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The Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) program supports the investigation of problems at the Chemistry-Biology interface in which the primary approach or tools employed are those of chemistry. The fundamental examination of mechanisms, dynamics, recognition and structure/function relationships at the molecular level is at the core of the CLP program. Projects that integrate experimental and theoretical chemical approaches into studies of biomolecules or biomolecular processes in the domain of proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids will be considered. The use of small molecules such as ligands, inhibitors, signal transducers or molecular beacons to interrogate biological systems is a characteristic mode of inquiry for CLP investigators. The program also welcomes the application of computational and spectroscopic methods to examine Nature's macromolecular machinery and processes. Appropriate areas of inquiry include, but are not limited to, peptide design, protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions, post-translational modification alternative base pairs, epigenetics, signal and energy transduction pathways, and molecular definition of emerging "codes" such as those associated with glycomics and histones. Mechanisms of enzyme and metalloenzyme activity, ribozyme and/or riboswitch function and of DNA damage and covalent modification are also central themes in the program. Proposals that predominantly utilize biological tools or techniques may be more appropriate for the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB). Proposals that address biomedical problems may be more appropriate for the National Institutes of Health or other health-directed funding agencies.

For Fiscal Year 2015, the Advanced Energy Systems (AES) Program will solicit proposals under this Funding Opportunity Announcement for support of the Gasification Systems technology area. There will be a total of two Areas of Interest. The AES Program is pursuing research and development to (1) accelerate in-situ bio-gasification of coal seams with a goal of creating methane at a lower cost than typical U.S. natural gas recovery systems; and (2) produce oxygen for use in coal gasification processes at a significantly lower cost than that of the commercial state of the art technology.

The Hydrologic Sciences Program focuses on the fluxes of water in the environment that constitute the water cycle as well as the mass and energy transport function of the water cycle in the environment.  The Program supports studying processes from rainfall to runoff to infiltration and streamflow; evaporation and transpiration; as well as the flow of water in soils and aquifers and the transport of suspended, dissolved and colloidal components.  Water is seen as the mode of coupling among various components of the environment and emphasis is placed on how the coupling is enabled by the water cycle and how it functions as a process.  The Hydrologic Sciences Program retains a strong focus on linking the fluxes of water and the components carried by water across the boundaries between various interacting components of the terrestrial system and the mechanisms by which these fluxes co-organize over a variety of timescales and/or alter the fundamentals of the interacting components.  The Program is also interested in how water interacts with the solid phase, the landscape and the ecosystem as well as how such interactions and couplings are altered by land use and climate change.  Studies may address aqueous geochemistry and solid phase interactions as well as physical, chemical, and biological processes as coupled to water transport. These studies commonly involve expertise from basic sciences and mathematics, and proposals may require joint review with related programs.  The Hydrologic Sciences Program will also consider some synthesis activities.

The goal of the Catalysis and Biocatalysis program is to drive innovation in the production of the myriad of goods and services that are derived from catalyst-driven reactions.  Research in this program encompasses a blend of fundamental, engineering research drivers that are interdisciplinary in nature.  Studies should focus on the catalysis of one or more use-inspired chemical reactions with products including fuels, energy, feedstocks, fine chemicals, bulk chemicals and specialized materials.  While proposals will be accepted in any of the above areas, an emphasis will be placed on proposals addressing the significant existing challenges in producing products for the service of mankind.

The Environmental Engineering program supports fundamental research and educational activities across the broad field of environmental engineering.  The goal of this program is to encourage transformative research which applies scientific and engineering principles to avoid or minimize solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges, resulting from human activity, into land, inland and coastal waters, and air, while promoting resource and energy conservation and recovery.  The program also fosters cutting-edge scientific research for identifying, evaluating, and monitoring the waste assimilative capacity of the natural environment and for removing or reducing contaminants from polluted air, water, and soils.

This program will investigate the base of the Selawik River basin aquatic food web, and link it to the anticipated increase in terrestrial inputs of carbon and nitrogen to the aquatic ecosystem as a result of climate change. The main objectives are: 1) assess the quality and quantity of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC), organic and inorganic nitrogen, and phosphorus released with increased soil thaw depth during spring and early summer, and its entry to the aquatic ecosystem; 2) quantify change in aquatic microbial, mainly bacterial, respiration and production rates with change in DOC quality and quantity; and 3) examine how change in terrestrial DOC and nitrogen inputs to the aquatic ecosystem might alter the rate of phytoplankton primary production, the community composition, and energy (lipid) content.

CHE supports a large and vibrant research community engaged in fundamental discovery, invention, and innovation in the chemical sciences. The projects supported by CHE explore the frontiers of chemical science, develop the foundations for future technologies and industries that meet changing societal needs, and prepare the next generation of chemical researchers. Some of the areas supported by CHE include: designing, synthesizing and characterizing new molecules, catalysts, surfaces, and nanostructures - especially those with a focus on sustainability; increasing our fundamental understanding of chemical species and their chemical transformations, kinetics, and thermodynamics; developing new tools and novel instrumentation for chemical discovery, including those in sensing, communication, and data discovery science where increasing volumes and varieties of data are harnessed to advance innovation; determining structure-function relationships in biological systems and contributing to our understanding of the fundamental rules of life; observing, manipulating, and controlling the behavior of matter and energy in nanometer dimensions such as the quantum regime; understanding chemical processes in the environment; and solving complex chemical problems by the development of new theories, computations, models, and tools, including the synergistic combination of multiple types of instruments.

Our client is developing high energy density lithium-ion batteries based around novel materials. In a conventional li-ion battery, the materials which are typically used to make the battery electrodes contain all the lithium required for the battery to work at its best. However, the new materials that our client would like to use for their electrodes do not contain lithium in their current form.

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals for its Preclinical Drug Discovery program. Through the program, grants of up to $600,000 over two years will be awarded to promising preclinical drug discovery programs relevant to Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and cognitive aging. Preclinical research funding priorities include high throughput screening, medicinal chemistry hit-to-lead development and optimization, in vitro and in vivo efficacy studies, ADME, toxicology, pharma-cokinetics and pharma-co-dynamics, and in vivo proof-of-concept with lead compounds and biologics. Program areas of particular interest include new chemical compounds for Alzheimer's disease, preclinical proof-of-concept, and re-purposing. With regards to potential drug targets, ADDF is interested in novel targets that include but are not limited to neuro-inflammation, protein degradation/autophagy, growth factor signaling, synaptic function/morphology, calcium regulation, energy utilization/mitochondria function, insulin sensitivity, epigenetics, ApoE function and cholesterol metabolism, vascular injury and the blood-brain barrier interface, cognitive enhancers, myelin changes, ischemia and oxidative stress, and tau-related toxicities. To be eligible, applicants must be academic investigators seeking to create and support innovative translational programs in academic medical centers and universities; biotechnology companies with programs dedicated to Alzheimer's disease translational development; and new biotechnology company spinouts or existing biotechnology companies that demonstrate a clear need for nonprofit funding. Funding is provided through program-related investments (PRIs) that require a return on investment based on scientific and/or business milestones.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is interested in receiving white papers and proposals in support of advancing high temperature superconducting wire technology for future naval applications. Work under this program will consist of basic and applied research, and it will be funded under Budget Activity 1 and 2 (as defined in DoD Financial Management Regulation Vol. 2B, Ch. 5). The overall S&T effort is envisioned to be conducted at the TRL 1-3 stage. The overall objective of this program is to advance the state of art characteristics of high temperature superconductors to support applications demanding power delivery, pulsed current delivery, AC and DC magnetic fields, and magnetic energy storage.

Description: The Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS) Program supports innovative research in circuit and system hardware and signal processing techniques. CCSS also supports system and network architectures for communications and sensing to enable the next-generation cyber-physical systems (CPS) that leverage computation, communication, and sensing integrated with physical domains. CCSS invests in micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), physical, chemical, and biological sensing systems, neurotechnologies, and communication & sensing circuits and systems. The goal is to create new complex and hybrid systems ranging from nano- to macro-scale with innovative engineering principles and solutions for a variety of applications including but not limited to healthcare, medicine, environmental and biological monitoring, communications, disaster mitigation, homeland security, intelligent transportation, manufacturing, energy, and smart buildings. CCSS encourages research proposals based on emerging technologies and applications for communications and sensing such as high-speed communications of terabits per second and beyond, sensing and imaging covering microwave to terahertz frequencies, personalized health monitoring and assistance, secured wireless connectivity and sensing for the Internet of Things, and dynamic-data-enabled autonomous systems through real-time sensing and learning.

The Office of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, under Defense Programs within the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), announce their interest in receiving grant applications for new or renewal awards for research in the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances (SSAA) Program. The SSAA Program, established in 2002, was developed to support state-of-the-art research at U.S. academic institutions in areas of fundamental physical science and technology of relevance to the Stockpile Stewardship Program mission, with a focus on those areas not supported by other federal agencies. For purposes of this FOA, the research areas of interest are: properties of materials under extreme conditions and/or hydrodynamics (condensed matter physics and materials science, and fluid dynamics); low energy nuclear science; and radiochemistry.

The Molecular Separations program is part of the Chemical Process Systems cluster, which also includes 1) Catalysis; 2) Electrochemical Systems; and 3) Process Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamics. The Molecular Separations program supports research focused on novel methods and materials for separation processes, such as those central to the chemical, biochemical, bioprocessing, materials, energy, and pharmaceutical industries. A fundamental understanding of the interfacial, transport, and thermodynamic behavior of multiphase chemical systems as well as quantitative descriptions of processing characteristics in the process-oriented industries is critical for efficient resource management and effective environmental protection. The program encourages proposals that address long standing challenges and emerging research areas and technologies, have a high degree of interdisciplinary work coupled with the generation of fundamental knowledge, and the integration of education and research. Research topics of particular interest include fundamental, molecular-level work.

The Process Systems, Reaction Engineering and Molecular Thermodynamics program is part of the Chemical Process Systems cluster, which also includes: 1) the Catalysis program; 2) the Electrochemical Systems program; and 3) the Interfacial Engineering program. The goal of the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering and Molecular Thermodynamics program is to advance fundamental engineering research on the rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions, systems engineering and molecular thermodynamics as they relate to the design and optimization of chemical reactors and the production of specialized materials that have important impacts on society. The program supports the development of advanced optimization and control algorithms for chemical processes, molecular and multi-scale modeling of complex chemical systems, fundamental studies on molecular thermodynamics, and the integration of this information into the design of complex chemical reactors. An important area supported by the program focuses on the development of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly chemical processes and materials. Proposals should focus on: · Chemical reaction engineering: This area encompasses the interaction of transport phenomena and kinetics in reactive systems and the use of this knowledge in the design of complex chemical reactors. Focus areas include novel reactor designs, such as catalytic and membrane reactors, micro-reactors, and atomic layer deposition systems; studies of reactions in supercritical fluids; novel activation techniques, such as plasmas, acoustics, and microwaves; design of multifunctional systems, such as "chemical-factory/lab-on-a-chip" concepts; and biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals. The program also supports new approaches that enable the design of modular chemical manufacturing systems.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Divisions of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS), Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF), Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB), and Materials Research (DMR) announces a follow-up solicitation on the Semiconductor Synthetic Biology for Information Storage and Retrieval Program (SemiSynBio-II).  Future ultra-low energy storage-based computing systems can be built on principles derived from organic systems that are at the intersection of physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and engineering.  Next-generation information storage technologies can be envisioned that are driven by biological principles and use biomaterials in the fabrication of devices and systems that can store data for more than 100 years with storage capacity 1,000 times more than current storage technologies.  Such a research effort can have a significant impact on the future of information storage and retrieval technologies. This focused solicitation seeks high-risk/high-return interdisciplinary research on novel concepts and enabling technologies that will address the fundamental scientific issues and technological challenges associated with the underpinnings of synthetic biology integrated with semiconductor technology. This research will foster interactions among various disciplines including biology, physics, chemistry, materials science, computer science and engineering that will enable in heretofore unanticipated breakthroughs.

Future ultra-low-energy computing, storage and signal-processing systems can be built on principles derived from organic systems that are at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and engineering. New information technologies can be envisioned that are based on biological principles and that use biomaterials in the fabrication of devices and components; it is anticipated that these information technologies could enable stored data to be retained for more than 100 years and storage capacity to be 1,000 times greater than current capabilities. These could also facilitate compact computers that will operate with substantially lower power than today's computers. Research in support of these goals can have a significant impact on advanced information processing and storage technologies. This focused solicitation seeks high-risk/high-return interdisciplinary research on novel concepts and enabling technologies that will address the scientific issues and technological challenges associated with the underpinnings of synthetic biology integrated with semiconductor technology. This research will foster interactions among various disciplines including biology, engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science, computer science, and information science that will enable heretofore-unanticipated breakthroughs as well as meet educational goals.

NineSigma, representing a Fortune 500 global energy and chemical manufacturer, invites proposals for innovative technologies capable of recovering and re-purposing low grade heat waste generated by their crude oil refinery and petrochemical operations.

The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation is inviting applications for its Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry, which provides a principal investigator with an award of $120,000 over two years to appoint a postdoctoral fellow in environmental chemistry. The program aims to support innovative fundamental research in the chemical sciences or engineering related to the environment. Examples include but are not limited to the chemistry associated with the climate, the atmosphere, aquatic or marine settings, toxicology, soil, or groundwater. Also of interest are chemistry-related energy research (renewable sources, sequestration, etc.), and new or green approaches to chemical synthesis and processing, both with a clearly stated relation to the environment.

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN), Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control (DNN NPAC) is soliciting applications for the program studies, training and outreach needs described herein. The mission of DNN NPAC is to prevent proliferation, ensure peaceful nuclear uses, and enable verifiable nuclear reductions. DNN NPAC provides a comprehensive approach to strengthen nonproliferation and arms control regimes, achieving its mission through four subprograms: International Nuclear Safeguards; Nuclear Export Controls; Nuclear Verification; and, Nonproliferation Policy in order to fulfill this responsibility. Among its many activities, DNN NPAC sponsors program studies, domestic and international training, and outreach addressing International Nuclear Safeguards; domestic and international training, outreach, and program studies addressing Nuclear Controls; and, program studies addressing Nuclear Verification and Nonproliferation Policy. To meet its mission, DNN NPAC applies the broad base of U.S. technical expertise including that of other government agencies, the DOE/NNSA National Laboratories, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and industry. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits grant applications for full and open competition.

1. Lithium-ion Battery Safety. Safety concerns continue to hamper full adoption of lithium-ion batteries for defense systems, despite significant research investments by the government and the private sector. This Defense initiative will advance promising lithium-ion battery safety technologies at university research laboratories into early laboratory prototypes and potentially minimum viable products for adoption by the defense and commercial sectors via early startups, small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors. Specific technical areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: improved electrolytes; stable high-energy anodes and cathodes; cell components and structures that enhance safety and reliability (e.g. use of electrode coatings and electrolyte additives); safety optimization through battery and battery module design and packaging; and battery management and state of health techniques that prevent and/or mitigate catastrophic failure. 2. Electrical Grid Reliability, Resiliency and Security. Both the defense and commercial sectors recognize the ever-growing criticality to enhance electrical grid reliability, resiliency and security through innovation at the component and system levels. This Defense initiative will advance relevant electrical grid innovations at university research laboratories into early laboratory prototypes and potentially minimum viable products for adoption by the defense and commercial sectors via early startups, small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors. Specific technical areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: advanced electrical power generation, transmission and distribution hardware and software; physical cyber secured industrial controls hardware and software; effective control of microgrids supporting high-dynamic loads; electrical grid protocols and controls to maintain secured operations of critical infrastructure under adverse conditions; hardening of e