The Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering (BBBE) program supports fundamental engineering research that advances the understanding of cellular and biomolecular processes (in vivo, in vitro, and/or ex vivo) and eventually leads to the development of enabling technology and/or applications in support of the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and bioenergy industries, or with applications in health or the environment.  Quantitative assessments of bioprocesses are considered vital to successful research projects in the BBBE program.  Fundamental to many research projects in this area is the understanding of how biomolecules and cells interact in their environment, and how those molecular level interactions lead to changes in structure, function, phenotype, and/or behavior.  The program encourages proposals that address emerging research areas and technologies that effectively integrate knowledge and practices from different disciplines, and effectively incorporate ongoing research into educational activities. Research projects of particular interest in BBBE include, but are not limited to: Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology Quantitative systems biotechnology Tissue engineering and stem cell culture technologies Protein engineering/protein design Development of novel "omics" tools for biotechnology applications

Due to the ubiquitous presence of catalysis in the many aspects of goods and services impacting our lives, the Catalysis and Biocatalysis program has many potential directions for funding support.  Programs in this area encompass a blend of fundamental and innovative applied research drivers.  All programs are hypothesis-driven, and the experimental programs aimed at resolving the issues frequently combine a variety of approaches.  Chemical engineering and chemistry are intertwined.  Proposals which receive funding in this Program may include any number of the following broad scopes: Catalyst Synthesis, Characterization, Behavior and Performance Kinetics and Mechanisms of Key Catalytic Reactions Catalysis at Surfaces or in Reactor Process Streams Synthesis and Fabrication of Component Materials and Catalyst Composites Modeling and Fundamental Studies of a Catalyst or Catalytic Process Catalysts and Studies for Renewable Energy Systems. These approaches apply equally to classical inorganic or carbon catalysts as well as to enzymatic or biocatalysts.  Specialized materials synthesis procedures may be necessary to provide active catalysts in any of the studies.  Applications-driven studies, such as Biomass conversion catalysis, Electrocatalysis and Photocatalysis, involving energy interconversion devices or systems employing catalysts are highly desired.

The Process and Reaction Engineering program supports fundamental and applied research on: Rates and mechanisms of important classes of catalyzed and uncatalyzed chemical reactions as they relate to the design, production, and application of catalysts, chemical processes, biochemical processes, and specialized materials Chemical and biochemical phenomena occurring at or near solid surfaces and interfaces Electrochemical and photochemical processes of engineering significance or with commercial potential Design and optimization of complex chemical and biochemical processes Dynamic modeling and control of process systems and individual process units Reactive processing of polymers, ceramics, and thin films Interactions between chemical reactions and transport processes in reactive systems, and the use of this information in the design of complex chemical and biochemical reactors  Recent emphasis on the development of sustainable energy technologies means that the support of projects on the processing aspects of chemical systems that further such technologies have high priority when funding decisions are made. Areas that focus on reactors of all types - fuel cells, batteries, microreactors, biochemical reactors, etc.; reactor design in general; and design and control of all systems associated with energy from renewable sources, have high priority for funding.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to enhance opportunities for collaborative activities between U.S. and foreign investigators. To realize this goal, the Division of Chemistry at NSF has partnered with the Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung  (Austrian Science Fund) of Austria (FWF), the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo), Brazil (FAPESP), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (National Agency for Research) of France (ANR), the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the National Research Foundation of Korea (NFR), the Fonds National de la Recherche (National Research Fund) of Luxembourg (FNR), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC).  The NSF Division of Chemistry will accept collaborative research proposals in basic research in chemistry, written in English, which establish bilateral collaborations between US investigators and investigators from the countries listed above. 

The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation supports emeritus faculty who maintain active research programs with undergraduates in the chemical sciences. The Senior Scientist Mentor Program provides an award of $20,000 over two years for undergraduate stipends and modest research support. Successful applicants are expected to be closely engaged in a mentoring relationship with undergraduate students. The evaluation will be based on both an assessment of the research proposed and the plans for undergraduate participation in the research. An applicant's history of mentoring undergraduates is favorably viewed. 

The Chemical and Biological Separations (CBS) program supports fundamental research on novel methods and materials for separation processes.  These processes are central to the chemical, biochemical, 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 emerging research areas and technologies, have a high degree of interdisciplinary thought coupled with knowledge creation, and integrate education and research.

The AACR and its Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group established this award in 2007 to recognize the importance of chemistry to advancements in cancer research. The award will be given for outstanding, novel and significant chemistry research, which has led to important contributions to the fields of basic cancer research, translational cancer research, cancer diagnosis, the prevention of cancer or the treatment of patients with cancer. Such research may include, but is not limited to, drug discovery and design; structural biology; proteomics, metabolomics and biological mass spectrometry; chemical aspects of carcinogenesis; imaging agents and radiotherapeutics; and chemical biology. The winner of the Eighth Annual AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research will give a 50-minute lecture during the AACR Annual Meeting 2014 in San Diego, CA, USA (April 5-9, 2014), receive a commemorative award, a $10,000 honorarium, and receive support for the winner and a spouse to attend the Annual Meeting.

The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program is intended to provide research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of 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.

Scientific advances such as genomics, quantitative structural biology, imaging techniques, and modeling of complex systems have created opportunities for exciting research careers at the interface between the physical/computational sciences and the biological sciences. Tackling key problems in biology will require scientists trained in areas such as chemistry, physics, applied mathematics, computer science, and engineering. Recognizing the vital role such cross-trained scientists will play in furthering biomedical science, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund has developed the Career Awards at the Scientific Interface. These grants are intended to foster the early career development of researchers who have transitioned or are transitioning from undergraduate and/or graduate work in the physical/mathematical/computational sciences or engineering into postdoctoral work in the biological sciences, and who are dedicated to pursuing a career in academic research. Candidates are expected to draw from their training in a scientific field other than biology to propose innovative approaches to answer important questions in the biological sciences.

The Program is pleased to announce that it is seeking proposals for funding to support forensic and biometric research and its application. The requested proposals should focus on DFBA activities and needs of the Program's other customers (AFMES, DC3, JPAC-CIL). Forensic research proposals should focus on the creation of new and improved field or laboratory functional capabilities that result in faster, more robust, more informative, less costly, or less labor-intensive recognition, identification, collection, preservation, and/or analysis of forensic evidence. Biometric research proposals should contribute to biometric applications or operations, including military functions such as combat identification (friend, foe, or neutral), offensive operations (intelligence support to targeting), force protection (physical access control), detention operations, civil-military operations (track target members of a population), personnel recovery and identification, and recognition and recovery of human remains. Proposals that will assist the DoD in achieving these goals are solicited, particularly proposals involving the development of equipment that is portable, sustainable, and useful in an expeditionary or field environment. The expeditionary and field environments require systems that are lightweight, portable, inexpensive, fast, and capable of operating in extreme environments of temperature, dust, humidity, etc. The systems must also be capable of secure data communications.

The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemical components, reaction mechanisms, and geochemical pathways within the ocean and at its interfaces with the solid earth and the atmosphere. Major emphases include:  studies of material inputs to and outputs from marine waters; orthochemical and biological production and transformation of chemical compounds and phases within the marine system; and the determination of reaction rates and study of equilibria. The Program encourages research into the chemistry, distribution, and fate of inorganic and organic substances introduced into or produced within marine environments including those from estuarine waters to the deep sea.

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; the elimination of waste products and enhancement 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 scalable-manufactured materials with improved properties.

The goal of research funded under the interdisciplinary P2C2 solicitation is to utilize key geological, chemical, atmospheric (gas in ice cores), and biological records of climate system variability to provide insights into the mechanisms and rate of change that characterized Earth's past climate variability, the sensitivity of Earth's climate system to changes in forcing, and the response of key components of the Earth system to these changes. Important scientific objectives of P2C2 are to: 1) provide comprehensive paleoclimate data sets that can serve as model test data sets analogous to instrumental observations; and 2) enable transformative syntheses of paleoclimate data and modeling outcomes to understand the response of the longer-term and higher magnitude variability of the climate system that is observed in the geological and cryospheric records.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to enhance opportunities for collaborative activities between U.S. and foreign investigators. To realize this goal, the Division of Chemistry at NSF has partnered with the Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Austrian Science Fund) of Austria (FWF), the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo), Brazil (FAPESP), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (National Agency for Research) of France (ANR), the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the National Research Foundation of Korea (NFR), the Fonds National de la Recherche (National Research Fund) of Luxembourg (FNR), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC). The NSF Division of Chemistry will accept collaborative research proposals in basic research in chemistry, written in English, which establish bilateral collaborations between US investigators and investigators from the countries listed above.

Candidates must hold a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in chemistry, computational or evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, ocean sciences (including marine biology), physics, or a related field; Candidates must hold a tenure track (or equivalent) position at a college, university or other degree-granting institution in the United States or Canada;  Candidates must normally be no more than six years from completion of their most recent Ph.D. (or equivalent) as of the year of their nomination.  (That is, most recent Ph.D. must have been awarded on or after September 2007.)** While Fellows are expected to be at an early stage of their research careers, there should be strong evidence of independent research accomplishments. Candidates in all fields are normally below the rank of associate professor and do not hold tenure, but these are not strict requirements. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation welcomes nominations of all candidates who meet the traditional high standards of this program, and strongly encourages the participation of women and members of underrepresented minority groups.

Eligible applicants are tenure-track faculty members at U.S. institutions whose primary appointment is in a department of astronomy, biochemistry, biophysics, chemistry, or physics, but not in a school of medicine or engineering. The department must grant both the BS/BA and Ph.D. For the 2013 proposal cycle, eligibility is limited to faculty members who started their first tenure-track position anytime in calendar year 2010.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to enhance opportunities for collaborative activities between U.S. and foreign investigators. To realize this goal, the Division of Chemistry at NSF has partnered with the Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Austrian Science Fund) of Austria (FWF), the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo), Brazil (FAPESP), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (National Agency for Research) of France (ANR), the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the National Research Foundation of Korea (NFR), the Fonds National de la Recherche (National Research Fund) of Luxembourg (FNR), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC). The NSF Division of Chemistry will accept collaborative research proposals in basic research in chemistry, written in English, which establish bilateral collaborations between US investigators and investigators from the countries listed above.

Research!America is pleased to announce an exciting new program to introduce and engage early-career scientists in research advocacy and science policy. The 2013 Research!America Advocacy Academy is a unique opportunity for postdoctoral fellows in the health and biomedical sciences to learn about how to best incorporate advocacy and effective communications into their role as a scientist. The 2013 class of up to 12 Research!America advocates will participate in a two-day Washington, DC, program from September 11-12, 2013. Participants will learn about the federal budget and appropriations process, tools for effective science communication and outreach as well as how to engage with elected representatives on scientific and research issues. The program includes visiting Capitol Hill to meet with policy makers and congressional staff members, providing participants with a first-hand experience advocating for health research. Rounding out this unique Washington experience, participants will attend Research!America's National Health Research Forum where top leaders in government, industry, academia and patient organizations engage in moderated conversations on issues of importance to the research ecosystem. Upon completion of the program, participants will become Science Advocates for Research!America. Advocates will remain engaged with Research!America staff, receive ongoing action alerts and learn about ways to involve their home institution's research community in effective science advocacy. All travel expenses (transportation, lodging and meals) will be provided and arranged by Research!America through an educational grant provided by Pfizer. This year's program is limited to 12 exceptional postdoctoral researchers with a dedicated interest in becoming active advocates for science.

CAREER: The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from junior faculty members at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply.

The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter is to advise you about funding opportunities at the National Science Foundation for the research community to propose research projects or workshops that will gather data on the implementation and impacts of recent science policy initiatives including, but not limited to those noted earlier.  Especially encouraged are proposals that will: Develop new, or improve existing, analytical frameworks for evaluating the impacts of federal science policy initiatives; Explore different agencies' approaches to the implementation of particular policies to examine how variations in approach affect the achievement of intended policy outcomes; Collect case-study or quantitative data that facilitate identification of best practices in science and innovation policy implementation.