Environmental Sustainability | PD 23 7643

NSF Environmental Sustainability (PD 23 7643) - Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is the NSF Environmental Sustainability program (PD 23 7643)?

It is a discretionary NSF grant opportunity within the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability cluster. The program supports engineering research that enables sustainable engineered systems that improve human well-being while remaining compatible with long-term functioning of natural systems that provide essential ecological services.

2) What is the central goal of this funding opportunity?

The goal is to advance engineering-driven research that can shift systems toward more sustainable states, balancing environmental protection with economic stability. The program favors ideas that go beyond narrow, incremental improvements and that consider sustainability in a robust, systems-level way.

3) What does the program mean by taking a long time-horizon perspective?

The program is interested in research that anticipates downstream and cumulative impacts over years to decades, rather than focusing only on immediate or short-term outcomes.

4) Does NSF require proposals to be explicitly framed as engineering?

Yes. Proposals must be grounded in engineering principles and explicitly presented in an environmental sustainability context.

5) What major research areas does the program highlight?

The solicitation highlights five major research areas: Circular Bioeconomy Engineering, Industrial Ecology, Green Engineering, Ecological Engineering, and Earth Systems Engineering.

6) What kinds of topics fit under Circular Bioeconomy Engineering?

This area supports work that enables greater reliance on sustainably produced biomass for food, energy, and materials, and improved management of key resources such as water, nitrogen, and phosphorus. It emphasizes reducing and ultimately eliminating fossil fuel combustion that does not include carbon capture, and redesigning material flows to minimize waste through closed-loop or circular processing.

7) What kinds of projects fit under Industrial Ecology?

Industrial ecology emphasizes the modeling and measurement foundations needed to understand and improve sustainability. The program encourages advances in life cycle assessment, materials flow analysis, net energy analysis, input-output economic modeling, and new or improved sustainability metrics.

8) What kinds of projects fit under Green Engineering?

Green engineering focuses on systems-level approaches to improve sustainability across manufacturing, buildings, and infrastructure. It includes holistic design and operation of multi-process systems, distribution and collection systems that support smart growth, and innovations such as improved stormwater management and water recycling or reuse when framed as green engineering strategies.

9) What kinds of projects fit under Ecological Engineering?

Ecological engineering targets engineering dimensions of restoring ecological function in natural systems, including research that enhances natural capital in ways that support sustainable development.

10) What kinds of projects fit under Earth Systems Engineering?

Earth systems engineering addresses large-scale engineering challenges linked to global change, including greenhouse gas mitigation, climate adaptation, and other global environmental concerns, with an explicit engineering and sustainability framing.

11) Are interdisciplinary proposals encouraged?

Yes. Interdisciplinary integration is welcomed, particularly when social, behavioral, economic sciences, and/or ethics strengthen the sustainability framing or outcomes.

12) What types of social science or ethics elements are considered relevant?

Elements such as adoption, incentives, governance, behavioral responses, equity implications, and ethical tradeoffs are relevant when they are essential to whether a technical solution succeeds in real-world settings.

13) Are there specific participation requirements for students?

Yes. Proposals are expected to include meaningful participation of at least one graduate student in the engineering research, and also involve undergraduates.

14) What topics are explicitly directed to a different NSF program?

Proposals primarily focused on water treatment, air pollution (indoor or outdoor), soil remediation, or solid waste treatment should be submitted to the NSF Environmental Engineering program (CBET 1440), not this Environmental Sustainability program.

15) What should applicants do if their project does not neatly fit the program's core areas?

The program notes that innovative out-of-scope ideas might still be considered, but it strongly recommends contacting the program director before submission to reduce the risk of the proposal being returned without review.

16) What if the research includes work outside the United States?

If the research includes work in regions outside the United States, the proposal must explain how the research would benefit the United States.

17) What does the program say about novelty or transformative potential?

Proposals should clearly articulate novelty and/or potentially transformative aspects compared to prior work, explain why the work matters for engineering science, and describe the potential societal and/or industrial impact if the research succeeds.

18) Where should the novelty or transformative argument appear?

NSF specifically expects the novelty or transformative angle to be stated at minimum in the Project Summary, indicating it should be made early and unambiguously.

19) How long are typical awards under this program?

Projects are generally funded for up to three years under typical CBET unsolicited award structures.

20) What budget and staffing pattern is described as common for single-investigator projects?

Single-investigator budgets commonly support one graduate student (or equivalent) and up to one month of PI time per year.

21) How do multi-investigator or larger-budget projects fit?

Multi-investigator projects are often larger. Unusually large budgets should be discussed with the program director before submission.

22) Is there a fixed award ceiling for this opportunity?

The posted award ceiling is listed as 0, which generally indicates that no fixed ceiling is specified in the public listing rather than that awards are zero dollars.

23) About how many awards does the program anticipate making?

The program anticipates making around 103 awards.

24) Is this opportunity limited to a single annual deadline?

No. Proposals are accepted at any time rather than only on a single annual deadline.

25) Are NSF CAREER proposals allowed or encouraged?

Yes. CAREER proposals are strongly encouraged for early-career faculty. The typical CAREER duration is five years, and the Engineering CAREER submission deadline is in July each year.

26) Can applicants submit conference, workshop, or supplement proposals under this program?

Yes, NSF is open to conference, workshop, and supplement proposals, but encourages prior discussion with the program director.

27) Are RAPID and EAGER mechanisms available for this program?

Yes. RAPID (Rapid Response Research) and EAGER (Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research) are possible when appropriate. These mechanisms should be discussed with the program director before submission and can generally be submitted at any time during the year.

28) Is GOALI (industry-academic partnership) possible under this program?

Yes. GOALI proposals are possible when appropriate. The solicitation language indicates GOALI should be discussed with the program director before submission, and these proposals can generally be submitted at any time during the year.

29) How important is compliance with NSF proposal rules?

Compliance is essential. NSF emphasizes that proposals not following the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) will be returned without review. Adherence to formatting, content requirements, and submission rules is treated as non-negotiable.

30) What is the key takeaway for prospective applicants?

Strong proposals are engineering-grounded, clearly framed around environmental sustainability, explicit about novelty/transformative potential (including in the Project Summary), attentive to long-term and system-wide impacts, include meaningful graduate and undergraduate participation, and follow the PAPPG to the letter. When in doubt about fit, budget scale, or special mechanisms (RAPID, EAGER, GOALI, workshops/supplements), discussing the idea with the program director is strongly advised.