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This notice is not a mechanism to fund existing NOAA awards. The purpose of this notice is to request applications for special projects and programs associated with NOAA's strategic plan and mission goals, as well as to provide the general public with information and guidelines on how NOAA will select applications and administer discretionary Federal assistance under this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). This Broad Agency Announcement is a mechanism to encourage research, education and outreach, innovative projects, or sponsorships that are not addressed through NOAA's competitive discretionary programs. This announcement is not soliciting goods or services for the direct benefit of NOAA. Funding for activities described in this notice is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2018, Fiscal Year 2019, and Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have not yet been appropriated for any activities described in this notice. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to review an application beyond an initial administrative review, or to award any specific project, or to obligate any available funds. In furtherance of this objective, NOAA issues this BAA for extramural research, innovative projects, and sponsorships (e.g., conferences, newsletters, etc.) that address one or more of the following four mission goal descriptions contained in the NOAA Strategic Plan: 1. Long-term mission goal: Climate Adaptation and Mitigation 2. Long-term mission goal: Weather-Ready Nation 3. Long-term mission goal: Healthy Oceans 4. Long-term mission goal: Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) advances the H2@Scale concept. The focus of H2@Scale is to enable affordable and reliable large-scale hydrogen generation, transport, storage, and utilization in the United States across multiple sectors. By producing hydrogen when power generation exceeds load, electrolyzers can reduce curtailment of renewables and contribute to grid stability. Hydrogen produced from existing baseload (e.g., nuclear power) assets can also be stored, distributed, and used as a fuel for multiple applications. Such applications include transportation, stationary power, process or building heat, and industrial sectors such as steel manufacturing, ammonia production and petroleum refining. Key challenges to the H2@Scale concept include affordability, reliability, and performance of emerging hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Topics under this FOA to advance H2@Scale include: Topic 1: Advanced hydrogen storage and infrastructure R&D including novel materials or hydrogen carriers for transporting and storing hydrogen, and materials for hydrogen infrastructure components. Topic 2: Innovative concepts for hydrogen production and utilization including advanced water splitting materials, affordable domestic hydrogen production technologies, co-production of hydrogen for additional sources of revenue, and reversible fuel cell technologies. Topic 3: H2@Scale Pilot - integrated production, storage, and fueling systems including innovative approaches that successfully integrate and optimize the complete system encompassing hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and use.

The Sustainable Ocean Alliance is dedicated to advancing the work of young people who are committed to sustaining and rehabilitating the planet's oceans. To that end, the alliance is accepting applications for its second annual Ocean Solutions Accelerator Program, an incubator program dedicated to young, eco-minded entrepreneurs who are building innovative businesses with the potential to have a positive impact on the planet's ocean. Through the program, grants of $25,000 each will be invested in fifteen startups. Startup teams selected for the program will have the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive and unique eight-week leadership and development course that provides them with mentoring, networking, and education aimed at helping them transform their innovative prototypes into scalable businesses. The eight-week course will be held in the Bay Area in June and August. In addition, one member of each team will be invited to participate in the Accelerator at Sea Alaska expedition, during which they will have the opportunity to explore iconic landscapes while refining their business model.

North American leaders are calling on youth to champion bold ideas for green growth. Youth are encouraged to look beyond incremental approaches and propose innovative science, technology and business solutions that address the complex sustainability challenges facing North America. Innovative ideas will: Create better or more effective products, processes, services, technologies, business models, marketing, supply chains and/or partnerships for the benefit of society, the economy and the environment. Contribute to the natural asset base of North American economies, create green jobs and/or economic opportunities for citizens in North America. Make good business sense in terms of profitability and potential for growth.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites cooperative agreement applications that will contribute to a higher resolution understanding of the physical and functional organization of the human islet tissue environment by describing the composition (cellular and molecular) and function of important components of the pancreatic islet and peri-islet tissue architecture, the cell-cell relationships and means of communications used by cell types and cell subtypes within the pancreatic tissue ecosystem, and/or the contribution of adjacent (including acinar, ductal, lymphatic) and neighboring (intestinal, mesenteric and adipose) tissues to islet cell function and dysfunction. Successful projects will integrate the Human Pancreas Analysis Consortium (HPAC), that will consist of the research teams funded in response to this FOA with the Human Pancreas Analysis Program (HPAP), a resource-generation program that was funded in 2016 in response to RFA-DK-15-027. HPAC will become the fifth consortium of the Human Islet Research Network (HIRN, https://hirnetwork.org/ ). HIRN's overall mission is to support innovative and collaborative translational research to understand how human beta cells are lost in T1D, and to find innovative strategies to protect and replace functional beta cell mass in humans. This FOA will only support studies with a primary focus on increasing our understanding of human tissue structure and function, and human disease biology (as opposed to rodent or other animal models). This FOA will not accept applications proposing a clinical trial.

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the RERC program is to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act by conducting advanced engineering research on and development of innovative technologies that are designed to solve particular rehabilitation problems or to remove environmental barriers. RERCs also demonstrate and evaluate such technologies, facilitate service delivery system changes, stimulate the production and distribution of new technologies and equipment in the private sector, and provide training opportunities. The purpose of this particular RERC is to conduct research, development, and related activities toward innovative technological solutions, new knowledge, and new concepts that are intended to improve the lives of people aging with long-term disabilities.

* The frontiers of science-exploring nature's mysteries from the study of fundamental subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules that are the building blocks of the materials of our universe and everything in it to the DNA, proteins, and cells that are the building blocks of life. Each of the programs in SC supports research probing the most fundamental disciplinary questions. * The 21st Century tools of science-providing the nation's researchers with 27 state-of-the-art national scientific user facilities - the most advanced tools of modern science - propelling the U.S. to the forefront of science, technology development and deployment through innovation. * Science for energy and the environment―paving the knowledge foundation to spur discoveries and innovations for advancing the Department's mission in energy and environment. SC supports a wide range of funding modalities from single principal investigators to large team-based activities to engage in fundamental research on energy production, conversion, storage, transmission, and use, and on our understanding of the earth systems.

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks opportunities to co-create, co-design, and co-invest in the research, development, piloting, and scaling of innovative and cost-effective interventions to support the advancement of self-reliant energy sectors in developing countries. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invites organizations, companies, government agencies, academic and research institutions, and investors1 to propose innovative approaches to address the diverse set of challenges faced by countries that are striving to achieve universal access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy services. USAID's Office of Energy and Infrastructure (E+I) within the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3), developed this BAA for Energy Sector Self-Reliance to expand the Agency's ability to engage with a wide range of implementing partners and service providers within the global energy sector, and develop new means to rapidly deliver tailored, best-in-class assistance and technologies to help strengthen national and regional energy systems. The opportunity to do so will be provided through subsequent Addenda issued under this BAA.

The Department of Energy's Coal FIRST (Flexible, Innovative, Resilient, Small, Transformative) initiative will develop the coal plant of the future needed to provide secure, stable, and reliable power. Coal FIRST plants will be capable of flexible operation to meet the needs of the grid; use innovative and cutting-edge components that improve efficiency and reduce emissions; provide resilient power to Americans; be small compared to today's conventional utility-scale coal power plants; and transform how coal power plant technologies are designed and manufactured. This Funding Opportunity Announcement is focused on the development of critical components that will support potential designs for coal-based power plants of the future. While it is anticipated that future coal plants will use existing technology to the extent practical, certain critical plant components will need to be upgraded while others will need to be developed to enable coal-fired power

Through this Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI), USAID/Mexico seeks partners to research, develop, test and evaluate innovative approaches to increase access to finance and catalyze investments to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in Mexico by improving land management practices and reducing the drivers of land-use change. þffBlended finance is the strategic use of development funds, such as those from government aid and philanthropic sources, to mobilize private capital for social and environment results, such as improving infrastructure, education, agriculture, healthcare, and more. Blended finance strategies are designed to encourage members of the private sector, such as companies and investors, to invest in activities and projects that can achieve both financial returns and positive social and environmental outcomes. Through this Addendum to the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA-MEX-PCM-2020), USAID/Mexico seeks partners to research, develop, test and evaluate innovative approaches to increase access to finance and catalyze investments to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in Mexico by improving land management practices and reducing the drivers of land-use change, especially in the States of Campeche, Chiapas, Jalisco, Oaxaca, and Quintana Roo.

Grants of $2,500 will be awarded to schools or nonprofit organizations for projects that use innovation, nature-based design, and/or technology to address environmental problems in their communities. Projects should integrate environmental education with opportunities for children to solve real-world problems by using science practices and technology to help care for the environment. Projects may replicate successful models or create new and innovative approaches.

The New Earth Foundation was founded in 1997 by John Bigelow Loveland, who upon receiving a family inheritance dating back to his great-grandfather, a self-made magnate in nickel mining, decided to donate it toward benevolent, peace, and harmony furthering processes. NEF currently is inviting proposals innovative projects with the potential to enhance life on earth and further peace. The foundation awards grants in support of pioneering yet practical projects in many fields of endeavor, including but not limited to environmental initiatives aimed at eliminating pollution and saving the planet's ecosystems; community efforts that create models of social sustainability; educational innovations that prepare youth to become socially responsible leaders of the future; and strategies that offer economic improvement and opportunities. NEF is especially interested in projects that can be replicated.

We are looking for innovative and scalable finance and insurance products that drive investment in coastal natural capital and increase resilience while delivering a return on investment. The initiatives must also reduce ocean risk for the most vulnerable, include a focus on gender, equity and human rights, and protect biodiversity.

Our goal is to bend the Keeling Curve. To that end, our team is looking for projects with a proven track record of taking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. We've developed five categories, each one addressing a specific sector of climate innovation. We award $25,000 to two projects in each category annually. Capture & Utilization -- Projects in this category are advancing technological and nature-based strategies for capturing and/or utilizing heat-trapping gases from the air or oceans. Energy -- Projects in this category decarbonize energy, support zero-carbon energy innovations, and lead the way in improving the supply, distribution, and access of low or zero-emissions energy systems worldwide. Finance -- Projects in this category are making financial mechanisms and economics work for greenhouse gas reduction and/or reversal ventures. Social & Cultural Pathways -- Projects in this category are changing the way people consider, understand, and act concerning human impacts on planet Earth. They are trying to answer the question: what does it take, socially and culturally, to develop beyond fossil fuels? Transport & Mobility -- Projects that apply in this category are reimagining and reinventing all types of vehicles, fuels, and mobility options for both people and products. These projects will confront the carbon footprint of the vehicles themselves and the routes traveled.

This announcement seeks out proposals that demonstrate and validate innovative, sustainable, and cost-effective technologies and/or methodologies that will lead to more efficient and effective solutions for environmental compliance concerns across the Air Force and serve the Air Force's future environmental needs. Validated technologies and methodologies must comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, policies and guidance in the Environmental Compliance and Pollution Prevention Programs. This solicitation is not to test theoretical concepts or technologies and methodologies that currently exist solely in a laboratory research and development (R&D) phase or that have already been tested and validated multiple times in the field (i.e., a service).

Energy cooperation is a central element of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership. Recognizing the need to address climate change, ensure mutual energy security, and build a clean energy economy that drives investment, job creation, and economic growth; India and the United States launched the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) on November 24, 2009 under the U.S.-India Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation on Energy Security, Energy Efficiency, Clean Energy and Climate Change. As a priority initiative under the PACE umbrella, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Government of India signed an agreement to establish the Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center (JCERDC) on November 4, 2010. The JCERDC is designed to promote clean energy innovation by teams of scientists and engineers from India and the United States.

Energy cooperation is a central element of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership. Recognizing the need to address climate change, ensure mutual energy security, and build a clean energy economy that drives investment, job creation, and economic growth; India and the United States launched the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) on November 24, 2009 under the U.S.-India Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation on Energy Security, Energy Efficiency, Clean Energy and Climate Change. As a priority initiative under the PACE umbrella, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Government of India signed an agreement to establish the Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center (JCERDC) on November 4, 2010. The JCERDC is designed to promote clean energy innovation by teams of scientists and engineers from India and the United States.

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 Energy for Sustainability program is to support fundamental engineering research that will enable innovative processes and solutions for the sustainable production of electricity and fuels, and energy storage. Processes for sustainable energy production must be environmentally benign, reduce greenhouse gas production, and utilize renewable resources.

The goal of the Energy for Sustainability program is to support fundamental engineering research that will enable innovative processes and solutions for the sustainable production of electricity and fuels, and energy storage. Processes for sustainable energy production must be environmentally benign, reduce greenhouse gas production, and utilize renewable resources. 

Biological and Environmental Research (BER) of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for research of interest to the Genomic Science Program (http://genomicscience.energy.gov) in the following research areas: a) Integrating large-scale systems biology data to model, design, and engineer microbial systems for the production of biofuels and bioproducts: Interdisciplinary approaches to develop innovative, high-throughput modeling, genome-wide design and editing, and engineering technologies for a broad range of microbes relevant for the production of biofuels and bioproducts from biomass. b) Plant systems design for bioenergy: To develop novel technologies for genome-scale engineering to re-design bioenergy crops that can grow in marginal environments while producing high yield of biomass that can be easily converted to biofuels and bioproducts. Applications should include strategies to address biocontainment, minimizing risks of potential release of engineered organisms into the environment or other unintended outcomes.

Biological and Environmental Research (BER) of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for research of interest to the Genomic Science Program (http://genomicscience.energy.gov) in the following research areas: a) Integrating large-scale systems biology data to model, design, and engineer microbial systems for the production of biofuels and bioproducts: Interdisciplinary approaches to develop innovative, high-throughput modeling, genome-wide design and editing, and engineering technologies for a broad range of microbes relevant for the production of biofuels and bioproducts from biomass. b) Plant systems design for bioenergy: To develop novel technologies for genome-scale engineering to re-design bioenergy crops that can grow in marginal environments while producing high yield of biomass that can be easily converted to biofuels and bioproducts. Applications should include strategies to address biocontainment, minimizing risks of potential release of engineered organisms into the environment or other unintended outcomes.

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.