ACSF Academic Venture Fund

About the AVF

ACSF's Academic Venture Fund (AVF) is designed to stimulate new, original, multidisciplinary research at Cornell in sustainability science, emphasizing work having the potential to involve external partners such as industry, government, foundations and other non-governmental organizations. ACSF seeks proposals from Cornell faculty across all Colleges and Schools and encompassing all disciplines contributing to sustainability.

External Collaborations

The Academic Venture Fund is intended for projects within Cornell. Interested external organizations should contact David Dieterich (ACSF Partnerships Director, and Executive in Residence).

2012 Funding Cycle

The Center invites proposals for its next Academic Venture Fund program:

• Request for Proposals (in PDF): outlines the process (revised to reflect 0% indirect costs)
• 2012 AVF Proposal Process is now available.
• 2012 AVF Letters of Intent are now available for review by members of the Cornell community.
• Selections will be announced in May 2012.

Reporting

PI's awarded AVF funds are requested to submit annual and final written reports that describe results and progress relating toward each specific metric of success presented in the original proposal. We recommend these guidelines.

• New Sales Approach for Improved Cookstoves
• Threats to Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in the Finger Lakes
• Developing a Sustainable Specialty Crop Greenhouse Industry in the Northeast
• Harnessing Genomics to Advance Biodiversity and Conservation Research
• Sustainable Disease Management for Emerging Bioenergy Crops

• Property Formalization and the Role of Technology in Tanzania
• Methane Production in Natural Gas Extraction from Shale
• Sustainable Pest Management and Yield Increase Strategies
• Gardens for New York: Ecological Literacy, Diet, and Physical Activity
• A New Framework for Evaluating Agrarian Development

2010 Awards

ACSF awarded eight grants in its 2010 Academic Venture Fund cycle, totalling nearly $600,000:

• Development of Biochar-Based Fibers for Personal Protective Equipment
• Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Risk Analysis for Carbon Sequestration
• Monitoring Air and Water Quality in Marcellus Shale Drilling Sites
• Replacing Antibiotics in the Food Animal Industry with Bacteriophages
• Thousandfold Improvement in Solar Photobioreactors Using Advanced Photonics
• Water Governance in the Mediterranean Basin and Middle East
• Self-Powered Wireless Solar Tiles for a Renewable Energy Future
• University Collaboration on Wind Energy

2009 Awards

In its Spring 2009 AVF Award cycle, ACSF awarded 5 grants, totalling over $500,000:

• Sustainability of Food Systems
• Assessing Carbon Sequestration in Complex Agricultural Landscapes
• The Impact of Green Energy Development on Rural Community Sustainability
• Micropowdered Biomass Combustion
• A Solar Cell Using Inorganic "Grass"
   
   
  

Research

• Improving the Stability and Productivity of Algal Bioreactors for Biofuel Production
• Integrated Digital Design Environment for Sustainable Architecture
• Forecasting Disease and Economic Consequences of Climate Change
• Environmental, Energetic and Economic Potential of Biochar
• Understanding aflatoxin accumulation in maize
• Vibro-Wind Technology: Alternative Wind Energy Systems for Buildings
• Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Workshops

• Cornell Workshop on Large Scale Wind Generated Power
• Managing Sources of Uncertainty for Sustainable Resource Management
• Building Social Networks for Biological Inventories and Information
• Urban Trees for Sustainable Cities: Workshop to Develop an Integrated Social-Ecological Sciences Research Agenda in New York City
• Environmental Sustainability in an Aging Society