#FundingFriday: Research and Development Grants from NSF and DOE

U.S. federal grant-making agencies support research and development across the scientific spectrum. In October, the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Science Foundation (NSF) have posted funding opportunity announcements to support this work in the areas of energy efficiency, Antarctic research on ice loss, and laboratories conducting research.

1. DOE – Scaling Up the Next Generation of Building Efficiency Packages

DOE seeks proposals that drive innovation in real building technology demonstrations while also fostering the collaboration of dynamic demonstration teams. These teams include energy organizations (states, local governments or Regional Energy Efficiency Organizations), efficient building hubs (such as Innovation or Incubator hubs), utilities, and building energy modeling professionals.

Projects selected through this funding opportunity will prime the market for the adoption of emerging and underutilized technology packages and create new synergies between building stakeholder groups, and/or, ultimately help utilities develop and release or expand more aggressive and ambitious Energy Efficiency (EE) program offerings.

2. DOE – Solid State Lighting Advanced Technology R&D

Through research and development of solid state lighting (SSL), including both light emitting diode and organic light emitting diode technologies, there are several objectives for this opportunity: (1) maximize the energy efficiency of SSL products in the market place, (2) remove market barriers through improvements to lifetime, color quality, and lighting system performance, (3) reduce costs of SSL sources and luminaires, (4) improve product consistency while maintaining high quality products, and (5) encourage the growth, leadership, and sustainability of domestic US manufacturing within the SSL industry.

3. NSF – Thwaites: The Future of Thwaites Glacier and its Contribution to Sea-level Rise

NSF and the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) have developed this joint program with the objective to substantially improve both decadal and longer-term (century-to-multi-century) projections of ice loss and sea-level rise originating from Thwaites Glacier.

The program will have a direct and significant impact on understanding the stability of marine ice sheets and specifically the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the vicinity of Thwaites Glacier. It will also contribute to the ice-sheet modeling community capability to simulate ice sheets and to reduce the uncertainties in sea-level projections.

4. NSF – Earth Sciences: Laboratory Technician Support

NSF will consider proposals for Laboratory Technician Support to provide for optimal and efficient operation of advanced instrumentation, analytical protocol development, and user training for Earth science research instrumentation.

Efforts to support participation of underrepresented groups in laboratory and/or field instrument use and training are encouraged as part of any described technician duties. Proposals from early career (tenure track but untenured) lead investigators are also encouraged.