Opportunity Information: Apply for 17 530
Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS) is a National Science Foundation-led grant opportunity focused on research that tackles food, energy, and water as one tightly connected system rather than three separate topics. The premise is that modern society depends on these resources simultaneously, and growing demand, climate variability, land use change, uneven resource distribution, and governance pressures are creating stresses that cannot be solved well in isolation. The opportunity is aimed at understanding and improving how these coupled systems work now and how they are likely to behave in the future, while protecting ecosystem services and supporting long-term sustainability.
The program is looking for interdisciplinary and genuinely integrated projects that combine multiple dimensions of the FEW nexus. That includes built and physical systems (infrastructure, engineered technologies, efficiency improvements), natural processes (hydrology, biogeochemical cycles), biological processes (agroecosystem structure, productivity, ecology), social and behavioral dynamics (human decision-making, institutions, policy, governance), and cyber-components (sensing, networking, data systems, modeling, computation, visualization, and decision-support tools). The idea is that the most important breakthroughs will come from studying the interactions and feedbacks across these components, since many key risks and opportunities only show up when food, energy, and water are analyzed together as a complex, coupled socio-environmental system.
INFEWS lays out four core goals. First, it aims to significantly improve scientific understanding of FEW systems through quantitative, predictive, and computational modeling, including the cyberinfrastructure needed to support that work. Second, it encourages the development of real-time, cyber-enabled interfaces that can make FEW system behavior more understandable and improve decision support for managers, communities, industry, and policymakers. Third, it seeks research that leads to innovative, practical solutions to critical FEW problems, especially those related to scarcity, variability, and system stress. Fourth, it emphasizes workforce development, supporting education and professional development so more scientists and engineers are trained to study, design, and manage FEW systems in an integrated way.
A notable feature of the opportunity is its interagency cooperation model. NSF works in coordination with the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) and potentially other partners to pool resources, reduce duplicated efforts, and fund projects with high potential impact that align with participating agencies missions. This is positioned as a way to accelerate progress on what the solicitation frames as a major challenge of this century: anticipating and managing the consequences of FEW interdependencies and planning proactively for future conditions.
The solicitation also encourages international collaboration when it clearly strengthens the research, for example by bringing in unique expertise, specialized facilities, distinctive datasets, or access to important field sites outside the United States. In general, non-US partners are expected to be supported through non-NSF funding sources, though NSF notes that specific international partnership mechanisms exist for certain countries or organizations and provides a reference page listing those coordinated opportunities.
Key administrative details from the announcement include that this is a discretionary grant program administered by NSF (Funding Opportunity Number 17-530). The listed award ceiling is $2,500,000, with an expectation of around 30 awards. The original closing date shown in the source text is March 6, 2017, and interested applicants were directed to submit questions to INFEWSquestions@nsf.gov. Eligibility is described broadly as "others" with additional clarification in the full announcement, and the opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers spanning NSF and USDA research areas, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of the program.Apply for 17 530
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.310, 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 06, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 06, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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INFEWS Grant Opportunity (NSF 17-530) FAQs
What is the INFEWS grant opportunity?
Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS) is a National Science Foundation-led grant opportunity supporting research that treats food, energy, and water as one tightly connected system. The program is designed to improve understanding of how these coupled systems function now and how they may behave in the future, with an emphasis on long-term sustainability and protecting ecosystem services.
What does it mean to study food, energy, and water as a "nexus"?
In this program, the "nexus" framing means analyzing food, energy, and water together rather than as separate topics. The solicitation highlights that many real-world stresses and tradeoffs only become clear when these resources are studied as a complex, coupled socio-environmental system with interactions and feedbacks across physical, natural, biological, social, and cyber components.
Why is INFEWS focused on integrated FEW systems instead of isolated topics?
The opportunity is motivated by growing demand, climate variability, land use change, uneven resource distribution, and governance pressures. According to the solicitation summary, these stresses cannot be solved well in isolation because decisions in one domain (food, energy, or water) can create ripple effects in the others.
What kinds of projects is INFEWS looking to fund?
INFEWS is looking for interdisciplinary and genuinely integrated projects that combine multiple dimensions of the food-energy-water nexus. The program emphasizes that breakthroughs are expected to come from studying interactions and feedbacks across components, rather than treating them as separate workstreams.
What research dimensions or components are explicitly in scope?
The solicitation describes integrated projects that may include:
- Built and physical systems (infrastructure, engineered technologies, efficiency improvements)
- Natural processes (hydrology, biogeochemical cycles)
- Biological processes (agroecosystem structure, productivity, ecology)
- Social and behavioral dynamics (human decision-making, institutions, policy, governance)
- Cyber-components (sensing, networking, data systems, modeling, computation, visualization, decision-support tools)
Is the program more focused on basic understanding or on practical solutions?
Based on the stated goals, it supports both. INFEWS aims to improve scientific understanding through quantitative and predictive approaches, and it also seeks innovative, practical solutions to critical FEW problems, especially around scarcity, variability, and system stress.
What are the core goals of the INFEWS program?
The program lays out four core goals:
- Improve scientific understanding of FEW systems through quantitative, predictive, and computational modeling, including supporting cyberinfrastructure.
- Develop real-time, cyber-enabled interfaces that make FEW system behavior more understandable and strengthen decision support for managers, communities, industry, and policymakers.
- Produce research leading to innovative, practical solutions to critical FEW problems, especially related to scarcity, variability, and system stress.
- Support workforce development through education and professional development to train scientists and engineers to study, design, and manage FEW systems in an integrated way.
How important is modeling and computation in INFEWS?
Modeling and computation are central. The program explicitly calls for quantitative, predictive, and computational modeling of FEW systems, along with the cyberinfrastructure needed to support that work.
Does INFEWS support decision-support tools and real-time interfaces?
Yes. One of the core goals is to encourage real-time, cyber-enabled interfaces that can improve understanding of FEW system behavior and enhance decision support for a range of users, including managers, communities, industry, and policymakers.
What kinds of FEW challenges does INFEWS prioritize?
The solicitation highlights critical problems tied to scarcity, variability, and system stress, and frames the broader challenge as anticipating and managing the consequences of FEW interdependencies while planning proactively for future conditions.
Is workforce development part of what INFEWS wants to achieve?
Yes. Workforce development is one of the four stated goals. The program emphasizes education and professional development to expand the number of scientists and engineers prepared to work on FEW systems in an integrated way.
Which agencies are involved in this opportunity?
The opportunity is NSF-led and described as using an interagency cooperation model. NSF coordinates with the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) and potentially other partners to pool resources, reduce duplication, and support high-impact projects aligned with participating agencies' missions.
Why does the solicitation emphasize interagency cooperation?
The stated intent is to pool resources, reduce duplicated efforts, and accelerate progress on high-impact FEW research. The solicitation positions this as a way to address what it calls a major challenge of this century: managing FEW interdependencies and planning for future conditions.
Are international collaborations allowed or encouraged?
International collaboration is encouraged when it clearly strengthens the research, such as by adding unique expertise, specialized facilities, distinctive datasets, or access to key field sites outside the United States.
How are non-US partners expected to be funded?
In general, non-US partners are expected to be supported through non-NSF funding sources. The announcement also notes that specific international partnership mechanisms exist for certain countries or organizations and references a page listing coordinated opportunities.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number provided is 17-530.
What type of grant program is this?
It is described as a discretionary grant program administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
What is the maximum (ceiling) award amount listed in the announcement?
The listed award ceiling is $2,500,000.
About how many awards were expected?
The announcement states an expectation of around 30 awards.
What was the closing date shown in the source text?
The original closing date shown is March 6, 2017.
Where were applicants directed to send questions?
Questions were directed to INFEWSquestions@nsf.gov.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described broadly as "others", with additional clarification referenced as being available in the full announcement.
Are CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity?
Yes. The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers spanning NSF and USDA research areas, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of the program.
What is the overall emphasis of the solicitation?
The solicitation emphasizes integrated, interdisciplinary work that analyzes food, energy, and water together as a coupled system, with particular focus on interactions, feedbacks, predictive understanding, cyber-enabled tools, practical solutions, and training the next generation of FEW researchers and practitioners.
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| Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, Great Rivers CESU Apply for G17AS00028 Funding Number: G17AS00028 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $186,606 |
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| Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program: Community Living and Participation (Development) Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR DPCP 0198 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR DPCP 0198 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Critical Techniques, Technologies and Methodologies for Advancing Foundations and Applications of Big Data Sciences and Engineering Apply for 17 534 Funding Number: 17 534 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Subsurface Biogeochemical Research Apply for DE FOA 0001724 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001724 Agency: Department of Energy - Office of Science, Office of Science Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $600,000 |
| STEM + Computing Partnerships Apply for 17 535 Funding Number: 17 535 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| Cyber-Physical Systems Apply for 17 529 Funding Number: 17 529 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $7,000,000 |
| Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Program - Policy Research Fellowship Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR ARPO 0196 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR ARPO 0196 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $150,000 |
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