The Prairie Research Institute (PRI) and The Grainger College of Engineering (GCOE) are embarking on a new partnership by creating a Sustainability Engineering Joint Research Program. This collaboration will further the University of Illinois’ reputation as a nexus of science and engineering that fosters novel solutions for societal challenges. This is an exciting opportunity to unite the Prairie Research Institutes’ scientific expertise in geology, ecology & biodiversity, archaeology, hydrology and water, weather and climate, pollution prevention, and sustainable energy with the leading global engineering education and research of the Grainger College of Engineering. This initiative aims to encompass joint research and development activities, sponsored funding, private sector partnerships, workforce development and training, and service to the State of Illinois and beyond. This partnership is expected to lead to growth in funding opportunities and to support successful faculty, research staff, and student recruitment.
Program Goals: The goal of this request for proposals is to develop a shared research environment for connecting PRI and GCOE researchers through providing the funding needed to allow these teams to begin to work together to find innovative solutions for important societal challenges. These initiatives will be focused on enabling advances in science and engineering, create opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers to combine basic research with real-world problems, and developing partnerships and pathways to implementation.
Proposal guidelines and templates: https://uofi.box.com/v/SustainabilityEngineering
Proposal Q&A responses: "2023 SusEng Project Narrative Template.docx" located here
Eligibility
Team composition: Teams should be interdisciplinary and must include at least one PI/CoPI From PRI and at leasatone PI/CoPI from a GCOE department(s). The GCOE participant should be a tenured/tenure-track or specialized faculty member from the Grainger College of Engineering, and may also including Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and/or Agricultural and Biological Engineering. The PRI participant should be a research scientist affiliated with one of the core PRI units.
Non-PRI/GCOE Participants: Participation from individuals outside of GCOE and PRI is allowed provided that the funds used are to support students/post-docs and activities from within GCOE/PRI.
PI Requirements
- Individuals can be PI on only one submission per competition, but serve as CoPI on other proposals.
- The PI is responsible for consulting with the relevant offices and meeting all requirements.
- To the best of the PI's knowledge, all the information provided in the application is correct.
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation