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                     Research   Grant  Opportunities
         When chemists put pencil to paper to design the synthetic 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, trans-
portation, or disposal. Chemists can choose from literally hundreds of different chemical
reactions to construct chemicals, some of which are more hazardous and generate more pollu-
tion 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:
                      The Presidential Green Chemistry
                      Challenge seeks to support fundamental
                      research in green chemistry to provide
                      industry with the practical tools and
                      methods necessary to design products
                      and processes that are more environ-
                      mentally benign.

                      BACKGROUND:
                      In 1992, the U.S. Environmental
                      Protection Agency (EPA) awarded six
                      grants to fund basic research projects
                      that considered 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 pro-
                      gram. This partnership includes research
                      in green chemistry through an annual
                      solicitation titled "Technology for a
                      Sustainable Environment."
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                                       DESCRIPTION:
                                       The Presidential Green Chemistry
                                       Challenge was established to recognize
                                       and support innovative green chemistry
                                       technologies that are scientifically sound
                                       and economically beneficial. Although
                                       the program does not provide an inde-
                                       pendent vehicle for green chemistry
                                       research grants, it does support the
                                       EPA/NSF partnerships.
                                       The Technology for a Sustainable
                                       Environment solicitation focuses on the
                                       technological and environmental aspects
                                       of the design, synthesis,  processing, pro-
                                       duction, and use of products in
                                       continuous and discrete manufacturing
                                       operations. Research proposals are invit-
                                       ed that advance the development and
                                       use of innovative manufacturing and
                                       processing technologies and approaches
                                       directed at avoiding or minimizing the
                                       use or generation of hazardous sub-
                                       stances at the source.
                                       The total number of grants awarded for
                                       this activity depends upon the technical
                                       merit of the proposals (determined by
                                       external peer review), their relation to
                                       the agencies' missions, and the financial
                                       support available to both EPA and NSF
                                       > Printed on paper that contains at least 50 percent postconsumer fiber.

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for this program. Individual projects select-
ed 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 syn-
theses that reduce the risks posed by
chemical technologies. Green chemistry, a
fundamental approach to preventing pollu-
tion at the source, involves the design  of
chemicals and chemical syntheses that do
not utilize toxic feedstocks, reagents, or sol-
vents, or do not produce toxic byproducts
or coproducts. Appropriate areas of investi-
gation 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 2002, EPA
and NSF awarded $47.8 million for 164
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 func-
    tioning as non-funded co-investigators.
  • Personnel in profit-making firms sub-
    contracting with an awardee
    institution.
  • Personnel participating as co-investiga-
    tors 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 agen-
    cies.
  • 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
  202 564-6821 and Barbara Karn at 202
  564-6824. Other sources of information
  regarding EPA's Green Chemistry Program
  include EPA's Pollution Prevention
  Information Clearinghouse at 202 566-
  0799  (e-mail ppic@epa.gov), Richard
  Engler of EPA at 202 564-8740 or
  engler.richard@epa.gov, and the Green
  Chemistry Web site at
  http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry.
   U.S.EPA
                                           EPA744-F-03-003
                                           May 2003
                                           www.epa.gov/greenchemistry

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