CRDF Global: 2017 U.S. – Russian University Alternative Energy Research Competition

Deadline: 20 April 2017

CRDF Global is currently accepting proposals from joint teams of U.S. and Russian researchers employed by U.S. and Russian Universities focusing on alternative energy research as it applies directly to the following:

Renewable and alternative energy for electricity (solar, wind, wave, geothermal)
Renewable and alternative energy for fuels (chemical and biofuels)

Research projects may address any aspect of alternative energy production within these two sub-topics, including improved efficiency, novel approaches to energy production, and/or improvement of energy storage devices.

This competition is sponsored by CRDF Global with funding provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of State.

Goals

The primary goals of the competition are to:

Support high-quality, innovative international research by teams of U.S. and Russian researchers in alternative energy.
Encourage diversity in the international science community, and
Establish sustainable joint U.S. – Russia university research collaborations.

Award Information

Grant awards, each up to $50,000 USD, will be made to research teams of U.S. scientists working on a collaborative research project with counterparts located at a Russian University.
Grants will be made over one year with the possibility of a no-cost extension.

Eligibility Criteria

The Research Team must be comprised of scientists employed at a U.S. academic institution, hereafter referred to as the Primary Institution. This research team must be in the process of collaborating or plan to collaborate with a team of scientists employed at a Russian University to conduct the research described in the proposal.
- Note: While the expectation is that U.S. teams will work with Russian collaborators, Russian partners must be funded separately. No award funds may be utilized to support the Russian team.
All proposals must include one PI:
- Possessing the degree of Ph.D., M.D., or the equivalent research experience and
- Have at least five (5) scientific publications in peer-reviewed scientific literature (or show an equivalent measure of scientific capacity)
The PI and participants 1) must be legally employed by a U.S. university and 2) must reside in the U.S. during the course of the CRDF Global project. Graduate students on the U.S. team may be foreign nationals, but they must be enrolled full-time in an accredited degree program at the U.S. institution.
All projects must be oriented toward non-military objectives and must be carried out in a civilian research environment.
All proposals must include participation by at least one student/postdoctoral researcher who will make substantive contributions to the research while receiving practical opportunities for professional development in the natural sciences or engineering. These opportunities should be described in the “Student/Post-Doctoral Researcher Mentorship Plan”
All projects must focus on basic research targeting the areas of alternative energy research listed on the website.
Investigators from U.S. institutions other than the Primary Institution may be included as collaborators at the discretion of the PI. Collaborators whose institutions are requesting project funds should be designated as Secondary Institutions.