September 13, 2022
Federal Funding News and Opportunities
The purpose of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program is to encourage research and outreach designed to increase knowledge concerning agricultural production systems that:
- maintain and enhance the quality and productivity of the soil;
- conserve soil, water, energy, natural resources, and fish and wildlife habitat;
- maintain and enhance the quality of surface and ground water;
- protect the health and safety of persons involved in the food and farm system;
- promote the well-being of animals; and
- increase employment opportunities in agriculture.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Weather Program Office is soliciting proposals for the following four grant competitions:
- Innovations for Community Modeling: Funds researchers from the full weather, water, climate enterprise, academia, government, and industry, partnering with NOAA to improve scientific understanding and forecasting of environmental hazards through innovation.
- Observations: Aims to develop, demonstrate, and/or analyze innovative sensor and observing technologies and strategies that have high potential for advancing a weather observation systems portfolio that is mission-effective, integrated, adaptable, and affordable.
- Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBES): Seeks to integrate SBES research, including anthropology, communication, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology, into meteorological research, forecasting, information displays, communication of uncertainty, and understanding of individual and community vulnerabilities to weather. Specifically, this funding call supports interdisciplinary work, applied research, and more broadly, social science research that will advance theoretical findings into applications for the operational forecast community.
- Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment in the United States: Funds research intended to improve the effectiveness of tornado forecasts and warnings in the U.S.
U.S. Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative white papers due October 14, 2022
The Minerva Research Initiative is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)-sponsored, university-based social science research initiative that focuses on areas of strategic importance to the U.S. national security policy. Minerva aims to improve DoD’s basic understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape regions of the world of strategic importance to the U.S. The research program seeks to:
- Leverage and focus the resources of the Nation’s top universities;
- Define and develop foundational knowledge about sources of present and future conflict with an eye toward better understanding of the political trajectories of key regions of the world; and
- Improve the ability of DoD to develop cutting-edge social science research, foreign area and interdisciplinary studies, that is developed and vetted by the best scholars in these fields.
The research, development, and demonstration activities to be funded under this funding opportunity will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this funding opportunity will fund high-impact, applied research and development and prototype or pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration projects in order to expedite the adoption of transformational industrial technology necessary to increase energy efficiency across industry and in high greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting industrial subsectors, reducing both energy usage and GHG emissions. This includes cross-sector industrial decarbonization approaches via opportunities in energy efficiency; industrial electrification; low carbon fuels, feedstocks and energy sources; and industrial carbon capture and utilization.
The Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education program supports the exploration and development of small projects that would benefit underserved populations through the teaching and study of the humanities at small to medium sized institutions of higher education. The Spotlight program supports activities such as curricular or program development, expert consultations, speakers’ series, student research, creation of teaching resources, and community engagement. Projects may benefit students, faculty, the institution or organization, and/or the community.
The National Science Foundation will host an introductory webinar on Tuesday, September 27th from 2-3PM on the new Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships’ (TIP) vision, programs and funding opportunities. TIP advances use-inspired and translational research in all fields of science and engineering, promoting breakthrough technologies that give rise to new industries, create high-wage jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math, and empower all Americans, regardless of background or location, to drive tomorrow’s solutions.
The Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation for the Astronomical Sciences (ATI) program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for the development of new technologies and instrumentation for use in ground-based astronomy and astrophysics. The development of innovative, potentially transformative, technologies and instruments are sought, even at high technical risk. Supported categories include advanced technology development, concept feasibility studies, and specialized instrumentation to enable new observations that are difficult or impossible to obtain with existing means. Proposals may include hardware and/or software development and/or analysis to enable new types of astronomical observations.
The Quantum Sensing Challenges for Transformational Advances in Quantum Systems (QuSeC-TAQS) program supports interdisciplinary teams of three or more investigators to explore highly innovative, original, and potentially transformative research on quantum sensing. The QuSeC-TAQS program supports coordinated efforts to develop and apply quantum sensor systems, with demonstrations resulting in proof of principle or field-testing of concepts and platforms that can benefit society.
The Advancing Informal Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Learning (AISL) Program is committed to funding research and practice, with continued focus on investigating a range of informal STEM learning (ISL) experiences and environments that make lifelong learning a reality. This program seeks proposals that center equity and belonging, and further the well-being of individuals and communities who have historically been and continue to be excluded, underserved, or underrepresented, due to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, neurodiversity, geographic location, and economic status, among others, as well as their intersections. The current solicitation encourages proposals from institutions and organizations that serve public audiences, and specifically focus on public engagement with and understanding of STEM, including community STEM; public participation in scientific research (PPSR); science communication; intergenerational STEM engagement; and STEM media. Projects funded by AISL should contribute to research and practice that further illuminates informal STEM learning’s role in equity and belonging in STEM; personal and educational success in STEM; advancing public engagement in scientific discovery; fostering interest in STEM careers; creating and enhancing the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; improving community vibrancy; and/or enhancing science communication and the public’s engagement in and understanding of STEM and STEM processes.
National Science Foundation Science and Technology Studies proposals due February 2, 2023
Science and Technology Studies (STS) is an interdisciplinary field that investigates the conceptual foundations, historical developments and social contexts of STEM, including medical science. The STS program supports proposals across a broad spectrum of research that uses historical, philosophical, and social scientific methods to investigate STEM theory and practice. STS research may be empirical or conceptual; specifically, it may focus on the intellectual, material, or social facets of STEM including interdisciplinary studies of ethics, equity, governance and policy issues.
