National science foundation research collaboration network - pump priming

We have been invited to form an international consortium to bid for a US National Science Foundation grant. This follows a new collaboration with academics from Purdue University (Prof Suresh Rao) and the University of Ohio (Dr Nandita Basu). NSF-RCN provides funding to promote collaborative international research: in particular to support new collaborations. The named project partners are all involved in River Basin research in their respective countries, with a particular focus on integrated approaches (social, economic and technical) to understanding causes and effects of watershed responses to natural and anthropogenic influences: weathering, trace element chemistry and nutrient export. The aim of the NSF proposal will be to provide formal links between these academic researchers across European and US domains. Regular meetings and workshops will be supported, with a priority to facilitate co-authorship of high-profile publications and subsequent grant applications. For Bristol this would be a distinct advantage in forming new partnerships to bid for FP7 and forthcoming FP8 research calls from the European Union, in addition to collaborations with US scientists in this field. The intended NSF-RCN grant submission will be between $200-$500k.