NSFBAA-CA23-01 Solicitation.pdf

NSF Convergence Accelerator 2023 Cohort

Phases 1 and 2 for Tracks K, L, and M

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

1 Introduction

1.1 Background

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator program addresses national-scale societal and economic challenges through use-inspired convergence research. Using a convergence approach and innovation processes like human-centered design, user discovery, as well as team science and integration of multidisciplinary research, the Convergence Accelerator program seeks to transition basic research and discovery into practice – to solve high-impact societal challenges aligned with specific convergent research themes – Track K: Equitable Water Solutions; Track L:

Real-World Chemical Sensing Applications; and Track M: Bio-Inspired Design Innovations.

NSF Convergence Accelerator track themes are chosen in concordance with the themes identified during the program’s ideation process that aligns with topics that have the potential for significant national impact. The NSF Convergence Accelerator implements a two-phase program. Phase 1 awardees receive resources to further develop their convergence research ideas into an initial proof of concept and to identify important partnerships and resources to accelerate their projects. Phase 2 awardees receive significant resources leading to deliverable research prototypes and sustainability plans.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of the NSF Convergence Accelerator is to provide research opportunities to U.S. for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education, and their partners, to conduct a variety of research projects that will support the strategic objectives of the NSF. The NSF Convergence Accelerator implements a two-phase program. Both phases of the program’s convergence research are described in this Broad Agency Announcement and the corresponding program solicitation that can be found here: (LINK). The purpose of this BAA funding opportunity is to provide increased opportunities for proposals that are led by for‑profit, non-profit or similar organizations. Proposals that are led by Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations should respond to the parallel solicitation.

This BAA supports both, US-only proposals and US-led proposals with international participants, and

– for Track L ONLY (see below and Section 3.3) – Sweden-led proposals.

For Track L ONLY:

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) and Vinnova are providing sponsorship for the participation of Swedish partners as specified below, either as a Principal Investigator or as a team member, in Track L. For this track only, the Principal Investigator may be a Swedish entity. All proposals that include Swedish entities that wish to be eligible for Vetenskapsrådet/Vinnova funding, whether as Principal Investigators or as partners in a US-based team, are required to submit a Letter https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/convergent.jsp https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/convergence-accelerator/program-model https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf23590 https://www.vr.se/english.html https://www.vinnova.se/en/ of Intent to NSF, as specified below, and additional information to Vetenskapsrådet/Vinnova at https://vinnova.se/nsf-convergence-accelerator. Please see Sections 2.2.3, 3.3, 3.5.2, 3.5.3, 4., 5.1.8, 6.6, 6.9, and 7.8 for further information about Swedish participation in Track L.

NOTE: Awards in response to this BAA will be contracts. Proposals led by for-profit, non-profits or similar organizations should respond to this BAA. Proposals that are led by Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations may prefer to respond to the concurrent program solicitation for Tracks K, L, and M (LINK). Once a team has submitted a Phase 1 proposal either in response to the BAA or the solicitation, that team will not be permitted to switch to the other funding mechanism.

1.3 Convergence Research Phase 1 and Phase 2

The NSF Convergence Accelerator implements a two-phase convergence research program designed to accelerate innovation ideation by merging approaches and techniques from a wide and diverse range of disciplines, expertise, and sectors. The overarching program goal is to address national, societal, and economic challenges with high-impact solutions. Through an intense hands-on journey, funded teams synergize their work through facilitated collaboration, partnerships, mentorship, and the program’s innovation curriculum. Solution examples may include integration of new resources into existing systems, production of open-source tools and knowledge products, and expansion of solutions into new or existing markets.

Phase 1: Learning + Applying the Convergence Accelerator Fundamentals, Convergence Research Planning Phase 1 funding is up to $750,000 for 12 months duration. It supports nine months of planning effort to further develop the initial concept, identify new team members and partners, participate in the program’s innovation curriculum, and refine an initial prototype. The innovation curriculum consists of training with professional experts and coaches in human-centered design, team science, inter-team communications, storytelling, and pitch preparation – all of which are essential components of the Convergence Accelerator’s model.

Phase 1 efforts will focus on research plan development as well as team formation leading to a proof-of-concept and will include NSF-organized convenings for training and cross-cohort collaboration.

The Phase 1 innovation curriculum is a significant time investment with weekly participation of all partners. A sample of the program’s Innovation Curriculum schedule can be found here.

In addition to weekly engagement, over the course of seven months of the curriculum, teams will also be expected to complete milestone assignments and deliverables, which include conducting and synthesizing user interviews, creating low-fidelity prototypes and obtaining feedback from stakeholders, developing a Collaboration Agreement amongst all partners, and designing marketing and communication materials including presentations, logos, informational videos, and pitch presentations. A sample of the program’s Innovation Curriculum deliverables schedule can be found here.

After nine months of effort, Phase 1 teams participate in a proposal and pitch presentation process, which is used in selecting teams for Phase 2.

Phase 2: Continued Application of the Convergence Accelerator Fundamentals, Prototyping and Sustainability Planning https://vinnova.se/nsf-convergence-accelerator https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf23590 https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Sample%20of%20NSF%20Convergence%20Accelerator%20Phase%201%20Innovation%20Curriculum%20schedule_508.pdf?VersionId=vqP4w1.bwpm6Zp8DL9Io2xqu6UXjHjSv https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Sample%20of%20NSF%20Convergence%20Accelerator%20Phase%201%20Innovation%20Curriculum%20deliverables_508.pdf?VersionId=6b1Mjj0TVDThUqlZVV1Y7UMcDfzMS2cf

Selected teams from Phase 1 will proceed to Phase 2, with potential funding of up to $5 Million as a contract for 24 months. Phase 2 teams will continue to apply Convergence Accelerator fundamentals, including identifying new team members and end-user partnerships to further develop solution prototypes and to build a sustainability model to continue impact beyond NSF support. Teams will also participate in an execution and sustainment curriculum that includes product development, intellectual property, financial resources, sustainability planning, and communications and outreach.

At the 12-month mark of Phase 2, the Convergence Accelerator will review the team projects to assess whether each team is working towards the expected deliverables. Assessments from the reviewers will be shared with the team along with the guidance/decision for the next steps. At the end of Phase 2, teams are expected to provide/demonstrate outcomes/solutions that were part of the proposal and which impact societal and economic needs and challenges at scale and are sustainable beyond NSF support.

1.4 Components of the NSF Convergence Accelerator

Convergence Research Research and development efforts proposed must represent the highest level of multidisciplinary expertise and convergence research needed to encompass the full scope of the topic selected. A core program goal is transition to practice. Therefore, projects need to include personnel with expertise relevant to applications and use, as well as the technologies themselves. Teams must include the necessary expertise in appropriate areas of the physical sciences, math, engineering, data and computer sciences, biological sciences, geological sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and general education and science education, and other disciplines necessary to ensure success.

Partnerships Convergence Accelerator projects should embody use-inspired research that seeks to accelerate research to practice in ways that benefit society at scale. The Convergence Accelerator program requires cross-cutting partnerships to strengthen and synergize solutions. Partnerships can take many shapes and can be developed with many types of organizations from academia, industry, government, non-profit, and other sectors, to ensure that research efforts are use-inspired and have a clear path to transition to practice. Therefore, stakeholders from multiple types of organizations and sectors must be involved in ways that allow the project to identify and work with end-users. Partnerships may take many forms and benefits of partnerships may include end-user insights, resources, services, infrastructure, and transition-to-practice pathways.

Deliverables Proposers must clearly identify the deliverables that will result from the proposed project and describe how those outputs will address national societal and economic challenges; and benefit society at scale. While deliverables may take many forms (e.g., hardware, software, data, services, processes, protocols, standards, and more) projects must clearly articulate how benefits to society would result from deliverables developed by the end of Phase 2.

Track Alignment The proposed effort must clearly match the goals described in the track description. Track alignment and contributions to track success must be similarly described. The proposer must clearly outline both the Track relevance (fit within the overall Track topic or specific subtopic) and, also, how the https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/convergent.jsp proposed work fits into the overall goals of that Track to enable the transition of convergence research into practice.

Broadening Participation in the NSF Convergence Accelerator NSF welcomes submission of proposals to this funding opportunity that include the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM, e.g., as PI, co-PI, senior personnel, postdoctoral scholars, graduate or undergraduate students, or trainees. Broadening participation is a critical element to a successful Convergence Accelerator project capturing a diverse set of perspectives, ideas, and strengths. The Convergence Accelerator focuses on key elements (e.g., end-users, impact, convergence, acceleration, and deliverables), which includes capturing all team member perspectives and expertise when determining the deliverables and project impact to society at scale.

This BAA requires that each project, in both Phase 1 and Phase 2, include a Broadening Participation Plan (under Broader Impacts) that describes activities that will be undertaken to include the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM in the project’s research efforts.

Examples of ways to engage groups and/or individuals that are underrepresented may include:

through the expertise of personnel, via partnerships, through work with users and user groups, via engagement with stakeholders, through use of datasets that represent information about underrepresented groups, etc.

The Broadening Participation Plan must include:

1. Context: Does the plan describe a goal using institutional or local data?

2. Strategy: Does the plan describe a strategy to include the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM? Is there a clear role for each Principal Investigator (PI) and co- Principal Investigator (co-PI)?

3. Preparation: Does the plan describe how the PI is prepared (or will prepare or collaborate) to do the proposed work? Does the plan highlight prior experience with broadening participation?

4. Measurement: Is there a plan to measure and disseminate the outcome(s) of the activities?

NSF encourages partnerships that include IHEs in Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) jurisdictions, Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) (see, https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html) accredited in, and having a campus located in the U.S., acting on behalf of their faculty members. We particularly encourage partnerships with NSF INCLUDES Alliances and/or the National Network.

More information, including potential metrics for activities and examples, can be found at the following links:

https://nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg https://www.nsf.gov/od/broadeningparticipation/bp.jsp https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/epscor https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/epscor https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/includes.jsp https://nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg https://www.nsf.gov/od/broadeningparticipation/bp.jsp https://www.nsf.gov/od/broadeningparticipation/resources/BIO_BroadeningParticipation_2021_BR_ v1Bmt_508_Final.pdf https://www.nsf.gov/mps/broadening_participation/index.jsp https://www.nsf.gov/cise/bpc/

2. Research Areas

For the 2023 Convergence Accelerator Cohort, Phase 1 and Phase 2 topics are as follows:

2.1 Track K: Equitable Water Solutions

2.1.1 Research Background

The objective of NSF’s Convergence Accelerator Track K: Equitable Water Solutions is to catalyze convergent partnerships in pursuit of engaged and sustainable solutions that address water quality, quantity, equity, and policy. This track was selected based on an urgent need to develop solutions to the significant challenges facing freshwater systems in the United States, and the world, and draws upon the results of two NSF-funded workshops: Managing Water for a Changing Planet and Climate Resilience and Water Resources. Proposals in this track should build upon foundational knowledge and advancements in environmental sciences, geosciences, engineering, computing, social and behavioral sciences, as well as other areas to develop viable solutions for water quality, quantity, and equity issues.

Access to fit-for-purpose freshwater is one of the major challenges facing growing populations as climate change continues to drive changes in regional precipitation patterns, according to the United Nations’ article Water – at the center of the climate crisis. In some cases, this means reduced availability and access to drinking water. In other cases, water is overabundant, causing deleterious impacts on human populations, agricultural activities, ecosystems, and infrastructure. Additionally, even where water is accessible, there are major ongoing concerns about water quality, especially in areas with historic and ongoing water contamination and saltwater intrusion due to rising sea levels, as noted in a Centers for Disease Control Prevention report on the Flint water crisis.

These changes and challenges to water systems have been thoroughly described by international and U.S. experts. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensuring Access to Water and Sanitation has been a critical topic. The report from a working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (2022) further highlights the key impacts that climate change is having on freshwater systems. There is evidence that temperatures are rising in lakes and streams, surface ice is less prevalent, and melting is occurring earlier in the spring season leading to ongoing concerns about water quality, quantity, and equity. There are often related challenges of infrastructure upgrades to public services, including drinking water and waste water.

The lack of access to clean, safe water has the potential to impact many elements of thriving communities. As access to these resources is reduced, populations must be able to adapt and respond to this reduced access. Populations that are under-resourced have the least capacity to respond to these challenges and therefore are a special focus of this track.

The U.S. has launched a National Nature Assessment which recognizes the significant and interconnected role of nature in climate change and the need to value nature to engage and also utilize the outputs of this work. While this is a recent effort, it may be an opportunity for researchers to https://www.nsf.gov/od/broadeningparticipation/resources/BIO_BroadeningParticipation_2021_BR_v1Bmt_508_Final.pdf https://www.nsf.gov/od/broadeningparticipation/resources/BIO_BroadeningParticipation_2021_BR_v1Bmt_508_Final.pdf https://www.nsf.gov/mps/broadening_participation/index.jsp https://www.nsf.gov/cise/bpc/ https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Managing%20Water%20for%20a%20Changing%20Planet%20Workshop%20Report_2231723_October-November%202022_Final508.pdf?VersionId=ZwZ8OugnussYTBfPQrbyKYX8UDfIswQn https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Climate%20Resilience%20and%20Water%20Resources%20Workshop%20Report_2231916_October%202022_Final.508.pdf?VersionId=1TCWsJleSS.YkhWNecYl5PdfkQ8EaO5h https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Climate%20Resilience%20and%20Water%20Resources%20Workshop%20Report_2231916_October%202022_Final.508.pdf?VersionId=1TCWsJleSS.YkhWNecYl5PdfkQ8EaO5h https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/water https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/casper/pdf-html/flint_water_crisis_pdf.html https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/ https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/ https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6/wg2/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FullReport.pdf https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6/wg2/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FullReport.pdf https://www.globalchange.gov/nna engage. There are also organizations, such as the US Water Alliance, that are developing resources that provide examples of the type of multi-sector partnerships that the NSF Convergence Accelerator is championing.

Environmental changes have a significant impact on human health and wellbeing, especially for vulnerable and exposed populations that rely upon diminishing drinking water resources. Water security is a key factor in resilience planning for most U.S. population centers, especially in the western half of the country, which is highlighted as a critical geographical area of concern internationally (U.S. Department of the Interior Report). The quality of drinking water is impacted by scarcity due to warmer and dryer weather patterns, but also negatively impacted by extreme storm events where contaminants are washed into community water systems and infrastructure.

Additionally, agriculture, which is estimated to use 42-64% of freshwater resources in the U.S.

(USGS Estimated Use of Water in the United States), is significantly impacted by the changing climate with many regions experiencing dryer and hotter seasons, leading to additional use of already stretched water resources. Producers are utilizing adaptive strategies, such as planting drought and heat tolerant species that require less water, but even with these strategies, agriculture continues to be the major use of freshwater resources. Other industries that rely on freshwater resources include the energy sector, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, but there are many others.

Track K was developed with these factors and complexities in mind. Successful proposals will acknowledge the complex, challenging systems that are driving lack of access to water as well as the complex systems that must work together for effective solutions beneficial to society-at-scale. While it is not a requirement for a successful proposal, innovations from many NSF programs may be leveraged in pursuit of these goals including programs from various directorates and cross-cutting programs such as the Hydrologic Sciences Program (HS), Biodiversity on a Changing Planet (BoCP), Critical Aspects of Sustainability (CAS), Long Term Ecological Research (LTER), National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Environmental Engineering and others.

Partnerships and Engagements: Proposals submitted to this track should leverage not only national and international expertise, but also engage local communities to understand and address the most pressing challenges related to water access, equity, and security. Projects that partner with and enhance water access for under-resourced communities are encouraged.

Partnerships engaging key stakeholders within federal, regional, state, local, and tribal agencies outside of NSF that focus on water resources should be considered. This could include investigator-initiated partnerships with a wide range of federal agencies such as, for instance, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Department of Energy (DOE) among other federal agencies, as well as regional, state, local, and tribal entities with responsibility for managing water resources. Investigators are encouraged to connect with resources being developed through these more operational investments.

Private for-profit and nonprofit partners are encouraged to participate in this track. Not only are many elements of water resources managed by private entities and individuals, but the private sector also has significant expertise in the development of tools and technologies to address water issues.

https://uswateralliance.org/one-water https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-announces-actions-protect-colorado-river-system-sets-2023 https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1441/circ1441.pdf

This track serves as a platform for multidisciplinary teams to develop real-world solutions that address environmental justice challenges with water distribution, the safety of the water supply, and inequalities in the allocation of water resources.

2.1.2 Tasks and Deliverables

NSF is interested in solutions that leverage existing knowledge and infrastructure (physical and social) to address pressing water-related societal and economic challenges by developing novel solutions. Teams selected for this track will be expected to engage deeply with communities and decision makers in co-designing solutions. Through the Convergence Accelerator Phase 1 innovation curriculum, teams will develop cohesive end-user driven solutions that leverage expertise while integrating feedback from various sources including end-users, experts, policy makers, and others.

Solutions must be socially, economically and culturally appropriate in order to realize the goal of wide-spread adoption. Because watersheds cross governance boundaries, successful solutions must have approaches to address disparate laws, policies, regulations, and infrastructure of various localities. Teams are encouraged to be transformative in their goals and include water literacy, education and workforce development efforts that lead to new and innovative solutions to the water crisis that are accessible to all.

2.1.3 Outcomes

The outcomes from this effort are expected to support sustainable, resilient water systems into the future. Ultimately, successful solutions will be able to be fully integrated into existing structures while addressing one or more challenges facing the future of water resource management, quality, supply, and equity.

Broad topics within this track may include – but are not limited to – solutions that support:

• Design of sustainable water supply systems by delivering novel, effective, unbiased data-driven decision support tools – leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning

– and other novel technical solutions, e.g., filtration devices, and new materials for transportation and storage among others.

• Development of tools, technologies, and approaches to address watersheds as a whole.

Specifically in relation to water distribution, the safety of the water supply, and inequalities in the allocation of water resources are of interest, including new computational and technical as well as social and behavioral solutions to water sharing, such as quality and quantity projections and economic models.

• Creation of equitable access and engagement with freshwater resources, including engagement through training and workforce development, new models, and new technical solutions.

• Creation of solutions to respond to disturbances and disasters involving freshwater supplies including solutions that enable access to drinking water and remediation solutions.

2.2 Track L: Real-World Chemical Sensing Applications

2.2.1 Research Background

This track focuses on development of use-inspired, innovative, robust, energy-efficient, miniaturized/portable biological and chemical sensors that demonstrate a clear potential for deployment in real-world applications. The track builds on the wealth of foundational knowledge and recent advances in olfaction and chemical sensing, sensor technologies, digital olfaction, AI, neuromorphic systems, computational modeling, biomanufacturing, and robotics. The overarching track goal is to transform these scientific discoveries and technological innovations into practice with societal and/or economic benefits. This includes accelerating the development of biological and chemical sensor systems for deployment in areas of environmental sensing, agriculture and food production, homeland security, and human health and wellness. This topic was chosen based, in part, on two NSF-funded workshops: Frontiers in Chemical Sensing: Synthetic, Neuromorphic and Cyborg Systems, and Chemical Sensing with an Olfaction Analogue: High-dimensional, Bio-inspired Sensing and Computation.

Challenges related to environmental quality, natural resources, industrial agriculture, food safety and quality, disease and medicine, personal care and safety, and biological, chemical, and nuclear terrorism and other adversarial threats pose a burden for many sectors of the U.S. economy and society. For instance, poor air quality is estimated to result in 100,000 premature deaths annually and costs the nation approximately $150 billion per year (National Weather Service). Thousands of chemical, gas, and oil spills occur on U.S. land and in its waters each year, and endanger human, animal, and plant health and the environment (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency). Food spoilage is a principal driver of food loss and cost the nation about $162 billion in 2010 (U.S. Department of Agriculture; NASEM Report on National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste), and each year, 48 million people get sick from foodborne illnesses, typically attributable to contamination by bacteria, fungi, or viruses (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Each of these challenges is associated with chemical signatures, but these signatures often are difficult to detect because they are dynamic and complex, present at very low concentrations, and embedded in complex chemical backgrounds. Solutions to the problem of robust, reliable, and efficient chemical detection and identification can be found in biological systems. Many animals have evolved exquisite sensors, sensory representations, algorithms, and architectures to efficiently and reliably detect, decode, and make use of chemical signals across a wide concertation range in diverse, complex environments. The outstanding chemical sensing capabilities of animals are deployed regularly to address societal challenges. For instance, dogs are used routinely at airports to screen for illicit drugs and explosives (U.S. Transportation Security Administration), and their capabilities to differentiate between chemical signatures emitted by patients with various types of cancer or communicable diseases, such as COVID- 19, and healthy controls have been used in medical disease diagnostics. However, the use of animals to accomplish the chemical detection, localization, and monitoring tasks faced by our nation is not cost-effective, cannot be applied to all situations, and does not lend itself to automation and use at large scale. The development of advanced, robust chemical sensing and identification technologies that operate with the high accuracy, speed, and reliability comparable to biological chemical detection systems and that can be made available at scale would benefit our ability immensely to address many of the nation’s challenges related to the environment, food and agriculture, health and personal care, and safety and security.

Recognizing the opportunity for addressing these challenges by leveraging insights and advances in biological chemical sensing, synthetic biology, chemistry, physics, computing, AI and data science, material science, manufacturing, and robotics, Track L of the NSF Convergence Accelerator seeks proposals that bring together expertise from across these disciplines to develop innovative, transformative tools and resources for large-scale chemical sensing in real-world settings. This track seeks synergistic projects from experts in olfaction and other biological sensing, neuroscience, gene editing, synthetic biology, olfactory digitization and electronic nose technologies, materials science, physics, chemistry, geochemistry, analyte preparation technologies, signal transduction technologies, biomanufacturing, flexible/printed electronics, https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Frontiers%20in%20Chemical%20Sensing%20Synthetic%2C%20Neuromorphic%2C%20and%20Cyborg%20Systems%20Workshop%20Report_2231526_October%202022_Final.508.pdf?VersionId=8H2xsmwU6oU1S77A8HiyysNKaY1fFBLK https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Chemical%20Sensing%20with%20an%20Olfaction%20Analogue%20High-dimensional%2C%20Bio-inspired%20Sensing%20and%20Computation%20Workshop%20Report_2231512_October%202022_Final.508.pdf?VersionId=rzCxtbpkq5Mn17xWNXvizOxIokivaYei https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Chemical%20Sensing%20with%20an%20Olfaction%20Analogue%20High-dimensional%2C%20Bio-inspired%20Sensing%20and%20Computation%20Workshop%20Report_2231512_October%202022_Final.508.pdf?VersionId=rzCxtbpkq5Mn17xWNXvizOxIokivaYei https://www.weather.gov/safety/airquality https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/contaminated-land https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/spills/ https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/spills/ https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/food-loss/ https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/25876/Food%20Waste.pdf https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/25876/Food%20Waste.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/factsheets/tsa-canine-training-center bio-hybrid systems, neuromorphic systems, detection algorithms, AI, machine learning, data science, brain-machine interfaces, and robotics, who work in academia or are stakeholders in government and industry, including those specialized in environmental, safety, security, agriculture, food, health, and personal wellness/health and related issues. While it is not a requirement for a successful proposal, innovations from many NSF programs may be leveraged in pursuit of these goals including programs from various directorates and cross-cutting programs in or related to Biosensing, Communications, Circuits, and Sensing- Systems (CCSS), and other programs including but not limited to Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Partnerships and Engagements: Proposals submitted to this track should integrate expertise, insights, methods, facilities, and tools from multiple disciplines. Direct participation by government and industry partners and other stakeholder organizations, especially those that have a need for specific applications of biological and chemical sensors with an eye on speeding up the deployment of the sensor systems in real-world conditions, is strongly encouraged.

Leveraging resources and projects from industry, national laboratories, and/or federal, state, local, and tribal agencies, and non-profits, is encouraged but not required. Involvement of these organizations will increase the likelihood of ultimately translating innovative biological and chemical sensor technologies/methods/findings into implemented solutions. Proposals should be explicit on how diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility will be incorporated into the overall project.

2.2.2 Tasks and Deliverables

The goal of this track is to accelerate the development of tools and resources that facilitate cost-effective, versatile large-scale monitoring, rapid analysis, and classification of volatile compounds in indoor and outdoor environments, including air, water, and soil, for application to real-world challenges, ranging from climate change to safety and homeland security to health and personal care.

The deliverables and associated tasks for this track may include, but are not limited to:

• Miniaturized, mobile sensor devices and integrated analysis methods; calibration techniques and benchmarking; big data sets for machine olfaction and other purposes; data management platforms; systems or devices that leverage olfactory coding or architectures; and computational models to improve sensor function, inter-device transferability, and source localization in the field.

• An engineering framework for the predictable construction of a new generation of biosensors to detect hazardous chemicals and pathogens in the air, water resources, food, and other media.

Complementing advancements in sensor and volatile organic compound (VOC) identification technologies, such as various types of high-resolution mass spectrometry, optical spectrometry, electrochemistry, bio-hybrid systems, etc., can lead to these novel biosensors.

• A new class of bioreporters based on genetically modified microorganisms might be developed in which the detection of a specific target analyte is linked to a detectable response, such as the expression states of target genes.

• Building on advancements in signal processing, machine learning, mathematical modeling, and neuromorphic computing, significant results might be achieved through the development of high-dimensional pattern recognition models to facilitate complex signal classification and digitization, and fate and transfer models to improve real-time source localization and monitoring.

2.2.3 Outcomes

The resulting collaborative projects should make significant contributions toward the goal of large-scale, cost-effective automation of the detection and identification of a few molecules among thousands, rendering the vast chemical world visible, and enabling rapid diagnosis, monitoring, and forecasting before, when, or after problems arise.

The following types of outcomes are expected from the cohort of projects funded through this track.

• Development of field-deployable biological or chemical sensing systems that can operate in air, water, or soil and hazardous or difficult to access environments. These will be based on building on advances in sample collection/concentration, autonomous or teleoperated robotics, bio-hybrid systems, miniature biological and chemical sensors, and battery and wireless technologies.

• Open repositories for big datasets generated with the participation of and exploitable by the broader community of researchers, developers, and users of biological and chemical sensor and digital olfaction systems in various industries, academia, and government are encouraged as well.

• Significant improvements in sensor applicability, performance, and scalability by lowering detection limits of volatile compounds in complex and changing environments, reducing false alarms, and enhancing signal identification and quantification capabilities. These will be expected to make use of the new computing- and AI-based technologies.

• Creation, dissemination, and community adoption of standardization and benchmarking methods for device calibration, and validation and annotation of data generated using sensor systems in real-world conditions. Community resources and practices are expected to play a key role in this particular type of outcome.

For Track L ONLY:

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) and Vinnova are providing sponsorship for the participation of Swedish partners as specified below, either as a Principal Investigator or as a team member, in Track L. For this track only, the Principal Investigator may be a Swedish entity. All proposals that include Swedish entities that wish to be eligible for Vetenskapsrådet/Vinnova funding, whether as Principal Investigators or as partners in a US-based team, are required to submit a Letter of Intent to NSF, as specified below, and additional information to Vetenskapsrådet/Vinnova at https://vinnova.se/nsf-convergence-accelerator. Please see Sections 1.2, 3.3, 3.5.2, 3.5.3, 4., 5.1.8, 6.6, 6.9, and 7.8 for further information about Swedish participation in Track L.

2.3 Track M: Bio-Inspired Design Innovations

2.3.1 Research Background

The overarching goal of NSF’s Convergence Accelerator Track M: Bio-Inspired Design Innovations is to bring scientists and practitioners together to develop concepts, approaches, technologies, and products that are based on foundational knowledge of biological systems, capitalizing on millions of years of evolution, to find novel solutions for major societal challenges. This convergent research track topic was chosen based on the results of the NSF-funded workshop: Bio-Inspired Design.

https://www.vr.se/english.html https://www.vinnova.se/en/ https://vinnova.se/nsf-convergence-accelerator https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-03/Bio-inspired%20Design%20Workshop%20Report_2232327_October%202022_Final.508.pdf?VersionId=HyCwJ7stWuAd8zQPk4uLdIAkKGiwyL7h

Track M aims to accelerate use-inspired research and development in the broad field of bio-inspired design to tackle pressing national and global societal and economic challenges that have yet to be solved by existing approaches and technologies. The need to maintain and improve the wellbeing of societies faced with accelerating degradation of the natural environment and increasing demands on the built environment requires technological innovation and creative solutions beyond current capabilities. Bio-inspired design – the process of developing concepts, approaches and technologies that build and control the way nature does – offers new, potentially transformative solutions. Drawing inspiration from living systems opens new avenues to explore and leverage forms and functions tested through evolution.

Moreover, the design process is inherently convergent and use-inspired, driving innovation by uniting a wide range of scientists and engineers with practitioners to devise new approaches to understanding complex problem solving. The overarching track goal is to develop innovative bio-inspired design applications that could revolutionize efforts to benefit society in a myriad ways, including to mitigate the impacts of climate change (e.g., environmental monitoring, bioremediation and preservation), enhance infrastructure (e.g., sustainability, resilience, biomanufacturing), revamp agriculture and food production (e.g., nutrition, safety, sustainability), and improve human health (e.g., personalized healthcare, assistive technologies), among other advances. While it is not a requirement for a successful proposal, innovations from many NSF programs may be leveraged in pursuit of these goals including programs from various directorates and cross-cutting programs such as Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB), Advanced Manufacturing (AM), Engineering for Civil Infrastructure (ECI), Materials Engineering and Processing (MEP), Understanding the Rules of Life, Enabling Discovery through Genomics (EDGE), Designing Synthetic Cells Beyond the Bounds of Evolution (Designer Cells), Systems and Synthetic Biology, Biosensing, amongst others.

Partnerships and Engagements:

The NSF Convergence Accelerator is seeking convergent teams that coalesce around a well-identified challenge, bringing the necessary expertise and engagement to move solutions from concept/early development stage to real-world implementation. Bio-inspired design challenges are expected to bring together life scientists (e.g., molecular, cellular, developmental, organismal, ecological and evolutionary biologists, biochemists, biophysicists, and biomechanists), physical scientists (e.g., physical, chemical, and materials scientists), social and behavior scientists, and engineers (e.g., biological, mechanical, electrical engineers, mechanobiologists, and roboticists) in search of solutions. Therefore, proposals submitted to this track are expected to integrate expertise, insights, methods, tools, and facilities from a range of applicable disciplines.

The NSF Convergence Accelerator also expects substantive and integrated engagement from end-users and practitioners, such as those from the fields of materials and manufacturing, environmental monitoring and bioremediation, infrastructure design and development, agriculture and food production, medicine, health, and personal care, as appropriate for a given project. The program’s guiding principle is that researchers and innovators must not only learn from their end-users and other stakeholders in affected communities but must also work cooperatively and collaboratively with them to develop effective solutions to address major challenges. Therefore, a strong partnership between researchers, end-users and stakeholders, who will implement and benefit from the outcomes, is required for successful proposals.

2.3.2 Tasks and Deliverables

The projects aligned to Track M: Bio-Inspired Design Innovations should aim to deliver novel, effective, use-inspired research products that can help solve current societal challenges. The tasks and deliverables outlined by proposals in this track are expected to yield tangible benefits to a specific end-user community, which should be clearly identified in proposals. Within Phase 1 and through the NSF Convergence Accelerator curriculum, teams will be expected to engage with end-users, practitioners and other stakeholders to ensure that their innovations are use-inspired and solving key societal issues, teams will develop low-fidelity prototypes and obtain feedback from their stakeholders, teams will broaden their partnerships and areas of expertise to ensure they are considering the social, ethical, economical, and cultural implications of the implementation of their solution, and teams will formulate effective presentations and pitch decks to convey their solutions to a broad audience.

Additionally, teams should consider the following to strengthen their proposals:

• Educational activities aimed at community engagement that strengthen the connection between the research deliverables and the end-user community, as appropriate for the project.

• Incorporation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all proposed activities.

• Inclusion of measures and mechanisms to assess the impacts of proposed bio-inspired design research and educational activities.

Note: This program is not intended to support clinical trials.

2.3.3 Outcomes

This track focuses on use-inspired, translational research that employs the bio-inspired design process defined above. NSF is seeking solutions to societal and economic challenges that will have major impacts and can be scaled nationally. Given the potential breadth of impactful solutions yet to be discovered through bio-inspired design, NSF has not constrained the societal challenges, application foci, or end-user communities. Outcomes may include, but are not limited to, materials, technologies, methods, services, and other products related to the broad topics outlined above as examples.

Examples of broad outcomes that would be considered within this track include, but are not limited to:

• Development of materials with features such as programmable self-assembly, multi-modal sensing, computation, memory, adaptability, healing/regenerative capabilities, sustainability.

• Novel manufacturing capabilities and processes that harness advances in synthetic biology, bioengineering, nanofabrication, 3D printing.

• Engineering complex systems with novel, emergent properties based on principles of synthetic biology, bioengineering, robotics or organismal biology (e.g., organoids, microbial consortia, collective swarms).

• Computational modeling and theory-enabled methods and tools for bio-inspired designs.

• Development of educational and training programs that broaden the participation of next generation scientists in bio-inspired design and use-inspired research and development to benefit society and the economy.

3. Program Guidelines This BAA, due to its broad research focus, does not lend itself to the use of a common work statement. As such, no single North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code will be issued for the BAA. NAICS codes will be specific to each individual contract award, as determined by the type of activity in which the offeror will be engaged.

The Government reserves the right to select for award any, all, part, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. This BAA is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to pay any proposal or proposal preparation costs.

This announcement constitutes the public announcement, as contemplated by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and FAR 35.016. A formal Request for Proposals or other solicitation regarding this announcement will not be issued.

3.1 Schedule

Letters of Intent are due on July 11, 2023.

Phase 1 Full proposals are due on August 22, 2023, and Phase 2 Full proposals are due on August 30, 2024, only Phase 1 awardees are eligible to apply.

All deadlines are at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

3.2 Communications

All submissions regarding this BAA shall be submitted via https://baam.nsf.gov/s/. For technical support, offerors can contact the BAAM helpdesk at BAAMSupport@nsf.gov. All other questions can be submitted to nsf-solicitation@nsf.gov and must be received three days prior to the deadlines listed in Section 3.1. Submission of a question does not guarantee the question will be answered.

3.3 Offeror Eligibility

This BAA is unrestricted. All qualified offerors, including Institutions of Higher Education, may submit letters of intent and subsequent Phase 1 full proposals. An individual may serve as PI or co-PI on no more than two Phase 1 proposals. However, it is unlikely that multiple Phase 1 awards would be made to the same PI or co-PI. Submissions to the program solicitation (LINK) are included in this number. All offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov/ and receive their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) prior to project award.

Only Phase 1 awardees are eligible to submit Phase 2 proposals. At least one PI or co-PI from a Phase 1 award must be included as a PI or co-PI on a Phase 2 proposal. Anyone may serve as a PI or co-PI on only one Phase 2 proposal. This limitation includes PIs and co-PIs listed for the proposing organization or any subaward submitted as part of the proposal. There are no restrictions or limits on serving as other Senior Personnel.

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) FFRDCs are subject to applicable direct competition limitations and cannot respond to this solicitation unless they submit a letter drafted and signed by their sponsoring organization that (a) cites the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to Government solicitations and compete with industry, and (b) certifies the FFRDC’s compliance with the associated FFRDC sponsor agreement’s terms and conditions. These conditions are a requirement for FFRDCs planning to be awardees or subawardees.

For Track L ONLY:

https://baam.nsf.gov/s/ mailto:BAAMSupport@nsf.gov mailto:nsf-solicitation@nsf.gov https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf23590 https://www.sam.gov/

NSF anticipates the following possible scenarios for Track L proposal preparation and submission.

These scenarios are:

1. Proposals submitted with solely U.S. entities.

2. Proposals submitted by a U.S. lead from academia with Swedish participants.

These proposals could also be submitted through the program solicitation (LINK). The Swedish participants may be funded through Vetenskapsrådet/Vinnova.

3. Proposals submitted by a U.S. lead from industry, non-profits, etc. with SWE participants.

The SWE participants may be funded through Vetenskapsrådet/Vinnova.

4. Proposals submitted by a Swedish lead with U.S. participants from academia, industry, etc.

If this type of proposal is selected via the NSF-managed review process described below and Vetenskapsrådet/Vinnova funds the Swedish participants, then NSF will fund the U.S.

participants.

Note: Registration information related to https://www.sam.gov/ for foreign entities participating in proposals submitted under this BAA is available here.

3.4 Program and Project Funding Limits

NSF…