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Kick-Start Your Career with a Petroleum Research Grant

ACSGCI
Honored Contributor
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By Nancy Jensen, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Research Grants

The ACS Office of Research Grants administers the Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) grant which provides grants for fundamental research related to petroleum-derived materials in one of ten specified subject matter areas. The grants number about 200 grants per year with a value of about $18,000,000 to $20,000,000.

By Nancy Jensen, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Research Grants

The ACS Office of Research Grants administers the Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) grant which provides grants for fundamental research related to petroleum-derived materials in one of ten specified subject matter areas. The grants number about 200 grants per year with a value of about $18,000,000 to $20,000,000.

While proposals must be directed to fundamental petroleum research in compliance with the terms of the trust that funds the grants, many topics of current interest in sustainability and green chemistry are also related to fundamental petroleum research.  These include, for example, new catalysts for conversion of hydrocarbons, upgrading/utilization of methane, small aliphatic hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide, new recyclable hydrocarbon-derived polymers, and recycling of current hydrocarbon polymers.  As proposed research must be compliant with the terms of the trust interested individuals are encouraged to contact a PRF program officer to discuss their proposed research and its fit with the PRF grant program.  Alternatively, interested individuals may contact prfinfo@acs.org for more information regarding areas of supported research.

New proposals for PRF Grants will be accepted from noon August 14 to 5:00 pm EST to September 8, 2023.  Please note that this is approximately one month earlier than the fall submission period in previous years.

Grant programs are available for new professors beginning their first tenure track position, and also for established tenured or tenure track professors pursuing a new research direction.  Separate grant programs are available for qualified professors in non-doctoral departments. Further, in a recently approved change, the eligibility period for Undergraduate New Investigator Grants in non-doctoral institutions has been extended to 5 years from beginning date of first tenure track appointment. Additionally, beginning with proposals submitted in the Spring 2023 submission window, the value of the ND (New Direction) grant is being raised from $110,000 to $125,000. Applications are made through a web-based portal and additional information may be found at www.acsprf.org.

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