Mathematics, Computational, & Data Sciences

Limit: 1  // PI: M. Chertkov (Mathematics)

Uarizona may submit one proposal.

Despite decades of research, scientists do not fully understand the dynamic nature of pathogen and disease emergence. Emerging (and re-emerging) pathogens represent a continuing risk to national security because they threaten health (animal, human, and ecosystem) and economic stability. Often, society falls short on the coordination and breadth of expertise needed to respond to such threats. Effective responses to emerging pathogens will require sustained, global-scale efforts of researchers and organizations. This can only be accomplished by synergistic integration of innovative scientific and technological advances across disciplines and scales, and effective knowledge transfer into practice. As part of these efforts, NSF is organizing a set of activities around the broad theme of Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention (PIPP).

The PIPP initiative focuses on foundational research and development activities needed to tackle grand challenges in infectious disease pandemics through prediction and prevention. The PIPP Phase II Centers Program expands upon the Phase I Development Grant Program and is the NSF's flagship program to establish a network of Centers or large-scale awards/investments that will support interdisciplinary team-based approaches to accelerate research and development activities in emerging infectious diseases and pandemics. The overall goal of the PIPP Phase II Centers program is to support research and development activities needed to transform society's ability to forecast the likelihood of pandemic-scale events, detect outbreaks early, and respond efficiently.

Continued advancement, enabled by sustained federal investment channeled toward issues of national importance holds the potential for further economic impact and public health improvements.

Informed by visioning activities in the scientific community as well as a previous round of development grant activities (PIPP Phase I), the program invites proposals for Centers that have a principal focus in one of the following multidisciplinary themes:

Theme 1: Pre-emergence - Predicting and detecting rare events in complex, dynamical systems

Theme 2: Data, AI/ML and Design - Computing, manufacturing and technology innovation for pandemics

Theme 3: The Host as the Universe - Identifying host-pathogen tipping points that dictate control or spread of an infection

Theme 4: Human Systems - The role of human behavior, activities and environments in disease emergence, transmission, and response or mitigation

These components directly support the NSF's strategic goals by funding cutting edge science aimed at societal challenges and opportunities that face the Nation, while concurrently working to develop a globally competitive and diverse science, engineering and technology-adept workforce.

The Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Computer Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Engineering (ENG), Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), and Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) are jointly collaborating to support the PIPP Phase II activities. Involvement of and collaboration with other research communities with significant effort in related spaces, including use-inspired research is highly encouraged.

Institutionally coordinated  // Limit: 2 // PI: A. Zabludoff (Astronomy)

Institutionally coordinated submission. Contact RDS for more information.
Number of pre-proporsals allowed as lead institution: two

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has advanced tremendously and today promises personalized healthcare; enhanced national security; improved transportation; and more effective education, to name just a few benefits. Increased computing power, the availability of large datasets and streaming data, and algorithmic advances in machine learning (ML) have made it possible for AI research and development to create new sectors of the economy and revitalize industries. Continued advancement, enabled by sustained federal investment and channeled toward issues of national importance, holds the potential for further economic impact and quality-of-life improvements.

The 2023 update to the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan, informed by visioning activities in the scientific community as well as interaction with the public, identifies as its first strategic objective the need to make long-term investments in AI research in areas with the potential for long-term payoffs in AI. AI Institutes represent a cornerstone Federal Government commitment to fostering long-term, fundamental research in AI while also delivering significantly on each of the other eight objectives in that strategy. The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) identifies AI Institutes as a key component of a bold, sustained federal push to scale and coordinate federal AI R&D funding and to reinforce the foundation of technical leadership in AI.

This program is a multisector effort led by the National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the Simons Foundation (SF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Defense (DOD) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)), Capital One Financial Corporation (Capital One), and Intel Corporation (Intel).

This program solicitation expands the nationwide network of AI Research Institutes with new funding opportunities over the next two years. In this round, the program invites proposals for institutes that have a principal focus in one of the following themes aimed at transformational advances in a range of economic sectors, and science and engineering fields:

• Group 1 - Awards anticipated in FY 2024:
  • Theme 1: AI for Astronomical Sciences
     
• Group 2 - Awards anticipated in FY 2025:
  • Theme 2: AI for Discovery in Materials Research
  • Theme 3: Strengthening AI

Limit: 1  // PI selected:  M. Eichenfield (Optical Sciences)

Number of applications allowed per institution: 1

The NSF is introducing the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) concept as an overarching shared infrastructure designed to facilitate the translation from basic science and engineering to the resultant technology, while at the same time emphasizing and advancing its scientific and technical value. The NQVL aims to develop and utilize use-inspired and application-oriented quantum technologies. In the process, NQVL researchers will explore quantum frontiers, foster Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) workforce education and training, engage in outreach activities at all levels, and promote broadening participation, diversity, equity, and inclusion in QISE, thereby lowering barriers at all entry points of the research enterprise.

The engagement of the entire United States (U.S.) QISE community will be necessary for this initiative to succeed, and, indeed, the project is designed to include participation from a full spectrum of organizations who have expertise to contribute. In particular, NSF recognizes that the involvement of industry partners is essential and will welcome these to be a part of the overall structure. Partnerships with other U.S. Federal agencies under the NQI umbrella are also encouraged.

This solicitation lays out a vision for the entire NQVL program that includes Quantum Science and Technology Demonstration (QSTD) projects, support for enabling technologies through Transformative Advances in Quantum Systems (TAQS), as well as a central coordination hub. Proposals for Pilot phase QSTDs are solicited at this time.

This opportunity is for Pilot phase QSTD proposals only.
QSTD Pilot awards may be funded at a level up to $1,000,000 for 12 months per project.

Limit: 3  // PIs selected: 
Shafae & Satam (Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing)
H.Rastgoftar (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)
Y. Vitaliy (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering) 

Number of applications allowed per institution: 3

The Department of Defense (DoD) is soliciting applications for the acquisition of equipment/instrumentation under the Fiscal Year 2024 Research and Education Program for HBCU/MI. The Research and Education Program is designed to enhance the research capabilities of HBCUs and MIs and to strengthen their STEM education programs. The purpose of funding under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to (1) support the acquisition of equipment/instrumentation to augment existing capabilities or to develop new capabilities in research areas of interest to DoD, and (2) attract students to pursue studies leading to STEM careers. Although funding provided under this FOA cannot be used for student support, in order to further DoD’s objective of attracting students to pursue studies leading to STEM careers, applicants must address the impact of the requested equipment/instrumentation on student participation in research. 

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

UArizona may submit one proposal to the  to the GSI track. UA not eligible for research reactor track.

The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) mission is to advance nuclear energy science and technology to meet U.S. energy, environmental, and economic needs. DOE intends to facilitate the education and training of nuclear scientists, engineers, and policy-makers through graduate and undergraduate study, two-year programs, and R&D that is relevant to the Department and the U.S. nuclear energy industry in general. Within Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP), the specific goals of this Infrastructure FOA are: 

• To support, maintain, or enhance the institution’s capacities to attract and teach high quality students interested in nuclear energy-related studies;
• Build the institution’s research or education capabilities; and
• Enhance the institution’s capabilities to perform R&D that is relevant to NE’s mission.

The average GSI award will be approximately $250,000 for the total project period. No Cost Share / 1:1 Cost Match >$250k**. 

D. Sand (Astronomy)
J. Su  ( Optical Sciences)

The University of Arizona may submit up to two nominations.

the Polymaths Program intends to make long-term bets on professors who have recently achieved tenure or an equivalent status with remarkable track records, promising futures, and a desire to explore interdisciplinary research. Each Polymath is awarded $500,000 per year for up to five years, paid through their institution. These funds are intended to make possible the exploration of new ideas across disciplines, using emerging technologies and insights to test bold hypotheses that may not otherwise receive funding or support. To find out more about the program and our current Polymaths, please visit our website.

We ask that you only nominate exceptional candidates who satisfy the following criteria:

1. Have achieved tenure or an equivalent status within the past three calendar years (2020 or later),
2. Have a remarkable record of accomplishment in area(s) of science and engineering,
3. Have a demonstrated history of pursuing and publishing results in more than one field,
4. Demonstrate a need for additional funding to enable new experiments, explorations, or shifts in research directions.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

UArizona may submit one proposal to this funding program. 

The national cyberinfrastructure (CI) ecosystem is essential to computational- and data-intensive research across all science and engineering (S&E) domains. The CI ecosystem is highly dynamic, driven by rapid advances in a wide range of technologies, increasing volumes of highly heterogeneous data, and escalating demands for CI resources and services by the research community. Innovations in CI are consequently key catalysts for new modes of discovery and play a critical role in ensuring U.S. leadership in science, engineering, economic competitiveness, and national security, consistent with NSF's mission. It is thus imperative that CI innovations become available, in a coordinated and sustainable manner, as part of the NSF-funded advanced CI ecosystem.

The Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem of Support and Services (ACCESS) program provides an array of national-scale CI services to the S&E research community, including integrated coordination of users’ requests for computational and data resources; integration of resource providers’ systems; deployment of technical support; monitoring of system usage; user training; and communication and outreach to the CI and research communities. The ACCESS program is envisioned to include a process to enable breakthrough CI innovations of recognized value to researchers to be translated into production-quality sustained services that are deployed and made available to the user community from applicable NSF-funded resource providers. Such a process would also include methods to prioritize which innovations to translate to production services and to identify when these services should be taken out of service or replaced.  

This CITAP solicitation is focused on the translation of innovative research CI software – such as system software, libraries, application codes, and software enabling data services. NSF seeks proposals that aim to design, test, and subsequently operate a pathway service within the ACCESS program that manages and accelerates the translation of promising research CI software to production-quality services across the NSF advanced CI ecosystem in support of the NSF S&E research community. CITAP proposals are expected to create a new workflow process (represented notionally in Figure 1 below) within the ACCESS program that: (1) identifies novel CI software from diverse sources in a strongly community-informed way; (2) establishes an open and merit-based process for selecting and prioritizing/sequencing which of the identified innovations are of highest and most immediate value to users of the advanced CI ecosystem and can be feasibly translated to production level and made available for use by researchers using ACCESS resources; and (3) establishes an operational process that translates innovations into production services, including creation of partnerships where necessary to address each of the technical challenges and intellectual property (IP) considerations faced when integrating novel CI software within the advanced CI ecosystem.

Examples of translation challenges include (but are not limited to): awareness by potential users who could benefit from the technology; systems engineering and software deployment; an initial launch period of collaborative maintenance; anticipation of user support that will be necessary; engagement of people or possibly organizations needed to sustain and upgrade the software/service in response to changes in technology and/or feedback from users and communities served; and determination of when the relative use or value of the software has decreased to an extent that decommissioning is warranted. The pathway must also be designed to evolve as the types of systems and services that are part of the NSF-funded production advanced CI ecosystem evolve and expand.

M. Fox (Center of Excellence in Data for Society).

UofA may submit one proposal as the lead organization. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is looking for an organization that can help develop, launch, and run a “Builder Platform” to support its NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) awardees, a signature initiative of NSF’s Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) directorate. The goal of the NSF Engines program is to spur the development of inclusive and diverse innovation ecosystems across the country, with an intentional focus on regions that have not fully participated in the tech boom of past decades. The NSF Engines Builder Platform and accompanying team will be responsible for providing the tailored support structures, networks, and services needed by and vital to the growth of individual NSF Engines. The NSF Engines Builder Platform has been planned as a human-centered portfolio of support structures that empower awardees with the tools, skills, networks, and capital needed to thrive

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

UArizona may only submit one proposal as the lead organization

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), its grantees, and partners have demonstrated the impact of using data to communicate and increase understanding of how the conditions of place impact community health. Structural racism produces a complex set of barriers (often invisible) that undermines opportunities for health and wellbeing for many communities. Yet researchers and data producers—especially those with vital comprehensive, nationwide data that include findings at smaller state and local levels—often struggle to communicate their findings in ways that resonate for policymakers, community partners, and others who are best positioned to make decisions informed by this information. Data visualization, or tools that make it easy to visualize complex measures, can be a powerful means to communicate data showing structural racism’s impact on communities and to contextualize the legacy of racism.

This Call for Proposals will fund up to eight interdisciplinary teams that each consist of researchers/data producers, data scientists, communications experts, designers, and national social change networks/alliances or national-level social change organizations. Funding will support the creation of data visualizations as tools to provide an understanding of structural racism’s impact on place, health, and wellbeing.

Because organizations in individual sectors may find it difficult on their own to communicate an effective understanding of the impact of structural racism to diverse audiences (e.g., policymakers, advocates, funders and investors, or the media), collaboration is needed across organizations and/or disciplines such as academia, design, media, policy, public health, and social services. Together, these sectors can combine their relevant expertise to design new ways to understand and communicate the impacts of structural racism.

The sponsor has confirmed that the  Women in STEM2D Scholars Program is under review; therefore, the solicitation won't be open during 2023. 

• K. Renner (Orthopaedic Surgery) - Engineering discipline
• K. Rodriguez (Veterinary Medicine) - Science discipline
• A. Ryan (Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics) -  Technology discipline

Math, Manufacturing & Design disciplines are still available. 

UArizona may submit a limit of 6 proposals, one per award category: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing & Design. 

When the 2023 solicitation and guidelines are posted by the sponsor, the internal competition will be updated. 

The Johnson & Johnson Scholars Award Program aims to fuel development of female STEM2D leaders and feed the STEM2D talent pipeline by awarding and sponsoring women at critical points in their careers, in each of the STEM2D disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and Design. The awards will fund one woman per STEM2D discipline who has completed her advanced degree, who is working as an assistant professor (or global equivalent faculty position) and who is not yet tenured at an accredited university, institution or design school. The goal is to fuel the research passion of the awarded women and inspire career paths in their respective STEM2D fields. Johnson & Johnson is looking to identify global women leading in both their research fields and leading as mentors, to be a vision for girls and other women in STEM2D.

The Scholars Award is a three-year award in the gross amount of $150,000, which will be paid to the University (the “Recipient”) for the benefit of the Johnson & Johnson Scholar and her research, with the understanding that the Recipient will administer the funds. The Scholars Award will be paid in three (3) installments of U.S. $50,000 per year of the three-year scholarship period, payable in 2023, subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the program’s Agreement. Winners achievements will also be showcased at a symposium.

Judges will use the following criteria to evaluate the applications:

• Scientific/technical expertise exhibited
• Novelty/innovation of the research
• Potential impact of the research
• Feasibility of the research

You must be a woman working in the field(s) of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing and Design (STEM2D).

You must be an early to mid-career women working within a STEM2D university department at the time of application at an accredited academic university, institution or design school. Examples include a non-tenured assistant professor, assistant professor or associate professor.

The female scholar should have a minimum degree for the appropriate field:

• Science; M.D., Ph.D.
• Technology; Ph.D.
• Engineering; Ph.D.
• Math; M.S., Ph.D.
• Manufacturing; Ph.D.
• Design; M.A., M.S., MDes, MArch, MFA, MLA, Ph.D.