Full Proposal Deadline: March 25, 2020

Program Solicitation: 20-526

Synopsis:

A well-educated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce is a significant contributor to maintaining the competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program addresses the need for a high quality STEM workforce in STEM disciplines supported by the program and for the increased success of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Recognizing that financial aid alone cannot increase retention and graduation in STEM, the program provides awards to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to fund scholarships and to advance the adaptation, implementation, and study of effective evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities that support recruitment, retention, transfer (if appropriate), student success, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM. The S-STEM program encourages collaborations among different types of participating groups, including but not limited to partnerships among different types of institutions; collaborations of STEM faculty and institutional, educational, and social science researchers; and partnerships among institutions of higher education and business, industry, local community organizations, national labs, or other federal or state government organizations, if appropriate.

The program seeks to 1) increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need obtaining degrees in S-STEM eligible disciplines and entering the workforce or graduate programs in STEM; 2) improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, with a focus on low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need; and 3) generate knowledge to advance understanding of how interventions or evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities affect the success, retention, transfer, academic/career pathways, and graduation of low-income students in STEM.

S-STEM Eligible Degree Programs:

• Associates of Arts and Associates of Science
• Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science
• Master of Arts and Master of Science
• Doctoral

S-STEM Eligible Disciplines

• Biological sciences (except medicine and other clinical fields)
• Physical sciences (including physics, chemistry, astronomy and materials sciences)
• Mathematical sciences
• Computer and information sciences
• Geosciences
• Engineering
• Technology fields associated with the disciplines above (e.g. biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, information technology)

Synopsis of Program:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has advanced tremendously and today promises personalized healthcare; enhanced national security; improved transportation; and more effective education, to name just a few benefits. Increased computing power, the availability of large datasets and streaming data, and algorithmic advances in machine learning (ML) have made it possible for AI development to create new sectors of the economy and revitalize industries. Continued advancement, enabled by sustained federal investment and channeled toward issues of national importance, holds the potential for further economic impact and quality-of-life improvements.

This program, a joint effort of the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), seeks to enable such research through AI Research Institutes. This program solicitation describes two tracks: Planning and Institute tracks. Submissions to the Planning track are encouraged in any areas of foundational and use-inspired research appropriate to NSF and its partner organizations. Proposals for the Institute track must have a principal focus in one or more of the following themes, detailed in the Program Description under “Institute Track”:

• Trustworthy AI;
• Foundations of Machine Learning;
• AI-Driven Innovation in Agriculture and the Food System;
• AI-Augmented Learning;
• AI for Accelerating Molecular Synthesis and Manufacturing; and
• AI for Discovery in Physics

Full Proposal Deadlines:

• January 28, 2020 (for Institute proposals in one of the six specified themes)
• January 30, 2020 (for Planning proposals)

For additional information please see NSF 20-503 .

Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-19-385

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to stimulate research to understand the biological basis by which environmental exposures alter brain and behavioral functioning to increase risk for psychiatric disorders with onset in late-childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. The R21 grant mechanism is intended to encourage exploratory and developmental research projects that are high-risk and/or use novel approaches with potential for significant impact. Investigations that further advance our understanding of psychiatric conditions where there is less evidence of an environmental exposure link are of particular interest. A range of approaches are encouraged, from mechanistic experiments using whole organism models or in vitro and in vivo systems to human studies that add new data collection activities and/or make use of extant data or biospecimens. Investigations that further advance our understanding of the joint contribution of genes and environment in the risk for psychiatric disorders are welcomed. Applications should address either categorically defined psychiatric diagnoses and/or continuous traits expressed in the general population. Applicants are encouraged to propose studies that consider co-occurring psychiatric conditions and potential shared etiologies. It is anticipated that knowledge gained from the research supported by this FOA will inform the development of improved intervention, prevention and/or therapeutic strategies.

Application Due Dates: December 10, 2019; November 16, 2020; November 16, 2021, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. All types of non-AIDS applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on these dates.

Specific Areas of Research Interest:

Topics that are appropriate for this FOA include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Alterations in level or pattern of peripheral biomarkers (e.g., cortisol, cytokines) and their role in mediating the relationship between environmental exposures and psychiatric disorders/traits
• Neural circuitry underlying toxicant-induced changes in behavioral phenotypes relevant to psychiatric disorders/traits
• Relationship(s) between environmental exposures and synaptic processes (e.g., synaptic integrity, synaptic plasticity and/or synaptic transmission) that are implicated in psychiatric disorders/traits
• Epigenetic and epigenomic alterations (e.g., histone modifications, changes in DNA methylation, non-coding RNA regulation) caused by environmental exposures and their role in mediating the association of those exposures with psychiatric disorders/traits
• Impact of environmental exposures on gut microbiome and consequences for risk of psychiatric disorders/traits
• Development and/or application of screening tools to identify and investigate, in human populations, candidate exposures that interact with biological processes implicated in psychiatric disorders/traits
• Neurobiological changes underlying how environmental chemical exposures combine with other environmental factors (e.g., microbial pathogens such as viruses, diet and nutrition, psychosocial stress, substance use, physical activity levels) to protect or increase risk for psychiatric disorders/symptoms
• Use of genetically engineered models (e.g., population-based rodent models) to identify susceptibility to exposure-related psychiatric phenotypes
• Application of functional genomics and/or novel statistical approaches to identify and validate gene-environment interactions using existing data from psychiatric studies
• Role of non-neuronal cell populations, which make up close to 90% of the cells in the brain, in the effects of environmental toxicants on psychiatric disorders/traits.

The CRRP seeks to enhance medical capabilities at the point of greatest need in order to save the most lives in future combat scenarios, which may be complicated by limited resources, austere conditions, and/or mass casualty events. The intent of the FY19 CRRP RDTRA is to support research that will accelerate the movement of promising ideas into clinical applications, including healthcare products, technologies, and/or practice guidelines. Applicants may leverage existing resources in translational research to address high-impact research ideas or unmet needs in delivering lifesaving care to the Warfighter during prolonged and en route care in austere and combat environments. Research of interest may include knowledge products, “knowledge resulting from research with the potential to improve individual or public health,”2 and solutions that can accelerate the introduction of military-relevant health products or technologies into clinical and/or operational use. For this award mechanism, the definition of “leveraging” is as follows: An investigator basing a research project on existing resources in order to amplify potential gains in knowledge or accelerate technical maturity. Projects should consider the varied expertise levels of the medical providers and the possible diverse environmental conditions in combat situations. Proposal/application submissions are encouraged to include characteristics relevant to military use in non-hospital settings in theater, but submissions that propose solutions to advance civilian trauma care are not precluded, since civilian trauma care frequently informs and influences trauma care in the military, and vice versa.

Submission Dates and Times:

• Pre-Application (Letter of Intent) Submission Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (ET), October 23, 2019
• Proposal/Application Submission Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET, November 13, 2019

To meet the intent of the award mechanism, proposals submitted to the FY19 CRRP RDTRA must address at least one of the Focus Areas below:

• Scalable solutions for wound care that can address prevention of bleeding and infection, delivery of therapeutics, and promotion of healing
• Decision-support solutions, such as algorithms, artificial intelligence, deep learning, telemedicine, etc. for triage and management of severely injured Warfighters, to include management and monitoring of:
  • Acute pain, to include non-opioid solutions
  • Hemorrhage and resuscitation (e.g., airway management, control of bleeding, sedation, etc.)
  • Multi-casualty events when delayed evacuation exceeds available capability and/or capacity, in order to extend or enhance provider capabilities
• Solutions that address hemorrhage control, including:
  • Non-compressible torso hemorrhage
  • Alternatives to optimize logistics and administration of blood products to the Warfighter
• Wearable sensors with multiple capabilities to identify and monitor medical management of injuries and/or exposures, such as:
  • Environmental exposures
  • Onset of infection, including sepsis
  • Physiological status and stress monitoring tools (heart rate, blood pressure, respiration)
  • Neurological injury
  • Point-of-care imaging in prolonged field care

The anticipated direct costs budgeted for the entire period of performance for an FY19 CRRP RDTRA will not exceed $1,500,000.

Additional information about this funding opportunity, including the BAA, can be found on grants.gov.