Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology

The Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology (Nano EHS) program provides support to develop and test the environmental effects of nanotechnologies. Fundamental research is sought to understand, evaluate, and mitigate the impact of nanotechnology on the environment and biological systems. The program emphasizes engineering principles underlying the environmental health and safety impacts of nanotechnology. Innovative methods related to production processes, waste reduction, recycling, and industrial ecology of nanotechnology are of interest. Current areas of support include:Understanding and mitigating the effects of nanotechnology and biotechnology on the environmentNanotechnology environmental health and safety impacts and applicationsPredictive methodology for the interaction of nanoparticles with the environment and with the human body, including refined methodology and predictive approaches for toxicityFate and transport of natural, engineered, and incidental (by-product) nanoparticlesRisk assessment and management of the effect of nanomaterials in the environmentCurrent areas of support for this program do not include biomedical and nanotoxicology topics involving clinical trials.The duration of unsolicited awards is generally one to three years. The average annual award size for the program is $100,000. Proposals requesting a substantially higher amount than this, without prior consultation with the Program Director, may be returned without review. Innovative proposals outside of these specific interest areas can be considered. However, prior to submission, it is recommended that the PI contact the Program Director to avoid the possibility of the proposal being returned without review.Additional Program Information - 1179: (e.g., Areas of Research, Research Highlights, Conferences and Workshops, Program Director Information, etc.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------INFORMATION COMMON TO MOST CBET PROGRAMSProposals should address the novelty and/or potentially transformative nature http://www.nsf.gov/about/transformative_research/faq.jsp of the concept being proposed, compared to previous work in the field. Also, it is important to address why the proposed work is important in terms of engineering science, as well as to also project the potential impact on society and /or industry of success in the research. The novelty or potentially transformative nature of the research should be included, as a minimum, in the Project Summary of each proposal. Proposals submitted to this program are subject to the scope of the program's description and the availability of funds. Decisions about particular proposals are often very difficult to make and factors other than reviewer comments and ratings enter into the decision. Comments by a reviewer must sometimes be considered in the context of other reviews by the same person. The Program Director often has additional information not available to reviewers (such as project reports). Maintaining appropriate balance among subfields, the availability of other funding, the total amount of funds available to the program, and general Foundation policies and priorities are also important decision factors. Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program proposals are strongly encouraged. Award duration is five years. The submission deadline for Engineering CAREER proposals is in July every year. Please see the following URL for more information: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503214Proposals for Conferences, Workshops, and Supplements: Proposals involving these activities should ideally be submitted during the regular annual proposal window. PIs are strongly encouraged to discuss their requests with the Program Director before submission of the proposal.Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) and EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) are also considered when appropriate. Please note that proposals of these types must be discussed with the Program Director before submission. Further details are available in the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) download. Proposals received outside of the Announced Proposal Window dates will be returned without review..