Structural and Architectural Engineering | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Structural and Architectural Engineering (SAE) program (Funding Opportunity Number PD 15 1637) is a discretionary grant opportunity in the Engineering Grants portfolio (CFDA 47.041) that replaced the earlier Hazard Mitigation and Structural Engineering (HMSE) program. Its central aim is to advance sustainable structures, especially buildings, that can remain continuously occupied and/or operational throughout their useful life. In practice, the program is looking for fundamental research that pushes the underlying science and engineering of how structures are conceived, designed, constructed, operated, maintained, retrofitted, repaired, and ultimately decommissioned or disposed of at end of life. A key theme is taking a truly holistic view of buildings and structural systems rather than treating components in isolation.

A defining feature of SAE is its broad interpretation of what counts as “the structure” in a sustainability-focused research agenda. For building-related work, NSF explicitly highlights an integrated approach that includes the foundation, the structural system, the building envelope, nonstructural systems, and exterior elements like facades and roofing. This emphasis reflects the idea that long-term performance, resilience in day-to-day use, energy and resource efficiency, and lifecycle costs are driven by interactions among these parts. Proposals are expected to show how they improve lifecycle outcomes such as cost effectiveness over time, efficient use of materials and energy, and the use or development of sustainable structural and architectural materials.

Within that lifecycle and sustainability frame, SAE identifies several technical topic areas of interest. These include understanding and mitigating deterioration mechanisms such as fatigue and corrosion, addressing serviceability problems such as excessive deflections and vibrations (issues that often dictate whether a building is comfortable and functional even when it is technically “safe”), and advancing physics-based computational modeling and simulation approaches that can better predict structural behavior and performance across time. NSF also encourages research that draws on and integrates discoveries from related disciplines, including materials science, building science, mechanics of materials, dynamics and control, reliability engineering, risk analysis, architecture, economics, and human factors. The intent is to support work that reflects how buildings and infrastructure actually succeed or fail in the real world: through a combination of physical performance, uncertainty and risk, constructability and maintenance realities, cost and value tradeoffs, and human use and decision making.

The program’s sustainability priorities are aligned with established federal and national perspectives on high-performance and low-carbon buildings. The description points researchers to relevant framing documents, including the National Science and Technology Council report on a federal research and development agenda for net zero energy and high-performance green buildings, and a National Academy of Engineering publication outlining challenges and opportunities for low-carbon buildings. This signals that SAE is not limited to incremental improvements in conventional structural design, but is meant to help build the knowledge base for next-generation building performance where structural engineering connects to energy, carbon, and long-term operational goals.

SAE also supports structural health monitoring research, but with a specific boundary: it is interested in monitoring approaches that center on decision-making systems for civil structures. In other words, the emphasis is less on inventing new sensors or data collection hardware and more on how monitoring information is interpreted and used to decide on maintenance, repair, retrofit, operational changes, or other lifecycle actions. Proposals focused primarily on developing new sensor technologies or on data acquisition methods are directed to other NSF programs better suited to those contributions.

Just as important as what SAE funds is what it does not fund, because NSF draws clear lines to avoid duplication across programs. Proposals that focus on how structures perform under, or how to mitigate, natural hazards (earthquakes, windstorms such as tornadoes and hurricanes, tsunamis, and landslides) are directed to the Engineering for Natural Hazards Program rather than SAE. Research focused on blast loads and fire effects on building systems is explicitly not supported under SAE. In addition, while SAE values advances in physics-based modeling, proposals centered on computational modeling and simulation that fall under the NSF-wide, multi-directorate Computational and Data Enabled Science and Engineering (CDS&E) program are not supported within SAE, indicating that those efforts should be routed through the appropriate computational funding pathway.

Beyond research results, SAE encourages knowledge dissemination and technology transfer activities that can move new ideas toward real-world use and broader societal benefit. This reflects NSF’s interest not only in new theory and methods, but also in accelerating implementation and adoption where appropriate, especially when the outcomes support sustainable, high-performing structures that provide long-term value to society.

Administratively, this opportunity is offered by NSF as a grant with no cost sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any clarifications in the official eligibility text. The opportunity was originally posted on March 13, 2015, with an original and current closing date of September 15, 2015, and an archive date of October 15, 2028. For access issues, the notice points applicants to NSF’s grants.gov support (grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov).

Browse more business programs for Architects, Engineering Companies, Architectural Engineering Services

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: National Science Foundation

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Next opportunity: Infrastructure Management and Extreme Events

Previous opportunity: Geospace Facilities

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for PD 15 1637

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (PD 15 1637) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "PD 15 1637", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.