Five Star Restoration Grant Program

Application Deadline: 02/11/2010

Provides modest financial assistance on a competitive basis to support community-based wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach and training activities.
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Increasing Scientific Data on the Fate, Transport and Behavior of Engineered Nanomaterials in Selected Environmental and Biological Matrices

URL: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2010/2010starnano.html

Open Date: 11/06/2009 – Close Date: 02/02/2010

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are seeking applications proposing research to provide data that improves the scientific understanding of fate/transport and behavior of engineered nanomaterials. Under this RFA, the U.S. EPA, NSF, and USDA/NIFA are interested in supporting research related to: (1) Evaluation of potential exposures to engineered nanomaterials including an exploration of environmental and biological fate, transport, and transformation of these materials throughout their lifetimes; and (2) Improvements in the scientific understanding of engineered nanoscale additives and ingredients that may be intentionally introduced into food for delivery of important micronutrients and modification of sensory attributes.

Approaches to Assessing Potential Food Allergy from Genetically Engineered Plants

URL: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2010/2010starbiotech.html

Open Date: 10/02/2009 – Close Date: 01/07/2010

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is issuing this request for applications (RFA) for applied research on innovative or improved methods to predict whether or not a pesticide protein is a food allergen. Research to characterize the key factors that influence human immune responses to dietary proteins is needed in order to better assess potential food allergy from genetically engineered plants. Proposals are requested on the role of dose, route of sensitization, and/or the physicochemical properties of ingested proteins and their influence on the development of immune sensitization, oral tolerance, or the elicitation of allergic symptoms. Also of interest is how the food matrix and gastrointestinal environment in which proteins are ingested may affect these immune responses. The overall aim of the research program is to improve safety assessment for genetically engineered plants by enhancing the ability to estimate the potency of unknown proteins relative to known allergenic and non-allergenic proteins. Because there is no single, definitive test for determining the allergenic potential of novel pesticide proteins in the diet, risk assessment associated with the regulation of foods derived from modern biotechnology currently uses a “weight-of-evidence” approach. The research will contribute to improved methods for assessing the potential dietary allergenicity of pesticide proteins in genetically engineered plants.

7th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet

Due to the New Year’s Holiday, EPA has extended the closing date of the 7th Annual P3 Awards RFA until January 5th, 2010.

URL: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2010/2010_p3.html

Open Date: 08/27/2009 – Close Date: 01/04/2010

Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of the P3 Award Program, is seeking applications proposing to research, develop, and design solutions to real world challenges involving the overall sustainability of human society. The P3 competition highlights the use of scientific principles in creating innovative projects focused on sustainability. The P3 Awards program was developed to foster progress toward sustainability by achieving the mutual goals of economic prosperity, protection of the planet, and improved quality of life for its people—people, prosperity, and the planet – the three pillars of sustainability. The EPA offers the P3 competition in order to respond to the technical needs of the world while moving towards the goal of sustainability.

Science in Energy and Environmental Design (SEED): Engineering Sustainable Buildings

URL: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09606/nsf09606.htm

Open Date: 08/17/2009 – Close Date: 11/13/2009

The Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation has established the Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation(EFRI) to serve a critical role in focusing on important emerging areas in a timely manner. The EFRI Office is launching a new funding opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of researchers to embark on rapidly advancing frontiers of fundamental engineering research. For this solicitation, we will consider proposals that aim to investigate emerging frontiers in the following two specific research areas: (1) Renewable Energy Storage (RESTOR), and (2) Science in Energy and Environmental Design (SEED): Engineering Sustainable Buildings. This solicitation will be coordinated with NSF Directorates listed above, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EFRI seeks proposals with transformative ideas that represent an opportunity for a significant shift in fundamental engineering knowledge with a strong potential for long term impact on national needs or a grand challenge. The proposals must also meet the detailed requirements delineated in this solicitation.