The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs focus on creating new scientific paradigms, establishing entirely new scientific disciplines and developing transformative technologies which have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among institutions of higher education, national laboratories, industrial organizations, other public or private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake potentially groundbreaking investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or highly innovative approaches within disciplines. STCs may involve any area of science and engineering that NSF supports. STC investments support the NSF vision of creating and exploiting new concepts in science and engineering and providing global leadership in research and education.

The National Science Foundation invites interested parties to participate in a new endeavor, the NSF Convergence Accelerator (NSF C-Accel) Pilot. With this DCL, NSF's goals are to: (i) pilot a new NSF capability (the NSF Convergence Accelerator) to accelerate use-inspired convergence research in areas of national importance, and (ii) initiate convergence team-building capacity around exploratory, potentially high-risk proposals in three convergence topics (tracks). As a funder of research and education across all fields of science and engineering and with relationships with universities and funding agencies around the world, NSF is uniquely positioned to pilot this approach to accelerate discovery and innovation. NSF C-Accel brings teams together to focus on grand challenges of national importance that require a convergence approach. The teams are multidisciplinary and leverage partnerships; the tracks relate to a grand challenge problem and have a high probability of resulting in deliverables that will benefit society within a fixed term. NSF C-Accel is modeled on acceleration and innovation activities from the most forward-looking companies and universities.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and VentureWell have come together to support and expand DEBUT, a competition that recognizes undergraduate excellence in biomedical design and innovation. DEBUT challenges teams of students in undergraduate biomedical education to solve real-world problems in healthcare. Prizes of up to $20,000 will be awarded. Strong DEBUT submissions will demonstrate a mastery of analytical and design skills and capabilities; the ability to manage the product development process; the ability to work effectively in teams; and technical communication skills. Submissions will be judged on the following criteria: Significance of the problem being addressed Impact of the proposed solution on potential users and clinical care Innovative design Working prototype Additional prizes will be awarded to entries that also demonstrate: Market potential and economic feasibility Patentability

The world needs more effective, functional and affordable technology solutions to clinical medical problems. With the BMEidea competition, the nation's leading competition for biomedical and bioengineering students, we challenge students to pioneer a health-related technology that addresses a real clinical need. Competition entries are judged on: Technical, economic and regulatory feasibility Contribution to human health and quality of life Technological innovation Potential for commercialization Strong BMEidea submissions define a problem and demonstrate the development of a device, product, or technology designed to solve it. BMEidea awards are presented each year at the MD&M East Medical Device Trade Show and Convention. Competition winners will receive cash awards as well as access to resources to be used for further development and commercialization of their products. In addition, the first place institution will get to display the BMEidea trophy in their winning department for the year.

The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs focus on creating new scientific paradigms, establishing entirely new scientific disciplines and developing transformative technologies which have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among institutions of higher education, national laboratories, industrial organizations, other public or private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake potentially groundbreaking investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or highly innovative approaches within disciplines. STCs may involve any area of science and engineering that NSF supports. STC investments support the NSF vision of creating and exploiting new concepts in science and engineering and providing global leadership in research and education.

NineSigma's client seeks a no-spill dispensing solution for consumer flexible pouches for a variety of viscous products similar to food purées and water. The product is dispensed by the consumer from ages 8 months and older. Product is dispensed when the consumer sucks from the flexible package, squeezes the package, or a combination of the two. First time young consumers (8 to 36 months), without any learned behavior, tend to grasp the flexible package causing the contents to spill unintentionally. Other accidents occur when the flexible format is dropped by accident and the contents spill. NineSigma's client seeks alternate methods to ensure controlled dispensing to avoid spills, and develop a dispensing solution that allows the pouch contents to evacuate upon sucking or by intentional and intuitive means.

The need to process large data sets arising in many practical problems require real-time learning from data streams makes high-performance hardware necessary, and yet the very nature of these problems, along with currently known algorithms for addressing them, imposes significant hardware challenges. Current versions of deep-learning algorithms operate by using millions of parameters whose optimal values need to be determined for good performance in real time on high-performance hardware. Conversely, the availability of fast hardware implementations can enable fuller use of Bayesian techniques, attractive for their ability to quantify prediction uncertainty and thus give estimates of reliability and prediction breakdown. The abilities of ML systems to self-assess for reliability and predict their own breakdowns (and also recover without significant ill effects) constitute critical areas for algorithm development as autonomous systems become widely deployed in both decision support and embodied AI agents. Only with attention to these challenges can we construct systems that are robust when they encounter novel situations or degradation and failure of sensors.

NineSigma, representing a major building materials manufacturer, invites proposals for methods, materials, or novel approaches to re-inventing weather protection for residential buildings. The weather barrier may be directly exposed or behind a decorative façade, and should be able to withstand thermal, moisture, and UV environments for at least 10 years. Solutions that do not need a decorative façade, that provide lower installed/labor cost versus current solutions, or are cradle-to-cradle approaches are strongly preferred. Solutions that impact vapor barrier, roofing, or sheathing applications are also strongly preferred. The partner is open to a wide range of potential solutions (e.g., replacement with alternative substances, new material architectures, novel processing methods) that can achieve this objective.

NineSigma, representing a major engineering company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, seeks potential partners to develop a high-accuracy, low-cost, contactless electric meter to measure current and/or voltage. We widely welcome proposals with whichever commercialized technology or elemental technology such as electric elements, if the requirements can be potentially met through additional development.

NineSigma, representing a multibillion-dollar food manufacturer, seeks a technology to continuously remove ethanol produced as a byproduct in fermentation liquid. While the client intends to apply the technology to the fermentation process, it also welcomes proposals based on a technology that was originally developed for other purposes and requires additional development for this project as well as those for a technology that has already been applied for fermentation process.

The Knight Foundation believes that great public spaces can transform cities by fostering civic life, drawing people out of their homes and into the community, and encouraging neighbors to be together and interact.  To be eligible, candidates must have created or influenced the creation of a great public space or spaces that resulted in community transformation and possess the following attributes: a trackable performance record of exceptional public space work; a demonstrated commitment to the value of public spaces in advancing civic engagement and building stronger communities; and the potential to make significant new contributions to the use of public space in the community.

The Fiscal Year 2020 Air Force Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) intends to support young in career scientists and engineers who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees by 1 April 2012 or later showing exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. The program objective is to foster creative basic research in science and engineering; enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators; and increase opportunities for the young investigator to recognize the Air Force mission and related challenges in science and engineering.

The ERC program is placing greater emphasis on research that leads to societal impact, including convergent approaches, engaging stakeholder communities, and strengthening team formation, in response to the NASEM study recommendations. The ERC program intends to support planning activities leading to convergent research team formation and capacity-building within the engineering community. This planning grant solicitation is designed to foster and facilitate the engineering community's thinking about how to form convergent research collaborations. To participate in a forthcoming ERC competition, one is not required to submit a planning grant proposal nor to receive a planning grant.

Submit an application if you are a successful top-rank junior researcher from abroad, only completed your doctorate with distinction in the last six years, and have published work in prestigious international journals or publishing houses. The Sofja Kovalevskaja Award allows you to spend five years building up a working group and working on a high-profile, innovative research project of your own choice at a research institution of your own choice in Germany.

The ERC program is placing greater emphasis on research that leads to societal impact, including convergent approaches, engaging stakeholder communities, and strengthening team formation, in response to the NASEM study recommendations. The ERC program intends to support planning activities leading to convergent research team formation and capacity-building within the engineering community. This planning grant solicitation is designed to foster and facilitate the engineering community's thinking about how to form convergent research collaborations. To participate in a forthcoming ERC competition, one is not required to submit a planning grant proposal nor to receive a planning grant.

Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes (QLCI) are large-scale interdisciplinary research projects that aim to advance the frontiers of quantum information science and engineering.  Research at these Institutes will span the focus areas of quantum computation, quantum communication, quantum simulation, and/or quantum sensing.  The institutes are expected to foster multidisciplinary approaches to specific scientific, technological, and educational workforce development goals in these fields.  Two types of awards will be supported under this program: (i) 12-month Conceptualization Grants (CGs) to support teams envisioning subsequent Institute proposals and (ii) 5-year Challenge Institute (CI) awards to establish and operate Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes.

This announcement seeks proposals from universities to purchase equipment and instrumentation in support of research in areas of interest to the DoD. DoD interests include the areas of research supported by the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), hereafter generally referred to collectively as "we," "our," "us," or "administering agency." We use "administering agency" to provide a generic reference to any of the administering agencies. A central purpose of the DURIP is to provide equipment and instrumentation to enhance research-related education in areas of interest and priority to the DoD. Therefore, your proposal must address the impact of the equipment or instrumentation on your institution's ability to educate students through research in disciplines important to DoD missions. Our areas of research interest are published at the following internet locations: Army Research Office http://www.aro.army.mil Office of Naval Research http://www.onr.navy.mil/ Air Force Office of Scientific Research http://www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl/afosr/ You must refer to the websites cited above for detailed technical information and our technical goals.

The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the Fiscal Year 2020 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). DURIP is designed to improve the capabilities of accredited United States (U.S.) institutions of higher education to conduct research and to educate scientists and engineers in areas important to national defense, by providing funds for the acquisition of research equipment or instrumentation. For-profit organizations are not eligible for DURIP funding. We refer to eligible institutions of higher education as universities in the rest of this announcement. DURIP is part of the University Research Initiative (URI).

Ninesigma's client is a global supplier of high performance materials for a variety of high temperature applications. The ability to functionalise graphite flakes (plus powder and expanded graphite conformations) is important to improve the variety of product formulations currently available. The high hydrophobic nature of graphite materials causes issues in using certain green functional methods. The current methodology involves using different acids which are hazardous and only yields 7-8% of Oxygen or metals on the graphite flakes. Any proposed solutions must be able to provide variable yield functionalisation of hydroxyl and acid groups with the potential to expand to other functional groups listed. The client is open to all solutions from academia and from industry, as long as a clear understanding of the method and requirements for up-scaling are detailed.

NineSigma, representing a global machinery manufacturer, seeks technologies of thermal insulation coating on annular metallic parts. Technologies that are, in principle, excellent in thermal properties and workability are welcomed, even if they are yet far from commercialization.