Science Master's Program (NSF)

The Science Master's Program prepares graduate students for careers in business, industry, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies by providing them not only with a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, but also with research experiences, internship experiences, and the skills to succeed in those careers. The program is intended to catalyze the creation of institution-based efforts that can be sustained without additional federal funding. This program is also intended to encourage diversity in student participation so as to contribute to a broadly inclusive, well-trained science and engineering workforce.

Amount: $700,000 (across 3 years)

Date due: November 20, 2009

Proposals submitted to the Science Master's Program should describe a STEM based Master's graduate education curriculum broadened with education that provides additional skills, such as through specially tailored courses in business and management, that prepare students to work in business, industry, government agencies, or nonprofit organizations. The fields and training activities should be in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics where there is high or emerging (anticipated) need. Proposals must demonstrate that the proposed programs meet the needs of the intended workplace and that careful market research and collaboration have led to the proposed model.

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Fish & Wildlife Service Small Grants Program

The U.S. Small Grants Program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States that further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.

Amount: $75,000

Date due: October 29, 2009

These projects must involve long-term protection, restoration, enhancement and/or establishment of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds. A 1:1 match is required. Research funding is ineligible.

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Lewis & Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobioogy

The American Philosophical Society and the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) have partnered to promote the continued exploration of the world around us through a program of research grants in support of astrobiological field studies. The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology is open to field studies in any area of interest to astrobiology. Applications will be reviewed by a committee that includes members of the NAI, the APS, and the wider science community as needed. Recipients will be designated as Lewis and Clark Field Scholars in Astrobiology.

Amount: $5,000

Date Due: February 1, 2010

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life on Earth and in the universe. It encompasses research in, among others, the fields of astronomy, chemistry, evolutionary biology, field and population biology, geology, microbiology, molecular biology, oceanography, paleontology, and planetary science. Astrobiology includes investigations of the geologic and fossil record to understand the conditions of the early Earth when life arose. Its scope also includes research of contemporary locations on Earth that might be similar to early earth and to environments elsewhere in our Solar System (such as on Mars, Europa, and Titan), which may be, or have been in the past, suitable for life. Astrobiology is also about understanding the characteristics of life, which requires investigations into extreme natural environments on Earth and, eventually, elsewhere.

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7th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of the P3 Award Program, is seeking applications proposing to research, develop, and design solutions to real world challenges involving the overall sustainability of human society. The P3 competition highlights the use of scientific principles in creating innovative projects focused on sustainability. The P3 Awards program was developed to foster progress toward sustainability by achieving the mutual goals of economic prosperity, protection of the planet, and improved quality of life for its people-- people, prosperity, and the planet – the three pillars of sustainability. The EPA offers the P3 competition in order to respond to the technical needs of the world while moving towards the goal of sustainability.

Amount: $10,000

Due date: January 4, 2010

Public and private institutions of higher education located in the U.S. are eligible to apply to be the recipient of a grant to support teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students. The students on the teams supported by the institution receiving the grant must be enrolled in the college, university, or post-secondary educational institution they will be representing at the time the proposal is submitted. Institutions are allowed to submit more than one application where each application represents a unique design concept and student team. For the purposes of grant administration, the team's faculty advisor will be designated the Principal Investigator throughout the P3 grant award and competition process. In addition to the Principal Investigator, each team selected for award will also be asked to provide contact information for a student lead.

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Small Business Technology Transfer Program (NSF)

NSF announces the availability of funding for the Small Business Technology Transfer Program in which small business and universities collaborate to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting Federal research and development needs.

Amount: $140,000

Due: November 17, 2009

The Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) requires researchers at universities to play a significant intellectual role in the conduct of each STTR project. These university-based researchers, by joining forces with a small company, can spin-off their commercially promising ideas while they remain primarily employed at the research institution. The primary employment of the Principal Investigator (PI) must be with the small business concern at the time of the award. A PI must spend a minimum of two calendar months on an STTR Phase I project.

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Research Grant Program (Canada)

The Government of Canada announces the Research Grant Program that promotes research that contributes to a better knowledge and understanding of Canada, its relationship with the United States, and its international affairs. The grant is designed to assist individual scholars, or a team of scholars, in writing an article-length manuscript of publishable quality and reporting their findings in a scholarly publication and at scholarly conferences, thus contributing to the development of expertise on Canada in the United States. Efforts to integrate the research findings into the applicant's teaching load are welcome.

Amount: $15,000

Due: November 2, 2009

Topics that are highly relevant to Canada-U.S. relations include smart and secure borders; North American economic competitiveness; regulatory cooperation; Canada-U.S. trade and investment partnership; energy security and sustainability; environmental sustainability; emergency planning and management; Canada-U.S. security and defense cooperation; Canada in Afghanistan; global health policy; and changing demographics in North America. Projects that include collaboration with researchers at Canadian institutions are strongly encouraged.

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Role of Human-Animal Interaction in Child Health & Development

The purpose of this grant is to build an empirical research base on how children perceive, relate to and think about animals; how pets in the home impact children's social and emotional development and health (e.g. allergies, the immune system, asthma, mitigation of obesity); and whether and under what conditions therapeutic uses of animals is safe and effective.

Amount: $50,000 (R03 -- Small Research Grant Awards); $500,000 (R01 -- Large Grant Awards)

Due: November 19, 2009

Projects should be theoretically based and seek to answer questions that address key developmental, health and safety issues regarding the interactions of children and youth with animals in the home or therapeutic settings. Research to identify biobehavioral markers also is encouraged. Such work could not only inform the field about traits that make particular animals more suitable for interaction with individuals in certain settings, but could also be useful in identifying animal models of gene-behavior associations in humans. Physiologic measures (e.g. neuroendocrines, genetic, heart rate, neuroimaging), as well as direct or observational measures of behavioral, cognitive, psychosocial, and/or psychoeducational outcomes are encouraged.

For more information on the R03 competition, click here. For more information on the R01 competition, click here.