Funding opportunity: NSF Solicitation for Proposals for an Environmental Synthesis Center. Pre-proposals due March 23, 2010.

The U.S. National Science Foundation is soliciting proposals to establish a new environmental synthesis center (ESC) to stimulate research, education, and outreach at the interface of the biological, geological, and social sciences. This ESC will foster synthetic, collaborative, cross-disciplinary efforts to understand and predict the complex interactions among ecological populations, communities and ecosystems, the geophysical environment, and human actions and decisions that underlie global environmental change. It will also directly involve policy makers, managers, and conservation efforts, and educate an informed citizenry. The ESC will be international in scope, addressing the most pressing challenges posed by global environmental change, and is expected to lead the next generation of synthesis activities. Eligible applicants include U.S. academic institutions, non-profit, and non-academic organizations (independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities). Preliminary proposals are due March 23, 2010. Full proposals are due July 14, 2010. Learn more.