Grant Funding Opportunities: 6/15/12

Visit the North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s Funding Gateway page to get more information on funding announcements, links to opportunity search databases, and grant development tips!

 If you have any special funding request searches, please feel free to send them any time (julie_king@ncbiotech.org).  Please also advise if any of your partners have submitted grant applications to funding announcements posted in the weekly grant alert emails.  We would love to hear of their successes!

Deadline: 6/21/12 (Letter of Intent Deadline--required); 7/10/12 (Full Application Deadline)
Agency: US Department of Energy
Program: Innovative Biosynthetic Pathways to Advanced Biofuels

Description: The Biomass Program has recently developed Critical Technology Goals (CTG) related to a) converting biomass into processable sugars or other fractionation products and b) upgrading those processable sugars or biomass fractions into products such as advanced biofuels. These are new program elements which seek to continue the work of the previous Biochemical Platform. The new advances in biotechnology that are facilitating innovative improvements in the biomedical (and similar) fields have not been fully applied to the efforts to develop biotechnology for fuels and products. Synthetic biology technologies hold promise for addressing critical barriers in the biological and chemical production of important advanced biofuels and products, including such barriers as product inhibition, tolerance to inhibitors, process robustness in the face of complex pretreatment processes and low yields, and productivity of conversion processes. This FOA invites the R&D community to apply these newer techniques to enhance and enable the development in biological or hybrid systems for producing advanced biofuels and high energy impact biobased products.  The focus of this FOA is found in these two topic areas: Intermediate Production and Intermediate Transformations.  The desired outcome is to improve the current performance metrics for lignocellulosic processing.

Award Amount: DOE anticipates making 4-8 awards under this announcement, depending on the amount of each award.  Award range is $500,000 - $2,500,000.  DOE anticipates making awards that will run for up to 24 months.
Website: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/#FoaIde0c4ae28-f0fd-4478-977d-2c1130511fe3
Eligibility:  All types of domestic entities are eligible to apply for this announcement including higher education, non-profits, for-profits, and consortia.

Deadline: 7/20/12
Agency: US Department of Commerce/Economic Development Administration
Program: 2012 i6 Challenge

Description: Applicants are encouraged to create and expand Proof of Concept Centers to: accelerate entrepreneurial thinking among innovators and researchers; create quality entrepreneurs and startup companies; develop a network of experts to support entrepreneurs and new ventures; and spark future job creation and economic growth across the United States.  EDA expects to fund proposals that create or grow innovative Proof of Concept Centers that in turn will develop the applicant’s organizational infrastructure to consistently and regularly create high-growth entrepreneurial ventures based on new ideas, innovation, research and development, and contribute to economic growth here in the United States. Applicants are required to leverage regional strengths, capabilities, and competitive advantages. All applications should avoid any duplication of existing efforts, or supplanting existing or budgeted efforts. Funding for the i6 Challenge will reward Proof of Concept centers that bring a culture of innovation and high-growth entrepreneurship to distressed regions.

Award Amount: EDA, subject to the availability of funds, intends to award at least six winning applicants, one per EDA region, grants of up to $1,000,000 each for a project period of up to two years from date of award. In addition, Small Business Innovation Research grants that are part of or central to winning applications may be eligible to receive supplemental awards from participating agencies after the initial technical and merit review conducted by EDA. The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship will work with interested applicants to share their applications with the appropriate agency partners.
Website: http://www.eda.gov/challenges/i6/
Eligibility:  Non-Profits, Higher Education Institutions, Governments, Other 

NOTE:  EDA, along with outside partners, will host information sessions about the technical details of the i6 Challenge as well as to share best practices around innovation and entrepreneurship. For more details navigate to the following web page: http://www.eda.gov/news/pressreleases/2012/04/27/nacie_save_the_date.htm.

Deadline: 8/14/12 (Preliminary Proposals Due—optional but strongly suggested); 1/15/13 (Full Proposals Due)
Agency: National Science Foundation
Program: Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)

Description: This is formally the Informal Science Education (ISE) program.  AISL invests in research and development of innovative and field advancing out of school STEM learning and emerging STEM learning environments.  The AISL solicitation invites investigators to propose ideas, concepts, models, and other opportunities for learning and learning environments that will capture the creative and innovative potential of informal STEM learning for the future, and potentially forge new connections across all STEM learning communities. Leveraging new and emerging technologies, STEM learning can now be located and situated wherever the learner is and customized to meet the learner's educational needs. New interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships for informal learning among academia, industry, and government can greatly advance our nation's goals to produce a scientifically and technologically literate population and workforce. The AISL program supports the research and/or development on learning and learning environments for the future.  See the opportunity for complete details.

Award Amount: Award duration and funding levels are as follows:

1. Research: Project duration from one to five years. The maximum award is $1,500,000.
2. Pathways: Project duration is up to two years. The maximum award is $250,000 total.
3. Full-Scale Development: Project duration may be from one to five years. Projects can be funded for up to $2.5 million, with the possibility of receiving up to an additional $500,000 if the project includes a research component. The maximum award is $3 million if a research component is included.
4. Broad Implementation: Project duration may be from one to five years. Projects can be funded for up to $2.5 million, with the possibility of receiving up to an additional $500,000 if the project includes a research component. The maximum award is $3 million if a research component is included.

Website: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504793
Eligibility:  Higher Education Institutions, Non-Profits, Small Business, Government, Commercial

Deadline: 9/19/12 (Pre-Proposal Deadline)
Agency: North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Program: Biotechnology Research Grant (BRG)

Description: The BRG program supports novel research projects that have the potential to strengthen biotechnology research and development at academic and non-profit research institutions in the early stages of building their research capacity.  Projects must fit within targeted focus areas which are Biotechnology applications to Applied Agriculture and Food Safety, Marine Biotechnology, Nanobiotechnology, Biotechnology Combination Medical Devices, Biotechnology applications to Drug Discovery, Biotechnology applications to Natural Products, and Biotechnology applications to Vaccine Development.  

Award Amount: $100,000 max
Website: http://www.ncbiotech.org/research-grants/research-funding/biotechnology-research
Eligibility:  The principal investigator must be associated with a North Carolina academic or nonprofit research institution.  Investigators at the main campuses of Duke, UNC-CH and NCSU are only eligible for this program in the Applied Agriculture and Food Safety focus area.

Deadline: White papers and proposals will be considered through and including 3/31/2017
Agency: Department of Defense/Department of the Army/Army Research Office (ARO)
Program: ARL/ARO Core Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Scientific Research for Fiscal Years 2012 through 2017

Description: The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) solicits proposals for basic and scientific research in chemistry, electronics, environmental sciences, life sciences, materials science, mathematical and computer sciences, mechanical sciences, physics, computational and information sciences, sensors and electron devices, survivability/lethality analysis, and weapons and materials research.  Proposals are expected to be for cutting-edge innovative research that could produce discoveries that would have a significant impact on enabling new and improved Army operational capabilities and related technologies.  See complete RFP for details.

Award Amount: The ARO prefers proposals to cover a 3-year period and include a brief summary of work contemplated for each 12-month period so that awards may be negotiated for an entire 3-year program or for individual 1-year increments of the total program.  There are no funding restrictions associated with this BAA.
Website: http://www.arl.army.mil/www/default.cfm?Action=6&Page=8
Eligibility:  Academic Institutions, Non-Profits, Small Business, Commercial, Government