Sustainability Research Networks Competition | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Sustainability Research Networks (SRN) Competition (Funding Opportunity Number 11-574) is a large-scale research funding opportunity designed to build and support ambitious, multi-institutional networks focused on major sustainability challenges. The central idea is to bring together scientists, engineers, and educators to tackle fundamental theoretical and empirical questions in sustainability science, sustainability engineering, and sustainability education. These networks are intended to strengthen the nation s ability to maintain and improve quality of life while staying within the limits of a healthy Earth system, meaning proposals should connect human well-being goals with environmental and Earth-system realities rather than treating them as separate issues.

The SRN program emphasizes building networks rather than funding isolated projects. Each proposed network must be organized around a specific, nationally important sustainability theme chosen by the proposers. Teams are expected to map the current research landscape in that theme, identify what is already known and what efforts already exist, and then explain how the SRN will link and amplify those efforts through new collaborations, shared infrastructure, and coordinated research agendas. In addition to connecting existing work, proposers must lay out a forward-looking research plan that fills key knowledge gaps and advances the selected theme. NSF signals that competitive networks will be deeply interdisciplinary and will create new integrated approaches that cross and blend disciplinary boundaries, ultimately pushing the frontier of sustainability research in ways that genuinely require the scale and coordination a network provides.

This opportunity sits within NSF s broader Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) portfolio, reflecting NSF s interest in generating foundational knowledge that can inform real decisions about environmental, energy, social, and cultural sustainability. While SRNs are rooted in fundamental research, NSF clearly positions the expected outcomes as discoveries, tools, data, models, and educational advances that strengthen the nation s knowledge base for policy and practice. The solicitation highlights that SRNs should be multi-dimensional in terms of disciplines involved and should address fundamental issues that are likely to yield significant new understanding, including conceptual, empirical, and computational advances.

Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, indicating NSF expects a higher level of engagement than a standard grant, often including coordination, reporting, and programmatic collaboration typical of large network awards. NSF anticipated making about 4 awards, with an estimated total funding level of $36,000,000. The award floor is listed as $12,000,000, signaling that the program is aimed at sizable, high-impact network efforts rather than smaller research teams.

Eligibility is limited to U.S. academic institutions that are accredited and have a campus located in the United States, with research and degree-granting programs in areas supported by NSF. Although a U.S. academic institution must serve as the lead, NSF expects that lead institution to build partnerships as needed to meet the SRN s goals. These partnerships may include other universities and colleges as well as national laboratories, research museums, private sector organizations, state and local and tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, and international collaborators. This structure reflects the program s expectation that sustainability challenges require both broad expertise and practical connections to data, systems, and stakeholders beyond a single campus.

The competition used a two-stage submission process: a required preliminary proposal followed by an invited full proposal. For the archived cycle described, the preliminary proposal deadline was December 1, 2011, and the full proposal deadline was April 1, 2012 (both due by 5 p.m. local time). The listing notes that the current closing date is waiting for a new publication, and the opportunity was archived on January 13, 2014, meaning applicants would need to look for an updated solicitation or reissued competition to apply under current rules and dates.

The program spans a wide range of NSF disciplinary areas, as reflected by the CFDA listings, including engineering, mathematical and physical sciences, geosciences, computer and information science and engineering, biological sciences, social and economic sciences, education, polar programs, international science and engineering, cyberinfrastructure, and EPSCoR. This breadth underscores NSF s intent that SRNs knit together diverse fields to address sustainability problems at the appropriate systems scale. Cost sharing is not required, which reduces financial barriers for institutions, although the expectations for network coordination and impact remain high. For full details, the solicitation is referenced as NSF Publication 11-574.

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