Opportunity Information: Apply for 15 578
Apply for 15 578
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "EarthScope" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.050 Geosciences.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 13, 2015 and posted on Jun 12, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 13, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $6,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Who May Submit Proposals Proposals may only be submitted by the following For profit organizations U.S. commercial organizations, especially small businesses with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education. Non profit, non academic organizations Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities. State and Local Governments State educational offices or organizations and local school districts. Universities and Colleges Universities and two and four year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in, the US acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic in
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Opportunity Summary:
EarthScope is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity focused on advancing Earth science research and education by investigating the four-dimensional structure of the North American continent, meaning how Earth structure varies in three-dimensional space and changes through time. The program is designed as a broad, integrated framework that supports studies spanning many parts of the geosciences, including how faults behave and generate earthquakes, how strain accumulates and transfers through the crust, how magmatic and water-rich (hydrous) fluids move through the crust and mantle, how plate boundaries work, how continents deform at large scales, how continental structure formed and evolved, and what the deep Earth looks like in terms of composition and physical structure. Alongside research, EarthScope also emphasizes education and outreach across all levels and encourages the development of cyberinfrastructure that can integrate, distribute, and analyze large and diverse geoscience datasets.
A central feature of this opportunity is that projects are expected to leverage major EarthScope observational and data resources. These resources come from the EarthScope Facility, originally built around three key components: the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), and USArray. EarthScope expanded what scientists could observe by providing dense, coordinated geophysical measurements across wide regions. In FY 2014, NSF reorganized and modernized these capabilities by creating two integrated facilities: the Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope (GAGE) facility, which merged PBO with other core geodetic capabilities, and the Seismological Facilities for the Advancement of Geosciences and EarthScope (SAGE) facility, which merged USArray with other core seismic capabilities. In practice, GAGE is the main gateway for high-quality geodetic observations (such as GPS and related measurements of Earth deformation), while SAGE is the main gateway for seismic observations and related products (such as waveform data and derived models). SAFOD remains a unique deep fault-zone observatory, with physical samples and associated datasets curated and managed by Texas A&M University. Operationally, UNAVCO manages GAGE, IRIS manages SAGE, and Texas A&M manages SAFOD samples and derived data, which collectively means applicants can build proposals around well-established, community-facing data and instrumentation ecosystems.
The solicitation invites either single-investigator or collaborative proposals to conduct scientific research and/or education and outreach activities within North America. A core requirement is that the proposed work must make meaningful use of the capabilities provided through GAGE, SAGE, and/or SAFOD, or use data and models derived from those facilities. Proposals also need to clearly advance the scientific and educational goals laid out in the EarthScope program planning documents, specifically the 2010 EarthScope Science Plan and the EarthScope Education and Outreach Implementation Plan. In other words, the funding is not simply for general Earth science; it is aimed at projects that use EarthScope-related infrastructure and datasets to produce new understanding, new syntheses, improved models, or impactful education/outreach tied to EarthScope priorities.
In terms of funding details, this is an NSF discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 15-578) in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category. NSF anticipated making about 25 awards, with an estimated total program funding level of $6,000,000. The CFDA number listed is 47.050 (Geosciences). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which typically lowers barriers for participation and allows applicants to focus budgets on the work itself. The opportunity was posted in mid-June 2015 with an original and final due date of November 13, 2015, and it was later archived (December 15, 2018), meaning it is a past solicitation but still useful as a reference point for EarthScope-related program priorities and proposal expectations during that funding period.
Eligibility is broad across the U.S. research and education ecosystem. Eligible applicants include U.S. for-profit organizations (with emphasis on strong science or engineering research/education capabilities, including small businesses), non-profit non-academic organizations such as museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies, state and local governments including education offices and school districts, and accredited U.S. colleges and universities (including two-year and four-year institutions and community colleges) applying on behalf of faculty. This wide eligibility reflects EarthScope’s dual nature as both a research driver and a platform for education, outreach, and data-enabled discovery across institutions. For official guidance and full requirements, the solicitation is identified as NSF Publication 15-578, and NSF provided a Grants.gov support contact for access and submission issues.
EarthScope (NSF) Grant Opportunity FAQs (Funding Opportunity Number 15-578)
What is the EarthScope grant opportunity?
EarthScope is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity that supports Earth science research and education focused on understanding the four-dimensional structure of the North American continent (3D structure plus how it changes through time). The program emphasizes integrated studies across geoscience disciplines and encourages education, outreach, and cyberinfrastructure that helps integrate, distribute, and analyze large geoscience datasets.
What does "four-dimensional structure" mean in this context?
In EarthScope, "four-dimensional" refers to Earth structure varying across three-dimensional space and evolving through time. Projects may investigate how Earth properties and processes change geographically and how those properties change as tectonic and geological processes unfold.
What kinds of research topics does EarthScope support?
The opportunity is designed as a broad framework spanning many geoscience areas, including fault behavior and earthquakes, crustal strain accumulation and transfer, movement of magmatic and water-rich (hydrous) fluids through the crust and mantle, plate boundary processes, large-scale continental deformation, how continental structure formed and evolved, and deep Earth composition and physical structure.
Does EarthScope support education and outreach activities?
Yes. Alongside research, EarthScope emphasizes education and outreach across all levels. The solicitation allows proposals that include scientific research and/or education and outreach activities, as long as they align with EarthScope goals and expectations.
Is cyberinfrastructure development part of the program?
Yes. EarthScope encourages the development of cyberinfrastructure capabilities that can integrate, distribute, and analyze large and diverse geoscience datasets, especially those connected to EarthScope observational and data resources.
What is a core requirement for proposals under this opportunity?
A core requirement is that the proposed work must make meaningful use of the capabilities provided through GAGE, SAGE, and/or SAFOD, or use data and models derived from those facilities. The funding is not intended for general Earth science work that is not tied to EarthScope infrastructure and data resources.
What are the key EarthScope observational and data resources applicants are expected to leverage?
Projects are expected to leverage major EarthScope observational and data resources associated with the EarthScope Facility and its integrated facilities: GAGE (geodesy), SAGE (seismology), and SAFOD (a deep fault-zone observatory with curated physical samples and associated datasets).
What is GAGE and what does it provide?
GAGE stands for Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope. It is described as the main gateway for high-quality geodetic observations, such as GPS and related measurements used to study Earth deformation. GAGE resulted from merging the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) with other core geodetic capabilities during NSF reorganization in FY 2014.
What is SAGE and what does it provide?
SAGE stands for Seismological Facilities for the Advancement of Geosciences and EarthScope. It is described as the main gateway for seismic observations and related products, such as waveform data and derived models. SAGE resulted from merging USArray with other core seismic capabilities during NSF reorganization in FY 2014.
What is SAFOD and how is it used in proposals?
SAFOD (San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth) is a unique deep fault-zone observatory. It includes physical samples and associated datasets curated and managed by Texas A&M University. Proposals may use SAFOD samples and derived data as part of EarthScope-aligned research and synthesis efforts.
Who operates or manages the EarthScope facilities referenced in this opportunity?
Operationally, UNAVCO manages GAGE, IRIS manages SAGE, and Texas A&M University manages SAFOD samples and derived data. These arrangements provide established community-facing instrumentation and data ecosystems that proposals can build on.
Are proposals required to be within a certain geographic focus?
Yes. The solicitation invites proposals to conduct scientific research and/or education and outreach activities within North America, consistent with EarthScope's focus on the North American continent.
Can a proposal be submitted by a single investigator, or must it be collaborative?
Either is allowed. The solicitation invites single-investigator proposals and collaborative proposals.
Which program planning documents must proposals align with?
Proposals need to clearly advance the scientific and educational goals described in the EarthScope program planning documents, specifically the 2010 EarthScope Science Plan and the EarthScope Education and Outreach Implementation Plan.
How many awards were anticipated and what was the estimated total funding level?
NSF anticipated making about 25 awards under this opportunity, with an estimated total program funding level of $6,000,000.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number and NSF publication identifier?
The Funding Opportunity Number is 15-578, and the solicitation is identified as NSF Publication 15-578.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 47.050, which corresponds to Geosciences.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What is the category of this federal funding opportunity?
The opportunity is described as an NSF discretionary grant opportunity in the "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" category.
When was the solicitation posted and what was the due date?
The solicitation was posted in mid-June 2015, with an original and final proposal due date of November 13, 2015.
Is this solicitation still open?
No. It was later archived on December 15, 2018. That means it is a past solicitation, though it may still be useful as a reference for EarthScope-related priorities and proposal expectations during that funding period.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes U.S. for-profit organizations (including small businesses with strong science or engineering research/education capabilities), non-profit non-academic organizations (such as museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies), state and local governments (including education offices and school districts), and accredited U.S. colleges and universities (including two-year and four-year institutions and community colleges) applying on behalf of faculty.
Does the opportunity focus only on research, or can it include broader impacts like outreach?
It can include both. The solicitation explicitly supports scientific research and/or education and outreach activities, and it emphasizes outreach across all levels when tied to EarthScope goals and resources.
What distinguishes an EarthScope proposal from a general Earth science proposal?
EarthScope proposals are expected to use EarthScope-related infrastructure and datasets (GAGE, SAGE, SAFOD, or derived data/models) and to advance goals in the EarthScope planning documents. The intent is to produce new understanding, new syntheses, improved models, and/or impactful education and outreach aligned with EarthScope priorities, rather than funding unrelated Earth science work.
Where should applicants look for official guidance and full requirements?
Official guidance and full requirements are associated with NSF Publication 15-578. NSF also provided a Grants.gov support contact for access and submission issues (as referenced in the solicitation summary).
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