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What We Do
Management
Branches
Main Office Location

What We Do

The Extramural Research & Partnerships Division (ERPD) leads and coordinates ORD’s extramural research grants and partnerships with EPA’s programs and regions, tribes, other federal agencies, and key external stakeholders. ERPD works with ORD’s National Program Directors (NPDs) in prioritizing extramural research and managing relevancy reviews for new projects and the subsequent grants and contracts within their subject area portfolios. The Division also works across ORD on partnerships with EPA’s regions, states, the tribes, other federal agencies, international organizations, and organizations who represent specialized state or local partners.

Extramural Research

Science to Achieve Results Grant Program

Extramural Research funded through EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grants provides invaluable engagement between the agency and scientific community, fostering a collaboration and knowledge-sharing platform. These grants not only engage top scientists throughout the U.S., resulting in a strong scientific foundation to support the Agency in meeting its mission, but the resulting funded research provides the underlying scientific and engineering knowledge needed to address environmental and human health issues and to improve decision-making, problem detection, and problem-solving.
Research Funding Opportunities.

Small Business Innovation Research Program

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program supports small businesses (500 or fewer employees) to develop and commercialize novel environmental technologies that support EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. The program is designed in a phased approach. Phase I awards are $100,000 for six months and for “proof of concept” of the technology. Phase II awards are for up to $300,000 for two years to further develop and commercialize the technology. Phase II companies that obtain qualifying third-party investments are eligible for a commercialization option of $100,000.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.

People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition

The People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program awards grants to research, develop, and design solutions to real-world challenges to respond to the needs of people across the U.S, including those in small, rural, tribal, and disadvantaged communities. P3 is a student design competition that highlights the use of scientific principles in creating innovative projects focused on sustainability. Phase I is a competition for one-year grants to test, research, and develop innovative scientific projects or engineering designs to promote sustainable development. Phase II awards – open only to student teams with a current Phase I grant – provide additional funds to support further development and demonstration of the sustainability projects and designs the teams created in Phase I.
People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition.

Partnerships

Regional Science Program

The Regional Science Program links EPA's Office of Research and Development with 10 regional offices located throughout the country. The program builds networks and partnerships, provides technical assistance, and delivers research results on high-priority science issues in support of environmental decision makers. 
Regional Science Program Fact Sheet

Tribal Science Program

The tribal science program builds bridges between Tribal and EPA programs by collaborating on priority tribal science issues through the Tribal Science Council (TSC). The TSC is a forum for interaction between Tribal and Agency representatives to work collaboratively on environmental science issues. The Council is comprised of EPA representatives from across the Agency, a tribal representative from each of the EPA regions with federally recognized tribes, and a representative of the Alaska Native Villages.
Tribal Research Resources

Management

Maggie LaVay, Director

• Phone: (202) 564-5264
• Email: lavay.maggie@epa.gov

Branches

• Extramural Research Branch
• Partnerships Branch

Main Office Location

US EPA ORD Office of Science Advisor, Policy, and Engagement
Extramural Research and Partnerships Division 
William Jefferson Clinton Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W.
Mail Code: 8104R
Washington, DC 20460