United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics
(7406M)
EPA744-F-02-002
February 2002
www.epa.gov/greenchemistry
The Presidential Green
Chemistry Challenge
Research Grant Opportunities
When chemists pur pencil to paper to design the synrheric sequence that
will be used to manufacture a chemical product, they also decide
whether that sequence will use or generate hazardous substances that
will require special handling, treatment, transportation, or disposal. Chemists can
choose from literally hundreds of different chemical reactions to construct chemi-
cals, some of which are more hazardous and generate more pollution than others.
With proper forethought and analysis, chemists can choose reactions that are less
hazardous and prevent pollution, thereby avoiding many of the environmental
problems and liabilities that chemical manufacturers face.
OBJECTIVE:
BACKGROUND:
DESCRIPTION:
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge seeks to sup-
port fundamental research in green chemistry to provide
industry with the practical tools and methods necessary to
design products and processes that are more environmental-
ly benign.
In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
awarded six grants to fund basic research projects that con-
sidered impacts to human health and the environment in
the design of chemical syntheses. Also in that year, EPA's
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the National Science
Foundation (NSF) to jointly fund green chemistry research.
In 1994, EPA's Office of Research and Development
entered into a partnership with NSF to fund environmental
research as part of its new Science to Achieve Results
(STAR) research program. This partnership includes
research in green chemistry through an annual solicitation
titled "Technology for a Sustainable Environment."
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge was estab-
lished to recognize and support innovative green chemistry
Technologies that are scientifically sound and economi-
cally beneficial. Although the program does not
provide an independent vehicle for green < GH/t/**
chemistry research grants, it does support
the EPA/NSF partnerships.
Printed on paper that contains at least 50 percent postconsumer liber.
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Fhe Technology for a Sustainable Environment solicitation focuses on the technological and environmental
aspects of the design, synthesis, processing, production, and use of products in continuous and discrete manu-
facturing operations. Research proposals are invited that advance the development and use of innovative
manufacturing and processing technologies and approaches directed at avoiding or minimizing the use or gener-
ation of hazardous substances at the source.
The total number of grants awarded for this activity depends upon the technical merit of the proposals (deter-
mined by external peer review), their relation to the agencies' missions, and the financial support available to
both EPA and NSF for this program. Individual projects selected for support may be funded by EPA, NSF, or
jointly by both agencies. This is at the option of the agencies, not the grantee,
GRANT RESEARCH AREA: CHEMISTRY FOR POLLUTION PREVENTION:
The long-range goal of this grant program is to develop safer commercial substances and environmentally-
friendly chemical syntheses that reduce the risks posed by chemical technologies. Green chemistry, a
fundamental approach to preventing pollution at the source, involves the design of chemicals and chemical syn-
theses that do not utilize toxic feedstocks, reagents, or solvents, or do not produce toxic byproducts or
coproducts. Appropriate areas of investigation include chemical synthesis and catalysis, analysis and detection,
separation processes, and reaction mechanisms. The types of projects eligible for grants directly parallel the focus
areas of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program.
GRANT AMOUNTS:
In fiscal years 1995 through 2000, EPA and NSF awarded over $36 million for 127 research projects under the
Technology for a Sustainable Environment solicitation, most of which addressed green chemistry and processing.
Typically, a grantee receives an average of $120,000 per year for three years.
ELIGIBILITY:
Eligible applicants include academic and nonprofit institutions located in the United States, and state or local
governments.
The following individuals or groups may collaborate with eligible applicants:
• Personnel in profit-making firms functioning as non-funded co-investigators.
• Personnel in profit-making firms subcontracting with an awardee institution.
• Personnel participating as co-investigators with eligible institutions and who are associated with entities such
as national laboratories and federally-funded research development consortia.
• Non-EPA federal employees (certain limits apply).
Ineligible applicants include:
• Profit-making firms and federal agencies.
• Federal employees seeking to increase their agency's appropriations.
Additional information about the Technology for a Sustainable Environment solicitation, including forms, is
available at http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa or http://www.nsf.gov, or from Steve Lingle at 202 564- \V\G £/>
6821 and Barbara Karn at 202 564-6824. Other sources of information regarding EPA's ^Qp/^V^^^.
Green Chemistry Program include EPA's Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse at £•
202 260-1023 (e-mail ppic@epa.gov), Richard Engler of EPA at 202 564-8740 or _O> I
engler.richard@epa.gov, and the Green Chemistry Web site at http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry. *R \
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U.S. EPA
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