Funding Wizard

The National Science Foundation’s strategic goals are to expand knowledge and build capacity for a diverse science and engineering workforce [1,2]. The goal of this solicitation is to enable and create opportunities to advance scientific discoveries and new research using a variety of approaches that harness the national talent ecosystem of experienced faculty. Recognizing that a successful faculty research career is neither linear nor continuous, this BRITE solicitation seeksproposals that enable experienced researchers and scholars (tenured or equivalent) to forge new directions or to enter new fields by capitalizing or branching out of their established knowledge domains. All BRITE proposals are expected to address fundamental research that creates new knowledge in one or more CMMI program areas. BRITE proposals must identify key research outcomes and describe the research plans for the period of funding sought. Although collaborative proposals are not permitted and will be returned without review, the PI can include a collaborator in a limited role as senior personnel. The solicitation includes four funding tracks: Synergy, Pivot, Relaunch, and Fellow in support of experienced scientists and engineers (tenured or equivalent). The BRITE Synergy Track is intended to support synthesis proposals borne out of a disaggregated and accumulated body of prior research outcomes that remain unstudied and unprobed to forge or conceptualize a novel direction, methodology, paradigm, or outcome that is more than the sum of the parts. The BRITE Pivot Track is intended to enable researchers to quickly adapt to the fast-moving pace of research and create new knowledge and research products in their field by infusing new concepts from a different discipline or sub-field. The BRITE Relaunch Track is intended to support tenured or equivalent faculty, who have had a pause in research activity, to relaunch back into active research, and to diversify the experiences of the nation’s STEM researchers. The BRITE Fellow Track is intended to support established tenured or equivalent researchers who have demonstrated impact beyond scientific output to request extended time and freedom to use their intellectual creativity to explore divergent, bold, and ambitious research ideas where the expected scientific outcomes are highly uncertain and, therefore, high-risk. All funded projects will form an NSF BRITE cohort and investigators will participate in NSF-organized convenings in the form of an annual review. The expected funding ranges for BRITE Research Grants are: $100,000-$200,000 per year The typical duration is 2 years for the BRITE Synergy track awards, 3 years for the BRITE Pivot and Relaunch tracks, and up to 5 years for the Fellow track awards. Variations from the typical durations will be considered with a clearly stated justification. BRITE proposals responding to this solicitation must include additional sections within the 15-page Project Description entitled: Past Contributions, Research Approach and Research Plan, Track Relevance, Outcomes, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan. Please see “Full Proposal Preparation Instructions” for additional details. Investigators who do not align with one of the tracks are not eligible for this solicitation. FURTHER INFORMATION: An informational webinar about this solicitation will be held on March 19, 2021 at 12:00 PM EST. Details about how to join this webinar will be posted at https://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=ENG.

This PIRE competition invites visionary, ambitious, interdisciplinary, use-inspired research proposals that address scientific challenges related to climate change and/or clean energy. Many cutting-edge research questions require international collaboration to achieve important advances. They also require insights from diverse disciplines to address the full complexity of the research, as well as active participation of stakeholders outside of academia to ensure research findings connect to real-world solutions to societal challenges related to climate change and/or clean energy. Climate change and clean energy research teams that incorporate some of these characteristics are increasingly common, but many have not had the opportunity to fully integrate all elements into their research agenda. This PIRE program invites PIs to develop these partnerships to exploit their full potential in the future. The projects will utilize multi-stakeholder and international partnerships that are essential to address these challenges of critical societal importance at a regional or global scale. The research areas may include any combination of the natural and physical sciences, engineering, and the social sciences.Proposals that advance understanding of the human and behavioral aspects of climate change and/or clean energy challenges are encouraged.Educational activities should be integral to the project. Only high caliber research proposals that require international collaborations and show a clear potential for rapid scale-up and growth will be considered. Proposals that could be submitted to regular disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs at NSF will be returned without review. Proposals must clearly and succinctly address the following requirements. Note that reviewers will be asked to comment on how well these points are addressed in the submitted proposals. · What is the societal challenge of global importance to be addressed? · What is the novel scientific challenge of the proposed research? How will the proposed project utilize inter-, multi-, trans-disciplinary approaches and/or convergence approaches to address the science challenge? · What is the proposed use-inspired nature of the research? · Why is the international partnership required, who are the partners, what are their contributions and roles in the project? · What is the role of multi-sector and multi-stakeholder partners included (including but not limited to academia, private sector, public sector, philanthropies, etc.) in the proposed PIRE project? · How will diversity, equity and inclusion be integrated into the research and education effort? · What is your vision and strategy for growth, scaling up and expanding the research beyond the PIRE project period? The PIRE projects are expected to be driven by a bold vision for high-impact use-inspired basic research along with a strategy to leverage the PIRE opportunity to integrate diverse perspectives from different disciplines, international partners, and stakeholder groups into the research. It is expected that this effort will enhance societal benefits and increase potential to scale up and expand the partnerships beyond the PIRE funding period, catalyzing center-level activities in the future. Awards are intended to support a combination of research and readiness-building that fully integrates a diverse set of partners into the research agenda, regularly engages relevant stakeholders and adapts the research to incorporate relevant insights. Education efforts are expected to play an integral role in this effort, and both research and education plans are expected to reflect intentional effort to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in science and engineering. It is envisioned that PIRE funded projects will demonstrate readiness to scale-up and expand their partnerships to compete successfully for support to undertake center-scale activities and to serve as enduring international hubs of research excellence that advance knowledge, empower communities, and generate discovery and innovative technological solutions at a regional or global scale. U.S. PIs are encouraged to work with their foreign collaborators to secure additional funding from the foreign agencies and build partnerships with other potential donors, including but not limited to private parties, foundations, industry, etc.

Large-scale simulations and the ability to accumulate massive amounts of data have revolutionized science and engineering. The goal of the CDS&E meta-program is to identify and capitalize on opportunities for major scientific and engineering breakthroughs through new computational and data-analysis approaches and best practices. The CDS&E meta-program supports projects that harness computation and data to advance knowledge and accelerate discovery above and beyond the goals of the participating individual programs. The intellectual drivers may be in an individual discipline, or they may cut across more than one discipline in various Divisions and Directorates. A CDS&E proposal should enable and/or utilize development and adaptation of advances in research and infrastructure in computational and data science. The CDS&E meta-program encourages research that pushes the envelope of science and engineering through computation and data, welcoming proposals in any area of research supported by the participating divisions. A proposal may address topics that develop or enable interactions among theory, computing, experiment, and observation to achieve progress on hitherto intractable science and engineering problems. Areas of emphasis for CDS&E vary by program; and PIs are advised to consult the "related programs" links below before submitting. The CDS&E meta-program is not intended to replace existing programs that support projects involving computation or the analysis of large or complex data sets using established methods. Rather,proposals submitted to the CDS&E meta-program must have a significant component of computational or data science that goes well beyond what would normally be included in these programs. Any proposal submitted to the CDS&E program that is not responsive to this Program Description may be transferred to or reviewed within the context of an individual program. A proposal that is requesting consideration within the context of CDS&E should begin the title with the identifying acronym "CDS&E:". Supplement requests to existing awards may also be considered. A CDS&E proposal should include substantive research in science, engineering, or computing. Algorithm and pilot software development supporting science and engineering may also be appropriate, depending on the program. Proposers who seek to implement proven, existing methods into robust cyberinfrastructure are referred instead to the program onCyberinfrastructure for Sustained Scientific Innovation(CSSI). A CDS&E proposal should be submitted to one of the "Related Programs" or Divisions by the associated submission window, deadline, or target date listed in the table below. In picking the most relevant program, PIs are advised to read program descriptions and solicitations carefully and to consult with cognizant Program Officers in advance of proposal preparation. Proposal submissions outside of the scientific scope of the receiving program may be transferred to a different program or may be returned without review. Due Dates DirectorateDivision and ProgramSubmission Window or Target Date ENG Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems September 01, 2022 - September 15, 2022 September 01- September 15, Annually Thereafter ENG Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation September 01, 2022 - September 15, 2022 September 01- September 15, Annually Thereafter MPS Division of Mathematical Sciences September 01, 2022 - September 15, 2022 September 01- September 15, Annually Thereafter MPS Division of Chemistry - Chemical Catalysis (CAT), Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms-A (CSDM-A), Chemical Structure Dynamics and Mechanisms-B (CSDM-B), Chemical Synthesis (SYN), Chemical Theory, Models and Computational Methods (CTMC) September 01, 2022 - September 30, 2022 September 01 - September 30, Annually Thereafter MPS Division of Materials Research October 17, 2022 October 15, Annually Thereafter MPS Division of Astronomical Sciences - Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation October 01, 2022 - November 15, 2022 October 01 - November 15, Annually Thereafter ENG Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems October 01, 2022 - November 01, 2022 October 01 - October 31, Annually Thereafter MPS Division of Chemistry - Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI), Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP), Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS), and Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) October 01, 2022 - October 31, 2022 October 1 - October 31, Annually Thereafter MPS Division of Astronomical Sciences - Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants October 01, 2022 - November 15, 2022 October 01 - November 15, Annually Thereafter MPS Division of Physics: Investigator-Initiated Research Projects Deadline for the relevant PHY program

In 2016, the National Science Foundation (NSF) unveiled a set of “Big Ideas,” 10 bold, long-term research and process ideas that identify areas for future investment at the frontiers of science and engineering (see https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/index.jsp). The Big Ideas represent unique opportunities to position our Nation at the cutting edge of global science and engineering leadership by bringing together diverse disciplinary perspectives to support convergence research. As such, when responding to this solicitation, even though proposals must be submitted to the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) / Division of Human Resource Development (HRD), once received, the proposals will be managed by a cross-disciplinary team of NSF Program Directors. NSF INCLUDES is a comprehensive, national initiative to enhance U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) discovery and innovation, focused on NSF’s commitment to ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in STEM fields, as communicated in the NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022 - 2026. The vision of NSF INCLUDES is to catalyze the STEM enterprise to work collaboratively for inclusive change, resulting in a STEM workforce that reflects the diversity of the Nation’s population. More specifically, NSF INCLUDES seeks to motivate and accelerate collaborative infrastructure building to advance equity and sustain systemic change to broaden participation in STEM fields at scale.Significant advancement in the inclusion of groups that have historically been excluded from or underserved in STEMwill result in a new generation of STEM talent and leadership to secure the Nation’s future and long-term economic competitiveness. With this solicitation, NSF offers support for five types of projects that connect and contribute to the National Network: (1) Design and Development Launch Pilots, (2) Collaborative Change Consortia, (3) Alliances, (4) Network Connectors, and (5) Conferences. The NSF INCLUDES National Network is a multifaceted collaboration of agencies, organizations, and individuals working collectively to broaden participation in STEM. The NSF INCLUDES National Network serves as a testbed for designing, implementing, studying, refining, and scaling collaborative change modelsand is composed of: NSF INCLUDES funded projects Other NSF funded projects Subcommittee on Federal Coordination in STEM Education (FC-STEM) agencies Scholars engaged in broadening participation research and evaluation, and Organizations that support the development of talent from all sectors of society to build an inclusive STEM workforce. All NSF INCLUDES funded projects must operationalize five design elements of collaborative infrastructure - (1) shared vision, (2) partnerships, (3) goals and metrics, (4) leadership and communication, and (5) expansion, sustainability, and scale- to create systemic change that will lead to the substantially broadened participation of individuals from historically excluded and underserved groups in STEM.

The objective of PAARE is to improve the quality and environment of astronomy and astrophysics research and education by stimulating the development of formal, long-term partnerships that provide authentic pathways into the research enterprise and broaden the participation of individuals from groups underrepresented in astronomy. Partnerships must substantially involve institutions seeking to create opportunities for student and faculty research that will increase the recruitment, retention, and success of these individuals. It is expected that the partnerships will build or strengthen research capacity, as well as foster a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for astronomy and astrophysics research and education at the partnering institutions.

The purpose of this solicitation is to broaden participation in innovation ecosystems that advance emerging technologies (e.g., advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, semiconductors and microelectronics) by supporting capacity-buildingefforts at institutions of higher education (IHEs) interested in growing external partnerships. Creation of this program is motivated by the commitment of the National Science Foundation (NSF), including the newly established NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), to accelerating scientific and technological innovation nationwide and empowering all Americans to participate in the U.S. research and innovation enterprise. Establishing more inclusive innovation ecosystems will require broad networks of partners working together in support of use-inspired research; the translation of such research to practice or commercial application; and the development of a skilled workforce. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program, housed within the TIP Directorate, seeks to growinclusive innovation ecosystemsaround the country. Growing such ecosystems will only be successful if all interested IHEs within a region are able to participate and contribute their unique set of skills and expertise. However, NSF appreciates many Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year institutions lack the infrastructure and resources needed to grow external partnerships and effectively contribute to innovation ecosystems, and thus are currently unable to effectively engage with the NSF Engines program. This solicitation aims to provide MSIs, PUIs, and two-year institutions with limited or no research capacity (see Section IV for details) with the support necessary to become equitable partners with teams competing under the current and subsequent NSF Engines program funding opportunities.Importantly, participation in this solicitation is not predicated on an existing partnership with organizations submitting an NSF Engines proposal.Rather, it is expected that the capacity-building efforts funded under this solicitation will provide significant innovation partnership opportunities irrespective of future participation in an NSF Engine.

The biodiversity found in nature is essential for healthy ecosystems and human well-being. However, the disruption and decline of Earth’s biodiversity is currently occurring at an unprecedented rate. The resulting shifts in biodiversity dynamics-- including changes in the scope and structure of biodiversity-- are increasingly significant but not well-understood. Shifting biodiversity dynamics in turn influence functional biodiversity, which includes the roles of traits, organisms, species, communities, and ecosystem processes in natural systems. Changes in biodiversity dynamics and functional biodiversity are essential factors for future planetary resilience under environmental change, including climate change. The connection between functional biodiversity and biodiversity dynamics on a changing planet is the main focus of the Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP) program. The program encourages proposals that integrate pattern- and process-based research approaches in the context of the constant gain, loss, and reorganization of biodiversity on a changing planet. To advance a comprehensive understanding of functional biodiversity requires a highly integrative approach - including consideration of spatial and temporal dimensions from the organismal to the ecosystem level and from recent to deep timescales. The program therefore places a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary research among climatic, geological, paleontological, ecological, organismal, phylogenetic and evolutionary sciences. The BoCP program is a cross directorate and international program led by NSF that invites submission of interdisciplinary proposals addressing grand challenges in biodiversity science within the context of unprecedented environmental change, including climate change. Successful BoCP proposals will test novel hypotheses about functional biodiversity and its connections to shifting biodiversity dynamics on a changing planet, with an emphasis on integrative research into the complex intersections among climatic, geological, paleontological, and biological processes. Integrative research is likely to combine multiple perspectives--including organismal, species, ecological, evolutionary, phylogenetic, geological, and/or paleontological approaches-- at various scales. Proposals that seek to improve predictive capability about functional biodiversity across temporal and spatial scales by considering the linkages between past, present, and future biological, climatic, and geological processes are also encouraged. While this focus complements several core programs at NSF, it differs by requiring an integrative approach to understanding functional biodiversity as it relates to shifting biodiversity dynamics under changing environmental conditions. The program supports both US-only collaborative proposals and proposals with international partnerships with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) of Brazil, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. International collaborative proposals are to be submitted jointly, with the US PIs submitting to NSF and the collaborating Chinese, Brazilian, or South African PIs submitting to their appropriate national funding agencies. These agreements do not preclude other international collaborations (see below for additional details).

AGSEducation supports efforts to integrateatmospheric and geospaceresearch and education via two main program areas, which are: 1) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site Program. This program provides funding to Universities andResearch Laboratories that allows them to offer summer internships to undergraduate students who would like to participate inatmospheric and/or geospaceresearch efforts. Proposals may be submitted annually (August deadline). 2)AGS Postdoctoral Fellowships:AGS awards 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowships to highly qualified investigators within 3 years of obtaining their PhD to carry out an integrated program of independent research and education. While the postdoc program is funded by core programs, the AGS Education program supports the cost of professional development for the fellows. Additionally this program will support efforts related to education of undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs within the Atmospheric and Geospace communities, as well as diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts for the Atmospheric and Geospace communities.Proposals to the AGS Education program are acceptedby invitation only. Please contact theeducation program director if you intend to submit a proposal to this program.

Microbes and communities of microbes have remarkable genetic, physiological and biochemical diversity, allowing them to flourish in environments all over the planet and in a variety of substrates and hosts. Given their relative importance to ecosystems around the world, to the economy and to health, researchers have studied microbial systems extensively and have a better understanding of their capabilities and impacts on hosts and the environment. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to microbes and their diverse capabilities for bioremediation and applications in biotechnology, agriculture, and medicine. Because of advances in molecular biology, synthetic biology and bioengineering, researchers now have the ability to assemble synthetic microbial communities that have novel compositions, genetics and phenotypes and to use these communities to address both fundamental biological questions and a range of societal problems. The goal of this solicitation is to support research that addresses one or more of the three themes: 1) define the underlying mechanisms or rules that drive the formation, maintenance or evolution of synthetic microbial communities, 2) use synthetic microbial communities to address fundamental biological questions, including questions in molecular biology, cellular/organismal biology, ecology and evolution and/or 3) build synthetic communities with biotechnology, bioeconomy or environmental engineering applications, including but not limited to the production of novel biorenewable chemicals, biodegradation of recalcitrant or “forever chemicals,” enabling a circular bioeconomy, fostering sustainable agriculture and mitigating the impacts of climate change. For theme 3, the emphasis should be on designing communities with novel capabilities and understanding the underlying mechanisms that lead to these novel capabilities. Proposals must address one or more of the three themes noted above. Highest funding priority is given to proposals that have outstanding intellectual merit and broader impacts, while proposals with weaknesses in either category (or those that are perceived as likely to have an incremental impact) will not be competitive. The most competitive broader impacts include assessment plans. Well-conceived broader impacts activities take time and resources; thus, proposers are encouraged to include appropriate costs for broader impacts in the budget. To better understand the societal benefits and risks, as well as the potential for misuse or unintended damage to natural biological systems, synthetic microbial communities proposals should include a careful consideration of the social, ethical, and biosafety/security dimensions of the research. Investigators may choose to address these issues either as part of intellectual merit or broader impacts. Reproducibility in research leads to data that is amenable to more powerful analysis and the potential for reuse of data and greater generation of knowledge. Reproducibility in biological research that is prone to context dependent biological variation presents a unique challenge for the synthetic microbial communities researchers. Investigators must follow or advance best practices in sample collection and preparation, experimental design, data analysis, model generation, and/or validation of mathematical and computational methods to produce scientifically defensible results.

The Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG) Program is an inclusive and flexible funding opportunity to support research in the astronomical sciences. The Program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for observational, theoretical, laboratory, and archival data studies in astronomy and astrophysics. The Program also considers proposals for projects and tools that enable or enhance astronomical research. Proposals may span multiple disciplines and/or areas of study and may utilize multiple techniques.