Opportunity Information: Apply for PD 16 014Y
Apply for PD 16 014Y
- The NSF in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Engineering for Natural Hazards" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041,.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 24, 2015 and posted on Oct 24, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 16, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering for Natural Hazards (ENH) program funds fundamental, research-driven work aimed at understanding how natural hazards damage constructed civil infrastructure and how that damage can be reduced through better engineering knowledge, methods, and design. The hazards in scope are earthquakes, severe windstorms (including tornadoes and hurricanes), tsunamis, and landslides. On the infrastructure side, ENH is centered on civil systems such as buildings and their interacting components (often framed as the soil-foundation-structure-envelope-nonstructural system), including facade and roofing performance, as well as other structural systems, geostructures, and underground facilities like tunnels. Projects can focus on a single hazard, but the program explicitly encourages multi-hazard research that looks at how infrastructure performs over its full service life when exposed to multiple types of extreme events and evolving conditions.
The program is intentionally interdisciplinary. ENH expects civil engineering advances to be strengthened by ideas and tools from other fields where appropriate, including earth and atmospheric sciences, materials science, mechanics, dynamics and control, systems engineering, decision theory, risk analysis, high-performance computing, and even social, behavioral, and economic sciences when those perspectives help explain real-world performance, decision-making, and adoption. Collaborative approaches are encouraged, including multi-disciplinary teams and international partnerships, particularly when they help produce more generalizable knowledge, better models, or more implementable solutions for hazard mitigation.
ENH-supported research areas include several core themes. One major emphasis is understanding and modeling the underlying physics that governs how infrastructure responds to extreme loading and ground or soil movements, with an eye toward more predictive, mechanistic models rather than purely empirical rules. Another emphasis is advancing design and decision theory for both new and existing infrastructure, including sustainable systems, so that engineers and stakeholders can target desired performance outcomes at the system level under either single-hazard or multi-hazard lifetime demands. A third major theme is geotechnical and geo-hazard engineering: foundations and geostructures that better resist hazards, approaches to liquefaction mitigation, improved modeling of soil-foundation-structure interaction, stability of levees and earth dams, and analysis and mitigation of landslides, mudflows, and debris flows, with particular attention to field-relevant and system-level performance. The program also highlights computational modeling and simulation, especially efforts that tightly integrate theory, computation, experiments, and data to produce better tools and understanding for natural hazard mitigation.
A distinctive feature of ENH is its connection to NSF's Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI). ENH can fund projects that use NHERI facilities and cyberinfrastructure, but it also supports strong projects that do not require NHERI. For teams that do use NHERI, available resources span major experimental and computational capabilities, including the DesignSafe cyberinfrastructure hosted at the University of Texas at Austin; the Twelve-Fan Wall of Wind at Florida International University; large-scale, multi-directional hybrid simulation capabilities at Lehigh University; the large wave flume and directional wave basin at Oregon State University; geotechnical centrifuges at UC Davis; a large outdoor shake table at UC San Diego; boundary layer wind tunnel and related wind and pressure loading simulators at the University of Florida; and mobile dynamic shakers for field testing at UT Austin. Regardless of whether a project uses NHERI experimental facilities, ENH awardees are strongly encouraged to use the DesignSafe platform (designsafe-ci.org) to archive and share research data via the NHERI Data Depot, incorporate these activities into their data management plans, contribute and reuse modeling/simulation tools, leverage high-performance computing resources, and broadly disseminate results.
Beyond producing academic knowledge, ENH places value on dissemination and technology transfer that can plausibly lead to real-world impact, such as improved codes, guidelines, design tools, or risk-informed decision frameworks for hazard mitigation. ENH-funded research also aligns with NSF's broader national roles, including contributions to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) and the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, reflecting the program's focus on foundational research that can feed into national resilience and risk-reduction priorities.
The opportunity also draws clear boundaries around what it will not fund. ENH does not support hazard characterization work outside its scope or research on explosions/blast loading, wildfires or other fire hazards, solar wind and storms, or drought impacts on infrastructure. It also excludes sensor and measurement technology development, long-term instrumentation and structural health monitoring at field sites, induced seismicity, and applied projects that are better suited to mission-oriented agencies. In addition, it does not support hazard-mitigation research focused on certain specific infrastructure sectors, including nuclear power plants, transportation infrastructure (including bridges), and wind energy infrastructure, which NSF indicates are more appropriate for other federal or state programs.
From the posted opportunity details, ENH is an NSF discretionary grant program (Funding Opportunity Number PD 16-014Y) within the science and technology research and development category, associated with CFDA 47.041. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility notes in the official solicitation). The posting date for the referenced notice is October 24, 2015, with a closing date of February 16, 2016, and the archived notice does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided text.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Engineering for Natural Hazards (ENH)
1) What is the NSF Engineering for Natural Hazards (ENH) program?
The NSF Engineering for Natural Hazards (ENH) program funds fundamental, research-driven work focused on understanding how natural hazards damage constructed civil infrastructure and how that damage can be reduced through improved engineering knowledge, methods, and design.
2) What natural hazards are included in ENH's scope?
ENH covers earthquakes, severe windstorms (including tornadoes and hurricanes), tsunamis, and landslides.
3) What types of infrastructure does ENH focus on?
ENH is centered on civil infrastructure systems such as buildings and their interacting components (often described as the soil-foundation-structure-envelope-nonstructural system). The scope also includes facade and roofing performance, other structural systems, geostructures, and underground facilities such as tunnels.
4) Can a project focus on just one hazard?
Yes. Projects can focus on a single hazard. However, ENH explicitly encourages multi-hazard research that evaluates performance over a full service life under multiple extreme events and evolving conditions.
5) What does ENH mean by "multi-hazard" research?
Multi-hazard research, as described for ENH, looks at how infrastructure performs over its full service life when exposed to more than one type of extreme event (for example, earthquakes and windstorms), including changing conditions over time.
6) Is ENH an interdisciplinary program?
Yes. ENH is intentionally interdisciplinary and expects civil engineering advances to be strengthened by relevant ideas and tools from other fields when appropriate.
7) Which disciplines does ENH encourage teams to draw from?
ENH notes that relevant contributing fields can include earth and atmospheric sciences, materials science, mechanics, dynamics and control, systems engineering, decision theory, risk analysis, high-performance computing, and social, behavioral, and economic sciences when those perspectives help explain real-world performance, decision-making, and adoption.
8) Are collaborations and partnerships encouraged?
Yes. ENH encourages collaborative approaches, including multi-disciplinary teams and international partnerships, particularly when they lead to more generalizable knowledge, improved models, or more implementable hazard-mitigation solutions.
9) What are the core research themes ENH supports?
ENH-supported themes described in the opportunity include:
- Understanding and modeling the physics governing infrastructure response to extreme loading and ground/soil movements, emphasizing predictive, mechanistic models rather than purely empirical rules.
- Advancing design and decision theory for new and existing infrastructure (including sustainable systems) to achieve desired system-level performance under single-hazard or multi-hazard lifetime demands.
- Geotechnical and geo-hazard engineering, including foundations and geostructures, liquefaction mitigation, soil-foundation-structure interaction modeling, levee and earth dam stability, and landslide/mudflow/debris flow analysis and mitigation with field-relevant, system-level performance emphasis.
- Computational modeling and simulation that integrates theory, computation, experiments, and data to improve tools and understanding for natural hazard mitigation.
10) Does ENH prioritize mechanistic modeling over empirical approaches?
Yes. A major emphasis described is on predictive, mechanistic models grounded in underlying physics, rather than relying only on empirical rules.
11) What kinds of geotechnical topics fit ENH?
Examples specifically highlighted include: foundations and geostructures that better resist hazards; liquefaction mitigation; improved modeling of soil-foundation-structure interaction; stability of levees and earth dams; and the analysis and mitigation of landslides, mudflows, and debris flows.
12) Does ENH support computational modeling and simulation?
Yes. ENH highlights computational modeling and simulation, particularly work that tightly integrates theory, computation, experiments, and data.
13) How is ENH connected to NSF's NHERI?
ENH has a distinctive connection to NSF's Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI). ENH can fund projects that use NHERI facilities and cyberinfrastructure, but it also supports strong projects that do not require NHERI.
14) Is using NHERI facilities required to apply or be funded?
No. ENH can fund projects that use NHERI, but the program also supports strong projects that do not require NHERI facilities.
15) What is DesignSafe and how does it relate to ENH?
DesignSafe is NHERI's cyberinfrastructure platform hosted at the University of Texas at Austin. ENH awardees are strongly encouraged to use DesignSafe (designsafe-ci.org) to archive and share research data through the NHERI Data Depot, incorporate these activities into their data management plans, contribute and reuse modeling/simulation tools, leverage high-performance computing resources, and disseminate results.
16) What NHERI resources are mentioned as available for ENH-related projects?
The opportunity lists several NHERI experimental and computational resources, including:
- DesignSafe cyberinfrastructure (University of Texas at Austin)
- Twelve-Fan Wall of Wind (Florida International University)
- Large-scale, multi-directional hybrid simulation (Lehigh University)
- Large wave flume and directional wave basin (Oregon State University)
- Geotechnical centrifuges (UC Davis)
- Large outdoor shake table (UC San Diego)
- Boundary layer wind tunnel and wind/pressure loading simulators (University of Florida)
- Mobile dynamic shakers for field testing (UT Austin)
17) Does ENH value data sharing and archiving?
Yes. ENH awardees are strongly encouraged to use DesignSafe to archive and share data via the NHERI Data Depot and to include these activities in their data management plans.
18) Beyond research publications, what kinds of outcomes does ENH value?
ENH places value on dissemination and technology transfer that can plausibly lead to real-world impacts, such as improved codes, guidelines, design tools, or risk-informed decision frameworks for hazard mitigation.
19) How does ENH align with broader national programs or priorities?
ENH-funded research aligns with NSF's broader national roles, including contributions to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) and the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program.
20) What topics are explicitly out of scope for ENH (hazards)?
ENH does not support hazard characterization work outside its scope and does not fund research on explosions/blast loading, wildfires or other fire hazards, solar wind and storms, or drought impacts on infrastructure.
21) Are sensor development and long-term monitoring supported?
No. The opportunity states ENH excludes sensor and measurement technology development, long-term instrumentation, and structural health monitoring at field sites.
22) Does ENH fund research on induced seismicity?
No. Induced seismicity is explicitly excluded.
23) Will ENH fund applied projects intended for mission-oriented agencies?
No. The opportunity notes that applied projects better suited to mission-oriented agencies are excluded from ENH support.
24) Which infrastructure sectors are excluded from ENH hazard-mitigation research?
ENH does not support hazard-mitigation research focused on nuclear power plants, transportation infrastructure (including bridges), and wind energy infrastructure, indicating those areas are more appropriate for other federal or state programs.
25) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for ENH?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is PD 16-014Y.
26) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 47.041.
27) What type of grant program is ENH described as?
ENH is described as an NSF discretionary grant program within the science and technology research and development category.
28) Who is eligible to apply based on the posting?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility notes in the official solicitation.
29) What were the posting and closing dates shown for the referenced notice?
The posting date is October 24, 2015, and the closing date is February 16, 2016.
30) Does the provided notice specify the award ceiling or expected number of awards?
No. The archived notice does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided text.
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