The DoD Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Future Scholars for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Workforce Development Programs.”

The FOA intends to supports STEM Workforce Development programs or project that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and the DoD STEM Mission. The announcement will encourage programs or projects that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students and teachers, and prepare the 21st century STEM workforce. AFRL’s Workforce Development programs or projects include, but are not limited to:

• Internships (High School through Doctoral)
• Fellowship Apprentice/Residency Programs
• College or University project-based learning programs
• Formal or informal workforce development programs or project that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and DOD STEM Mission

Recipients are highly encouraged to read the Federal STEM Education Strategy and the DoD STEM’s Mission.

AFRL envisions awarding multiple grants and cooperative agreements, subject to the availability of funds for the future FOA. AFRL anticipates a total of $50,000,000.00 of Federal funding for multiple awards. Proposed efforts may range in size, complexity and periods of performance. The Government reserves the right to fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the applications submitted in response to the FOA. Using the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2192, AFRL will select proposed efforts that meet the anticipated FOA’s Funding Opportunity Description and clearly address the goals and objectives as stated in the FOA.

This notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of AFRL’s intention to issue this FOA in the near term. AFRL plans to issue the FOA in the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 via Grants.gov. Recipients wishing to receive a copy of the DRAFT FOA-20-AFRL/RVKE-000 dated 18 May 2020, should email:

• Sara Telano, Contracting Specialist
• Lauren Davis, Contracting Specialist
• Email Subject: Request for DRAF FOA-20-AFRL/RVKE-0001

Please note, this is a DRAFT FOA and it is subject to change.

AFRL will host a Notice of Intent telephone conference in which questions will be received, but may not be answered during the conference; questions may be answered at a later date and posted on Grants.gov. Please see below for Notice of Intent telephone conference information:

• Date and Time: 26 May 2020, 10:00 AM MST
• Meeting ID: 997 1043 2950
• Password: 283741
• One Tab Mobile: +1 408 638 0968 or +1 669 900 6833 US
• Dial by Location: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose), +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston), +1 646 876 9923 US (New York), or +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
• Find Your Local Number: https://zoom.us/u/aYom4lvAg

In anticipation of the FOA being released, Recipients are advised to complete the following steps, which are required for application submission:

• Obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number (including the plus 4 extension, if applicable) at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.
• Register in Grants.gov to receive automatic updates when Amendments to a FOA are posted. Please note that applications will ONLY be accepted through Grants.gov. http://www.grants.gov/.
• Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov/. To be eligible for an award, the Recipient must (1) be registered in the SAM before submitting its application; (2) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

Recipients wishing to receive additional information on this FOA, including future amendments, should register in Grant.gov as soon as possible. Recipients will only receive an email when an amendment is posted on Grants.gov, if the Recipient is register for email notifications for the FOA in Grants.gov. The Government recommends email registration as soon as possible after the release of the FOA to ensure notice of any amendments or other FOA information.

Proposal Deadline: July 14, 2020

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications that will accelerate the development of new or enhance/increase existing anaerobic digestion capacity and infrastructure in the United States. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the natural process in which microorganisms break down organic (plant and animal) materials. Food waste diverted from landfills and incinerators can be managed at AD facilities. The AD process generates renewable energy (biogas) and a product that can improve soil health (digestate).

EPA is soliciting applications for a wide variety of projects that are designed to increase the use of AD for management of organic materials in the United States. It is anticipated that applications will include projects that create new AD capacity, optimize use of existing capacity, or identify strategies that otherwise result in an increase in management of organic materials through AD. EPA also recognizes and encourages applications that demonstrate effective marketing and/or sale of AD products (e.g., biogas and digestate). Such projects are beneficial to the AD industry and can therefore build the foundation for development of additional AD infrastructure.

Applications must achieve one or more of the following objectives:

• Support state, tribal, and/or local government programs that seek to use AD to increase their organic waste diversion rates.
• Demonstrate solutions and/or approaches for increasing AD utilization that can be replicated by other communities, governments, or other entities; or
• Establish new or expand existing partnerships (public/private partnerships) that result in development of AD capacity.

Additional information, including the program RFP, can be found on grants.gov.

The NHPRC seeks projects that will significantly improve online public discovery and use of historical records collections. The Commission encourages projects centered on collections of America’s early legal records, such as the records of colonial, territorial, county, and early statehood and tribal proceedings that document the evolution of the nation’s legal history. Additionally, the Commission is especially interested in projects to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Applications that use collections to examine the ideals behind the founding of the United States and the continual interpretation and debate over those ideals over the past 250 years are encouraged. NHPRC is interested in projects that engage the public, expand civic education, and promote understanding of the nation’s history, democracy, and culture from the founding era to the present day.

Projects may preserve and process historical records to:

• Convert existing description for online access
• Create new online finding aids to collections
• Digitize historical records collections and make them freely available online

All types of historical records are eligible, including documents, photographs, born-digital records, and analog audio and moving images. Successful applications will demonstrate the value of the contents of the collections, outline a project that addresses best practices for the work and that is appropriately staffed, propose a budget that accomplishes the project in a cost-effective manner, and outline activities that bring researchers to the collections included in the project as well as the rest of the repository’s holdings. For a comprehensive list of Commission limitations on funding, please see: “What we do and do not fund“.

Award Information

A grant is for one or two years and for up to $150,000. The Commission expects to make up to 10 grants in this category for a total of up to $1,000,000. The Commission requires that grant recipients acknowledge NHPRC grant assistance in all publicity, publications, and other products that result from its support.

Eligibility

• Nonprofit organizations or institutions
• Colleges, universities, and other academic institutions
• State or local government agencies
• Federally-recognized or -acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups

Projects must include at least one of the eligible activities described for this program. Applications must include all required elements (SF424, Narrative, NHPRC Budget form, and Supplemental Materials). Applications that do not meet either of these criteria will not be considered. In order to ensure eligibility, applicants should first review the rules and regulations governing NHPRC grants under the Administering an NHPRC Grant section.

Cost Sharing

The total costs of a project are shared between the NHPRC and the applicant organization. Cost sharing is required. The applicant’s financial contribution may include both direct and indirect expenses, in-kind contributions, non-Federal third-party contributions, and any income earned directly by the project. NHPRC grant recipients are not permitted to use grant funds for indirect costs (as indicated in 2 CFR 2600.101). Indirect costs must be listed under the applicant’s cost sharing contribution if they are included in the budget.

The Commission provides no more than 75 per cent of total project costs in the Access to Historical Records: Archival Projects category. For example, a request of $75,000 in NHPRC grant funds means the applicant institution must provide at least $25,000 in cost share. Other Requirements Applicant organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application, maintain SAM registration throughout the application and award process, and include a valid DUNS number in their application. Details on SAM registration and requesting a DUNS number can be found at the System for Award Management website. Please refer to the User Guides section and the Grants Registrations PDF.

Full Proposal Deadline: October 07, 2020

The goal of the Discovery Research PreK-12 program (DRK-12) is to catalyze research and development of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science (STEM) education innovations or approaches that can serve as models for use within the nation’s formal preK-12 STEM education system (e.g., states, districts, schools, and teachers). The intent of the DRK-12 program is to: (1) catalyze new approaches to STEM learning, teaching, and assessment; (2) build knowledge about how to develop preK-12 students’ STEM content knowledge, practices, and skills; and (3) provide multiple resources in a variety of STEM learning environments and study the learning process itself. The DRK-12 program is committed to research and development that inform strategies to promote success for all students in all STEM fields of study. The program encourages proposals from a range of institution types and categories including minority-serving institutions (e.g., HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions), primarily undergraduate institutions and other organizations focused on preK-12 STEM Education. The DRK-12 Program especially welcomes proposals that are consistent with the goal of developing STEM talent and workforce from all sectors and groups in our society (e.g., NSF INCLUDES). Collaborations are encouraged between DRK-12 proposals and existing NSF INCLUDES projects, provided the collaboration strengthens both projects.

Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. School leaders, teachers, and students who participate in DRK-12 studies are expected to enhance their understanding and use of STEM content, practices, and skills. The DRK-12 program invites proposals that seek to transform the STEM education landscape of the future by reimagining structures and systems of PreK-12 teaching, learning, and assessment, while also addressing current challenges in PreK-12 STEM research and practice. The projects funded by the program should reflect the needs of the increasingly diverse population and national, state, or district priorities. Projects should contribute to the research base in STEM education by studying how students and teachers learn, through well-articulated STEM education innovations with clear theories of action. DRK-12 projects are expected to contribute to both theory and practice. Therefore, projects are expected to result in innovations or approaches that can be shared with and feasibly implemented by other organizations as well as research shared in peer-reviewed research and practice publications.

There are three strands that guide the focus of DRK-12 projects: (1) Assessment; (2) Learning; and (3) Teaching.

The DRK-12 program encourages proposals that address STEM assessment questions facing the field including, but not limited to, the following:

1. How does assessment information move across levels of the educational system and with what degree of validity?
2. How are assessment frameworks related to theories of learning, and in what ways do the resulting assessment innovations or approaches inform and advance the field conceptually?
3. How do users of STEM assessments (e.g., students, teachers, administrators, districts, parents) interact with, perceive, respond to, and make sense of the assessment information?
4. How are disciplinary learning progressions and trajectories informing and being informed by and through assessment?
5. What are effective ways to build capacity in the field for the design, development, implementation, interpretation, and use of assessment in STEM learning settings?
6. What roles and opportunities do emergent technologies have related to assessment?

The DRK-12 program encourages proposals that address important questions facing the learning of STEM including, but not limited to, the following:

1. How does the innovation or approach challenge and improve upon current practices and standards?
2. How does the innovation or approach focus on emerging STEM concepts and practices that reimagine or transform existing school curricula?
3. How does the innovation or approach make use of data and practices from STEM fields to transform existing school curricula?
4. How is the innovation or approach likely to be transformative for STEM teaching and learning?
5. How does the innovation or approach increase broader participation in STEM by targeting underserved or disadvantaged groups of learners, such as English language learners, underrepresented minorities, or students with disabilities?

The DRK-12 program encourages proposals that address important questions facing STEM teaching including, but not limited to, the following:

1. How does the innovation or approach improve instructional practices and increase students’ learning and outcomes?
2. How does the innovation or approach recruit, certify, induct, and/or prepare STEM teachers better than existing practice?
3. How do pre- or in-service teachers develop STEM content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in ways that improve their instructional practice?
4. How does the innovation or approach develop teaching expertise and instructional leadership across schools, districts, and the broader national teacher community?
5. How can we assist teachers in making data-driven instructional decisions to meet the needs of all learners?
6. How can teachers’ capacity and willingness to customize instructional approaches be developed to meet standards and the needs of diverse student populations?
7. What are effective methods for developing, applying, and testing effective models of professional development that improve STEM teaching and learning?

The DRK-12 program invites proposals for six project types: (1) Exploratory, (2) Design and Development, (3) Impact, (4) Implementation and Improvement, (5) Syntheses, and (6) Conferences.

More information is on the NSF DRK-12 program page, including the program guidelines.

Proposal Deadline: July 15, 2020 at 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time

Synopsis of Program:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing research to support the development of improved science-based human health and environmental risk assessments of new biotechnology products, including those developed through synthetic biology, genome editing, and metabolic engineering.

Applicants should address at least one of the three research areas, including at least one subtopic, described below. Applications may respond to one research area or integrate across two or three research areas.

• Long-term stability, persistence, efficacy, and reliability of microbial biocontainment strategies, microbial synthetic genetic constructs, or microbial genetic restriction technologies:
  • a. Long-term stability, persistence, and reliability of synbio microbial biocontainment strategies (e.g., xenonucleic acids, noncanonical amino acids, recoded microorganisms) for synbio microorganisms. For the purposes of this RFA, biocontainment methodologies are those that prevent unintended proliferation of genetically modified organisms in the environment.
  • b. Stability and persistence of synthetic genetic constructs in microbes (e.g., are synthetic transgenes eliminated from viral, bacterial, algal or fungal genomes over time?). For the purposes of this RFA, “synthetic genetic constructs” are defined as new biological entities, not directly derived from extant organisms, such as enzymes, genetic circuits, and cells or the redesign of existing biological systems for useful purposes.
  • c. Efficacy of genetic restriction technologies or orthogonal gene constructs in precluding horizontal gene transfer from synthetic microorganisms. Horizontal gene transfer is a process in which organisms exchange genetic material with other species. For the purposes of this RFA, “genetic restriction technologies” are defined as methods that impede transgene movement. Particularly with self-replicating microbial systems, re-engineered cells may produce undesired consequences if they escape or overwhelm their intended host environment.

• Ecological effects/impacts of synbio organisms or by-products that are released into the environment:
  • a. Survival, persistence, and unintended ecological effects of synbio microorganisms, plants and animals.
  • b. Unintended environmental effects/potential impacts of synthetic microorganisms, plants and animals such as: bacteriophages, plant viruses, entomopathogens, bacterial or fungal colonizers, (e.g., rhizobia, other nitrogen-fixing bacteria, mycorrhizae), higher plants, mosquitoes, or rodents.

• Risks to human health from novel biomolecules produced using metabolic or genetic pathways by organisms used as manufacturing bioreactors. Much work regarding toxicity and allergenicity of new protein domains relies on bioinformatics that use existing databases of known toxins and allergens. These databases, or the literature, do not apply to biomolecules made by synbio organisms. Methods and models are needed to determine potential physiological responses, such as:
  • a. Adverse responses, including protein toxicity/allergenicity, biosynthetically produced proteins, atypical nucleotides, or noncanonical amino acids (i.e., nonstandard amino acids and possibly other ligands),
  • b. Predictive toxicity motif detection in instances where noncanonical amino acids are incorporated into peptides/proteins,
  • c. Synbio microorganism colonization of the human microbiome.

More information, including the RFP, can be found on grants.gov.