OARS funding Environmental Sustainability

The Environmental Studies Program (ESP) of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is offering a cooperative agreement to complete a demonstration project on Integrating DNA Profiles, Genomics and Photo-Identification data. The objective of this study is to improve the current computation capabilities for integrating DNA profiles with photo-identification records for assessment and long-term monitoring of marine mammal populations, to provide a standardized database architecture, with associated tools for primary analyses and visualization of individual genetic and genomic profiles as well as spatial-temporal records. An important component of this objective is to develop "community standards" that can be applied across multiple species, as well as multiple investigators, and that promotes data sharing and archiving. Continuation of the development of previously funded work on GeneGIS towards the development of a Web-based, collaborative collection could form a model for similar developments with other species of interest to BOEM. Section 1346 of the OCS Lands Act (OCSLA) mandates the conduct of environmental and socioeconomic studies needed for the assessment and management of environmental impacts on the human, marine, and coastal environments which may be affected by oil and gas or other mineral development. OCSLA Section 1345 authorizes the use of cooperative agreements with affected States to meet the requirements of OCSLA, including sharing of information, joint utilization of available expertise, and formation of joint monitoring arrangements to carry out applicable Federal and State laws, regulations, and stipulations relevant to outer continental shelf operations both onshore and offshore. This is not an open solicitation for proposals. The Program Announcement describes the specific project that may be awarded to a qualified organization within the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Asstated intheStrategy for American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing,worldwide competition in manufacturing has been dominated in recent decades by the maturation, commoditization, and widespread application of computation in production equipment and logistics, effectively leveling the global technological playing field and putting a premium on low wages and incremental technical improvements.[1] The next generation of technological competition in manufacturing will be dictated by inventions of new materials, chemicals, devices, systems, processes, machines, design and work methods, social structures and business practices. Fundamental research will be required in robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, materials science, sustainability, education and public policy, and workforce development to take the lead in this global competition. The research supported under this solicitationwillenhance U.S. leadership in manufacturing far into the future by providing new capabilitiesfor established companies andentrepreneurs,improving ourhealth and quality of life,andreducingthe impact of manufacturing industries on the environment.

This FOA will support high-impact R&D for plastics by developing new plastics that are capable of efficient recyclability and improving recycling strategies that can break existing plastics into chemical building blocks that can be used to make higher-value products. DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) develops technologies that convert domestic biomass and waste resources into fuels, products, and power to enable affordable energy, economic growth, and innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production. DOE's Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) develops technologies that drive energy productivity improvements in the U.S. manufacturing sector, efficiently utilize abundant and available domestic energy resources, and support the manufacture of clean energy products with benefits extending across the economy. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will support high-impact technology research and development (R&D) to enable the development of technologies that overcome the challenges associated with plastic waste. Topic Areas include: 1) Highly Recyclable or Biodegradable Plastics: develop new plastics that have improved performance attributes over a comparable existing plastic that can be cost-effectively recycled or biodegrade completely in the environment or in compost facilities. 2) Novel Methods for Deconstructing and Upcycling Existing Plastics: generate energy efficient recycling technologies (mechanical, chemical, or biological) that are capable of breaking plastic streams into intermediates which can be upgraded into higher value products. 3) BOTTLE Consortium Collaborations to Tackle Challenges in Plastic Waste: create collaborations with the Bio-Optimized Technologies to Keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) Laboratory Consortium to further the long-term goals of the Consortium and the Plastics Innovation Challenge.

This solicitation addresses the overlapping objectives of the National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan (NSW-SAP) and the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) Update through a pilot program. The goal of this pilot program is to transform development of predictive modeling of the coupled evolution of the magnetized solar atmosphere and the solar wind, and their interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere. This requires advancing our understanding of the necessary and sufficient requirements of model complexity, computational performance, and observational inputs. The pilot program is also expected to directly contribute to the long-term goal of creating space weather models with quantifiable predictive capability.

NSF solicits proposals to manage the operations and maintenance of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), an NSF-funded major facility project. NEON comprises terrestrial, aquatic, atmospheric, and remote sensing measurement infrastructure and cyberinfrastructure that deliver standardized, calibrated data to the scientific community through a single, openly accessible data portal. NEON infrastructure is geographically distributed across the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, and will generate data for ecological research over a 30-year period. NEON is designed to enable the research community to ask and address their own questions on a regional to continental scale around the environmental challenges identified as relevant to understanding the effects of climate change, land-use change and invasive species patterns on the biosphere. The NSF NEON program, which is part of the Centers and Cooperative Agreements Cluster in the Division of Biological Infrastructure, manages the NEON award in collaboration with the NSF Large Facilities Office and the NSF Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support.

According to the company, women and girls around the globe are the most vulnerable to climate change but have the firsthand experience to solve it. Linking these two issues is essential to accelerating progress toward improving the status and rights of women and the health of our planet. To that end, grants ranging between $10,000 and $40,000 will be awarded to nonprofits providing direct services and programs with potential to increase women's participation in decision-making; train them in climate change adaptation, mitigation, and advocacy; and engage them in sustainable economic activity. Executive leadership must reflect the demographics of the program's beneficiaries, and the program itself should be generated by and/or co-designed with the communities it serves

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions that expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. NRCS seeks to co-invest with RCPP partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address.

EPA Region 5 is soliciting applications that address one of the two Sustainable Materials Management priorities identified in Section I below. These projects benefit states in Region 5, which includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Minnesota.

BLM has an opportunity to work with partner organizations to collaboratively manage and coordinate treatments, inventories, monitoring, education and outreach, and prevention activities to control new infestations and treatment to remove existing infestations of noxious weeds and invasive species in order to gain efficiencies across multiple jurisdictions.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) released its annual omnibus Research Announcement (NRA), Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) - 2020 (OMB Approval Number 2700-0092, CFDA Number 43.001) on February 14, 2020. In this case "omnibus" means that this NRA has many individual program elements, each with its own due dates and topics. All together these cover the wide range of basic and applied supporting research and technology in space and Earth sciences supported by SMD. Awards will be made as grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and inter- or intra-agency transfers, depending on the nature of the work proposed, the proposing organization, and/or program requirements. However, most extramural research awards deriving from ROSES will be grants, and many program elements of ROSES specifically exclude contracts, because contracts would not be appropriate for the nature of the work solicited. The typical period of performance for an award is three years, but some programs may allow up to five years and others specify shorter periods. In most cases, organizations of every type, Government and private, for profit and not-for-profit, domestic and foreign (with some caveats), may submit proposals without restriction on teaming arrangements. Tables listing the program elements and due dates, the full text of the ROSES-2020 solicitation, and the "Summary of Solicitation" as a stand-alone document, may all be found NSPIRES at http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2020.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation has issued a request for proposals to investigate environmental factors that increase Risk for Parkinson's disease. While some evidence links environmental factors with increased risk of PD, according to the foundation much remains unknown regarding the specific environmental risks, their role in disease, and the quantification of their contributions. A better understanding of environmental risk factors for PD could lead to efforts to reduce or prevent such exposures.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the Nation¿s most ecologically diverse range of aquatic habitat for fish, wildlife, and invertebrates, totaling more than 150,000 miles of streams and rivers, over 3 million acres of lake and reservoir habitat, and nearly 13 million acres of wetlands. Properly functioning instream, riparian and wetland areas are critical to sustaining ecosystem functions and services, providing local communities with clean water, habitat for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, reducing sedimentation, soil erosion, improving water quality, and providing recreational opportunities.

Investigating vital rate drivers of Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) fishes to support management and restoration.

NSF invites proposals to establish a Navigating the New Arctic Community Office (NNA-CO). Launched in 2016, NNA has been building a growing portfolio of research and planning grants at the intersection of the built, social, and natural environments to improve understanding of Arctic change and its local and global effects. Each NNA-funded project is responsible for its own performance, including its core research and broader impacts. However, an NNA community office is required to coordinate the activities of funded NNA projects; engage new PIs; and promote research, education, and outreach activities. The NNA-CO will also provide centralized representation of ongoing NNA activities to the broader scientific community and the public. The lead PI of the successful NNA-CO proposal will serve as the Office Director and will work with the research community to develop and implement appropriate communication networks and support for investigators, stakeholders, and research teams pursuing NNA research. NNA research is inherently convergent, seeking new knowledge at the intersection of the natural, built, and social environments. NNA research also inherently involves diverse stakeholders, from local to international. The NNA-CO will need to demonstrate the ability to work with these types of research teams and audiences.

Complete information, including the full Funding Opportunity Announcement, can be found on the EERE Exchange website - https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is issuing, on behalf of the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Marine Energy Foundational Research and Testing Infrastructure." This FOA addresses priorities in the following Topic Areas: Topic Area 1: Foundational Research and Development (R&D) Topic Area 2: Atlantic Marine Energy Center (AMEC) Topic Area 3: Foundational Research Network Facilitator (FRNF) Topic Area 4: Current Energy Technology Testing Infrastructure

The grantee will work to promote coherent approaches to sustainable land and water management. Through projects, studies and information-sharing, the grantee will help increase scientific understanding of the biophysical and socioeconomic relationships between land and water resources at the landscape scale, and will provide international policy guidance aimed at achieving greater management coherence among sectors and across the full global community. The grantee will help to coordinate and review the latest research on best practices for environmental monitoring and its relationship to agricultural practices and food safety. Furthermore, the grantee will help disseminate the appropriate materials and knowledge gained to a world-wide audience.

To strengthen local capacity to monitor air quality and expand awareness of air quality issues among decision makers and the general public in at least two Southeast Asian countries. The project will target key host government entities, universities, and NGOs to develop and enhance air quality monitoring capacity with low or medium cost sensors, educational materials on AQI PM2.5 and or PM10, formal expert workshops, and through the services of a professional monitoring and evaluation expert to develop and design a monitoring and evaluation plan to be used by key agencies.

The BLM Aquatic Habitat Management mission area works cooperatively with a wide range of constituents to manage for the biological, chemical, and physical integrity and function and natural diversity of aquatic ecosystems. The BLM develops strategies that provide protection for instream, riparian and wetland areas as well as maintain or restore stream function and stream access to floodplains while supporting multiple uses on public lands. The program manages and guides fish and aquatic habitat conservation, riparian and wetland conservation, control of aquatic invasive species, aquatic organism passage, and monitoring riparian and instream habitat conditions and water quantity and quality conditions and trends.

The Hydrologic Sciences Program supports basic research on the fluxes of water in the terrestrial environment that constitute the water cycle as well as the mass and energy transport function of the water cycle. The Program supports the study of processes including (but not limited to): rainfall, runoff, infiltration and streamflow; evaporation and transpiration; the flow of water in soils and aquifers; and the transport of suspended, dissolved, and colloidal components. The Program is interested in how water interacts with the landscape and the ecosystem as well as how the water cycle and its coupled processes are altered by land use and climate. Studies may address physical, chemical, and/or biological processes that are coupled directly to water transport. Observational, experimental, theoretical, modeling, synthesis and field approaches are supported. Projects submitted to Hydrologic Sciences commonly involve expertise from physical and ecosystem sciences, engineering and/or mathematics; and proposals may require joint review with related programs.

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from federally-recognized tribes or intertribal consortia for the development and implementation of hazardous waste programs and for building capacity to address hazardous waste management in Indian country. In accordance with the EPA Indian Policy of 1984, EPA recognizes tribal governments as the primary parties for managing programs for reservations. To maximize the benefits to tribes from the limited funding to support the Hazardous Waste Management Grant Program for Tribes, EPA has reassessed the criteria used to evaluate applications submitted for funding through this grant program beginning in FY 2015. The goal of this effort is to provide technical assistance to a greater number of tribes for activities that involve hazardous waste management on tribal lands.