Funding-NSF - Dear
Colleague Letter - FY 2014 Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering, and Materials (SusChEM) Funding Opportunity; February 21, 2014
NSF
13-013
Dear
Colleague Letter - FY 2014 Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering, and Materials (SusChEM) Funding Opportunity
Date: July
11, 2013
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 2014,
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).
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; 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 and CBET have no specific priorities and restrictions.
Of interest to DMR are proposals that promote the preservation and extension of
natural resources aimed at improved material usage and overall lifecycle
management. Relevant topics include enhanced recyclability; materials designed
to be reclaimed, reused or repurposed; and/or new approaches to extend the
lifetime of materials. In addition, the replacement, substitution, or
elimination of toxic or critical materials will also be considered. Because DMR
already funds a great deal of energy-focused proposals, these are discouraged
under SusChEM. DMR also 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 non-solicited
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.
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 division.1
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) initiative.2 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.
Mary
Galvin
Division Director
Division of Materials Research
Wendy
Harrison
Division Director
Division of Earth Sciences
Steven
McKnight
Division Director
Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation
Tanja Pietrass
Acting Division Director
Division of Chemistry
Robert
Wellek
Acting Division Director
Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
1.CHE: CHE-SusChEM@nsf.gov
CBET: CBET-SusChEM@nsf.gov;
CMMI: CMMI-SusChEM@nsf.gov;
DMR: DMR-SusChEM@nsf.gov;
EAR: EAR-SusChEM@nsf.gov.
2. SEES: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504707
Contact
Information
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13013/nsf13013.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click