Petroleum Research Fund - New Directions Grants

Petroleum Research Fund - New Directions Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Chemical Society
Amount: Up to US $250,000
Last Updated: January 25, 2026

Summary

The Petroleum Research Fund - New Directions Grants supports groundbreaking research in the petroleum field, including natural gas and coal. It aims to foster innovation among established faculty and advance scientific education for students. Grants of up to $125,000 are available for projects with limited preliminary results, encouraging new research directions. This initiative prioritizes unique research proposals that do not overlap with existing projects, providing crucial funding for transformative scientific exploration.

Overview

Scope of the Fund Proposals must be for fundamental research in “the petroleum field,” which is defined in our founding document as “petroleum, natural gas, coal, shale, tar sands and like materials.” Fundamental research encompasses the properties of these materials, whereas the petroleum industry undertakes “applied research,” which is outside the scope of ACS PRF. However, please note that while the PRF Trust imposes certain restrictions, PRF currently funds many topics of current interest in sustainability and green chemistry. These include, for example, new catalysts and upgrading/utilization of methane and carbon dioxide. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact a PRF program officer or prfinfo@acs.org for more information regarding areas. Program Goals The goals of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund are: To support fundamental research in the petroleum field, andTo develop the next generation of engineers and scientists through support of advanced scientific education. The New Directions Grants Program aims to stimulate a new direction of research for established faculty, and to support the careers of their student scientists and engineers. New Directions Grants The New Directions (ND) grants program provides funds to scientists and engineers with limited—or even no—preliminary results for a research project they wish to pursue, and who intend to use the PRF-driven preliminary results to seek continuation funding from other agencies. ND grants are to be used to illustrate proof of concept/feasibility. Accordingly, they are to be viewed as seed money for new research ventures. A "new research direction" is something different from previous research performed by the lead principal investigator (lead PI). But, it may involve a field of science or engineering in which others are already working. Therefore, the proposed research should not be in the same direction as—or overlap with—current projects in the lead PI’s research group. Preliminary results and/or communications are not required. Award Information Amount: $125,000 over 2 years. Estimated number of grants awarded: ~ 75 each year. Nature and Scope of the Research ACS PRF Research Grants are made to non-profit institutions for regularly-appointed scientists whose research may be sponsored in accordance with the ACS PRF TransferAgreement: The recipient (ACS) shall use all funds exclusively for advanced scientific education and fundamental research in the ‘petroleum field,’ which may include any field of pure science which in the judgment of (ACS) may afford a basis for subsequent research directly connected with the petroleum field. Note that fundamental research is required as opposed to applied research or methods development. When submitting an application, you will be asked to select a scientific discipline that PRF supports.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The lead principal investigator must demonstrate that this is an entirely new research direction from what the lead principal investigator has done to date. The lead PI must be a regularly-appointed faculty members at academic institutions in countries where ACS PRF can administer grants are eligible. Certain other long-term scientific appointments may be eligible.In addition, applicants must meet the following criteria:The non-profit institution submitting the ND proposal must certify that each individual listed as a principal investigator on the cover page qualifies as a principal investigator under the institution’s Principal Investigator policies.In view of the long-standing policy of The ACS Petroleum Research Fund to give priority to support of students (undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral), each principal investigator (lead and co-PI) must be eligible to serve as the formal, official supervisor of graduate students in graduate degree programs. Emeritus faculty who may supervise post-doctoral fellows are also eligible to apply.The terms of appointment of the principal investigator (and, if appropriate, the co-PI) must promise reasonable continuity of service through the life of the grant.Generally, the above criteria are automatically met by tenured or tenure-track principal investigators. If you or the co-PI are not tenure-track, attach a brief statement to your application describing your appointment and include a Department Chair’s letter affirming that you meet all three of the eligibility criteria cited above. Read more about Eligibility, Terms, and Conditions for ND Grants.

Ineligibility

Excluded from consideration will be: Lead PIs who have had previous support or current funding for the project, andProposals presenting ideas that are a logical extension of ongoing research from the lead PI’s laboratory.The PRF New Directions grant program is not a source of funding for ongoing, extant research projects. Rather, it is designed as a source of funds for new concepts and new projects for the lead PI and his/her research group. Proposals deemed not to be a “new direction of research” will be denied without external review, or may be rejected by the PRF Advisory Board. Principal investigators (lead PI or co-PI) may submit only one research proposal per meeting.Principal investigators (lead PI or co-PI) may not hold more than one active PRF research grant at a time.Principal investigators (lead PI or co-PI) with an active PRF research grant, including a grant on time extension, may not submit an application for a new grant.Principal investigators (lead PI or co-PI) may have only one ND grant application considered in a 12-month period. Thus, a principal investigator (lead PI or co-PI) who has an ND proposal denied may not submit another ND proposal until the Advisory Board meeting one year later.ACS PRF does not consider proposals in the areas of:Biomedical, pharmaceutical or drug-delivery studies, including synthesis of compounds for biological evaluationPollution or environmental remediation studies, anthropogenic effects of petroleum; environmental engineeringGroundwater hydrologyPaleoclimatology studiesMicro- and nanofluidicsSensorsNanotubes and grapheneNanoscience not directly related to petroleum-derived materialsSemiconductors and superconductorsQuantum dotsLow temperature phenomenaSubatomic physicsAll forms of solar energyPhotovoltaics; batteriesWind energy and wind farmsHydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen storage, hydrogen generation from nonpetroleum sourcesCO2 captureSocial, economics, or history research.Research on biosystems is excluded, including whole-cell, organelle, tissue, organ, or whole organism studies; metabolic pathway research; biopolymers including blends and block; biofuels, biomass, and biosensors.