Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS)

The Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS) Program supports experimental and computational research on the fundamental chemistry of processes in the environment. Recognizing the intrinsic complexity and heterogeneity of environmental systems, projects develop and utilize advanced experimental, modeling and simulation approaches to discover, explain, and predict environmental phenomena at the molecular scale. Topics may include, but are not limited to: processes occurring at environmental interfaces and the chemical behavior and transformation under a variety of naturally occurring environmental conditions.

The ECS Program encourages proposal submissions in the following topical areas:

Through the Critical Aspects of Sustainability (CAS) program, the Division of Chemistry looks to support basic research aimed at improving the sustainability of resources for future generations while maintaining or improving current products within a global society. Critical Aspects of Sustainability topics appropriate for the ECS Program include but are not limited to: Understanding the environmental chemical degradation of contaminants, including emerging contaminants. See CAS and CAS-SC for more information. Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) proposals, where advances in chemical syntheses involve collaborative research with an industrial partner, are also encouraged.

Research topics that are not of interest to the ECS Program: Field measurements and instrument development in support of environmental measurements are not supported. Programs in other NSF Directorates and other Federal Agencies address aspects such as field studies, large-scale models of the environment, toxicity studies, industrial processes, remediation methods, and the behavior and fate of nanoparticles in the environment.  

Proposals submitted to this program (including individual and collaborative proposals, GOALIs) must be submitted to the CHE Disciplinary Research Programs solicitation.

Exceptions:

·         RUI proposals must be submitted to the RUI Solicitation during the regular proposal submission window for this program.

·         Proposals submitted in response to another solicitation (CAREER) should follow the solicitation guidelines (e.g. CAREER)

·         Workshop, EAGER, RAPID or RAISE proposals must be discussed with a Program Officer before submission, and then should only be submitted as instructed. 

PIs are encouraged to monitor current funding priorities identified by the Foundation and the Executive and Legislative branches, and to highlight relevant synergies in their Project Summaries and Project Descriptions. 

CHE is also committed to the inclusion of all people and institutions across all geographies in the U.S. because all are vital to the nation’s health, security and global leadership in STEM. NSF welcomes the submission of proposals to this funding opportunity that include the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM, e.g., as PI, co-PI, senior personnel, postdoctoral scholars, graduate or undergraduate students or trainees. CHE also recognizes that STEM research and education occur at a wide range of institutions, including Minority-serving Institutions (MSIs), Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year colleges, as well as major research institutions. CHE welcomes single institution and multi-institutional collaborative proposals from all types of institutions and encourages authentic and substantive collaborations and partnerships across diverse geographies and types of institutions. Proposals from EPSCoR jurisdictions are especially encouraged.

CHE occasionally supports forward-looking workshops attempting to inform roadmaps (included in the resulting workshop reports) for future research needs and directions relevant to chemical science.  We are not generally able to support research symposia, including those at either special or recurring meetings and conferences. 

For recent awards made by the program, search NSF award database with the Program Element Code 688200.

• What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)
• Map of Recent Awards Made Through This Program