about
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NC
Building a Scientific Foundation for Sound Environmental Decisions
The National Center for Environ-
mental Research (NCER) was es-
tahlisksd in May 1995, as part of
the overall reorganization of the
Office of Research and Develop-
ment (ORD). Since its establish-
ment, NCER has had a unique
place in ORD and the Agency. Its
competitive, peer-review re-
search focus and commitment to
involve the country's best scien-
tists is intended to play an impor-
tant role in enhancing EPA's cred-
ibility as a scientific organization
and helping ORD achieve its goal
of providing national and interna-
tional leadership in environmen-
tal science and risk assessment.
NCER's Mission: Stimulate the re-
search community to provide high
quality, innovative ideas and so-
lutions to protect human health
and the environment. NCER's
aims are to:
1) achieve excellence in research by
supporting only the highest quality
research through national research
competitions and independent peer
review of proposals.
2) focus on the highest priority
environmental science and
engineering needs to assist EPA in
its mission of protecting human
health and the environment. This is
accomplished by working with
EPA's Program anu Regional
Offices, ORD scientists, the EPA
Science Advisory Board, the ORD
Board of Scientific Counselors, and
federal partners and private
partners, and the academic
community.
3) achieve high levels of accountabil-
ity and integrity by having an
entirely open, transparent, and
competitive process; by ensuring that
procedures and schedules for
solicitations, reviews and awards are
clearly established; and by publishing
and broadly disseminating research
results.
4) leverage resources and form
partnerships on common federal
and private sector research agendas
through coordination with research
partners and joint issuance of
solicitations.
5) communicate/integrate research
results through workshops and
seminars to summarize results of
research; state-of-the-science papers
that assimilate research results; and
a technical liaison program in ORD
laboratories and program offices.
6} develop the next generation of
environmental scientists through
graduate and undergraduate fellow-
ship programs.
7) provide ORD-wide policy develop-
ment and implementation over-
sight of the EPA quality assurance
program.
Science to Achieve Results
The STAR Program, "Science
To Achieve Results", NCER's
largest and moo*, visible initiative,
(accounting for 85 pc rcent of its
annual budget), funds research
grants and fellowships in environ-
mental science and engineering.
The STAR program is one of
EPA's tools for focusing on sci-
ence and improving the scientific
basis for decisions on national
environmental issues. The
program works by engaging
(competitively) the participation of
the nation's best scientists in
credible, targeted research that
complements EPA's own out-
standing scientists and research
program and that of our research
partners in other federal agen-
cies. STAR is structured to bring
new ideas and solutions to deal
with current environmental
problems, and to identify, and
help to resolve issues that are
likely to become environmental
problems in the future. Further,
the STAR program facilitates and
expands access to research
information and communicates
science results through work-
shops, publications, and the
Internet.
The STAR program has four
formal solicitation periods during
the year--January, April, August,
and October-and uses its
Internet homepage as the
primary vehicle to announce
Requests for Applications
(RFAs) in some 20 targeted
areas.
These RFAs are derived
from the ORD Strategic Plan and
from specific topical research
plans developed by ORD. The
RFAs are prepared in coopera-
U.S. EPA / Office of Research and Development / National Center tor Environmental Research
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Annual Active STAR Grants
tion with other parts of the
Agency and focus research on
areas of particular importance to
the Agency, and/or areas that
complement the ORD intramural
research program and the pro-
grams of our research partners.
Research Partnership grants and
125 graduate fellowships cover-
ing a total of 280 institutions and
organizations in 49 states and
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the
District of Columbia. On an
annual basis, NCER administers
Jhe SJAR program has grown over the past six /ears, and now awards $95 million
dollars annually and supports between 900-1000 active grants and fellowships
The research that NCER
sponsors covers the entire gamut
of EPA interests. The main areas
that we are focusing on currently
include: the effects of air pollu-
tion, especially fine particuiates,
on human health; the impacts of
chemical and microbiological
contaminants in drinking water on
human health; the effects of
exposure to toxic chemicals on
sensitive populations, especially
children; the impact on people of
cumulative exposures to many
chemicals through many different
pathways; ecological indicators of
ecosystem health and trends; the
effect of endocrine disrupters on
human health and wildlife popula-
tions; and the effects of human
activities on global climate
change. For more details look on
the NCER website.
NCER
receives approxi-
mately 3000-
3500 proposals
each year for its
STAR research
and graduate
fellowships
program. Each
year the STAR
program awards
a bout 180 EPA
grants, 30 EPA
650 - 750 STAR research grants
and some 300 STAR fellowships.
Approximately 10 percent of the
applications submitted to the
STAR program are funded.
Other NCER programs include:
From time to time, NCER
will establish larger research
centers competitively in specific
areas of national concern. At
present such centers focus on
harzardous substances,
children's health, and particulate
matter research.
Other NCER activities
include the Small Business
Innovation Research program,
the Experimental Program To
Stimulate Competitive Research
(EPSCoR), the Minority Aca-
demic Institution Program for
Graduate and Undergraduate
Fellowships, the AAAS Science
and Engineering Fellowship
Program, and the Resident
Research Associateship Program.
The STAR Partnerships have
expanded significantly. In 1995,
the STAR Program began a
partnership with NSF in three
topical areas. The number of
partners has grown to about
twelve in 2000 and includes
private sector organizations as
well as federal agencies. In
addition, the funds so leveraged
have increased as well, allowing
about 20% more grants to be
funded than would be possible
with EPA resources alone.
Visit our web site to obtain current STAR grants
information: www.epa.gov/ncerqa
^J CDA
.f L_ I r\
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
U.S. EPA / Office of Research and Development / National Center for Environmental Research
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