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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.

The Transformational Tools and Technologies (TTT) Project advances state-of-the-art computational and experimental tools and technologies that are vital to aviation applications in the six strategic thrusts. The project develops new computer-based tools, computational fluid dynamics models, and associated scientific knowledge that will provide first-of-a-kind capabilities to analyze, understand, and predict aviation concept performance. These revolutionary tools will be applied to accelerate NASA's research and the community's design and introduction of advanced concepts. The Project also explores technologies that are broadly critical to advancing ARMD strategic outcomes. Such technologies include the understanding of new types of strong and lightweight materials, innovative controls techniques, and experimental methods. The TTT Materials and Structures Discipline emphasizes improved multifunctional and high temperature materials for airframe and engine application, as well as integrated multiscale modeling and simulation tool development to improve validated first-principles materials and structural modeling.

Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is a comprehensive national initiative designed to enhance U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discoveries and innovations focused on NSF's commitment to diversity, inclusion,and broadening participation in these fields.The initiative is developing a National Network composed of NSF INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilots, NSF INCLUDES Alliances, NSF-funded broadening participation projects, other relevant NSF-funded projects, scholars engaged in broadening participation research, and other organizations that support the development of talent from all sectors of society to build the STEM workforce. To facilitate the Network’s operation, the program is soliciting proposals for a NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub that will drive and support the work of the NSF INCLUDES National Network over the lifecycle of the initiative by: (a) promoting the NSF INCLUDES guiding vision and strategy; (b) developing a collaborative infrastructure to support the activities of the various entities partnering in the NSF INCLUDES National Network; (c) fostering progress among Network partners toward shared models, measurement practices, and evaluation criteria; (d) communicating the discoveries of and generating enthusiasm for the NSF INCLUDES National Network; and (e) advancing the expansion and scale of the NSF INCLUDES National Network by connecting expertise from multiple sectors and other private and public funders.

One of the conclusions of this review was that the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit compliance requirements increasingly include pavement deicer constituents in stormwater discharges. As controls on aircraft deicing runoff have become more widespread and effective, focus on the relative contribution and influence of pavement deicing runoff has increased. The objective of this research is to develop a method to estimate the contributions of airfield pavement deicers and anti-icers to overall oxygen demand (BOD and COD) in stormwater discharges. The method should: Account for sources, fate and transport of airfield pavement deicers and anti-icers; Identify and quantify airfield pavement deicers and anti-icers contained in discharged waters; Account for contributions from other non-airfield pavement-related deicers and anti-icing activities; Be adaptable to background water chemistry, various geographies, airport configurations, soils, topography, climate, weather, and hydrology; Be scalable to levels of resource availability (e.g., data, time, money, personnel, expertise); and Produce output expressed as a percentage of overall BOD and COD attributable to airfield pavement deicers and anti-icers with levels of confidence, and identify uncertainties.

The Foundation is promoting Ray's legacy through its inspiration and funding of innovative, educational and project-based initiatives that advance the revolution in sustainable production and consumption. Through its Gray Notes Grants program, the foundation awards grants of between $2,000 and $25,000 for environmental conservation, preservation, education, and restoration initiatives; urban agriculture programs; clean water and clean air projects; environmental and economic think tanks; and grassroots initiatives that inform and inspire people to collaborate and take positive action to protect the planet. In addition, the program supports organizations and programs that are working with industry, government, and businesses to create environmentally sound planning practices to reduce the environmental footprint of urban development through energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy, and the reduction of carbon intensity. We award grants in two categories: Grants to Environmental Initiatives and Nonprofits   Inquiries taken throughout 2013. Grants to Higher Education Research Programs (by invitation only).   Inquiries due March 28, 2013.

Cities and communities in the U.S. and around the world are entering a new era of transformational change, in which their inhabitants and the surrounding built and natural environments are increasingly connected by smart technologies, leading to new opportunities for innovation, improved services, and enhanced quality of life. The goal of this Smart & Connected Communities (S&CC) solicitation is to support strongly interdisciplinary, integrative research and research capacity-building activities that will improve understanding of smart and connected communities and lead to discoveries that enable sustainable change to enhance community functioning. Unless stated otherwise, for the purposes of this year's solicitation, communities are physical, geographically-defined entities, such as towns, cities, or incorporated rural areas, consisting of various populations, with a governance structure and the ability to engage in meaningful ways with the proposed research.

Cities and communities in the U.S. and around the world are entering a new era of transformational change, in which their inhabitants and the surrounding built and natural environments are increasingly connected by smart technologies, leading to new opportunities for innovation, improved services, and enhanced quality of life. The goal of this Smart & Connected Communities (S&CC) solicitation is to support strongly interdisciplinary, integrative research and research capacity-building activities that will improve understanding of smart and connected communities and lead to discoveries that enable sustainable change to enhance community functioning. Unless stated otherwise, for the purposes of this year's solicitation, communities are physical, geographically-defined entities, such as towns, cities, or incorporated rural areas, consisting of various populations, with a governance structure and the ability to engage in meaningful ways with the proposed research.

The goal of the Particulate and Multiphase Processes (PMP) program is to support fundamental research on physico-chemical phenomena that govern particulate and multiphase systems, including flow of suspensions, drops and bubbles, granular and granular-fluid flows, behavior of micro- and nanostructured fluids, and self-assembly/directed-assembly processes that involve particulates.  The program encourages transformative research to improve our basic understanding of particulate and multiphase processes with emphasis on research that demonstrates how particle-scale phenomena affect the behavior and dynamics of larger-scale systems.  Although proposed research should focus on fundamentals, a clear vision is required that anticipates how results could benefit important applications in advanced manufacturing, energy harvesting, transport in biological systems, biotechnology, or environmental sustainability.  Collaborative and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged, especially those that involve a combination of experiment with theory or modeling.  Proposals whose main focus is on the synthesis of particles are not encouraged.

The goal of the Particulate and Multiphase Processes (PMP) program is to support fundamental research on physico-chemical phenomena that govern particulate and multiphase systems, including flow of suspensions, drops and bubbles, granular and granular-fluid flows, behavior of micro- and nanostructured fluids, and self-assembly/directed-assembly processes that involve particulates.  The program encourages transformative research to improve our basic understanding of particulate and multiphase processes with emphasis on research that demonstrates how particle-scale phenomena affect the behavior and dynamics of larger-scale systems.  Although proposed research should focus on fundamentals, a clear vision is required that anticipates how results could benefit important applications in advanced manufacturing, energy harvesting, transport in biological systems, biotechnology, or environmental sustainability.  Collaborative and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged, especially those that involve a combination of experiment with theory or modeling.  Proposals whose main focus is on the synthesis of particles are not encouraged.

NSF-funded advancements are enabling a wide variety of beneficial applications of UAS in areas such as monitoring and inspection of physical infrastructure, prevention of airport bird strikes, smart emergency/disaster response, natural gas leak detection, agriculture support, personal services, and observation and study of weather phenomena including severe storms. These advances are made possible through fundamental investments in theoretical principles of UAS, including intelligent sensing, perception, and control; estimation; communications; collaboration and teaming; UAS adaptation and learning; human-UAS interaction; and safety, security, and privacy of UAS. These novel fundamental approaches enable increased understanding of how to intelligently and effectively design, control, and apply UAS to beneficial applications. NSF welcomes proposals that accelerate fundamental technological advances in UAS; these proposals should be submitted to existing CISE and ENG core and crosscutting research programs, following all proposal preparation instructions specified in the corresponding program announcements and solicitations. All proposals must meet the requirements of NSF's Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), along with any program- or solicitation-specific proposal preparation instructions and review criteria. Proposals must be synergistic with the goals of the programs to which they are submitted.

The Common Fund Program - Accelerating Translation of Glycoscience: Integration and Accessibility - aims to develop accessible and affordable new tools and technologies for studying carbohydrates that will allow biomedical researchers to significantly advance our understanding of the roles of these complex molecules in health and disease. This program will enable investigators who might not otherwise conduct research in the glycosciences, to undertake the study of carbohydrate structure and function. In support of these aims, this FOA seeks applications for a community-driven project to develop computational and informatics tools for the manipulation, analysis, interpretation, and integration of glycoscience data. The product of this research will be accessible resources for analysis of carbohydrate and glycoconjugate structural, analytical, and interaction data, and integration of that information within the context of comparable gene, protein, and lipid data and databases.

This program supports fundamental research including combined experiment and theory projects in ceramics (e.g., oxides, carbides, nitrides and borides), glass-ceramics, inorganic glasses, ceramic-based composites and inorganic carbon-based materials. The objective of the program is to increase fundamental understanding and to develop predictive capabilities for relating synthesis, processing, and microstructure of these materials to their properties and ultimate performance in various environments and applications. Research to enhance or enable the discovery or creation of new ceramic materials is welcome. Development of new experimental techniques or novel approaches to carry out projects is encouraged. Topics supported include basic processes and mechanisms associated with nucleation and growth of thin films; bulk crystal growth; phase transformations and equilibria; morphology; surface modification; corrosion, interfaces and grain boundary structure; and defects. The microstructures investigated range from crystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous to composite and nanostructured materials. 

The mission of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) program is to provide opportunities to develop novel ideas into discovery-level and transformative projects that integrate engineering and life science principles in solving biomedical problems that serve humanity in the long-term.  The Biomedical Engineering (BME) program supports fundamental research in the following BME themes: Neural engineering (brain science, computational neuroscience, brain-computer interface, neurotech, cognitive engineering) Cellular biomechanics (motion, deformation, and forces in biological systems; how mechanical forces alter cell growth, differentiation, movement, signal transduction, transport, cell adhesion, cell cytoskeleton dynamics, cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions; genetically engineered stem cell differentiation with long-term impact in tissue repair and regenerative medicine) The 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 transforming methods and technologies. The project should include methods, models and tools of understanding and controlling of 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 new novel methods of reducing health care costs through new technologies.

With this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOE is accepting new applications for projects proposing to demonstrate and deploy hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in Topics 1-3, and for research and development of hydrogen meters in Topic 4. Only applications that are responsive to one of these topics will be accepted, and only one topic may be addressed per application. Applicants may submit more than one application, provided that the multiple applications are clearly for separate and distinct projects. For Topics 1-3, the primary objective of each proposed project must be to demonstrate and deploy hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in real-world environments. Research and Development (R and D) of these technologies is not the focus of this effort and will not be funded through this announcement, except to the extent that some vehicle systems integration (for Topic 1) and engineering development (for Topics 2 and 3) may be acceptable. For Topic 4, R and D is acceptable.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program stimulates technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results, and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. The topics, listed below, are detailed on the SBIR/STTR topics homepage: Educational Technologies and Applications (EA) Information and Communication Technologies (IC) Semiconductors (S) and Photonic (PH) Devices and Materials Electronic Hardware, Robotics and Wireless Technologies (EW) Advanced Manufacturing and Nanotechnology (MN) Advanced Materials and Instrumentation (MI) Chemical and Environmental Technologies (CT) Biological Technologies (BT) Smart Health (SH) and Biomedical (BM) Technologies

The Mechanics of Materials program supports fundamental research on the behavior of solid materials and respective devices under external actions.?? A diverse and interdisciplinary spectrum of research is supported with emphasis placed on fundamental understanding that i) advances theory, experimental, and/or computational methods in Mechanics of Materials, and/or ii) uses contemporary Mechanics of Materials methods to address modern challenges in material and device mechanics and physics. Proposed research can focus on existing or emerging material systems across time and length scales. Intellectual merit typically includes advances in fundamental understanding of deformation, fracture, fatigue, and contact through constitutive modeling, multiscale and multiphysics analysis, computational methods, or experimental techniques.??Recent interests comprise, but are not limited to:?? contemporary materials including multiphase materials and material systems, soft materials, active materials, low-dimensional materials, phononic/elastic metamaterials, friction, wear;??multiphysics methods, mechanics at the nano, meso and microscale and multiscale integration thereof, as well as approaches incorporating fundamental understanding of physics and chemistry into the continuum-level understanding of the response characteristics of materials and material systems.

The CREATE program seeks proposals to develop, and experimentally test, systems that use crowdsourcing and structured analytic techniques (STs) to improve analytic reasoning. These systems will help people better understand the evidence and assumptions that support-or conflict with-conclusions. Secondarily, they will also help users better communicate their reasoning and conclusions. STs hold promise for increasing the logical rigor and transparency of analysis. They can help reveal underlying logic and identify unstated assumptions. Yet they are not widely used in the Intelligence Community or elsewhere-possibly because current versions are cumbersome or require too much time. Crowdsourcing has the potential to solve these problems by dividing the labor, allowing dispersed groups of analysts to contribute information and ideas where they have comparative advantages. Crowdsourcing can help analysts identify and understand alternative hypotheses, arguments, and points of view. Crowdsourcing of structured techniques may facilitate rational deliberation by integrating different perspectives, so that analysis can effectively benefit from "crowd wisdom."

The CREATE program seeks proposals to develop, and experimentally test, systems that use crowdsourcing and structured analytic techniques (STs) to improve analytic reasoning. These systems will help people better understand the evidence and assumptions that support-or conflict with-conclusions. Secondarily, they will also help users better communicate their reasoning and conclusions. STs hold promise for increasing the logical rigor and transparency of analysis. They can help reveal underlying logic and identify unstated assumptions. Yet they are not widely used in the Intelligence Community or elsewhere-possibly because current versions are cumbersome or require too much time. Crowdsourcing has the potential to solve these problems by dividing the labor, allowing dispersed groups of analysts to contribute information and ideas where they have comparative advantages. Crowdsourcing can help analysts identify and understand alternative hypotheses, arguments, and points of view. Crowdsourcing of structured techniques may facilitate rational deliberation by integrating different perspectives, so that analysis can effectively benefit from "crowd wisdom."

The Broadening Participation in Engineering (BPE) Program is a Directorate-wide initiative dedicated to supporting the development of a diverse and well-prepared engineering workforce. Across every educational juncture (e.g., elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels), efforts to improve engineering interests, preparation, connections, experiences, and opportunities among underrepresented groups is of major importance to BPE. BPE is interested in funding projects that bring together multiple groups (e.g., school districts, community colleges, engineering schools, industry, philanthropy, government, etc.) and offer the greatest return on investment by producing outcomes that are scalable, sustainable, and applicable to various contexts, settings, and demographics within the engineering enterprise. For example, it is interested research projects thathelp us to analyze and understandthe problem of insufficient interest and poorly sustained participation in engineering across underrepresented demographic groups; insignificant preparation and scarce opportunities for members of underrepresented demographic groups to learn meaningful, relevant engineering and other STEM-related content; insufficient access to support systems and social networks that raises career awareness about different engineering pathways among underrepresented groups; and structural inequalities and biases within educational and workforce systems that may influence engineering persistence.

In 2016, the National Science Foundation (NSF) unveiled a set of "Big Ideas", 10 bold, long-term research and process ideas that identify areas for future investment at the frontiers of science and engineering. The Big Ideas represent unique opportunities to position our Nation at the cutting edge of global science and engineering leadership by bringing together diverse disciplinary perspectives to support convergence research. As such, when responding to this solicitation, even though proposals must be submitted to the Directorate for Geosciences, once received, the proposals will be managed by a cross-disciplinary team of NSF Program Directors. Arctic temperatures are warming faster than nearly everywhere else on Earth, with some models predicting that continued warming could produce an ice-free Arctic Ocean by mid-century. The rapid and wide-scale changes occurring in response to this warming portend new opportunities and unprecedented risks to natural systems; social and cultural systems; economic, political and legal systems; and built environments of the Arctic and across the globe. The lack of scientific observations and the prevalence of interdependent social, natural, and built systems in the Arctic make it challenging to predict the region's future. Understanding and adapting to a changing Arctic will require creative new directions for Arctic-specific research, education, workforce development, and leveraging of science, engineering, and technology advances from outside the Arctic.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The NRT program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master's and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas, through the use of a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. For FY2018, proposals are requested in any interdisciplinary research theme of national priority, with special emphasis on two high priority areas: (1) Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR) and (2) Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS). HDR is expected to continue as a priority research area for FY2019 and FY2020 competitions, along with a new priority area to be announced in 2018. The NRT program addresses workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. Strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners are encouraged. NRT especially welcomes proposals that will pair well with the efforts of NSF INCLUDES to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society (https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsfincludes/index.jsp). Collaborations are encouraged between NRT proposals and existing NSF INCLUDES projects, provided the collaboration strengthens both projects.

PAS Kolkata seeks proposals for the project titled "Cyber Safe East India-Workshops on Cyber Security for E-Businesses." Based on funding availability, the Recipient organization will organize a series of workshops for business practitioners in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and Guwahati. The workshops will be devised and implemented by the grantee with the help of U.S. cyber security and data protection experts. The goal of the workshops is to connect American and Indian cyber security experts to help small and medium businesses adopt safer business practices, ultimately ensuring the shared prosperity between the U.S. and India. The grantee will solicit participation from local and American cyber security experts, academics, chamber of commerce representatives, cyber law enforcing agency officials, and other relevant stakeholders to conduct a needs assessment of local business owners regarding web-based business tools. Collaborations should start early and virtually and will continue in-person during the workshops. The experts, in tandem with the grantee, will design the curriculum for a series of three workshops that help business owners mitigate e-business risks. The curriculum should be practical and relevant to a wide spectrum of businesses.The workshops should be conducted in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and Guwahati. Other workshop locations are a possibility depending on the findings of the needs assessments conducted by the grantee as a pre- workshop survey. Workshop duration and the number of participants at each city will be determined by the grantee and experts in close consultation with PAS Kolkata.

The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Professional Fellows Division, of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA or "the Bureau") invites proposal submissions for the FY 2018 TechWomen program to empower, connect, and support the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The exchange program uses a mentorship model to support emerging STEM leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa. Organizations applying for this federal award should demonstrate the capacity to recruit, select, and place in mentorships a total of approximately 100-110 women from select countries in these regions to participate in a five- to six-week intensive peer-mentoring program in the United States. The mentoring experience should focus on advancing the status of professional women in the STEM fields through project-based peer mentorships, skill building, networking opportunities, and enhancement activities. Funding will also support follow-on activities in the participants' home countries that inspire and encourage girls and university-age women interested or working in STEM-based careers, engage young women using technology in their professions, and support former participants of the program ("alumnae"). Special emphasis should be placed on finding creative ways to involve alumnae in strengthening a network of female STEM professionals, building professional standards and capacity, and inspiring the next generation of girls interested in STEM careers by exposing them to female role models. Award applicants must exhibit their ability to manage all program logistics and overseas follow-on programming.