Opportunity Information: Apply for PD 13 1440
Apply for PD 13 1440
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental Engineering" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041 Engineering Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 19, 2012 and posted on Apr 19, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 19, 2013 Submission Window Date(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposers local time) January 15, 2013 February 19, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $9,400,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 44 candidate(s).
- 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) Environmental Engineering program (Funding Opportunity Number PD 13-1440) funds fundamental research and related educational activities across the full range of environmental engineering. Its central aim is to spark genuinely transformative work that uses scientific and engineering principles to prevent, minimize, or eliminate solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges from human activities into land, air, and inland or coastal waters. A consistent theme is doing this while also improving resource stewardship, including conserving energy and materials and, where possible, recovering value from wastes. In practice, the program is looking for projects that push beyond incremental improvements and instead propose new concepts, mechanisms, or engineering approaches that could reshape how environmental problems are understood and solved.
A major emphasis is on understanding and improving the natural environment's ability to handle waste loads, often described as waste assimilative capacity, and on developing methods to remove or reduce contaminants in air, water, and soil. This includes research that identifies contaminants and sources, evaluates exposure pathways and system behavior, and monitors environmental conditions with advanced measurement or modeling tools. The program is interested both in basic science questions that underpin environmental engineering (for example, transport, transformation, reaction pathways, and interfacial processes) and in engineering innovations that translate those fundamentals into better treatment, remediation, and management strategies.
Within its stated priority areas, one focal topic is the environmental engineering implications of energy and resource consumption. Here, NSF highlights research on converting wastes into value-added materials or energy, lowering the energy and water demands of environmental technologies, and examining how energy production and transportation systems affect the environment. Projects in this space might involve new recovery processes, more efficient unit operations, or system-level analyses that connect environmental performance with energy and material flows, especially where the engineering advances could meaningfully reduce lifecycle impacts.
A second major area is ensuring the availability of high-quality water supplies. The program encourages development of innovative biological, chemical, and physical treatment processes to meet growing demand, along with work that removes or degrades conventional water contaminants and addresses contaminated soil and groundwater. It also supports research that turns wastewater into water suitable for reuse, reflecting the broader goal of conservation and recovery rather than one-way disposal. Beyond treatment technologies, the program is also interested in environmental engineering aspects of urban watersheds, reservoirs, estuaries, and stormwater management, as well as the underlying biogeochemical and transport processes that control water quality in aquatic and subsurface environments. This makes it a fit for proposals that connect processes at the lab or reactor scale to field-scale outcomes in complex natural and built systems.
A third highlighted topic is the fate and transport of contaminants of emerging concern. NSF calls out pollutants such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and insecticides, endocrine-disrupting compounds, and fire retardants, including their transformation products or degradates. Research can span understanding how these compounds move through and transform within environmental media, how they can be detected and monitored, and what remediation or treatment approaches can effectively reduce risks. One explicit boundary is that proposals specifically about the environmental health and safety of nanomaterials should be directed to the separate Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology program rather than this one.
From a funding and award-structure standpoint, unsolicited awards under this program are typically one to three years in duration, with an average annual award size of about $110,000. Investigators planning to request substantially more than that are advised to consult with the Program Director ahead of submission to reduce the risk of the proposal being returned without review. For this opportunity cycle, the estimated total program funding is listed as $9.4 million, with an expected 44 awards and an award floor of $300,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, and eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant entity types, subject to any clarifications in the full announcement.
NSF also signals several proposal and review expectations common across CBET (Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems) programs. Proposals are expected to clearly explain what is novel or potentially transformative compared to prior work, and applicants should make that case explicitly in the Project Summary at a minimum. In addition to novelty, proposals should articulate why the work matters for engineering science and what the likely downstream impacts could be for society and/or industry if the research succeeds. The program notes that funding decisions are not based solely on reviewer scores; they also reflect broader considerations such as balance among subfields, availability of funds, overlap with other funding sources, NSF policies and priorities, and sometimes information the Program Director has that reviewers may not (for example, insights drawn from prior project reports).
The program strongly encourages Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) proposals, which are five-year awards with an Engineering CAREER deadline typically in July each year. It also considers proposals for conferences, workshops, and supplements, ideally submitted during regular proposal windows, and it encourages investigators to discuss these requests with the Program Director before submitting. Similarly, NSF RAPID and EAGER mechanisms may be used when appropriate, but they require prior discussion with the Program Director and must follow the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).
For the specific posting details included here, the opportunity was posted April 19, 2012, with a submission window requiring proposals by 5 p.m. local time between January 15, 2013 and February 19, 2013, and an original/current closing date of February 19, 2013 (with archive date March 19, 2013). In short, the Environmental Engineering program is designed for researchers proposing forward-looking, high-impact advances in contamination control, water quality and reuse, emerging pollutant fate and treatment, and waste-to-resource approaches, with an expectation that proposals clearly communicate both scientific originality and real-world significance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NSF Environmental Engineering Program (PD 13-1440)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is the National Science Foundation (NSF) Environmental Engineering program (Funding Opportunity Number PD 13-1440). It supports fundamental research and related educational activities spanning the full range of environmental engineering.
What is the main goal of the NSF Environmental Engineering program?
The program aims to catalyze genuinely transformative research that uses scientific and engineering principles to prevent, minimize, or eliminate solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges from human activities into land, air, and inland or coastal waters. A consistent theme is improving resource stewardship by conserving energy and materials and, where possible, recovering value from wastes.
What kinds of projects is the program looking for?
The program is looking for proposals that go beyond incremental improvements and instead introduce new concepts, mechanisms, or engineering approaches that could reshape how environmental problems are understood and solved.
Does the program support both basic science and applied engineering work?
Yes. It is interested in basic science questions that underpin environmental engineering (such as transport, transformation, reaction pathways, and interfacial processes) as well as engineering innovations that translate those fundamentals into improved treatment, remediation, and management strategies.
What is meant by "waste assimilative capacity" in this program description?
The program places major emphasis on understanding and improving the natural environment's ability to handle waste loads, often described as waste assimilative capacity, and on developing methods to remove or reduce contaminants in air, water, and soil.
What research activities related to contaminants does NSF highlight?
The program includes research that identifies contaminants and sources, evaluates exposure pathways and system behavior, and monitors environmental conditions using advanced measurement or modeling tools.
What are the stated priority areas or focal topics?
Within the stated priorities, the opportunity highlights three major areas: (1) environmental engineering implications of energy and resource consumption, (2) ensuring the availability of high-quality water supplies, and (3) fate and transport of contaminants of emerging concern.
What fits under the energy and resource consumption focus area?
NSF highlights research on converting wastes into value-added materials or energy, reducing the energy and water demands of environmental technologies, and examining environmental impacts of energy production and transportation systems. Example project directions include new recovery processes, more efficient unit operations, and system-level analyses connecting environmental performance with energy and material flows, especially when lifecycle impacts could be meaningfully reduced.
What fits under the water supply and water quality focus area?
This area encourages innovative biological, chemical, and physical treatment processes to meet growing demand; removal or degradation of conventional water contaminants; and addressing contaminated soil and groundwater. It also supports research turning wastewater into water suitable for reuse and includes environmental engineering aspects of urban watersheds, reservoirs, estuaries, and stormwater management, along with biogeochemical and transport processes controlling water quality in aquatic and subsurface environments.
Does the program support wastewater reuse research?
Yes. The program explicitly supports research that converts wastewater into water suitable for reuse, aligning with conservation and recovery rather than one-way disposal.
Can projects connect lab-scale or reactor-scale work to real-world systems?
Yes. The description indicates a fit for proposals that link processes studied at lab or reactor scale to field-scale outcomes in complex natural and built systems.
What are "contaminants of emerging concern" per this opportunity?
NSF calls out contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and insecticides, endocrine-disrupting compounds, and fire retardants, including transformation products or degradates.
What kinds of research are encouraged for emerging contaminants?
Research may include understanding how these compounds move through and transform within environmental media, developing detection and monitoring approaches, and proposing remediation or treatment methods to reduce risks.
Are proposals about nanomaterial environmental health and safety appropriate for this program?
No, if the proposal is specifically about the environmental health and safety of nanomaterials, NSF states it should be directed to the separate Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology program rather than this Environmental Engineering program.
How long are typical awards under this program?
Unsolicited awards are typically one to three years in duration.
What is the typical award size?
The average annual award size is about $110,000.
What if a project needs substantially more funding than the typical award size?
Investigators planning to request substantially more than the typical amount are advised to consult with the Program Director prior to submission to reduce the risk of the proposal being returned without review.
What is the estimated total program funding and expected number of awards for this cycle?
For this opportunity cycle, the estimated total program funding is listed as $9.4 million, with an expected 44 awards.
Is there an award floor mentioned?
Yes. The posting lists an award floor of $300,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicant entity types, subject to any clarifications in the full announcement.
What does NSF expect proposals to emphasize?
Proposals are expected to clearly explain what is novel or potentially transformative compared to prior work. Applicants are expected to make that case explicitly in the Project Summary at a minimum.
Besides novelty, what else should proposals communicate?
Proposals should articulate why the work matters for engineering science and describe likely downstream impacts for society and/or industry if the research succeeds.
Are NSF funding decisions based only on reviewer scores?
No. The program notes that decisions are not based solely on reviewer scores and can also reflect factors such as balance among subfields, availability of funds, overlap with other funding sources, NSF policies and priorities, and information the Program Director may have that reviewers may not (such as insights from prior project reports).
Does the program encourage CAREER proposals?
Yes. The program strongly encourages Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) proposals, which are five-year awards, with an Engineering CAREER deadline typically in July each year.
Are conferences, workshops, and supplements supported?
Yes. The program considers proposals for conferences, workshops, and supplements, ideally submitted during regular proposal windows, and encourages investigators to discuss these requests with the Program Director before submitting.
Are RAPID and EAGER proposals allowed?
NSF RAPID and EAGER mechanisms may be used when appropriate, but they require prior discussion with the Program Director and must follow the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).
When was this opportunity posted and what were the submission dates listed?
The posting details included here state it was posted on April 19, 2012. The submission window required proposals by 5 p.m. local time between January 15, 2013 and February 19, 2013, with an original/current closing date of February 19, 2013 and an archive date of March 19, 2013.
What time were proposals due on the listed dates?
Proposals were required by 5 p.m. local time during the stated submission window.
What is the overall takeaway on what makes a strong fit for this program?
Based on the description, a strong fit is forward-looking, high-impact environmental engineering research that advances contamination control, water quality and reuse, emerging pollutant fate and treatment, and waste-to-resource approaches, while clearly communicating scientific originality and real-world significance.
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