Physical Sciences & Engineering

UArizona may submit more than one application; however, the LOI process is Institutionally Coordinated.

For PIs interested in submitting a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Beckman Young Investigators Program (BYI), please follow the institutionally coordinated steps below and e-mail the LOI to Sponsored Projects Services (SPS) by Friday, July 22nd, 2022 by 8a, for Institutional Endorsement from the Chief Academic Officer.

• Principal Investigator (PI) completes the Online Application, uploads all required documentation
• The PI or their Department creates a complete, single PDF of the LOI, including content printed from the Beckman application portal after Dean’s endorsement and all uploaded attachments. Forward the single PDF via e-mail to sponsor@email.arizona.edu with the subject "Beckman Young Investigator LOI for Endorsement." Redact sensitive information (like social security numbers) as needed.
• SPS Preaward Services verifies LOI content and will contact eligible PIs and/or their Department by July 25th with instructions to proceed with Chief Academic Officer endorsement.
• The Chief Academic Officer (Provost) will only endorse applications verified by SPS as complete and eligible by the July 22nd deadline.  SPS Preaward Services will coordinate as needed with the Office of the Provost.

Please do not enter an email address for Chief Academic Officer endorsement until you have approval from SPS Preaward Services.
 
Please do not contact the Office of the Provost directly regarding endorsements but communicate through Sponsored Projects Services at sponsor@email.arizona.edu or (520) 626-6000. SPS will work as quickly as possible to ensure they are all reviewed and endorsed by the sponsor deadline. See the Beckman Young Investigators Program website for an overview video and eligibility requirements.

Ticket #1: K. Johns

UArizona may submit three applications.

The DOE SC High Energy Physics (HEP) program hereby announces its interest in receiving applications for the REaching a New Energy sciences Workforce for High Energy Physics (RENEW-HEP) initiative. This program is intended to support training and research experiences in support of particle physics for members of underserved communities, with the dual goals of : (1) increasing the likelihood that participants from underrepresented populations, such as those present at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) , will pursue a career in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) related field; and (2) supporting investigators and building research infrastructure at institutions that have not traditionally been part of the particle physics portfolio.

E. Butcher
J. Thangavelautham
J. Little

UArizona may submit three proposals.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) aims to (a) enhance research programs and capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines critical to the national security functions of DoD; (b) enhance the capacity of HBCU/MI to participate in DoD research programs and activities; and (c) increase the number of graduates, including underrepresented minorities, in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) important to the defense mission.

Projects proposed for funding under this FOA must be for basic research. As defined by DoD, “basic research” is systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. It includes all scientific study and experimentation directed toward increasing fundamental knowledge and understanding in those fields of the physical, engineering, environmental, life sciences, and information sciences related to long-term national security needs.

PIs are encouraged to consider innovative approaches for their research projects with a view toward enhancing the ability of their institution to develop stronger science and engineering programs that will enable the institution to participate more competitively in a variety of defense research programs, attract and retain good students by exposing them to state-of-the art research, and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM disciplines.

Methods through which these goals can be achieved are varied. Factors such as research capabilities, facilities, and equipment are unique to each institution. Therefore, DoD will not prescribe the approach for a research project; instead, it expects applications to reflect the unique needs and capabilities of the applicant institution.

G. Davidowitz

UArizona may submit two proposals total, regardless of type.

The Equipment Grants Program (EGP) serves to increase access to shared-use special purpose equipment/instruments for fundamental and applied research for use in the food and agricultural sciences programs at institutions of higher education, including State Cooperative Extension Systems. The program seeks to strengthen the quality and expand the scope of fundamental and applied research at eligible institutions, by providing them with opportunities to acquire one shared-use piece of equipment/instrument that supports their research, research training, and extension goals and may be too costly and/or not appropriate for support through other NIFA grant programs. EGP grants are not intended to replace requests for equipment in individual project applications. The program emphasizes shared-use instrumentation that will enhance the capabilities of researchers, educators, and extension specialists both within and outside the proposing organization.

Proposals to the EGP must involve acquisition of a single, well-integrated piece of equipment/instrument. Well-integrated means that the ensemble of equipment that defines the instrument enables specific fundamental or applied research experiments in the food and agricultural sciences, including data science and data systems; separating or removing an element or component of such an integrated instrument would preclude that research from occurring or succeeding. An instrument acquired with support from EGP is expected to be fully operational by the conclusion of the first year of the project.

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

The RINGS program (NSF 21-581) is a partnership with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a number of industry partners to enhance both resiliency as well as performance across the various aspects of Next Generation (NextG) communications, networking and computing systems. The goal of this solicitation is to invite the submission of proposals to set up a Virtual Organization (VO) for the RINGS program.

UArizona may submit a maximum of two proposals (e.g. 2 RED Innovation Track or 1 RED A&I Track and 1 RED Two-year Track).

For all tracks, the Principal Investigator must be a department chair/head (or equivalent) to provide leadership for the change process. Due to this requirement, this opportunity is Institutionally Coordinated.

The goal of the RED program is to catalyze revolutionary, not incrementally reformist, changes to the education of the next generation of engineers. Revolutionary means radically, suddenly, or completely new; producing fundamental, structural change; or going outside of or beyond existing norms and principles. The complex problems facing society in the 21st Century, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand changes to the way engineers are educated and the integration of new modes of learning for engineering students

No applicants // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 2 

The Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC) program supports university-based centers and institutes where the collective efforts of a larger group of individuals can enable transformational advances in the most promising research areas. The program is designed to foster major breakthroughs at the intellectual frontiers of physics by providing needed resources such as combinations of talents, skills, disciplines, and/or specialized infrastructure, not usually available to individual investigators or small groups, in an environment in which the collective efforts of the larger group can be shown to be seminal to promoting significant progress in the science and the education of students. 

S. Fleming
W. Burleson
J. Roveda
H. Hua
M. Barton
M. Van Dyke

June 2022 update: RII/RDS has identified proposal teams who are working on concept outlines. PIs interested in collaborating on a concept outline should please email RDS with questions.

While NSF currently allows more than one concept outline to be submitted by an institution, UArizona may ultimately only submit one full proposal. Therefore, due to the complexity and scope of this program, RII is Institutionally Coordinating the submission of Concept Outlines to NSF, as well as the full proposal once NSF's invitations have been sent out.

Research Development Services hosted an informational webinar about the NSF Regional Innovation Engines solicitation on May 16th that included an overview of the opportunity, a discussion on the internal coordination process, and short introductions to some of the regional innovation partners available for proposing teams. Please Contact RDS for a copy of the recording. Joining Research Development was a panel consisting of Tech Launch Arizona, Tech Parks Arizona, Arizona FORGE, CyVerse, and Government & Community Relations.

Full sponsor guidelines

The NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program is a bold new initiative, committed to creating regional-scale, technology-driven innovation ecosystems throughout every region of the United States, accelerating emerging technologies, driving economic growth, addressing key societal challenges, and maintaining national competitiveness.

The NSF Engines program aims to fund regional coalitions of partnering organizations to establish NSF Engines that will catalyze technology and science-based regional innovation ecosystems. Each Engine must focus on addressing specific aspects of a major societal and/or economic challenge that are of significant interest in the Engine’s defined “region of service,” where such a region could range from a metropolitan area (including its adjacent rural regions) to an area spanning parts of several states. The mission of an Engine must be clearly rooted in regional interests and the development of regional talent. The emphasis on “regions” expresses NSF’s aim to stimulate innovation-driven economic growth within a particular region of service. The NSF Engines program is particularly interested in creating new business and economic growth in those regions of America that have not fully participated in the technology boom of the past several decades.

NSF will fund Engines to carry out an integrated and comprehensive set of activities spanning use-inspired research, translation-to-practice, entrepreneurship, and workforce development to nurture and accelerate regional industries. Engines must also work to bring together an inclusive and diverse network of partners and stakeholders who will participate in the regional innovation ecosystem. With the goal of advancing emerging industries and creating societal and economic value, NSF Engines will emphasize research that meaningfully engages the consumers of research outcomes in motivating that research as well as in the subsequent prototyping and piloting of research-based solutions (i.e., co-design and co-creation), the translation of research results to practice, entrepreneurship, and direct economic growth.

Funding for this program will prioritize regions across the Nation without well-established innovation ecosystems. Engines in regions of the country where prospective ecosystem members exist, but where innovation activities are only loosely connected, are of particular interest.

Concept Outline Narrative Components must include (from the solicitation)

The Concept Outline narrative must address each component below, with the following labeled sections: (Concept outlines for Type-1 proposals should only address Sections a-d, below:

• Topic Area: Describe the national and societal significance of the broad topic area that the Engine is aiming to address.
• Region of Service: A brief description of the intended geographical region of service, and the current state of the innovation ecosystem in the region of service (see Appendix A).
• Purpose and Vision of the proposed Engine: The overall purpose and vision of the proposed Engine, which must list specific use-inspired challenge(s) that the Engine will address, as well as the current state of practice and major gaps the Engine will focus on (e.g., scientific and technological innovations, policy, products, services, workforce expertise).
• Regional Importance and Impact: How the proposed region of service is well-positioned to create the Engine, catalyze the associated regional innovation ecosystem, and result in meaningful translational outputs (e.g., products, services, startup companies, tools, and technologies).

Narratives for Type-2 Concept Outlines must also include:

• Partnerships: The envisioned regional innovation ecosystem of partners and stakeholders, clearly identifying (1) existing core partners and their expected contributions and (2) potential additional partners, how such partners would help accomplish the Engine’s vision and core functions, and plans to recruit these partners prior to the submission of the proposal.
• Workforce Development: The future regional workforce needs in the proposed topic area.
• Related Initiatives: How the proposed NSF Engine differs from and/or leverages other existing large-scale efforts in the topic area.

No applicants // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 2 

Applicant institutions are limited to both:

• No more than two pre-applications or applications as the lead institution in a multiinstitution team; and
• No more than one pre-application or application for each PI.

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

There is no institutional limitation on the Technology Translation track; however, we encourage you to contact RDS for industry engagement and proposal development support. Contact RDS if you are interested in applying to the Technology Translation track.

1. The Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Program funds technology translation and development based on prior NSF-funded research projects from all science and engineering disciplines supported by NSF.
2. PFI contains two separate tracks for submission: PFI-Technology Translation (PFI-TT) and PFI-Research Partnerships (PFI-RP).