Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA G2008 STAR R1
Apply for EPA G2008 STAR R1
- The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Joint US UK Research Program Environmental Behavior, Bioavailability and Effects of Manufactured Nanomaterials" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.509 Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 2, 2009 and posted on Apr 2, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 5, 2009 Please refer to the full announcement, including Section IV, for additional information on submission methods and due dates.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: City or township governments State governments Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education County governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- See Section III of the announcement for additional eligibility information.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Joint US-UK Research Program on the Environmental Behavior, Bioavailability and Effects of Manufactured Nanomaterials was a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program, in partnership with the UK Environmental Nanoscience Initiative (UKENI). UKENI is a collaborative UK effort supported by several major funders and agencies, including the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the Environment Agency of England and Wales. The central intent of the program was to bring together US and UK research teams to build a stronger, shared scientific foundation for understanding how manufactured nanomaterials move through the environment, how they change along the way, when and how living organisms are actually exposed to them, and what biological effects may result. The program also emphasized that these scientific outputs should be useful for future risk management and policy development, not just academic knowledge.
A core requirement of the call was the development of integrated model or models that can describe the fate and transport (where nanomaterials go and how they move), environmental behavior (how they transform, aggregate, dissolve, bind to surfaces, or interact with natural organic matter), bioavailability (the fraction that can be taken up by organisms), and effects (toxicological or ecological impacts). Applicants were expected to focus on several important and representative classes of nanomaterials rather than a single niche material, and to cover key environmental pathways. The solicitation pushed researchers to use intrinsic material properties as a starting point for model development, meaning properties such as size, shape, surface chemistry, coating, charge, solubility, and other defining characteristics that strongly influence environmental interactions. Just as importantly, the program asked teams to incorporate life cycle analysis concepts into the modeling framework, so that releases and exposures could be considered across the life cycle of nanomaterials (for example, during manufacture, product use, weathering, disposal, and potential recycling), rather than assuming a single release point or simplistic exposure scenario.
Beyond model construction, the program explicitly required validation and refinement through interdisciplinary research. In practice, that meant the models could not remain purely theoretical; they needed to be tested against empirical evidence, improved based on observations, and used to probe the sensitivity of outcomes to uncertain assumptions. A major theme was identifying key assumptions and areas of uncertainty and then designing research that directly addresses them. This reflects a recognition that nanomaterials can behave very differently from conventional chemicals, and that early models can be highly sensitive to poorly constrained processes such as transformation in natural waters, interactions with sediments and biota, or changes in surface coatings under real-world conditions. The program therefore encouraged coordinated work across disciplines such as environmental chemistry, materials science, exposure science, ecology, toxicology, modeling, and risk assessment, with the expectation that integrated teams could better connect mechanistic understanding to predictive tools.
Another major deliverable area was measurement capability: developing effective methods and tools to detect, assess, and monitor nanomaterials in environmental and biological samples. This aspect speaks to a practical bottleneck in the field: without reliable detection and characterization methods in complex matrices like soils, sediments, wastewater, tissues, and natural waters, it is difficult to confirm exposure levels, validate models, or interpret biological effects. The opportunity sought advances that could improve the ability to find and quantify nanomaterials, distinguish engineered nanomaterials from background particles, and track transformations or the presence of coatings and dissolved species. In other words, it was not enough to predict behavior; the program wanted the measurement science needed to test predictions in the real world.
Administratively, this was a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) in the environmental research area, listed under the EPA STAR program (CFDA 66.509). The funding opportunity number was EPA-G2008-STAR-R1, with an estimated total funding amount of $4,000,000 and an expectation of 2 awards, indicating relatively large, competitive projects that likely required substantial coordination between US and UK partners. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement stated. The opportunity was posted on April 2, 2009, with an application closing date of August 5, 2009, and an archive date of September 4, 2009, meaning it is no longer active but remains relevant as a description of the research priorities and program structure at that time.
Eligibility was broad across government and academic sectors, including state governments, county governments, city or township governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, public and private institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities as described in the full announcement (with specific conditions referenced in Section III of the solicitation). The essential programmatic eligibility feature, implied by the announcement’s framing, was the need for joint applications involving US and UK partners, reflecting the program’s goal of building coordinated transatlantic research efforts and harmonized scientific outputs. For applicants needing access to the full announcement, the listed point of contact was Nora Savage at the EPA, with the provided phone number (202) 343-9858.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled the "Joint US-UK Research Program on the Environmental Behavior, Bioavailability and Effects of Manufactured Nanomaterials."
Which organizations offered and supported the program?
This was a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program, in partnership with the UK Environmental Nanoscience Initiative (UKENI). UKENI was supported by multiple UK funders and agencies, including the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the Environment Agency of England and Wales.
What was the main purpose of the program?
The program aimed to bring together US and UK research teams to build a shared scientific foundation for understanding how manufactured nanomaterials move through the environment, how they change during transport, when and how organisms are exposed, and what biological effects may occur. It also emphasized that results should be useful for future risk management and policy development, not only academic research.
What type of funding instrument was used?
The funding instrument type was a Grant.
Which EPA program and CFDA number are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was under the EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program and was listed as CFDA 66.509.
What was the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number was EPA-G2008-STAR-R1.
How much total funding was anticipated, and how many awards were expected?
The estimated total funding amount was $4,000,000, with an expectation of 2 awards.
Was cost-sharing or matching required?
No cost-sharing or matching requirement was stated in the information provided.
When was the opportunity posted, and what were the closing and archive dates?
The opportunity was posted on April 2, 2009. The application closing date was August 5, 2009. The archive date was September 4, 2009.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. Based on the closing and archive dates provided, the opportunity is no longer active, although it remains a useful reference for the research priorities and program structure described at that time.
What research topics and outcomes were emphasized?
The program focused on building a stronger scientific basis for the environmental fate, transport, transformations, exposure, bioavailability, and biological effects of manufactured nanomaterials. A key emphasis was producing outputs that could support future risk management and policy development.
What was a core technical requirement for proposed projects?
A core requirement was the development of integrated model or models that describe multiple linked elements: fate and transport, environmental behavior, bioavailability, and effects of manufactured nanomaterials.
What does "fate and transport" mean in the context of this solicitation?
It refers to where nanomaterials go in the environment and how they move through different environmental pathways.
What does "environmental behavior" include for manufactured nanomaterials?
Environmental behavior includes how nanomaterials transform, aggregate, dissolve, bind to surfaces, and interact with natural organic matter as they move through environmental media.
What does "bioavailability" mean for this program?
Bioavailability was defined as the fraction of nanomaterials that can be taken up by organisms.
What kinds of "effects" were of interest?
Effects included toxicological or ecological impacts that may result from exposure to manufactured nanomaterials.
Did the program prefer studies of a single nanomaterial or multiple types?
The solicitation expected applicants to focus on several important and representative classes of nanomaterials, rather than a single niche material.
What role did intrinsic material properties play in the required modeling approach?
Applicants were pushed to use intrinsic material properties as a starting point for model development. Examples given included size, shape, surface chemistry, coating, charge, solubility, and other defining characteristics that influence environmental interactions.
Were life cycle concepts required to be incorporated into the modeling framework?
Yes. The program asked teams to incorporate life cycle analysis concepts so releases and exposures could be considered across the nanomaterial life cycle, including manufacture, product use, weathering, disposal, and potential recycling.
Could proposed models be purely theoretical?
No. The program explicitly required validation and refinement through interdisciplinary research, meaning models were expected to be tested against empirical evidence, improved based on observations, and used to evaluate sensitivity to uncertain assumptions.
Why did the solicitation emphasize uncertainty and sensitivity analysis?
Because nanomaterials can behave differently from conventional chemicals and early models may be highly sensitive to poorly constrained processes (for example, transformations in natural waters, interactions with sediments and biota, or real-world changes to surface coatings). The program emphasized identifying key assumptions and uncertainties and designing research that directly addresses them.
Which disciplines were encouraged to participate in an integrated project team?
The opportunity encouraged coordinated, interdisciplinary work spanning areas such as environmental chemistry, materials science, exposure science, ecology, toxicology, modeling, and risk assessment.
Was measurement and monitoring capability part of the expected deliverables?
Yes. Another major deliverable area was improving measurement capability, including developing methods and tools to detect, assess, and monitor nanomaterials in environmental and biological samples.
What measurement challenges did the program highlight?
The program highlighted the difficulty of reliably detecting and characterizing nanomaterials in complex matrices such as soils, sediments, wastewater, tissues, and natural waters. Without reliable methods, it is difficult to confirm exposure levels, validate models, or interpret biological effects.
What specific measurement advances were sought?
The opportunity sought advances that improve the ability to find and quantify nanomaterials, distinguish engineered nanomaterials from background particles, and track transformations or the presence of coatings and dissolved species.
Who was eligible to apply based on the information provided?
Eligibility was broad and included state governments, county governments, city or township governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, public and private institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities as described in the full announcement (with specific conditions referenced in Section III of the solicitation).
Was a US-UK partnership required?
The essential eligibility feature implied by the announcement was the need for joint applications involving US and UK partners, reflecting the program goal of coordinated transatlantic research efforts and harmonized scientific outputs.
Where would an applicant find the full eligibility conditions?
The full announcement (specifically Section III, as referenced) contained the detailed eligibility conditions.
Who was the listed point of contact for the full announcement?
The listed point of contact was Nora Savage at the EPA.
What contact phone number was provided?
The phone number provided for the point of contact was (202) 343-9858.
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