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The Acquisition Research Program (ARP) (www.acquisitionresearch.net) conducts and supports research in academic disciplines that bear on public procurement policy and management. These include economics, finance, financial management, information systems, organization theory, operations management, human resources management, risk management, and marketing, as well as the traditional public procurement areas such as contracting, program/project management, logistics, test and evaluation and systems engineering management. The ARP is interested in innovative proposals that will provide unclassified and non-proprietary findings suitable for publication in open scholarly literature. Studies of government processes, systems, or policies should also expand the body of knowledge and theory of processes, systems, or policies outside the government. The following research areas are of special interest: Leading-edge techniques in data collection, management, visual analytics and decision-making; Robust risk modeling techniques; Performance metrics and methodologies; Collaboration and cross-functional teams; and, Model-Based Acquisition. Offerors bear prime responsibility for the design, management, direction and conduct of research. Researchers should exercise judgment and original thought toward attaining the goals within broad parameters of the research areas proposed and the resources provided. Offerors are encouraged to be creative in the selection of the technical and management processes and approaches and consider the greatest and broadest impact possible.

This BAA's primary objective is to attract outstanding researchers and scholars who will investigate topics of interest to the defense acquisition community. The program solicits innovative proposals for defense acquisition management and policy research to be conducted for approximately a 12-month period during the September 2013 through May 2015 timeframe. In this BAA, the phrase "defense acquisition management and policy research" refers to investigations in all disciplines, fields, and domains that (1) are involved in the acquisition of products and/or services for national defense, or (2) could potentially be brought to bear to improve defense acquisition. These include but are not limited to economics, finance, financial management, information systems, organization theory, operations management, human resources management, and marketing, as well as the "traditional" acquisition areas such as contracting, program/project management, logistics, and systems engineering management. The proposed research must provide through the dissemination of findings in a final Technical Report a public benefit beyond the potential to improve the efficiency, quality, innovation, and/or cost of DoD and DoN acquisition programs. Findings, for instance, should also be potentially applicable to improving private-sector competitiveness or effectiveness.

The Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) in the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby invites applications for basic research that significantly advances management, analysis and visualization of data in disciplines supported by DOE in the context of emerging architectures for extreme scale computing platforms. The purpose of this announcement is to invite applications for basic computer science research on five major themes: 1. Usability and user interface design; 2. In situ methods for data management, analysis and visualization; 3. Design of in situ workflows to support data management, processing, analysis and visualization; 4. New approaches to scalable interactive visual analytic environments; and/or 5. Proxy applications or workflows and/or simulations for data management, analysis and visualization software to support co-design of extreme scale systems. The supported research will lay the foundation for building the software infrastructure to support scientific data management, analysis and visualization in the context of extreme scale computing.

The Farm Business Management and Benchmarking (FBMB) Competitive Grants Program provides funds for improving the farm management knowledge and skills of agricultural producers by maintaining and expanding a national, publicly available farm financial management database to support improved farm management.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage research to improve self-management and quality of life in children and adolescents with chronic conditions. Managing a chronic condition is an unremitting responsibility for children and their families. Children with a chronic condition and their families have a long-term responsibility for self-management. This FOA encourages research that takes into consideration various factors that influence self-management such as individual differences, biological and psychological factors, family/caregivers and sociocultural context, family-community dynamics, healthcare system factors, technological advances, and the role of the environment.

The principle purpose of this cooperative agreement is to support the use of the best available science, combined with engaging broad public partners, to inform the public, stakeholders, and the BLM on best management practices (BMPs) for implementing adaptive management techniques on public lands. Focus areas of the project include collecting and analyzing rangeland health and upland vegetation treatments data and providing outreach stakeholders on status and trends of resources and effectiveness of restoration efforts and BMPs on the management of working landscapes. Data collected from this cooperative agreement will be available to the public.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to invite applications for new applications for the Data Management and Coordinating Center (DMCC) for the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN). Each consortium within the RDCRN is intended to advance the diagnosis, management, and treatment of rare diseases. The DMCC will facilitate and support the activities of each Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (RDCRC) along with trans-network activities that broadly facilitate the advancement of rare disease research via four Cores; 1) Administrative; 2) Data Management; 3) Clinical Research and; 4) Engagement and Dissemination.

Recent advances in communications, computation, and sensing technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for the design of cyber-physical systems with increased responsiveness, interconnectivity and automation. To meet new challenges and societal needs, the Energy, Power, Control and Networks (EPCN) Program invests in systems and control methods for analysis and design of cyber-physical systems to ensure stability, performance, robustness, and security. Topics of interest include modeling, optimization, learning, and control of networked multi-agent systems, higher-level decision making, and dynamic resource allocation as well as risk management in the presence of uncertainty, sub-system failures and stochastic disturbances. EPCN also invests in adaptive dynamic programing, brain-like networked architectures performing real-time learning, and neuromorphic engineering. EPCN supports innovative proposals dealing with systems research in such areas as energy, transportation, and nanotechnology. EPCN places emphasis on electric power systems, including generation, transmission, storage, and integration of renewables; power electronics and drives; battery management systems; hybrid and electric vehicles; and understanding of the interplay of power systems with associated regulatory and economic structures and with consumer behavior. Also of interest are interdependencies of power and energy systems with other critical infrastructures. Topics of interest also include systems analysis and design for energy scavenging and alternate energy technologies such as solar, wind, and hydrokinetic. The program also supports innovative tools and test beds, as well as curriculum development integrating research and education. In addition to single investigator projects, EPCN encourages cross-disciplinary proposals that benefit from active collaboration of researchers with complementary skills.

Recent advances in communications, computation, and sensing technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for the design of cyber-physical systems with increased responsiveness, interconnectivity and automation. To meet new challenges and societal needs, the Energy, Power, Control and Networks (EPCN) Program invests in systems and control methods for analysis and design of cyber-physical systems to ensure stability, performance, robustness, and security. Topics of interest include modeling, optimization, learning, and control of networked multi-agent systems, higher-level decision making, and dynamic resource allocation as well as risk management in the presence of uncertainty, sub-system failures and stochastic disturbances. EPCN also invests in adaptive dynamic programing, brain-like networked architectures performing real-time learning, and neuromorphic engineering. EPCN supports innovative proposals dealing with systems research in such areas as energy, transportation, and nanotechnology. EPCN places emphasis on electric power systems, including generation, transmission, storage, and integration of renewables; power electronics and drives; battery management systems; hybrid and electric vehicles; and understanding of the interplay of power systems with associated regulatory and economic structures and with consumer behavior. Also of interest are interdependencies of power and energy systems with other critical infrastructures. Topics of interest also include systems analysis and design for energy scavenging and alternate energy technologies such as solar, wind, and hydrokinetic. The program also supports innovative tools and test beds, as well as curriculum development integrating research and education. In addition to single investigator projects, EPCN encourages cross-disciplinary proposals that benefit from active collaboration of researchers with complementary skills.

AR is an immersive technology which combines virtual computer-generated information with the real environment in the real-time performance, enhancing the user's perception of reality and enriching the provided information content. Such information can assist project managers and engineers with the delivery and accuracy of their construction projects, safer and in a timely manner resulting in greater efficiency. With the capability of navigating through all phases of a construction project, managers would be able to catch any errors or mistakes before they present themselves or change and augment the design and construction details. They may also be able to use these tools for training or project outreach. Considering its benefits and success in the entertainment and video game industries, leveraging AR could be the next big development in construction management of highway infrastructure assets.

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research "we, us, our, or AFOSR" manages the basic research investment for the U.S. Air Force. As a part of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), our technical experts discover, shape, and champion research within the Air Force Research Laboratory, universities, and industry laboratories to ensure the transition of research results to support U.S. Air Force needs. Using a carefully balanced research portfolio, our research managers seek to foster revolutionary scientific breakthroughs enabling the Air Force and U.S. industry to produce world-class, militarily significant, and commercially valuable products. Our focus is on research areas that offer significant and comprehensive benefits to our national warfighting and peacekeeping capabilities. These areas are organized and managed in two scientific Branches:  Engineering and Information Sciences (RTA) Physical and Biological Sciences (RTB)

NIST is soliciting applications from eligible institutions of higher education in the U.S. and its territories that offer two- or four- year degrees in academic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, which include but are not limited to biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical sciences, physics, and statistics, to establish and manage a program to support collaborative research relationships among NIST staff, undergraduate and graduate students, individuals with bachelor's or master's degrees, post-doctoral fellows, and academic affiliates, and the PREP researchers' academic institutions. These collaborative relationships will include research opportunities at the relevant NIST campuses in Boulder, Colorado (CO) (PREP Boulder), or Gaithersburg, Maryland (MD), and/or Charleston, South Carolina (SC) (PREP Gaithersburg). Eligible applicants may apply to establish and manage a PREP Boulder program or a PREP Gaithersburg program or may apply to establish and manage programs for both.

The MPS DC is expected to be the central clearinghouse for TC data management, and will incorporate novel approaches and technologies for data management, data mining and meta-analyses, and data sharing across many organs and tissues, diseases, data types, and TC platforms. The MPS Data center is expected to provide different levels of public and tiered access to TC information for basic and clinical researchers, academic and practicing physicians, the pharmaceutical industry, NIH, FDA and other government agencies, patients, and the lay public. The MPS Data Center will work with IQ Consortium members to develop and make available a secure, customizable coordinated data management system for collection, storage, and analyses of diverse data types from multiple TC platforms being developed and used for drug screening, safety and efficacy testing.

This FOA has two main objectives: 1) to conduct research on terabit data-aware network technologies and storage system management to address scientific Big Data infrastructure challenges, a nd 2) to explore innovative theoretical frameworks, network-aware data management concepts, and storage system performance optimization models that will improve our understanding of how complex heterogeneous massive data sets should be organized, stored, and shared.

The NIDCR-funded FaceBase Consortium (www.facebase.org) was established in 2009 to advance craniofacial research by creating comprehensive datasets on craniofacial development and dysmorphologies and disseminating them to the wider craniofacial research community. Operationally, the Consortium links individual spoke projects, each creating and contributing individual datasets, analytic tools, and other resources to a central data management and integration hub which, in turn, disseminates them publicly. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits grant applications for the role of the FaceBase data management and integration hub. As the Consortiums public face, the hub is charged with the critical functions of collecting datasets and analytic tools developed by the spoke projects, curating and integrating those resources, and disseminating them to the wider research community through the FaceBase website. The hub is expected to work closely with the spoke projects in developing efficient processes for depositing and organizing data, to lead the Consortium in the development of sophisticated methodologies for searching and visualizing integrated FaceBase data, and to coordinate Consortium-wide activities such as working group and Steering Committee meetings, and the annual Consortium-wide meeting.

Computational approaches play a central role in understanding and advancing sustainability.  CyberSEES supports research on all sustainability topics that depend on advances in computational areas including optimization, modeling, simulation, prediction, and inference; large-scale data management and analytics; advanced sensing techniques; human computer interaction and social computing; infrastructure design, control and management; and intelligent systems and decision-making. Additionally, the widespread, intensive use of computing technologies also introduces sustainability challenges and motivates new approaches across the lifecycle of technology design and use.

The overarching goal of INFEWS is to catalyze well-integrated interdisciplinary and convergent research to transform scientific understanding of the FEW nexus (integrating all three components rather than addressing them separately), in order to improve system function and management, address system stress, increase resilience, and ensure sustainability. The NSF INFEWS initiative is designed specifically to attain the following goals: 1. Significantly advance our understanding of the food-energy-water system through quantitative, predictive and computational modeling, including support for relevant cyberinfrastructure; 2. Develop real-time, cyber-enabled interfaces that improve understanding of the behavior of FEW systems and increase decision support capability; 3. Enable research that will lead to innovative solutions to critical FEW systems problems; and 4. Grow the scientific workforce capable of studying and managing the FEW system, through education and other professional development opportunities.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to strengthen capabilities of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and District Health Teams (DHTs) to conduct the following activities: (1) monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of HIV program including service quality assessment, (2) district led HIV programming (DLP); (3) conducting population case-based surveillance, and lastly (4) strengthening the Ministry of Health (MOH)-owned national Health Management Information System (HMIS), to generate timely, valid, consistent and complete data. This FOA is part of the PEPFAR overall sustainability plan and transition of HIV/AIDS monitoring and evaluation into the primary national health care system towards alignment to the national HIV/AIDS M&E framework and achievement of one national M&E system. The FOA also supports the PEPFAR implementation of a sustainability plan and investments in public health systems, quality improvement, and public health workforce development. At the end of the project, the main expected outcomes include increased use of information for evidence-based decision making, effective health programming at the district levels, and a well-functioning Health Management Information System. All the data collection and reporting activities will emphasize maintaining patients' and participants' confidentiality by treating information that they disclose in a relationship of trust. All of the information provided by patients/participants will be kept confidential and secure in locked rooms/drawers with limited access. Any data analyses will be conducted after all personal identifying information have been removed from electronic datasets.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) addresses the strong need for an electronic repository system in Rwanda. The system will be a web-based monitoring and reporting system to be used by all USG PEPFAR-funded agencies and implementing partners operating in the country, including the Rwandan Ministry of Health, the Rwanda Biomedical Center, and other PEPFAR implementing partners. An initial assessment of the existing electronic system will provide insights on whether or not maintenance, upgrade, or the development of a new platform will address the needs of PEPFAR Rwanda. A flexible and stable platform is needed and will serve as the unique repository of PEPFAR Rwanda program data at the country level. It will be used to generate PEPFAR periodic reports, including the semi-annual and annual progress reports and additional ad hoc requests. The purpose of this FOA is to develop a new system or upgrade and maintain the existing web-based reporting system that has been in place since 2008 and build local capacity within the USG team to manage and maintain the system. The system should include automated checks for data quality. In doing so, the system will add new functionality (e.g., dashboard to easily view achievement of indicators, etc.) as well as add additional data variables to be used for HIV program planning and implementation. The Division of HIV/AIDS at the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) will be one of the major users of the data stored and managed on the system, and the successful applicant will be expected to work closely with this division to refine some of the data elements collected to ensure harmonization with the national system.

Cyberspace has transformed the daily lives of people. Society's overwhelming reliance on cyberspace, however, has exposed its fragility and vulnerabilities: corporations, agencies, national infrastructure and individuals continue to suffer cyber-attacks. Achieving a truly secure cyberspace requires addressing both challenging scientific and engineering problems involving many components of a system, and vulnerabilities that stem from human behaviors and choices. Examining the fundamentals of security and privacy as a multidisciplinary subject can lead to fundamentally new ways to design, build and operate cyber systems, protect existing infrastructure, and motivate and educate individuals about cybersecurity. The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2018, authorizes the National Science Foundation, in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Homeland Security, to offer a scholarship program to recruit and train the next generation of information technology professionals, industry control system security professionals and security managers to meet the needs of the cybersecurity mission for federal, state, local, and tribal governments.

The Energy, Power, Control, andNetworks (EPCN) Program supports innovative research in modeling, optimization, learning, adaptation, and control of networked multi-agent systems, higher-level decision making, and dynamic resource allocation, as well as risk management in the presence of uncertainty, sub-system failures, and stochastic disturbances. EPCN also invests in novel machine learning algorithms and analysis, adaptive dynamic programming, brain-like networked architectures performing real-time learning, and neuromorphic engineering. EPCN’s goal is to encourage research on emerging technologies and applications including energy, transportation, robotics, and biomedical devices & systems. EPCN also emphasizes electric power systems, including generation, transmission, storage, and integration of renewable energy sources into the grid; power electronics and drives; battery management systems; hybrid and electric vehicles; and understanding of the interplay of power systems with associated regulatory & economic structures and with consumer behavior.