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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NSF Environmental Engineering Program (PD 11 1440)

What is this NSF funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the National Science Foundation (NSF) Environmental Engineering program under Funding Opportunity Number PD 11 1440. It supports fundamental research and education focused on understanding and reducing impacts of human activity on public health, environmental quality, and natural resources.

What is the main purpose of the NSF Environmental Engineering program?

The core purpose is to support transformative engineering science that helps prevent, minimize, or manage pollution and environmental degradation across air, water, and land systems. NSF emphasizes building a strong scientific foundation to identify environmental problems, analyze causes and consequences, and develop new approaches to mitigate harm.

What kinds of environmental problems does the program address?

The program addresses pollution and environmental degradation in air, water, and land systems, including both conventional pollutants and newer, harder-to-characterize contaminants. It also highlights work on waste assimilative capacity and methods to remove or reduce contaminants in polluted environments.

What is meant by "waste assimilative capacity" in this solicitation?

Waste assimilative capacity refers to evaluating how much waste natural environments can safely absorb. The solicitation describes advancing cutting-edge methods and technologies to assess this capacity and to remove or reduce contaminants in air, water, and soils.

How does NSF frame the types of engineering work it funds in this program?

NSF frames the program around four engineering toolsets: measurement, analysis, synthesis, and design. In practice, that can include new sensing/monitoring platforms (measurement), predictive models of contaminant fate and transport (analysis), creation of new treatment processes (synthesis), and engineered systems that prevent pollution (design).

What are the major research areas highlighted by the solicitation?

The solicitation highlights major areas including water and wastewater treatment, emerging contaminants, water resources management, soil remediation and landfills, and air quality (including outdoor, emissions sources, and indoor air).

What topics are included under water and wastewater treatment?

NSF is interested in innovative biological, chemical, and physical treatment processes to remove or degrade contaminants, produce safe drinking water, and convert wastewater into renovated water suitable for reuse. The solicitation also notes that work may explore nanotechnology-enabled treatment.

Can proposals involving nanotechnology be submitted to this program?

Nanotechnology-enabled treatment may be considered within water and wastewater treatment topics. However, proposals specifically focused on the environmental health and safety of nanomaterials are directed to a separate NSF program: Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology.

What are "emerging contaminants" in the context of this opportunity?

The solicitation calls out emerging contaminants as a key emphasis and provides examples such as pharmaceuticals, endocrine-disrupting compounds, and fire retardants. It also highlights research on the fate, transport, and remediation of these pollutants.

What water resources management topics are of interest?

Topics include engineering aspects of urban watersheds, reservoirs, estuaries, stormwater systems, constructed or artificial wetlands, and the biogeochemical and transport processes that control aquatic water quality.

What soil and solid waste topics does the program emphasize?

The program calls out remediation techniques for contaminated soils, contaminant movement through soils, and effective solid waste management strategies in landfill settings.

What air quality topics are included?

Air quality research may include innovative processes to remove or destroy pollutants from outdoor air, emissions sources, and indoor air, as well as measurement and modeling approaches to predict pollutant movement and transformation in the atmosphere.

How important is novelty and differentiation from prior work?

Proposal competitiveness is strongly tied to novelty and a clear explanation of why a new concept matters. Applicants are expected to explain how the proposed work differs from prior efforts, why the new idea is important from an engineering science standpoint, and what successful outcomes could mean for society and/or industry.

Where should the novelty and impact rationale be stated?

NSF specifies that, at minimum, the novelty-and-impact rationale should appear in the Project Summary. Reviewers are expected to look for a clear statement of what is new, why it is scientifically significant, and what the practical implications could be.

What type of NSF funding mechanism is this?

This is described as a discretionary grant opportunity within NSF's Engineering Grants program, listed under CFDA 47.041.

Is cost sharing required?

No. The opportunity states there is no cost-sharing requirement.

How many awards and how much total funding were anticipated?

The opportunity anticipated roughly 44 awards with an estimated total funding level of about $9.4 million.

What is the typical project duration for unsolicited research awards?

Unsolicited research awards typically run one to three years, according to the opportunity description.

What is the typical award size?

The announcement states an average annual award size of around $100,000.

Are small equipment proposals allowed?

Yes. The announcement notes that small equipment proposals under $100,000 may be submitted during the same submission windows.

When were proposals due?

Proposals were accepted during two annual windows and were due by 5 p.m. local time: February 1 to March 1, and August 15 to September 15.

What happens if a proposal is submitted outside the submission windows?

The opportunity states that proposals submitted outside the specified windows would be returned without review.

How are CAREER proposals handled for environmental engineering topics?

CAREER proposals are a separate mechanism designed for early-career faculty and run for five years. The solicitation notes that CAREER proposals follow a separate Engineering CAREER deadline in July each year.

Can conferences, workshops, or supplements be submitted under this opportunity?

Proposals for conferences, workshops, and supplements may be submitted at any time, but the opportunity specifies they require prior discussion with the program director.

What are RAPID and EAGER proposals, and are they allowed?

The opportunity notes that NSF's RAPID and EAGER proposal types (which replaced SGER) must be discussed with the program director before submission.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants were listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organization types could apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full program materials.

When was this opportunity posted, and is it still current?

Administrative details state the opportunity was posted December 3, 2010, created June 8, 2011, and later replaced by PD 12 1440. The original closing date listed was September 15, 2011.

Does this program connect to other NSF sustainability-related efforts?

Yes. The program description notes alignment with related NSF efforts such as Energy for Sustainability, Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology, and Environmental Sustainability, reflecting broader goals around pollution control, resource conservation, and waste minimization.