Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks​/SRS RNs | NSF

The NSF is seeking proposals for Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks (SRS RNs) to support interdisciplinary teams in conducting convergent research, education, and outreach on sustainable regional systems. These systems involve the interdependent urban and rural areas that impact sustainability through food, energy, and resources. The initiative aims to enhance understanding and collaboration among various stakeholders and promote societal actions for sustainability.
Position: Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks (SRS RNs) | NSF 24-533

Supports multi-organizational teams to collaboratively produce convergent research, education, and outreach that addresses grand challenges in sustainable regional systems.
Synopsis

The United States is made up of regional systems comprising interdependent urban and rural systems and every community category between urban and rural. Urban systems and rural systems are interdependent for the provisioning of food, energy sources, water, other materials and natural resources, markets, manufactured goods, and medical resources. These systems are also connected by ecological processes that both influence and are influenced by human behavior.

The vital interconnection of urban-rural systems underscores the critical need for the advancement of sustainable regional systems (SRS). The goal of this solicitation is to fund convergent research and education that will advance sustainable regional systems science, engineering, and education to facilitate the transformation of current regional systems to enhance sustainability. To further the advancement of SRS science, engineering, and education, NSF will support proposals for Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks (SRS RNs).

Sustainable regional systems are connected urban and rural systems that are transforming their structures and processes collaboratively with the goal of measurably and equitably advancing the well-being of people and the planet. The purpose of the SRS RNs competition is to develop and support interdisciplinary, multi-organizational teams working collaboratively to produce cutting-edge convergent research, education, and outreach that addresses grand challenges in sustainable regional systems.

SRS RNs will study multiscale regional systems to further SRS science, engineering, and education. Key elements will include new data, methods, and models to understand interactions between natural, human-built, and social systems; improved understanding of interdependencies, mutual benefits, and trade-offs of different wellbeing outcomes for humans and the environment; new and generalizable theories of change relevant to SRS; the co-production of knowledge;

and exploration of concepts of social equity in sustainable regional systems across spatial and temporal scales. SRS RN outcomes will have the potential to inform societal actions for sustainability across urban systems and the connected rural communities that make up regional systems.

Subject to availability of funds and quality of proposals, this SRS RN solicitation will support:
• SRS RN Awards: These awards will support fundamental convergent research, education, and outreach that addresses engineering, chemistry, biology, geosciences, mathematics, statistics, environmental, data, computational, education, and social, behavioral, and economic sciences of sustainable regional systems in partnerships that may embrace universities, colleges, federal, state, and local governments, tribal communities, non-governmental and international bodies, non-profit organizations, industry, practitioners, and other community groups.

The award size is up to $15 million total with a duration of 5 years.

SRS RNs will conduct innovative and pioneering fundamental research and education that is of a scale and complexity that would not be possible within a single organization, center, or through the normal collaborative modes of NSF research support in core programs.

Estimated funding: $30,000,000, depending upon availability of funds.
Estimated number of awards

1 to 2
Estimated number of awards description

1 to 2 as cooperative agreements. The number of awards is dependent upon the proposals received and the degree to which proposals meet the solicitation goals, NSF merit review criteria, and solicitation-specific review criteria, as well as availability of funds.
Proposals may only be submitted by certain types of PIs. Please see solicitation for details.

Limit on number of proposals per PI or Co-PI

1
Limit on number of proposals per PI or co-PI description

No more than one. An individual may appear as PI, co-PI, or Senior Personnel on no more than one proposal. If an individual exceeds the one-proposal limit, the first proposal received within the limit will be accepted based on earliest date and time of proposal submission, and the remainder will be returned without review. This limitation includes proposals submitted by a lead organization and any subawards involving multiple organizations.

No exceptions will be made.
There is additional eligibility information. Please see solicitation for details. #J-18808-Ljbffr