Environmental Implications of Emerging Technologies

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Apply to PD 08-1179 as follows:

For full proposals submitted via FastLane: standard Grant Proposal Guidelines apply.
For full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide; A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/docs/grantsgovguide.pdf)

SYNOPSIS

The Environmental Implications of Emerging Technologies program provides support to develop and test the environmental effects of new technologies. 

Fundamental and basic research is sought to establish and understand outcomes as a result of the implementation of new technologies such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology.  The program also supports research on the development and refinement of sensors and sensor network technologies that can be used to measure a wide variety of physical, chemical, and biological properties of interest in characterizing, monitoring, and understanding environmental impacts.

The program emphasizes engineering principles underlying technology impacts.  Innovative production processes, waste reduction, recycling, and industrial ecology technologies are of interest.   All of these have implications that would be relevant to this program. 

Current areas of support include:

• Understanding and mitigating how new developments in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology will interact with the environment
  
  
• Nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety implications and applications
  
  
• Predictive methodology for the interaction of nanoparticles with the environment and with the human body, including predictive approaches for toxicity
  
  
• Fate and transport of natural, engineered, and incidental (by-product) nanoparticles
  
  
• Risk assessment and management of the effect of nanomaterials in the environment
  
  
• Evaluation of the effect of increased usage of renewable resources on water supply and land use
  
  
• Sensor and sensor network technologies as they relate to the measurement of these environmental implications

Current areas of support for this program do not include biomedical and nanotoxicology topics involving clinical trials.

The duration of unsolicited awards is generally one to three years.  The average annual award size for the program is $80,000.  Please check the NSF Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems Division (CBET) Home Page for the two annual submission windows for unsolicited proposals.  Small equipment proposals up to $100,000 will also be considered and may be submitted during these windows.  Any proposal received outside the announced dates will be returned without review.

The duration of CAREER awards is five years.  The submission deadline for Engineering CAREER proposals is in July every year.  Please see the following URL for more information: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsf05027/nsf05027.jsp

Proposals for Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER), Conferences, Workshops, and Supplements may be submitted at any time, but must be discussed with the program director before submission.

Please refer to the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), January 2008, (NSF 08-1) when you prepare your proposal.  Chapter II, especially, will assist you.  The GPG is available for download at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg

THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF

Environmental Engineering and Sustainability

Abstracts of Recent Awards Made Through This Program