Environmental Sustainability
OpenU.S. National Science Foundation
Updated: Oct 30, 2025
Summary
The Environmental Sustainability program aims to promote sustainable engineered systems that support human well-being while preserving natural systems, focusing on areas such as circular bioeconomy engineering, industrial ecology, green engineering, ecological engineering, and earth systems engineering. Eligibility is unrestricted, allowing a wide range of applicants to apply. Proposals should be submitted following the guidelines in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide, and it is recommended to discuss innovative proposals with the program director prior to submission.
Full Description
Description
- Circular Bioeconomy Engineering:This area includes research that enables sustainable societal use of food, energy, water, nitrogen, phosphorus, and materials, with the reduction and eventual elimination of fossil fuel combustion that lacks carbon capture. The program encourages research that helps build the raw material basis for the functioning of society principally on biomass, drawing heavily on sustainable agriculture and forestry. Additionally, material flows must reduce or preferably eliminate waste, with an emphasis on closed-loop or “circular” processing.
- Industrial ecology:Topics of interest include advancements in modeling such as life cycle assessment, materials flow analysis, net energy analysis, input/output economic models, and novel metrics for measuring sustainable systems. Innovations in industrial ecology are encouraged.
- Green engineering:Research is encouraged to advance the sustainability of manufacturing processes, green buildings, and infrastructure. Many programs in the Engineering Directorate support research in environmentally benign manufacturing or chemical processes. The Environmental Sustainability program supports research that would affect more than one chemical or manufacturing process or that takes a systems or holistic approach to green engineering for infrastructure or green buildings. Improvements in distribution and collection systems that will advance smart growth strategies and ameliorate effects of growth are research areas that are supported by Environmental Sustainability. Innovations in management of storm water, recycling and reuse of drinking water, and other green engineering techniques to support sustainability may also be fruitful areas for research.
- Ecological engineering:Proposals should focus on the engineering aspects of restoring ecological function to natural systems. Engineering research in the enhancement of natural capital to foster sustainable development is encouraged.
- Earth systems engineering:Earth systems engineering considers aspects of large-scale engineering research that involve mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to climate change, and other global concerns.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants
Miscellaneous
- Unrestricted
Additional information
Grantor contact information
Description
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