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The Division of Chemical, Bioengineering and Environmental Transport (CBET) in the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is partnering with The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to solicit research projects in the general field of tissue engineering that can utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab to conduct research that will benefit life on Earth. U.S. entities including academic institutions, non-profit independent research labs and academic-commercial teams are eligible to submit proposals.

The Engineering for Civil Infrastructure (ECI) program supports fundamental research that will shape the future of our nation's constructed civil infrastructure, subjected to and interacting with the natural environment, to meet the needs of humans. In this context, research driven by radical rethinking of traditional civil infrastructure in response to emerging technological innovations, changing population demographics, and evolving societal needs is encouraged. The ECI program focuses on the physical infrastructure, such as the soil-foundation-structure-envelope-nonstructural building system; geostructures; and underground facilities. It seeks proposals that advance knowledge and methodologies within geotechnical, structural, architectural, materials, coastal, and construction engineering, especially that include collaboration with researchers from other fields, including, for example, biomimetics, bioinspired design, advanced computation, data science, materials science, additive manufacturing, robotics, and control theory. Research may explore holistic building systems that view construction, geotechnical, structural, and architectural design as an integrated system; adaptive building envelope systems; nonconventional building materials; breakthroughs in remediated geological materials; and transformational construction processes. Principal investigators are encouraged to consider civil infrastructure subjected to and interacting with the natural environment under “normal” operating conditions; intermediate stress conditions (such as deterioration, and severe locational and climate conditions); and extreme single or multi natural hazard events (including earthquakes, windstorms, tsunamis, storm surges, sinkholes, subsidence, and landslides).

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-Directorate 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. Gaps in 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-related research, education, workforce development, and leveraging of science, engineering, and technology advances from outside the Arctic. Navigating the New Arctic (NNA), one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas, embodies the Foundation's forward-looking response to these profound challenges and opportunities.

The goal of the Environmental Sustainability program is to promote sustainable engineered systems that support human well-being and that are also compatible with sustaining natural (environmental) systems.  These systems provide ecological services vital for human survival.  Research efforts supported by the program typically consider long time horizons and may incorporate contributions from the social sciences and ethics. The program supports engineering research that seeks to balance society's need to provide ecological protection and maintain stable economic conditions. 

The goals of the Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN) are to: 1) accelerate the transformation of nanoscience to nanotechnology through the integration of simulation with experimentation; 2) engage an ever-larger and more diverse cyber community sharing novel, high-quality nanoscale computation and simulation research and educational resources; 3) develop open-access, open-source software to stimulate data sharing; and 4) inspire and educate the next-generation workforce. The NCN consists of a stand-alone Cyber Platform, which provides computation, simulation, and education services to over 330,000 researchers, educators, students, and industry members of the nanoscience and engineering community annually worldwide; and Nodes, which develop compelling new computational and simulation tools to disseminate through Cyber Platform (nanoHUB.org) and cultivate communities of users in emerging areas of nanoscale science and engineering.

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engineered systems that are built from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of computational algorithms and physical components. Advances in CPS will enable capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability that will far exceed the simple embedded systems of today. CPS technology will transform the way people interact with engineered systems -- just as the Internet has transformed the way people interact with information. New smart CPS will drive innovation and competition in sectors such as agriculture, energy, transportation, building design and automation, healthcare, and manufacturing.

The MURI program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education (hereafter referred to as "universities") that is of potential interest to DoD. The program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD. As defined in the DoD Financial Management Regulation:Basic research is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, and life sciences related to long-term national security needs.

The Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has established a partnership with the Fuel Cell Technologies (FCT) Office of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in order to address critical fundamental and applied research challenges associated with advanced technologies for the production of hydrogen fuel via solar water splitting processes. The goal of the partnership is to leverage the complementary missions of applied research, development and demonstration (DOE) and use-inspired fundamental research and education (NSF) to address issues of national importance that impact the sustainable production of fuels using renewable resources.   The Directorate for Engineering seeks proposals with transformative ideas that meet the detailed requirements delineated in this solicitation.

The AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science, established in 2010, recognizes early-career scientists and engineers who demonstrate excellence in their contribution to public engagement with science activities. A monetary prize of $5,000, a commemorative plaque, complimentary registration to the AAAS Annual Meeting, and reimbursement for reasonable hotel and travel expenses to attend the AAAS Annual Meeting to receive the prize are given to the recipient. Nominee must be an early-career scientist or engineer in academia, government or industry actively conducting research in any scientific discipline (including social sciences and medicine).  "Early career" is defined as an individual who has been in his/her current field for less than seven years and pre-tenure or job equivalent. Post-doctoral students are eligible for this award. Nominee will have demonstrated excellence in his/her contribution to public engagement with science activities, with a focus on interactive dialogue between the individual and a non-scientific, public audience(s). Types of public engagement activities might include: informal science education, public outreach, public policy, and/or science communication activities, such as mass media, public dialogue, radio, TV and film, science café, science exhibit, science fair, and social and online media.

Through the SEES Fellows Program, NSF seeks to advance science, engineering, and education to inform the societal actions needed for environmental and economic sustainability and human well-being while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. The Program's emphasis is to facilitate investigations that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and address issues of sustainability through a systems approach, building bridges between academic inquiry, economic growth, and societal needs. The Fellow's proposed investigation must be interdisciplinary and allow him/her to obtain research experiences beyond his/her current core disciplinary expertise. Fellows are required to develop a research partnership(s) that will advance and broaden the impact/scope of the proposed research, and present a plan for their own professional development in the area of sustainability science and engineering.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) application period is now open!  NSF is soliciting applications for the GRFP until the posted deadlines in late October and early November 2014.  Since 1952, GRFP has provided Fellowships to individuals selected early in their graduate careers based on their demonstrated potential for significant achievements in science and engineering. Three years of support is provided by the program for graduate study in science or engineering and leads to a research-based master's or doctoral degree.  The NSF expects to award 2,000 Graduate Research Fellowships under this program solicitation pending availability of funds. 

The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at the Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories. Selected students participate as interns appointed at one of 16 participating DOE laboratories. They perform research, under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists or engineers, on projects supporting the DOE mission.

The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports innovative, potentially transformative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among academic institutions, national laboratories, industrial organizations, and/or other public/private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake significant investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or fresh 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 Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) conducts crosscutting nuclear energy research and development R&D) and associated infrastructure support activities to develop innovative technologies that offer the promise of dramatically improved performance for advanced reactors and fuel cycle concepts while maximizing the impact of DOE resources. The development of nuclear energy-related infrastructure and basic capabilities in the research community is necessary to promote R&D that supports nuclear science and engineering (NS&E), DOE-NE's mission, and the Nation's nuclear energy challenges. Accordingly, DOE intends to enable the education and training of nuclear scientists, engineers, and policy-makers in graduate and undergraduate study and two-year programs, as well as R&D that is relevant to the Department and the nuclear energy industry in general.

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engineered systems that are built from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of computation and physical components. Advances in CPS will enable capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability that will expand the horizons of these critical systems. CPS technologies are transforming the way people interact with engineered systems, just as the Internet has transformed the way people interact with information. New, smart CPS drive innovation and competition in a range of application domains including agriculture, aeronautics, building design, civil infrastructure, energy, environmental quality, healthcare and personalized medicine, manufacturing, and transportation. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence with CPS creates new research opportunities with major societal implications.

The Confluence Tech Showcase will connect vendors, manufacturers, developers, entrepreneurs, technologists, engineers, and students to our regional utilities to share solutions to the top challenges that have been identified by the utilities. This call for abstracts is addressed to vendors, manufacturers, developers, researchers, technologists, engineers, utilities, entrepreneurs, students and anyone with a solution to the challenges outlined by the Regional Utility Network.   Topics: (Sessions have been categorized into the following tracks: financial innovations, operational efficiencies, business drivers, resiliency opportunities, regulatory concerns, and water sector challenges for utilities within the water cycle (stormwater, drinking water, wastewater).  Abstracts should provide a technology, process, and/or case study of solutions related to these topics, and clearly indicate their value proposition and unique aspects in addressing the problem.  )

The Nanoscale Interactions program is part of the Environmental Engineering and Sustainabilitycluster, which also includes: 1) the Environmental Engineering program; and 2) the Environmental Sustainability program. The goal of theNanoscale Interactions program is to support research toadvance fundamental and quantitative understanding of the interactions of nanomaterials and nanosystems with biological andenvironmental media. Materials of interest include one- to three-dimensional nanostructures, heterogeneous nano-bio hybrid assemblies, dendritic and micelle structures, quantum dots, and other nanoparticles.Such nanomaterials and systems frequently exhibit novel physical, chemical, photonic, electronic, and biological behavior as compared to the bulk scale. Collaborative and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged. Research areas supported by the program include:

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) provides funding to support crosscutting nuclear energy research and development (R&D), and associated infrastructure support activities, to develop innovative technologies that offer the promise of dramatically improved performance for advanced reactors and fuel cycle concepts, while maximizing the use of DOE resources. The development of nuclear energy-related infrastructure and basic capabilities in the research community is necessary to promote R&D that supports nuclear science and engineering (NS&E), DOE-NE's mission, and the Nation's nuclear energy challenges. Accordingly, DOE intends to enable the education and training of nuclear scientists, engineers, and policy-makers, in graduate and undergraduate study, and two-year programs, as well as R&D that is relevant to the Department and the nuclear energy industry in general.

Given the time and resources spent on the Phase I and II studies and the upgraded and newly installed stations, as well as the importance of the UB Network for consumptive use estimates in the Upper Colorado River Basin, the parties want to ensure the stations will continue to be operated and maintained to an agreed level of standards, and that all collected data will be made available to any and all users in a consistent format. This scope of work addresses the operation and maintenance, data quality control and assurance, and serving of the resulting data for the 2 new climate stations within the state of New Mexico in the Colorado River basin. Tasks 1. The contractor will operate and maintain the 2 new stations according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standards appropriate for operation and maintenance of this network (ASCE-EWRI 2005). Teleconnections with the home laboratory will allow daily examination of the sensor outputs. When a significant problem is identified, a site visit will be arranged, to correct the issue within seven (7) days. a. The contractor will provide documentation describing their maintenance procedures and logs of past maintenance upon request. 2. The contractor will ensure each station's sensors are calibrated or checked against standards annually according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) standards appropriate for calibration (ASCE-EWRI 2005) a. The contractor will provide documentation describing their calibration procedures and logs of past calibration upon request.

This FOA is soliciting applications to develop turbine based technology applicable to fossil fuels including coal derived synthesis gas, coal derived hydrogen and natural gas. The turbine based machinery and turbine based subsystems developed through this FOA will have direct application to coal gasification processes where coal derived synthesis gas or hydrogen are produced. Additionally, because the modifications required for a turbine based heat engine to accept coal syngas or natural gas are small and manageable, and the market for natural gas applications is robust, natural gas will be considered the developmental fuel in this FOA. This approach to developmental fuel use will facilitate technology readiness level maturation at an accelerated pace leading to quicker commercial deployment and will consequently result in technology that is ready sooner for coal derived synthesis gas or hydrogen. Applications are sought in three areas of interest that include 1. Advanced Combustion Turbines for Combined Cycle Applications, 2. Development of an Oxy-fuel Combustion Turbine with CO2 Dilution for Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Based Power Cycles, and 3. Modular Turbine-based Hybrid Heat Engines for Fossil Energy Applications.