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The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is designed to fulfill the mandate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote scientific progress nationwide. EPSCoR eligibility status is yearly updated and reported in the EPSCoR website (see EPSCoR eligibility). Through this program, NSF establishes partnerships with government, higher education, and industry that are designed to affect sustainable improvements in a jurisdiction's research infrastructure, Research and Development (R&D) capacity, and hence, its R&D competitiveness. The FEC program (formerly known as “EPSCoR Track-2 program”) builds interjurisdictional collaborative teams of EPSCoR investigators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) focus areas consistent with the currentNational Science Foundation Strategic Plan. Projects are investigator-driven and must include researchers from at least two EPSCoR eligible jurisdictions with complementary expertise and resources necessary to address challenges, which neither party could address as well or as rapidly independently. FEC projects have a comprehensive and integrated vision to drive discovery and build sustainable STEM capacity that exemplifies institutional, geographic, and disciplinary diversity. The projects’ STEM research and education activities seek to broaden participation through the strategic inclusion and integration of all individuals, institutions, and sectors. Additionally, EPSCoR recognizes that the development of early-career faculty is critical to sustaining and advancing research capacity.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is for support of National Centers for Cryoelectron Tomography (CryoET) to provide nationwide access to advanced cryoET instrumentation and technical support, and to assist investigators in acquiring the skills needed to perform cryoET studies.

The purpose of the Tribal Institutional Review Board Establishment and Enhancement (TIRBEE) award is to support federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribes, Tribal colleges and universities, Tribal health programs, or Tribal organizations(collectively, eligible Tribal entities) to establish Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) or enhance the capacity of existing Tribal IRBs.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications for Diabetes Research Centers (DRCs) that are designed to support and enhance the national research effort in diabetes, its complications, and related endocrine and metabolic diseases. The purpose of this Centers program is to bring together basic and clinical investigators to enhance communication, multidisciplinary collaboration, and effectiveness of ongoing research in Diabetes Research Center topic areas. By providing shared access to specialized technical resources (research cores) and supporting a Pilot and Feasibility Program (P&F), DRCs are intended to create an environment that provides the capability for accomplishments greater than those that would be possible by individual research project grant support alone. New Center programs that bring in diverse perspectives, propose unique scientific themes, or provide innovative resources are encouraged. Emphasis will be placed on Center programs that propose enhanced synergies with other NIDDK-funded programs as well as providing a rich mentoring environment for future diabetes researchers.

Awarded activities will facilitate the translation of novel recording and modulation technologies that can be used to treat and/or diagnose central nervous system (CNS) diseases and disorders and to better understand the human CNS, from proof of concept up to the stage of readiness for first in human (FIH) studies. Technologies may incorporate any signal modality (e.g., electrical, optical, magnetic, acoustic) or a combination thereof. Diverse team-based applications that integrate appropriate domains of expertise are encouraged.

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to encourage investigators to pursue translational activities and small clinical studies to advance the development of therapeutic, and diagnostic devices for disorders that affect the nervous or neuromuscular systems. Activities supported in this program include implementation of clinical prototype devices, non-clinical safety and efficacy testing, design verification and validation activities, obtaining an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) for a Significant Risk (SR) study or Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for a Non-Significant Risk (NSR) study, as well as a subsequent small clinical study. The clinical study is expected to provide information about the device function or final design that cannot be practically obtained through additional non-clinical assessments (e.g., bench top or animal studies) due to the novelty of the device or its intended use. This NOFO is a milestone-driven cooperative agreement program and will involve participation of NIH program staff in negotiating the final project plan before award and monitoring of research progress.

Quantum Machine Learning

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), and solicits Research Project (R01) grant applications from institutions or organizations that propose to develop or support the development of designated new animal drugs intended for minor uses in major species or for use in minor species (MUMS).  The FDA is authorized to provide grants to assist in defraying the costs of qualified safety and effectiveness testing that could be used to satisfy the requirements for FDA approval of MUMS-designated drugs. Only entities developing drugs for veterinary use or parties working as research partners with such entities are eligible for grants. The organization (or applicant) seeking approval of the new animal drug under investigation must have opened an Investigational New Animal Drug (INAD) file with FDA/CVM and must hold a minor use or minor species "designation" granted by FDA/CVM's Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development (OMUMS) for that drug for a specified intended use, in accordance with the provisions of section 573 of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360ccc-2) and 21 CFR part 516. FDA/CVM's Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation (ONADE) must have reviewed and concurred with the proposed study protocol before an applicant can submit a grant application.

Expected Outcome:Development of closed-loop scientific experimentation systems that integrate automation with AI-driven, trustworthy decision-making processes in existing laboratory environments;Accelerated scientific discovery with increased efficiency and reproducibility;Improved scientific productivity;Advancement of laboratory automation, including development of best practices, challenges, and opportunities for accelerating R&D; andPrototype functional demonstrators that showcase the integration of automation with AI-driven decision-making, enabling the development of closed-loop scientific experimentation systems. Scope:This topic addresses the development of safe and trustworthy closed loop scientific experimentation systems through the integration of laboratory automation with AI-driven decision-making processes and robust data infrastructures. Funded projects will help scientifi...

Expected Outcome:Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:Development of closed-loop scientific experimentation systems that integrate automation with AI-driven, trustworthy decision-making processes in existing laboratory environments; Accelerated scientific discovery with increased efficiency and reproducibility; Improved scientific productivity; Advancement of laboratory automation, including development of best practices, challenges, and opportunities for accelerating R&D; Prototype functional demonstrators that showcase the integration of automation with AI-driven decision-making, enabling the development of closed-loop scientific experimentation systems. Scope:This topic addresses the development of safe and trustworthy closed loop scientific experimentation systems through the integration of laboratory automation with AI-driven decision-making...

Expected Outcome:Proposals should describe a credible pathway from their project results and outcomes towards the expected impact of this Destination;Proposals should enable open-ended breakthrough innovations in industrial technologies, feeding the pipeline of knowledge. Scope:This is an open topic, intended to cover breakthrough innovations, up to TRL 4, within the scope of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas (SRIAs) of the partnerships Made in Europe, Process4Planet, Clean Steel, Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU (IAM4EU) and Textiles for the Future.[1] Proposals should carefully describe their expected contribution to one or more of the R&I objectives of the respective SRIA.[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/european-partnerships-horizon-europe/digital-industry-and-space_en

Expected Outcome:The commercial potential of Horizon research results is explored;Results of Horizon projects are valorised, by ensuring a pathway to commercialisation; andStartups and SMEs become involved in valorisation. Scope:The EU must do better in translating the knowledge generated by the Framework Programme into innovations with economic and societal value.The objective of this action is to provide financial support (‘Proof of market’) to small consortia (i.e. spin-offs, startups, SMEs) to explore the exploitation potential, in the EU, of achieved results from ongoing or completed projects funded under Cluster 4 ‘Digital, Industry and Space’ or its predecessor activities under the Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies (LEIT)[1] part of Horizon 2020.The consortia do not necessarily have to be made of former or current beneficiaries but should own or have access to the...

Expected Outcome:Increased recovery rates of valuable raw materials, particularly critical raw materials from low grade or complex ores and/or from mining waste;Increased economic performance in terms of higher material-, water-, energy- and cost-efficiency and flexibility in minerals processing and metallurgical processes; andImproved health, safety and environmental performance of the operations throughout the whole life cycle that is considered, including a reduction in waste, wastewater and generation of emissions of air pollutants and a better recovery of resources from generated waste, reducing the environmental footprint and contributing to biodiversity and ecosystems preservation. Scope:Actions should develop and validate / demonstrate pilot scale facility located in the EU integrating relevant processing and refining technologies for improved recovery of raw materials from low g...

Expected Outcome:Proposals should demonstrate the following expected outcomes:A sound understanding of the specific needs of industrial users (including but not limited to innovative SMEs, startups and scaleups) for Technology infrastructure services in specific priority areas including but not limited to advanced materials, clean energy, or health and biotechnology;Increased opportunities for industrial users for development, testing, up-scaling and deployment of new technologies via the use of services offered by Technology Infrastructures;Strengthened innovation and technology development capacity of European SMEs, startups and scaleups via improved access to Technology Infrastructures;Attractiveness and effectiveness of the developed access schemes for broadening the range of Technology Infrastructures users, especially for startups and scaleups, including with transnational access....

Expected Outcome:Reducing dependencies of critical and strategic raw materials through partial or total substitution by safe and sustainable innovative advanced materials and/or via more efficient use of critical and strategic raw materials in production processes;Speeding up the innovation cycle within value chain(s) important for European industry;Enhancing competitiveness of the industries and operational costs, while making supply chains more secure;New or improved production processes, innovative advanced materials and products that are safer and more sustainable, supporting a clean and autonomous economy; andDemonstrating how the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) chemicals and materials framework can guide innovation. Scope:The focus of this topic is on alternatives for the substitution or more efficient use of critical and strategic raw materials[1]. The design and development...

Expected Outcome:A viable industrial ecosystem for circularity in manufacturing industries emerges, enhancing both circularity and resilience;De-manufacturing technologies and practices become available, making decisive contributions to a European remanufacturing industry and market;Functions of products are retained, reused, upgraded or adapted through de-manufacturing and re-manufacturing; andSkills, standards and safety measures relevant to remanufacturing are developed. Scope:Proposals should focus on developing de-manufacturing and re-manufacturing technologies at the factory level, addressing at least three of the following:Technologies to efficiently analyse part condition and support predictive maintenance, including for re-manufactured parts or components of lower value, e.g. by combining multimodal sensor data, AI and human inputs;AI and robotic-assisted technologies, e.g. inno...

Expected Outcome:Advanced manufacturing technology and machinery becomes available in Europe for the manufacturing of key and high-performance products;Where relevant, production becomes increasingly circular through the reuse of secondary raw materials; and/or innovative advanced materials are incorporated in manufactured products, leading to better performance and quality; Resource efficiency in terms of materials and energy is increased significantly; andCircularity, productivity and competitiveness are increased, and hence resilience of European industry is enhanced. Scope:This topic addresses technologies and machinery for advanced manufacturing, focusing on manufacturing excellence and on increasing circularity, including through the better use of innovative advanced materials and secondary raw materials. The focus is on key manufactured components and products that are competitive...

Expected Outcome:Innovative advanced materials designed for circularity are adopted in products faster, through accelerated production and technology uptake;Business models become available to enhance the use of circular advanced materials in strategic value chains; andResource efficiency (materials and energy) is increased significantly through a focus on circular advanced materials. Quality standards, harmonisation and regulatory requirements are addressed facilitating simplified market transition. Scope:The focus of this topic is on enabling circularity and resilient supply networks through R&I in advanced materials, in particular recyclable polymers and composites, magnets and metal (alloys) for additive manufacturing, and on accelerating their pathway to market. Proposals should develop new innovative advanced materials (IAMs) with superior or novel functionalities designed for circ...

Expected Outcome:Proposals should describe a credible pathway from their project results and outcomes towards the expected impact of this Destination;Enable the acceleration of the market uptake of groundbreaking innovations in the decarbonisation of the chemical industries as well as alternatives to substances of concern. Scope:This open topic aims to speed up the adoption of new, groundbreaking innovations (starting TRL 4 ) as part of the Chemical Industry Action Plan, in the areas of decarbonisation of energy intensive industries, circular economy or breakthrough production technologies; as well as development of alternatives (new chemical substances, advanced materials or technologies) to substances of concern. Application of the SSbD Framework should be considered as appropriate.

Expected Outcome:Strengthening the expert capacity in the EU in a wide range of raw materials along the whole value chain;Better informed and more effective decision-making by the EU and National policy makers and the producers and users of raw materials regarding the supply and demand of raw materials and the associated environmental and social aspects;Improved EU official statistics and building the EU knowledge base of primary and secondary raw materials. Scope:Actions should strengthen an EU expert network and community covering all raw materials screened in the critical raw materials assessment of 2027. Flexibility in screening additional raw materials will be an added value.The consortium should build the EU expert community covering each screened raw material with expertise on primary and secondary resources; production, including exploration, mining, processing, recycling and ref...

Expected Outcome:Increased economically viable and functionally equivalent renewable material and sustainable chemical solutions used in large scale textile applications, including apparel, home and technical textiles;A realistic pathway for an absolute reduction of the use of virgin fossil-based materials and chemicals used to produce textile products for the EU market by 2035, contributing to enhance the preservation of human health, biodiversity and ecosystems, whether aquatic or terrestrial ecosystem preservation and emission reduction;Uptake of business models and system approaches that allow for the scale up of sustainable textile material and chemical alternatives as competitive alternatives to conventional approaches. Scope:Innovative renewable textile fibres and sustainable chemical solutions today face almost insurmountable cost disadvantages compared to extremely cost-competit...

Expected Outcome:Enhanced valorisation of intellectual assets, including dormant patents, from universities and public research organisations to support the adoption of green and digital technologies by industry, SMEs and start-ups/spinoffs.Development of entrepreneurial skills and increased involvement of students, researchers, and innovators in the valorisation of research results.Uptake of effective models and tools to facilitate valorisation of unused IP and intellectual assets and access by startups, SMEs, and innovative companies to this untapped knowledge in public research organisations. Scope:Aligned with the European Union's policy priorities, this action will contribute to overcoming the innovation paradox by maximising the impact of public spending in R&I through improved knowledge valorisation practices, and facilitating the uptake of green and digital technologies by start-...

Convergence research is a means for solving vexing research problems, in particular, complex problems focusing on societal needs or deep scientific challenges. It entails integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and developing novel paradigms that catalyze scientific discovery and innovation. GCR identifiesConvergence Researchas having two primary characteristics: Research driven by a specific and compelling problem.Convergence research is generally inspired by the need to address a specific challenge or opportunity, whether it arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs. Deep integration across disciplines.As experts from different disciplines pursue common research challenges, their knowledge, theories, methods, data, research communities andlanguages become increasingly intermingled or integrated. New frameworks, paradigms or even disciplines can form sustained interactions across multiple communities. A distinct characteristic of convergence research, in contrast to other forms of multidisciplinary research, is that from the inception, the convergence paradigmintentionallybrings together intellectually diverse researchers and stakeholders to frame the research questions, adopt common frameworks for addressing them, and create and implement innovative scientific approaches for their solution. This includes, when appropriate, developing new integrated theories, methods, research tools, and ways of communicating across disciplines and sectors.Research teams practicing convergence aim to develop sustainable collaborations...

NSF-supported science and engineering research increasingly relies on cutting-edge infrastructure. With its Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program and Major Multi-user Facilities ("Major Facilities") projects, NSF supports infrastructure projects at the lower and higher range of infrastructure project costs, Foundation-wide, across science and engineering research disciplines. The Foundation-wide Mid-scale Research Infrastructure opportunity is intended to provide NSF with an agile, Foundation-wide process to fund experimental research capabilities in the mid-scale range between MRI and Major Multi-user Facilities. NSF defines Research Infrastructure (RI) as any combination of facilities, equipment, instrumentation, or computational hardware or software, and the necessary human capital in support of the same. Major facilities and mid-scale projects are subsets of research infrastructure. The NSF Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 Program (Mid-scale RI-1) supports either design activities or implementation of unique and compelling RI projects. Mid-scale implementation projects may include any combination of equipment, instrumentation, cyberinfrastructure, broadly used large scale datasets and the personnel needed to successfully commission the project. Mid-scale RI-1 design activities include the design efforts intended to lead to eventual implementation of a mid-scale class RI project. Mid-scale RI-1 projects should involve the training of a diverse workforce engaged in the design and implementation of STEM research infrastructure. Mid-scale RI-1 projects should dire...

The purpose of this Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is to encourage applications that will develop and validate novel tools to facilitate the detailed analysis of complex circuits and provide insights into cellular interactions that underlie brain function. The new tools and technologies should inform and/or exploit cell-type and/or circuit-level specificity. Plans for validating the utility of the tool/technology will be an essential feature of a successful application. The development of new genetic and non-genetic tools for delivering genes, proteins and chemicals to cells of interest or approaches that are expected to target specific cell types and/or circuits in the nervous system with greater precision and sensitivity than currently established methods are encouraged. Tools that can be used in a number of species/model organisms rather than those restricted to a single species are highly desired. Applications that provide approaches that break through existing technical barriers to substantially improve current capabilities are highly encouraged.