July 2016
The FAS Research Development group publishes this monthly Funding Newsletter for SEAS faculty and researchers. The newsletter compiles notable Federal, private, and internal Harvard funding opportunities. To provide feedback, please complete our two-question survey.  
Questions? 
Erin Cromack: cromack@fas.harvard.edu | 617-496-5252 
Jennifer Corby: jcorby@fas.harvard.edu | 617-495-1590  
For more information on our support services, please visit our website.

Did you know? All Harvard affiliates have access to the funding opportunity database, Pivot. 

Click on the links below to read a program synopsis
Internal Opportunities
External Opportunities
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Science Foundation: Dear Colleague Letters
National Science Foundation: Directorate for Computer & Information Science and Engineering (NSF CISE)
National Science Foundation: Directorate for Engineering

Internal Opportunities

climate_change
Deadline: October 1, 2016
Award Amount: Up to $150,000 over one or two years
Target applicants: Full-time assistant, associate, or full professors from any Harvard School may apply for an award. Students and postdoctoral scholars with an identified faculty mentor who will supervise their research are also eligible to apply.
 
The Harvard University Climate Change Solutions Fund supports research and policy initiatives intended to hasten the transition from carbon-based energy systems to those that rely on renewable energy sources, to develop methods for diminishing the impact of existing carbon-based energy systems on the climate, and to propel scientific, technological, legal, policy and artistic innovations needed to accelerate progress toward cleaner energy and a greener world. 

Applications should propose research that will advance solutions to climate change. Solutions may include both preparedness and mitigation and strong consideration will be given to projects that demonstrate a clear pathway to application, as well as riskier proposals with the potential to be transformative over time.


U.S. Department of Defense

D3M
Data-Driven Discovery of Models (D3M)
OSP Deadline: August 5, 2016 
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: August 12, 2016
Award Amount: The level of funding for individual awards made under this solicitation has not been predetermined and will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. D3M is divided into two phases of 24 months each.
 
DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of automated model discovery systems that create empirical models of real, complex processes from data. D3M aims to develop systems that enable users with subject matter expertise but no data science background to create empirical models. Proposed research should investigate approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice. 
 
 

ONR
Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship Program, formerly the National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship Program (NSSEFF) 
Acqutrak Registration Deadline: August 15, 2016
White Papers and Supporting Documentation Deadline (required): August 17, 2016
OSP Deadline: January 2, 2017
Full Proposal Deadline (if invited): January 9, 2017
Award Amount: Up to $3,000,000 over five years
Target Applicants: Applicants should have a record of substantial scientific contributions. The PI must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
 
The Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship supports innovative basic research within academia, as well as opportunities intended to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers for the defense workforce. This FOA seeks distinguished researchers for the purpose of conducting innovative basic research in areas of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD) and fostering long-term relationships between the NSSEFF Fellows and the DoD. 

As defined by the DoD, basic research is "systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs. It is farsighted high payoff research that provides the basis for technological progress."
 
Single investigators may submit a proposal for basic research in one or more of the following technical subject categories:
  • Engineering Biology
  • Quantum Information Science
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Novel Engineered Materials
  • Applied Mathematics (theory and experiments) and Statistics
  • Manufacturing Science
  • Other fields of research with high potential.



MURI
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline for White Papers: August 1, 2016
Sponsor Deadline for Full Proposals: November 15, 2016
Award Amount: Typical annual funding ranges from $1.25M to $1.5M with three years of guaranteed funding, plus an option to extend for an additional two years
 
The MURI program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education that is of potential interest to DoD. MURI's aim is to strengthen the Department's investment in the multidisciplinary team approach to academic research. The awards focus on a single topic of basic research interest and support scientists and engineers from relevant disciplines to perform the research, in order to stimulate the emergence of new technology in areas connected to more than one discipline. 

The Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research jointly administer the MURI program. Please see the solicitation for detailed information on each branch's specific areas of interest. 



DODBAAs
Other DoD Opportunities:

If you are interested in DoD funding opportunities, please note:
The Defense Innovation Marketplace is a centralized source for Department of Defense science and technology (S&T) planning, acquisition resources, funding, and financial information. 


U.S. Department of Energy

IDEAS
Department of Energy: Advanced Research Projects (ARPA-E)
Innovative Development in Energy-Related Applied Science (IDEAS)
OSP Deadline: Not required for concept papers
Sponsor Concept Paper Deadline: rolling through September 30, 2016
Award Amount: Up to $500,000 over one year
 
This program provides rapid support of early-stage applied research to explore innovative new concepts with the potential for transformational and disruptive changes in energy technology. IDEAS awards are intended to be flexible and may take the form of analyses or exploratory research that provides the agency with information useful for the subsequent development of focused technology programs. IDEAS awards may also support proof-of-concept research to develop a unique technology concept, either in an area not currently supported by the agency or as a potential enhancement to an ongoing focused technology program. Applications must propose concepts that are not covered by open ARPA-E focused FOAs and that also do not represent incremental improvements over existing technology.



DOEAnnual
Annual Funding Opportunity Announcement
OSP Deadline: 5 business days in advance of submission
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling through September 30, 2016
 
The Office of Science (SC) supports work in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, and Nuclear Physics. 

This FOA will remain open until September 30, 2016, 11:59 PM Eastern Time, or until it is succeeded by another issuance, whichever occurs first.


Foundation Opportunities

Beckman
OSP Deadline: August 8, 2016
Sponsor Pre-Proposal Deadline (required): August 15, 2016
Award Amount: $750,000 over four years
Target Applicants: Faculty in the first three years of a tenure-track position in the chemical and life sciences
 
The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.  Projects proposed for the BYI program should be truly innovative, high-risk, and show promise for contributing to significant advances in chemistry and the life sciences. They should represent a departure from current research directions rather than an extension or expansion of existing programs. Proposed research that cuts across traditional boundaries of scientific disciplines is encouraged. Proposals that open up new avenues of research in chemistry and the life sciences by fostering the invention of methods, instruments and materials will be given additional consideration.
 
This opportunity is not a limited submission, but does require endorsements from the Dean and the Chief Academic Officer of the institution (or a designated signatory).  FAS and SEAS faculty who wish to apply should contact Erin Cromack in order to obtain the required endorsements.



banting
Deadline to request institutional endorsement from Harvard: early September
Deadline: September 21, 2016
Award Amount: $70,000 per year (taxable) for two years

The objective of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program is to attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally, to develop their leadership potential and to position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow, positively contributing to Canada's economic, social and research-based growth through a research-intensive career.
 
Eligible candidates (for Harvard to host) must fulfill all degree requirements for a PhD or equivalent between September 24, 2013 and August 15, 2016 and must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who have obtained or will obtain their PhD or equivalent from a Canadian university.
 
Applications are accepted from all fields in the humanities, social sciences, health research, natural sciences and engineering; the sponsor especially encourages applications from candidates in the humanities and social sciences.
 
Postdoctoral scholars who wish to apply for a fellowship (where Harvard acts as host) must acquire an institutional letter of endorsement signed by the Vice Provost for Research to include with their application. Please contact Erin Cromack if you intend to submit an application.



Google
Sponsor Deadline: September 30, 2016
Award Information: up to $150,000; most awards are funded at the amount needed to support one graduate student for one year and range from $40,000 to $70,000
 
This program supports academic research in computer science, engineering, and related fields. Each funded project will be assigned a Google sponsor, who will discuss research directions, engage with professors and students, and enable interactions between the project team and Google. 

Faculty Research Awards are one-year awards structured as current-use unrestricted gifts (subject to a gift assessment at the local School rate) to support the research of world-class permanent faculty members at top universities around the world. Although Google states that Faculty Research Awards do not cover indirect costs, administrative costs, or overhead, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Google's University Relations group have reached an agreement that authorizes each School to assess gifts in line with university and school policies. For FAS and SEAS, the gift assessment fee on unrestricted current-use gift funds is 15%. This includes, at certain schools, the exemption of some classes of funds such as financial aid. 

Please direct any questions about the acceptance of Google Faculty Research Awards to Denise Gorayeb, Recording Secretary (denise_gorayeb@harvard.edu), or Jen Chow, Director of Foundation and Corporate Development, OVPR (jennifer_chow@harvard.edu).



McDonnell
James S. McDonnell Foundation
Studying Complex Systems Collaborative Activity Awards
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: Budgets for collaborative activities vary greatly depending on the scope of the proposed project and on the number of people involved

The Foundation offers Collaborative Activity Awards to initiate interdisciplinary discussions on problems or issues, to help launch interdisciplinary research networks, or to fund communities of researchers and practitioners dedicated to developing new methods, tools, and applications of basic research to applied problems. Strong preference will be given to applications involving multi-institutional collaboration. 

Proposals furthering the science of complex systems and/or proposals intending to apply complex system tools and models to problems where such approaches are not yet considered usual or mainstream are appropriate. Please note that this Foundation limits the number of inquiries an investigator may submit to one every three years. 



PhRMA
Informatics Research Starter Grants
OSP Deadline: August 25, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 1, 2016
Award Amount: $100,000 for one year
Target Faculty: U.S. citizens or permanent residents beginning independent research careers in informatics at the faculty level, who do not have other substantial sources of research funding.
 
The goal of the Informatics program is to promote development and use of informatics in an integrative approach toward understanding normal processes of human biology and disease processes. Informatics awards support career development of scientists engaged in research that significantly integrates state-of-the-art information technology developed with advanced biological, chemical, and pharmacological sciences in the following areas:
  • Genetics Proteomics
  • Molecular Systems Biology
  • Medical (human) Pathways and Networks
  • Pharmaco- Integrative Biology
  • Population Modeling and Simulation
Genomics Molecular Epidemiology
  • Functional
  • Structural
  • Toxico-
  • Pharmaco-
  • Comparative.


Simons
Targeted Grants in Mathematics and Physical Sciences
OSP Deadline: 5 business days prior to submission
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: A typical Targeted Grant in MPS provides funding for up to five years. The funding provided is flexible and based on the type of support requested in the proposal. There is no recommended funding limit.
 
The Simons Foundation division for Mathematics and Physical Sciences seeks to extend the frontiers of basic research. The division's primary focus is on mathematics, theoretical physics and theoretical computer science. This program is intended to support high-risk projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance on a case-by-case basis. Expenses for experiments, equipment, or computations, as well as for personnel and travel, are allowable.


Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)

Odin
Odin
OSP Deadline: August 8, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: August 15, 2016
Award Amount: Unspecified
 
The goal of the Odin program is to develop biometric presentation attack detection technologies to ensure biometric security systems can detect when someone is attempting to disguise their biometric identity. In order to test Odin's ability to detect presentation attack approaches, a red team approach may be used to evaluate the performance of Odin technology. This will be facilitated by two components of Odin. Thor will develop presentation attack detection technology, and Loki will exercise Thor technology. As security vulnerabilities in government systems may be classified, Loki will be issued as a classified broad agency announcement.



SuperTools
IARPA
SuperTools
OSP Deadline: July 25, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: August 1, 2016
Award Amount: Unspecified
 
SuperTools seeks to develop a superconducting circuit design flow with a comprehensive set of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) tools for Very-Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) design of Superconducting Electronics (SCE). 

The goal of the SuperTools program is to enable very large scale integration (VLSI) design of SCE as a step toward the development of the energy-efficient, scalable high performance computers. The end goal of the SuperTools program is to enable the design of 64-bit Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) microprocessors or circuits of similar complexity. The SuperTools program seeks to develop a comprehensive set of EDA tools to:
  • Enable VLSI design of SCE from a behavioral modeling or register-transfer level (RTL) description to mask tooling data;
  • Develop physics-based TCAD tools to enable device and process simulations and device parameter extractions for better design-to-hardware fidelity; and
  • Establish open, interoperable (cell) library formats to reduce barriers and speed up technology development with a standardized protocol for collaboration between foundry and designers.


BAA
Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
OSP Deadline: 5 business days before submission to sponsor
Sponsor Deadline: rolling between May 3, 2016 and May 2, 2017
Award Amount: Awards generally support a period of performance of 12 months or less; resources made available under this BAA will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds
 
IARPA invests in high-risk, high-payoff research that has the potential to provide our nation with an overwhelming intelligence advantage. This BAA solicits abstracts or proposals for IARPA. IARPA is soliciting proposals for research on topics that are not addressed by emerging or ongoing IARPA programs or other published IARPA solicitations. The BAA primarily, but not solely, seeks proposals for early stage research (which IARPA refers to as "seedlings").


National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
OtherNASA
Other NASA Opportunities

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Pioneer
Pioneer Award 
OSP Deadline: August 26, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 2, 2016
Award Amount: $700,000 per year for up to 5 years
 
The NIH Pioneer Award initiative complements NIH's traditional, investigator-initiated grant programs by supporting individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose pioneering and possibly transforming approaches to addressing major biomedical or behavioral challenges that have the potential to produce an unusually high impact on a broad area of biomedical or behavioral research. 

To be considered pioneering, the proposed research must reflect substantially different scientific directions from those already being pursued in the investigator's research program or elsewhere. While the research direction may have as its foundation the applicant's prior work and expertise, it cannot be an obvious extension or scale up of a current research enterprise which could be anticipated to be competitive as a new or renewal R01 application. Rather, the proposed project must reflect a fundamental new insight into the potential solution of a problem, which may derive from the development of exceptionally innovative approaches and/or from the posing of radically unconventional hypotheses.



NewInnovator
New Innovator Award
OSP Deadline: September 1, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 9, 2016
Award Amount: $300,000 per year for up to 5 years
Target Faculty: Early career faculty within 10 years of completing a terminal research degree or within 10 years of completing medical residency; applicants may not have received R01 funding
 
The NIH New Innovator Award supports unusually creative investigators with highly innovative research ideas at an early stage of their career when they may lack the preliminary data required for an R01 grant application. The emphasis is on innovation and creativity; preliminary data are not required, but may be included. The review process emphasizes the individual's creativity, the innovativeness of the research approaches, and the potential of the project, if successful, to have a significant impact on an important biomedical or behavioral research problem. The research proposed for a New Innovator Award may be in any scientific area relevant to the mission of NIH (biological, behavioral, clinical, social, physical, chemical, computational, engineering, and mathematical sciences). 



Transformative
Transformative Research Award 
OSP Deadline: September 30, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: October 7, 2016
Award Amount: No limit
 
The goal of the NIH Transformative Research Awards initiative is to provide support for collaborative investigative teams or individual scientists who propose unusually innovative research projects, which, if successful, would have a major impact in a broad area of biomedical or behavioral research. 

To be considered transformative, projects must have the potential to create or overturn fundamental scientific paradigms through the use of novel approaches, to transform the way research is conducted through the development of novel tools or technologies, or to lead to major improvements in health through the development of highly innovative therapies, diagnostic tools, or preventive strategies. Consistent with this focus, applications supported under the Transformative Research Awards initiative will reflect ideas substantially different from mainstream concepts. Little or no preliminary data are expected. Projects must clearly demonstrate the potential to produce a major impact in a broad area of biomedical or behavioral research.  


Other NIH Opportunities:

National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation: Dear Colleague Letters

EAGER
Exploratory Research on High-Efficiency, Monolithic, Two Dissimilar Materials (TDM) Photovoltaics
(via EAGER funding mechanism)
OSP Deadline: September 23, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 30, 2016
Award Amount: unspecified
 
The purpose of this DCL is to support innovative, exploratory research in materials, fabrication processes, device structure and integration of monolithic, TDM solar cells to achieve energy conversion efficiency beyond 30% at one SUN with cost-effective manufacturability. This DCL seeks to support novel and exploratory fundamental research to enable major advances in high-efficiency, monolithic, TDM solar cells including but not limited to perovskites material. Proposed research directions should be amenable to cost effective manufacturability. To achieve this goal, critical research challenges must be addressed. 



SusChem
FY 2017 Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering, and Materials Funding Opportunity
OSP Deadline: five business days prior to the appropriate sponsor deadline
Sponsor Deadline: proposals should be submitted through the existing program of interest in participating divisions; each division provides a different submission window (deadline)
Award Amount: unspecified
 
The SusChEM initiative addresses the interrelated challenges of sustainable supply, engineering, production, and use of chemicals and materials. In FY 2017, the participating divisions are Chemistry (CHE); Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET); Materials Research (DMR); Earth Science (EAR); and the Materials Engineering and Processing Program in the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI).
 
Examples of fundamental research topics of interest in SusChEM include the replacement of rare, expensive, and/or toxic chemicals/materials with earth-abundant, inexpensive, and benign chemicals/materials; recycling of chemicals/materials that cannot be replaced; development of non-petroleum based sources of important raw materials; elimination of waste products and enhancements in efficiencies of chemical reactions and processes; discovery of new separation science that will facilitate recycling and production of valuable chemicals/materials; and development and characterization of low cost, sustainable, and scalably-manufactured materials with improved properties.



NSFChina
NSF/NSFC Joint Research on Environmental Sustainability Challenges
OSP Deadline: October 13, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: October 20, 2016
Award Amount: up to $500,000 over four years (U.S. team) + 3 million yuan (China Team)

The NSF Engineering Directorate (ENG) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Department of Engineering and Material Sciences (DEMS) are partnering to encourage joint research by U.S. - China teams collaborating on fundamental research that addresses critical environmental sustainability challenges. Every proposal must include the participation of researchers from at least one U.S. institution and at least one institution in China. The proposal submitted to NSF must conform to NSF proposal requirements as specified in NSF's posted Grant Proposal Guide, and the matching proposal submitted to NSFC must conform to requirements posted by NSFC.



NSFUK
Special Guidelines for Submitting Collaborative Proposals under the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems-Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council UK (CBET-EPSRC) Lead Agency Activity
OSP Deadline: October 13, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: October 20, 2016
Award Amount: unspecified

The goal of this activity is to reduce some of the barriers that researchers currently encounter when working internationally. The CBET-EPSRC Lead Agency Activity will allow US and UK researchers to submit a single collaborative proposal that will undergo a single review process. Proposals will be accepted for collaborative research in areas at the intersection of CBET and the EPSRC's Engineering Theme's missions. Proposers should review the CBET Program Descriptions for research supported through CBET and the EPSRC Engineering Theme for further information on what areas of research are eligible for support through this activity. Proposals are expected to adhere to typical proposal budgets and durations for the relevant CBET and EPSRC program from which funding is sought.



NSFNIST
NSF-NIST Interaction in Basic and Applied Scientific Research in BIO, ENG & MPS
OSP Deadline: five business days prior to submission to the sponsor
Sponsor Deadline: Rolling
Award Amount: up to $25,000
 
This Dear Colleague Letter is intended to facilitate interactions between Principal Investigators (PIs), co-PIs, post-doctoral scholars and both undergraduate and graduate students supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as well as scientists and engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The program provides supplements to NSF-supported researchers with active awards in participating divisions within NSF's Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorates for collaboration with researchers in the NIST Laboratories and User Facilities.


National Science Foundation: Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (NSF: CISE)

CISEInnitiation
Computer and Information Science and Engineering Research Initiation Initiative (CRII)
OSP Deadline: August 3, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: August 10, 2016
Award Amount: up to $175,000 for up to 24 months
Target Applicants: untenured faculty or research scientists (or equivalent) in their first three years in a primary academic position after the PhD, but not more than a total of five years after completion of their PhD
 
With the goal of encouraging research independence immediately upon obtaining one's first academic position after receipt of the PhD, the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) will award grants to initiate the course of one's independent research. Understanding the critical role of establishing that independence early in one's career, it is expected that funds will be used to support untenured faculty or research scientists (or equivalent) in their first three years in a primary academic position after the PhD, but not more than a total of five years after completion of their PhD.
 
One may not yet have received any other grants or contracts in the Principal Investigator (PI) role from any department, agency, or institution of the federal government, including from the CAREER program or any other program, post-PhD, regardless of the size of the grant or contract.



Campus
Campus Cyberinfrastructure
OSP Deadline: August 16, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: August 23, 2016
Award Amount: dependent on the award area; amounts range from $200,000 to $3M for two to five years
 
The Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) program invests in coordinated campus-level cyberinfrastructure (CI) components of data, networking, and computing infrastructure, capabilities, and integrated services leading to higher levels of performance, reliability and predictability for science applications and distributed research projects.
 
CC* awards will be supported in seven areas: (1) Data Driven Multi-Campus/Multi-Institution Model Implementations; (2) Cyber Teams; (3) Data Driven Networking Infrastructure for the Campus and Researcher; (4) Network Design and Implementation for Small Institutions; (5) Network Integration and Applied Innovation; (6) Campus Computing; and (7) Innovation Integrated Storage Resources.


OtherCISE
Other NSF: CISE Opportunities

National Science Foundation: Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences (NSF: MPS)
Centers for Chemical Innovation
OSP Deadline: September 8, 2016
Sponsor Deadline (Phase I Preliminary Proposals): September 15, 2016
Award Amount: $600,000 per year for 3 years (Phase I awards); $4M per year for 5 years (Phase II awards)
 
The Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program supports research centers focused on major, long-term fundamental chemical research challenges. CCIs that address these challenges will produce transformative research, lead to innovation, and attract broad scientific and public interest. The FY 2017 Phase I CCI competition is open to projects in all fields supported by the Division of Chemistry, and must have focus and impact in chemistry.



JointNSFNIH
Joint NSF/NIH Initiative on Quantitative Approaches to Biomedical Big Data
OSP Deadline: September 21, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 28, 2016
Award Amount: $200,000 to $300,000 per year for up to 3 years
 
The Quantitative Approaches to Biomedical Big Data Program is designed to support research that addresses important application areas at the intersection of the biomedical and data sciences by encouraging inter- and multi-disciplinary collaborations that focus on innovative and transformative approaches to address these challenges.

Examples of application areas that are appropriate under this competition include the following:
  • Development of methods for mobile health (mHealth) data, where mHealth includes new data not traditionally used in the biomedical sciences (e.g. data from mobile devices, social networks, wearable electronics, sensors)
  • Development of methods for precision (or personalized) medicine. The goal of precision medicine is to develop a targeted treatment (or prevention) regimen that takes into account unique characteristics of an individual such as genetic makeup, environmental factors, and lifestyle.

  
DMSNIGMS 
Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research at the Interface of the Biological and Mathematical Sciences
OSP Deadline: September 7, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 14, 2016
Award Amount: $100,000 to $400,000 over 3 to 5 years
 
This program supports research in mathematics and statistics on questions in the biological and biomedical sciences. Both the NSF's Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) and the NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences recognize the need and urgency for promoting research at the interface between the mathematical sciences and the life sciences. This program is designed to encourage new collaborations, as well as to support existing ones.



FRG
Focused Research Groups in the Mathematical Sciences
OSP Deadline: September 20, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 27, 2016
Award Amount: $150,000 to $500,000 per year, for up to three years
 
The purpose of the FRG activity is to allow groups of researchers to respond to recognized scientific needs of pressing importance, to take advantage of current scientific opportunities, or to prepare the ground for anticipated significant scientific developments in the mathematical sciences. Groups may include, in addition to mathematicians and statisticians, researchers from other science and engineering disciplines appropriate to the proposed research.


OtherMPS
Other NSF: MPS Opportunities

National Science Foundation: Directorate for Engineering

S12SSI
Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation: Scientific Software Integration
OSP Deadline: September 12, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 19, 2016
Award Amount: Up to $12,500,000 is expected to be available for awards to 12 SSI proposals.
 
SSI awards target larger, interdisciplinary teams organized around the development and application of common software infrastructure aimed at solving common research problems faced by NSF researchers in one or more areas of science and engineering. SSI awards will result in a sustainable community software framework serving a diverse community or communities. 

These awards will focus on software architectures, processes that explicitly address issues of sustainability, manageability, usability, composability, and interoperability, as well as environments (e.g., code repository, build and test framework, reporting mechanisms, etc.) that are meaningful for the targeted science community. Well-reasoned dissemination and outreach mechanisms, pathways for integration of community software elements (such as those developed by SSE teams) into the developed framework, and associated support structures will be an integral part of these awards. When appropriate, involvement with industry and government laboratories, as well as partnering with international efforts is encouraged.



RFE
Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE)
OSP Deadline: September 14, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: September 21, 2016
Award Amount: Estimated $100,000 per project per year; all PIs should discuss the budget of proposed projects with a cognizant program officer before submission

The NSF Engineering (ENG) Directorate has launched a multi-year initiative, the Professional Formation of Engineers, to create and support an innovative and inclusive engineering profession for the 21st Century. Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) refers to the formal and informal processes and value systems by which people become engineers. It also includes the ethical responsibility of practicing engineers to sustain and grow the profession in order to improve quality of life for all peoples. The engineering profession must be responsive to national priorities, grand challenges, and dynamic workforce needs; it must be equally open and accessible to all. 

RFE aims to transform the engineering formation system, and thus the impact of proposed projects on this system must be described. PIs should provide a roadmap detailing how they envision the proposed research will eventually broadly impact practice within the engineering formation system, even if these activities are not within the scope of the submitted proposal. 



NeuroNex
NSF: Directorate for Engineering
Developing a National Research Infrastructure for Neuroscience (NeuroNex)
Letter of Intent Deadline: September 2, 2016
OSP Deadline: October 14, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: October 21, 2016
Award Amount: $500,000 to $2M per year, over three to five years

NeuroNex calls for proposals addressing fundamental questions in neuroscience and cognitive science that by their nature require the convergence of multiple disciplines to answer. Through NeuroNex, NSF seeks to support groups of investigators with a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds to work together at the nexus of their respective fields to accelerate our understanding of brain function across the phylogenetic spectrum. 

This solicitation aims to support highly interdisciplinary teams of investigators for two types of activities: (1) neurotechnology hubs to develop, institutionalize, and disseminate the use of innovative brain technologies by investigators studying brain structure and function in diverse species, and/or (2) theory teams to foster theoretical approaches that have the potential to reveal the neural underpinnings of behavior and cognition across organizational levels, scales of analysis, and/or a range of species, including humans.



PFI
Partnerships for Innovation: Accelerating Innovation Research - Technology Translation (PFI: AIR-TT)
Letter of Intent Deadline: September 8, 2016
OSP Deadline: October 4, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: October 11, 2016
Award Amount: Up to $200,000 over 18 months
Target Applicants: Lineage Requirement: The Principal Investigator (PI) or a co-PI must have had an NSF award that ended no more than 6-years prior to the chosen submission window's full proposal deadline date or be a current NSF award recipient. The proposed proof-of-concept or prototype/scale-up must be derived from the research results and/or discoveries from this underlying NSF award. In addition to the PI, there must be at least one other participant on the project (e.g., someone listed as a co-PI, Senior Personnel, Other Professional, subawardee, consultant, collaborator, etc.) with explicit business experience (for example, someone from the technology transfer office, the business school, a local/regional development office, a business entity, etc.). This person must have an active role that is explicitly described along with the specification of a time commitment on the project.

The development of basic research into deployed technology is often depicted as a sequence of steps from basic research through proof-of-concept, prototype, product development and finally commercialization. While the sequence of events may not occur in a straightforward linear fashion, the knowledge associated with each step is necessary for the transition to occur. This PFI: AIR-TT solicitation is aimed at advancing knowledge along this continuum for projects with technology innovation(s) that have already passed the basic research phase. 

The proposed project should be into the proof-of concept or early prototype phase with promising results and an identified potential market need or application. Proposed research should address the next stage technology/knowledge gap(s) or barrier(s) that must be solved/demonstrated as part of the path from the basic research discovery to eventual successful commercialization.



NSFDOE
NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering
OSP Deadline: October 14, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: October 21, 2016
Award Amount: $3,500,000

The goal of this initiative is to enhance basic plasma research and education in this broad, multidisciplinary field by coordinating efforts and combining resources of the two agencies. The current solicitation also encourages submission of proposals to perform basic plasma experiments at NSF and DOE supported user facilities, such as the Basic Plasma Science Facility at the University of California, Los Angeles and facilities located at DOE national laboratories, designed to serve the needs of the broader plasma community.


 

OtherNSFDFE 

Other NSF: Directorate for Engineering Opportunities

National Science Foundation: Crosscutting and Interdisciplinary

SATC
Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC)
OSP Deadline: September 9, 2016 (medium projects); September 19, 2016 (large projects); November 10, 2016 (small projects)
Sponsor Deadline: September 16, 2016 (medium projects); September 26, 2016 (large projects); November 18, 2016 (small projects); December 15, 2016 (cybersecurity education projects)
Award Amount: Up to $3M over up to 5 years, depending on project size

The SaTC program welcomes proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and draw on expertise in one or more of these areas: computing, communication and information sciences; engineering; economics; education; mathematics; statistics; and social and behavioral sciences. Proposals that advance the field of cybersecurity and privacy within a single discipline or interdisciplinary efforts that span multiple disciplines are both encouraged. Proposals may be submitted in one of the following three project size classes:
  • Small Projects: up to $500,000 for up to three years;
  • Medium Projects: $5,001 to $1.2M for up to four years;
  • Large Projects: $1.2M to $3M for up to five years.
In addition to the project size classes, proposals must be submitted pursuant to one of the following designations, each of which may have additional restrictions and administrative obligations as specified in this program solicitation.
  • CORE: the main focus on the SaTC research program, spanning the interests of NSF's Directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Engineering (ENG), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE).
  • EDU: The Education (EDU) designation will be used to label proposals focusing entirely on cybersecurity education. NOTE: proposals that are designated as EDU have budgets limited to $300,000 and durations of up to two years.
  • STARSS: The Secure, Trustworthy, Assured and Resilient Semiconductors and Systems designation will be used to label proposals that are submitted to the joint program focused on hardware security with the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC). NOTE: the STARSS designation may only be used for Small Proposals.
  • TTP: The Transition to Practice (TTP) designation will be used to label proposals that are focused exclusively on transitioning existing research results to practice. NOTE: the TTP designation may only be used for Small and Medium Proposals.


REU
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
OSP Deadline: August 17, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: August 24, 2016
Award Amount: $70,000 to $120,000 (REU Site); unspecified stipend (REU Supplement)
 
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation.
 
This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department or may offer interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. (2) REU Supplements may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements or may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects.



REU
International Research Experiences for Students
OSP Deadline: August 9, 2016
Sponsor Deadline: August 16, 2016
Award Amount: Up to $250,000 per project
 
The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports development of globally-engaged U.S. science and engineering students capable of performing in an international research environment at the forefront of science and engineering. The IRES program supports active research participation by students enrolled as undergraduates or graduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. IRES projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the IRES program.


NSFCIO
Other NSF: Crosscutting & Interdisciplinary Opportunities

 

For assistance, please contact:

Erin Cromack
Senior Research Development Officer

Jennifer Corby
Research Development Officer
jcorby@fas.harvard.edu | 617-495-1590


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