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OSA Research Highlights

Industry Funding Opportunities


OSA Research Highlights


3-D Snapshots of Eyes Reveal Details of Age-Related Blindness

To get a better look at the abnormalities that cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in Americans and Europeans over 50, the research groups of James Fujimoto at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and collaborators Jay Duker of the Tufts University School of Medicine, and Joel Schuman of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have created ultra-detailed 3-D images of the eyes of more than 2,000 people from different ethnic groups, 400 of whom have AMD. Selected electronic data, published in the special Interactive Science Publishing (ISP) of Optics Express, the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal, may pave the way for new diagnostic software useful for developing new treatments.

Nanoscopic Changes to Pancreatic Cells Reveal Cancer

Researchers at the University of Rochester have developed a novel optical technique that permits rapid analysis of single human immune cells using only light. Reported in a special biomedical issue of Applied Optics, this is the first time clear differences between two types of immune cells have been seen using a microscopy system that gathers chemical and structural information by combining two previously distinct optical techniques, Raman and angular-scattering microscopy.

Availability of such a technique means that immunologists and other cellular researchers may soon be able to observe the responses of individual cells to various stimuli, rather than relying on aggregate statistical data from large cell populations. Until now scientists have not had a non-invasive way to see how human cells, like T cells or cancer cells, activate individually and evolve over time.


Lidar Probes Volcanic Plume

According to a new paper published in Optics Letters, researchers in Italy have developed a lidar setup that they say can be used to track the spatiotemporal evolution of volcanic plumes and could even play a role in eruption prediction. The team from the Italian National Agency for New Technologies says that its instrument, which uses a carbon dioxide laser, could be pointed at the mouth of a volcano to monitor for tell-tale changes in gas concentration. (Summary credit Optics.org)

Industry Funding Opportunities


U.K. Organizations Launch Effort to Boost Information Security
(Applications Due: April 23, 2009)

The U.K. Technology Strategy Board (TSB), Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), and Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have allocated £6 million to invest in highly innovative collaborative research and development projects in the area of information infrastructure protection. The closing date for expressions of interest is April 23, 2009.

From "Information Infrastructure Protection: Managing Complexity Risk and Resilience"
Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (03/10/09)


EUROTRANS-BIO Issues Pan-European Call for Biotechnology Research
(Applications Due: April 27, 2009)

The Pan-European EUROTRANS-BIO (ETB) initiative has launched its fourth call for proposals designed to foster the competitiveness of Europe's biotechnology industry through the support of small and midsize enterprises and their partnerships. The fourth ETB call encompasses all fields of biotechnology. Participating countries and regions include Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and the Netherlands and the regions of Basque Country (Spain), Catalonia (Spain), Madrid (Spain), Flanders (Belgium), and Wallonia (Belgium). Applications are due April 27, 2009.

From "EUROTRANS-BIO Transnational Call"
Euro Trans Bio (03/10/09)


NASA Offers Funding for Space and Earth Sciences Research
(Applications Due: May 22, 2009)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is soliciting proposals for supporting basic and applied research and technology across a broad range of Earth and space science program elements relevant to heliophysics, planetary science, or astrophysics. Awards range from under $100,000 annually for focused, limited efforts (e.g., data analysis) to more than $1 million a year for extensive activities (e.g., development of science experiment hardware). Applications are due by May 22, 2009, and April 30, 2010.

From "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) - 2009"
NASA Research Opportunities (02/13/09)


NIST Announces Availability of Funds
(Applications Due: June 1, 2009)

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced that the following programs are soliciting applications for financial assistance for FY 2009: (1) The Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory Grants Program; (2) the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory Grants Program; (3) the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory Grants Program; (4) the Physics Laboratory Grants Program; (5) the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory Grants Program; (6) the Building Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program; (7) the Fire Research Grants Program; (8) the Information Technology Laboratory Grants Program; (9) the NIST Center for Neutron Research Grants Program; and (10) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology Grants Program. Applications received after June 1, 2009, may be considered for funding in the next fiscal year.

From "Measurement, Science and Engineering Research Grants Programs; Availability of Funds"
Federal Register (02/20/09)


DARPA Seeks Proposals for Terahertz Electronics Research
(Applications Due: June 15, 2009)

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is soliciting research proposals in Terahertz (THz) Electronics. Proposed research should investigate new approaches that enable revolutionary advances in electronic devices and integrated circuits achieving THz frequencies (at least 1.0 x 1012 cycles per second). The deadline for applications is June 15, 2009.

From "Terahertz Electronics"
Grants.gov (03/11/09)


Science Foundation Ireland and Dell Offer Scholarships for Aspiring Women Engineers
(Applications Due: June 27, 2009)

Science Foundation Ireland and Dell are partnering on a scholarship program to draw young women entering designated four-year engineering degree programs to third-level institutions in Ireland. Winners will receive an annual award of EUR2,000, a Dell notebook computer, the help and support of an active researcher as a mentor throughout their undergraduate career, and at least one funded summer research-internship in an academic research laboratory or an industry R&D laboratory in Ireland. Applications are due by June 27, 2009.

From "SFI/Dell Scholarship 2009: Young Women in Engineering"
Science Foundation Ireland (03/11/09)


NSF Announces Energy for Sustainability Grants
(Applications Due: September 15, 2009)

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced grant opportunities under its Energy for Sustainability program, which supports fundamental research and education in energy production, conversion, and storage, with a focus on energy sources that are environmentally friendly and renewable. The full proposal window is August 15, 2009, to September 15, 2009, and August 15-September 15 annually thereafter.

From "Energy for Sustainability"
National Science Foundation (03/11/09)


NSF Seeks Interfacial Processes and Thermodynamics Proposals
(Applications Due: September 15, 2009)

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking proposals for its Interfacial Processes and Thermodynamics program, which supports fundamental research in engineering areas related to interfacial phenomena, mass transport phenomena, and solution phase equilibrium thermodynamic. Current emphasis is on molecular engineering approaches at interfaces, especially as applied to the processing of soft materials. The average annual award size for the program is $80,000, and small equipment proposals up to $70,000 will also be considered. The current closing date for applications is Sep 15, 2009, and on September 15 annually thereafter.

From "Interfacial Processes and Thermodynamics"
Grants.gov (03/09/09)


NATO Offers Support Under Science for Peace Project
(Applications Due: November 1, 2009)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has issued a call for proposals under its Science for Peace (SfP) grants program, which offers support for applied research and development projects in Partner and Mediterranean Dialogue countries, covering project-related costs such as scientific equipment, computers, software, and training of project personnel. No formal funding limits have been designated, but the average amount awarded in the past was between EUR250,000 and EUR300,000 per project. The deadlines for applications are June 1 and November 1, 2009.

From "Science for Peace Project (SFP) Support for Applied R&D"
NATO (03/10/09)


Canada Foundation for Innovation Offers Leaders Opportunity Fund Grants
(Applications Due: February 15, 2010)

The Canada Foundation for Innovation has launched a call for proposals under its Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF) program, designed to help universities attract and retain top researchers. The budget available for 2006-2010 is $338 million. Grants offered include Industrial Research Chair grants, which are intended to "assist universities in building on existing strengths to achieve the critical mass required for a major research endeavor in science and engineering of interest to industry; and/or assist in the development of research efforts in fields that have not yet been developed in Canadian universities but for which there is an important industrial need." The deadlines for applications under the Leaders Opportunity Fund program are June 15, 2009; October 15, 2009; and February 15, 2010.

From "Canada Foundation for Innovation: Leaders Opportunity Fund"
Canada Foundation for Innovation (03/10/09)


DOE Announces Investment of up to $84 Million in Geothermal Energy
(Applications Due: Not Specified)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the release of two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) for up to $84 million to support the development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). Enhanced Geothermal Systems offer the potential to extend geothermal resources, which can be used to heat buildings and generate electricity, to larger areas of the Western United States, as well as into new geographic areas of the country. "President Obama has laid out an ambitious agenda to put millions of people to work by investing in clean energy technology like geothermal energy," says Energy Secretary Chu. "The Administration is committed to funding important research like this to transform the way we use and produce energy and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil." The first FOA seeks advanced technology to address important aspects of engineered geothermal reservoir creation, management, and utilization. DOE anticipates making 20 to 30 awards for a total value of up to $35 million under this FOA. The second FOA seeks projects to demonstrate and validate reservoir creation techniques that sustain sufficient fluid flow and heat extraction rates for five to seven years and that produce at least 5 MWe per year per project. DOE anticipates making five to 10 awards under this announcement for up to $49 million.

From "DOE Announces Investment of up to $84 Million in Geothermal Energy"
U.S. Department of Energy (03/04/09)



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April 2009

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