OARS funding Economics

The Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) seeks to develop user-friendly large-scale next-generation data resources and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research in SBE areas of study. Successful proposals will, within the financial resources provided by the award, construct such databases and/or relevant analytic techniques and produce a finished product that will enable new types of data-intensive research. The databases or techniques should have significant impacts, either across multiple fields or within broad disciplinary areas, by enabling new types of data-intensive research in the SBE sciences. Human Networks and Data Science (HNDS) is a two-track program. It supports research and infrastructure that uses data science to advance understanding of a full range of human networks. HNDS research will identify ways in which dynamic, distributed, and heterogeneous data can provide novel answers to fundamental questions about individual and group behavior. HNDS is especially interested in proposals that leverage data-rich insights about human networks to support improved health, prosperity, and security.

Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2) funds research projects that identify (1) factors that are effective in the formation of ethical STEM researchers and (2) approaches to developing those factors in all STEM fields that NSF supports. ER2 solicits proposals for research that explores the following: 'What constitutes responsible conduct for research (RCR), and which cultural and institutional contexts promote ethical STEM research and practice and why?' Do certain labs have a 'culture of academic integrity'? What practices contribute to the establishment and maintenance of ethical cultures and how can these practices be transferred, extended to, and integrated into other research and learning settings?' Factors one might consider include: honor codes, professional ethics codes and licensing requirements, an ethic of service and/or service learning, life-long learning requirements, curricula or memberships in organizations (e.g. Engineers without Borders) that stress responsible conduct for research, institutions that serve under-represented groups, institutions where academic and research integrity are cultivated at multiple levels, institutions that cultivate ethics across the curriculum, or programs that promote group work, or do not grade. Successful proposals typically have a comparative dimension, either between or within institutional settings that differ along these or among other factors, and they specify plans for developing interventions that promote the effectiveness of identified factors.

For this grant period, consideration will be given to project proposals focusing on the following themes: · Regional and Trans-Atlantic Cooperation · Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Economic Reform, Promotion of Trade, Women in STEAM · International Security, Counter Terrorism, and Defense Issues · Energy Security and Diversification · Digitalization, Cyber Security, and Artificial Intelligence · Countering Corruption, Good Governance, Strengthening Rule of Law, and Transparency · Independent Media and Investigative Journalism · Human Rights (to include tolerance, respect for diversity, and support for historically marginalized communities.) · Youth Engagement, Volunteerism, and Active Citizenship · Environmental Preservation and Sustainability What are we looking for in a proposal? · Programs that build and enhance relationships between Slovenia and the United States through bilateral cooperation, highlight shared values, and promote mutual understanding. · Sustainable projects with strong merit and clearly defined goals and outcomes. · Projects that include acknowledgement of U.S. Embassy support and a plan to amplify our cooperation via traditional or digital media.

The challenge is looking for proven, data-driven solutions that are ready to serve as a model for and be replicated in communities across the United States. Winning solutions should demonstrate a powerful strategy that can change lives and permanently remove key barriers to economic opportunity have the track record, experience, partnerships, and resources to create lasting change, as well as an evidence-based approach to scaling their impact.

Under this NOFO, EDA solicits applications from applicants in rural and urban areas to provide investments that support construction, non-construction, technical assistance, and revolving loan fund projects under EDA's Public Works and EAA programs. Grants and cooperative agreements made under these programs are designed to leverage existing regional assets and support the implementation of economic development strategies that advance new ideas and creative approaches to advance economic prosperity in distressed communities. EDA provides strategic investments on a competitive- merit-basis to support economic development, foster job creation, and attract private investment in economically distressed areas of the United States.

The U.S. Embassy in Australia announces an open competition for organizations and individuals to submit applications to carry out programs that strengthen support for the unbreakable U.S.-Australia alliance, raise awareness about joint economic partnerships, and promote shared interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Applications should include an American element or connection with an American expert, organization, or institution.

The goal of this challenge is to elevate diverse voices that can help broaden the conversation about the issues inhibiting economic mobility and generate deeper awareness and actionable understanding. Most Americans believe it is right to help others, so that they may have the opportunity to live healthy and productive lives. Yet skepticism exists about the efficacy of anti-poverty programs in the U.S. and deep-seated stereotypes remain about people experiencing poverty and who deserves to rise out of it. Many community practitioners and social movement leaders in the U.S. are already working to address this challenge. Still, there is a need for new ways of bringing personal stories to life to help others better understand why people fall into or remain hindered by barriers that impede their ability to advance and what the obstacles to building and maintaining economic security are.

The Science of Science:Discovery, Communication, and Impact (SoS:DCI) program is designed to increase the public value of scientific activity. The program pursues this goal by supporting basic research in three fundamental areas: How to increase the rate of socially beneficial discovery; How to improve science communication outcomes; and How to expand the societal benefits of scientific activity.

Over the last decade, SBE has actively encouraged and supported communities to develop visions, teams, and capabilities dedicated to the creation of new, large-scale, next-generation data resources and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research in the SBE sciences. This has been done both through the NSF 14-517 Building Community and Capacity for Data-Intensive Research in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences and in Education and Human Resources (BCC-SBE/EHR) competition and other mechanisms, such as NSF 17-594 Research Coordination Networks (RCNs). In 2015 SBE began the Resource Implementations for Data Intensive Research in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (RIDIR) competition. The current solicitation seeks to build upon those earlier efforts and extends the data infrastructure focus of the former RIDIR competition for the coming year.

The Conference on College Composition and Communication is inviting proposals for its Research Initiative, which is designed to advance the organization's mission to advocate for broad and evolving definitions of literacy, communication, rhetoric, and writing (including multi-modal discourse, digital communication, and diverse language practices) and empower individuals and communities through bold, creative research. Through the program, grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded in support of proposals designed to investigate key challenges faced by literacy, communication, rhetoric and writing instructors and administrators in their classrooms and programs. Proposals should directly address the impact that the research might have on disciplinary and public discourse about these topics and  convey results in at least two final products: one that is addressed to a scholarly audience of researchers and teachers in the field, and one for a clearly specified audience beyond those in the field.

The increasing shortage of affordable housing creates a multitude of economic issues, including the inability of households and individuals to establish financial stability and plan for the future. As housing costs consume a growing share of income, it forces decisions that make it virtually impossible to build credit and pay off student debt. To help address those issues, the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, is seeking solutions to expanding the stock of affordable rental units and plans to award grants totaling $3.75 million to thirty local housing nonprofit organizations to refurbish existing housing stock and create safe, healthy, and affordable rental units for families, individuals, the elderly, new Americans, veterans, the disabled, women, and youth.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) plays a leadership role in developing and implementing efforts to enhance and improve STEM education in the United States. Through the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) initiative, the agency continues to make a substantial commitment to the highest caliber undergraduate STEM education through a Foundation-wide framework of investments. The IUSE: EHR is a core NSF STEM education program that seeks to promote novel, creative, and transformative approaches to generating and using new knowledge about STEM teaching and learning to improve STEM education for undergraduate students. The program is open to application from all institutions of higher education and associated organizations. NSF places high value on educating students to be leaders and innovators in emerging and rapidly changing STEM fields as well as educating a scientifically literate public. In pursuit of this goal, IUSE: EHR supports projects that seek to bring recent advances in STEM knowledge into undergraduate education, that adapt, improve, and incorporate evidence-based practices into STEM teaching and learning, and that lay the groundwork for institutional improvement in STEM education. In addition to innovative work at the frontier of STEM education, this program also encourages replication of research studies at different types of institutions and with different student bodies to produce deeper knowledge about the effectiveness and transferability of findings.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters has released a solicitation, titled NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities - Fall 2020 (NSTGRO20), on September 5, 2019. The solicitation is available by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/, selecting "Solicitations," then selecting "Open Solicitations," and, finally, selecting "NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities - Fall 2020 (NSTGRO20)." Please note that this solicitation replaces the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) solicitation. NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) seeks to sponsor U.S. citizen, U.S. national, and permanent resident graduate student research that has significant potential to contribute to NASA's goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our Nation's science, exploration, and economic future. This call for graduate student research proposals solicits proposals on behalf of individuals pursuing or planning to pursue master's or doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees in relevant space technology disciplines at accredited U.S. universities (see solicitation for complete eligibility requirements). Recipients, referred to as NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers, will perform innovative space technology research and will improve America's technological competitiveness by providing the Nation with a pipeline of innovative space technologies.

The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. The IRES program contributes to development of a diverse, globally-engaged workforce with world-class skills. IRES focuses on active research participation by undergraduate or graduate students in high quality international research, education and professional development experiences in NSF-funded research areas. The overarching, long-term goal of the IRES program is to enhance U.S. leadership in research and education and to strengthen economic competitiveness through training the next generation of research leaders.

EDA announces general policies and application procedures for the Disaster Supplemental NOFO. Subject to the availability of funds, this investment assistance will help communities and regions devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects, as appropriate, to address economic challenges in areas where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was issued under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. § 5121 et seq.) (Stafford Act) "as a result of Hurricanes Florence, Michael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, and of wildfires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and other natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, and tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019...". To be competitive, applications must clearly incorporate principles for enhancing the resilience (as defined under Section A.4, below) of the relevant community/region or demonstrate the integration of resilience principles into the investment project itself. Resilience is an essential component of any strategy for mitigating the potential for future disaster-related losses and adverse economic impacts for communities. Therefore, inclusion of resilience principles in the project is a necessary step to improve the capacity of the region to recover more quickly from future disaster events. Applicants must include a narrative attachment as a part of their application materials, describing in detail the nexus between their proposed project scope of work and disaster recovery and resilience efforts. The strength of the nexus to the disaster is drawn from the consequences of the relevant disaster(s) and the intended project outcomes that fulfill the community's specific post-disaster needs.

In Addendum Number 03 to the Catalyzing Private Investment BAA, USAID seeks partners to research, design, develop, test and evaluate approaches for supporting USAID MBIOs to facilitate private-sector financing for development priorities. The objective is to expand and diversify the partner base that can facilitate testing and scaling of a variety of financing instruments, and meet a broad spectrum of financing needs in terms of transaction size and focus to support a country's journey to self-reliance.

The Institute for Research on Innovation and Science (IRIS) has issued a call for proposals for its 2020 Researcher Awards. IRIS seeks to enable fundamental research on the results of public and private investments that support discovery, innovation, and education on U.S. university campuses and accomplishes that goal by: 1) collecting and curating data from universities around the country; 2) cleaning, integrating, and protecting that data in its capacity as an IRB-approved data repository; 3) partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau to link university data to restricted federal micro-data; and 4) making the resulting datasets as broadly available to research users as the law and responsible research practice allow. Through the awards program, grants of up to $20,000 over up to fifteen months will be awarded in support of research using IRIS UMETRICS data to address questions about the social and economic returns to investments in research. Proposals submitted for IRIS Researcher Awards must emphasize the use of IRIS data in projects that address open issues in the study of science and technology and in science policy.

Project Description: TheU.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia announces an open competition fororganizations to submit applications to design and execute a program promotingthe benefits of U.S. economic engagement in Indonesia. The project will be used to tell a compellingstory of how cumulative U.S. economic engagement in Indonesia has benefittedindividuals, communities, and the nation as a whole. The project will include a messaging campaignthat highlights the positive aspects of the U.S.-Indonesia economicrelationship, including qualitative aspects such as: private sector human resources development,corporate anti-corruption programs and requirements, and voluntary technologytransfer and skills development efforts. The project will work with both anecdotal evidence and empirical data,including difficult to compile metrics and case studies, in support of theobjective of highlighting the quality of U.S. economic engagement. For the purposes of this grant, "economicengagement" includes trade, foreign direct investment, domestic sales, finance,and government revenue.

Programs supported through the initiative should be actively growing new speakers and have assessment and evaluation plans in place to identify progression in student Native language acquisition. Priority will be given to programs with long-term, community-based plans. Funding will support capacity-building activities designed to improve and enhance the program's ability to achieve its mission, which may include curriculum development, technology access, instructional courses and materials, mentorships, teacher training, and other kinds of organizational infrastructure To be eligible, programs must have an existing language-immersion program (one-year minimum), provide at least twenty hours per week for an entire school year of Native American language instruction, and serve a minimum of ten students between the ages of 3 and 22. See the First Nations website for program requirements and guidelines and a link to the application portal.

The BLM's Recreation and Visitor Services Program oversees a broad and complex set of recreation related programs, which provide a multitude of recreation opportunities and experiences. These recreation resources and visitor services support strong local economies and public land conservation. As BLM works to enhance recreational opportunities for the American family, we strive to remain a good neighbor and partner.