New NSF Research Grants for Bioenergy, Renewable Fuels and Energy, Bio-Based Chemicals and Renewable Chemical Process Technology

April 10, 2012

Print This Article Share it With Friends

(Biofuels Digest) In Virginia, the NSF is calling for proposals for biological and chemical technologies, with a deadline of June 19, 2012. The proposals must deal with the potential for commercialization of the innovation and how it would lead ultimately to revenue generation. It is important that the proposed technology increase the competitive capability of industry, be responsive to societal needs, and is sensitive to solving “real” problems driven by critical market requirements.

Among the 17 discrete areas to be covered are bioenergy, renewable fuels and energy, bio-based chemicals and renewable chemical process technology, polymeric materials, and novel catalytic process technology, which includes biocatalysts. READ MORE and MORE (National Science Foundation)

From National Science Foundation:

BIOLOGICAL, BIOMEDICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES

Proposals should address one of the subtopics that are outlined below. When submitting a proposal to the BC Topic, please provide the appropriate subtopic code, e.g., BT1, for proposals in the area of "Biosensors". In addition, use the code as the first item in the key words/phrases portion of the Project Summary of your proposal.

Please note: Development of new nanomaterials for biological and medical applications should refer to the NM topic and sensors for environmental and health applications should refer to the EI topic.

Biological Technologies

BT1 - Biosensors: Biosensors are sensors that contain a biologically-based sensing element. Proposed projects might include but are not limited to real-time sensors, microbial component-based sensors, sensors for monitoring fluxes of metabolites, nanobiotechnology-based sensors, biomedical sensors, micro- or nanofluidic-based sensors, and disease and toxin monitoring. Other types of sensors should refer to the EI topic.(Cognizant Program Officer: Jesus Soriano; jsoriano@nsf.gov)

BT2 - Life Sciences Research Tools: Developing novel technologies that will advance scientific research across the biological spectrum. This may include enabling technologies for drug discovery (high-throughput screening assays and platforms, and high-content screening assays and platforms; novel high-content screening technologies based on characterization of physical properties of cells are of high interest). Proposals should focus primarily on the development of innovative consumables, processes, and services where there is significant market opportunity. (Cognizant Program Officer: Ruth Shuman; rshuman@nsf.gov)

BT3 - Bioinstrumentation: The development of technology for novel or improved instrumentation primarily for biological research applications. (Cognizant Program Officer: Ruth Shuman; (rshuman@nsf.gov) and Juan Figueroa; (jfiguero@nsf.gov)

BT4 - Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering: Using synthetic biology to engineer novel biologically-based (or inspired) functions that do not exist in nature. This approach may be applied at all levels of the hierarchy of biological structures - from individual molecules to whole cells, tissues, and organisms. (Cognizant Program Officer: Ruth Shuman; rshuman@nsf.gov)

BT5 - Fermentation and Cell Culture Technologies: Proposed projects might include but are not limited to novel or improved microbial fermentation or mammalian and plant cell culture technologies, bioreactors, processes, scale-up, development of expression platforms, and purification. (Cognizant Program Officer: Ruth Shuman;rshuman@nsf.gov)

BT6 - Computational Biology and Bioinformatics: Developing and applying computationally intensive techniques (e.g., pattern recognition data mining, machine learning algorithms, and visualization) and may include but are not limited to sequence alignment, gene finding, genome assembly, drug design, drug discovery, protein structure alignment, protein structure prediction, prediction of gene expression and protein-protein interactions, genome-wide association studies and the modeling of evolution. Proposed projects might include the creation and advancement of databases, algorithms, computational and statistical techniques and theory to solve problems arising from the management and analysis of biological data.(Cognizant Program Officer: Ruth Shuman; rshuman@nsf.gov)

Biomedical Technologies

BM1 - Materials for Biomedical Applications: Proposed projects might include but are not limited to biomaterials, bio-mimetic and bio-inspired materials, improved implants, bio-device coatings and anti-microbial coatings. Development of new nanomaterials should refer to the NM topic. (Cognizant Program Officer: Ruth Shuman;rshuman@nsf.gov)

BM2 - Diagnostic Assays and Platforms: Proposed projects should focus on transformational diagnostic technologies. Proposed projects might include but are not limited to non- or minimally-invasive disease diagnosis, detection, and monitoring, biomarker development, disease-specific assays, and point-of-care testing for diseases. (Cognizant Program Officer: Ruth Shuman; rshuman@nsf.gov)

BM3 - Drug Delivery: Proposed projects might include but are not limited to improved drug delivery formulations and devices, biological delivery through implanted tissues. Development of new nanomaterials for drug delivery should refer to the NM topic. (Cognizant Program Officer: Jesus Soriano; jsoriano@nsf.gov)

BM4 - Tissue Engineering and Repair: Using innovative approaches to meet research challenges and market opportunities in tissue engineering and repair. Proposed projects might include but are not limited to artificial tissues, artificial blood vessels, small caliber grafts for small vessel replacement, disease specific tissue engineering, stem cell based therapies, and orthopedic implants. (Cognizant Program Officer: Jesus Soriano; jsoriano@nsf.gov)

BM5 - Biomedical Engineering: Using engineering approaches to solve problems in medicine. Proposals should focus on the early-stage development of therapeutic devices. Proposers are encouraged to form an interdisciplinary team that includes relevant engineering as well as biology/health related expertise. (Cognizant Program Officer: Jesus Soriano; jsoriano@nsf.gov)

BM6 - Medical Imaging Technologies Proposed projects might include but are not limited to novel or improved imaging techniques for localization and diagnosis of infectious events, imaging technologies for the detection and localization of cancer, detection and/or imaging agents. (Cognizant Program Officer: Jesus Soriano;jsoriano@nsf.gov)

Environmental Technologies

ET1 - Environmental Pollution Mitigation and Waste Treatment: Such applications include microbial contamination sensing and control, removal of toxic compounds for human and animal safety, novel bioremediation technologies, water treatment (municipal wastewater and drinking water), air pollution mitigation to remove gaseous pollutants and particulates, pathogen and toxin diagnostics and energy efficient novel municipal and industrial waste recycle and reuse technologies. In addition, methods to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, and approaches that develop biodegradable replacements for existing non-biodegradable pesticides sensors for environmental monitoring should refer to the EI topic. (Cognizant Program Officer: Prakash Balan; pbalan@nsf.gov)

ET2 - Bioenergy: Proposed projects might include novel approaches to biomass conversion to energy; novel methods to generate energy from marine, plant, algal, and microbial bio-energy sources; microbial fuel cells; hydrogen production; and methods for distributed bio-energy production. (Cognizant Program Officer: Prakash Balan;pbalan@nsf.gov)

ET3 - Renewable Fuels and Energy: Proposed projects might include development of commercially viable renewable fuel options, but are not limited to drop-in replacements to petroleum-based transportation fuels that also reduce SOx, NOx, particulate, and/or other emissions that have a negative environmental impact. For instance, projects might address bio-fuels and the development of low cost raw materials that make this technology cost competitive with petroleum derived fuels. (Cognizant Program Officer: Prakash Balan; pbalan@nsf.gov)

Chemical Technologies

CT1 - Energy Storage, Management and Use: Proposed projects might include technology for direct conversion, storage and use of renewable sources of energy for applications ranging from small scale portable energy to grid scale energy applications including, but not limited to, fuel cell technologies. The proposed technology should present a significant improvement in energy utilization efficiency and environmental impact when compared to current commercial options. Novel industrial process technology, heat transfer technology, process equipment, process modeling and control schemes that leads to significant enhancements in energy efficiency and energy use minimization. This topic specifically excludes photovoltaics; see the NM topic. Biofuel proposals should be submitted to the ET4 subtopic above. (Cognizant Program Officer: Prakash Balan; pbalan@nsf.gov)

CT2 - Bio-Based Chemicals and Renewable Chemical Process Technology:Novel chemical and biochemical processes built on sustainable, energy efficient and waste minimization or waste elimination paradigms, including, but not limited to, lignin, cellulose and renewable feedstocks; integrated bio-refinery innovations to produce bio-based chemicals as direct and sustainable alternatives to chemicals derived from non renewable sources; new or novel green chemistry processes; processes that facilitate energy efficient recycling and chemicals recovery for reuse from waste consumer and industrial products that would result in waste minimization and reduced environmental pollution. (Cognizant Program Officer: Prakash Balan; pbalan@nsf.gov)

CT3 - Separation Technologies: Separation technologies and materials that enable ease in phase separations, reduce or eliminate the amount of waste generated and energy required, and promote a sustainable environment with substantial improvements in energy efficiency and separation efficiency with applications such as, but not limited to, separations for multicomponent liquid and gas streams, fuels, critical and strategic metals and minerals extraction, recycle and recovery by separation of higher value materials from waste, alternative energy efficient and novel separation techniques as disruptive improvements to current established separation technologies, including but not limited to organic/inorganic membranes, porous media and nano structured materials in applicationsÂ related to drinking water, waste water treatment, medical applications, industrial chemicals, and microelectronics applications to name a few. (Cognizant Program Officer: Prakash Balan; pbalan@nsf.gov)

CT4 - Polymeric Materials: Limited to novel polymeric materials designed to replace current materials that are produced in a non-sustainable manner, have hazardous by-products and/or, are not biodegradable. Examples include, but are not limited to, novel polymeric materials from recycled materials, polymers from a biomass based feed stock, bioengineered plastics and biochemically produced polymers and precursors that lead to biodegradable polymers. This topic specifically excludes structural composite materials; refer to the NM topic. (Cognizant Program Officer: Prakash Balan;pbalan@nsf.gov)

CT5 - Novel Catalytic Process Technology: Catalytically (including biocatalytic approaches) produce commodity and specialty chemicals from renewable sources with substantially improved energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact compared to current approaches. Examples are systems with novel homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts and biocatalysts, co-catalysts, promoters, and/or supports that are highly active and selective; enabling simplification of complex multistep chemistries into fewer steps and ideally a single step with byproduct elimination and substantial reductions in energy costs and capital equipment costs. (Cognizant Program Officer: Prakash Balan; pbalan@nsf.gov)