Funding-Dear Colleague Letter: FY 2015 Sustainable Chemistry,
Engineering, and Materials (SusChEM) Funding
Opportunity; June 30, 2015
Agency
Name
National
Science Foundation
Synopsis
Dear
Colleagues:
In fiscal
year (FY) 2013, NSF started an initiative to encourage and foster research in
Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering, and Materials (SusChEM),
partially in response to the mandate of the America COMPETES Reauthorization
Act of 2010. The SusChEM initiative addresses the
interrelated challenges of sustainable supply, engineering, production, and use
of chemicals and materials.
In FY 2015,
the participating divisions are Chemistry (CHE); Chemical, Bioengineering,
Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET); Materials Research (DMR); Earth
Sciences (EAR); and the Materials Engineering and Processing program in the
Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI).
Examples of
fundamental research topics of interest in SusChEM
include the replacement of rare, expensive, and/or toxic chemicals/materials
with earth-abundant, inexpensive, and benign chemicals/materials; recycling of
chemicals/materials that cannot be replaced; development of non-petroleum based
sources of important raw materials; chemicals/materials for food and/or water
sustainability; the elimination of waste products and enhancement in
efficiencies of chemical reactions and processes; discovery of new separation
science that will facilitate recycling and production of valuable chemicals/materials;
and development and characterization of low cost, sustainable and
scalable-manufactured materials with improved properties.
Within these
general guidelines, CHE, CBET, and DMR have no specific priorities and
restrictions. However, proposals to DMR must be focused on fundamental
materials research aspects. DMR discourages the submission of more than one
proposal (SusChEM proposals included) from the same
Principal Investigator during the same submission window. For CMMI, only
proposals addressing sustainable materials processing are welcome. Of interest
are processes with reduced use of toxic components, such as solvents, carbon
emissions, and pollutants; processes under ambient conditions, as opposed to
extreme temperatures, pressures or other harsh conditions; and increased
conservation of natural resources, such as water, raw material, and energy. SusChEM proposals to CMMI must be submitted to the
Materials Engineering and Processing program. EAR welcomes projects concerning
fundamental geoscience related (but not limited) to the following:
environmental remediation; environmental impacts of resource use; the
geochemistry of critical elements, including phosphorus, rare earths, and
precious metals; sustainable agriculture, including soil geochemistry.
Proposals in
response to this initiative should be submitted to the existing program of
interest in the participating divisions within the existing submission window
(deadline) of the program. The proposal title must begin with 'SusChEM:'. Other than the proposal
title, the cover page should be prepared as a regular unsolicited proposal
submission to the program. Principal Investigators must explicitly address how
their project conceptually advances sustainability in the fundamental research
topics of interest in SusChEM in the project
description section of the proposal.
Proposals
are welcome from either multiple or single investigators. Interdisciplinary
proposals that involve principal investigators traditionally supported by the
different participating divisions are strongly encouraged. Such proposals
should be submitted to the most relevant program in one division while
identifying possible co-review programs in the other divisions (by listing the
appropriate NSF units on the cover page). Proposals may be submitted in
combination with other solicitations. For example, if there are strong
collaborations with industry, the Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with
Industry (GOALI) solicitation can be used in conjunction with this effort.
Similarly, proposals may be submitted in combination with the CAREER or the
Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) solicitation. These proposals
should be submitted to the appropriate solicitation and add SusChEM
to the title (For example, SusChEM: CAREER: Name of
your proposal). Other mechanisms such as EAGER may also be appropriate, but
principal investigators are urged to check with the cognizant
program officers for additional guidance. For general questions about SusChEM, email the listed representative in the most
closely relevant division1.
To see
examples of awards made under the SusChEM initiative
in FY 2013, visit the NSF Award Abstracts Database (http://nsf.gov/awardsearch/),
and enter ‘SusChEM’ in the ‘Search Award for:’
dialogue field. Alternatively, please visit the webpages of the disciplinary
programs of interest in the participating divisions. Under each program, find
the link to recent awards made in that program and look for those that contain
‘SusChEM’ in the proposal title.
SusChEM is a program under
the umbrella of the NSF-wide Science, Engineering and Education for
Sustainability (SEES) initiative2. SEES seeks to
advance science, engineering, and education to inform the societal actions
needed for environmental and economic sustainability and sustainable human
well-being. There are many programs within the SEES initiative, all of which
aim to address the need for a sustainable world through support for
interdisciplinary research and education.
We are
excited by the opportunities in the SusChEM area and
encourage our communities to contribute to our sustainable future by
participating in this important funding initiative.
Fleming Crim
Assistant Director
Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Pramod Khargoneker
Assistant Director
Directorate for Engineering
Roger
Wakimoto
Assistant Director
Directorate for Geosciences
Announcement Number: NSF 14-077
Link
to Full Announcement
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14077/nsf14077.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click