Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter’s local time):

     February 16, 2021

     November 10, 2021

     November 10, 2022

Synopsis of Program:

The purpose of this interagency program solicitation is to support the development of transformative high-risk, high-reward advances in computer and information science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, behavioral and/or cognitive research to address pressing questions in the biomedical and public health communities. Transformations hinge on scientific and engineering innovations by interdisciplinary teams that develop novel methods to intuitively and intelligently collect, sense, connect, analyze and interpret data from individuals, devices and systems to enable discovery and optimize health. Solutions to these complex biomedical or public health problems demand the formation of interdisciplinary teams that are ready to address these issues, while advancing fundamental science and engineering.

Proposals may only be submitted by the following:

• Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) – Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of subawards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.
• Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities.

For more information about the award or eligibility, please visit the grant page.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hereby notify Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) holding specific types of research grants (activity codes listed above) that funds are available for administrative supplements to enhance the diversity of the research workforce by recruiting and supporting students, postdoctorates, and eligible investigators from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related research. This supplement opportunity is also available to PD(s)/PI(s) of research grants who are or become disabled and need additional support to accommodate their disability in order to continue to work on the research project.  Administrative supplements must support work within the scope of the original project.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is designed specifically for applicants proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial. Applicants to this FOA are permitted to propose research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor. 

Due dates vary by awarding IC

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Expiration Date: May 8, 2023

For more information about the application process or the award itself, please visit the award page.

In support of NASA’s ocean-focused research, the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP)/Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Research Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry (OCEAN) activity is established to strengthen and develop the research capacity and infrastructure of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in areas of strategic importance and value to NASA’s mission and national priorities. Overall, OCEAN awards seek to improve understanding of the structure and function of global aquatic ecosystems, their interactions with the atmosphere, terrestrial and cryospheric systems, and the ocean’s role in the cycling of the major biogeochemical elements. This is done by enhancing the capability of institutions to participate in funding opportunities, such as Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), and to support the Agency’s advancement of science to achieve a deep scientific understanding of our planet. Proposals are sought from MSIs that will respond to one of two objectives that address the OCEAN goal. The goal and objectives of OCEAN awards are as follows: Goal 1: Quantitative Analyses of Vulnerability and Shifts of Aquatic Biology and/or Ecosystems in Response to Climate Change. Objective 1.1: Quantitative remote sensing analyses of impacts and/or vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems to climate variability and change. Objective 1.2: Improve understanding of carbon cycle processes and feedbacks in aquatic critical zones that are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes. Proposals shall also include support for MSI undergraduate/graduate student direct involvement in the proposed research for the duration of the project. All proposed activities shall address the requirements outlined in this appendix and in the broader EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES IN NASA STEM 2021 (EONS-2021) at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=790184/solicitationId=%7BEA5D86D9-5039-0BD8-B437-D19C5816F6D3%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/Engagement%20Opportunities%20in%20NASA%20STEM%20(EONS)%202021_Final_v3.pd

In support of NASA’s ocean-focused research, the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP)/Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Research Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry (OCEAN) activity is established to strengthen and develop the research capacity and infrastructure of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in areas of strategic importance and value to NASA’s mission and national priorities. Overall, OCEAN awards seek to improve understanding of the structure and function of global aquatic ecosystems, their interactions with the atmosphere, terrestrial and cryospheric systems, and the ocean’s role in the cycling of the major biogeochemical elements. This is done by enhancing the capability of institutions to participate in funding opportunities, such as Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES), and to support the Agency’s advancement of science to achieve a deep scientific understanding of our planet. Proposals are sought from MSIs that will respond to one of two objectives that address the OCEAN goal. The goal and objectives of OCEAN awards are as follows:

Goal 1: Quantitative Analyses of Vulnerability and Shifts of Aquatic Biology and/or Ecosystems in Response to Climate Change. 

Objective 1.1: Quantitative remote sensing analyses of impacts and/or vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems to climate variability and change. 

Objective 1.2: Improve understanding of carbon cycle processes and feedbacks in aquatic critical zones that are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes. 

Proposals shall also include support for MSI undergraduate/graduate student direct involvement in the proposed research for the duration of the project.

For more information about the program or about eligibility, please visit the grant page.

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter’s local time):
February 16, 2021

Synopsis of Program:
The ERC program is placing greater emphasis on high-risk/high-payoff research, larger societal impact, convergent research approaches, engagement of stakeholder communities, and adoption of team science in team formation, in response to the 2017 NASEM study recommendation. The ERC program intends to support planning activities leading to convergent research team formation and capacity building within the engineering community. This planning grant solicitation is designed to foster and facilitate the engineering community’s thinking about how to form convergent research collaborations. To participate in a forthcoming ERC competition, one is not required to submit a planning grant proposal nor to receive a planning grant.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after June 1, 2020.

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: 20
The number of awards is dependent upon the proposals received and the degree to which proposals meet the solicitation goals, NSF merit review criteria, and
solicitation-specific review criteria. The planning grant is for one year and the proposed budget for each planning grant should not exceed $100,000.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $2,000,000

For more information about eligibility and proposal requirements, please visit the NSF page.

Internal Notification of Interest Deadline to the Office of Research Administration: Wednesday, November 25, 2020, 5:00 pm.

NSF Proposal Submission Deadline: January 13, 2021

Synopsis of the Program:

The Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Program within the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) offers researchers from all disciplines of science and engineering funded by NSF the opportunity to perform translational research and technology development, catalyze partnerships and accelerate the transition of discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace for societal benefit.

PFI has five broad goals, as set forth by the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2017 (“the Act”, S.3084 — 114th Congress; Sec. 602. Translational Research Grants): (1) identifying and supporting NSF-sponsored research and technologies that have the potential for accelerated commercialization; (2) supporting prior or current NSF-sponsored investigators, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations that partner with an institution of higher education in undertaking proof-of-concept work, including the development of technology prototypes that are derived from NSF-sponsored research and have potential market value; (3) promoting sustainable partnerships between NSF-funded institutions, industry, and other organizations within academia and the private sector with the purpose of accelerating the transfer of technology; (4) developing multi-disciplinary innovation ecosystems which involve and are responsive to the specific needs of academia and industry; (5) providing professional development, mentoring, and advice in entrepreneurship, project management, and technology and business development to innovators.

In addition, PFI responds to the mandate set by Congress in Section 601(c)(3) of the Act (Follow-on Grants), to support prototype or proof-of-concept development work by participants, including I-Corps participants, with innovations that because of the early stage of development are not eligible to participate in a Small Business Innovation Research Program or a Small Business Technology Transfer Program.

Finally, PFI seeks to implement the mandate set by Congress in Section 102(c)(a) of the Act (Broader Impacts Review Criterion Update) by enhancing partnerships between academia and industry in the United States, and expanding the participation of women and individuals from underrepresented groups in innovation, technology translation, and entrepreneurship.

This solicitation offers two broad tracks for proposals in pursuit of the aforementioned goals:

The Technology Translation (PFI-TT) track offers the opportunity to translate prior NSF-funded research results in any field of science or engineering into technological innovations with promising commercial potential and societal impact. PFI-TT supports commercial potential demonstration projects for academic research outputs in any NSF-funded science and engineering discipline. This demonstration is achieved through proof-of-concept, prototyping, technology development and/or scale-up work. Concurrently, students and postdoctoral researchers who participate in PFI-TT projects receive education and leadership training in innovation and entrepreneurship. Successful PFI-TT projects generate technology-driven commercialization outcomes that address societal needs.

The Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) track seeks to achieve the same goals as the PFI-TT track by supporting instead complex, multi-faceted technology development projects that are typically beyond the scope of a single researcher or institution and require a multi-organizational, interdisciplinary, synergistic collaboration. A PFI-RP project requires the creation of partnerships between academic researchers and third-party organizations such as industry, non-academic research organizations, federal laboratories, public or non-profit technology transfer organizations or other universities. Such partnerships are needed to conduct applied research on a stand-alone larger project toward commercialization and societal impact. In the absence of such synergistic partnership, the project’s likelihood for success would be minimal.

The intended outcomes of both PFI-TT and PFI-RP tracks are: a) the commercialization of new intellectual property derived from NSF-funded research outputs; b) the creation of new or broader collaborations with industry (including increased corporate sponsored research); c) the licensing of NSF-funded research outputs to third party corporations or to start-up companies funded by a PFI team; and d) the training of future innovation and entrepreneurship leaders.

Limit on the Number of Proposals per Organization:

There is no limit on the number of PFI-TT proposals an organization may submit to a deadline of this solicitation. However, an organization may not submit more than one (1) new or resubmitted PFI-RP proposal to a deadline of this solicitation. This eligibility constraint will be strictly enforced. If an organization exceeds this limit, the first PFI-RP proposal received will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review. An organization may not receive more than two (2) awards from a submission deadline of this solicitation.

For full details on this program, please visit the NSF PFI and the NSF S-STEM Solicitation, 20-526.

For additional details regarding The University of Akron’s limited submission process, visit the ORA Limited Submission webpage.

If you are interested in submitting a NSF MRI proposal, please visit the ORA Limited Submission webpage and complete step 1: Notification of Interest, by the deadline above.

• Individuals interested in applying to a limited submission program must submit a Notification of Interest no later than 5pm on the internal deadline. To submit this notification applicants must email limitedsubmissions@uakron.edu (cc’ing emily@uakron.edu) with the subject line of the email formatted as follows: “Last name, First name; Limited Submission Notification of Interest”. Notifications will be emailed, and applicants will either be approved to apply or will be prompted to provide a white paper.
• If ORA receives internal notices of interest in excess of the NSF limit on the number of proposals per organization, an internal competition will be necessary and additional information will be sent to those who submitted a notice of interest.