010.html

This program will support innovation and high/risk/impact bioengineering research in new areas. Applications should clearly indicate the significance of the proposed work and the soundness of the proposed research and/or development plan. An EBRG may propose hypothesis-driven, discovery-driven, developmental, or design-directed research. The research proposed under this program can explore approaches and concepts new to a particular substantive area; research and development of new technologies, techniques or methods; or initial research and development of data upon which significant future research may be built. Awards are limited to $275,000 (direct costs) over two years. This program will use the new NIH formatting requirements, including a 6-page limit on the technical section.

NIH Virtual Reality Technologies for Research and Education in Obesity and Diabetes

R21 exploratory grants, PA-11-212, up to $275,000 of direct costs over two years (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-212.html), proposals due March 16, July 16, and November 16 through spring 2014.

R01 research grants, PA-11-211, generally up to five years, and you must get permission to request more than $500,000 of direct costs (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-211.html), proposals due February 5, June 5, and October 5 through spring 2014.

R41/R42 Small Business Technology Transfer grants (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HL-12-024.html)

R43/R44 Small Business Innovation Research grants (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HL-12-020.html)

The National Institutes of Health have released four solicitations making up a program called Virtual Reality Technologies for Research and Education in Obesity and Diabetes. This program solicits advanced technologies that can educate, coach, and motivate better eating and health habits. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

-- Using VR to foster desirable eating, physical activity, and other health-related behaviors. -- Using VR to motivate by “fast-forwarding” to the future. -- Utilizing motivational and teaching aspects of VR technology. -- Using VR to extend the availability and capacity of health care providers. -- Social networking capabilities of VR.

The Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) also is interested in this topic, and it will team up with NIH to fund some projects.

NSF Earth Sciences: Instrumentation and Facilities (11-544)

Proposals for instrument acquisition may be submitted after July 26, 2012. Other proposals may be submitted at any time

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11544/nsf11544.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

This program makes five types of grants. Type 1 (instrument acquisition) will not accept proposals again until July 2012 (yes, 2012). The other programs will accept proposals at any time. You should talk to a program officer and be sure about the relevance to NSF’s Earth Sciences research agenda.

1) Acquisition or Upgrade of Research Equipment that will advance laboratory and field investigations, and student research training opportunities in the Earth sciences. Proposals will not be accepted again until July 26, 2012, or later. (Yes, 2012.)

2) Development of New Instrumentation, Analytical Techniques or Software that will extend current research and research training capabilities in the Earth sciences.

3) Support of National or Regional Multi-User Facilities that will make complex and expensive instruments or systems of instruments broadly available to the Earth sciences research and student communities.

4) Support for Early Career Investigators to facilitate expedient development and operation of new laboratory or field equipment resources proposed by the next generation of leaders in the Earth Sciences.

NSF Earth Sciences: Instrumentation and Facilities (10-561)

Due July 18, 2011, and third Monday in July annually for all categories; February 9, 2011 and second Wednesday in February annually for all categories except new equipment acquisition

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=6186

The Instrumentation and Facilities Program in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR/IF) supports meritorious requests for infrastructure that promotes research and education in areas supported by the Division. EAR/IF will consider proposals for:

1) Acquisition or Upgrade of Research Equipment that will advance laboratory and field investigations, and student research training opportunities in the Earth sciences. The maximum request is $750,000. The maximum request for upgrade of research group computing facilities is $75,000;

2) Development of New Instrumentation, Analytical Techniques or Software that will extend current research and research training capabilities in the Earth sciences. The maximum request is $750,000;

3) Support of National or Regional Multi-User Facilities that will make complex and expensive instruments or systems of instruments broadly available to the Earth sciences research and student communities;

4) Support for Early Career Investigators to facilitate expedient operation of new research infrastructure proposed by the next generation of leaders in the Earth Sciences. This opportunity allows for submission of a proposal for Acquisition or Upgrade of Research Equipment that includes budget line items associated with support of a new full-time technician who will be dedicated to manage the instrument(s) being requested. Any request for technical support under this opportunity is limited to three years duration and a declining schedule of maximum annual funding as follows: Year 1 = $80,000, Year 2 = $60,000 and Year 3 = $40,000.

at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12556/nsf12556.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_27&WT.mc_ev=click

The National Science Foundation, in partnership with the Semiconductor Research Corporation, has released Program Solicitation 12-556, Failure-Resistant Systems. This program will make 15 to 20 awards, each ranging from $300,000 to $400,000 over three years, in three broad categories: Resilient System Architectures, Modeling of Cross-layer Reliable Systems, and Tools and Automation for Failure-Resistant System Design.

Proposals need not address all aspects of the resiliency challenge, and it is expected that proposals submitted in response to this solicitation be set in one or more of the following overlapping contexts: (1) prediction, i.e., failure modeling at design time and/or at run-time; (2) detection of failures; (3) containment or limiting the impact of failures; (4) correction of incorrect results; (5) diagnosis of the specific portions of the system that are malfunctioning; and (6) repair of the system to make it function correctly afterwards.

There is a limit of one proposal per PI, but no limit on the number of proposals per institution.

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=1W1TPnnXvjB5XWBp1hnY8qj1G1zhCKh41wfHkfnt22dh2144w2lB!477727685?oppId=168933&mode=VIEW

This program seeks develop a low-temperature process for the deposition of thin films whose current minimum processing temperature exceeds the maximum temperature substrates of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD) can withstand (e.g., chemical vapor deposited diamond on polymers). To achieve this goal, DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals that independently develop novel chemical and physical processes to meet the energetic/chemical requirements of thin film deposition (e.g., reactant flux, surface mobility, reaction energy, etc.), without reliance on broadband temperature input used in state-of-the-art chemical vapor deposition. Complementary, successful methods will then be integrated by DARPA to deposit a DoD-relevant thin film (e.g., optically clear diamond) on a DoD substrate of interest (e.g., zinc sulfide). Non-traditional performers outside of the materials research/thin film deposition communities in areas such as surface acoustic wave spectroscopy, plasma physics, photochemistry, etc. are highly encouraged to submit proposals to the LoCo program.

The program has two thrust areas and two phases. DARPA expects that Phase 1 of Thrust Area 1 will fit under the “fundamental research” umbrella, which means that there would be no restrictions on publishing or foreign workers. Phase 2 of Thrust Area 1 and all of Thrust Area 2 are expected to fall outside the fundamental research definition. We definitely can propose for either thrust area and all phases, but the burden is on us to demonstrate that all of the work will be fundamental. If DARPA disagrees, then we will probably have to walk away; the University will not enter into an agreement for a project that is not fundamental research. We also can team up with an organization capable of doing non-fundamental work, as long as our portion of the project is fundamental.

Thrust 1 consists of a progression of discrete tasks that rapidly move from fundamental research to deposition of a thin film on a DoD part for testing and evaluation. Performers will address one or more of the process components for thin film growth (e.g., flux, mobility, reactivity, etc.) during the first nine months of the program. After further risk reduction through demonstration of sufficient component process control by month 15, successful and compatible process components will then be merged to demonstrate thin film deposition after 24 months. At 36 months, the collective effort will deposit the selected thin film and demonstrate targeted properties on a real DoD part for evaluation and testing.

In parallel, under Thrust 2, industrial performer team(s) will carry out technical analyses on a proposed DoD part that could benefit from a LoCo coating. At month four, DARPA, using the outcome from the Thrust 2 studies, will make a final determination of a challenge thin film and identify the DoD part of interest for the final program deliverable.

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf12557

This program will make three types of grants:

Conceptualization: Conceptualization Awards (up to $100,000 over one year; 8-10 awards expected) are planning awards aimed at further developing disciplinary and interdisciplinary communities' understanding of their data storage and management requirements with the goal of developing an initial prototype. Any activity that brings the community together to address common problems, further refine requirements and avoid unnecessary and wasteful duplication of resources and efforts will be eligible for funding. Funded activities could include focused workshops, special sessions at professional meetings, focus groups, etc. Awards will be up to 1 year in duration. The output of a conceptualization award will be design specifications for creating a sustainable data infrastructure that will be discoverable, searchable, accessible, and usable to the entire research and education community.

Implementation (up to $8 million over 5 years; 4 awards expected): Implementation awards will support development and implementation of technologies addressing a subset of elements of the data preservation and access lifecycle, including acquisition; documentation; security and integrity; storage; access, analysis and dissemination; migration; and deaccession. These data preservation and access technologies will enable science and engineering research, such that the scientific and engineering problems serve as use cases for data technology development. Awards will be up to 5 years in duration.

Interoperability (up to $1.5 million over three years; 5 awards expected): Interoperability awards will develop frameworks that provide consistency or commonality of design across communities and implementation for data acquisition, management, preservation, sharing, dissemination, etc. This includes data and metadata format and content conventions, standardized constructs or protocols, taxonomies, or ontologies. The development of interoperability frameworks through community-based mechanisms provides a means for ensuring that existing conventions and practices are appropriately recognized and integrated, that implementation is made realistic and feasible, and, most importantly, that the real needs of the community are identified and met. Awards will be up to 3 years in duration.

There is a limit of one proposal per investigator.

August

National Institute for Water Research

Due August 1, 2012

see Mitch for a copy of the solicitation

The National Institutes for Water Resources have released their request for proposals for 2012. This program will make awards of up to $200,000 for applied investigative proposals for specific areas related to water resources issues in the United States. The purpose of this grant is to stimulate investigation and analysis that develops and effectively communicates reasoned and practical alternatives to select challenges in National water resources policy.

The topic areas are really all policy, not science/engineering:

-- Develop alternatives for the future role of the Federal government pertaining to the Nation’s water resources as a result of the changing roles and capabilities of federal, state, and local water resources agencies; and evolving challenges such as demographic shifts, climate variation, economic changes, and similar influencers.

-- Identify criteria, recommend roles for various levels of government, and develop procedural alternatives to describe tolerable and acceptable risk for critical infrastructure that could be applicable across a variety of infrastructures associated with water resources.

-- Compare methodologies and approaches for harmonizing collaborative decision making processes that recognize local and regional values with the need to achieve national level consistency with Federal interests.

-- Evaluate and assess the Federal interest in coastal storm damages associated with storm surge, shoreline loss, navigation, terrestrial and wetland ecosystems, and similar impacted areas; and provide rationale for how, based on Federal interest, the Federal government should be involved with various structural and non-structural risk reduction activities.

-- Evaluate alternative methodologies for selecting and evaluating criteria for use in assessing water resources infrastructure (assets). The criteria should be suitable for use in multi-criteria decision analyses and should include all relevant areas of comparison, e.g., performance, cost, environmental suitability, etc.

-- Identify and describe how select USACE and non-government partnerships could initiate or more effectively yield self-sustaining water resources improvements, developments, and management that directly or indirectly benefit economically depressed and/or disadvantaged communities.

Proposals are due August 1. You submit the proposal to a regional water institute, which collects them all and submits them to the national program.

NIH Summer Research Experience Program (PAR-11-050)

Due February 1, 2011; August 1, 2011; August 1, 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-11-050.html

This program will make multiple awards to institutions offering summer research experiences (6 to 15 weeks) to high school students, undergraduates, and science teachers. Budgets can be up to $100,000 per year (direct costs) for up to five years.

The purpose of the NIH Summer Research Experience Program is to provide a high quality research experience for high school and college students and for science teachers during the summer academic break. The NIH expects that such programs will help attract young students to careers in science; provide opportunities for college students to gain valuable research experience to help prepare them for graduate school; and enhance the skills of science teachers and enable them to more effectively communicate the nature of the scientific process to their students. The programs would also contribute to enhancing overall science literacy. Summer Research Programs that expand and complement existing summer educational and training programs are encouraged. Note: Not all participating Institutes and Centers (ICs) support all aspects of this program. Therefore, prospective applicants should contact staff at the relevant IC to discuss their proposed program.

Air Force Cross Domain Innovative Technologies, BAA-10-09-RIKA

White papers accepted until 2013 but encouraged by August 13, 2010

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=93b2066227c1148210cd468b9d392e18&tab=core&_cview=0

The Air Force has released a presolicitation for BAA-10-09-RIKA, Cross Domain Innovative Technologies. This program has approximately $8 million per year for three years to support research in the following topic areas. At this time, the Air Force is inviting only white papers (3-5pp). If they like your idea, they will either invite a full proposal or write the idea into the full BAA so you can propose it formally. White papers will be accepted on an ongoing basis, but for consideration in the next fiscal year you should submit your idea by August 13, 2010.

The general topic areas:

--Multiple Independent Levels of Security/Multiple Level Security technologies

--Object level auditing

--Policy-based configuration and management

--Workflow Enforcement

--Redaction

--Improved/Reliable Human Review (RHR)

--Enterprise Common Operational Picture (COP)

--Service management

--Label Integrity & Classification

--Data Aggregation & Attestation

--Trustworthy labeling tools & services

--Identity management

--Storage of sensitive data with multiple owners

--Secure non-hierarchical data sharing

--Appropriate discovery and subscription to data flows in other domains

--Disadvantaged (‘tactical') user support

--Cross domain enterprise management

--Secure Information Sharing

--Next Generation Data Services

--Advance Trusted Computing Technologies

Specific focus areas for FY 2011

--Reputation Based Access Control

--Automated Security Annotation & Safeguarding

Specific focus areas for FY 2012

--Cognitive support for discourse level analysis

--Automation of RHR

Specific focus area for FY 2013

--Brokering authoritative trust within multiple security domains

NIH U.S.-China Program for Biomedical Collaborative Research (RFA-AI-12-021)

Letter of intent due August 18, 2012; full proposal September 18, 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-12-021.html

The National Institutes of Health (specifically National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)) have released RFA-AI-12-021, U.S.-China Program for Biomedical Collaborative Research (R01). This program will support collaborations between U.S. and Chinese organizations for research in allergy, immunology, and infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and its co-morbidities and co-infections, cancer, mental health, Parkinson’s disease (PD), and stroke. (The solicitation contains a list of specific areas of interest.)

A U.S. institution submits a proposal to NIH, and the collaborating Chinese institution simultaneously submits a proposal to NIH’s counterpart in China, NSFC. The proposals are reviewed collaboratively. If you win, you get an award from NIH and your collaborator in China gets an award from NSFC.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-12-002.html

This program will make R21 exploratory grants, up to $200,000 direct over two years, for exploratory research projects focused on the inception and development of early stage, highly innovative technologies or emerging technologies with significant transformative potential that has not yet been explored in a cancer-relevant use. An emerging technology is defined as one that has passed the initial developmental stage, but has not yet been evaluated within the context of a cancer-relevant intended use and requires significant modification for the proposed application. The emphasis is on technologies with a high degree of technical innovation with the potential to significantly affect and transform investigations exploring the molecular and cellular bases of cancer. If successful, these technologies would accelerate and/or enhance research in the areas of cancer biology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment, control, epidemiology, and/or cancer health disparities. Technologies proposed for development may be intended to have widespread applicability but must be based on molecular and/or cellular characterizations of cancer.

NIH/NCI: Innovative and Early-Stage Development of Emerging Technologies in Biospecimen Science (R21) (RFA-CA-12-004)

Letters of intent: January 23, 2012; April 21, 2012; August 18, 2012

Full proposals: February 23, 2012; May 21, 2012; September 18, 2012

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-12-004.html

This program will make R21 grants (up to $200,000 direct over up to two years) for technically innovative feasibility studies focused on early stage development of technologies that address issues related to pre-analytical variations in the collection, processing, handling, and storage of cancer-relevant biospecimens or their derivatives. The overall goal is to develop technologies capable of interrogating and/or maximizing the quality and utility of biospecimens or samples derived from those biospecimens for downstream molecular analyses. This FOA will support the development of tools, devices, instrumentation, and associated methods to assess sample quality, preserve/protect sample integrity, and establish verification criteria for quality assessment/quality control and handling under diverse conditions. These technologies are expected to potentially accelerate and/or enhance research in cancer biology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, and cancer health disparities, by reducing pre-analytical variations that affect biospecimen and/or sample quality. All projects must include quantitative milestones (i.e. technical metrics that determine whether the specific aims have been accomplished).

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=12831&ods_key=nsf12551

The National Science Foundation has released Program Solicitation 12-551, International Research Experiences for Students (IRES). This changes and updates the previous IRES program.

IRES will support projects that provide international research opportunities to undergraduate and/or graduate students. Ideally, the students should be working within an established collaboration between the U.S. faculty advisor and the foreign collaborator, but new collaborations can be proposed, too. This year, for the first time, you can also propose to include teachers as trainees (talk to your program officer before proposing this). Each year, the students going overseas must have a “cohort” experience of being together as a team to prepare for the experience and to carry out the research at the foreign location.

The significant changes from the past:

1. The number of IRES competitions and award cycles per year is reduced from two to one, but this change is not intended to reduce the size of the program. A PI can submit only one proposal per year. There is no limit on the number of proposals per institution per year.

2. Principal Investigator and/or other U.S. administrative support salary has been added as an allowable expense, within a maximum allowable limit of $15,000 per year of the project.

3. This solicitation specifies that all projects must be of exactly three years' duration and send no fewer than three student cohorts abroad.

4. The maximum allowable budget per project is raised from $150,000 to $250,000 and the previous annual budget limit of $50,000 is removed entirely. Removal of the annual budget cap provides more project flexibility, but projects are still required to send a student cohort abroad in each of the three years of the project.

5. Language has been added that student participants "must" be US Citizens or Permanent Residents.

6. Language has been changed and/or added to strengthen the emphasis on more thorough recruitment and preparation of student participants, engagement of foreign research mentorship, high-quality research experiences coupled with appropriate support of US students in the foreign location, and post-experience follow-up for students' career enhancement and networking purposes.

7. Explicit IRES program considerations to be used in the review and ranking of proposals have been added.

8. The Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Program (DDEP) has been removed from this solicitation.

9. Research Experience for Teachers (RET) has been added.

NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site (NSF 09-598)

Due fourth Wednesday of August annually

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09598/nsf09598.htm

REU Sites recruit undergraduates from around the country to participate in summer research projects. It is possible to add year-round components as well. REU Sites must have a well-defined common focus that enables a cohort experience for students. These projects may be based in a single discipline or academic department, or on interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. (Although interdisciplinary or multi-department proposals must be submitted to a single NSF disciplinary unit, these proposals are often reviewed by two or more NSF units, at the discretion of the NSF program officer who manages the proposal.) A proposal should reflect the unique combination of the proposing organization's interests and capabilities and those of any partnering organizations. Cooperative arrangements among organizations and research settings will be considered so that a project might increase the quality or availability of undergraduate research experiences. To extend research opportunities to a larger number of undergraduates, proposers might also consider incorporating approaches that make use of cyberinfrastructure or other advanced technologies that facilitate research, learning, and collaboration over distances.

NSF Social-Computational Systems (09-559)

Due August 31, 2010; last Tuesday in August annually beginning 2011

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09559/nsf09559.htm?govDel=USNSF_25

This program will make 20-35 awards of up to $250,000 over up to three years for research into how computers enable human networking.

The program will support research into socially intelligent computing arising from human-computer partnerships that range in scale from a single person and computer to an Internet-scale array of machines and people. The program seeks to create new knowledge about the capabilities these partnerships can demonstrate.

The solicitation cites examples such as wikis and open-source software as examples of human-computer networks. The program seeks to understand the “rules” governing such collaborations.

Successful proposals probably will require collaboration between computer scientists and social scientists.

There is a limit of one proposal per investigator per cycle. Proposals are due September 21, 2009; August 31, 2010; and the last Tuesday in August annually after that.

DARPA Defense Sciences Office Broad Agency Announcement (DARPA-BAA-11-65)

Open to August 9, 2012

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=112994 or https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=12e5d35c7f43cad8f8e1fb9f6cd8d315&tab=core&_cview=0

The DARPA Defense Sciences Office has released its broad agency announcement covering a wide range of science and technology subjects, DARPA-BAA-11-65. White papers will be accepted until August 9, 2012, under this solicitation. If they like your idea, they will invite a full proposal.

The major topic areas of interest are:

PHYSICAL SCIENCES

-- Quantum science and technology

-- Physics of nano-materials and devices

-- Lasers and photonics

MATERIALS SCIENCE

-- Basic materials science research

-- Structural materials

-- Functional materials

-- Power and energy

-- Manufacturing science and technology

BIOLOGY

-- Basic biology research

NEUROSCIENCE

-- Basic neuroscience research

-- Operational neuroscience

-- Behavioral neuroscience

MATHEMATICS

-- Basic mathematics research

TESTING AND DEMONSTRATIONS

-- Materials

-- Robotics

-- Vaccines

-- Medical countermeasures

-- Physical sciences

-- Neuroscience

-- Manufacturing proof of concept

September

NSF Catalyzing New International Collaborations (11-508)

Due March 1 and September 1 annually

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf11508.

The National Science Foundation has released Program Solicitation 11-508, Catalyzing New International Collaborations. This program will make small grants (generally $10,000 to $100,000) to enable PIs to establish new international working relationships. These include, but are not limited to: planning visits, small workshops, initial data gathering activities, and the development of research coordination networks. The community is invited to propose innovative mechanisms and strategies for catalyzing new international collaborations to the stage that competitive research and education proposals can be submitted to relevant NSF programs for on-going support of the project. Any well-justified activity that fulfills the goals of the program will be considered. Creative use of technology in promoting international collaboration is encouraged.

It is REQUIRED that you consult with an NSF program officer for the country of interest before submitting a proposal.

NSF Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (10-599)

Letters of intent October 1, 2010 and September 3, 2012; full proposals November 10, 2010 and October 10, 2012; planning grant proposals October 5, 2011

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?org=AGS&ods_key=nsf10599

The primary goal of this program is to increase participation in the geosciences by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Native Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities. A secondary goal is to increase the perceived relevance of the geosciences among broad and diverse segments of the population. Outcomes should be:

-- Larger and more diverse group of people involved in formal pre-college geosciences education programs. -- More people from underrepresented groups pursuing and earning associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in the geosciences. -- More people from underrepresented groups entering geosciences careers. -- More people from underrepresented groups participating in informal geosciences education programs. There are three types of awards:

Planning grants can be up to $40,000 for up to 12 months. This will support planning workshops, conferences, symposia, and related short-term activities that facilitate either (1) development of new strategic plans to implement system, community-wide programs to broaden participation in the geosciences, or (2) development of new partnerships or collaborations between multiple institutions seeking to establish sustainable projects that address the goals of this program. NSF anticipates 5 planning grant awards. (Note: Planning grant proposals will not be accepted until October 5, 2011 – 14 months from now.)

Track 1 grants are for proof of concept. These can be up to $200,000 total over up to three years, although the typical award will be $125,000 to $150,000. A Track 1 project supports one-time efforts or things that are intended to be the testing phase of a long-term full-scale project. NSF anticipates 25 Track 1 awards.

Track 2 is for Full-Scale Projects. Awards can be up to $2 million over up to 5 years, although a typical award will be around $1 million. A Track 2 project is long-term activities that will identify and promote pathways to geosciences careers among members of underrepresented groups. It is expected that Track 2 proposals will establish programs that are sustainable without additional funding. NSF anticipates 5 Track 2 awards.

You do not have to have already received a Track 1 award to apply for a Track 2 grant.

An institution may submit only one Track 2 proposal. There is no limit to the number of Track 1 and Planning proposals that can be submitted.

I think this could be a nice fit for CE-CERT, especially if we team up with Pam Clute’s team at the ALPHA Center, which can bring us together with other academic institutions and community organizations in the region. We did a similar NSF proposal with ALPHA Center earlier this year on solar energy, which is still pending.

Letters of intent are required and are due October 1, 2010, and again on September 3, 2012. Full proposals for Track 1 and Track 2 are due November 10, 2010, and again on October 10, 2012. Planning grant proposals, as mentioned earlier, will not be accepted until October 5, 2011.

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science annual broad agency announcement (DE-FOA-0000600)

Open to September 30, 2012; renews annually

http://www.science.doe.gov/grants/

The topic areas are below. Keep in mind that Office of Science generally funds VERY basic research. At UCR, we see most of these awards go to Physics, not to Engineering.

1. Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)

(a) Applied Mathematics

(b) Computer Science

(c) Computational Partnerships

(d) Network Environment Research

2. Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

(a) Materials Chemistry

(b) Biomolecular Materials

(c) Synthesis and Processing Science

(d) Experimental Condensed Matter Physics

(e) Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics

(f) Physical Behavior of Materials

(g) Mechanical Behavior and Radiation Effects

(h) X-ray Scattering

(i) Neutron Scattering

(j) Electron and Scanning Probe Microscopies

(k) Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Sciences

(l) Gas Phase Chemical Physics

(m) Computation and Theoretical Chemistry

(n) Condensed Phase and Interfacial Molecular Science (CPIMS)

(o) Catalysis Science

(p) Separations and Analysis

(q) Heavy Element Chemistry

(r) Geosciences Research

(s) Solar Photochemistry

(t) Photosynthetic Systems

(u) Physical Biosciences

(v) BES Accelerator and Detector Research

3. Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

(a) Biological Systems Science

(b) Climate and Environmental Sciences

4. Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)

(a) FES Science and Facility Operations

(b) FES Enabling Research and Development

5. High Energy Physics (HEP)

(a) Experimental High Energy Physics Research

(b) Theoretical High Energy Physics Research

(c) HEP Advanced Technology Research and Development

6. Nuclear Physics (NP)

(a) Medium Energy Nuclear Physics

(b) Heavy Ion Nuclear Physics

(c) Low Energy Nuclear Physics

(d) Nuclear Theory (including the Nuclear Data subprogram)

(e) Isotope Development and Production for Research and Applications

(f) Accelerator Research and Development for Current and Future Nuclear Physics Facilities

7. Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS)

http://www.onr.navy.mil/Contracts-Grants/Funding-Opportunities/Broad-Agency-Announcements.aspx

The Office of Naval Research has reissued its Long-Range Broad Agency Announcement for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology. The new BAA number is 12-001, and the BAA will remain open until at least September 30, 2012. White papers can be submitted at any time, and full proposals will be invited.

The following topic areas are of interest. Please spend a few minutes looking at this list – many subjects in all BCOE departments are included.

EXPEDITIONARY MANEUVER WARFARE & COMBATING TERRORISM DEPARTMENT (Code 30)

1) Command, Control, Computers and Communication (C4), including a) Network-centric warfare/Interoperability; b) Over-the-horizon communications/Gateways; c) Small-unit technologies.

2) Fires, which seeks to enable warfighters employed in small, distributed units with tools to locate and decisively destroy larger enemy forces by applying timely, reliable, precise, and accurate fires from a myriad of platforms.

3) Force Protection

4) Human, Social, Culture and Behavior Modeling

5) Human Performance Training and Education

6) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

7) Logistics, including a) Logistics Handling and Transport; b) Fuel Efficiency; c) Portable Electric Energy; d) Water Purification; e) Maintenance reduction

8) Maneuver, including a) Autonomy; b) Survivability; c) Mobility

COMMAND, CONTROL COMMUNICATIONS, COMPUTERS, INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE (C4ISR) (Code 31):

1) Mathematics, Computers and Information Research, including a) Applied computational analysis; b) Command and control; c) Image analysis and understanding; d) Information integration; e) Intelligent and autonomous systems; f) Mathematical optimization and operations research; g) Signal processing for networked sensing; and h) Software and computing systems.

2) Electronics, Sensors and Network Research, including a) Active aperture array; b) Atomic, molecular and quantum physics; c) Communications and networking; d) Electronic materials and magnetics; e) Electronic warfare; f) Electro-optical/infrared sensors and sensor processing; h) Nanoscale electronics; i) Navigation and timekeeping; j) Radar and signal processing; k) Mixed signal (radio frequency and digital) processing devices, circuits and architecture; l) Radio frequency superconducting technologies; m) Radio frequency semiconductors, radio frequency solid state amplifiers and wide bandgap materials

3) Applications and Transitions

OCEAN BATTLESPACE SENSING (Code 32)

1) Ocean Sensing and Systems Application, including a) Maritime sensing; b) Ocean engineering & marine systems; and c) Undersea signal processing

2) Ocean, Atmosphere and Space Research, including a) Coastal geosciences and environmental optics; b) Marine mammals and sound in the ocean; c) Marine meteorology and atmospheric effects; d) Ocean acoustics; e) Physical oceanography; f) Space environment; g) Special research awards in ocean acoustics; and h) Arctic and integrated prediction

SEA WARFARE AND WEAPONS DEPARTMENT (Code 33)

1) Ship Systems and Engineering Research, including a) hydrodynamics; b) survivability; c) electrical and thermal systems; and d) platform structures.

2) Naval Materials Science and Technology, including a) functional materials; b) structural materials; c) environmental quality; d) pervasive materials science and technology; e) water desalination.

3) Sea Platforms and Weapons

4) The Naval Alternative Energy and Fuels Program, including a) modeling/simulation tools and b) increasing knowledge of physical properties and chemical reactions of fuels in a maritime environment.

WARFIGHTER PERFORMANCE

1) Human and Bioengineered Systems, including a) Affordable human behavior modeling; b) Agile and reconfigurable organizational structures for command and control; c) Applied instructional research; d) Bio-energy harvesting; e) Biometrics in the maritime domain; f) Biorobotics; g) Cognitive science of learning; h) Computational neuroscience; i) Human activity recognition; j) Human robot interaction; k) Marine biofouling; l) Multi-echelon command decision making; m) Perception, metacognition and cognitive control; n) Representing and reasoning about uncertainty; o) Skill acquisition; p) Social network analysis for combating terrorist networks; q) Synthetic biology; r) Theoretical foundations for socio-cognitive architectures; and s) Virtual technologies and environments.

2) Warfighter Protection and Applications, including a) Basic biomedical science; b) Biomaterials and bionanotechnology; c) Biomedical technologies; d) Biophysics; e) Bioscience and bio-mimetic technology; f) Casualty care and management; g) Casualty prevention; h) Human systems integration (HSI); i) Manpower and personnel; j) Marine mammal health; k) Metabolic engineering; l) Next generation antibiotics; m) Noise induced hearing loss; n) Stress physiology; and o) Undersea medicine.

NAVAL AIR WARFARE AND WEAPONS (Code 35)

1) Aerospace science research

2) Air warfare and naval weapons applications

Naval Research Laboratory Broad Agency Announcement

Open to at least September 30, 2012

http://heron.nrl.navy.mil/contracts/baa/index02.htm

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=yfndTLqL672v78Nhtt1Y6JwqZ78j1Xc884pTlZQ1Gn2VGnFTDLhc!1520754296?oppId=125873&mode=VIEW (click on Full Announcement near the top center of the screen)

The Army Medical Research and Materiel command has released W81XWH-BAA-12-1, its Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Medical Research for 2011-12. The program is open to September 30, 2012. Pre-proposals may be submitted anytime, and full proposals will be invited in the following topic areas.

1. Military Infectious Diseases Research Program

a. Research and Development of Preventive Measures for Infectious Diseases includes (1) vaccines, (2) antiparasitic drugs, (3) vector control products, (4) wound infection and wound healing

b. Research and Development of Therapeutic Measures for Infectious Diseases.

2. Combat Casualty Care Research Program, particularly focusing on hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury (1) Research and development of technologies to stop blood loss, to resuscitate the casualty, and to limit the immediate, short- and long-term deleterious consequences of severe hemorrhage. (2) Research and development of technologies to diagnose and to limit the immediate, short- and long-term impairments that follow traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury (3) Materiel that can reduce acute secondary damage such as ischemia/reperfusion injury, cell death, general organ failure, and secondary brain/spinal cord damage (4) Additional aspects of casualty care

3. Military Operational Medicine

a. Injury Prevention and Reduction

b. Psychological Health and Resilience

c. Physiological Health

d. Environmental Health and Protection

4. Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine Research Program

a. Rehabilitation of Neuromusculoskeletal Injuries

b. Vision Restoration and Rehabilitation

c. Hearing and Balance Restoration and Rehabilitation

d. Pain Management

e. Regenerative Medicine and Composite Tissue Engineering

f. Cognitive Rehabilitation

5. Medical Biological Defense Research Program

a. Viral, Toxin and Bacterial Studies

b. Drug Development c. Identification and Diagnosis

6. Medical Chemical Defense Research Program

a. Maintain the Technologic Capability to meet present requirements and counter future chemical warfare agent threats.

b. Provide Medical Countermeasures

c. Provide Medical Management of Chemical Casualties

7. Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Program

a. Medical Robotics

b. Health Information Technologies

c. Medical Imaging Technologies

d. Advanced Prosthetics and Human Performance

e. Computational Biology

f. Biomonitoring Technologies

g. Simulation and Training Technology

h. Genomics and Proteomics.

i. Chronic Disease and Integrative Medicine

j. Infectious Disease

k. Neuroscience

l. Regenerative Medicine

m. Nanomedicine and Biomaterials

n. Trauma

o. Medical Logistics

NIH mHealth Tools for Patient/Provider Communications

Open to September 2014

R03 are pilot or feasibility grants designed to obtain preliminary data, up to $100,000 direct over up to two years (PA-11-331, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-331.html), due February 16, June 16, October 16.

R21 are exploratory grants, up to $275,000 direct over up to two years (PA-11-332, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-332.html), due February 16, June 16, October 16.

R01 is the main NIH research grant, which can run for multiple years. A successful R01 proposal always includes preliminary results. (PA-11-330, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-330.html), due February 5, June 5, October 5.

The National Institutes of Health, specifically the National Institute of Nursing Research and the Office of Dietary Supplements, have released three solicitations under the program titled “mHealth Tools to Promote Effective Patient-Provider Communication, Adherence to Treatment and Self-Management of Chronic Diseases in Underserved Populations.” The purpose of this initiative is to stimulate research utilizing Mobile Health (mHealth) tools aimed at the improvement of effective patient–provider communication, adherence to treatment and self-management of chronic diseases in underserved populations. With the rapid expansion of cellular networks and substantial advancements in Smartphone technologies, it is now possible - and affordable - to transmit patient data digitally from remote areas to specialists in urban areas, receive real-time feedback, and capture that consultation in a database. mHealth tools, therefore, may facilitate more timely and effective patient-provider communication through education communication around goal setting, treatment reminders, feedback on patient progress and may improve health outcomes. This announcement encourages the development, testing and comparative effective analysis of interventions utilizing mHealth technologies in underserved populations.

https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=9fea4eea512b1d4ae039a929a7f47b46&tab=core&_cview=0

The Naval Air Systems Command has released its FY 2012 broad agency announcement for Advanced Aircraft Power Systems; Fuel Technology; Aircraft Energy Conservation and Environmental Compliance (N68335-12-R-0038). This program will accept concept papers (a few pages up to 15 pages) in three very broad technology areas throughout fiscal year 2012 (i.e., up to September 30, 2012). If they like your idea, they will invite a full proposal.

1. Advanced Aircraft Power. Needs include:

- Increased availability of electrical power and thermal capacity for future aircraft platforms and weapons systems including advanced sensor suites, high power radars, cooling systems, and Directed Energy Weapons (DEW).

- Low cost, high power density, highly reliable, and highly efficient power system components including fuel reformers, fuel cells, generators, motors, converters, transformers, and batteries.

- Electrical system components to improve power quality for aircraft avionics to provide improved reliability, cost, and safety.

- Diagnostics, prognostics, and health management for electrical power and wiring systems to bring about improvements in readiness, maintenance, safety, and cost.

- Electrical system components that will provide improved energy efficiency and reduced fuel consumption and fossil fuel dependence.

- Improvements in environmental compliance including reduced emissions and reduced use of hazardous materials. - Improvements to more electric systems and designs including flight controls, engine start, and environmental control.

- Detailed and/or reduced order dynamic models of electrical power components and systems to predict power system performance (e.g. stability and quality).

- Power system integration studies of innovative concepts, and advanced components and systems.

- Technologies, components, systems, and/or studies to support air vehicle system energy optimization

- Technologies, components, systems, and/or studies to improve aircraft power system survivability and fault tolerance

2. Fuel Technology. As part of the Navy’s Tactical Alternative Fuels Strategy the Navy seeks to utilize fuels derived from non-petroleum sources. Protocols currently under development outline test requirements necessary to allow implementation of alternative fuels into the Navy’s JP-5 and F-76 specifications. The Navy seeks capabilities to 1.) conduct test requirements as outlined in the protocols and 2.) alternative test or analysis technologies that could be substituted into current protocols to obtain required data while reducing cost and fuel requirements.

3. Aircraft Energy Conservation and Environmental Compliance. The Navy seeks innovative concepts that can introduce applications for aircraft energy conservation, carbon footprint reduction and environmental compliance with the potential for rapid transition to Fleet. The desired operational end-state is a 15% reduction in tactical energy consumption by 2020. Technologies for consideration may utilize a wide array of approaches and technologies and are not restricted to only propulsion and power.

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=132454

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released NOAA-NFA-NFAPO-2012-2003133, its FY 2012-13 Broad Agency Announcement. This is the mechanism for accepting unsolicited proposals in the following topic areas:

1. Climate Adaptation and Mitigation and responding to climate and its impacts

2. Weather-Ready Nation

3. Healthy Oceans

4. Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies

There is no pre-proposal process, but the BAA does list technical contacts who can discuss your idea before you submit a formal proposal.

Proposals will be accepted anytime until September 30, 2013.

NSF Computer and Network Systems: Core Programs (11-555)

Medium projects due September 30 annually; Large projects due November 28 annually; Small due December 19 annually

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12765&org=CNS&from=home

CISE’s Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS) supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in two core programs: (1) Computer Systems Research (CSR) program; and (2) Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS) program.  Proposers are invited to submit proposals in three project classes, which are defined as follows:

Small Projects - up to $500,000 total budget with durations up to three years;

Medium Projects - $500,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years; and

Large Projects - $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 total budget with durations up to five years.

Limit 2 proposals per PI.

NSF Information and Intelligent Systems: Core Programs (11-556)

Medium projects due September 30 annually; Large projects due November 28 annually; Small due December 19 annually

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=13707&ods_key=nsf11556

CISE's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in three core programs: (1) The Human-Centered Computing program; (2) The Information Integration and Informatics program; and (3) The Robust Intelligence program. IIS is also responsible for managing the review process for proposals in Computer Graphics and Visualization; these proposals may be submitted to any of the three core programs described above. Proposers are invited to submit proposals in three project classes, which are defined as follows:

Small Projects - up to $500,000 total budget with durations up to three years;

Medium Projects - $500,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years; and

Large Projects - $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 total budget with durations up to five years.

NSF Computing and Communications Foundations (CCF): Core Programs (11-557)

Medium projects due September 30 annually; Large projects due November 28 annually; Small due December 19 annually

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503220&org=CCF&from=home

CISE's Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF) supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in three core programs: (1) The Algorithmic Foundations program; (2) The Communications and Information Foundations program; and

(3) The Software and Hardware Foundations program. Proposers are invited to submit proposals in three project classes, which are defined as follows:

Small Projects - up to $500,000 total budget with durations up to three years;

Medium Projects - $500,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years; and

Large Projects - $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 total budget with durations up to five years.

Limit 2 proposals per PI.

NSF Expeditions in Computing 10-564

Pre-proposals due September 10, 2010; February 12, 2012; September 10, 2013; full proposals due April 10, 2011; October 10, 2012; and April 10, 2014

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?org=CNS&ods_key=nsf10564

This program will make three to four new awards this year at up to $2 million each over five years for programs that pursue difficult scientific or engineering questions by using computing technology. So, all of you with difficult problems to solve, it’s Take a Computer Scientist to Lunch Day!

The Expeditions program has three goals:

1. To catalyze far-reaching research explorations motivated by deep scientific questions or hard problems in the computing and information fields, and/or by compelling applications that promise significant societal benefits;

2. To inspire current and future generations of Americans, especially those from under-represented groups, to pursue rewarding careers in computer and information science and engineering; and

3. To stimulate significant research and education outcomes that, through effective knowledge transfer mechanisms, promise scientific, economic and/or other societal benefits.

Projects supported by the Expeditions program comprise the following characteristics:

-- Foster research climates that nurture creativity and informed risk-taking, and value complementary research and education contributions such that the whole Expedition is greater than the sum of its parts;

-- Draw upon well-integrated, diverse teams of investigators from one or more disciplines within computer and information science and engineering, as well as investigators from other fields where necessary;

-- Stimulate effective knowledge transfer; and

-- Demonstrate experimental systems or support shared experimental facilities (including instruments, platforms and/or testbeds), where necessary, to enable discovery and learning.

An individual may be PI, co-PI, or senior person on only one proposal. There is no limit on the number of proposals an institution may submit.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12554/nsf12554.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

The National Science Foundation has released Program Solicitation 12-554, Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP). The overall mission of this program is to increase the number and diversity of Americans pursuing doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

There are three types of AGEP awards, plus two related special competitions:

AGEP-Transformation (limit one proposal per lead institution) - Strategic alliances of institutions and organizations to develop, implement, and study innovative evidence-based models and standards for STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM career preparation that eliminate or mitigate negative factors and promote positive practices for URMs. Awards will be up to $1,750,000 for 42 months (approximately $500,000 per year including direct and indirect costs). Proposals are due September 28, 2012.

AGEP-Knowledge Adoption and Translation (AGEP-KAT) (no limit on the number of proposals) - Projects to expand the adoption (or adaptation) of research findings and evidence-based strategies and practices related to the participation and success of URMs in STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM careers at all types of institutions of higher education. Awards will be $250,000 to $350,000 per year for up to five years. Proposals are due October 30, 2012.

AGEP-Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education (AGEP-BPR) (no limit on the number of proposals) - Investigator initiated empirical research projects that seek to create and study new theory-driven models and innovations related to the participation and success of URMs in STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM careers at all types of institutions of higher education. Awards will be up to $525,000 for three years ($175,000 per year). Proposals are due October 30, 2012.

HRD Design Project Proposals for a Broadening Participation in STEM Resource Network (no limit on the number of proposals) – The design project should lead to the development of a proposal for a Broadening Participation in STEM Resource Network (BPS-RN) which will be a subsequent call for proposals. The BPS-RN may be designed as a collaborative effort among many partners. Design projects should consult broadly with the HRD grantee community and other NSF stakeholders to perform a needs assessment. This consultation should be the foundation for developing innovative models for assisting HRD grantees and other NSF stakeholders to prepare, engage, and motivate a diverse STEM workforce. Awards will be up to $250,000 over 18 months. Proposals are due July 12, 2012.

There is also a special pilot program in the NSF Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS): Pilot AGEP-Graduate Research Supplement Program in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS): MPS has long promoted efforts to recruit and retain students from underrepresented groups in all areas of the mathematical and physical sciences. The Pilot AGEP-Graduate Research Supplements (AGEP-GRS) program introduces a new mechanism by which a current MPS research awardee in an academic unit participating in an active AGEP alliance project (or AGEP-Transformation project in the current solicitation) is able to support one (additional) Ph.D. student in an ongoing research project. The goal is to create an opportunity to engage underrepresented students in research, to develop a positive learning environment for students, and to improve diversity and retention at the doctoral level within the mathematical and physical sciences. One-year (twelve-month) supplement/s for a single Ph.D. student to currently active MPS awards is/are possible. They are renewable for a total support period of up to three years, contingent upon the duration of the active award. A request for funding of an AGEP-GRS may be made by the Principal Investigator (PI) of a currently active MPS research award to her/his cognizant Program Director. The PI must also be affiliated with an academic unit of an institution participating in an active AGEP alliance project (or AGEP-Transformation project in the current solicitation). The AGEP-GRS program will support at most one Ph.D. student under each MPS research award at any given time and at most one (additional) Ph.D. student per PI (for those PIs who have multiple awards from MPS). Students currently being supported full-time by the PI on any NSF award as a doctoral student are not eligible for AGEP-GRS support. The principal goals of the AGEP-GRS program are consonant with those of the AGEP program -- addressing the participation, preparation, and advancement of U.S. citizen African-Americans, Alaska Natives, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Native Pacific Islanders who are underrepresented in STEM graduate education. MPS PIs with interest in the program are encouraged to review the Dear Colleague Letter NSF 12-021. Contact: AGEP.MPS@nsf.gov with questions. In the subject line of the message, please include the award number of the active MPS award.

October

NSF Materials and Surface Engineering  (MSE) (PD 08-1633)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13356&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The MSE program supports fundamental research leading to a better understanding of the effect of microstructure, surfaces and coatings on the properties and performance of engineering materials, and the ultimate control of these properties through material design. Of particular interest is materials service under conditions such as impact, temperature extremes, corrosion, oxidation, and friction. The program also supports research leading to biomedical applications of materials. Funded research includes both experimental and theoretical approaches.

NSF Materials Processing and Manufacturing  (MPM) (PD 08-1467)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13344&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The MPM program supports fundamental research on the interrelationship of materials processing, structure, performance and process control. Analytical, experimental, and numerical studies are supported covering processing methods such as molding, forging, casting, welding, hydroforming, composite layup, and other materials processing approaches. Emphasis is placed on environmentally benign manufacturing and virtual manufacturing. Research leading to the development of novel processes and novel hybrid processing techniques to achieve net shape products and complex multi-scale, multi-functional products with superior quality and performance is also supported.

NSF Mechanics of Materials (MOM) (PD 08-1630)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13355&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The MOM program supports fundamental research on solid mechanics including theoretical, analytical, and computational approaches, model-based simulation, and the development of constitutive models. It also supports research to link the nanostructure and microstructure mechanical behavior of materials across time and length scales, including experimental and analytical research on deformation, fatigue, and fracture, and the underlying molecular and microstructural states.

National Robotics Initiative (NSF, NIH, NASA, USDA) (NSF 11-553)

Letters of intent due October 1 (small) and December 15 (large) annually, and full proposals due November 3 (small) and January 18 (large) annually

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11553/nsf11553.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

The National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, USDA, and NASA have jointly announced the National Robotics Initiative under NSF Program Solicitation 11-553.

This program will make small awards (single investigator, up to five years) and large awards (multiple investigators, up to five years) with they following major aims:

-- Pursue fundamental research in robotics science and technology and in supporting specialties in machine cognition, language understanding and production, human-robot interaction, perception, systems and other disciplines relevant to co-robot capability and performance.

-- Explore how co-robotics designs can be enhanced by leveraging and integrating our understanding of human cognition, perception, action control, linguistics, and developmental science.

-- Establish open system robotics architectures and common hardware and software platforms enabling the technical community to build upon and interface to a layered capability or functional model and set of protocols.

-- Create a repository of software, hardware and data to encourage sharing of results and coordination of efforts on hardware and software, and contributions from users and "citizen engineers", and create the cyberinfrastructure to enable cloud robotics. Data will include standard test sets and specifications for common performance measures of algorithms and systems to encourage use of domain-specific metrics.

-- Sponsor a range of projects from one or more investigators to multi-faceted collaborative efforts that may include academic and industrial scientists in the core technologies; domain application specialists; educators; and social, behavioral and economic scientists.

-- Develop an understanding of the long term social, behavioral and economic implications of co-robots across all areas of human activity.

-- Create testbeds for integration of the outputs of multiple activities and their testing, demonstration and evaluation on high level and complex tasks.

-- Transfer new platforms and/or functional capabilities to agency mission applications and facilitate agency-specific technology demonstrations of robotic systems over the period of the initiative. -- Establish competitions among funded projects for best performance of tasks to be defined by the participating program officers and managers. Competing teams may be comprised of individuals or groups with the option of partnering with unfunded collaborators from academia or industry.

-- Produce empirical findings that contribute to knowledge about the use of robotics to facilitate STEM learning across the K-16 continuum, with particular emphasis being placed on means to stimulate and motivate participation in STEM careers and broaden participation in them.

-- Coordinate with a separately funded companion effort to generate such advances leading to commercial products and services through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and independent business plan competitions.

Proposals can be submitted in response to this solicitation or in response to a parallel solicitation from NIH (NOT-EB-11-006).

NSF Structural Materials and Mechanics (PD 08-1635)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter.

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13357&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The SMM program supports fundamental research on the behavior of civil infrastructure materials and the mechanics of structural components in the built environment.  Of particular interest is research on structural components consisting of natural and synthetic materials, their response to mechanical, hydrothermal and time-dependent loads, and their impact on life-cycle performance and sustainable development of the civil infrastructure.

NSF Sensors and Sensing Systems (PD 08-1639)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter.

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13349&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The SSS program supports research on methods to acquire and use sensor data on civil, mechanical, and manufacturing systems.  The program supports fundamental research on advanced actuators, sensors, wireless sensor networks, new materials and concepts for sensing applications, power generation and energy supply for sensors and sensing systems.  Also of interest is research on the strategic incorporation of sensors into both natural and engineered systems to achieve effective data acquisition and on processing and transmission of sensor data.

NSF Geotechnical Engineering (PD 09-1636)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter.

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13351&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The GTE program supports fundamental research on geotechnical aspects of civil infrastructure, such as foundation engineering, site characterization, underground construction, tunneling, drilling, and mining engineering.  Also included is research on geoenvironmental engineering, geotechnical earthquake engineering that does not involve the use of George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) facilities, and geohazards such as tsunamis, landslides, mudslides and debris flows, scour, and erosion.  Emphasis is on issues of sustainability and resilience.

NSF Infrastructure Management and Extreme Events (PD-08-1638)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13353&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The IMEE program focuses on the impact of large-scale hazards on civil infrastructure and society and on related issues of preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery.  The program supports research to integrate multiple issues from engineering, social, behavioral, political, and economic sciences.  It supports fundamental research on the interdependence of civil infrastructure and society, development of sustainable infrastructures, and civil infrastructure vulnerability and risk reduction.

NSF NanoManufacturing  (NM) (PD 08-1788)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13347&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The NM program supports research and education on manufacturing at the nanoscale, and the transfer  of research results in nanoscience and nanotechnology to industrial applications. The program emphasizes a systems approach to scale-up of nanotechnology for high rate production, reliability, robustness, yield and cost, and promotes integration of nanostructures to functional micro devices and meso/macroscale systems.  Special emphases are on environmental, health, and societal aspects of nanotechnology and nanomanufacturing.

NSF Dynamical Systems, PD 09-7478

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010 and September 1 to October 1, 2010, and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13574&org=ENG&sel_org=ENG&from=fund

This program supports innovative research on the theories of dynamical systems, including new analytical and computational tools, as well as the novel application of dynamical systems to engineered systems. The program is especially interested in transformative research in the area of complex systems, uncertain or stochastic nonlinear dynamical systems, model order reduction of nonlinear or infinite dimensional dynamical systems, discrete nonlinear dynamical systems, and modeling, simulation, analysis and design of multi-scale multi-physics dynamical systems.

NSF Civil Infrastructure Systems  (CIS), PD-08-1631

Full proposals accepted January 15 to February 15, 2010; September 1 to October 1, 2010; and February 15 and October 1 annually thereafter

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13352&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The CIS program supports research leading to the intelligent engineering of distributed infrastructure systems. Areas of interest include intra- and inter-dependencies in infrastructure design and operation for resilience and sustainability, infrastructure protection, and advanced information technologies for health monitoring, condition assessment, deterioration and asset management. Special emphasis is on risk analysis, life-cycle frameworks, cyber-enabled simulation, and technologies for design, construction and operation of resilient and sustainable infrastructure networks.

NSF Electronics, Photonics & Device Technologies  (EPDT) (PD 10-1517)

Proposals accepted January 7 to February 7, 2010; September 7 to October 7, 2010; and February 7 and October 7 annually thereafter

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13379&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The Electronics, Photonics and Device Technologies (EPDT) program seeks to improve the fundamental understanding of devices and components based on the principles of micro and nano electronics, photonics, magnetics, organics, electro-optics, electromechanics, electromagnetics, and related physical phenomena. The program enables discovery and innovation advancing the frontiers of nanoelectronics, spin electronics, molecular electronics, bioelectronics, nonsilicon electronics, flexible electronics, photonics, optoelectronics, microwave photonics, magnetics, micro/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), sensors and actuators, power electronics, and mixed signal devices. EPDT supports related topics in quantum engineering and novel electromagnetic materials-based high frequency device solutions, radio frequency (RF) integrated circuits, and reconfigurable antennas needed for communications, telemedicine, and other wireless applications. The program supports cooperative efforts with the semiconductor industry on new nanoelectronics concepts beyond the scaling limits of silicon technology. EPDT additionally emphasizes emerging areas of diagnostic, wearable and implantable devices, and supports manipulation and measurement with nanoscale precision through new approaches to extreme ultraviolet metrology. Areas of interest include:

-- Bioelectronics

-- Electromagnetics

-- Flexible Electronics

-- MEMS/NEMS

-- Micro/Nanoelectronics

-- Micro/Nanomagnetics

-- Microwave Photonics

-- Molecular Electronics

-- Nanophotonics

-- Optoelectronics

-- Power Electronics

-- Sensors and Actuators

-- Spin Electronics

NSF Communications, Circuits, and Sensing Systems (PD 11-7564)

Proposals accepted January 7 to February 7 and September 7 to October 7, 2011 and 2012

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13381&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

This program is intended to spur visionary systems-oriented activities in collaborative, multidisciplinary, and integrative research. CCSS supports systems research in hardware, signal processing techniques, and architectures to enable the next generation of cyber systems (CPS) that leverage computation, communication, and algorithms integrated with physical domains. CCSS offers new challenges at all levels of systems integration to address future societal needs. CCSS supports innovative research and integrated educational activities in micro- and nano-systems, communications systems, and cyber systems. The goal is to design, develop, and implement new complex and hybrid systems at all scales, including nano, micro, and macro, that lead to innovative engineering principles and solutions for a variety of application domains including, but not limited to, healthcare, medicine, environmental monitoring, communications, disaster mitigation, homeland security, transportation, manufacturing, energy, and smart buildings. CCSS also supports integration technologies at both intra-and inter-chip levels, new and advanced radio frequency (RF), millimeter wave and optical wireless and hybrid communications systems architectures, and sensing and imaging at terahertz (THz) frequencies.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11536/nsf11536.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

This program will make an estimated 25 planning grants and 10 infrastructure acquisition grants to drive discovery and learning in the computing disciplines and to expand access to high-performance computing for research. Examples of research infrastructure of interest to the program include, but are not limited to: systems of security and monitoring devices, linguistically annotated electronic language and vision corpora, spectrum and protocol analyzers, system testbeds, suites of robots, clusters of graphic processing units, software libraries and tools, networks of wireless and mobile devices, programmable network components, motion capture systems, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based systems, data clusters, integrated systems of sensors, data repositories and visualization capabilities. These computing infrastructure resources (and others not listed here) are expected to provide unique and compelling research opportunities otherwise inaccessible to the CISE research and education community.

NSF will make planning grants (up to $100,000 for one year) and acquisition grants (up to $3 million) in two categories:

Institutional Infrastructure: Each Institutional Infrastructure (II) award supports the creation of new computing research infrastructure or the enhancement of existing computing research infrastructure. The proposed research infrastructure must enable compelling new research and education opportunities for the proposing PI or team of PIs and associated students and collaborators (i.e., for individuals at the awardee and collaborating institutions). II proposals involving multiple investigators from one or more departments and/or institutions are welcome. II proposals that are led by or include 2-year, predominantly undergraduate, and/or minority-serving institutions are especially encouraged. II proposals may request up to $1 million total for project durations not to exceed 3 years.

Community Infrastructure: Each Community Infrastructure (CI) award supports the planning for computing research infrastructure, the creation of new computing infrastructure, or the enhancement of existing computing research infrastructure in order to provide compelling new research and education opportunities for a broadly-based community of researchers and educators that extends well beyond the awardee institution(s). Furthermore, each CI award may support the operation of such infrastructure, ensuring that the awardee institution(s) is well-positioned to provide a high quality of service to community researchers and educators expected to use the infrastructure to realize their research and education goals. Since CI awards serve communities of researchers and educators, CI proposals must provide compelling evidence that a diverse community of investigators will find the proposed infrastructure valuable to their research and education endeavors.

There is no limit on the number of proposals per institution, but there is a limit of two proposals per investigator. My read of things is that faculty in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering would need to drive the proposal, but a project that expands research capabilities in other fields also would be competitive.

November

Army Advanced Soldier Portable Power Technologies (BAA W15P7T11RA609-0002)

Open to November 3, 2014

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=59797f2eb5a4512d6e4873e719002d6e or https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi/solicitation_view.cfm?psolicitationnbr=W15P7T11RA609

The Army Research Development Engineering Command has released BAA W15P7T11RA609-0002, “Advanced Soldier Portable Power Technologies.” The BAA is dated November 2010, but I just saw it today. White papers (10 pp) will be accepted until November 3, 2014, and they will invite a full proposal if they like your idea. This program will support basic and applied research, development, and demonstration of lightweight, robust, cost effective power sources, portable power generation and associated components, charger technologies, power management for use in various portable applications ranging from less than one watt to five kilowatts. You are encouraged to work with a company from the start so there is a pathway from basic research to commercialization.

Specific areas of interest are:

Topic A: Electrochemical Based Portable Power Sources 1. Rechargeable Batteries 2. Primary (disposable) Batteries 3. Ultracapacitors

Topic B: Fuel Based Portable Power Sources 1. Fuel Cells 2. Internal Combustion Sources 3. 2 kWe External Combustion Power Sources 4. 50-200 W Thermoelectric Power Source Demonstrator

Topic C: Power and Energy Systems including Alternative Energy Power Sources 1. Hybrid Power Sources. 2. Renewable Energy Sources (solar, wind, hydro – man-portable) 3. Battery chargers 4. Smart power management

NSF Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems (CNH) (NSF 10-612)

Due December 9, 2010; November 15, 2011; and third Tuesday in November annually beginning in 2012

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2010/nsf10612/nsf10612.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

This program is supported principally by NSF’s Directorates for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, Directorate for Biological Sciences, and Directorate for Geosciences. However, other directorates, including Engineering, can participate as appropriate.

CNH supports basic research and related activities that enhance fundamental understanding of the complex interactions within and among natural and human systems. CNH focuses on the complex interactions among human and natural systems at diverse spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. CNH seeks to advance basic knowledge about the system dynamics -- the processes through which systems function and interact with other systems. CNH-supported projects must examine relevant natural AND human systems. Proposals cannot focus solely or largely on either human systems or on natural systems. Projects also must examine the full range of coupled interactions and feedbacks among relevant systems. The arrows in the accompanying figure symbolize these relationships.

CNH is part of an NSF-wide investment effort focusing on Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES). SEES aims to generate the discoveries and capabilities in climate and energy science and engineering needed to inform societal actions that lead to environmental and economic sustainability.

There are three types of CNH awards:

Large Interdisciplinary Research Projects, $500,000 to $1.5 million over two to five years.

Interdisciplinary Team Exploratory Projects, $150,000 to $250,000 for one to two years.

CNH Research Coordination Networks, coordination networks focusing on the dynamics of coupled natural and human systems will aim to advance CNH research or create new directions in research or education, with innovative ideas for implementing novel networking strategies especially encouraged, $250,000 to $500,000 for five years.

Defense Intelligence Agency, Research and Development for Technical Collection of Intelligence (BAA-01-10-VACA)

Open to November 30, 2014

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1e03d381bad6dfcd149b846643c18d39&tab=core&_cview=0

This program will be open for five years, and it will make awards of $100,000 to $2 million per year for innovative approaches and concepts to obtain unique and creative solutions, technologies, and state-of-the-art approaches for technical collection of intelligence to include but not limited to measurement and signatures intelligence (MASINT). In general, they want technologies that can be demonstrated within two years.

DIA will accept very short white papers (4 double-spaced pages) anytime until November 30, 2014. If they like your idea, they will invite a full proposal. Separately, specific solicitations will be issued from time to time under this BAA.

December

NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate Students (EAPSI) (08-603)

Due second Tuesday in December annually

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf08603

This program is open to graduate students pursuing M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in fields that NSF supports. The student must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The student, not the institution, submits the proposal. The program supports 8-week or 10-week (in Japan) visits by U.S. graduate students to research laboratories in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, or Taiwan. The student must contact a suitable host research site before submitting the proposal. NSF and its counterpart agencies can help make final arrangements for the student to be accommodated. The NSF program's web site has information about how to find host locations. A student may submit only one proposal for only one destination. Proficiency in the host country's language is not required.

NSF will provide a $5,000 stipend, round-trip air fare, and support for a mandatory two-day orientation in Washington, DC. It is expected that the foreign host site will provide additional support.

NSF Science of Science and Innovation Policy (SciSIP), 08-586

Due December 16 annually

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501084&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

This solicitation comes from the NSF Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences. The goals are to understand the contexts, structures and processes of science and engineering research, to evaluate reliably the tangible and intangible returns from investments in research and development, and to predict the likely returns from future R&D investments. There could be links to our WIRED project, which is ending in November.

The program will make 15-20 awards, ranging in size from $50,000 to $400,000 total over up to three years. The emphasis areas are:

1. Models -- research proposals to develop behavioral and analytical conceptualizations, frameworks or models that have applications across a broad array of SciSIP challenges.

2. Tools -- methodologies to analyze science and technology data and related information, and to develop novel means to convey the information to a variety of audiences.

3. Data -- new data taxonomies, methods to improve comparability of data, data visualization, and similar improvements to enable a better understanding of how science investments pay off.

NSF also will accept proposals for dissertation improvement grants under this program.

at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12518/nsf12518.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

This program has been revised from previous years. The PI can be from Education or any other discipline, but every proposal must have (a) at least one co-PI who is a mathematician, engineer, or scientist who is a college/university faculty member and with a history of publishing in the discipline (not only education of the discipline), and (b) at least one person who is a representative from a Core Partner K-12 organization, such as a school district.

The overall purpose of this program is to improve K-12 student achievement through a sharp focus on three inter-related issues:

1. Ensuring that all students have access to, are prepared for, and are encouraged to participate and succeed in challenging and advanced STEM courses.

2. Enhancing the quality, quantity and diversity of the K-12 STEM teacher workforce.

3. Developing evidence-based outcomes that contribute to our understanding of how students effectively learn the knowledge, skills and ways of thinking inherent in mathematics, computer science, engineering, and/or the natural sciences.

All MSP proposals should focus on improving STEM learning by K-12 students; contribute to the literature on STEM teaching and learning; must involve at least one institution of higher education and at least one school district; and must utilize expertise of STEM disciplinary faculty, educational researchers, and K-12 teachers and administrators, with individuals from the learning sciences also encouraged to participate.

There are two types of proposals: Targeted Partnerships (up to $1.5 million over three years for a prototype project and up to $8 million over five years for an implementation project) and Research, Evaluation, and Technical Assistance (RETA) (up to $1.2 million over three years).

There are four emphasis areas. I will just list them here; the descriptions get pretty lengthy.

-- Community Enterprise for STEM Learning

-- Community Issues Related to STEM

-- Identifying and Cultivating Exceptional Talent

-- K-12 STEM Teacher Preparation

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=24dfcb6354e6f27fbf2747648eb47ad4&tab=core&_cview=0

This program invites white papers (5 pp plus a one-page quad chart) for concepts in the following areas. If they like the idea, they will invite a full proposal. The program is open to December 31, 2013.

Academic institutions are eligible to submit to this. However, there is no language in the solicitation specifically stating that it will support fundamental research, which is exempt from export controls and publishing restrictions. Any pre-proposal we submit, therefore, should very clearly state that we are proposing to do fundamental research.

The topic areas of interest are:

Special Reconnaissance, Surveillance, & Exploitation (SRSE)

1. Tags: This product line covers Tagging, Tracking and Locating (TTL) technologies that can be used on persons and objects. Technologies of interest would provide reductions in size, weight and power/price (SWaP2), improved accuracy or new capabilities to the following: GPS Data Loggers for both normal and disadvantaged environments; GPS Tags for both normal and disadvantaged environments; Non-GPS Trackers; Optical Taggants; Chemical Taggants; Audio recorders; Video recorders; RF Tags; RF Beacons; Optical Beacons; Viewers for optical beacons and taggants; Data infiltration and exfiltration devices and architectures; Enhancements in the ability to power devices either through better power sources or improved efficiencies.

2. Sensors: This product line covers various persistent surveillance systems also referred to as unattended ground sensor (UGS) systems, tactical surveillance systems, and force protection systems. Technologies that provide additional capabilities, reduce SWaP2, increase flexibility in aerial, ground, underground and maritime/riparian environments of the following: Activity sensors, i.e. magnetic, seismic, passive infrared, acoustic, fiber optic and breakwire; Active sensors such as small radars, laser trip or similar; Controller devices, hubs, and/or master nodes; Day/Night imaging devices, still and video; On camera video motion detection; Image and video compression techniques; Improved sensor algorithms to reduce false alarms and missed detections; Sensor algorithms for fusing data from multiple sensors to reduce false alarms; Sensor algorithms for location, classification and identification of targets; Data infiltration and exfiltration devices and architectures; Sensor network devices; “Through the wall” sensing capabilities; Enhancements in the ability to power sensors and communications either through better power sources or improved efficiencies.

3. Biometrics: This product line covers technologies used to collect, analyze and distribute various physical parameters that can be used to identify personnel. There is particular interest in technologies with a small form factor that provide the capability to rapidly (< 2 min) identify personnel, reduce false alarm rates and/or offer novel approaches at short to long distances in all environmental conditions. Technologies of interest are: Facial recognition Iris recognition; Finger print collection; Detection and analysis of behavior patterns; Voice print analysis; Dynamic signature recognition DNA collection and processing.

4. Forensics: This product line covers the collection and processing of both physical and electronic information obtained from target locations. The technologies should provide improvements in software applications, sensitivity, identification, processing speed, and data correlation. Technologies of interest are: Document exploitation Electronic media exploitation; Trace evidence collection, identification and processing; Detection of hidden rooms/chambers.

5. SIGINT: These technologies concentrate on RF communications intercept and location. Technologies of interest should provide improved performance, flexibility, SWaP2, and lower cost of ownership. Platforms and operational environments can be on land, air, sea, manned or unmanned, and manpack based. Technologies of interest are: Software defined radios; Analog and digital receivesr; Advanced antennas for RX and TX; Algorithms for detecting, classifying and exploiting signals in near real time; Improved SIGINT two-way fusion with other intelligence disciplines; RF Geo-location and Direction finding signal processing algorithms and hardware; Low-Power low noise amplifiers (LNAs) with ultra-high linearity and higher dynamic range front ends for use in command, control, and communications systems without compromising system sensitivity (noise figure); Network capabilities in compliance with the Airborne Overhead Integration Office [Note: now Airborne Multi-Int Office – AMO] Communications Intelligence Joint Interface Control Document 4.2, and follow-on’s; Improved Graphic User Interfaces; Improved training systems; Enhancements in the ability to power sensors and communications either through better power sources or improved efficiencies; Technologies to use SIGINT systems to support TTL, Special Communications and Unattended Sensor operations.

6. Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination (PED): This product line covers items used to process and analyze intelligence data for both display and generation of intelligence products. Technologies of interest should provide flexibility, reductions in processing time, intuitive graphical user interfaces, and improved analysis functions. Technologies of interest are: All source data discovery; Advanced algorithms for data fusion/analysis; Tasking and synchronization; Receipt and processing of multiple intelligence ISR sensor data; Cross domain; Disconnected operations; Open Service Oriented Architecture; Common Interactive Broadcast (CIB) technologies.

7. Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (TENCAP): This area concentrates on technologies, processing and capabilities to extend National Technical Means investments and capabilities to the lowest tactical echelon user possible. Technologies of interest should provide improved performance, SWaP2, and improved access to communications constrained users in the following areas: Data infiltration and exfiltration; Geo-spatial intelligence (GEOINT); SIGINT; Measurements and signature intelligence (MASINT); Human intelligence support tools; Targeting; Friendly force tracking; Command and control; Combat identification; Moving target indications and mobility platform tracking.

8. Technical Support Systems (TSS): This area concentrates on items critical to mission success but is often not part of the initial design. Technologies of interest should provide improved performance, SWaP2 and ease of use. Technologies of interest are: Power sources; Camouflage/concealment materials, systems, adhesives, and techniques; Advanced antenna designs; High efficiency electronics; Communications.

Military Information Support Operations

1. Information Management: Target Audience Network analysis – Dynamic meta-network assessment and analysis tool Network metrics, trail metrics, procedures for grouping nodes, identifying local patterns, comparing and contrasting networks, groups, and individuals Examine how networks change through space and time with change detection techniques Identify key players, groups and vulnerabilities, model network changes over time, and perform COA analysis Spatial modeling.

2. Broadcast Technologies: Enhanced/Improved Efficiency for Broadcast Transmitters; Enhanced/Improved Efficiency for Broadcast Antennas; AM Antenna: Innovative AM antenna solutions with a minimum range of 30 miles; Explore capabilities in AM Antennas that will cover the maximum amount of the frequency band and have the lightest weight and shortest set-up time; Remote Long Distance Broadcast: Affordable digital capabilities which allow remote broadcast and reduce forward signature of friendly forces (remote long distance broadcast); Blue tooth-Like Technologies: Bluetooth allow remote broadcast from a family of loudspeakers (allows forces to broadcast synchronous messages using UAVs, manportable, and/or vehicular loudspeakers to deliver clear messages across a large area). This will assist in reducing loss of life during clearing operations/movement to contact, management of DPs, MIGOPs and HA missions; Multi-channel, multi-frequency simultaneous broadcast; Software Defined Radios/Antennas (3Hz-300GHz; any/all combination of ranges).

3. Simulation and Modeling Tools for MISO Capabilities.

4. Air droppable, Scatterable Electronic Media: This media will be used to disseminate information and could take the form of broadcast electronic media receivers (tools, instruments, implements) for AM/FM/UHF/satellite broadcast operations, satellite radios; miniaturized AM/FM broadcast transmitters; miniaturized loudspeakers; entertainment devices; game device technologies, greeting cards; telephony technologies; text messaging; or other media capable of receiving and/or transmitting Internet broadcast or commercial radio frequency signals, or pre-programmed audio/audio-visual data.

5. Scatterable Media. 1) Miniaturization of media/transmitter/antennae/power source, 2) Ruggedized and hardened hardware, both in construction and packaging, able to withstand a variety of environmental conditions and temperature, 3) Internet broadcast reception and transmission devices, 4) Media dissemination and reception in telephone, cell phone devices, including text messaging, video and television streaming, 5) Gaming technologies, 6) Renewable power sources, battery, power storage, and recharge technologies, 7) deployable, from air-platforms, air-droppable, 8) lightweight, 10) trackable, 11) disguisable.

6. 6. Scatterable Media Integrated Radio, Cellular, Web, and MOP/MOE Requirements: The requirement is a user-generated social media radio application powered by the human voice, available on the PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, and Nokia smart phones, that lets users share their thoughts and experiences. Users leave messages about any topics, creating a user-generated talk radio, and/or post original content, including music to be aired. Users should be able to make their own long-form radio shows, by dialing in with a free phone number. This should allow a person’s interest in sports, music, news, culture to be aired. Users are to be kept entertained while sharing the things that matter to them the most.

7. Other Technologies. These are: Nano-technology; Commercial & Secure Wireless technology; Mesh-MANET, 3G/4G COTS technology on Military Band Frequencies; NIAP certified network access technologies (Suite B standards); Internet/cellular/cyber technologies; HTML 5 advances, caching, hosting; Secure remote desktop capabilities; enterprise cloud solutions (Web & Client App); Approved multi-level security capabilities; computing (OS/Client/Server), storage (Local/Network), authentication, gateways; Internet Protocol (IP) advances; transport, acceleration, caching, routing; Text analytical and social network mapping solutions with Geo-locating; Electronic Paper; Media displays.

January

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12502/nsf12502.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

The National Science Foundation has released Program Solicitation 12-502, Algorithms for Threat Detection. This program is led by the NSF Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences (not computing), and it is a joint effort with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

The introduction of the next generation of massively parallel sequencing technologies led to an exponential increase in the amount of available DNA sequence information for detection of biological threats. As sequence data is now produced faster than it can be meaningfully analyzed, developing new approaches to the analysis of this information is one of the most important recent challenges for the mathematical sciences. New and improved mathematical and statistical methods and high performance algorithms are needed to clear this bottleneck. Beyond methods to sample and organize the sheer amount of data in a meaningful way, challenges include development of quantitative methods and models to estimate errors for the various sequencing platforms; algorithms and mathematical estimates of the reliability of genomes assembled from short gapped reads; approaches to distinguish sequence-determination errors from biological polymorphism and mutation; and means to distinguish among multiple genomes within a single dataset, particularly when those different genomes are represented at vastly different abundance.

Challenges especially relevant to the area of bio-detection include the development of tools and models for fast identification of the differences between the genomes of individuals of a species, and for distinguishing between naturally-occurring biological heterogeneity and newly-emerged or artificially produced pathogenic sequences in complex samples. Mathematical models and methods to estimate the significance of genomic variability as related to the corresponding phenotypic variability belong to this area of research as well.

In addition to such genomics research, this program will support projects that aim to develop the next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms and methodologies in sensor systems for the detection of chemical and biological materials. These new algorithms could arise from mathematical research areas including, but not limited to, mathematical modeling, signal processing, statistics, harmonic and geometric analysis, topology, numerical analysis, and optimal control.

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=y3MyPYNXDHsyfJBdJXvP4lD3plDW1XBK3gjZ4X2CPhsCd98jGJhB!65310457?oppId=137993&mode=VIEW.

The DARPA Strategic Technology Office has released its Broad Agency Announcement for the next year, DARPA-BAA-12-09. This program will accept pre-proposals and invited full proposals in any strategic area, but specific areas of interest are listed below. The BAA is open to January 13, 2013, so you can submit an idea anytime in the next year. We must be sure to state that any research we propose to do is “fundamental research,” or basic research, which is not subject to publication restrictions or limits on the involvement of foreign workers.

The areas of interest are:

I. Finding Difficult Targets. II. Communications, Networks, and Electronic Warfare. III. Shaping the Environment. IV. Foundational Strategic Technologies.

The BAA has a couple of paragraphs of description for each of these areas.

NSF Cyber-Physical Systems (12-520)

Due March 15, 2012; January 22, 2013; January 22, 2014

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12520/nsf12520.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

The National Science Foundation has significantly revised the Cyber-Physical Systems program, now Program Solicitation 12-520. The next deadline has been moved from January 2012 to March 2012. There is a strong interdisciplinary flavor to the program, so people outside of the traditional computing fields should take a look, too.

The goal of the CPS program is to develop the core system science needed to engineer complex cyber-physical systems upon which people can depend with high confidence. The program aims to foster a research community committed to advancing research and education in CPS and to transitioning CPS science and technology into engineering practice.

Every CPS proposal must address at least one of the following three Research Target Areas:

1. Science of Cyber-Physical Systems: The classical models of computation and physics are separately inadequate to capture the semantics of CPS. CPS require new models and theories that unify perspectives, capable of expressing the interacting dynamics of the computational and physical components of a system in a dynamic environment. A unified science would support composition, bridge the computational versus physical notions of time and space, cope with uncertainty, and enable cyber-physical systems to interoperate and evolve.

2. Technology for Cyber-Physical Systems: New design, analysis, and verification tools are needed that embody the scientific principles of CPS, and that incorporate measurement, dynamics, and control. The tools should offer important perspectives into behaviors and interactions. New building blocks are also needed, including hardware computing platforms, operating systems, and middleware. The chain of tools and building blocks must integrate to support end-to-end assurances, and cover the full lifecycle of systems. Particular attention should be given to interfaces, interface management, extensibility, interoperability, and the controlled visibility of explicit and implicit assumptions. A particular goal is to enable evidence-based certification, and maintain certification as a system evolves.

3. Engineering of Cyber-Physical Systems: CPS opens a new opportunity to rethink principles of systems engineering, built on the foundation of CPS science and technology and able to support open cyber-physical systems. Attention should be given to system architecture, design, integration, and design space exploration that produce certifiably dependable systems. New engineering principles are needed to systematize design for the growing numbers of CPS that entail adaptation and autonomy. All advances should be assessed and validated for relevance, usability, and effectiveness by appropriate benchmarks. The engineering processes must support certification and maintenance of certification over the system lifecycle.

Additionally, the program will accept “Challenge Applications” that contribute to engineering innovation and incorporate careful experimentation designed to inform CPS science and technology. Systems of interest will be at the same time transformative and translational, demonstrating inventive new ideas and multi-disciplinary technical approaches to societal challenges. Challenge applications can range from extremely focused inventions enabled by CPS technology to revolutionary approaches to next-generation infrastructures. The CPS program encourages projects that address concerns shared with other federal agencies, such as transportation, medicine, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, and national security. The CPS program especially welcomes projects that address renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and automation for vehicle and highway safety.

There will be three types of CPS grants:

1. Breakthrough projects must offer a significant advance in fundamental CPS science, engineering and/or technology that has the potential to change the field. Funding for Breakthrough projects may be requested for a total of up to $750,000 over up to 3 years.

2. Synergy projects must demonstrate innovation at the intersection of multiple disciplines, to accomplish a clear goal that requires an integrated perspective spanning the disciplines. Funding for Synergy projects may be requested for a total of $750,001 to $2,000,000 for 3 to 4 years.

3. Frontiers projects must address clearly identified critical CPS challenges that cannot be achieved by a set of smaller projects. Funding may be requested for a total of $1,200,000 to $10,000,000 for a period of 4 to 5 years. Note that, due to the difference in goals and scope, the range for Frontiers projects overlaps with the range for Synergy projects.

There is a limit of two proposals per PI.

Proposals will be accepted February 15, 2012 - March 15, 2012; December 17, 2012 - January 22, 2013; and December 16, 2013 - January 22, 2014.

February

NSF Control Systems, PD 08-1632

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15 annually

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13575&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The CS program supports innovative research on control theory and control technology driven by real life applications. The program accepts proposals on transformative research in established topic areas such as model-based control. However, the program emphasis is on paradigm-shifting ideas for control strategies that may be inspired by nature, unconventional applications, and the combined role of feedback and uncertainty in systems that incorporate large numbers of sensors and actuators. New sensor and actuator concepts that integrate feedback and signal processing to achieve a sensing or actuation objective are also funded.

NSF Manufacturing and Construction Machines and Equipment  (MCME) (PD 10-1468)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15 annually

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13346&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

The MCME program supports fundamental research leading to improved machines and applications for both manufacturing and construction.  Key goals are to advance the transition of these industries from skill-based to knowledge-based activities and to develop them as activities with minimal environmental and societal impact.  To accomplish these goals the program emphasizes research leading to a fundamental understanding of the relevant physical processes resulting in better predictive models and improved manufacturing and construction decision making.  The program also supports research on solid freeform fabrication encompassing scales from microns to meters (nanometer scale additive manufacturing is supported under the Nanomanufacturing program).

NSF Nano and Bio Mechanics  (NBM) (PD 08-7479)

Proposals accepted January 15 to February 15 annually

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13523

The NBM Program supports fundamental research in biomechanics and mechanobiology. An emphasis is placed on multiscale solid and fluid mechanics approaches in the study of organisms that integrate across molecular, cell, tissue and organ domains. The relationships between mechanical behavior and extracellular matrix composition and organization are of interest. In addition, the influence of in vivo mechanical forces on cell and matrix biology in the histomorphogenesis, maintenance, regeneration, and aging of those tissues is a primary concern. Funded projects may include theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches. The program encourages the consideration of diverse living tissues as smart materials that are self-designing. Biomimetic inspired applications to other engineering fields are encompassed.

Army: Explosive Hazard Mechanical-Clearance Technologies (BAA W15QKN-11-R-D003)

Open to February 7, 2014

http://procnet.pica.army.mil/dbi/Download/GoGetSolicitation.cfm?SolNum=W15QKN-11-R-D003

The Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (ARDEC) has released BAA W15QKN-11-R-D003, “Explosive Hazard Mechanical-Clearance Technologies.” The requirement is for innovative technologies to mechanically neutralize Anti-Personnel (AP) mines, Anti-Tank (AT) mines, and other explosive hazards in support of the Robotic Countermine Mission. Additionally, efforts that address Area Clearance and Route Clearance of convoys and dismounted personnel are strongly encouraged.

This program will support both Fundamental Research (which we like) and development (which we usually can do) for potential solutions to mechanically neutralize explosive hazards in various terrain conditions. This shall be accomplished via investigative efforts in the following general technology areas:

1. Lightweight, High-Strength Construction 2. Uniform Ground Pressure 3. Successful Explosive Hazard Neutralization 4. Modularity 5. Maneuverability 6. Survivability 7. Adaptable Control System 8. Remote Operation

The program is open until February 7, 2014. You first submit a 5-page white paper, and then they invite a full proposal.

In the white paper, it would be a good idea to indicate that we would prefer a grant, not a contract, and that we expect all of the research to be considered Fundamental Research. That will make life easier at the full proposal stage and the award stage.

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=6ac955eebc55f2ea2d6be0e42570ce52&tab=core&_cview=1

The Naval Facilities Engineering Command has released BAA N6258312R0716, for “technologies and methodologies to reduce environmental impacts from current and past Navy operations” at naval operations worldwide. The program solicits abstracts for concepts in five topic area:

TOPIC NO. 1: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, RESTORATION AND CLEANUP. Services to assess and/or remediate existing pollution generated by military operations, including methodologies for evaluation of ecological risk, risk reduction, and/or establishing risk based cleanup goals.

TOPIC NO. 2: CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES. Practices that support habitat both on land and at sea for rare and endangered species, migratory birds or marine mammals and that comply with environmental legislation and ensure protection of sensitive resources while supporting the military operations.

TOPIC NO 3: UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE (UXO). Services for explosive ordnance detection, location, de-energizing, disposal or remediation of UXO generated by military operations.

TOPIC NO 4: POLLUTION PREVENTION. Process design changes, management practices or methodologies to minimize the amount of pollution generated during present or future operations and maintenance.

TOPIC NO 5: ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE. Process design changes or management practices that facilitate or enhance the Navy’s ability to comply with local, state, and federal environmental regulatory requirements.

March

Air Force, Computing Architecture Technologies (BAA-09-03-RIKA)

Open to March 2013

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=a216c9566044cceaf10bdf491799bc38&tab=core&_cview=0

This program is open until 2013 to accept proposals in the following topic areas. You start by submitting a white paper (3-5 pp) and then will be invited to submit a full proposal. For consideration this fiscal year, white papers should be submitted by March 1, 2009.

Of particular interest are technologies that support architectures for high assurance, trusted/secure architectures, increased computational sophistication, more complex system functionality with improved quality, dramatic improvements in the performance/cost of systems, embedded processing and high productivity computing. Also of interest are technologies that can reduce warfighter decision latencies/response time, decrease system costs and system development times, automate the labor-intensive/error-prone and costly aspects of system software development, improved reliability, longevity, and usability of new and legacy military computing systems.

The overall objective of this BAA is to develop, integrate, and demonstrate computing architecture technologies and applications. This effort will investigate the research, application and/or development of computing architecture technologies, products and standards as they relate to the following technical areas:

(1) Development of appropriate information technology to enhance the processing capabilities of current and future Air Force C4I systems: This area encompasses all information processing technology both hardware and software that could potentially contribute to enhancing the functionality, performance, reliability, longevity, scalability and usability of legacy or planned Air Force C4I processing systems. Examples of hardware technologies include multi-core processing architectures with emphasis on hardware support for semantic operations, power reducing/power management/power aware processing architectures, high assurance/trusted/secure processing architectures, high productivity computing systems, self-aware computing systems, data storage, performance optimization visualization tools, mobile and wireless networks and technologies necessary to achieve exa-scale computing. Examples of software technologies include High Performance Computing (HPC) programming languages both new and existing, data retrieval/mining, data management, data delivery, software/system monitors, publish/subscribe mechanisms, decision making techniques, distributed databases, static and dynamic runtime optimization and resource management.

(2) Multiple Independent Levels of Security (MILS): This area consists of research into the implications of state-of-the-art commercially available processor architectures (including multi-core, GPU's, FPGA's, etc.) and development of solutions for associated security issues to alleviate the impact on the Separation Kernels that are being developed by the real-time operating system vendors for use in environments requiring high assurance. Advance the state of the art through research and development of high assurance middleware technologies for insertion in mission critical embedded systems in order to enhance system interoperability and capability to support cross domain solutions that will enable delivery of superior and timely information to the warfighter. Develop protection profiles according to the Common Criteria for middleware security components in the Multiple Independent Levels of Security/Safety architecture.

(3) Software Producibility/Software Intensive Systems: Software is a prime enabler of complex weapons systems and command and control infrastructure, yet it is the least well understood and the most problematic element of large-scale systems. Software project failures dominated by unmet requirements and cost and schedule overruns abound, in large part due to little underlying science, a minimal engineering knowledge base and a lack of understanding of the physics of software. The complexity of today's system lies in greater than 105 requirements, greater than 107 lines of code, thousands or more component interactions, greater than 30 year product life cycles and stringent certification standards. Technologies, methodologies, techniques, and tools to specify, design, build, verify and test software that will enable the development and affordable, timely, and predictable acquisition of complex, software-intensive systems is being sought. Areas of interest include: software and systems composability with guaranteed system interoperability for provably trusted components and systems; model-based development for predictable software attributes with provably correct code generation and automatic software and system analysis; dynamic, scalable and adaptive software debugging; software mechanisms to fully exploit emerging technology, such as multi-core, in producing new software or modernizing legacy systems; mechanisms to fight through software failures; technology that will increase our understanding of software; and the development of an infrastructure for software-intensive systems modeled after the Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification Guideline DO-178B.

(4) Formal architectures for the development of verifiably secure systems: This area includes the development of formal, architectural approaches for the design and development of secure systems. The principle research in this area should study powerful, new notions and related formal methods to underlie the approach, including appropriate forms of composition, model transformation, refinement, and general characterizations of security properties. This research must include the demonstration of the feasibility of the approach, and the development of a proof of concept.

(5) High Assurance/Trusted Computing Architectures: The objective of this topic is to investigate the necessary building blocks for high assurance computing environments (environments where compelling evidence is supplied to determine a high level of trustworthiness), including both the underlying hardware and software to support it. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: (a) the problems and challenges with current processor designs for trustworthiness and their solutions; (b) the problems and challenges with current computer architectures for trustworthiness and solutions to them; (c) the Operating System level constructs, objects and functions that must be provided to complement the hardware to enable a trustworthy computing base; (d) the state of the art software-based assurance designs, methodologies or concepts which are better suited for implementation in hardware than software. This area is also interested in research and development for increasing the level of trustworthiness of integrated circuit designs, commodity integrated circuits and currently available systems as a whole. Finally, this area is also interested in research in the implications of state-of-the-art commercially available processor architectures (including multi-core, GPUs, FPGAs, etc.) and specially designed processor architectures in support of Separation Kernels and other secure micro-kernels being developed by real-time operating system vendors for use in environments requiring high assurances, develop solutions for such implications, and also research and develop supporting software, e.g. high assurance middleware technologies, in order to enhance system interoperability and capability to support cross domain solutions that will enable delivery of trustworthy, superior and timely information.

Army Munitions Metal Parts and Associated Sub-Systems Manufacturing (BAA W15QKN-11-R-D007)

Open to March 31, 2014

http://procnet.pica.army.mil/dbi/download/GoGetSolicitation.cfm?SolNum=W15QKN-11-R-d005. You will need to enter UCR’s DUNS number to get a copy of it: 627797426.

This program solicits new materials, new and novel manufacturing and processing technology, advancements in modeling and simulation, advanced design methodologies, and new technologies for sustainment, systems health monitoring, and supply chain management in support of the ammunition and associated systems. There are six specific areas of interest, which are discussed in a little bit of detail in the solicitation:

(1) Advanced Materials

(2) Advanced Manufacturing Technology

(3) Modeling and Simulation of Munitions Manufacturing

(4) Advanced design methodologies for Munitions

(5) New technologies for Sustainment, Systems Health Monitoring and Supply Chain Management

(6) Manufacture of Quality Munitions Components

The Army will accept proposals for Fundamental Research under this program. Fundamental Research has no restrictions on publishing your results or having foreign workers on the team.

You are strongly encouraged to submit a white paper (five pages) about your idea. The Army will respond by saying the idea is either Promising, Acceptable, or Not of Interest.

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=305059/solicitationId=%7B4D361649-3446-0176-CF7A-FE184D750939%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/A.26%20RRNE%20CloseDate.pdf or http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={4D361649-3446-0176-CF7A-FE184D750939}&path=open.

This program element solicits proposals that advance the goals and objectives of NASA’s Earth Science Division by conducting unique research to investigate 1) unforeseen or unpredictable Earth system events and opportunities that require rapid response, and 2) novel new ideas of potential high merit and relevance for ESD science that have not otherwise been solicited by NASA in the past three years. The idea is that NASA can accept and fund a proposal quickly in response to an unexpected opportunity, such as fire, volcano, flood, or other major environmental change.

The program also will support first-time development of novel approaches to remote Earth sensing.

DARPA Innovative Systems for Military Missions (DARPA-BAA-12-25)

Open to March 22, 2013

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=QnQpPz7L8smQTHqy4npl8GrZndgp0kKtrwKkQG1ypRxlGBGs2DST!-916096435?oppId=159133&mode=VIEW.

This program will make multiple awards for system and subsystem level technologies that enable revolutionary improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of the military. Novel concepts are sought in four focus areas: Space Systems and Space Awareness, Hypersonics-Space Access, Aero-and Hydrodynamic Systems, and Ground and Soldier Systems, and the following cross-cutting capabilities: Design Synthesis, Manufacturing, Qualification and Verification & Validation (V&V), and Autonomy.

Executive Summaries (1 page) will be accepted on an ongoing basis until January 11, 2013. White papers (optional, 6 pp) will be due February 1, 2013. Full proposals will be due March 22, 2013.

This program is designed to fund fundamental research (which has no restrictions on foreign involvement and publishing rights). However, it can also support research that falls outside this definition. We will need to be careful to show that all of our work is basic research or early-stage developmental research, performed at the academic institution, so it qualifies for the fundamental label.

April