Call for proposals for conservation/ sustainability projects

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is announcing a call for proposals. ISTC conducts research and technical assistance in the areas of pollution prevention; energy conservation and new energy technologies; biofuels; waste reduction; water quality improvements; and water use and reuse.

ISTC administers its Sponsored Research Grant Program to advance the state of knowledge/practice in areas of sustainability, pollution prevention, energy generation and conservation, and environmental issues of importance to the State. In FY15, proposals are being requested for projects that will contribute to ISTC’s goal of conserving a total of one billion gallons of water in the state of Illinois.

Projects can be focused on methods for reducing water use; treatment of wastewater or other process water for reuse; novel recycling methods; or other significant water-saving measures. Technologies or practices that are easily transferable to other industries or businesses are preferred. Projects that target significant water savings through energy savings will also be considered.

Projects should be able to achieve real measurable water savings/conservation within the time frame of the project or be able to show a very high potential for significant water savings/conservation in the near future. Funded projects will be used as case studies by ISTC to provide information to other entities about sustainable water-saving/conservation practices and technologies.

There will be approximately $225,000 available for new projects. We anticipate funding 3 – 6 projects (maximum grant amount of $75,000). Project period should be one year or less, with earliest starting date of July 1, 2014, and latest completion date of June 30, 2015.

Application will be a two-step process; a 3-page pre-proposal followed by a full proposal. Pre-proposals are due to ISTC by March 11, 2014.

Successful pre-proposal applicants will be notified by March 24, 2014, and asked to submit a full proposal by April 25, 2014. Notification of funding will be made by June 3, 2014. Download the application here.