Category Archives: Math & Science

DARPA Defense Sciences Office BAA – Habitus for Cognitive Science, Computation & Defense

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This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) constitutes a public notice of a competitive funding opportunity as described in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016 as well as 2 C.F.R. § 200.203. Any resultant negotiations and/or awards will follow all laws and regulations applicable to the specific award instrument(s) available under this BAA, e.g., FAR 15.4 for procurement contracts.

The Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals to create self-sustaining, adaptive,
generalizable, and scalable methods for generating causal system models based on local
knowledge to aid operational decision making. Understanding how to work with and influence local systems to support stability operations is critical for operational decision making and is most challenging in undergoverned regions in which the systems themselves are often in flux or illegible. Establishing stability in such regions requires we facilitate actions that are in line with local views, yet our current means for understanding local systems such as the political, socioeconomic, and/or those related to health and infrastructure are limited.

Humans develop causal cognitive representations – or cognitive models – of systems of which they are a part. These models include factors (or variables), relationships among factors, and contexts that affect both. The knowledge behind these models is often hyper-localized, changing dramatically with regional and/or population dependent interactions of factors such as terrain, industries, population density (urban, rural), shared history, formal and informal power structures, religion, and ethnicity. These cognitive models, though often implicit, allow one to estimate which factors are most important for a given outcome and how those factors interact to anticipate future outcomes based on history, current events, and trends.

National Science Foundation PAPPG (NSF 20-1) Frequently Asked Questions

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The NSF has issued a set of Current and Pending Support Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that accompany the revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), effective June 1, 2020. The FAQs address policy questions related to the PAPPG clarifications to the current and pending support coverage, as well as questions regarding use of an NSF-approved format for current and pending support. The FAQs will be updated periodically as appropriate.

If you have any questions regarding the 2020 PAPPG, please contact the DIAS/Policy Office by email at policy@nsf.gov

Department of Energy Research to Enable Fuels from Sunlight

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Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: DE-FOA-0002254

Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications (required): March 24, 2020

FOA Summary:

The DOE SC program in Basic Energy Sciences (BES) hereby solicits new applications for multi-investigator cross-disciplinary fundamental research to address emerging new directions as well as long-standing challenges in liquid solar fuels generation via artificial photosynthesis approaches. Artificial photosynthesis is typically viewed as the generation of fuels using only sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water as inputs. However, for the purpose of this FOA the concept of artificial photosynthesis approaches will be expanded to include other abundant feedstocks beyond carbon dioxide, such as nitrogen. Regardless of feedstock, the focus must remain on fundamental scientific concepts for solar-driven liquid fuel production.

Applications should focus on the highest scientific priorities in solar fuels production as identified by the 2019 Liquid Solar Fuels Roundtable and will be required to address priority research opportunities (PROs) denoted by the 2019 Liquid Solar Fuels Roundtable at https://science.osti.gov/bes/Community-Resources/Reports. The research should capitalize on unique capabilities and accomplishments developed to date, including those from BES-funded efforts in the Fuels from Sunlight Hub, Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs), and BES core programs. Projects should also integrate experiment and theory to elucidate scientific principles for light energy capture and conversion into chemical bonds.

Applications submitted to this FOA may request support in the range from $10M to $20M per year for up to five (5) years.

The project must address at least two (2) of the PROs denoted by the 2019 Liquid Solar Fuels Roundtable (see here: https://science.osti.gov/bes/Community-Resources/Reports)

For more information, including the FOA, please see grants.gov.

Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Programs

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The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is soliciting applications for financial assistance for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) within the Office of the Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services (ADIIS).

Program Description: The ADIIS Grant Program supports activities that develop, expand, strengthen, or sustain NIST partnership programs within the ADIIS Directorate through measurements, standards, data, industry and technology studies, and technology research and development (R&D). Specifically, the ADIIS Grant Program seeks to support technology innovation and service to American industry in the following fields: bioscience, chemistry, dimensional metrology, electronics, engineering, infrastructure, information technology, manufacturing, manufacturing metrology, materials science and engineering, nanotechnology, neutron research, optics, and physics.

The ADIIS Directorate’s current partnership programs include the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), programs within the NIST Office of Advanced Manufacturing, and programs within the NIST Technology Partnerships Office. Financial assistance may be provided to bolster measurements, standards, data and technology R&D within these partnership programs, or through new partnerships, to:

  • Advance early-stage research and development for industry
  • Enhance opportunities in manufacturing through innovation
  • Strengthen supplier programs for small and medium manufacturers
  • Encourage the transfer and commercialization of research and technology from institutions of higher education, federal laboratories, other federally funded research programs, and nonprofit research institutes
  • Create jobs or promote workforce development
  • Realize or sustain metrology needs in American industry, including through technical metrology training programs for manufacturers

Eligibility for all programs listed in this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) includes all non-Federal entities, including institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, state and local governments, Indian tribes, hospitals, foreign public entities, and foreign governments. Please note that individuals and unincorporated sole proprietors are not considered “non-Federal entities” and are not eligible to apply under this NOFO. The NOFO’s full text can be found here and downloaded as a PDF or a zip file.

National Science Foundation: Salary & Wages Policy

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The NSF recently released the PAPPG 20-1, which applies to proposals submitted or due, or awards made, on or after June 1, 2020. Section IIC2g(i) includes the following language for Senior Personnel & Wages:

“NSF regards research as one of the normal functions of faculty members at institutions of higher education. Compensation for time normally spent on research within the term of appointment is deemed to be included within the faculty member’s regular organizational salary.”

“As a general policy, NSF limits the salary compensation requested in the proposal budget for senior personnel to no more than two months of their regular salary in any one year. (See Exhibit II-3 for the definitions of Senior Personnel.) It is the organization’s responsibility to define and consistently apply the term “year”, and to specify this definition in the budget justification. This limit includes salary compensation received from all NSF-funded grants. This effort must be documented in accordance with 2 CFR § 200, Subpart E, including 2 CFR § 200.430(i). If anticipated, any compensation for such personnel in excess of two months must be disclosed in the proposal budget, justified in the budget justification, and must be specifically approved by NSF in the award notice budget.16“

Please note that any proposals submitted or due, or awards made, prior to June 1, 2020 will still be subject to the policies and procedures established in the PAPPG 19-1.