Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the NSF Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology program?

It is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant opportunity that supports fundamental, engineering-driven research on how nanotechnologies affect the environment and biological systems, and on engineering-based approaches to evaluate, reduce, and manage potential harms.

What is the core goal of this program?

The core goal is to explain what happens when nanoparticles are produced, used, released, transported, transformed, or accumulated in real-world settings, and to translate that knowledge into practical methods to monitor, predict, and manage environmental and health risks.

How does NSF frame nanotechnology safety in this opportunity?

The program explicitly frames nanotechnology environmental health and safety as an engineering science problem. Competitive projects are expected to be grounded in engineering principles and methods.

What major research emphasis areas are described?

The opportunity emphasizes (1) environmental health and safety research related to nanotechnology and (2) the creation and improvement of environmental sensors and sensor networks to measure physical, chemical, and biological properties needed to characterize and track nanotechnology-related impacts.

What types of sensor-related projects fit this program?

Projects focused on environmental sensors and sensor networks that can measure properties needed to characterize and track nanotechnology impacts in the field, industrial contexts, or across environmental media such as air, water, and soil.

What kinds of nanomaterial life-cycle topics are encouraged?

NSF indicates interest in innovative approaches tied to the full life cycle of nanomaterials and nano-enabled products, including cleaner production processes, waste reduction strategies, recycling and recovery methods, and industrial ecology approaches that reduce environmental burdens.

Does the program support mechanistic studies of nanoparticle interactions?

Yes. The scope can include mechanistic studies of how nanoparticles interact with organisms or ecosystems, as long as the work is positioned within the program's engineering-focused environmental health and safety context.

Does the program support modeling and monitoring systems?

Yes. The opportunity describes projects such as modeling and monitoring systems that anticipate exposures and help monitor, predict, and manage risks related to nanotechnology in environmental systems.

What specific research topics does NSF highlight as supported within this program?

Highlighted topics include: understanding and mitigating environmental effects of nanotechnology and biotechnology; environmental health and safety impacts and applications that improve environmental outcomes; predictive methodologies for nanoparticle interactions with the environment and human body (including predictive toxicity approaches); fate and transport studies of natural, engineered, and incidental nanoparticles; and risk assessment and risk management methods for environmental systems.

What are "incidental nanoparticles" in the context of this program?

The solicitation includes incidental nanoparticles as those generated as byproducts (in addition to natural nanoparticles and engineered nanoparticles) when describing supported fate and transport studies.

Are predictive toxicity approaches within scope?

Predictive methodologies are within scope, including predictive toxicity approaches such as models that relate particle properties and environmental conditions to likely hazard or exposure.

Are risk assessment and risk management projects supported?

Yes. The program includes risk assessment and risk management methods aimed at understanding and controlling the effects of nanomaterials in environmental systems.

What is explicitly not supported by this program?

Proposals centered on biomedical studies and nanotoxicology that involve clinical trials are explicitly described as outside the program's supported scope.

How important is novelty in the proposal?

Proposals are expected to make a direct case for novelty compared to prior work in the field and explain why that novelty matters for engineering science, as described in the proposal preparation expectations.

What should the Project Summary include?

At a minimum, NSF asks that the Project Summary include: (1) a direct case for novelty compared to prior work, (2) why that novelty matters for engineering science, and (3) the potential downstream impact on society and/or industry if the research succeeds.

Does the opportunity require student involvement?

Yes. Proposals should include the involvement of at least one engineering student as part of workforce development expectations.

Which NSF directorate is associated with this program?

The opportunity is described as a discretionary NSF grant program within the Engineering directorate.

What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The CFDA number provided is 47.041.

What is the typical award duration for unsolicited proposals?

Awards for unsolicited proposals are generally one to three years in duration, according to the program description.

What is the average annual award size mentioned?

The program cites an average annual award size of around $100,000.

Are equipment costs allowed?

Small equipment requests under $100,000 are described as being considered.

What were the submission windows and due times stated in the archived solicitation?

The archived solicitation described recurring annual submission windows of February 1 to March 1 and August 15 to September 15, with proposals due by 5 p.m. local time.

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

The solicitation notes that proposals submitted outside the announced windows would be returned without review.

Is the NSF CAREER mechanism referenced, and how does it differ from standard awards?

Yes. The program references NSF's CAREER mechanism for early-career faculty, which typically provides five years of support and follows the Engineering CAREER deadline cycle (noted as July each year in the text).

Can conferences, workshops, or supplements be submitted at any time?

Yes. The program states that additional proposal types such as conferences, workshops, and supplements may be submitted at any time, but requires prior discussion with the program director before submission.

Do RAPID and EAGER proposals require prior coordination?

Yes. The program indicates that prior discussion with the program director is required before submitting RAPID and EAGER proposals.

What opportunity number is associated with this listing?

The solicitation record lists opportunity number PD 11-1179.

When was the solicitation posted?

The listing indicates it was posted on November 30, 2010.

What total funding level and number of awards were anticipated in the record provided?

The record provided lists an estimated total funding level of $4.9 million and an anticipated 53 awards.

What is the award floor listed in the solicitation record?

The listed award floor is $300,000.

Is cost sharing required?

No. The solicitation record states that cost sharing is not required.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open broadly to applicant types), subject to any clarifications in the full text.

Is this solicitation current?

No. This listing is described as archived and indicates it was replaced by PD 12-1179. The record suggests applicants would need to rely on the successor program description for current deadlines and requirements.

If the listing is archived, is the scientific emphasis still useful for understanding what NSF wants?

Yes, in the sense that the archived description lays out the program's central priorities, including engineering-driven environmental health and safety research and environmental sensing approaches related to nanotechnology impacts.