Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA G2014 STAR E2

  • The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Early Career Awards SYSTEMS BASED RESEARCH FOR EVALUATING ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF MANUFACTURED CHEMICALS" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.509 Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Dec 4, 2013 and posted on Dec 4, 2013.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 4, 2014 Please refer to the announcement, including Section IV, for additional informatio on submission methods and due dates.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
  • Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
  • Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
  • See Section III of the announcement for additional eligibility information.
Apply for EPA G2014 STAR E2

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Opportunity Summary:

This EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Early Career Awards opportunity focuses on improving how ecological harms from manufactured chemicals are evaluated, especially in real-world environments where organisms face mixtures of stressors and complex, interacting conditions. The agency is looking for integrated, transdisciplinary projects that treat ecosystems as dynamic systems rather than relying only on single-chemical, single-species, or strictly lab-based assumptions. The core idea is to strengthen the scientific basis for understanding when chemical use could reduce ecosystem wellbeing, undermine resilience, or drive adverse outcomes at the level of organisms and populations.

A central emphasis is "systems based" research that develops and applies innovative metrics and modeling approaches. In practice, this means proposals should push beyond traditional endpoints and instead create or refine measures that capture ecological resilience, recovery potential, and system-level change. EPA is signaling interest in projects that can connect multiple layers of evidence (for example, linking chemical exposures and biological responses to population dynamics, community interactions, and broader ecosystem function). Competitive projects would likely translate emerging methods, new types of data, and modern computational tools into practical approaches that can handle ecological complexity and still produce clear conclusions about what drives harm.

The announcement also highlights the need to distill key drivers of adverse outcomes. That points to research designs and analytical frameworks that can sort through many interacting variables and identify which stressors, pathways, or conditions are most responsible for negative effects. This could involve integrated modeling, new quantitative indicators, or frameworks that combine monitoring, mechanistic understanding, and predictive tools. The ultimate goal is to improve impact analyses in ways that better support environmental sustainability and decision-making around chemical use.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under CFDA 66.509 (Science To Achieve Results Research Program). The funding instruments include grants and cooperative agreements, and EPA anticipated making about 2 awards under this solicitation. The estimated total funding was $4,000,000, with an award ceiling of $400,000 and no stated award floor. No cost sharing or matching was required. The opportunity was posted December 4, 2013, with an application deadline of March 4, 2014, and it was archived April 3, 2014. Eligibility is not broadly defined in the excerpt provided and is instead described as "Others (see text field...)" with additional eligibility details referenced in Section III of the full announcement, so applicants would have needed to consult the official RFA to confirm who could apply and under what early-career criteria.

For access issues or questions tied to the official announcement, the contact listed was Todd Peterson at EPA (703-308-7224).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is an EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Early Career Awards funding opportunity focused on improving how ecological harms from manufactured chemicals are evaluated, especially under real-world conditions where organisms experience mixtures of stressors and complex, interacting environmental factors.

Which EPA program and CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is offered under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STAR program, CFDA 66.509 (Science To Achieve Results Research Program).

What is the overall research goal of the solicitation?

The overarching goal is to strengthen the scientific basis for understanding when chemical use could reduce ecosystem well-being, undermine resilience, or drive adverse outcomes at the level of organisms and populations, using approaches that better reflect ecological complexity.

What kinds of ecological harms or outcomes is EPA trying to better evaluate?

The solicitation emphasizes adverse outcomes that may affect ecosystem well-being and resilience, including impacts that manifest at organism and population levels and that may be driven by mixtures of stressors and interacting conditions in real-world environments.

What does EPA mean by "systems based" research in this context?

"Systems based" research refers to treating ecosystems as dynamic systems rather than relying only on single-chemical, single-species, or strictly lab-based assumptions. It also includes developing and applying innovative metrics and modeling approaches that can represent complex interactions and system-level change.

How is this opportunity different from traditional single-chemical or lab-only studies?

The solicitation signals interest in integrated, transdisciplinary projects that push beyond traditional endpoints and simplified assumptions. It aims for methods that handle ecological complexity (multiple stressors, interactions, dynamic conditions) while still producing clear conclusions about what drives harm.

What types of projects does EPA describe as competitive for this solicitation?

Competitive projects would likely be integrated and transdisciplinary, develop and apply innovative metrics and modeling approaches, connect multiple layers of evidence (exposure to biological response to population/community/ecosystem function), and use modern computational tools or emerging methods to support real-world ecological impact analysis.

What does "integrated, transdisciplinary" mean based on the description provided?

Based on the excerpt, "integrated, transdisciplinary" means combining multiple lines of evidence and methods (such as monitoring, mechanistic understanding, and predictive modeling) to explain and predict ecological harms in complex environments, rather than approaching the problem from a single discipline or a single type of data.

What is meant by connecting "multiple layers of evidence"?

The opportunity highlights approaches that link chemical exposures and biological responses to higher-level ecological outcomes such as population dynamics, community interactions, and broader ecosystem function.

Is EPA looking for new endpoints or metrics beyond traditional ecological indicators?

Yes. The solicitation emphasizes moving beyond traditional endpoints and creating or refining measures that capture ecological resilience, recovery potential, and system-level change.

What kinds of methodological innovations are encouraged?

The excerpt emphasizes innovative metrics and modeling approaches, using emerging methods, new types of data, and modern computational tools, and translating these into practical approaches that can handle ecological complexity while identifying drivers of harm.

What does it mean to "distill key drivers of adverse outcomes"?

It refers to research designs and analytical frameworks that can sort through many interacting variables and identify which stressors, pathways, or conditions are most responsible for negative ecological effects.

Does the opportunity emphasize mixtures of stressors?

Yes. The focus includes real-world environments where organisms face mixtures of stressors and complex, interacting conditions.

What is the intended use or impact of the research results?

The stated goal is to improve ecological impact analyses in ways that better support environmental sustainability and decision-making around chemical use.

What funding instruments were available?

The funding instruments listed were grants and cooperative agreements.

How many awards did EPA anticipate making?

EPA anticipated making about 2 awards under this solicitation.

What was the estimated total funding available?

The estimated total funding for the solicitation was $4,000,000.

What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling was $400,000.

Was there a minimum award amount (award floor)?

No award floor was stated in the excerpt provided.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The excerpt states that no cost sharing or matching was required.

When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on December 4, 2013.

What was the application deadline?

The application deadline was March 4, 2014.

Is this opportunity still open?

No. The opportunity was archived on April 3, 2014.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility is not fully defined in the excerpt. It is described as "Others (see text field...)" and indicates that additional eligibility details were provided in Section III of the full announcement. Applicants would have needed to consult the official RFA to confirm eligibility and any early-career criteria.

Where would an applicant find the detailed eligibility and early-career requirements?

The excerpt indicates that eligibility details (including early-career criteria) were referenced in Section III of the full announcement (the official RFA).

Who was the point of contact for access issues or official announcement questions?

The listed contact was Todd Peterson at EPA, reachable at (703) 308-7224.

What is the main scientific theme of the solicitation in one sentence?

Develop and apply systems-based, integrated methods and metrics to evaluate ecological harms from manufactured chemicals under real-world, multi-stressor conditions, with an emphasis on resilience and identifying key drivers of adverse outcomes.

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Apply for EPA G2014 STAR E2

 

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