Search: Funding Opportunities

The National Science Foundation requests proposals for the Energy for Sustainability Program. This program supports fundamental research and education in energy production, conversion, and storage, and is focused on energy sources that are environmentally friendly and renewable, including solar, wind and biomass. For more info, contact Trung Nguyen at tnguyen@nsf.gov or go to: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501026. Refer to Sol# PD-08-7644.

UC Systemwide Funding Opportunities UC systemwide research funding opportunities available to UC faculty, researchers and graduate students. They are arranged by these categories: Arts and Humanities Social Sciences Life Sciences Physical Sciences and Engineering Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Office of Health Affairs (UCOP) Additional funding opportunities in support of research are available through state agencies, federal agencies, and through campus-specific sources.

Masters Fellowships:
Masters students should apply when they have selected a research site and will be ready to begin research the summer or fall immediately following the February application deadline.
Provides stipends of up to $7,000 for Masters research.
Eligible expenditures include living expenses in the field and transportation, communication, and other research-related expenses.
Masters Fellows must live in the study community for 3-6 months.
All Masters fellows must submit mid-term and final reports and participate in the CFERP Workshop during their fellowship year.

Predissertation Fellowships:
Predissertation students should apply the year before they anticipate writing their dissertation proposal.
Provides stipends of up to of $2,000 for Predissertation research.
Eligible expenditures include summer travel and related expenses to visit potential field sites and communities for subsequent research.
Predissertation fellows must submit a final project report and participate in the CFERP Workshop during their fellowship year.

Dissertation Fellowships:
Dissertation fellows should apply for a fellowship after they have been advanced to candidacy and are ready to spend nine months to a year in the field doing research.
Dissertation Fellows will be awarded up to $15,000 each.
Eligible expenditures include living expenses while the researcher is in the field and transportation, communication, and other research-related expenses.
Dissertation Fellows must live in the study community for 9-12 months.
All dissertation fellows must submit mid-term and final reports and participate in the CFERP Workshop twice during their fellowship year, once at the beginning and once at the end.

Key Aspects of the CFERP Program Include:

Funding for expenditures related to field research
Attendance at an annual workshop with other fellows, community members, academic advisors, CFERP program staff, and others to share research, keep abreast of theoretical and substantive issues in sustainable natural resource management in the United States, and deepen understanding of participatory research methods
Participation in a network of former CFERP fellows, community partners and resource people
Opportunities for contributing to program publications

The Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels (C2B2) is pleased to announce its inaugural Post-Doctoral Fellows Program. This program aims to attract the best early-career researchers from around the world, to focus on fundamental scientific challenges across the broad range of disciplines relevant to the renewable energy industry. Research disciplines include plant biotechnology, biochemical and thermochemical conversion technologies, as well as process, product, and systems engineering. "Fellows will be funded at $65,000/year in direct costs, which includes stipend, supplies, and travel costs. C2B2 invites applicants throughout all relevant disciplines to apply. Candidates must be sponsored by a C2B2 PI in order to submit the online application. Although, applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis, final announcements will be provided in May, 2008.

The Venture Lab CLEAN TECH Innovation Prize seeks to recognize and bring together UC Berkeley engineers and scientists working on applied research and technology with commercial potential in the field of clean technology. Prizes will be awarded to teams that best demonstrate an innovative solution to one of today's pressing clean technology problems. The competition's winners will receive recognition for the work; more than $20,000 in cash awards and prizes; and strategic networking opportunities with venture capitalists and industry leaders. The competition is open to all UC Berkeley faculty, students, and staff as well as the staff of the Lawrence Berkeley Labs. Cal alumni and others may also participate if at least one team member is currently affiliated with UC Berkeley. Semifinalists will be announced on April 1. On the evening of April 8, semifinalist teams will make short presentations to a panel of judges from the clean tech community followed by an in-depth Q&A and the announcement of the winners.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a global non-profit environmental organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists. Our staff of over 350 includes lawyers, scientists, economists, and policy analysts who work to safeguard the environment through policy and legal advocacy grounded in rigorous scientific and economic analysis. The NRDC Center for Market Innovation (CMI) engages leading corporations in order to develop market-based environmental solutions. We combine business and policy leadership to accelerate commercialization of environmental solutions (www.marketinnovation.org). Our current work with Wal-Mart, for example, includes using their sourcing and marketing power to directly improve the energy efficiency of consumer electronics while also enlisting their support for smart utility regulations that encourage energy efficiency. We are looking for talented and passionate young leaders to help us harness market forces to scale up global warming solutions through a one-year Environmental Innovation Fellowship at the CMI. Fellows will have the opportunity to work with leading policymakers, business leaders and environmental advocates to develop innovative and lasting initiatives to cost-effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fellows will be selected through a competitive application process in which we ask you to share a proposal with your innovative idea for market-based strategies to combat global warming. Selected entrants will receive a one-year fellowship with the CMI commencing in early summer 2008, with the expectation that they will devote part of their time to advancing their proposal as well as contributing to broader CMI priorities. This will be a full-time staff position with office space at NRDC and a stipend of $75,000 plus benefits. Fellows will report to the director of the CMI and will ideally be based in our New York office, though geographic flexibility may be possible in exceptional cases Application Guidelines: Applicants should submit a short PowerPoint presentation (no more than 10 slides) describing their idea as well as a resume and three references. We encourage applicants to be creative and entrepreneurial with their concepts, which should focus on new business models and associated market-enabling policies to effectively scale up existing technologies that reduce global warming pollution. A competitive entry might, for example, outline a novel business model to accelerate adoption of energy efficiency and renewables in the residential sector-including attention to key enabling policies such as rules encouraging utilities to procure both efficiency (e.g. decoupling and related incentives) and clean distributed generation (e.g. net metering and interconnection standards). Another competitive proposal might outline a strategy for originating credible carbon offsets through improved forestry or agricultural management practices within U.S. borders-including a brief sketch of essential policies within a cap and trade framework to make this workable. To be clear, we are not soliciting ideas for new technologies but rather ideas for new business models and associated market-based policies to effectively scale up existing solutions for global warming. A winning proposal should ideally include in the PowerPoint submission a concise description of the concept, size and characteristics of the target market, likely financial structures, brief sketch of key enabling policies, summary of feedback from any stakeholder interviews, key remaining questions, and suggested next steps towards eventual implementation. There is no expectation that applicants will prepare well-researched business plans with detailed backup. Rather, applications will be judged on creativity as well as the merit and feasibility of the idea. Final selection will be based on in person interviews in early April. Application Checklist: PowerPoint proposal - 10 slides or less Resume 3 professional references Who: The competition is open to any entrepreneurial graduate student, though marketed primarily to MBA students. Applicants are individuals, not teams, and we are committed to workplace diversity. Send application materials to Yerina Mugica at ymugica@nrdc.org

Is your work application oriented? Do you know students in other departments or research groups that you would like to meet with to discuss your work? Would you benefit from having a student-only discussion about your research area? Consider applying for funds to start an Idea Lab, a multidisciplinary collaboration between graduate students on campus working on developing a common application, product, or service. We are interested in supporting like minded groups in a wide range of areas, including groups that might bring together students in science, engineering, social sciences, humanities, etc.

IGERT programs provide generous stipend ($30,000 per year) and tuition support for students through the National Science Foundation

For over twenty years, the Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation has sponsored fellowships for environmental graduate students in New England and California. Each Fellowship award is $15,000 and represents an extraordinary opportunity for a few, select students. This year we will be selecting the twenty-second class of Switzer Fellows since the program was founded in 1986. The goal of the Switzer Foundation is to identify and nurture those individuals who have the ability and determination to make a significant and early impact on environmental quality. In addition to receiving financial assistance, Switzer Fellows become part of an alumni network (the Switzer Fellowship Network) of over 450 environmental professionals and past Fellows dedicated to environmental protection and improvement. The Switzer Fellowship Network is a highly respected resource locally, nationally and internationally for non-profit organizations, government agencies, and other entities. Bolstered by the Foundation’s long-term support, Switzer Fellows are using their expertise in natural and social sciences, business, law, and policy fields to sustain, restore, and steward our life support systems and create sustainable communities. In addition to the Fellowship award, Switzer Fellows gain access to other Switzer Foundation grant programs designed to advance their career development.

This Graduate Fellowship Program of the National Academies-consisting of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council-is designed to engage graduate science, engineering, medical, veterinary, business, public policy, and law students in the analytical process that informs the creation of national policy-making with a science/technology element. As a result, students develop basic skills essential to working in the world of science policy. We are pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2008 sessions. The program will comprise three 10-week sessions: Winter: January 7 through March 14 Summer: June 2 through August 8 Fall: September 8 through November 14 Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and those who have completed graduate studies or postdoctoral research within the last 5 years are eligible to apply. To apply, candidates should submit an application and request that a mentor/adviser fill out the online reference form. References can be received in advance of the application and are good for an indefinite period of time. Application materials as well as additional program information are available on the Web. The deadline for receipt of application material is November 1 for the winter program, March 1 for the summer program, and June 1 for the fall program. Candidates may apply to all three programs concurrently. Questions should be directed to: policyfellows@nas.edu.