Basic Information
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Topics in this Section
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Printable Version of P3
- Fact Sheet (PDF, 2 pp., 33KB, about PDF)
- Flyer 1 (PDF, 1 pp., 213KB, about PDF)
- Flyer 2 (PDF, 2 pp., 47KB, about PDF)
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Multimedia Highlights
![View a P3 video describing the P3 competition.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081105042101im_/http://earth2.epa.gov/ncer/p3/images/p3video_thumb3.jpg)
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P3 Research Project Search
The P3 Award competition begins with the receipt of Phase I grants at the start of the academic year. In April, all teams must submit their final reports from Phase I as well as their proposals for Phase II. The P3 judging panel convened by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science(AAAS) will evaluate these written documents prior to the National Sustainable Design Expo in the spring when all teams bring their designs, prototypes, and other exhibition materials to the National Mall in Washington, DC. During the Expo, each P3 team is evaluated by a series of judges using a set judging schedule that will be available prior to the competition. Scores from the written summary documents as well as the presentations on the Mall will be combined into a final overall score for each P3 team. Based on these scores, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science(AAAS) makes recommendations to the EPA about which teams should receive EPA's P3 Awards and the opportunity for Phase II funding.
Concurrent with EPA's P3 Award competition, judging panels from other organizations may also be evaluating the P3 teams to determine which teams will receive additional awards .
WHAT IS P3? P3 represents People, Prosperity and the Planet. This competition is focused on benefiting people, promoting prosperity, and protecting the planet through innovative designs to address challenges to sustainability in both the developed and developing world.
WHAT IS THE P3 AWARD COMPETITION? The competition has two phases. Initially, interdisciplinary student teams compete for $10,000 grants. Recipients use the money to research and develop their design projects during the academic year. Then, in the following spring, all P3 grant recipients attend the National Sustainable Design Expo featuring the EPA's P3 Award competition in Washington, D.C.
WHAT IS THE P3 AWARD? Up to $75,000 is given to the best student designs, providing an opportunity to further these designs, implement them in the field, and move them to the marketplace.
WHAT CATEGORIES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE P3 AWARD? EPA considers challenges from a wide range of categories, including agriculture, built environment, materials and chemicals, energy, information resources, and water.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Institutions of higher education located in the U.S. are eligible to apply as the recipients of grants to support teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students. Collaboration and partnerships with colleges and universities outside the United States are permitted (and up to 40% of the grant can be contracted to an international partner), but only U.S. institutions are eligible to apply.
HOW TO APPLY: Application procedures and materials are summarized on the next page. More details can be found at: www.epa.gov/P3.
APPLICATION REVIEW: A peer review panel evaluates all P3 applications based on problem definition; innovation and technical merit; connections to sustainability in terms of P3; measurable results, evaluation method, implementation strategy; and integration of the P3 Award competition as an educational tool. Final funding decisions are made by EPA.
CONTACT: Cynthia Nolt-Helms, U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC; Telephone: 202-343-9693 or email: nolt-helms.cynthia@epa.gov.
Phases of P3: Grant and Award Timeline