TECHNOLOGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

NSF/EPA PARTNERSHIP FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
Program Announcement

NSF 99-108

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
- DIRECTORATE FOR ENGINEERING
- DIRECTORATE FOR MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
- NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

DEADLINE DATE: JULY 26, 1999

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in
the United States by competitively awarding grants for research and education
in the sciences, mathematics and engineering.

To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of
NSF publications and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Web site at:
http://www.nsf.gov

Location:                                               4201 Wilson Blvd.
                                                        Arlington, VA 22230

For General Information (NSF Information Center):       (703) 306-1234

TDD (for the hearing-impaired):                         (703) 306-0090

To Order Publications or Forms:
  send an e-mail to:                                    pubs@nsf.gov
  or telephone:                                         (301) 947-2722

To Locate NSF Employees:                                (703) 306-1234

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Center for Environmental
Research and Quality Assurance promotes and advances environmental science in
the United States by competitively awarding grants for research focusing on
reduction of risks to human health and ecosystems and on reduction of
uncertainty associated with risk assessment.

To get the latest information about program deadlines, to view the latest
announcements, and to download text and forms:  http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa/qa

Location:                                              401 M Street, SW
                                                       Washington, DC 20460

For General Information:                               (202) 260-7200

TDD (for the hearing-impaired)                         (202) 260-3141

To Order Publications or Forms:

        Send an e-mail to:                              ord.grants@epa.gov
	or Telephone:					(800) 490-9194

To Locate EPA Employees:				(202) 260-2090

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Program Name:	Technology for a Sustainable Environment:
		NSF/EPA  Partnership for Environmental Research

Short Description/Synopsis of Program:

This competition is designed to address pollution avoidance / prevention
processes, methodologies, and technology research. Research proposals are
invited that advance the development and use of innovative technologies and
approaches directed at avoiding or minimizing the generation of pollutants at
the source.   Research projects are possible in the general areas of:
chemistry for  pollution  avoidance or prevention; engineering for pollution
avoidance and prevention; chemical processes and reaction engineering;
simulations, modeling, sensors, and feedback techniques for pollution
avoidance and prevention; and industrial ecology.

This competition is not intended to address issues related to waste
monitoring, treatment, remediation, recycling, or containment other than those
aspects that pertain to in-process recycling of waste. Research in the areas
of remediation and treatment of hazardous materials, while very important, is
supported by other program activities in both agencies.

NSF and EPA are providing funds for fundamental and applied research in the
physical sciences and engineering that will lead to the discovery,
development, and evaluation of advanced and novel environmentally benign
methods for industrial processing and manufacturing. The competition addresses
technological environmental issues of design, synthesis, processing, and the
production, use, and ultimate disposition of products in continuous and
discrete manufacturing industries. Projects must employ fundamental new
approaches, and address, or be relevant to, current national concerns for
pollution avoidance / prevention (at the source). Projects that are "on the
cutting edge" or are "high-risk/high-payoff" are encouraged. Projects also
will be considered that show the potential to change research infrastructure,
by developing teams, using systems approaches, introducing new ways of
conducting research.

Cognizant Program Officer(s): At EPA, Barbara Karn, EPA Environmental Research
Division, telephone (202) 564-6824, e-mail: Karn.Barbara@epamail.epa.gov; at
NSF, Robert Wellek, Deputy Division Director, Room 525, Division of Chemical
and Transport Systems,  fax  (703) 306-0319, e-mail: rwellek@ nsf.gov.

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 47.041 Engineering;
47.049 Mathematics and Physical Sciences; 66.500 EPA Grants.

ELIGIBILITY

* Limitation on the categories of organizations that are eligible to submit
proposals: Proposals may be submitted by universities and not-for-profit
institutions in support of individual investigators or small groups.

* PI eligibility limitations: None

* Limitation on the number of proposals that may be submitted by an
organization: Only one proposal may be submitted by a Principal Investigator
and he/she may only collaborate in one other proposal as a co-Investigator.

AWARD INFORMATION

* Type of awards anticipated:  Standard and Continuing Grants

* Number of awards anticipated in FY 2000: 20

* Amount of funds available: Approximately $5.0 million will be available for
  this initiative in FY 2000

* Anticipated date of award: January 2000

PROPOSAL PREPARATION & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

* Proposal Preparation Instructions
  * Letter of Intent requirements: None
  * Preproposal requirements: None
  * Proposal preparation instructions: Standard NSF Grant Proposal Guide
    instructions
  * Supplemental proposal preparation instructions: None
  * Deviations from standard (GPG) proposal preparation instructions: None

* Budgetary Information
  * Cost sharing/matching requirements: Cost sharing with NSF at a level of 30%
of total eligible project costs is required for all equipment expenses
submitted in response to this announcement above $10,000.  The proposed cost
sharing must be shown on line M on the proposal budget (NSF Form 1030.)  EPA
grants will not require cost-sharing.
  * Indirect cost (F&A) limitations: None
  * Other budgetary limitations:  None

* FastLane Requirements
  * FastLane proposal preparation requirements: FastLane use optional
  * FastLane points of contact:

Florence I. Rabanal
NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
FastLane Project Coordinator
frabanal@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1998

Cheryl Albus
NSF Directorate for Engineering
FastLane Coordinator
calbus@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1302

* Deadline/Target Dates
  Full Proposal Deadline:    5:00 p.m., EDT, July 26, 1999 (paper)
                             5:00 p.m., local time, July 26, 1999 (FastLane)

PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
Merit Review Criteria:  Standard National Science Board approved criteria and
other special criteria

AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
Grant Award Conditions: NSF, GC-1 or FDP-III.  EPA grants awarded as a result
of this announcement will be administered in accordance with 40 CFR Part 30
and 40 or the most recent FDP-III, "Federal Demonstration Partnership General
Terms and Conditions," terms and conditions, depending upon the grantee
institution.

* Special grant conditions anticipated: None anticipated
* Special reporting requirements anticipated: None

1.0 	INTRODUCTION

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) announce their intent to continue to support an extramural grants
competition in fundamental environmental research to be held in Fiscal Year
(FY) 1999-2000. This NSF/EPA research activity has been developed based on a
Memorandum of Understanding between the agencies which establishes a
partnership emphasizing the support and merit review of fundamental
environmental research. This is the fifth year of the joint awards
competition. Information on awards made in the FY 1995 through FY 1998
competitions may be found on the Internet through: (http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa)
or (http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/epa/start.htm).

The four research areas targeted this year are:

* Technology for a Sustainable Environment
* Water and Watersheds
* Decision-making and Valuation for Environmental Policy
* Environmental Statistics

This announcement solicits applications for Technology for a Sustainable
Environment (TSE). Awards made through this competition are dependent upon
responsiveness of the proposals to the announcement, the quality, potential
impact, and uniqueness of the proposed research, and the availability of
funds. NSF and EPA anticipate awarding approximately $5 million (combined from
the two agencies) for TSE, with a projected award range from $50,000 to
$150,000 per award per year, and an approximate duration of 2 to 3 years.
Subject to the availability of funds and agency programming decisions, NSF and
EPA plan to issue additional solicitations in the TSE program through FY 2001.

Proposals in response to this TSE announcement must be received by July 26,
1999. It is anticipated that awards will be made by early FY 2000.  Awards
resulting from this TSE competition may be made by either NSF or EPA, or by
joint agency funding through split awards, at the option of the agencies, not
the grantee.

Further information, if needed, may be obtained from the NSF and EPA officials
indicated below. E-mail inquiries are preferred.

General Information on the NSF/EPA Partnership for Environmental Research:

Dr. Robert E. Menzer
EPA National Center for Environmental Research and Quality Assurance
menzer.robert@epamail.epa.gov
voice (202) 564-6849

Dr. Robert M. Wellek
NSF Directorate for Engineering
rwellek@nsf.gov (preferred)
fax (703) 306-0319

Dr. Elbert Marsh
NSF Directorate for Engineering
emarsh@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1301

Dr. Henry N. Blount, III
NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
hblount@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1946

Information on Technology for a Sustainable Environment (TSE):

Dr. Barbara Karn
EPA Environmental Engineering Research Division
karn.barbara@epamail.epa.gov
voice (202) 564-6824

Mr. Stephen A. Lingle
EPA Environmental Engineering Research Division
lingle.stephen@epamail.epa.gov
voice (202) 564-6820

Dr. Robert Wellek
NSF Directorate for Engineering
rwellek@nsf.gov  (preferred)
fax (703) 306-0319

Dr. Margaret Cavanaugh
NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
mcavanau@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1842

NSF FastLane Help Desk
fastlane@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1142

Florence I. Rabanal
NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences FastLane Project
Coordinator
frabanal@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1998

Cheryl Albus
NSF Directorate for Engineering FastLane Coordinator
calbus@nsf.gov
voice (703) 306-1302

2.0 	TECHNOLOGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

2.1 	Introduction

As a nation, we seek long-term economic growth that creates jobs while
improving and sustaining the environment. It is increasingly clear that
"end-of-pipe" pollution controls are not a sufficient means of reaching these
goals. A new generation of cleaner industrial manufacturing and processing
technologies is needed that supports pollution avoidance / prevention (at the
source), efficient resource use, and industrial ecology. Such a strategy can
help companies become more competitive by lowering resource and energy needs,
reducing waste and emissions control costs, and fostering sustainable
development.

This competition is designed to address pollution avoidance / prevention
processes, methodologies, and technology research. Research proposals are
invited that advance the development and use of innovative technologies and
approaches directed at avoiding or minimizing the generation of pollutants at
the source. This competition is not intended to address issues related to
waste monitoring, treatment, remediation, recycling, or containment other than
those aspects that pertain to in-process recycling of waste. Research in the
areas of remediation and treatment of hazardous materials, while very
important, is supported by other program activities in both agencies.

NSF and EPA are providing funds for fundamental and applied research in the
physical sciences and engineering that will lead to the discovery,
development, and evaluation of advanced and novel environmentally benign
methods for industrial processing and manufacturing. The competition addresses
technological environmental issues of design, synthesis, processing, and the
production, use, and ultimate disposition of products in continuous and
discrete manufacturing industries. Projects must employ fundamental new
approaches, and address, or be relevant to, current national concerns for
pollution avoidance / prevention (at the source). Projects that are "on the
cutting edge" or are "high-risk/high-payoff" are encouraged. Projects also
will be considered that show the potential to change research infrastructure,
by developing teams, using systems approaches, introducing new ways of
conducting research.

Answering research questions related to environmental sustainability issues
often requires the analysis and evaluation of scientific information and
complex phenomena over large spatial and time domains. The use of modern
information technology (IT) and high end computing resources to do this
research presents exciting opportunities to the research community, and
proposals utilizing these approaches may fit in with other NSF and EPA
programs. Molecular modeling and simulation of physical, biological, and
chemical phenomena is another example of a general research approach that is
expected to have a major impact on methods of approaching environmental
sustainability.

The areas of this announcement cover: Chemistry for Pollution Avoidance or
Prevention; Engineering for Pollution Avoidance or Prevention; Simulations,
Modeling, Sensors, and Feedback Techniques for Pollution Avoidance or
Prevention; and Industrial Ecology.

2.1.1	New Grants for Current TSE Projects

Proposal applications that request new grants for currently on-going TSE
projects related to chemistry and engineering activities described below
SHOULD include some form of academic-industrial collaboration, partnership or
involvement. Examples of some possible collaborative mechanisms are more fully
described in NSF's Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry
Solicitation (GOALI, NSF 98-142), a program dedicated to industry-university
collaborative efforts. More information may be obtained at
(http://www.nsf.gov/goali).

2.2 	Description of Possible Research Projects

2.2.1	Chemistry for Pollution Avoidance or Prevention

The long-range goal of this activity is to develop substances and processes
that are safer, reduce health risks, and are environmentally friendly. For the
chemical industry, preventing pollution at the source, or "green chemistry,"
involves the design of chemicals and alternative chemical processes that do
not utilize toxic feedstocks, reagents, or solvents or reduce or do not
produce toxic byproducts or co-products.

Appropriate areas of investigation span the broad range of chemistry and
include chemical synthesis and catalysis; analysis and detection; separation
processes; computational modeling; sensor innovation; reaction mechanisms; and
environmentally benign materials.  Some specific examples are:

* Development of innovative synthetic methods using catalysis or biocatalysis,
including combinatorial or self-assembly approaches; photochemical,
electrochemical, or biomimetic activation; or starting materials that are
innocuous or renewable.

* Development of alternative new reaction conditions, such as using solvents
that are environmentally benign, developing separation methods that reform
feedstocks for improved efficiency, developing advanced laser control of
reactivity, or increasing reaction selectivity to reduce wastes and emissions.

* Discovery or redesign of useful chemicals and materials such that they are
less toxic to health and the environment or safer with regard to accident
potential.

* Development of advanced sensors that have potential application in reducing
resource use or improving production selectivity.

2.2.2 	Engineering for Pollution Avoidance and Prevention

The focus of this program activity is to develop novel engineering approaches
for preventing or reducing pollution from industrial manufacturing and
processing activities, both for continuous and discrete processes. The scope
includes: technology and equipment modifications, reformulation or redesign of
products, substitution of alternative materials, and in-process changes.
Although these methods are often thought of in relation to the chemical,
biochemical, and materials process industries, they can be utilized in many
other industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing systems.

Potential areas of research include:

* Biological Applications: Development of innovative environmental
technologies using bioengineering techniques such as bioprocessing to prevent
pollution at the source in bio-manufacturing processes. Examples include:
research to convert waste biomass into useful products, genetic engineering to
produce more specific biocatalysts, bioprocessing to increase energy
efficiency, decrease use of hazardous reactants or byproducts, or develop more
cost effective methods of producing environmentally benign products.
Remediation is not addressed here.

* Fluid and Thermal Systems: Improved thermal processes that employ novel
thermal or fluid and/or multiphase/particulate systems resulting in
significantly lower hazardous effluent production. Examples include: novel
refrigeration cycles using safe and environmentally-benign working fluids to
replace halogenated hydrocarbons hazardous to upper atmosphere ozone levels;
improved automobile combustion process design for reduced pollutant
production.

* Interfacial Transport and Separations: Materials substitutions and process
alternatives which prevent or reduce environmental harm, such as change of raw
material or the use of less hazardous solvents, organic coatings, and metal
plating systems where the primary focus is on non-reactive diffusional and
interfacial phenomena. Examples include: use of special surfactant systems for
surface cleaning and reactions; novel, cost-effective methods for the highly
efficient in-process separation of useful materials from the components of the
process waste stream, for example, field enhanced and hybrid separation
processes; novel processes for molecularly controlled chemical and materials
synthesis of thin films and membranes.

* Design, Manufacturing, and Industrial Innovations: (a) New or improved
manufacturing processes that reduce production of hazardous effluents at the
source. Examples include: machining without the use of cutting fluids that
currently require disposal after they are contaminated; eliminating toxic
electroplating solutions by replacing them with ion or plasma-based dry
plating techniques; new bulk materials and coatings with durability, long
life, and other desirable engineering properties that can be manufactured with
reduced environmental impact. (b) Optimization of existing discrete parts
manufacturing operations to prevent, reduce, or eliminate waste. Concepts
include: increased in-process or in-plant recycling and improved and
intelligent process control and sensing capabilities; in-process techniques
that minimize generation of pollutants in industrial waste incineration
processes, design tool development

* Chemical Processes and Reaction Engineering: Improved reactor, catalyst, or
chemical process design in order to increase product yield, improve
selectivity, or reduce unwanted by-products. Approaches include: novel
reactors such as reactor-separator combinations that provide for product
separation during the reaction, alternative energy sources for reaction
initiation, and integrated chemical process design and operation, including
control. Other approaches are: new multifunctional catalysts that reduce the
number of process stages; novel heterogeneous catalysts that replace
state-of-the-art homogeneous ones; new photo- or electro catalysts that
operate at low temperatures with high selectivity; novel catalysts for
currently uncatalyzed reactions; processes that use renewable resources in
place of synthetic intermediates as feedstocks; novel processes for
molecularly controlled materials synthesis and modification.

2.2.3   Simulations, Modeling, Sensors, and Feedback Techniques for Pollution
Avoidance and Prevention

This competition also encourages research in physical sciences and engineering
that will lead to the development of novel measurement and assessment
techniques for pollution avoidance / prevention (at the source). Topics in
this program activity include computational simulations and process design
algorithms, as well as the development of appropriate measurement methods to
use as input for such analyses. The methods developed should provide the basis
for scientifically sound and quantitative comparisons of the environmental
impact of various technologies. The following examples provide some areas of
investigation:

* Innovative, quantitative methodologies for conducting plant process or
manufacturing analysis which permit sound quantitative comparisons of impacts
of different pollutants on different media.

* Algorithms incorporating pollution avoidance / prevention (at the source)
into process design, intelligent control, and simulation methodologies for
process and manufacturing design.

* Process simulator modules for new technologies such as novel membrane
processes.

* Computational (molecular) models that predict reaction selectivity in terms
of a few fundamental properties of substances and integration of those models
into chemical reaction databases relevant to environmentally benign chemical
processes.

* Improved and intelligent sensors and control algorithms for real time,
in-process multivariate control of manufacturing equipment and systems to
reduce waste material and hazardous emissions.

2.2.4 Industrial Ecology

This competition supports the development of new methodologies and approaches
in the growing field of industrial ecology.  Industrial ecology requires that
an industrial system be viewed not in isolation from its surrounding systems,
but in concert with them. It is a systems view in which one seeks to optimize
the total materials cycle from virgin material, to finished material, to
component, to product, to recycle or reuse, to obsolete product, to ultimate
disposal. Factors to be optimized include resources, energy and capital.

Potential research topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

* Innovative methodologies for streamlined and targeted life-cycle-assessment
and analysis, including product use interactions with the environment and
impact prioritization models;

* Environmentally benign processes in a systems context including design for
material and energy minimization while avoiding environmental harm;

* Environmentally benign product design methodologies, considering the entire
life-cycle of the materials employed in the production, use and disposal of
products; product design methodologies and systems that can provide
scientifically sound comparisons with less comprehensive data inputs and
computational analysis; design for disassembly, reuse and recycling.

2.3	Additional Considerations

2.3.1	Industrial-Academic Collaboration

A clearer understanding of problems and more creative solutions often result
from collaboration between academic and the industrial investigators who
represent the eventual customers for the products of the research. Therefore,
applicants are strongly encouraged to seek meaningful project collaboration
with industrial partners on research issues that link fundamental and applied
aspects of pollution prevention / avoidance. In some cases, government
agencies or professional organizations may be an appropriate substitute for an
industrial partner. The NSF GOALI program announcement (NSF 98-142) outlines
several mechanisms for these collaborations. Other mechanisms for
collaboration will also be considered.

2.3.2 Multidisciplinary Proposals

Environmental problems often cross disciplinary boundaries. This solicitation
welcomes interdisciplinary proposals that address the TSE topic areas.
Proposals may be submitted by individuals or small groups of investigators who
are working on projects that will advance the concepts and technologies of
pollution avoidance / prevention (at the source).

2.3.3   Student involvement Researchers from both academic and non-profit
institutions may apply for support (see Section 3.0). Projects involving the
training and education of junior scientists and engineers (such as graduate
students) in academia through the research experience are very strongly
encouraged.

3.0 	ELIGIBILITY

Academic and not-for-profit institutions located in the U.S. are eligible.
Profit-making firms and federal agencies are not eligible to apply to this
program. However, personnel in profit-making firms may participate as
non-funded co-investigators or through sub-contracts with the awardee
institution.

Federal employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within
the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. However, federal
agencies, national laboratories funded by federal agencies (FFRDCs), and
federal employees are not eligible to submit applications to this program and
may not serve in a principal leadership role on a grant. Under exceptional
circumstances the principal investigator's institution may subcontract to a
federal agency or FFRDC to purchase unique supplies or services unavailable in
the private sector. Examples are purchase of satellite data, census data
tapes, chemical reference standards, unique analyses or instrumentation not
available elsewhere, etc. A written justification for such federal involvement
must be included in the application, along with an assurance from the federal
agency that commits it to supply the specified service. Federal employees may
not receive salaries or in other ways augment their agency's appropriations
through grants made by this program. Potential applicants who are uncertain of
their eligibility should contact Dr. Robert E. Menzer at EPA (Address listed
in Section 1.0).

EPA and NSF welcome applications on behalf of all qualified scientists,
engineers, and other professionals and strongly encourage women, members of
underrepresented groups, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any
of the programs described in this announcement.

In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations and EPA and NSF policies,
no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability
shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial
assistance from EPA or NSF.

4.0 	INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICATION SUBMISSION

4.1 	Sorting Codes

In order to facilitate proper assignment and review of applications, each
applicant MUST identify the topic area in which the application is to be
considered. Failure to do so may result in delay. At various places within the
application, applicants will be asked to identify this topic area by using the
appropriate Sorting Code. The Sorting Codes correspond to the topic areas
within the announcement and are shown below:

* Chemistry for Pollution Prevention 	TSE99-A

* Engineering for Pollution Prevention:

  * Biological Applications       TSE99-B
  * Fluid and Thermal Systems     TSE99-C
  * Interfacial, Transport, Separations   TSE99-D
  * Design, Manufacturing, and Industrial Innovations     TSE99-E
  * Chemical Processes and Reaction Engineering   TSE99-F

* Simulations, Modeling, Sensors, and Feedback Techniques for Pollution
Avoidance and Prevention  TSE99-G

* Industrial Ecology 	TSE99-H

The Sorting Code must be placed at the end of the proposal title and enclosed
in parentheses, e.g., "A New Algorithm to Incorporate Pollution Avoidance Into
Process Design (TSE99-G)," and this title must also be placed on the top of
the project summary (abstract) page. NSF and/or EPA may reassign proposals to
other or multiple sorting categories to ensure optimal review of proposals.

4.2 	The Application

Proposals submitted to the TSE competition MUST conform to NSF proposal
submission requirements. The NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG, NSF 99-2) provides
detailed proposal preparation guidance. All proposals should be prepared in
accordance with the GPG (http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf992), except as
modified in this announcement. (including the information in section 4.3
below.) All forms needed to apply are available in the GPG and in the Proposal
Forms Kit (NSF 99-3). The GPG and Forms Kit are available electronically
through the NSF Home Page at (http://www.nsf.gov). Paper copies can be
obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 218, Jessup, MD
20794-0218; Phone: 301-947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program announcement number (NSF
99-108) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the NSF Form 1207,
"Cover Sheet for Proposal to the National Science Foundation."  Compliance
with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal
processing guidelines.  Failure to submit this information may delay
processing.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to prepare their proposals for full
electronic submission using the FastLane system at
(https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov). For proposals prepared for paper-copy
submission, the cover sheet and project summary MUST be submitted through
FastLane. For further information, see section 4.5 How to Apply and Appendix A
below.

To fulfill the requirements of section 4.3 below, applicants submitting
through FastLane should place these additional pages, clearly labeled, at the
end of the Project Description section. Paper-copy submissions should place
these pages, clearly labeled, in Section I, Special Information and
Supplementary Documentation, as identified in the GPG. Other than these
additional pages, the fifteen (15) page limit on the Project Description
section is in effect.

It is important that the application contain all the information requested in
the format described. If it does not, the application will be returned without
review. Once an applicant is chosen for award (i.e., after external peer
review and internal programmatic review), EPA or NSF program officers may
request additional documentation and forms.

4.3 	Additional Pages - Quality Assurance Narrative

All projects must provide a statement on how quality products will be assured.
This statement should not exceed two pages. The Quality Assurance Narrative
Statement should, for each item listed below, either present the required
information or provide a justification as to why the item does not apply to
the proposed research.

1. The activities to be performed or hypothesis to be tested (reference may be
made to the specific page and paragraph number in the application where this
information may be found); criteria for determining the acceptability of data
quality in terms of precision, accuracy, representativeness, completeness,
comparability;

2. The study design including sample type and location requirements and any
statistical analyses that were used to estimate the types and numbers of
samples required for physical samples or similar information for studies using
survey and interview techniques;

3. The procedures for the handling and custody of samples, including sample
identification, preservation, transportation, and storage;

4. The methods that will be used to analyze samples collected, including a
description of the sampling and/or analytical instruments required;

5. The procedures that will be used in the calibration and performance
evaluation of the sampling and analytical methods used during the project;

6. The procedures for data reduction and reporting, including a description of
statistical analyses to be used and of any computer models to be designed or
utilized with associated verification and validation techniques;

7. The intended use of the data as they relate to the study objectives or
hypotheses;

8. The quantitative and or qualitative procedures that will be used to
evaluate the success of the project;

9. Any plans for peer or other reviews of the study design or analytical
methods prior to data collection.

More details on the Quality Assurance Narrative Statement may be found at
(http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa/qanar.html).

These additional pages (mandated by EPA, should be submitted as supplementary
documentation, as detailed in Section I of the GPG, in the submission to NSF,
and) do not count against the fifteen (15) page limit NSF has established for
the Project Description section of proposals.

4.4 	Additional Budgetary Guidance

Subcontracts for research to be conducted under the grant which exceed 40% of
the total direct cost of the grant for each year in which the subcontract is
awarded must be especially well justified.

Researchers may be invited to participate in an annual All-Investigators
Meeting with NSF and EPA scientists, engineers, and other grantees to report
on research activities and to discuss areas of mutual interest. Budget
requests should include travel funds to accommodate that eventuality.

4.5 	How to Apply

A. Proposal Deadline

For paper submission of the proposals, ten copies of the proposal MUST be
received by 5:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), July 26, 1999.

For electronic submission of proposals by FastLane, the proposal MUST be
submitted by 5:00 p.m., local time, July 26, 1999. Copies of the signed
proposal cover sheet must be submitted in accordance with the instructions
below.

B. Paper Proposal Submission

Submission of paper copies still requires the use of FastLane. See the
additional instructions for Cover Page and Summary Submission in Appendix A.

To be considered, the original and ten (10) copies of the fully developed
application must be received by NSF no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on the closing
date, July 26, 1999.

Completed applications should be sent via regular or express mail to:

National Science Foundation
Proposal Processing Unit P060, TSE
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230
Phone: 703-306-1118

For paper submission of proposals, the delivery address must clearly identify
the NSF announcement or solicitation number under which the proposal is being
submitted.

C. Electronic Proposal Submission: FastLane

The NSF FastLane system is available for electronic preparation and submission
of a proposal through the Web at the FastLane Web site at
(https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov). The Sponsored Research Office (SRO or
equivalent) must provide a FastLane Personal Identification Number (PIN) to
each Principal Investigator (PI) to gain access to the FastLane Proposal
Preparation application. PIs who have not submitted a proposal to NSF in the
past must contact their SRO to be added to the NSF PI database. This should be
done as soon as the decision to prepare a proposal is made.

In order to use NSF FastLane to prepare and submit a proposal, the following
is required:

Browser (must support multiple buttons and file upload)

 * Netscape 3.0 or greater
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or greater

PDF Reader (needed to view/print forms)

 * Adobe Reader 3.0 or greater

PDF Generator (needed to create project description)

 * Adobe Acrobat 3.01 or greater
 * Aladdin Ghostscript 5.10 or greater.

A list of registered institutions and the FastLane registration form are
located on the FastLane Web page.

The cover page should identify the DIV OF CHEMICAL AND TRANSPORT SYSTEMS as
the organizational unit to receive the proposal.  This can be done by clicking
the "Add Organizational Unit" button, which can be found on the Cover Sheet
Screen within the FastLane Proposal Preparation Module, and selecting the item
from the pull-down menu.

Proposals must be submitted to NSF by your institution's SRO before 5 p.m.
local time on July 26, 1999.  Proposals or changes in proposal content after
that time will not be considered.

Submission of Signed Cover Sheets

For proposals submitted electronically via the NSF FastLane, the signed
proposal Cover Sheet (NSF Form 1207) should be forwarded to the following
address and received by NSF by August 2, 1999:

National Science Foundation
DIS-FastLane Cover Sheet  (TSE Program)
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230

Informal, incomplete, or unsigned proposals will not be considered. A proposal
may not be processed until the complete proposal (including signed Cover
Sheet) has been received by NSF. [If the proposal is delivered in person to
NSF, a signed and dated receipt must be obtained from a member of NSF's
Proposal Processing Unit as confirmation of receipt.  It is also strongly
recommended that a backup floppy disk (with the material sent by FastLane) be
mailed to the NSF Directorate for Engineering FastLane Coordinator (Cheryl
Albus, Room 505)].

5.0 	REVIEW AND SELECTION

5.1 	Review Procedures

A. Merit Review

All grant applications are initially screened by NSF and EPA to determine
their compliance with legal and administrative requirements. Reviews of
proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the
substantive area of the proposed research or education project.  These
reviewers are selected by Program officers of each agency charged with the
oversight of the review process. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have
no conflicts of interest with the proposer.  Special efforts are made to
recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority serving
institutions, adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the
proposal, etc.  This review is designed to evaluate each proposal according to
its scientific and technical merit, potential impact on environmental quality,
and uniqueness. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement will be
reviewed by panel review only except in special cases where supplemental mail
review may be used.

Proposals will be reviewed against the following general merit review criteria
established by the National Science Board (NSB 97-72).  Following each
criterion are potential considerations that the reviewer may employ in the
evaluation.  The revised criteria are designed to be useful and relevant
across NSF's many different programs; however, NSF and EPA will continue to
employ special criteria required to highlight the specific objectives of
certain programs and activities. The two revised merit review criteria are
listed below. Following each criterion are potential considerations that
reviewers may employ in the evaluation. These are suggestions and not all will
apply to any given proposal. Reviewers will address only those points that are
relevant to the proposals and for which they are qualified to make judgments.

In evaluating the responsiveness of proposals to the research needs set forth
in this announcement, the review group will consider:

* What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?

How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and
understanding within its own field or across different fields? How well
qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the project? (If
appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of prior work.) To what
extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original
concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there
sufficient access to resources?

* What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting
teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden
the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity,
disability, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it enhance the
infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities,
instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the results be disseminated
broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? What may be the
benefits of the proposed activity to society?

Although budget information is not used by the reviewers as the basis for
their evaluation of scientific merit, the reviewers are asked to provide their
input on the appropriateness and/or adequacy of the proposed budget and its
implications for the potential success of the proposed research. Input on
requested equipment is of particular interest.

B. Integration of Research and Education

One of the principal strategies in support of this program's goals is to
foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects
and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These
institutions provide abundant opportunities for individuals to concurrently
assume responsibilities as researchers, educators, and students for all to
engage in joint efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery
and enrich research through the diversity of learner perspectives. PIs should
address this issue in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information
necessary to respond fully to both merit review criteria. Program staff of
both agencies will give it careful consideration in making funding decisions.

C. Integrating Diversity into Program, Projects, and Activities

Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens--women
and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities--is
essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF and EPA
are committed to this principle of diversity and deem it central to the
programs, projects, and activities they consider and support. PIs should
address this issue in their proposal to provide reviewers with the information
necessary to respond fully to both merit review criteria. Program staff of
both agencies will give it careful consideration in making funding decisions.

D. Review Considerations (Industrially Relevant Issues; Impact)

It is worth emphasizing several points regarding focuses of this solicitation.
Since TSE has been established to address problems related to pollution
prevention and avoidance, specifically at the source, proposals will be
evaluated on the potential impact of the research on important environmental
topic areas as set forth in this solicitation. Some of the other significant
process industry issues are highlighted in documents such as Vision 2020
(http://www.chem.purdue.edu/v2020/). Industrial collaborators are another
source of environmental issues to be addressed.  If an industrial
collaboration is described in the proposal, reviewers will assess the
collaborative contribution to meeting the goals of this competition.

Reviewers will consider the potential impact of the research on pollution
prevention at the source, uniqueness, and extent of high risk, in addition to
scientific criteria, as described in NSF's standard review criteria in the NSF
Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 99-2).

Following the review panel, a joint EPA/NSF selection panel of NSF and EPA
staff will review the recommendations of the panel, and arrive at agency
funding recommendations. Applications that receive high merit scores from the
peer reviewers are subjected to a programmatic ("relevancy") review within
EPA, the object of which is to assure a balanced research portfolio for EPA.
Scientists from the Office of Research and Development (ORD) Laboratories and
EPA Program and Regional Offices review these applications in relation to
program priorities and their complementarity to the ORD intramural program and
recommend selections to National Center for Environmental Research and Quality
Assurance (NCERQA) (http://es.epa.gov/ncerqa/). Staff from each agency will
contact the potential grantee regarding possible clarifications of the
budgets, format, scope, and format. Copies of the evaluations by the technical
reviewers will be provided to each applicant. In the case of proposals that
may be funded by EPA, a revised proposal will be necessary to conform to EPA
format and policy requirements. This procedure has been followed for the past
four years, as the primary administration of this joint agency research
activity rotates between the two agencies.  EPA grants will not require
cost-sharing. Funding decisions are the sole responsibility of EPA and NSF.
Grants are selected on the basis of technical merit, relevancy to the research
priorities outlined, program balance, and budget. The anticipated date of
awards is early FY 2000. The approximate total levels of funding of each
agency are: EPA: $3,000,000; NSF: $2,000,000.

5.2 Proprietary Information

By submitting an application in response to this announcement, the applicant
grants NSF and EPA permission to share the application with technical
reviewers both within and outside the Agencies. Applications should not
include proprietary or other types of confidential information that cannot be
evaluated on this basis.

6.0  GRANT ADMINISTRATION

Upon conclusion of the review process, meritorious applications may be
recommended for funding by either NSF or EPA, at the option of the agencies,
not the applicant.  Notification of the award is made to the submitting
organization by a Grants Officer.  Organizations whose proposals are declined
will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division
administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the
identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal
Investigator.  Subsequent grant administration procedures will be in
accordance with the individual policies of the awarding agency.

6.1   EPA Grant Administration

The funding mechanisms for all EPA awards issued under this announcement will
consist of grant agreements between EPA and the recipient. In accordance with
Public Law 95-224, grants are used to accomplish a public purpose of support
or stimulation authorized by Federal statute rather than acquisition for the
direct benefit of the Agency. In using a grant agreement, EPA anticipates that
there will be no substantial involvement during the course of the grant
between the recipient and the Agency.

EPA grants awarded as a result of this announcement will be administered in
accordance with 40 CFR Part 30 and 40 or the most recent FDP-III, "Federal
Demonstration Partnership General Terms and Conditions," terms and conditions,
depending upon the grantee institution.

EPA provides awards for research in the sciences and engineering related to
environmental protection. The awardee is solely responsible for the conduct of
such activities and preparation of results for publication. EPA, therefore,
does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

EPA annual and final reports and their summaries are to be submitted
electronically.  Summaries will be posted on the NCERQA home page on the
Internet.

6.2  NSF Grant Administration

NSF grants awarded as a result of this announcement will be administered in
accordance with the terms and conditions of the most recent NSF GC-1,"Grant
General Conditions," or the FDP-III, depending on the grantee organization.
More comprehensive information on the administration of NSF grants is
contained in the Grant Policy Manual (GPM, NSF 95-26, July 1995), Chapter II,
available electronically on the NSF Web site. The GPM is also for sale through
the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington,
D.C. 20402. The telephone number at GPO is 202-512-1800 for subscription
information; the GPM can also be ordered through the GPO Web site at
(http://www.gpo.gov).

Organizations applying to NSF for the first time, or which have not received
an NSF award within the preceding two years, should refer to the NSF Grant
Policy Manual, Section 500, for instructions on specific information that may
be requested by NSF. One copy of the Grant Policy Manual will be provided free
of charge to new grantee organizations. The "Prospective New Awardee Guide"
(NSF 97-100) includes information on: Administration and Management
Information; Accounting System Requirements and Auditing Information; and
Payments to Organizations with Awards.  This information will assist an
organization in preparing documents that NSF requires to conduct
administrative and financial reviews of an organization.  The guide also
serves as a means of highlighting the accountability requirements associated
with Federal awards. This document is available electronically on NSF's Web
site at: <http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf97100>.  First time NSF
awardees will be required to submit organizational, management, and financial
information, including a certification of civil rights compliance, before a
grant can be made.

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the
PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant program officer at
least 60 days before the end of each budget period. (Note: The PI should
consult with the cognizant NSF program officer because individual program
officers may have additional or more specific guidelines for these reports).
Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI must submit a final project
report. Approximately 30 days before expiration, NSF will send a notice to
remind the PI of the requirement. Failure to provide final technical reports
delays NSF review and processing of pending NSF proposals for that PI and any
co-PIs. PIs should examine or determine the formats of the required progress
and final reports in advance, to assure that they are keeping adequate data
and records. Effective October 1, 1998, PIs are required to use the new
formats for these reports and effective October 1, 1999, are required to
submit their reports electronically via FastLane.

NSF Final Report Requirements are described in GPG, NSF 99-2.  Final project
report formats are available on the web.  Also, some programs may have
additional recommendations of format, style, etc. and so it is best to remain
in contact with the appropriate program director.

6.2.1 About the NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering.
Grantees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and
preparing the results for publication.  Thus, the Foundation does not assume
responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators.
The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with
disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with federal
statutes, regulations, and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color,
age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation
in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any
program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless otherwise
specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program).

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED)
provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with
disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research
assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects.  See the program announcement
or contact the program coordinator at (703) 306-1636.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and
Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals
with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation regarding NSF
programs, employment, or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703)
306-0090 or through FIRS on 1-800-877-8339.

6.2.2 EPA Mission and Research and Development Strategy

The mission of EPA is to protect both environmental quality and human health
through effective regulations and other policy initiatives.  Achievement of
this mission requires the application of sound science to assessment of
environmental problems and to evaluation of possible solutions.  A significant
challenge is to support both long-term research that anticipates future
environmental problems as well as research that fills gaps in knowledge
relevant to meeting current Agency goals.  Requests for Applications issued by
the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program are an important mechanism for
promoting a sound scientific foundation for environmental protection.

EPA's research programs focus on reduction of risks to human health and
ecosystems and on the reduction of uncertainty associated with risk
assessment.  Through its laboratories and through grants to academic and other
not-for-profit institutions, EPA also fosters the development and evaluation
of new risk reduction technologies across a spectrum, from pollution
prevention through end-of-pipe controls to remediation and monitoring.  In all
areas, EPA is interested in research that recognizes issues relating to
environmental justice, the concept of achieving equal protection from
environmental and health hazards for all people without regard to race,
economic status, or culture.

EPA's extramural research grant program, the STAR Program, is administered by
the Office of Research and Development's National Center for Environmental
Research and Quality Assurance (NCERQA).  Announcements of specific
programmatic announcements will be found on the internet at
http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa.

6.2.3  PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTS

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited
under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as
amended.  The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with
the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees
will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch
and to Congress.  The information requested may be disclosed to qualified
reviewers and staff assistants as part of the review process; to applicant
institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review
process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government
contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to
complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing information as
part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; and to another
Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding
if the government is a party.  Information about Principal Investigators may
be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve
as peer reviewers or advisory committee members.  See Systems of Records,
NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63
Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File
and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998).
Submission of the information is voluntary.  Failure to provide full and
complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an
award.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to
average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions.
Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:
Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer; Division of Administrative
Services; National Science Foundation; Arlington, VA  22230.

6.2.4	YEAR 2000 REMINDER

In accordance with NSF Important Notice No. 120 dated June 27, 1997, Subject:
Year 2000 Computer Problem, NSF and EPA awardees are reminded of their
responsibility to take appropriate actions to ensure that the activity being
supported is not adversely affected by the Year 2000 problem. Potentially
affected items include: computer systems, databases, and equipment.  NSF and
EPA should be notified if an awardee concludes that the Year 2000 will have a
significant impact on its ability to carry out an NSF or EPA funded activity.
Information concerning Year 2000 activities can be found on the NSF web site
at (http://www.nsf.gov/oirm/y2k/start.htm).

The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the information
we publish easy to understand.  If you have a suggestion about how to improve
the clarity of this document or other NSF-published materials, please contact
us at plainlanguage@nsf.gov.

Activities described in this publication are in the following categories in
the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): 47.041 Engineering; 47.049
Mathematics and Physical Sciences; 66.500 EPA Grants.  OMB 3145-0058

APPENDIX A: Paper Copy Submission: FastLane Cover Sheet and Project

Summary

If you are submitting your proposal using paper copies rather than
electronically, you are required to submit the proposal cover sheet and the
project summary to NSF using FastLane. To access FastLane, go to the NSF
Web-site at (http://www.nsf.gov), then select "FastLane," or go directly to
FastLane: (https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov).

A.1	Instructions for the Principal Investigator (PI):

Contact your institution's Sponsored Research Office (SRO) for a PIN number to
gain access to the FastLane "Proposal Preparation" module. If you have not
submitted a proposal to NSF in the past, you must contact your SRO to be added
to the NSF PI database. Please do this as soon as you decide to prepare a TSE
proposal, since this may require a few days.

As early as possible, enter your cover sheet and project-summary information
using the FastLane "Proposal Preparation" module. In the field labeled
"Program Announcement" on the cover sheet type in the program announcement
number, (e.g., NSF 99-108) exactly as shown with no additional spaces or
characters. The Sorting Code must be put at the end of the title and set off
with parentheses as described in Section 4.1.

The cover page should identify the DIV OF CHEMICAL AND TRANSPORT SYSTEMS as
the organizational unit to receive the proposal.  This can be done by clicking
the "Add Organizational Unit" button, which can be found on the Cover Sheet
Screen within the FastLane Proposal Preparation Module, and selecting the item
from the pull-down menu.

Click on the "Allow SRO Access" button.  Allow time for your SRO to approve,
copy and mail the proposal to meet the deadline.

A.2	Instructions for the Sponsored Research Office (SRO):

Print the second page of the cover sheet in time to obtain the required
institutional signatures.

Before assembling the proposal for copying, submit the cover sheet to NSF via
FastLane using the "Submit Proposal" function within the "Institutional
Management of FastLane" module. This will generate a proposal number. Print a
copy of the cover sheet from FastLane; it will have the proposal number on it.
Substitute the first page of the cover sheet for the one produced by the PI.
Make copies of the proposal and submit to NSF according to the usual
procedures for a paper proposal.

For 1999, the paper copies of the proposal MUST be received at NSF by 5:00
p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on July 26,1999, in order to be eligible.  PIs and
SROs should allow sufficient time to be sure that all material will reach NSF
in time. You may direct questions concerning FastLane or problems utilizing
FastLane to the FastLane contacts listed in Section 1.0.

APPENDIX B: RELATION TO NSF, EPA, AND OTHER CURRENT AND PAST AGENCY
ACTIVITIES

NSF and EPA have many different environmental research activities. This
section describes a few past and current NSF and EPA activities related to
environmental technology. The activities described below are for your
background or future use only; they may not be necessarily related to this
announcement, or they may not currently be accepting proposals separate from
this announcement.

The NSF/EPA Technology for a Sustainable Environment activity is an integral
part of EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) research program and supports
EPA's Green Chemistry Challenge Program, Green Engineering, and other
pollution prevention activities in EPA. For NSF, this activity is an integral
part of its Environmentally Benign Chemical Synthesis and Processing  (EBCS&P;
NSF 92-13) activity and its Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing (ECM; NSF
95-91) program activity as described below.

B.1	Environmental Protection Agency

Green Chemistry Program: This program is directed at preventing pollution by
promoting design of less toxic chemical substances and alternative chemical
pathways that involve less toxic feedstocks, reagents, or solvents and
generate fewer toxic products, by-products, or co-products. As part of this
program, EPA has initiated the Green Chemistry Challenge Program to recognize
and promote fundamental and innovative chemical methodologies that accomplish
pollution prevention through source reduction and that have a broad
application in industry. Green chemistry encompasses all aspects and types of
chemical processes - including synthesis, catalysis, analysis, monitoring,
separations, and reaction conditions - that reduce negative impacts on human
health and the environment relative to the current state of the art. Through
awards and grants programs, the Green Chemistry Challenge Program recognizes
and promotes fundamental and innovative technologies that incorporate the
principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use. The
Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program recognizes those in industry,
academia, and government who have met the Green Chemistry objectives in an
exemplary way.  The Green Chemistry Challenge Grants Program, through projects
awarded under TSE, enhances support for cutting-edge research in this area.

Design For The Environment And The Green Engineering Programs: Through the
Design for the Environment (DfE) Program, EPA provides businesses with
information to make environmentally-informed choices and ultimately prevent
pollution and reduce risks.  DfE partners with industry, public interest
groups, universities, research institutions, labor groups, and other
governmental agencies to evaluate cleaner alternatives to existing products,
processes, or technologies.  Across a wide variety of projects, the DfE
Program strives to promote the consideration of environmental factors along
with the traditional business decision parameters of cost and performance.
Currently, DfE supports cooperative industry projects in eight sectors. Other
green engineering programs include educational partnerships for curriculum
development and professional training in pollution prevention, and a project
in environmental accounting.

B.2 	National Science Foundation

Environmentally Benign Chemical Synthesis and Processing (EBCS&P): This
program, described in NSF 92-13
(http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/stis1992/nsf9213/nsf9213.txt), is aimed at preventing
pollution by providing financial support for fundamental research in the
identification of environmentally benign chemical and material synthesis and
related manufacturing processes. For the NSF Engineering Directorate's
Chemical and Transport Systems Division, the Technology for a Sustainable
Environment (TSE) activity subsumes the EBCS&P activity in Fiscal Years
1999-2000. For the NSF Directorate of Mathematics and Physical Science's
Division of Chemistry, research proposals are also accepted for EBCS&P
activities as part of its normal review process, as well as through this
special NSF/EPA TSE activity.  Proposals submitted directly to the Chemistry
Division must be received between July 1, 1999 and January 15, 2000.

The ECM competition addresses specific aspects of the Environmentally
Conscious Manufacturing Initiative Announcement, NSF 95-91. Therefore in
Fiscal Year 1999, the ECM activity is largely subsumed in this announcement.
However, only those areas described in this solicitation will be considered;
proposals in all other ECM topic areas may be submitted under the normal
procedures for unsolicited NSF proposals (Grant Proposal Guide, NSF 99-2) to
the relevant divisions. Copies of the NSF 95-91 or 99-2 announcements are
available upon request (703-306-1330) and can also be obtained via the World
Wide Web at (http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/pubsys/browser/odbrowse.pl).

B.3 	Joint NSF and EPA Activities

Interagency Announcement of Opportunities in Metabolic Engineering: This
Announcement is described in NSF 99-85 and provides an Interagency definition
of Metabolic Engineering.  The Announcement focuses on three topic areas of
Metabolic Engineering that are of particular interest to the eight
participating agencies, including EPA and NSF.  Metabolic Engineering
proposals will not be supported in TSE and should be directed to the NSF 99-85
announcement.  All of the Research Directorates at NSF are participating in
this Activity, which is designed to allow two or more of the participating
Agencies to support projects of common interest.  The topic areas of Metabolic
Engineering mentioned in its Announcement have applications in
bio-remediation, environmentally conscious manufacturing, and pollution
prevention. Pre-Proposals are due May 17, 1999, and those Pre-Proposals that
are considered responsive to the Announcement will be invited to submit Full
Proposals.

B.4 	Other Agencies

This research solicitation can be viewed as part of an evolving national
network of Federal research support and industry collaboration that is
becoming a "research stewardship network" in Green Chemistry and Engineering.
Although still developing, a set of research plans or roadmaps is evolving
through joint efforts of federal agencies, industry and academia that can form
the basis for a coordinated research network.  A series of research workshops
to discuss research results and needs in each of several research components
or areas of Green Chemistry and Engineering is emerging.  For example,
workshops have been held or are planned addressing polymer chemistry,
catalysis, dense phase fluids, electro-technologies, bioprocessing and
bioseparations, solid/liquid separations, and synthesis and processing using
alternate resources.  These workshops, which are hosted or sponsored by
different stakeholder organizations, link directly to the industry's Vision
2020 strategy.

Information on Vision 2020 roadmaps may be found at
(http://www.ccrhq.org/v2020).

Another important part of the developing research network is the National
Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference presented by the American Chemical
Society with support from EPA, NSF and co-sponsorship by several other federal
agencies and trade and professional organizations.  This conference presents
the latest research findings and provides a forum for an annual overview of
research in these areas.  The next scheduled conference will be held on June
29-July 2, 1999, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

The federal research support programs in this area are complementary.  For
example, the research supported in this solicitation is on the more
fundamental end of the research continuum, though oriented toward long-term
improvement of environmental sustainability of the chemical and other
industries.  Collaboration with industry researchers is encouraged.  Funding
from other agencies such as the Departments of Energy and Commerce tends to
support more applied stages of research and requires collaboration and
co-funding by industry.