RFPs for Week of Jan. 11 2010

Title: Solicited Research Program
Sponsor: Water Research Foundation
URL: http://www.waterresearchfoundation.org/research/plansAwardsFunding/RFP.aspx
Deadline: Feb. 15, 2010
Amount: $200,000-400,000
Eligibility: educational institutions
Abstract: There are three Water Research Foundation RFPs with this deadline:

1. Reservoir Operations and Maintenance Strategies. The objectives of this research project are to identify, compile and describe leading practices for lake and reservoir aeration techniques; the use of continuous, or real-time, sensors and traditional water quality monitoring tools; and the range of water quality models that are being used to guide operational decisions.
2. Workforce Health And Safety: Prevention Through Design. This project will build upon existing metrics and develop new metrics for measuring performance of worker health and safety programs in water utilities. The project will also develop a tool to measure benefits and costs of "Prevention through Design" (PtD) in water utilities, incorporating not only financial data but also labor hours and risk profiles, and will identify barriers to a PtD approach, along with implementation strategies and approaches to overcoming these barriers.
3. EDC/PPCP Benchmarking And Monitoring Strategies For Drinking Water Utilities. The Foundation has undertaken the Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDC) / Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCP) Strategic Initiative to develop integrated projects focused on EDCs and PPCPs in drinking water and identifying solutions to key water utility challenges associated with these classes of compounds.

Educational institution grantees will be subject to these federal administrative requirements: 2 CFR Parts 215 and 220, and OMB Circular A-133.

Title: Young Investigators Program; Research Grant Program
Sponsor: Human Frontier Science Program
URL: http://www.hfsp.org/how/appl_forms_RG.php
Deadlines: March 22, 2010 for pre-registration. March 31, 2010 for letter of intent.
Amount: up to $1.35 million over three years
Eligibility: Teams must include two to four members, with not more than one member from any one country, unless critical for the interdisciplinary nature of the project, which is an essential selection criterion. All team members must be within the first 5 years after obtaining an independent laboratory (e.g., assistant professor, lecturer or equivalent).  All team members must have obtained their Ph.D. or equivalent not longer than 10 years before the deadline.
Abstract: The HFSP supports innovative basic research into fundamental biological problems with emphasis placed on novel and interdisciplinary approaches that involve scientific exchanges across national and disciplinary boundaries. There are two types of grant:

1. Young Investigators' Grants are for teams of scientists who are all within 5 years of establishing an independent laboratory and within 10 years of obtaining their Ph.D.s. Program Grants are for independent scientists at all stages of their careers, although the participation of younger scientists is especially encouraged.
2. Research grants are available for projects concerned with basic approaches to understanding the complex mechanisms of living organisms. Topics covered range from molecular and cellular approaches to biological functions to systems neuroscience including cognitive functions. The HFSP funds novel collaborations that bring biologists together with scientists from other disciplines to focus on problems at the frontiers of the life sciences.

The HFSP funds basic research. The HFSP aims to support teams of scientists at the forefront of research in their respective disciplines, whose collaborative projects open up new frontiers in fundamental biology. Projects of a primarily pathophysiological nature are not supported. Nor does the HFSP support projects of a purely applied nature. For instance, projects aimed specifically at developing methods of treatment or diagnosis, or those directly concerned with agricultural or environmental problems such as crop yield or bioremediation will not be considered eligible. Studies related to disease are only considered if they allow new insights into fundamental biological mechanisms. The scope of HFSP funding ranges from the biomolecular level to studies of whole organisms. It does not extend to the level of populations or ecosystems. However studies of the mechanisms of species-species interactions or their co-evolution are eligible. Collaborative research aimed at developing novel methods or the study of analogs or models of biological activity are welcome if these methods allow new biological questions to be answered in the context of the aim of the HFSP to fund fundamental research. Projects that involve only large-scale, systematic genome mapping or sequencing are not eligible to receive HFSP funding. However, this does not exclude functional studies based upon use of genome data. Systematic screening approaches ("fishing expeditions") geared to identifying new biological components or reagents are outside the scope of the HFSP. 

Title: National Research Competition
Sponsor: National Council for Eurasian and East European Research (NCEEER)
URL: http://www.nceeer.org/Programs/NRC/nrc.php
Deadline: February 15, 2010
Amount: up to $70,000
Eligibility: The primary scholar on either a collaborative or individual project must be a US citizen or permanent resident and hold a PhD degree.
Abstract: This competition provides funds for both collaborative and individual research projects in the humanities and social sciences in or on any country of Eurasia or East-Central Europe. There are two programs:

1. Research Contracts support collaborative projects involving multiple post-doctoral scholars, or individuals with comparable research skills who do not hold PhDs, including at least one U.S.-based scholar or researcher with a maximum award of $70,000. Contracts provide funding to scholars or researchers via institutional awards.
2. Research Grants support research projects conducted by individual U.S. citizens or permanent residents, with a maximum award of $40,000. Grants are awarded directly to the scholar or researcher.

Title: 2010 Innovation Generation grants

Sponsor: Motorola Foundation
URL: http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/Business/Corporate/US-EN/corporate-responsibility/society/community-investment-education-more-about-innovation-generation-grants.html
Deadline: March 1, 2010; or April 1, 2010 (by program below
Amount: $25,000 to $500,000
Eligibility: Proposals for #3 are invitation-only. Proposals under #1 and #2 must must have nationwide and/or online reach or take place near communities where Motorola has an employee presence: Tempe, Arizona; San Diego, California; Miami, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Lowell, Massachusetts; New York City and Long Island, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; or Ft. Worth, Texas.
Abstract:  Innovation Generation funding is designed to inspire students to learn about science and generate interest in science-related careers. The Motorola Foundation's Innovation Generation program equips students with the skills essential to both their lives today and their future success. By making the complex concepts behind math and science real and relevant, students look at their world differently through strengthened problem-solving skills. There are three grant programs:

1. Innovation Generation Grants (deadline March 1, 2010)
   Support targeted, innovative STEM education programs for U.S. pre-school through 12th grade students and teachers, with grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000
2. Innovation Generation Collaborative Grants (deadline April 1, 2010)
   Support medium- to large-scale STEM education collaborations between two or more non-profit organizations, schools and/or school districts, with joint requests ranging from $150,000 to $500,000