Grants for Public and State controlled institutions of higher education - Science and Technology

This funding opportunity supports small research projects that explore how technology and policy changes are reshaping the U.S. workforce, focusing on innovative data analysis without addressing health or education.

Regional Scale Collaboration to Facilitate a Domestic Critical Minerals Future: Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative The planned Research and Development will provide a regional scale understanding of critical minerals prospectivity and provides insight into the potential materials that may be sourced from domestic secondary and unconventional feedstocks across the United States. The work will contribute to the development of a framework that addresses economic and supply chain barriers, leads to pilot scale demos, and broaden scope to include advanced carbon or critical mineral bearing material products.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to increase the scale and pace of advancing discoveries made while conducting academic research into tangible solutions that benefit the public. This is the primary aim of the Accelerating Research Translation (ART) program. Specifically, the primary goals of this program are to build capacity and infrastructure for translational research at U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and to enhance their role in regional innovation ecosystems. In addition, this program seeks to effectively train graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in translational research, benefiting them across a range of career options. A particular intent of ART is to support IHEs that want to build the necessary infrastructure to boost the overall institutional capacity to accelerate the pace and scale of translation of fundamental research outcomes into practice by supporting the development of a range of activities essential for this activity. The ART program is not intended to support IHEs that already have high levels of translational research activity as part of their R enterprise (as noted by their number of invention disclosures, patents issued, start-ups, licenses/options, revenue from royalties, the overall volume of industry-funded research, broad adoption of research outputs by communities or constituents, etc.). Such institutions are encouraged to become part of the ART network as valuable collaborators, providing expertise in building the necessary infrastructure for translational research at other IHEs responding to this solicitation. The ART program is also not intended as a resource for conducting additional fundamental research. See sections II and VI of this solicitation for additional information. This solicitation seeks proposals that enable IHE-based teams to propose a blend of: (1) activities that will help build and/or strengthen the institutional infrastructure to sustainably grow the institutional capacity for research translation in the short and long terms; (2) educational/training opportunities, especially for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, to become entrepreneurs and/or seek use-inspired and/or translational research-oriented careers in the public and/or private sectors; and (3) specific, translational research activities that offer immediate opportunities for transition to practice to create economic and/or societal impact. The funded teams will form a nationwide network of ART Ambassadors who will champion the cause of translational research.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for U.S. researchers to conduct rapid-response investigations and innovative studies in Earth Science, addressing urgent scientific questions and environmental events.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and individuals from the U.S. and Kyrgyz Republic to enhance STEM education and resources in Kyrgyzstan, addressing barriers to innovation and economic growth.

This program provides funding to Maryland-based businesses, nonprofits, and agricultural entities for energy efficiency projects and improvements that go beyond current standards.

This grant provides funding for agricultural professionals to conduct on-farm research that promotes sustainable farming practices in the Southern U.S., requiring collaboration with farmers who have a minimum annual income of $1,000.

This program provides funding to enhance workforce development by offering hands-on learning opportunities in emerging technology fields for individuals from diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds.

This funding opportunity supports research projects that improve forensic science practices in publicly funded laboratories, targeting advancements in areas like DNA testing and toxicology, and is open to a range of eligible applicants including government entities and educational institutions.

To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. To apply to this FOA, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Registration.aspx). For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. For problems with ARPA-E eXCHANGE, email ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov (with FOA name and number in the subject line). Questions about this FOA? Check the Frequently Asked Questions available at http://arpa-e.energy.gov/faq. For questions that have not already been answered, email ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260): (A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that (i) reduce imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reduce energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; (iii) improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; (iv) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (v) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. ARPA-E issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. 16538. The FOA and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this FOA are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established learning curves where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. In contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development. The Office of Management and Budget defines applied research as an original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledgedirected primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective and defines experimental development as creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes. Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts) should contact the DOEs Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (http://www.eere.energy.gov/), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). Program Overview: The Technologies to Emend and Obviate Synthetic Nitrogens Toll on Emissions (TEOSYNTE) program aims to lower nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the cultivation of corn and sorghum used for United States (U.S.) ethanol production by 50%. The program will emphasize plant and microbial bio-design strategies that lower the application of synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer on corn and sorghum fields while maintaining crop yields and reducing 50% of N2O emissions. Lowering the requirements of synthetic N fertilizer will also lower costs to farmers, as the cost of fertilizer is a significant portion of the operating expenses of a farm. This program will enable technologies to reduce N fertilizer consumption and N2O emissions. These technologies will transform agriculture and lower the N2O contribution to the carbon intensity of ethanol produced today for light duty vehicles and in the future for sustainable aviation fuel. Technologies developed under the TEOSYNTE program must achieve specific targets as outlined in Section I.E. in order to meet the programs objectives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and N fertilizer usage over multiple seasons while maintaining crop yields. To view the FOA in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

This funding opportunity is designed for researchers and organizations focused on advancing ocean science and technology to enhance national security, economic development, and environmental protection.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for researchers and organizations focused on studying earthquake hazards and developing safety measures to mitigate risks associated with seismic events in the U.S.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects that develop innovative strategies and tools to improve employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities, focusing on inclusive practices and diverse populations.

This funding opportunity supports small-scale research projects that explore the impact of race, ethnicity, and immigration status on social outcomes, aimed at fostering inclusion and diversity within communities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for the development of a collaborative data framework that enhances data sharing and innovation among agricultural stakeholders, including universities, producers, and nonprofit organizations across the U.S.

The NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) is a community-inspired and community-serving large scale research facility enabling ocean science research. It consists of an integrated network of instrumentation arrays, distributed in various coastal and global ocean locations that collect, archive, and distribute quality oceanic and marine atmospheric data to the ocean and Earth science communities. NSF has established the NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (OOIFB) to engage the user community through workshops, community meetings, and other interactive mechanisms to provide the NSF OOI and the NSF with a better understanding of the current and future community needs as they relate to the scientific and technological innovation that the OOI supports. This solicitation invites proposals for an Administrative Support Office to support the OOIFB in carrying out its responsibilities. The Support Office is responsible for organization of meetings and workshops, coordination and support for travel for OOIFB members and workshop participants, maintenance of the OOIFB website, as well as other activities described within the Program Description section of this solicitation.

The surge in online media usage has surged within recent years, especially within Africa where a growing portion of the population happens to be young adults who have come to find digital technology at the forefront of their everyday lives. Because of its substantial importance in day-to-day life, theres now a major interest in ensuring security, safety, and responsible use within online mediums of communication. A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam / Bureau of African Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to create targeted exchange programs and a conference aimed at relevant Tanzanian policymakers, civil servants, and civil society to explore internet governance structures and strategies that promote a free and open internet governance policy in Tanzania to catalyze the expansion of the local digital economy and lead to economic growth. Please follow all instructions below. Program Objectives: This opportunity seeks to directly engage a Tanzanian civil society organization to identify a cohort of colleagues across a range of sectors, engage the cohort through multiple education and information sessions, and organize a major international conference on the theme of building resilient, open, and democratic digital systems. The conference should include U.S. experts who can advise on regulatory firewalls, policy creation and coordination, and balancing the protection of individual rights, general online safety and security with freedom of expression principles. The selected organization should have demonstrated familiarity with Tanzanias civic space and policy processes. This opportunity also seeks to provide international exchange opportunities where Tanzanian thought leaders can engage with counterparts in international fora such as the UN Internet Governance Forum and/or with American counterparts. Through these engagements, the program will help to build an ecosystem of Tanzanian innovators and champions of democracy who can effectively advocate as citizens and government civil servants to contribute to an economic growth friendly digital infrastructure. Challenges that should be addressed by proposals: Boosting civic participation and engagement Addressing the limited access to accurate and verified information in rural and underserved communities and offered in local languages. Tackling the lack of media literacy to help individuals discern credible sources of information and leveraging digital tools and platforms to build resiliency. Examine the government’s efforts to manage cybersecurity risk and assess threats to critical infrastructure. Reducing and overcoming cultural divides by promoting accessible digital literacy resources and training programs to Tanzanian communities. Providing opportunities for open discussions and exchanges for tech leaders and policy makers in a variety of fields to prepare Tanzania to be an international partner in tech innovation. Discuss efforts to secure an open interoperable secure and reliable cyberspace in accordance with U.S. security standards. Discuss strategies to collaborate and counter cyber threats. Participants and Audiences: Tech industry stakeholders, STEM students, policymakers, social media influencers/reporters, and academic experts. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: 6 to 24 months Number of awards anticipated: 2 awards (dependent on amounts) Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $75,000 to a maximum of $425,000 Total available funding: $495,000 Type of Funding: FY23 Economic Support Funds under the Foreign Assistance Act Anticipated program start date: 10/01/2024 This notice is subject to availability of funding.

To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. To apply to this FOA, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Registration.aspx). For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. For problems with ARPA-E eXCHANGE, email ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov (with FOA name and number in the subject line). Questions about this FOA? Check the Frequently Asked Questions available at http://arpa-e.energy.gov/faq. For questions that have not already been answered, email ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260): (A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that (i) reduce imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reduce energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; (iii) improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; (iv) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (v) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. ARPA-E issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. 16538. The FOA and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this FOA are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established learning curves where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. In contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development. The Office of Management and Budget defines applied research as an original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledgedirected primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective and defines experimental development as creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes. Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts)1 should contact the DOEs Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (http://www.eere.energy.gov/), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). Program Overview: The Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimized Now (NEWTON) program will support the research and development of technologies that enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel (UNF) to alleviate the impact of storage in permanent disposal facilities. This program seeks to fund the development of novel technologies that increase the overall capacity factor, power output, and efficiency of particle generation systems (including but not limited to proton, neutron, and/or photon), by reducing beam trip magnitude and duration (referred to as loss of beam). Additional technologies will focus on increasing the throughput of transmutation by developing target materials that maximize transmutation rates and are easily processible to remove the transmuted material. The United States does not currently have an active facility for the permanent disposal of used nuclear fuel derived from the civilian nuclear sector. Used nuclear fuel comprises several classes of isotopes that could be processed in different ways due to their economic value. Firstly, uranium (U), which comprises greater than 95% of the mass of UNF, can be reprocessed and converted back into fuel for light-water reactors through the addition of small amounts of uranium-235 (U-235). Secondly, plutonium (Pu) and minor actinides (MAs), such as neptunium (Np), americium (Am), and curium (Cm), which together comprise roughly 1.5% of UNF by mass, are produced from nuclear fission. Many of these isotopes are fissionable and could be incorporated into fuels designed for advanced reactor concepts. Intermediate-lived fission products (ILFPs) including strontium-90 (Sr-90) and caesium-137 (Cs-137) have relatively short half-lives of roughly 30 years and have applications in radioisotope thermoelectric generators for space applications. However, ILFPs are largely destined for permanent disposal in a deep geological repository. The major long-lived fission products (LLFPs) have half-lives exceeding 200,000 years and have few commercial applications. LLFPS include selenium-79 (Se-79), technetium-99 (Tc-99), tin-126 (Sn-126), iodine-129 (I-129), and caesium-135 (Cs-135). The last class of isotopes are the stable isotopes produced from nuclear fission and resulting decay. These isotopes could be extracted from UNF, but no commercial processing of these have been undertaken. A deep geological disposal facility for the disposition of UNF in the U.S. has been estimated to cost $96.18 billion over the 150-year lifetime, after which the facility would cease to accept new waste. This facility would be able to store 70,000 metric tons (MT) of unprocessed UNF, which is insufficient for the existing volume of civilian waste. Densification of the waste can be accomplished through removal of the plutonium, minor actinides, and ILFP components of the UNF. Removal of 99.9% of these components would allow a densification factor of 225, based on current disposal requirements, thus allowing a single repository to store upwards of approximately 16 million MT of UNF. The LLFPs are responsible for many of the engineered barriers that are required to be built in the repository due to their long half-lives and environmental mobility. Removal of these LLFPs could decrease the capital expenditure of a permanent geological repository while also improving safety. To view the FOA in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

This grant provides funding for eligible organizations to conduct an archaeological survey and documentation of cultural resources at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado, enhancing historical preservation efforts and educational opportunities.

This scholarship provides financial assistance to LGBTQ+ students from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington who demonstrate leadership and face systemic barriers to education, prioritizing those in marginalized communities.