Opportunity Information: Apply for 18 549
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a discretionary grant opportunity called "Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers (ERC)" (Funding Opportunity Number 18-549), created on March 10, 2018, with an original closing date of June 6, 2018. The opportunity falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA 47.041) and is offered as a grant funding instrument. NSF anticipated making roughly 40 awards under this pilot.
The core purpose of this planning grant initiative is to strengthen the early-stage groundwork that can lead to competitive proposals for the NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERC) program. NSF is signaling a shift in emphasis for ERCs toward research that translates into clear societal impact. In practice, this means encouraging teams to think beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries and to structure projects around convergent approaches, where multiple fields are deliberately integrated to tackle complex challenges that a single discipline cannot solve effectively. NSF also highlights the importance of engaging stakeholder communities, suggesting that future ERC efforts should be informed by and connected to the people, industries, agencies, and end users who are most affected by or positioned to implement the research outcomes.
Another major theme is team formation and capacity-building within the engineering community. The planning grants are intended to support activities that help potential ERC teams organize, align around a shared vision, define roles, build collaboration structures, and develop the capabilities needed to pursue ambitious, interdisciplinary center-scale research. This reflects recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) study, which NSF cites as motivating the increased focus on societal impact, convergence, and stronger, more intentional team development.
Importantly, NSF makes it clear that these planning grants are optional and are not a prerequisite for entering the upcoming ERC competition. An institution or team can still participate in the ERC competition without submitting a planning grant proposal and without receiving planning grant funding. In other words, the planning grant is positioned as a supportive on-ramp for teams that want structured help and resources to form effective convergent collaborations, but it does not function as a gatekeeping step for ERC eligibility.
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full opportunity text, indicating that prospective applicants would need to consult the detailed eligibility language in the official solicitation. The award ceiling is shown as 0 in the provided data, which typically indicates that the specific maximum award amount was not captured in that field or is defined elsewhere in the full solicitation materials rather than in the summary record.Apply for 18 549
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers (ERC)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 10, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 06, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Rivers CESU Apply for G18AS00023 Funding Number: G18AS00023 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $18,937 |
| Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G18AS00024 Funding Number: G18AS00024 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $30,000 |
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| Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program: Exercise Interventions for People With Disabilities Apply for HHS 2018 ACL NIDILRR DPGE 0277 Funding Number: HHS 2018 ACL NIDILRR DPGE 0277 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $925,000 |
| Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Health and Function for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Apply for HHS 2018 ACL NIDILRR RTHF 0263 Funding Number: HHS 2018 ACL NIDILRR RTHF 0263 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $875,000 |
| CubeSat-based Science Missions for Geospace and Atmospheric Research Apply for 18 553 Funding Number: 18 553 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $1,200,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forest CESU Apply for G18AS00025 Funding Number: G18AS00025 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $49,900 |
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| Fiscal Year 2019 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) - ARMY SUBMISSION Apply for W911NF18S0002 Funding Number: W911NF18S0002 Agency: Department of Defense, Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Pacific Northwest CESU Apply for G18AS00031 Funding Number: G18AS00031 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $166,756 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Gulf Coast CESU Apply for G18AS00030 Funding Number: G18AS00030 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $128,279 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G18AS00027 Funding Number: G18AS00027 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $148,500 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Desert Southwest CESU Apply for G18AS00026 Funding Number: G18AS00026 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $49,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G18AS00028 Funding Number: G18AS00028 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $275,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G18AS00029 Funding Number: G18AS00029 Agency: Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $385,000 |
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| National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Academic Research Program (NARP) Apply for HM0476 18 BAA 0001 Funding Number: HM0476 18 BAA 0001 Agency: Department of Defense, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
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