The United States is made up of regional systems comprising interdependent urban and rural systems and every community category between urban and rural. Urban systems are dependent on rural systems for the provisioning of food, energy, water, and other materials and natural resources, while rural systems are dependent on urban systems for markets, manufactured goods, and medical resources. These systems are also connected by ecological processes that both influence and are influenced by human behavior. The vital interconnection of urban-rural systems underscores the critical need for the advancement of sustainable regional systems (SRS). The goal of this solicitation is to fund convergent research and education that will advance sustainable regional systems science, engineering, and education to facilitate the transformation of current regional systems to enhance sustainability. To further the advancement of SRS science, engineering, and education, NSF will support Full Scale proposals and Planning Grant proposals for Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks (SRS RNs).
Sustainable regional systems are connected urban and rural systems that are transforming their structures and processes collaboratively with the goal of measurably and equitably advancing the well-being of people and the planet. The purpose of the SRS RNs competition is to develop and support interdisciplinary, multi-organizational teams of investigators and stakeholders working collaboratively to produce cutting-edge convergent research, education, and outreach that addresses grand challenges in sustainable regional systems. SRS RNs will study multiscale regional systems to further SRS science, engineering, and education. Key elements will include new data, methods, and models to understand interactions between natural, human-built, and social systems; improved understanding of interdependencies, mutual benefits, and trade-offs of different wellbeing outcomes for humans and the environment; new and generalizable theories of change relevant to SRS; the co-production of knowledge; and exploration of concepts of social equity in sustainable regional systems across spatial and temporal scales. SRS RN outcomes will have the potential to inform societal actions for sustainability across urban systems and the connected rural communities that make up regional systems.
Subject to availability of funds and quality of proposals, this SRS RN solicitation will support projects in the following categories:
SRS RNs will conduct innovative and pioneering fundamental research and education that is of a scale and complexity that would not be possible within a single organization, center, or through the normal collaborative modes of NSF research support in core programs.
Deadline: Jan. 11, 2021
Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or Co-PI: 2
No more than one for Track 1 and one for Track 2 (two total, but those two must be in separate tracks and cannot have the same project idea).
An individual may appear as PI, co-PI, or Senior Personnel on no more than one Track 1 and one Track 2 proposal submitted in response to this solicitation. Please note that these two separate proposals (Track 1 and Track 2) cannot be on the same topic.
If an individual exceeds the two-proposal limit, the first proposals received within the limit will be accepted based on earliest date and time of proposal submission, and the remainder will be returned without review. This limitation includes proposals submitted by a lead organization and any subawards involving multiple organizations. No exceptions will be made.
Estimated Number of Awards: 15 to 23
The number of awards is dependent upon the proposals received and the degree to which proposals meet the solicitation goals, NSF merit review criteria, and solicitation-specific review criteria, as well as availability of funds.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $31,000,000
31 million (up to three Full Scale awards (Track 1) as cooperative agreements, and 12-20 Planning Grants (Track 2) as standard grants)
The number of awards is dependent upon the proposals received and the degree to which proposals meet the solicitation goals, NSF merit review criteria, and solicitation-specific review criteria, as well as availability of funds.
