Environmental Protection Agency: National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet – Safe and Sustainable Water ResourcesDeadline: December 11, 2018
The People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Program supports science-based projects and designs developed by interdisciplinary student teams at colleges and universities. These projects must embody the P3 approach, which is that they have the intention and capability to simultaneously improve the quality of people’s lives, provide economic benefits, and protect the environment.
The P3 Program is composed of two phases that award grants on a competitive basis. The first phase is a competition for one-year grants to test, research, and develop innovative scientific projects or engineering designs that use the P3 approach. In the spring of 2020, the Phase I grantees awarded from this solicitation are required to present their projects/designs at the National Student Design Expo.
The P3 Program has identified the following four strategic program goals:
Goal 1: Engage and educate the next generation of scientists, engineers, and the greater academic and external communities in understanding and using the P3 approach
Goal 2: Support the development of innovative technologies that will contribute to improved social, environmental, and economic well-being, especially in communities with the greatest needs
Goal 3: Support the demonstration of P3-developed technologies to prove their effectiveness and value
Goal 4: Foster the development of enterprises that will disseminate technologies in the target communities and elsewhere
Safe and Sustainable Water Resources research grants will support research for developing innovative, cost-effective solutions to current, emerging, and long-term water resource challenges for complex chemical and biological contaminants.
EPA seeks projects that would support the development and demonstration of innovative and cost-effective solutions for the following topics:
- Technological solutions for preventing or mitigating harmful algal/cyanobacteria toxins in recreational waters and drinking water sources
- Technology for point-of-use removal of Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) families of Per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water for homes and/or from wastewater
- Methods for detecting and monitoring waterborne pathogens
- Technologies that address stormwater and wastewater infrastructure needs in small, rural, and disadvantaged communities
- Prevention and mitigation approaches to increase reuse of potable and non-potable water supplies, such as desalination units for small communities that are not based on reverse osmosis
- Basic sanitation and drinking water for homes in tribal and disadvantaged communities
- Technologies to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water systems, such as: developing simple, inexpensive tests for use in homes to check for lead in tap water; and developing water pipes that do not contain lead, that prevent the growth of biofilms, and that prevent corrosion and scaling
- Innovative and low-cost technologies for the rapid detection and treatment of antibiotic resistant bacteria in wastewater
- Novel sampling devices to collect and quantify microplastics in surface water, drinking water, sludges/biosolids and discharges from wastewater treatment systems
Amount: An anticipated $800,000 will be available for Phase I and Phase II grant awards, depending on the availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 20 grants for Phase I. The projected EPA award amount for each Phase I grant is up to $25,000 for a one-year project period. The total project period for an application submitted for a Phase I grant may not exceed one year. Upon the successful completion of Phase I, grant recipients may apply for a Phase II grant of up to $100,000 with a two-year duration, including direct and indirect costs.
Eligibility: Public and private institutions of higher education (limited to degree-granting institutions of higher education) located in the U.S. (includes eligible institutions of higher education located in U.S. territories and possessions) are eligible to apply to be the recipient of a grant to support teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students.