The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced funding for Atmospheric System Research (ASR) science and for the DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program.
ASR Funding—Pre-Application Deadline: December 2, 2020
DOE will provide $14.6 million for new studies of atmospheric processes.
- Announcement: DE-FOA-0002391
- Submission deadline for required pre-applications: December 2, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Successful applicants will focus their research on aerosol-cloud interactions; aerosol processes; warm boundary-layer processes; arctic atmospheric processes from ARM’s Cold-Air Outbreaks in the Marine Boundary Layer Experiment (COMBLE) and Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition; and convective cloud processes from ARM’s Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) field campaign.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits research grant applications for observational, data analysis, and/or modeling studies that use observations supported by Biological and Environmental Research (BER), including those from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility. The BER-sponsored observations used must be integral to the proposed research.
In an Office of Science announcement on the opportunity, DOE Office of Science Director Chris Fall highlighted ARM’s significance in ASR research, saying: “ARM provides capabilities unmatched anywhere in the world for the observation of atmospheric processes. By combining observation, data analysis, and modeling, these projects will deepen our understanding of these complex processes and improve the accuracy and predictive power of earth system models.”
It is anticipated that $14.6 million will be available for this program in fiscal year 2021, pending congressional appropriations. Funding will be awarded competitively, based on peer review. Awards are expected to be in the form of three-year grants with total award amounts ranging from $200,000 to $850,000, beginning in the current fiscal year.
Pre-applications are mandatory and are due Wednesday, December 2, 2020. Formal applications will be due Wednesday, January 27, 2021. Only those applicants who receive notification from DOE in response to their pre-application may submit a full application.
DOE Early Career Research Program Funding—Pre-Application Deadline: November 20, 2020
DOE is accepting proposals to support the research of outstanding scientists early in their careers.
- Announcement: DE-FOA-0002421
- Submission deadline for required pre-applications: November 20, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Funding support will begin in 2021 for more than 50 early career researchers across the Office of Science for five years at U.S. academic institutions and DOE national laboratories.
To be eligible for this DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program competition, a researcher must be an untenured, tenure-track assistant or associate professor at a U.S. academic institution or a full-time employee at a DOE national laboratory. The applicant must also have received a PhD within the past 10 years. University awards average around $750,000 for five years.
Proposed research topics must fall within the Office of Science’s programmatic priorities provided in the program announcements. Applications to BER and in particular ASR are sought that will improve fundamental understanding of aerosol-cloud processes through analysis of BER observational data. Applications must focus on one or more of the following aerosol-cloud processes: aerosol-cloud interactions, aerosol processes that affect cloud processes or properties, or cloud processes that are affected by aerosol processes or properties. Funding will be competitively awarded based on peer review. Further details, including refinements of areas of interest, are included in the announcement.
Pre-applications are mandatory and are due Friday, November 20, 2020. Full proposals will be due Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Only those applicants that receive notification from DOE encouraging a formal proposal may submit full proposals.
The Early Career Research Program aims to support the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulate research careers in the areas supported by the Office of Science.
More information can be found on the Office of Science BER funding opportunities page about both the ASR and Early Career Research Program FOAs. Applicants are encouraged to read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the Early Career Research Program web page.
# # #ARM is a DOE Office of Science user facility operated by nine DOE national laboratories.