International Conference on Global Sustainable Finance

A Two Day International Conference on Global Sustainable Finance will be held from 5^th to 6^th of July, 2012 in Karlsruhe, Germany. This event will bring together top executives and senior members of financial institutions, policy makers, economists, academia, regulators, sustainable development practitioners, senior government officials, representatives of international development agencies and other relevant stakeholders engaged or interested in sustainable finance and greening economy. The event will also be attended by senior members of various faculties such as finance, economics, banking, business administration, environmental management and by members of other relevant departments.

The delegates will discuss key emerging issues including: climate change, environmental degradation and the emergence of the green economy; unfolding financial and economic crisis; the changing role of financial service providers as the economies and financial markets get reshaped; success stories and best practices for embedding sustainability in financial industry; and the road to sustainable economic development. The conference offers a distinctive opportunity to deliberate on innovative solutions that will advance our transition to sustainable economy.

Further to knowledge sharing on sustainable finance and the emergence of the green economy around the world; the upcoming conference will also help establish partnerships and alliances and in developing synergies. It provides an excellent opportunity to network with the senior members of financial community, multilateral agencies, governmental and non-governmental institutions, academia, sustainable development and environmental management practitioners and other stakeholders in Europe and globally. An optional excursion/ get-together will take place on Saturday the 7th of July 2012.

You are cordially invited to attend this international event and/ or nominate the member(s) of your institution.

For further information, please see the event details.

http://etechgermany.com/GSFC_2012.pdf

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LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio 2012-2013 Request for Proposals

The LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio seeks to fund innovative and creative research, design, and outreach projects in Coastal Louisiana that aim to increase our region's capacity to develop, adapt, and thrive in an increasingly volatile and changing environment.

To be considered, projects must incorporate the expertise of at least three disciplines within the University with priority given to teams that engage: Design, Engineering, and Coastal Sciences. Grants are given for one calendar year. We encourage faculty from all areas of study to form a trans-disciplinary partnership and apply for funding through the CSS.

CSS Criteria

All projects supported by the CSS share a common set of goals. Please consider each of the following criteria in your proposal:

• Multi-scalar Inquiry - Delta, region, community, person
• Trans-disciplinary - at least three disciplines must be a part of proposals. Priority goes to proposals engaging coastal science, engineering, and design
• Public/community dimension
• Informed and speculative

Focus areas

Following the release of the Draft 2012 Louisiana Coastal Masterplan it is more clear than ever that we must act decisively to restore, protect, and proactively develop our region for future generations. However, we also know that there is no silver bullet. It will take paradigm shifts across many sectors of society to support the kind of change needed to live resiliently in this environment. Priority this year will go to projects that demonstrate a knowledge of the

Masterplanning effort and respond effectively to perceived strengths or needs of the plan.

Proposal

Before preparing your letter of interest, please familiarize yourself with the CSS overview and guidelines at: www.css.lsu.edu The Letter of Interest can be a maximum of 500 words and must include the information requested below. Supporting diagrams can be included though proposal should be limited to a total of 3 pages. Additional portfolio and CV information may be attached totaling no more than 5 additional pages.

1. The Letter of Interest should include the following sections and information:

• Project Objective: Describe the intended project and, particularly, how this project is an innovative approach to coastal, human, and natural sustainability efforts.
• Project Site: Briefly describe the geographic area that this project encompasses.
• Project Oversight: How will this project be managed to coordinate efforts of multiple partners?
• Dissemination and Outreach: Will your work engage communities, governmental organizations, NGO's, others? How will your work reach a public audience?
• University Involvement: Describe your planned involvement from specific investigators or University Departments (requires at least one of the following: design, coastal scientists, and engineering). Projects that engage all three of the core disciplines will be given priority.
• Past Experience: Provide descriptions (or portfolio) of projects that demonstrate your ability to develop and execute a project on a similar scale to the one that you are proposing.
• Describe the project output and measures of completeness or success.
• Funding Request: Provide a budget overview. CSS funds projects internal to the university.
• Additional Funding: Provide a list of additional sponsors that are, or will be, providing additional funding for this project (projects that leverage funding will be given priority).
• Team: Submitter organization, primary contact name(s), contacts information.

All submissions must be in digital format and sent to Lynne Carter, CSS Associate Director at: lynne@srcc.lsu.edu. Deadline for letters of interest: April 23, 2012.

Each project’s Letter of Interest will be reviewed by the CSS Executive Committee. Executive committee members submitting projects will be recused from decisions about their projects. Project(s) will be selected by May 15, 2012 (funding permitting). Project duration: August 2012 - August 2013

C. Funding

1. CSS will allocate funds for projects in the range of $5,000 - $25,000 for fiscal year 2012-2013. Multiple levels of project funding are available depending on project need.
2. CSS funds can be used as matching funds for grant applications to such external sources as the NSF. Also, we will look favorably on proposals that bring matching grants.

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative - RFP II - OPEN

http://www.gulfresearchinitiative.org/request-for-proposals/rfp-ii/

The purpose of RFP-II is to select proposals from individual investigators or collaborative efforts involving a principal investigator (PI) and up to three co-principal investigators (co-PIs) from no more than three additional institutions. RFP-II will fund activities for 1 to 3 years. The total funds available for distribution through RFP-II will be up to $7.5 million per year for up to 3 years; and funding for each approved proposal is expected to be between $100,000 (minimum) and $1 million (maximum) per year.

The major research themes to be addressed in RFP-II are:

Physical distribution, dispersion, and dilution of petroleum (oil and gas), its constituents, and associated contaminants (e.g., dispersants) under the action of physical oceanographic processes, air–sea interactions, and tropical storms.

Chemical evolution and biological degradation of the petroleum/dispersant systems and subsequent interaction with coastal, open-ocean, and deep-water ecosystems.

Environmental effects of the petroleum/dispersant system on the sea floor, water column, coastal waters, beach sediments, wetlands, marshes, and organisms; and the science of ecosystem recovery.

Technology developments for improved response, mitigation, detection, characterization, and remediation associated with oil spills and gas releases.

Impact of oil spills on public health.

Each proposal is expected to develop and enunciate a clear plan to address a single theme. The plan should clearly describe how the proposed research would serve to accomplish the long-term goals of the GoMRI.

The grantees will be chosen through a competitive peer review of the proposals submitted in response to this RFP-II. The peer-review process, selection of funded proposals, and continuation annual funding will be carried out under the direction of the GoMRI Research Board.

Click here to view the RFP-II. (Adobe PDF)

As you know the frequency and the importance of Interdisciplinary Research, Education, and Communication is continuously increasing at an accelerated rate. Consequently, we invite you to submit an abstract or draft paper to The symposium on Interdisciplinary Research, Education, and Communication (IDREC 2012,  http://www.2012iiisconferences.org/idrec), which being organized in the context of The 3rd International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics: IMCIC 2012 (http://www.2012iiisconferences.org/imcic), to be held on March 25th - 28th, 2012; in Orlando, Florida, USA, jointly with The 3rd International Conference on Education, Training and Informatics: ICETI 2012 (http://www.2012iiisconferences.org/iceti)

January 12th, 2012 is the submission deadline for IDREC 2012. The submission deadlines for the collocated conferences can be found at the respective web sites.

Submissions of Intra-disciplinary Research are accepted only if about 20%-30% of the article is oriented to INTER-DISCIPLINARY COMMUNICATION and its presentation in the symposium (if the article is accepted) has a similar inter-disciplinary orientation.

The following are collocated events. Participants in any conference or symposium may participate in any collocated session of any event (a link to each conference's URL is available at www.iiis.org/iiis/IIISConferences_spring_2012.asp

•   Information Systems Analysis and Synthesis: ISAS 2012

•   Computing, Communications and Control Technologies: CCCT 2012

•   Knowledge Generation, Communication and Management: KGCM 2012

•   Academic Informing Science and Engineering: AISE 2012

•   Design and Modeling in Science, Education, and Technology: DeMset 2012

•   Society and Information Technologies: ICSIT 2012

Submissions for *Face-to-Face* or for *Virtual* Participation are both accepted. Both kinds of submissions will have the same reviewing process and the accepted papers will be included in the same proceedings.

Details regarding the following issues can be found at conferences web pages:

•   the three-tier reviewing,

•   acceptance policy,

•   best papers selection,

•   publication of the proceedings in hard copy, CD,

•   virtual session for each face-to-face session in the conference program,

•   publication of the best 10%-20% in journals with no additional charge,

•   waiving of registration fee effective invited session organizers,

•   sessions’ best papers awards,

•   etc.

We hope we can count on your contribution and support, IDREC 2012 Organizing Committee

Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI)

Available Formats:
HTML: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12513/nsf12513.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click
PDF: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12513/nsf12513.pdf?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click
TXT: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12513/nsf12513.txt?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

Document Number: nsf12513

The Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, Inc. (“CPBR”), is issuing the Request for Preproposals for its 2013 competitions.

 The RFP includes several options for navigation. You can go directly to…

•         specific sections or pages using the bookmarks and thumbnails; or

•         specific text by using Acrobat Reader’s Find or Search tools.

CPBR now requires electronic submission of preproposals. Microsoft Word files will be accepted via email.  Please compress all images prior to submitting. For assistance, go to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HP030740421033.aspx.  Attached is a Microsoft Word file of the Preproposal Cover Sheet for your convenience.

•       Notices of intent to submit a preproposal should be sent to CPBR by November 18, 2011. 

•       Preproposals must be received at CPBR no later than December 15, 2011.  

•       Each preproposal must be presented at the 2012 Symposium in Washington, DC, tentatively scheduled for March 6-7, 2012.

•       Full proposals will be due June 15, 2012.

•       Industry matching commitments will be due December 2012. 

If you have any questions about the 2013 competitions, the electronic submission of preproposals, or the Symposium, please contact W. Corey Pittman, Research Grants Coordinator, at (912) 638-4900 or email him at cpittman@cpbr.org.

We look forward to receiving intents to submit pre-proposals prior to November 18, 2011.

All LSU A&M Baton Rouge faculty and faculty-research as well as LUMCON faculty holding LSU adjunct appointments may submit letters of intent as PIs. Researchers at national and other Louisiana institutions, including LUMCON faculty without LSU affiliations, may submit as co-PIs with eligible faculty PIs and Co-PIs bearing the same matching requirements.

A full description of the research opportunity is described in the attached document. Some items to note:

1. Exclusive of the cover sheet and investigator resumes, LOI text should not exceed 3 pages.
2. Awards may exceed $100K per year and extend for up to three years.
3. Total awards from this competition cycle will not exceed approximately $1,000,000.
4. The CMI cooperative agreement requires a strict dollar for dollar co-funding by BOEM and LSU. Matching funds must be provided from non-federal sources.
5. The LOI’s are due by 4:30pm on January 6, 2012.
6. Request for full proposals will be on or near January 27, 2012.
7. The date of the award will be on or before September 30, 2012.

One signed original and a PDF file of the complete LOI are to be submitted by 4:30 PM, 6 January 2012 to Susan Welsh, Room 3187, Energy, Coast, and Environment Building. The PDF file can be emailed to swelsh@lsu.edu. Envelopes sent through the mail should be addressed to:

Susan Welsh, Ph.D., Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences