Chemurgy 2.0 EWD Seed Funding Program Solicitation
What is Chemurgy 2.0?
The Chemurgy 2.0 vision is that Iowa is known for supporting human needs via biomanufacturing or in other words: Meeting human needs with things that grow. The Chemurgy 2.0 Project will enhance research capacity and infrastructure for Iowa’s bioscience and manufacturing industries while supporting the development of a diverse and skilled biomanufacturing workforce.
Chemurgy 2.0 is funded through EPSCoR RII Track-1: Building capacity across Iowa to meet human needs from things that grow and has three technical focus areas:
- Plastics for Additive Manufacturing (PAM)
- Fibers for Flexible and Rigid Materials (FRR)
- Proteins for Diagnostics and Therapeutics (PDT)
And includes novel Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) research aimed at supporting education and workforce development goals.
NSF Award Number: 2242763
NEWS: Round 3 Request for Proposals is Open - See Current Priorities.
The Education & Workforce Development (EWD) Seed Program aims to support pilot and starter outreach and education initiatives that:
- implement and test lessons learned by the SCCT team,
- support stronger and more diverse participation in education and workforce development, especially among rural populations
- increase interest and persistence in biomanufacturing educational programs within the scope of one or more of the project technical aims.
The EWD Seed Program will release an annual call for proposals to support the direct program costs of projects designed to implement at least one SCCT team recommendation with a specific target audience and connected to at least one technical focus area. Successful proposals will demonstrate promise increasing interest and/or persistence implementing and evaluating at least one SCCT recommendation within a technical focus area and with a desired audience.
Target Audience: Projects must benefit a target audience as described in the annual priorities.
Chemurgy 2.0 EWD Priorities: Each annual call for proposals will include a description of types of priority projects that will be funded in the current year. The priorities are selected based on the recommendations of the SCCT research team.
Overview
Proposal Window
Round 3 Will open on or before July 1, 2026. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis until round 3 funding is expended. Round 3 Proposals must finish their work by July 31, 2027.
Proposal Requests
Round 3 requests are accepted for projects up to $50,000.
The committee anticipates awarding 2 or 3 proposals this round.
Project Expectations
- A project staff person will present the results of the project at the next Chemurgy 2.0 Annual Symposium Meeting. To facilitate this, projects are required to include travel to the next Chemurgy 2.0 Annual Symposium Meeting for a minimum of 1 senior project personnel in the project budget.
- Project Directors will participate in a consultation (in person or via zoom; 1 hour) with EWD Seed Funding Program Chair within 1 month of the award announcement.
- Project Directors will submit a midterm report and a final report.
Eligibility
Proposals are not accepted from individuals.
Every project must have a Project Director (PD). The PD is the leader of the project and responsible for all reporting. The PD must apply through an institution that fits one of the following categories:
- Iowa Public or Private accredited Institution of Higher Learning
- Iowa Public or Private PreK-12 School
- State of Iowa, County, or City Governmental Organization (Iowa Department of Education, County Conservation Board, City)
- 501(c)3 Nonprofits operating in Iowa
The lead institution must fit into one of the categories above.
Project partners may also include Iowa-based for-profit businesses. Organizations and individuals based outside of Iowa may be included on the project as long as the budget clearly justifies how all project dollars benefit Iowans.
The lead institution must be registered with SAM.gov and supply their Unique Entity ID on the proposal cover sheet. Proposals submitted without a Unique Entity ID cannot be reviewed. Please note: It can take up to 10 days after completing an application for a Unique Entity ID to become active.
Allowable Expenses
The budget should account for all direct project costs. The budget may include F&A for non-participant costs at the lead institution’s federal F&A rate. In the absence of a Federally negotiated rate, applicants may include indirect costs at the de minimis rate of 10% of the project's modified total direct costs.
The budget must include transportation for at least one project staff to present at the Chemurgy 2.0 Annual Symposium Meeting. Mileage and/or vehicle rental, per-diem excluding the provided lunch are expected expenses. Hotel accommodations for the night before the meeting may also be included, as needed.
Cost share is not required for EWD Seed Funding Projects.
Project funds are released on a reimbursement basis. Project Directors will submit requests for reimbursement with appropriate documentation. Staff will not release funds to projects with outstanding reports.
Grants are issued as a sub-award of the Iowa NSF Grant through Iowa State University.
Non-allowable expenses:
- Equipment and/or Computers.
- Out of state travel for Iowans.
- Sub-awards to other organizations.
- Promotional Swag
Promotional swag encompasses items distributed for marketing or branding purposes, such as baseball caps adorned with a company or university logo. Conversely, items used during the project activity, whether branded or not, are classified as participant or project supplies. Promotional items are not allowed. Reasonable project/participant supplies are allowed. An example of a project supply could be a journal used to take notes during a workshop or a USB drive used to share digital files between participants.
Important Dates For Round 3
- Call for Proposals Released: by July 1, 2026.
- Proposals Due: Round 3 proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis until funding is awarded. The committee anticipates awarding 2-3 proposals. The end date of the project is July 31, 2027 regardless of the start date.
- Notification to Applicants: Applicants will receive notice of proposal receipt and be notified when a decision is made. Reviewer comments will be provided upon request.
- EWD Seed Grant Discussion @ Chemurgy 2.0 Symposium Annual Meeting. Round 3 Proposals will be discussed during the EWD team meeting on July 28, 2026. Reach out to ibassis@iastate.edu to participate.
- Project Period of Performance: All work on round 3 proposals will be complete by no later than July 31, 2027.
- Consultations and Mid-Term Reports: A 1-hour consultation with the EWD Seed Funding Program Chair will be scheduled during the month the award is announced. Mid-term report due dates will be set during the consultation.
- Symposium Annual Meeting Presentations: see Chemurgy 2.0 Events page, generally end of July. The 2027 Symposium will take place on the ISU campus.
- Final Reports Due: annually on the last Friday in August
- Final Accounting Due: 45 days after the final report is due
How to Apply
Consider attending the EWD Seed Project Workshop at the next Chemurgy 2.0 Annual Symposium Meeting. Participation will include an opportunity to learn from the PIs of each of the Chemurgy 2.0 Focus Areas and participate in discussion about EWD Seed Projects with committee members.
- Review this document including eligibility requirements, proposal guide, the review process, project expectations, and additional resources.
- Follow the guidelines to write your proposal and save your completed proposal as a pdf.
Submit BOTH the Proposal and the Budget by including them as email attachments and sending the email to: EWD_See.p72v7bqvafi9skv3@u.box.com by the deadline.
Please name your files using this format: project_director_lastname-EWDproposal and project_director_lastname-EWDBudget.
Applications with components not submitted by the deadline will not be considered. If a rolling deadline is in affect, proposals will not be considered until all components are submitted.
Current Priorities (Round 3)
EWD Seed Funding Projects must address the key findings of the Social and Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) team’s research. Our round 3 call for proposals focuses on two of the team’s findings:
- Lack of Awareness about what biomanufacturing is, how to train for it, and where it is happening in Iowa.
- Missing connections to key drivers of career choices (students, parents, and counselors don’t know details like what degrees lead to biomanufacturing careers, what are the salary ranges and career trajectories, etc.)
Therefore, we are seeking curriculum supplement development projects in Round 3. Proposals must develop and deliver a curriculum package aimed at 9th-12th grade students and addressing Iowa Science standards. Curriculum must use examples and data from Iowa scientists engaged in biomanufacturing research. Priority will be given to projects that engage students in science directly linked to one of the three Iowa NSF EPSCoR focal areas and introduce students to biomanufacturing careers/paths.
Requirements: Resulting curricula must be published in a manner that allows free and open access to Iowa public and private high schools. The output of this project should be one high school unit of 3 or more related activities or equivalent provided in a classroom ready format. Proposals will only be accepted from teams that include Iowa Scientists currently
engaged in biomanufacturing research and curriculum development specialists.
Proposal teams should include individuals with a track record of successful production of high school level curriculum materials.
Proposal Guide
Proposal Sections
Section 1 - Cover Page (complete the table in the Proposal Template, does not count toward page limit)
- Title
- Lead Institution
- Lead Institution Unique Entity ID#
- Project Director (Name, Title, Email, Phone, Address)
- Proposal Type (Mini-grant or Impact Project)
- Target Audience for Round 3 is 9th-12th grade; may specify a specific course (i.e. Biology; Intro to Engineering, etc.)
- Chemurgy 2.0 Focus Area(s)
Section 2 - Proposal (Sections A-D should be no more than 4 pages total, single spaced)
It is anticipated that sections B & C will provide the majority of most proposals.
A. Project Overview
Briefly introduce the project including the science to be covered and the relevance to Iowa’s science standards. Include a brief introduction of the team members and their qualifications.
B. Project Plan
Describe the curriculum development process including pilot testing or feedback mechanisms. Describe the final product. Include a description of the curriculum supplement structure (how many activities, standalone activities or unit, etc.) and format (is the final product a paper guide, a website, digital pdfs, etc.). Describe which team members are responsible for which activities.
C. Project Integration
Specifically address how this project will address this Round’s priorities. Which Iowa NSF EPSCoR’s focal area does the project connect to and how? How will the project help high school students better understand biomanufacturing career paths?
D. Sustainability and Dissemination
Describe how the final product will be disseminated during the grant period and after. Describe any evaluation or metrics of success that will be used to report on the project. Successful projects will include a dissemination plan that goes beyond posting the curriculum to a website and/or presenting at the Chemurgy 2.0 Annual Symposium Meeting. Examples of possible dissemination options include, but are not limited to, hosting a teacher professional development workshop, presenting the project at an Iowa K12 educational venue such as the Iowa STEM Summit or UNI Science Education Update Day, or integrating the project into a preservice teacher course. All projects must make their final product freely accessible to Iowa high school teachers and the Iowa NSF EPSCoR Network.
E. Budget Narrative (does not count toward page limit)
A budget narrative is an explanation of how each line item contributes to the project and how the subtotals were calculated. Be sure to explain rates and their source. See example budget narrative for guidance and examples.
Section 3 - Proposal Budget
Complete the budget template provided.
Proposal Documents
Review Process & Help
Proposals will go to the Chemurgy 2.0 EWD Seed Program Committee for review.
Within the proposal, Project Directors will identify which Chemurgy 2.0 Focus Areas their proposal addresses. Each proposal will be reviewed by education and outreach reviewers and an expert assigned by the Principal Investigator from the selected Focus Area. Projects that span multiple Focus Areas may be reviewed by additional content experts at the discretion of the EWD Seed Program Committee. Reviewers will use a provided rubric to develop a score and supporting comments for each proposal. The EWD Seed Program Committee will then meet and discuss all proposals that reach a specific threshold average score. The EWD Seed Program Committee will award funding to projects based on the amount of funding available, the amount of funds requested, project scores, and to support a diverse group of projects across the current priorities.
Following proposal review and selection, awardees may be asked to submit additional materials necessary for sponsor approval and subaward processing. Such materials may include, but are not limited to, letter of commitment, mentoring plans for supported graduate students, and other subrecipient-related documentation. These materials will be requested only from awardees and are not part of the proposal review criteria.
Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed.
TIPS
Successful proposals will include all of the requested information in the order requested.
Keep in mind that more is not always better. Proposals with clear and achievable goals will be selected over projects that “reach everyone” and/or “do everything”.
Ask a Question
Questions about the Chemurgy 2.0 EWD Seed Program? Email Marcy Seavey at marcene.seavey@uni.edu.
Possible Round 3 Partner - Galactic Polymath
Galactic Polymath is interested in collaborating with Iowa Science teams seeking a Round 3 award.
The EWD Seed Grant Funding Program Committee recognizes that not all science teams will have established relationships with curriculum designers and provide this information as an option for those teams.
Who is Galactic Polymath? Galactic Polymath is an education studio based in Minneapolis, MN, experienced in meeting with scientists and translating their research into engaging, standards-aligned lessons, videos, and web apps for students. They use your research papers, data, images, and stories to develop open-access materials currently reaching over 26,000 students.
Galactic Polymath (GP) has an established process and rates for the development of their materials. Finished lessons would reside on the GP Teacher Portal, where they would be freely accessible to teachers throughout the USA. Activities are automatically integrated with their JobViz career exploration tool, integrated with data from 800+ jobs across the US economy. Project activities would also be available to be embedded into your organization website and the Iowa NSF EPSCoR Website.
Galactic’s CEO is a former research scientist who later became a middle school science teacher. Through both experiences, he recognized two persistent challenges: scientists often struggle to conduct meaningful outreach at scale, and teachers lack access to affordable, high-quality, research-authentic materials. Galactic was selected because it bridges this gap—making cutting-edge science accessible, engaging, and classroom-ready. “Science Isn’t Finished Until It’s Understood”
Contact: Matt Wilkins, PhD
Founder, CEO Galactic Polymath Education Studio
galacticpolymath.com
+1 (612) 208-7234
Minneapolis, MN
Additional Resources
Projects Funded in Round 1 - 2024-2025
Sharing Authentic Iowa Biomanufacturing Stories Projects funded in Round 1: The Iowa NSF EPSCoR Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Seed Grant has awarded funding to two innovative projects aimed at enhancing public understanding of biomanufacturing in Iowa.
Dr. Lisa Chizek (Iowa State University) is engaging rural high school students as they learn more about Chemurgy 2.0 science by watching team videos, researching, and interviewing Chemurgy 2.0 community members. The students will then create their own videos explaining the science, it's importance, and career connections for their peers and the public. Dr. Chizek will develop a lesson/unit plan to allow other educators to engage their students in similar projects.
Translating to Demystify YouTube Playlist
Translating to Demystify Unit Plan
Dr. Grisamore (The University of Iowa) will guide UI Content Marking students in creating multimedia to communicate the significance of medical related biomanufacturing based on the work of the Proteins for Diagnostics and Therapeutics (PDT) team. Students will develop a podcast series, social media campaign, newsletter, and more. Listen to the Podcast Series: From Life to lab. Follow the University of Iowa's BuiltByIowa Instagram account to learn about students and faculty in biomanufacturing, especially in careers related to the development of solutions to complex health issues.
Round 1
Round 1 EWD Seed projects should focus on providing experiences for the identified audiences to engage in building shared language about Biomanufacturing and provide a mechanism to collect and disseminate specific stories about careers in Biomanufacturing. These projects should aim to gather and share distinctive narratives highlighting careers in Biomanufacturing, its significance in addressing societal challenges, and its role in community enhancement. Projects must connect to at least one of the Chemurgy Focus areas. Preference will be given to projects that showcase a diverse range of individuals from Iowa, spanning various industries, educational backgrounds, and career paths.
Providing experiences for identified audiences means that the target audience should be actively engaged in the development of the stories presented in the end product. How this is to be accomplished should be described in the proposal (workshop, virtual interviews, company tours, etc.).
Building a shared language about Biomanufacturing means utilizing the Chemurgy 2.0 Shared Language document, the Success and Challenges in Biomanufacturing 2023 Report, and other resources to frame the program.
Collecting and disseminating specific stories means that an output of the project should be one or more real products that can be used in the future by the project’s lead institution and partners, the Chemurgy 2.0 team, and/or at least one of the target audiences (school counselors, industry recruiters) to further a shared vision of Iowa as a hub of Biomanufacturing and a source of expertise in these areas. Examples might include, but are not limited to: a limited or on-going podcast, a video, a series of newspaper articles, a lesson plan, an interview protocol, a best practices document, a poster series, a digital comic book, a group of trained facilitators.
All projects must provide a connection to at least one of the Chemurgy 2.0 Focus areas, whether through a formal partnership between the EWD Seed Project team and a focus area team or by showing that the project's content aligns with the scientific knowledge and methodologies of the specified focus area(s).
Round 1 Target Audiences are community college and undergraduate students (especially undecided/searching students and students declared in an Biomanufacturing program); faculty and admissions/recruiter staff and/or industry staff/recruiters in Biomanufacturing.
Round 2
ound 2 Proposals are accepted in two priority areas - Growing Future Biomanufacturing Professionals and Sharing Authentic Iowa Biomanufacturing Stories.
Potential Project Directors are encouraged to discuss their project ideas with the EWD Seed Funding Program committee chair, Marcy Seavey, and/or a member of the Chemurgy project before submission.
Growing Future Biomanufacturing Professionals Projects
(anticipate funding 4-6 projects in Round 2)
Growing Projects build tomorrow’s biomanufacturing workforce in Iowa by directly impacting high school through undergraduate students and/or individuals who impact student career decisions (such as science educators, career counselors, community college & university admissions and recruiting staff, and biomanufacturing professionals who participate in youth outreach).
Examples of projects that directly impact students include (but are not limited to):
- High school afterschool program focused on a biomanufacturing theme
- Work-based learning pilot program focused on a biomanufacturing theme
- Design of new exploratory course introducing students to Iowa NSF EPSCoR research
- High school or community college Summer Research Program in a chemistry, biochemistry, biology, materials science, materials science engineering, or computer science department where the research focus is based on using biological materials or processes to solve a human need.
- Community college field trips to university or industry labs where biomanufacturing activities take place.
Examples of projects that impact individuals who can impact student career decisions includes (but are not limited to):
- High school counselor webinar series with panels by Iowa biomanufacturing industry professionals and faculty.
- Mentoring workshop for industry professionals who want to offer job shadows or internship programs.
- As a match for a school district and local business submitting an Iowa STEM BEST proposal for a project focused on a biomanufacturing project. EWD Funds would need to be in support of specific activities, such as providing training and networking time for school & industry staff.
These are examples only.
All Growing Projects must provide a connection to at least one of the Chemurgy 2.0 Focus areas, whether through a formal partnership between the project team and a focus area team or by showing that the project's content aligns with the scientific knowledge and methodologies of the specified focus area(s).
Sharing Authentic Iowa Biomanufacturing Stories Projects
(This is a continuation of the Round 1 Priority; anticipate funding 1-3 projects in round 2)
Sharing projects focus on providing experiences for members of the Iowa biomanufacturing community to engage in building shared language about Biomanufacturing and provide a mechanism to collect and disseminate specific stories about careers in Biomanufacturing to a target audience. These projects should aim to gather and share distinctive narratives highlighting careers in Biomanufacturing, its significance in addressing societal challenges, and its role in community enhancement. Projects must connect to at least one of the Chemurgy Focus areas. Preference will be given to projects that showcase a range of individuals from Iowa, spanning various industries, educational backgrounds, and career paths. Projects must include in their plan a description of the process to be used to collect, create, and disseminate the stories.
The Iowa biomanufacturing community includes:
- undecided/searching community college and undergraduate students exploring biomanufacturing,
- decided community college and undergraduate students in chemistry, biochemistry, bioengineering, medical bioengineering, material science, and other related majors/programs or programs that feed into these programs such as biology, physics, computer science, engineering, and chemistry.
- university faculty/researchers studying biomanufacturing topics
- university and community college admissions/recruiters,
- biomanufacturing industry researchers
- biomanufacturing industry recruiters
The project target audience must be one of the following:
- Iowa high school students
- Iowa K12 educators
- Parents/Families with middle or high school students
- community college/university/industry recruiters
Providing experiences for members of the Iowa biomanufacturing community means that they should be actively engaged in the development of the stories presented in the end product. How this is to be accomplished should be described in the proposal (workshop, interviews, company tours, etc.).
Building a shared language about Biomanufacturing means utilizing Chemurgy 2.0 resources, the Success and Challenges in Biomanufacturing 2023 Report, and other resources to frame the program while collecting individual stories.
Collecting and disseminating specific stories means that an output of the project should be one or more real products. The project must include disseminating the product(s) to at least one target audience and collecting basic analytics about impact and reach. The products must be available in the future for use by the project’s lead institution and partners, the Chemurgy 2.0 team, and/or at least one of the target audiences (school counselors, industry recruiters) to further a shared vision of Iowa as a hub of Biomanufacturing and a source of expertise in these areas. Examples include but are not limited to a limited or on-going podcast, a video, a series of newspaper articles, a lesson plan, an interview protocol, a best practices document, a poster series, a digital comic book, a group of trained facilitators.
All Sharing projects must provide a connection to at least one of the Chemurgy 2.0 Focus areas, whether through a formal partnership between the project team and a focus area team or by showing that the project's content aligns with the scientific knowledge and methodologies of the specified focus area(s).
In addition to the EWD Seed Funding Program, the Iowa NSF EPSCoR Grant includes several collaborations with organizations that are doing education and workforce development work. The two projects described below are examples of projects which directly benefit students:
Science Bound - The Science Bound program's goal is to increase the number of Iowa students pursuing degrees in ASTEM fields. Iowa NSF EPSCoR funds have supported the development of a new Science Bound AP Biology Earn to Learn Course for high school students. Participating student preview AP Biology topics through the context of biomanufacturing.
Rural Scholars - Rural Scholars supports first-year undergraduate students with chemistry research experiences. In partnership with Iowa NSF EPSCoR, Rural Scholars is reaching more students with research experiences in biomanufacturing topics.