Grants for Exclusive - see details - Science and Technology

Amended June 7, 2024. Section 2.7 now specifies that names must be omitted from the references and citations. This supersedes the default instructions in the "Guidelines for Anonymous Proposals". New text is in bold. The due dates remain unchanged: Mandatory NOIs are due July 15, 2024, and proposals are due August 22, 2024. PLEASE NOTE: this program has MANDATORY Notices of Intent, which are due via NSPIRES by July 15, 2024. See the full posting on NSPIRES for details. Proposers must retrieve the instructions document (zip file) associated with the application package for this opportunity as there is at least one required form that must be attached to the submitted proposal package. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) released its annual omnibus Research Announcement (NRA), Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2024 (OMB Approval Number 2700-0092, CFDA Number 43.001) on February 14, 2024. In this case "omnibus" means that this NRA has many individual program elements, each with its own due dates and topics. All together these cover the wide range of basic and applied supporting research and technology in space and Earth sciences supported by SMD. Awards will be made as grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and inter- or intra-agency transfers, depending on the nature of the work proposed, the proposing organization, and/or program requirements. However, most extramural research awards deriving from ROSES will be grants, and many program elements of ROSES specifically exclude contracts, because contracts would not be appropriate for the nature of the work solicited. The typical period of performance for an award is three years, but some programs may allow up to five years and others specify shorter periods. In most cases, organizations of every type, Government and private, for profit and not-for-profit, domestic and foreign (with some caveats), may submit proposals without restriction on teaming arrangements. Tables listing the program elements and due dates (Tables 2 and 3), a table that provides a very top level summary of proposal contents (Table 1), and the full text of the ROSES-2024 "Summary of Solicitation", may all be found NSPIRES at http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2024. This synopsis is associated with one of the individual program elements within ROSES, but this is a generic summary that is posted for all ROSES elements. For specific information on this particular program element download and read the PDF of the text of this program element by going to Tables 2 or 3 of this NRA at http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2024table2 and http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2024table3, respectively, click the title of the program element of interest, a hypertext link will take you to a page for that particular program element. On that page, on the right side under "Announcement Documents" the link on the bottom will be to the PDF of the text of the call for proposals. For example, if one were interested in The Lunar Data Analysis Program (NNH24ZDA001N-LDAP) one would follow the link to the NSPIRES page for that program element and then to read the text of the call one would click on C.8 Lunar Data Analysis Program (.pdf) to download the text of the call. If one wanted to set it into the context of the goals, objectives and know the default rules for all elements within Appendix C, the planetary science division, one might download and read C.1 Planetary Science Research Program Overview (.pdf) from that same page. While the letters and numbers are different for each element within ROSES (A.12, B.7, etc.) the basic configuration is always the same, e.g., the letter indicates the Science Division (A is Earth Science, B is Heliophysics etc.) and whatever the letter, #1 is always the division overview. Frequently asked questions for ROSES are posted at http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/faqs. Questions concerning general ROSES-2024 policies and procedures may be directed to Max Bernstein, Lead for Research, Science Mission Directorate, at [email protected], but technical questions concerning specific program elements should be directed to the point(s) of contact for that particular element, who may be found either at the end of the individual program element in the summary table of key information or on the web list of topics and points of contact at: http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/program-officers-list. Not all program elements are known at the time of the release of ROSES. To be informed of new program elements or amendments to this NRA, proposers may subscribe to: (1) The SMD mailing lists (by logging in at http://nspires.nasaprs.com and checking the appropriate boxes under "Account Management" and "Email Subscriptions"), (2) The ROSES-2024 blog feed for amendments, clarifications, and corrections to at https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/solicitations/roses-2024/, and (3) The ROSES-2024 due date Google calendars (one for each science division). Instructions are at https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/library-and-useful-links (link from the words due date calendar).

The State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program is the second of three digital equity programs authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, Division F, Title III, Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429, 1209 (November 15, 2021) also known as the Digital Equity Act to promote digital inclusion activities and achieve digital equity. The Digital Equity Act consists of three funding programs: (1) the $60 million State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program; (2) the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program; and (3) the $1.25 billion Competitive Grant Program. The State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program will provide funds to States and U.S. Territories to implement the State Digital Equity Plans developed pursuant to the State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program. The State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program NOFO also establishes a competitive program to make both State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program funds and State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funds available to Native Entities to carry out digital equity and inclusion activities consistent with the Digital Equity Act.Key Dates Complete applications from States (including the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) must be received through the NTIA Grants Portal (https://grants.ntia.gov) no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on May 28, 2024. Application materials are available at https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov. Complete applications from U.S. Territories (other than the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) must be received through the NTIA Grants Portal (https://grants.ntia.gov) no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on July 31, 2024. The application window for Indian Tribes, Alaska Native entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations (“Native Entities”) will open September 25, 2024, and close on February 7, 2025. All Native Entity applications must be received through the NTIA Grants Portal (https://grants.ntia.gov), by email ([email protected]), or by mail or courier no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on February 7, 2025. 2 NTIA expects to begin issuing awards to Eligible States pursuant to this Notice of Funding Opportunity (“NOFO”) no later than August 28, 2024. NTIA expects to make additional awards on a rolling basis.

To complement DIVs ongoing efforts, this Annual Program Statement (APS) is a specific call for DIVs new Stage 4 Initiative to help support the scale-up and integration of Stage 4 innovations from the existing DIV portfolio into broader USAID programming and budgets. Applicants who are interested in applying for DIVs core funding (Stages 1 through 3 and Evidence Generation grants) should visit www.usaid.gov/div/apply and should not submit a concept note under this APS. Potential applicants should read the rules below closely regarding the prerequisites for submitting a concept note to an addendum issued under this APS.

The Everglade snail kite is a federally listed endangered species. The principal threat to the snail kite is the loss, fragmentation, and degradation of wetlands in central and southern Florida resulting from urbanized and agricultural development and alterations to wetland hydrology through ditching, impoundment, and water level management. The Central and Southern Florida (C) Project, which was originally designed and constructed to serve flood control and water supply purposes, has disrupted the volume, timing, direction, and velocity of freshwater flow and has resulted in habitat loss and degradation in the Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) and other portions of the historic Everglades. Drainage of Floridas interior wetlands has reduced the extent and quality of habitat for both the apple snail and the snail kite. The fragmentation or loss of wetland habitat significantly limits the snail kites ability to be resilient to disturbance events such as various climatic events. As wetland habitats become more fragmented, either through destruction or as the result of hydrologic management, their dispersal distances become greater, putting increased stress on dispersing kites that may not be able to replenish energy supplies. This agreement represents an opportunity to enter into a cooperative agreement for monitoring juvenile snail kite movement and survival patterns on Lake Okeechobee. Monitoring will focus on Lake Okeechobee, because this is a critical wetland habitat for snail kites and helps link populations in the Kissimmee Chain-of-Lakes to the population in the Everglades. The purpose of this research is to understand how current water management operational plans for lake stage and releases at structures and resulting changes in hydrology affect snail kite reproductive success, survival, demography, and population. This project is being conducted to meet a requirement of a Biological Opinion (BO) from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in association with the current regulation schedule for Lake Okeechobee (e.g. 2008 LORS and the anticipated Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM)) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Monitoring and reporting requirements of the BO identify the need to tag up to twenty near fledgling aged snail kites (i.e., 24 days old) with the best proven tags (radio, satellite, or cell) and monitor for up to five months, depending on survival. This period coincides with the lowest survival rates for fledglings as they learn to forage for themselves and begin moving beyond their nest area. Tagging is to commence during the spring recession season. The mechanism for water management effects on juvenile snail kite survival is primarily related to foraging habitat and food availability (but can also include increased predation). For example, rapidly receding water levels or low lake levels in general that occur during the first months of a juvenile fledging the nest can affect food availability through reductions in foraging habitat. These effects may be detectable through fledgling movement patterns or decreased survival if a large enough database is established for comparison. This project will play a critical role in building the knowledge base on juvenile movement and survival patterns under a variety of conditions.

The Basic Research Office (BRO) within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering seeks proposals to assess and report on Global Competitive Analysis (GCA). The recipient will collaborate with the federal government to deliver comparative analysis assessing the relative science and technology (S) competitive balance between the United States and major global competitors. Given the breadth of the expertise and perspectives likely needed to deliver GCA products at the scale and analytic depth required, BRO expects that recipients would need to form a consortium of FFRDCs, UARCs, universities, non-profits, or other non-governmental entities. This being said, a consortium is not required and other teaming arrangements are eligible for award.The recipient will prepare reports that assess the myriad elements of relative technology leadership, explore the implications of competitors actions, provide a common operating picture of global technological competition, and create a forum to explore policy options. The recipient will serve as a key performer of the GCAT (Global Competitive Analysis Team), a federated interagency mechanism that brings together agencies unique analytic capabilities in order to conduct GCA. The recipient will integrate their independent analysis with agency analysis to deliver products that are more than the sum of the parts.The recipient will take its priorities and guidance from an Executive Office of the President-led Panel (EOP Panel) that includes senior representation from relevant federal agencies. In the first year of the program, initial topics, currently four in number, are provided to set the direction of the recipient, with input from the EOP Panel once the Panel has been established.The recipient is expected to have capability in all of the sub-elements described in Section C. However, to diversify the analysis and ensure that multiple views are represented in each GCA product, the recipient is expected to continuously identify and include external/additional performers possessing strong capabilities in a subset of the described elements, as necessary.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to cancer researchers at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center whose NIH grant applications were close to being funded but fell short of the payline.

The Biomedical Research Grant (BRG) program at Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is designed for full-time faculty members across all tenure statuses, supporting both new and established researchers. It aims to facilitate the acquisition of preliminary data for those without extramural funding and to assist established investigators in bridging funding gaps. The program offers small grants up to $50,000 for one-year projects. Applicants must have less than $100,000 in direct cost extramural funding to be eligible, focusing on providing interim technical support for research projects.

The MPRINT Hub, serving as a national resource, aims to conduct and support therapeutics-focused research in obstetrics, lactation, and pediatrics, enhancing the inclusion of individuals with disabilities. It coordinates and supports operations of the MPRINT Hub, aggregating knowledge and identifying deficits in maternal and pediatric therapeutics to inform drug development and regulatory science. Funding is available for one year, covering clinical and postdoctoral fellow awards up to $25,000 and faculty awards up to $150,000, with a total award amount around $500,000. LOI: April 30th 2024

This funding opportunity supports collaborative research projects among faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine to develop innovative ideas and generate data for larger grant applications.

Please note that this program requests optional Notices of Intent, which are due via NSPIRES by May 13, 2024. See the full posting on NSPIRES for details. Proposers must retrieve the instructions document (zip file) associated with the application package for this opportunity as there is at least one required form that must be attached to the submitted proposal package. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) released its annual omnibus Research Announcement (NRA), Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2024 (OMB Approval Number 2700-0092, CFDA Number 43.001) on February 14, 2024. In this case "omnibus" means that this NRA has many individual program elements, each with its own due dates and topics. All together these cover the wide range of basic and applied supporting research and technology in space and Earth sciences supported by SMD. Awards will be made as grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and inter- or intra-agency transfers, depending on the nature of the work proposed, the proposing organization, and/or program requirements. However, most extramural research awards deriving from ROSES will be grants, and many program elements of ROSES specifically exclude contracts, because contracts would not be appropriate for the nature of the work solicited. The typical period of performance for an award is three years, but some programs may allow up to five years and others specify shorter periods. In most cases, organizations of every type, Government and private, for profit and not-for-profit, domestic and foreign (with some caveats), may submit proposals without restriction on teaming arrangements. Tables listing the program elements and due dates (Tables 2 and 3), a table that provides a very top level summary of proposal contents (Table 1), and the full text of the ROSES-2024 "Summary of Solicitation", may all be found NSPIRES at http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2024. This synopsis is associated with one of the individual program elements within ROSES, but this is a generic summary that is posted for all ROSES elements. For specific information on this particular program element download and read the PDF of the text of this program element by going to Tables 2 or 3 of this NRA at http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2024table2 and http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2024table3, respectively, click the title of the program element of interest, a hypertext link will take you to a page for that particular program element. On that page, on the right side under "Announcement Documents" the link on the bottom will be to the PDF of the text of the call for proposals. For example, if one were interested in The Lunar Data Analysis Program (NNH24ZDA001N-LDAP) one would follow the link to the NSPIRES page for that program element and then to read the text of the call one would click on C.8 Lunar Data Analysis Program (.pdf) to download the text of the call. If one wanted to set it into the context of the goals, objectives and know the default rules for all elements within Appendix C, the planetary science division, one might download and read C.1 Planetary Science Research Program Overview (.pdf) from that same page. While the letters and numbers are different for each element within ROSES (A.12, B.7, etc.) the basic configuration is always the same, e.g., the letter indicates the Science Division (A is Earth Science, B is Heliophysics etc.) and whatever the letter, #1 is always the division overview. Frequently asked questions for ROSES are posted at http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/faqs. Questions concerning general ROSES-2024 policies and procedures may be directed to Max Bernstein, Lead for Research, Science Mission Directorate, at [email protected], but technical questions concerning specific program elements should be directed to the point(s) of contact for that particular element, who may be found either at the end of the individual program element in the summary table of key information or on the web list of topics and points of contact at: http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/program-officers-list. Not all program elements are known at the time of the release of ROSES. To be informed of new program elements or amendments to this NRA, proposers may subscribe to: (1) The SMD mailing lists (by logging in at http://nspires.nasaprs.com and checking the appropriate boxes under "Account Management" and "Email Subscriptions"), (2) The ROSES-2024 blog feed for amendments, clarifications, and corrections to at https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/solicitations/roses-2024/, and (3) The ROSES-2024 due date Google calendars (one for each science division). Instructions are at https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/library-and-useful-links (link from the words due date calendar).

This notice is for a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) in support of civil works strategic focus areas. The USACE, and its Civil Works mission areas of commercial navigation, flood and coastal storm risk management, and aquatic ecosystem restoration, will play an essential role in energizing the US economy as we recover from recent crises and prepare for the future challenges facing our Nation. Investments in Civil Works are critical in generating near- and long-term benefits for securing our communities, supporting and growing our economy, creating jobs, and enhancing broader societal impacts such as improved public health, National security, recreation and tourism.Award of a grant or cooperative agreement is subject to applicable terms and conditions of 2 CFR 200, 2 CFR 1104, DoD Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARs), and DoD Research Terms and ConditionsGo to https://www.erdcwerx.org/civil-works-cso/ for details and submission instructions.All solutions shall be submitted through ERDCWERX via the link above. Solutions for the strategic focus areas will be accepted beginning 23 May 2023 and ending 1700 CST 22 May 2024.

This solicitation describes an ambitious program to fund international, interdisciplinary collaborative research centers that will apply best practices of broadening participation and community engagement to develop use-inspired bioeconomy research to address one or more global challenges identified by the scientific community. Here, the "used-inspired" nature of the research refers to project outcomes leading to foreseeable benefits to society. This program will prioritize research collaborations that foster team science and community-engaged research, use knowledge-to-action frameworkswhose rationale, conceptualization, and research directions are driven by the potential use of the results as illustrated by Pasteurs Quadrant (see Stokes, Donald E. (1997), "Pasteur;apos;s Quadrant - Basic Science and Technological Innovation," Brooking Institution Press, p.196. ISBN 9780815781776).Proposals should also indicate how research will be co-generated with communities and stakeholders identified in the proposal. The proposed research should maximize the benefits of international, interdisciplinary collaborations, and describe the roles and responsibilities of each national team in achieving the goals of the proposed Global Center. Global Centers projects involving partnership between the U.S. and two or more partner countries are strongly encouraged. Global challenges must be addressed through international collaboration and researchers are encouraged to develop international teams to address research questions that can only be addressed through multilateral efforts. The topic for the 2024 competition of the Global Centers program is Addressing Global Challenges through the Bioeconomy and may include research from any combination of research disciplines supported by NSF. The Bioeconomy is the share of the economy based on products, services, and processes derived from living systems.Research investments to advance the bioeconomy serve to accelerate scientificdiscovery and to enable the harnessing, engineering, and rational modulation ofbiological systemsto create goods and services that contribute to the agriculture,health, security, manufacturing, energy, and environmental sectors of the global economy; or that provide access to unique systems that help us understand the processes and issues that we can use biotechnology to solve. Bioeconomy is built on the foundation of biotechnology and biomanufacturing, and in addition to biological science and engineering includes contributions from fields such as chemistry, materials science, geosciences, mathematics, data sciences, humanities, and the social sciences. The world is facing many serious challenges, including, but not limited to, adapting to or mitigating the effect of climate change, developing clean energy approaches, identifying and advancing sustainable food systems, addressing water insecurity, exploring solutions to emerging infectious diseases, creating resource efficiency, sustaining biodiversity, addressing inequalities in access to biotechnologies, and developing a circular bioeconomy. For example, bio-based materials offer heightened biodegradability and biosafety as compared to reusable plastic materials that shed microplastics during use and washing and affect water security and human health. This Global Centers solicitation in Bioeconomy offers a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of scientists, educators, and practitioners to use knowledge of the bioeconomy to co-develop and execute a research plan for an international center that will address a global challenge facing humanity. The Global Centers program is meant to support multidisciplinary research that can only be achieved through international partnerships uniting complementary areas of expertise, and/or facilitating access to unique expertise or resources of the participating countries. The proposal should explain how the center will maximize the benefits of international collaborations and describe the unique contributions and the roles and responsibilities of each national team in achieving the goals of the proposed Global Center. Successful proposals will describe how the center will tackle a global challenge that can only be addressed through the diversity of knowledge, skills, and resources united in this center. Addressing global challenges requires international engagement and must go beyond production of data to demonstrate how co-generation and co-production of research with stakeholder groups can maximize the chances of research outcomes being taken up by target groups and applied to address the global challenge. Because change requires human involvement, this process, described as the Knowledge to Action framework explicitly recognizes the need to involve appropriate scientific experts and practitioners who study and work with humans in implementing the human action aspect of the framework. Examples of human action include (but are not limited to) studies in human and societal behavior, in policy, economics, psychology, anthropology, or education. Proposals are expected to describe a center that fully integrates human action elements with the knowledge generation portions of the center to produce a holistic, multi-disciplinary center that is greater than the sum of its parts. The center should offer a plan of research in which disciplines are integrated and complement and support each other to produce world class research, train the next generation of workforce, and use best practices to ensure that participant communities and stakeholder groups are involved in all stages of the research process so that outcomes are aligned with their needs and readily adoptable. Within the general theme of Bioeconomy, proposals submitted in the framework of this call must be centered on either or both of the two subtopics: Subtopic 1:Leveraging Biodiversity Across the Tree of Life to Power the Bioeconomy; and Subtopic 2: Biofoundries, using the Design-Build-Test-Learn process in biology. All proposals must integrate both of the two crosscutting themes into the proposed work: Crosscutting Theme A: Public engagement and co-generation of research activities to strengthen the global science and technology enterprise; andCrosscutting Theme B: Workforce Development and Education. See Section II, Program Description for details.

Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) aims to build foundations for Office of Science (SC) research through traineeships at academic institutions that have been historically underrepresented in the SC portfolio. RENEW leverages SCs unique national laboratories, user facilities, and other research infrastructure to provide training opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers from these institutions. The hands-on experiences gained through RENEW will open new career avenues for trainees, forming a nucleus for a future pool of talented young scientists, engineers, and technicians with the critical skills and expertise needed for the full breadth of SC research activities. RENEW supports traineeships for students and postdoctoral researchers from non-R1 Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs)[1] and non-R1 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)[2],[3] in areas relevant to SC programs. SC seeks applications to develop traineeships for participants from these institutions that involve conducting research in partnership with a DOE-affiliated institution, including DOE National Laboratories, SC user facilities, Bioenergy Research Centers, or DOE Isotope Program Production Sites. Traineeships may include partnerships with multiple DOE-affiliated partner institutions to learn about the diversity and breadth of science conducted by the Office of Science. Undergraduate traineeships should include hands-on research experience to foster greater understanding of the research process, such as how to identify knowledge gaps and develop effective hypotheses, how to test hypotheses, and how to work within a team structure to accomplish an objective. The proposal should describe how the traineeship will accommodate differences in preparation among trainees. Traineeships for graduate students or postdoctoral researchers should be appropriately scaled for the development of future leaders in their research field. Trainees should have the opportunity to actively engage in meaningful and diverse research tasks, maximizing their involvement and learning experience. Trainee involvement should not be limited to routine, simple tasks in the laboratory or literature research. Traineeships should engage the trainee on a regular basis (e.g., weekly). Traineeships should also include complementary activities for trainees professional development and career advancement, including efforts to build or reinforce STEM identity and sense of belonging. This could include research presentations, participation in scientific research meetings, lectures, mentoring (discussed further below), or developing new content to connect research to academic curriculum. Trainees are participants in and beneficiaries of a structured, substantive STEM training program with measurable expectations and a duration and intensity substantial enough to achieve both short-term and long-term training outcomes. Research has shown that long-term, year-round experiences build students commitment to their fields and increase their confidence that they can succeed.[4],[5] Preference will be given to applications that provide compensation comparable to the cost of living or provide support for students such as guaranteed housing. To achieve this objective, a significant portion of the proposed budget must be allocated for trainee support. [1] Emerging research institution was defined in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Federal research expenditures are based on the National Science Foundations Higher Education Research and Development Survey: Fiscal Year 2021 (https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/higher-education-research-development/2021). [2] The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education can be found at https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu. A list of institutions with very high research activity (R1 institutions) is available at https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/institutions/?basic2021__du%5B%5D=15. [3] MSI designations are based on the Department of Education eligibility matrix (https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html). Eligible MSIs are listed as Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (AANHs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI), Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). For the purposes of this FOA, institutions marked in the eligibility matrix as either being eligible to receive funding or as receiving funding will be considered an MSI. [4] https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.11-11-0098 [5] https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21341

The U.S. National Science Foundations Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) is charged with accelerating use-inspiredand translationalresearch and development (R) to advance U.S. competitiveness in key technology focus areas. The Advancing Cell-Free Systems Toward Increased Range of Use-Inspired Applications (CFIRE) initiative will accelerate the adoption of cell-free systems, enable new applications of this technology and contribute to the growth of the U.S. bioeconomy. A nascent industry has formed around the ability to carry out biochemical processes, such as DNA transcription/translation, in cell-free in-vitro systems instead of in traditional cell-based in-vivo bio-reactors. This approach has a number of potential advantages, including rapid turn-around, distributed and highly retargetable manufacturing, high-fidelity instrumentation and control of the manufacturing environments without the constraints of biological growth and the interference caused by cell biomass and cell membranes during product purification. Furthermore, cell-free systems can produce products that are challenging to manufacture in cell-based cultures, such as those inherently toxic to cells or hydrocarbon products that are consumed by the cellular machinery. Despite these advantages, present-day cell-free manufacturing is significantly more expensive than cell-based methods and cell-free systems have a limited range of applications. CFIRE aims to: 1. Reduce the cost of cell-free systems; 2. Increase the range and capabilities of cell-free systems; and 3. Develop and demonstrate cost-effective use-inspired applications. CFIRE will address the key limitations of cell-free technology by identifying technical approaches that can enable ongoing cycles of improvement. The objective is to place cell-free technology on an exponential growth path in which reduced costs lead to increasing adoption which, in turn, generates the learning and investment required to further reduce costs. In order to keep the work focused and to stimulate increasing adoption, efforts funded through this initiative will focus on one or more specific use cases. CFIRE seeks significant breakthroughs that will accelerate the adoption of cell-free systems by: (a) Demonstrating the feasibility and advantages of cell-free systems through use-inspired applications with specific emphasis on applications beyond human therapeutics; (b) Creating infrastructure components, such as tools, protocols, kits, datasets, and characterization services that can readily be accessed by third parties; and (c) Investing in workforce components focused on the training of translational talent with the skills and passion to engage in use-driven cell-free applications. CFIRE will use the Ideas Lab process (see PAPPG Chapter II.F.6), starting with an intensive meeting that brings together multiple diverse perspectives. The primary objectives of this Ideas Lab workshop will be to: identify specific opportunities to significantly reduce the cost of cell-free systems; establish acceptable standards for the fidelity and reproducibility; expand the range of capabilities in order to facilitate broader adoption of the technology; and identify and prioritize use-driven applications beyond human therapeutics.

Agency Name: Air Force Office of Scientific Research Description: See full announcement in Related Documents folder for detailed descriptions of the SPECIFIC MURI TOPICS. Grantor Contact Information: If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact Katie Wisecarver Program Coordinator Phone 703-696-9544 Business Point of Contact

Agency Name: Army Research Office The Department of Defense (DoD) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), one element of the University Research Initiatives (URI), is sponsored by the DoD research offices. Those offices include the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) (hereafter collectively referred to as "DoD agencies#8220;DoD). This publication constitutes a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as contemplated in the Department of Defense Grants and Agreements regulations (DoDGARS) 32 CFR 22.315(a). The DoD agencies reserve the right to fund all, some, or none of the proposals received under this FOA. The DoD agencies provide no funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and budget proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this FOA will not be returned. It is the policy of the DoD agencies to treat all white papers and proposals submitted under this FOA as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation. A formal Request for Proposals (RFP), solicitation, and/or additional information regarding this announcement will not be issued. DoD's MURI program addresses high-risk basic research and attempts to understand or achieve something that has never been done before. The program was initiated over 35 years ago and it has regularly produced significant scientific breakthroughs with far reaching consequences to the fields of science, economic growth, and revolutionary new military technologies. Key to the programs success is the close management of the MURI projects by Service Program Officers and their active role in providing research guidance. Awards will take the form of grants. FOR ARO SUBMISSIONS ONLY, awards will take the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements. Any assistance instrument awarded under this announcement will be governed by the award terms and conditions that conform to DoDs implementation of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circulars applicable to financial assistance. Terms and conditions will reflect DoD implementation of OMB guidance in 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.

The U.S. National Science Foundations Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) is charged with accelerating use-inspiredand translationalresearch and development (R) to advance U.S. competitiveness in key technology focus areas. The Use-Inspired Acceleration of Protein Design (USPRD) initiative will accelerate the translation of novel approaches to protein design and enable new applications of importance to the U.S. bioeconomy. Significant advances have been made in the ability of researchers to predict the three-dimensional (3D) structure of proteins from primary sequence, and to use that information to design proteins with desired characteristics. These advances have been enabled by: macromolecular modeling; training data available in repositories such as the Protein Data Bank (PDB); the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning; and high-throughput protein characterization. The improved accuracy of in-silico design has reduced the number of constructs that need to be validated in costly and time-consuming wet lab experiments. USPRD aims to advance protein design and its applications to the next level by: A. Accelerating the use of protein design technologies to enable applications beyond human therapeutics, e.g., applications to advanced materials, biomanufacturing, agriculture and food security, environmental remediation, sustainability, and climate-related challenges. B. Extending the range of accurate prediction models to enable the design of enzymes and families of enzymes. This will require models and tools that account for the dynamic nature of protein structures. USPRD seeks significant breakthroughs in the application of protein design through: a) Use-driven activities that design novel proteins with specific characteristics and demonstrate their application, e.g., the design and characterization of specific enzymes or enzyme families that promote sustainability by degrading specific bio-contaminants. b) Infrastructure components, such as software tools, datasets, and characterization services that can readily be accessed by protein designers. c) Designer-facing components that will ensure the accessibility of the infrastructure components and collaboration with protein designers engaged in the third-party use-driven activities. d) Ecosystem components, such as standards and roadmaps, that help coordinate the actions of multiple parties within the emerging ecosystem. This may also include open-source software and/or data repositories. e) Workforce components focused on the training of translational talent with the skills and passion to engage in use-driven protein design activities. USPRD will use the Ideas Lab process (see PAPPG Chapter II.F.6),starting with an intensive meeting that brings together multiple diverse perspectives. A key aim of this Ideas Lab workshop will be to identify an aggressive (but attainable) set of use-driven activities together with the infrastructure component breakthroughs, designer-facing components, and ecosystem components required to realize them. USPRD includes two tracks: Track I. Use-driven application for small binders. Track II. The design and use of enzymes and families of enzymes.

The goals of the HSI program are to enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and to increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students pursuing associate’s or baccalaureate degrees in STEM. Achieving these, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires additional strategies that support building capacity at HSIs through innovative approaches: to incentivize institutional and community transformation; and to promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) that improves our understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs. Intended outcomes of the HSI Program include broadening participation of students that are historically underrepresented in STEM and expanding students pathways to continued STEM education and integration into the STEM workforce. The HSI program is aligned with the National Science Board’s vision for, and the NSF’s commitment to, a more diverse and capable science and engineering workforce.1,2 HSIs are heterogeneous and unique in many respects.3Some HSIs have well-established undergraduate STEM programs while others are just beginning to create STEM programs. Whether 2-year or 4-year, public or private, the HSIs serve a wide range of students with a diverse set of educational backgrounds. The need for tailored initiatives, policies, and practices (mindful of socio-cultural awareness) should meet the student's needs and institution’s expectations while advancing undergraduate students at HSIs toward higher levels of academic achievement in STEM. This is the motivation behind three HSI program tracks: Track 1: Planning or Pilot Projects (PPP); Track 2: Implementation and Evaluation Projects (IEP); and Track 3: Institutional Transformation Projects (ITP). Track 3, ITP,is motivated by work on organizational identities for HSIs that suggest that organizational culture and identity play a key role in the success of an HSI in promoting student success in STEM.4 The HSI program accepts proposals in the following tracks: Track 1: The Planning or Pilot Projects (PPP) track provides a funding opportunity for institutions that are new to NSF5 or are Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs6), including community colleges. The PPP has been designed to link with the other two tracks. The PPP track seeks to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at less-resourced institutions and to increase these institution’s ability to compete for NSF funding from other programs. Planning projects in this track undertake the activities necessary to develop a future HSI program Track 2 or Track 3 proposal submission. Pilot projects in this track may be carried out to achieve a short-term, well-defined goal to enhance the availability of high-quality undergraduate STEM education at the HSI and gather preliminary data for futureHSI program Track 2 or Track 3 proposals. Importantly, Pilot projects may also develop fundamental STEM education research capacity on student learning at HSIs, discovering effective means for diversifying and increasing participation in STEM. All PPP projects must include project evaluation and dissemination components. Track 2: The Implementation and Evaluation Projects (IEP) track supports the implementation of evidence-based unit-, department-, or multi-department-level activities that will enhance the quality of undergraduate STEM education.All HSI institution types are encouraged to apply, especially PUIs (including community colleges). These projects may design and implement a new educational practice or practices, and/or adapt/replicate evidence-based practices that are already known to be effective. IEP may conduct research that promotes one or more of the HSI program goals, including research on indicators of effective and successful undergraduate STEM education at HSIs. These projects must include both project evaluation and dissemination components, as well as an education research component. The IEP strategies are expected to be institutionalized and sustainable. Track 3: The Institutional Transformation Projects (ITP) track supports institution-wide structural or systemic changes to enhance undergraduate STEM education at the proposing HSI. The ITP must be grounded in STEM education research and broadening participation research and be designed to make institutional infrastructure and policy changes to support long-term institutional changes that encourage and support facultyin implementing evidence-based practices that enhance student outcomes in STEM at the proposing HSI. Under the ITP track, research (including foundational research) that improves our understanding of how to build HSI institutional capacity in STEM is encouraged. Such research should result in a strategic understanding about how the multiple components of the HSI program goals work synchronously to advance STEM education. All institution types are encouraged to apply, especially PUIs (including community colleges). Proposed activities can include adaptation of evidence-based strategies and/or the design and implementation of innovative strategies. The ITP must include both project evaluation and dissemination components, as well as an education research component. The ITP proposed structural or systemic changes are expected to be institutionalized and sustained by the HSI. In addition to the core research of the proposed project, all tracks may support faculty research that is inter-, multi-, or trans-disciplinary, discipline-specific research, STEM education research, discipline-based STEM education research, or broadening participation research. Research may be based at their home institution, an NSF-funded research center, another institution of higher education, and/or a national laboratory. Fundamental research is particularly encouraged on engaged student learning at HSIs, and on effectively diversifying and increasing participation in STEM at HSIs. Research-related funds may be requested for undergraduate student research, supplies, equipment required to carry out the research, and faculty research development activities. Proposed faculty research outside of the core research of the proposed project should support the overarching goals of the HSI program which seek to improve and enhance undergraduate STEM education, including undergraduate student research experiences.Proposed research should also explain how it will catalyze new faculty research activity in addition to supporting on-going faculty research activities as well as support opportunities to advance diverse students in STEM. All projects must generate new knowledge through project evaluation activities and articulate a plan for dissemination of findings. Track 2 (IEP) and Track 3 (ITP) proposals must additionally generate new knowledge about how to improve access to and/or the quality of STEM education through a well-constructed STEM education research plan that is aligned with the projects goals. Additionally, under a specified heading, proposals must provide institutional data with a narrative explaining the institution's need for the project and its ability to enhance the quality of undergraduate STEM education. 1 Vision 2030, National Science Board, https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2020/nsb202015.pdf 2 Building the Future Investing in Innovation and Discovery: NSF Strategic Plan 2018-2022. https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf18045. 3 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Minority Serving Institutions: America’s Underutilized Resource for Strengthening the STEM Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25257. 4 Garca, Gina A. 2017. "Defined by outcomes or culture? Constructing an organizational identity for Hispanic-serving institutions." American Educational Research Journal, 54(1): 111S-134S. 5 The definition and guide to New to NSF can be found on Chapter II of proposal preparation instructions https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappg18_1/pappg_2.jsp. 6 PUIs are accredited colleges and universities (including two-year community colleges) that award Associates degrees, Bachelors degrees, and/or Masters degrees in NSF-supported fields, but have awarded 20 or fewer Ph.D./ D.Sci. degrees in all NSF-supported fields during the combined previous two academic years. PUI definition obtained from https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5518.

This funding opportunity is designed to support innovative research and technology development in space and Earth sciences by a wide range of organizations, including government, private, and non-profit entities.

This grant provides funding for U.S.-based researchers and institutions to conduct innovative astrophysics research and develop new technologies that enhance our understanding of the universe.