Office of Research and Development Consolidated Research/Training/Fellowships

 

The Office of Research and Developments (ORD) Consolidated Research/Training/Fellowships program supports research and development to: (1) determine the environmental effects of air quality, drinking water, water quality, climate change, hazardous waste, toxic substances, and pesticides; (2) identify, develop, and demonstrate effective pollution control techniques to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution; (3) support risk assessments to characterize the potential adverse health effects of human exposures to environmental hazards; and (4) facilitate training and program participant support in these areas. This program may also implement special Congressionally directed projects or programs identified in EPA's annual appropriations act or committee reports incorporated by reference into the annual appropriation act. Awards made under this program further EPAs priorities supporting robust science for air, climate, and energy; safe and sustainable water resources; sustainable and healthy communities; chemical safety; and health and environmental risk assessment. Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2023: ORD's research supports EPA's strategic goals. Brief descriptions of this research are as follows: 1) Air, climate, and energy research that assesses human and ecosystem exposures and effects associated with air pollution and the consequences of climate change; 2) Safe and sustainable water resources research that provides resource management tools allowing decision makers to systematically consider complex tradeoffs occurring in a watershed on a regional or national scale, including development of innovative, cost-effective solutions to current, emerging, and long-term water resource challenges for complex chemical and biological contaminants, as well as supporting safe and adequate supplies of water; 3) Sustainable and healthy communities research that supports the Agency's efforts to protect and restore the land, and support community health; 4) Chemical safety research that underpins the analysis of risks and potential health impacts across the broad spectrum of EPA programs and provides the scientific foundation for pesticide and toxic substances programs, pollution prevention, human health risk assessment, and homeland security, leading to improved science-based approaches that build broader understanding of biology, chemical toxicity, and exposure; and 5) Health and environmental risk assessment research focusing on the science of assessments that inform Agency, state, and tribal decisions and policies. These risk assessments provide the research and technical support needed to ensure safety of chemicals in the marketplace. Undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral training and program participant support in the areas referenced above (may include: air pollution; water quality; managing chemical risks; aquatic toxicology and ecology; pollution prevention and green chemistry; biological, physical and chemical remediation; sustainability and resilience; ecosystems research; climate change, cumulative impacts; environmental research of watersheds, drinking water and wastewater; nonpoint source pollution; and invasive species). National priorities research focusing on water quality and availability. May support congressionally directed projects or programs identified in EPA's annual appropriations act or explanatory statements/committee reports incorporated by reference into the annual appropriation act. Please check the EPA website: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants for an updated listing of all solicitations.

Active 66.511 Environmental Protection Agency B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2016 No content available. Four grants/cooperative agreements were awarded in Fiscal Year 2016, covering topics such as: 1) Establishing a life cycle cost framework model for storm-water infrastructure alternatives, assessing the costs and benefits of green, grey and hybrid infrastructure.; 2) Creating a multi-tiered, web-based decision support system to examine risks of low flow in premise plumbing systems; 3) Developing a database of premise plumbing conditions and concentrations of opportunistic pathogens, disinfection byproducts, and lead; and 4) Stimulating publically available research supporting decision-makers on managing nitrogen and carbon inputs to northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries. Summary information of the funded research is available at USA Spending.Gov Database.https://www.usaspending.gov/transparency/Pages/AgencySummary.aspx?AgencyCode=6800
Fiscal Year 2017 Information is currently unavailable. Summary information of funded research will be available at USA Spending.Gov: https://www.usaspending.gov/#/
Fiscal Year 2018 NA
Fiscal Year 2019 In FY 2019: Number of applications received = 10; Number of awards made = 4
Fiscal Year 2020 Applications received- FY 20: 47. New awards- FY 20: Seven (7). For more information on accomplishments under this assistance listing, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants
Fiscal Year 2022 Applications received- FY 22: 24. New awards- FY 22: 8.
Fiscal Year 2023 Applications received- FY 23: 2. New awards- FY 23: 0. Clean Air Act, Section 103, 42 U.S.C. 7403
Clean Water Act, Section 104, 33 U.S.C. 1254
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20(a), as amended by P.L. 106-74, 7 U.S.C. 136r
Marine Protection Research Sanctuaries, Section 203
National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2)(I)
Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1
Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001, 42 U.S.C. 6981
Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10(a), as amended by P.L. 106-74, 15 U.S.C. 2609
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Section 311, 42 U.S.C. 9660
EPA's Annual Appropriations Acts
Clean Air Act, Section 104, 42 U.S.C. 7404
Clean Water Act, Section 118, 33 U.S.C. 1268 The EPA uses this assistance listing for the National Priorities Research competition under which applicant eligibility has been limited to public and private nonprofit institutions and public and private universities and colleges located in the United States, consistent with congressional intent. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. This program is available to U.S. States, territories and possessions, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments of the U.S., and the District of Columbia; public and private universities and colleges, public and private nonprofit institutions, hospitals, and laboratories located in the U.S. and its territories or possessions; State and local government departments; and foreign universities/organizations. Profit-making firms and individuals are not eligible to receive assistance agreements from the EPA under this program. Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR ? 200.1, the term nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note that 2 CFR ? 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR ? 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this program. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR ? 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible. Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status; such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611. National laboratories funded by Federal Agencies (Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers, "FFRDCs") may not apply. FFRDC employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. They may participate in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant, but may not direct projects on behalf of the applicant organization. An award recipient may provide funds through its assistance agreement from the EPA to an FFRDC for research personnel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses directly related to the research. Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on an assistance agreement. Federal employees may not receive salaries or augment their Agency's appropriations through awards made under this program unless authorized by law to receive such funding. The applicant institution may enter into an agreement with a Federal Agency to purchase or utilize unique supplies or services unavailable in the private sector to the extent authorized by law. Examples are purchase of satellite data, chemical reference standards, analyses, or use of instrumentation or other facilities not available elsewhere. A written justification for federal involvement must be included in the application. In addition, an appropriate form of assurance that documents the commitment, such as a letter of intent from the Federal Agency involved, should be included. Certain competitions may allow for early career awards. The following requirements in addition to the requirements listed above apply to early career awards. The early career awards will support research performed by Principal Investigators (PIs) with outstanding promise. PIs from eligible applicant institutions applying for the early career portion of the RFA must meet the following additional eligibility requirements: 1. By the closing date of this RFA, hold a doctoral degree (for example, a Ph.D. or equivalent) in a field related to the research being solicited; 2. Have received the doctoral degree no earlier than 10 years before the month of the closing date of this RFA; and 3. Be untenured by the closing date of this RFA. Public nonprofit institutions/organizations and private nonprofit institutions/organizations; state and local governments; Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments; U.S. territories or possessions; anyone/general public; health professionals; education professionals; students/trainees; graduate students; scientists/researchers; and foreign universities/organizations. The EPA may request that applicants demonstrate they have appropriate background, academic training, experience in the field, and necessary equipment to carry out the research. EPA may ask applicants to provide curriculum vitae and relevant publications. EPA may also ask the lead principal investigator/contact principal investigator for information documenting past performance. Preapplication coordination is required. An environmental impact statement is required for this listing. An environmental impact assessment is required for this listing. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants, except in limited circumstances approved by the Agency, must submit all initial applications for funding through Grants.gov. For competitive awards, see RFAs at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants for description of the steps for applying for assistance. For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications submissions in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements. For non-competitive awards made under this assistance listing, EPA will conduct an administrative evaluation to determine the adequacy of the application in relation to grant regulations and to technical and program evaluation to determine the merit and relevance of the project. The Agency will then advise the applicant if funding is being considered. A final work plan will then be negotiated with the applicant. Customarily, applicants are notified about award decisions within six months of the solicitation deadline. After being recommended for award, applicants will be required to submit additional certifications and may be requested to provide responses to comments or suggestions offered by the peer reviewers, a revised budget, and/or make appropriate revisions. EPA Project Officers will contact Principal Investigators to obtain these materials. The official notification of an award will be made by the Agency's Grants and Interagency Agreements Management Division. Before or after award, certain applicants will be expected to provide additional quality assurance documentation. For competitive awards, deadlines will be specified in the competitive announcement. For noncompetitive awards, contact headquarters for application deadlines. Approximately 120-180 days. Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable. Copies of these procedures may also be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures. None. For competitive awards, a standard grant application should be prepared and submitted electronically as a new grant using Grants.gov, which will be reviewed in the same manner as the original application and will compete for available funds. For non-competitive awards, a standard grant application should be prepared and submitted electronically as a new grant using Grants.gov, which will be reviewed in the same manner as the original application. The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the competitive announcement. Consistent with the merit review regulations in 2 CFR 200.205, non-competitive awards will be evaluated for merit including: the relevancy of the proposed project to EPA's strategic plan and the objectives of the program; the availability of funds within EPA; the seriousness, extent, and urgency of the environmental problems toward which the project is directed; the degree to which the project can be expected to produce results that will have general application to pollution control problems nationwide; whether the project is consistent with existing plans or ongoing planning for the project area at the State, regional, and local levels; the existence and extent of local public support for the project; whether the proposed project is environmentally sound; consistency of project objectives with the protection of human health and the environment and contributes to scientific knowledge in the topic area; overlap or duplication of proposed work with other ongoing or completed projects; the technical feasibility of the project; soundness and originality of approach and adequacy of research methods; the anticipated public benefits to be derived from the project in relation to the costs of the project; significance of anticipated results; qualifications and competency of the staff identified for the project considering their demonstrated prior performance in the proposed or other research areas; adequacy of the support offered by the applicant's organization in terms of general facilities, support personnel and services, library, specific equipment and/or facilities available to the investigator; appropriateness of the proposed project period and project budget; and probability the project will be adequately managed to ensure timely and successful achievement of the stated objectives and outputs/outcomes to achieve program goals. Funds awarded via grants/cooperative agreements are available for allowable direct cost expenditures associated with the performance of research plus allocable portions of allowable indirect costs of the institutions, in accordance with the established policies of EPA. Funds may be available to support research activities including but not limited to experiments and studies where authorized by specific statutes, in both science and engineering disciplines. Funds may also be used for training and program participant support. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA. Performance Reports: Performance Monitoring is required under this program. Requirements and frequency will be determined at time of award. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. Recipients must keep financial records, including all documents supporting entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes in grants available to personnel authorized to examine EPA recipients grants and cooperative agreements records. Recipients must maintain all records until 3 years from the date of submission of final expenditure reports as required by 2 CFR 200.334. If questions, such as those raised because of audits remain following the 3-year period, recipients must retain records until the matter is completely resolved. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary. The Office of Research and Development reserves the right to impose a cost share requirement under certain competitions. See Request for Applications (RFAs) for additional information pertaining to matching/cost share requirements. For National Priorities Research competitions, there is a potential for a 25% cost share of the federal funds awarded. This is equivalent at a minimum to 20% of the total project costs. Please refer to the specific RFA for details on whether a cost share is being applied.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Grants are normally funded for a minimum of 3 years (over 180 days). Total approved project period may not exceed 5 years. Assistance is either fully funded (lump sum) or incrementally funded on an annual basis. EPA may incrementally fund grants and cooperative agreements under this program. Approval of subsequent funding increments is dependent on satisfactory project progress, continued relevance of the project to EPA's priorities and availability of funds. Renewals and extensions of funding are not available. Individuals are encouraged to communicate with the appropriate EPA headquarters contact listed in this assistance listing or the contacts listed in the solicitation for competitive awards. Ron Josephson, Eligibility Contact
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20004 US
josephson.ron@epa.gov
Phone: 202-564-7823 https://www.epa.gov/research-grants 68-8145-0-1-304 (Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 22$12,925,000.00; FY 23 est $12,376,000.00; FY 24 est $11,561,000.00; FY 21$9,381,000.00; FY 20$14,821,000.00; FY 19$30,100,000.00; FY 18$35,410,000.00; FY 17$17,500,000.00; FY 16$22,000,000.00; - New awards range from $248,180 to $3,246,000 total per award. Average award total $750,000. 2 CFR 1500 (EPA Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards); 40 CFR Part 33 (Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in United States Environmental Protection Agency Programs); 40 CFR Part 40 (EPA Research and Demonstration Grants); 40 CFR Part 45 (EPA Training Assistance). Fiscal Year 2016 No content available. 1) Establishing a life cycle cost framework model for storm-water infrastructure alternatives, assessing the costs and benefits of green, grey and hybrid infrastructure.; 2) Creating a multi-tiered, web-based decision support system to examine risks of low flow in premise plumbing systems; 3) Developing a database of premise plumbing conditions and concentrations of opportunistic pathogens, disinfection byproducts, and lead; and 4) Stimulating publically available research supporting decision-makers on managing nitrogen and carbon inputs to northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries.
Fiscal Year 2023 No new awards have been made this fiscal year.