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The Cellular and Biochemical Engineering (CBE)program is part of the Engineering Biology and Health cluster, which also includes 1) Biophotonics; 2) Biosensing; 3) Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering; and 4) Engineering of Biomedical Systems. TheCellular and Biochemical Engineering program supports fundamental Engineering research that advances understanding of cellular andbiomolecular processes in Engineering biology. CBE-funded research eventually leads to the development of enabling technology for advanced biomanufacturing in support of the therapeutic cell, biochemical, biopharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. Fundamental to many research projects in this area is the understanding of how biomolecules, subcellular systems, cells, and cell populations interact in the biomanufacturing environment, and how those interactions lead to changes in structure, function, and behavior. A quantitative treatment of problems related to biological processes is considered vital to successful research projects in the CBE program. The program encourages highly innovative and potentially transformative Engineering research leading to novel bioprocessing and biomanufacturing approaches. The CBE program also encourages proposals that effectively integrate knowledge and practices from different disciplines while incorporating ongoing research into educational activities.

The NSF Engineering (ENG) Directorate is launching a multi-year initiative, the Professional Formation of Engineers, to create and support an innovative and inclusive Engineering profession for the 21st Century.  Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) refers to the formal and informal processes and value systems by which people become engineers.  It also includes the ethical responsibility of practicing engineers to sustain and grow the profession.  The Engineering profession must be responsive to national priorities, grand challenges, and dynamic workforce needs; it must be equally open and accessible to all.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for various research and development topic areas. The ERDC consists of the Coastal and Hydraulics Lab (CHL), the Geotechnical and Structures Lab (GSL), the Reachback Operations Center (UROC), the Environmental Lab (EL) and the Information Technology Lab (ITL) in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, the Construction Engineering Research Lab (CERL) in Champaign, Illinois, and the Geospatial Research Laboratory (GRL) in Alexandria, Virginia. The ERDC is responsible for conducting research in the broad fields of hydraulics, dredging, coastal Engineering, instrumentation, oceanography, remote sensing, geotechnical Engineering, earthquake Engineering, soil effects, vehicle mobility, self-contained munitions, military Engineering, geophysics, pavements, protective structures, aquatic plants, water quality, dredged material, treatment of hazardous waste, wetlands, physical/mechanical/ chemical properties of snow and other frozen precipitation, infrastructure and environmental issues for installations, computer science, telecommunications management, energy, facilities maintenance, materials and structures, Engineering processes, environmental processes, land and heritage conservation, and ecological processes.

Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (hereinafter referred to as RED) is designed to build upon previous efforts in Engineering education research. Specifically, previous and ongoing evaluations of the NSF Engineering Education and Centers Division program and its predecessors, as well as those related programs in the Directorate of Education and Human Resources, have shown that prior investments have significantly improved the first year of Engineering students' experiences, incorporating Engineering material, active learning approaches, design instruction, and a broad introduction to professional skills and a sense of professional practice - giving students an idea of what it means to become an engineer. Similarly, the senior year has seen notable change through capstone design experiences, which ask students to synthesize the technical knowledge, skills, and abilities they have gained with professional capacities, using reflective judgment to make decisions and communicate these effectively. However, this ideal of the senior year has not yet been fully realized, because many of the competencies required in capstone design, or required of professional engineers, are only partially introduced in the first year and not carried forward with significant emphasis through the sophomore and junior years.

The Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science program supports the active involvement of K-12 science, technology, Engineering, computer and information science, and mathematics (STEM) teachers and community college faculty in Engineering and computer science research in order to bring knowledge of Engineering, computer science, and technological innovation into their classrooms. The goal is to help build long-term collaborative partnerships between K-12 STEM teachers, community college faculty, and the NSF university research community by involving the teachers and community college faculty in Engineering and computer science research and helping them translate their research experiences and new knowledge into classroom activities.

The Environmental Engineering program is part of the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability cluster together with 1) the Biological and Environmental Interactions of Nanoscale Materials program and 2) the Environmental Sustainability program. Environmental Engineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies chemical, biological, and physical scientific principles to protect human and ecological health. The goal of the Environmental Engineering program is tosupport potentially transformative fundamental research that applies scientific and Engineering principles to 1) prevent or minimize solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges of pollution to soil, water, and air; 2) mitigate the ecological and human-health impacts of such releases by smart/adaptive/reactive amendments or manipulation of the environment, and 3) remediate polluted environments through engineered chemical, biological, and/or geo-physical processes. Integral to achieving these goals is a fundamental understanding of the transport and biogeochemical reactivity of pollutants in the environment. Therefore, research on environmental micro/biology, environmental chemistry, and environmental geophysics may be relevant providing there is a clear connection to the application of environmental Engineering to protect human and ecological health.

The NSF Engineering (ENG) Directorate has launched a multi-year initiative, the Professional Formation of Engineers, to create and support an innovative and inclusive Engineering profession for the 21st century. Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) refers to the formal and informal processes and value systems by which people become engineers. It also includes the ethical responsibility of practicing engineers to sustain and grow the profession in order to improve quality of life for all peoples. The Engineering profession must be responsive to national priorities, grand challenges, and dynamic workforce needs; it must be equally open and accessible to all.

Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate, AFRL/RQ, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, is soliciting technical and cost proposals for research in the areas of next generation aircraft thermal, power, and controls (NGT-PAC). NGT-PAC will conduct applied research to increase knowledge and understanding of future thermal, power and controls requirements while advancing technology development in an effort to prove technological feasibility and assess operability and producibility of thermal, power, and controls components and architectures through proof of principal demonstrations. Affordability will be enhanced through use of existing airframe and engine designs as testbeds. Research will be organized in two primary focus areas: 1) Engine 2) Airframe. Offerors shall propose to one of the Basic Contract SOOs (either engine or airframe) and the associated (engine or airframe) Task Order 0001 SOO. The offeror must specify in their proposal which Basic Contract SOO their Statement of Work (SOW) is based upon (engine or airframe). Offerors proposing to both the engine and airframe SOOs shall prepare a separate SOW and proposal for the engine SOO and the airframe SOO.

The Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) program supports research leading to the engineering of infrastructure systems for resilience and sustainability without excluding other key performance issues. Areas of interest include intra- and inter-physical, information and behavioral dependencies of infrastructure systems, infrastructure management, construction engineering, and transportation systems. Special emphasis is on the design, construction, operation, and improvement of infrastructure networks with a focus on systems engineering and design, performance management, risk analysis, life-cycle analysis, modeling and simulation, behavioral and social considerations not excluding other methodological areas or the integration of methods.This program does not encourage research proposals primarily focused on structural engineering, materials or sensors that support infrastructure system design, extreme event modeling, hydrological engineering, and climate modeling, since they do not fall within the scope of the CIS program. Researchers focused in these areas are encouraged to contact the Infrastructure Management and Extreme Events (IMEE), Geotechnical engineering (GTE), Hazard Mitigation and Structural engineering (HSME), Structural Materials and Mechanics (SMM), or the Sensors and Sensing Systems (SSS) program within CMMI. Additionally, researchers may consider contacting the Hydrologic Sciences program in the Earth Sciences Division (EAR) or the Physical and Dynamic Meteorology (PDM) program in the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Division (AGS) of the Directorate for Geosciences.

The Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program of the NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) serves a critical role in helping ENG focus on important emerging areas in a timely manner. This solicitation is a funding opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of researchers to embark on rapidly advancing frontiers of fundamental Engineering research. For this solicitation, we will consider proposals that aim to investigate emerging frontiers in one of the following two research areas: Chromatin and Epigenetic Engineering (CEE) Continuum, Compliant, and Configurable Soft Robotics Engineering(C3 SoRo) This solicitationwill becoordinated with the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) and the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). EFRI seeks proposals with transformative ideas that represent an opportunity for a significant shift in fundamental Engineering knowledge with a strong potential for long term impact on national needs or a grand challenge. The proposals must also meet the detailed requirements delineated in this solicitation. FURTHER INFORMATION: Further information about the EFRI program may be obtained by viewing the slides from the FY18 EFRIinformational webinar. Please clickhereto view the FY18 slides.

The Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program of the NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) serves a critical role in helping ENG focus on important emerging areas in a timely manner. This solicitation is a funding opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of researchers to embark on rapidly advancing frontiers of fundamental Engineering research. For this solicitation, we will consider proposals that aim to investigate emerging frontiers in the following two research areas: Chromatin and Epigenetic Engineering (CEE) Continuum, Compliant, and Configurable Soft Robotics Engineering(C3 SoRo) This solicitationwill becoordinated with the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) andthe Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). EFRI seeks proposals with transformative ideas that represent an opportunity for a significant shift in fundamental Engineering knowledge with a strong potential for long term impact on national needs or a grand challenge. The proposals must also meet the detailed requirements delineated in this solicitation.

The goal of theBiomedical Engineering(BME)program is to provide research opportunities to develop novel ideas into discovery-level and transformative projects that integrate Engineering and life sciences in solving biomedical problems that serve humanity in the long-term. BME projects must be at the interface of Engineering and life sciences, and advance both Engineering and life sciences. The projects should focus on high impact transformative methods and technologies. Projects should include methods, models and enabling tools of understanding and controlling living systems; fundamental improvements in deriving information from cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems; new approaches to the design of structures and materials for eventual medical use in the long-term; and novel methods for reducing health care costs through new technologies. The long-term impact of the projects can be related to fundamental understanding of cell and tissue function, effective disease diagnosis and/or treatment, improved health care delivery, or product development.

The goal of theBiomedical Engineering(BME)program is to provide research opportunities to develop novel ideas into discovery-level and transformative projects that integrate Engineering and life sciences in solving biomedical problems that serve humanity in the long-term. BME projects must be at the interface of Engineering and life sciences, and advance both Engineering and life sciences. The projects should focus on high impact transformative methods and technologies. Projects should include methods, models and enabling tools of understanding and controlling living systems; fundamental improvements in deriving information from cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems; new approaches to the design of structures and materials for eventual medical use in the long-term; and novel methods for reducing health care costs through new technologies. The long-term impact of the projects can be related to fundamental understanding of cell and tissue function, effective disease diagnosis and/or treatment, improved health care delivery, or product development.

The Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (BBE) program supports fundamental Engineering research that advances the understanding of cellular and biomolecular processes in Engineering biology and eventually leads to the development of enabling technology for advanced manufacturing and/or applications in support of the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and bioenergy industries, or with applications in health or the environment.  A quantitative treatment of biological and Engineering problems of biological processes is considered vital to successful research projects in the BBE program.

The Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (BBE) program supports fundamental Engineering research that advances the understanding of cellular and biomolecular processes in Engineering biology and eventually leads to the development of enabling technology for advanced manufacturing and/or applications in support of the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and bioenergy industries, or with applications in health or the environment.  A quantitative treatment of biological and Engineering problems of biological processes is considered vital to successful research projects in the BBE program. 

The Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (BBE) program supports fundamental Engineering research that advances the understanding of cellular and biomolecular processes in Engineering biology and eventually leads to the development of enabling technology for advanced manufacturing and/or applications in support of the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and bioenergy industries, or with applications in health or the environment.  A quantitative treatment of biological and Engineering problems of biological processes is considered vital to successful research projects in the BBE program.

The Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (BBE) program supports fundamental Engineering research that advances the understanding of cellular and biomolecular processes in Engineering biology and eventually leads to the development of enabling technology for advanced manufacturing and/or applications in support of the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and bioenergy industries, or with applications in health or the environment.  A quantitative treatment of biological and Engineering problems of biological processes is considered vital to successful research projects in the BBE program.

The Engineering and Systems Design (ESD) program supports descriptive and normative research leading to a theory of Engineering design and an understanding of systems Engineering. The program is focused on gaining an understanding of the basic processes and phenomena underlying a view of design where the system life-cycle context informs the identification and definition of preferences, analysis of alternatives, effective accommodation of uncertainty in decision-making, and the relationship between data, information, and knowledge in a digitally-supported environment. The program funds advances in a descriptive understanding of design and basic design theory that span multiple domains, such as the relationship of systems to the environment, the significance of manufacturability, and the range of complexity from small designed artifacts to large engineered systems.

 Fundamental research in system science and system Engineering theory should be submitted to the System Science (SYS) program. Research in which the primary contribution is observation and description of systems Engineering should be submitted to the ESD program, and should identify the System Science program as a secondary program.

TheDisability and Rehabilitation Engineeringprogram is part of the Engineering Biology and Health cluster, which also includes: 1) the Biophotonics program; 2) the Biosensing program; 3) the Cellular and Biochemical Engineering program; and 4) the Engineering of Biomedical Systems program. TheDisability andRehabilitation Engineeringprogram supports fundamental Engineering research that will improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities through: development of new technologies, devices, or software; advancement of knowledge regarding healthy or pathological human motion; or understanding of injury mechanisms. Research may be supported that is directed toward the characterization, restoration, rehabilitation, and/or substitution of human functional ability or cognition, or to the interaction between persons with disabilities and their environment. Areas of particular interest are neuroEngineering and rehabilitation robotics. The program will also consider research in the areas of: new Engineering approaches to understand healthy or pathological motion, both as a target for rehabilitation and as a means to characterize motion related to disability or injury; understanding injury at the tissue- or system-level such that interventions may be developed to reduce the impact of trauma and subsequent disability; or understanding the role of gut microbiota in modulating disability in the context of rehabilitation. Emphasis is placed on significant advancement of fundamental Engineering knowledge that facilitates transformative outcomes.

TheEngineering of Biomedical Systems program is part of the Engineering Biology and Health cluster, which also includes: 1) the Biophotonics program; 2) the Biosensing program; 3) the Cellular and Biochemical Engineering program; and 4) the Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering program. The goal of theEngineering of Biomedical Systems (EBMS) program is to provide opportunities for creating fundamental and transformative research projects that integrate Engineering and life sciences to solve biomedical problems and serve humanity in the long term. Projects are expected to use an Engineering framework (for example, design or modeling) that supports increased understanding of physiological or pathophysiological processes. Projects must include objectives that advance both Engineering and biomedical sciences. Projects may include: methods, models, and enabling tools applied to understand or control living systems; fundamental improvements in deriving information from cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems; or new approaches to the design of systems that include both living and non-living components for eventual medical use in the long term.

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 Environmental Engineering program is part of the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability cluster, which also includes 1) the Nanoscale Interactions program; and 2) the Environmental Sustainability program. Environmental Engineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies chemical, biological, and physical scientific principles to protect human and ecological health. The goal of the Environmental Engineering program is tosupport potentially transformative fundamental research that applies scientific and Engineering principles to 1) prevent, minimize, or re-use solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges of pollution to soil, water, and air by closing resource loops or through other measures; 2) mitigate the ecological and human-health impacts of such releases by smart/adaptive/reactive amendments or manipulation of the environment, and 3) remediate polluted environments through engineered chemical, biological, and/or geo-physical processes. Integral to achieving these goals is a fundamental understanding of the transport and biogeochemical reactivity of pollutants in the environment.

The Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems Division (ECCS) supports enabling and transformative engineering research at the nano, micro, and macro scales that fuels progress in engineering system applications with high societal impact. This includes fundamental engineering research underlying advanced devices and components and their seamless penetration in power, controls, networking, communications or cyber systems. The research is envisioned to be empowered by cutting-edge computation, synthesis, evaluation, and analysis technologies and is to result in significant impact for a variety of application domains in healthcare, homeland security, disaster mitigation, telecommunications, energy, environment, transportation, manufacturing, and other systems-related areas. ECCS also supports new and emerging research areas encompassing 5G and Beyond Spectrum and Wireless Technologies, Quantum Information Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Big Data. ECCS, through its ASCENT program, offers its engineering community the opportunity to address research issues and answer engineering challenges associated with complex systems and networks that are not achievable by a single principal investigator or by short-term projects and can only be achieved by interdisciplinary research teams. ECCS envisions a connected portfolio of transformative and integrative projects that create synergistic links by investigators across its three ECCS clusters: Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS), Electronics, Photonics and Magnetic Devices (EPMD), and Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN), yielding novel ways of addressing challenges of engineering systems and networks. ECCS seeks proposals that are bold and ground-breaking, transcend the perspectives and approaches typical of disciplinary research efforts, and lead to disruptive technologies and methods or enable significant improvement in quality of life.