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The goal of the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering and Molecular Thermodynamics (PRM) program is to advance fundamental engineering research on the rates and mechanisms of important classes of catalyzed and uncatalyzed chemical reactions as they relate to the design, production, and application of catalysts, chemical processes, biochemical processes, and specialized materials that have important impacts on society.  The program seeks to advance electrochemical and photochemical processes of engineering significance or with commercial potential, design and optimization of complex chemical and biochemical processes, thermodynamic modeling and experiments that relate molecular dynamics to macroscopic properties and behavior, dynamic modeling and control of process systems and individual process units, reactive processing of polymers/ceramics/thin films, and interactions between chemical reactions and transport processes in reactive systems, for the integration of this information into the design of complex chemical and biochemical reactors.  A substantial focus of the PRM program is to impact the chemical manufacturing enterprise by funding projects aimed at zero emissions and environmentally-friendly, smart manufacturing using sustainable materials.  Areas that focus on reactors of all types (fuel cells, batteries, microreactors, biochemical reactors, etc.), reactor design in general, and design and control of all systems associated with energy from renewable sources have a high priority for funding

The goal of the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering and Molecular Thermodynamics (PRM) program is to advance fundamental engineering research on the rates and mechanisms of important classes of catalyzed and uncatalyzed chemical reactions as they relate to the design, production, and application of catalysts, chemical processes, biochemical processes, and specialized materials that have important impacts on society.  The program seeks to advance electrochemical and photochemical processes of engineering significance or with commercial potential, design and optimization of complex chemical and biochemical processes, thermodynamic modeling and experiments that relate molecular dynamics to macroscopic properties and behavior, dynamic modeling and control of process systems and individual process units, reactive processing of polymers/ceramics/thin films, and interactions between chemical reactions and transport processes in reactive systems, for the integration of this information into the design of complex chemical and biochemical reactors.  A substantial focus of the PRM program is to impact the chemical manufacturing enterprise by funding projects aimed at zero emissions and environmentally-friendly, smart manufacturing using sustainable materials.  Areas that focus on reactors of all types (fuel cells, batteries, microreactors, biochemical reactors, etc.), reactor design in general, and design and control of all systems associated with energy from renewable sources have a high priority for funding

SoftwareInfrastructure for Sustained Innovation (SI2) is a long-term investment focused on realizing a portion of the Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21, http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504730) vision and catalyzing new thinking, paradigms and practices in science and engineering. CIF21 envisions a linked cyberinfrastructure architecture that integrates large-scale computing, high-speed networks, massive data archives, instruments and major facilities, observatories, experiments, and embedded sensors and actuators, across the nation and the world, and that enables research at unprecedented scales, complexity, resolution, and accuracy by integrating computation, data, and experiments in novel ways. Software is a primary modality through which CIF21 innovation and discovery will be realized. It permeates all aspects and layers of cyberinfrastructure (from application codes and frameworks, programming systems, libraries and system software, to middleware, operating systems, networking and the low-level drivers). The CIF21 software infrastructure must address the complexity of this cyberinfrastructure, accommodating: disruptive hardware trends; ever-increasing data volumes; data integrity, privacy, and confidentiality; security; complex application structures and behaviors; and emerging concerns such as fault-tolerance and energy efficiency. The programs must focus on building robust, reliable and sustainable software that will support and advance sustained scientific innovation and discovery.
 The Division of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure in the Computer & Information Science & Engineering Directorate (CISE/ACI) is partnering with Directorates and Offices across the NSF to support SI2, a long-term comprehensive program focused on realizing a sustained software infrastructure that is an integral part of CIF21.

The mission of DOE's Fossil Energy R&D Program is to ensure the nation can continue to rely on traditional resources for clean, secure and affordable energy while enhancing environmental protection. The Carbon Capture program focuses on developing technologies to control emissions from either post-combustion units (e.g., pulverized coal) or pre-combustion (e.g., Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, or IGCC). First Generation technologies (i.e. those that are currently being demonstrated or that are commercially available) exist, and Second Generation Technologies (i.e., those that include technology components currently in R&D and are expected to be ready for demonstration in the 2020-2025 timeframe) have shown potential for improvement towards an economic goal for cost of capture at less than $40/tonne, but are still cost prohibitive for broad deployment to the existing coal fleet. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, the Carbon Capture Program will solicit applications under this FOA to develop technologies in the area of pre-combustion carbon capture. Approaches that look at either hydrogen (H2) separation or carbon dioxide (CO2) separation will be accepted. The carbon capture technologies developed through this FOA will have direct application to coal gasification processes where coal derived synthesis gas or hydrogen are produced. Additionally, because gasification technology is often used to produce industrial chemicals, the technologies developed through this FOA will also be directly applicable to industrial gasifiers. Finally, as these technologies are successfully developed, they can represent an export opportunity to other countries that have a larger installed base of gasifiers than the U.S.

The Dynamics, Control and Systems Diagnostics (DCSD) program supports fundamental research on the analysis, measurement, monitoring and control of dynamic systems, including development of new analytical, computational and experimental tools, and novel applications to engineered and natural systems. Dynamics is the science of systems that change in time. Control concerns the use of external influences to produce desired dynamic behaviors. Systems diagnostics concerns the use of observation to infer information about a dynamic system. Objectives of the DCSD program are the discovery of new phenomena and the investigation of innovative methods and applications in dynamics, control and diagnostics. The intellectual merit of proposals submitted to the DCSD program will be evaluated on the basis of fundamental innovation in foundational areas of dynamics and control, and on the potential for transformative impact within and across disciplinary boundaries. Proposals submitted to the DCSD program should be aligned with the disciplinary thrusts of the CMMI division. For example, innovative research that primarily concerns electromagnetic or chemical phenomena should be directed to the ECCS or CBET divisions. To ensure that a project is appropriate for the DCSD program, PIs are very strongly encouraged to email a project summary of approximately 250 words to the DCSD Program Directors prior to the full submission. The DCSD Program does not fund fundamental research relating to sensing modalities or sensor development. Proposals offering fundamental research on sensing modalities should be submitted to the Communications, Circuits and Sensing Systems (CCSS) program or the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) program in the ECCS Division.

The lack of logistics systems capable of handling and delivering sufficiently high tonnage year-round volumes of high quality feedstocks to support the rapid escalation of cellulosic biofuels production has been identified as a significant barrier to the expansion of a sustainable domestic biofuels industry. In particular, biomass physical and chemical quality parameters have repeatedly been identified as significant challenges to the smooth operation and economic viability of biorefineries. This FOA will focus on developing and demonstrating strategies, equipment, and rapid analytical methods to manage feedstock quality within economic constraints throughout the feedstock supply chain. The main effort in Proposals must be directed toward full-scale demonstration of integrated feedstock supply chain systems that can deliver the volume of high quality, affordable, high impact feedstocks required by commercial biorefineries over a significant geographic area in the United States. DOE plans to support the increased production of high volumes of sustainably produced domestic biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks by seeking Proposals to design new systems or adapt existing systems to handle industrial scale volumes of cellulosic feedstocks from the harvest point to the throat of the biorefinery reactor.