The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced two new funding opportunities under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on June 1, 2009.
The Recovery Act NIST Construction Grant Program will fund $120 million in grants for construction of research buildings. All grant proposals that complement one or more programs of the Department of Commerce’s three science organizations (NIST, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Telecommunications and Information Administration), will be considered. Specifically, these include science related to measurements, oceans and atmosphere, and telecommunications. NIST anticipates funding 8-12 projects with federal shares in the $10-$15 million range. Although cost sharing is not required, it is encouraged for a proposal to be selected for funding. For more information, go to www.grants.gov and search for opportunity number 2009-NIST-ARRA-CONSTRUCTION-01.
The Recovery Act Measurement Science and Engineering Research Grants Program will fund appropriately 20-60 proposals of $500,000 to $1,500,000, totaling $35 million in grants. Proposals in six areas will be considered: energy, environment and climate change, information technology/cybersecurity, biosciences/healthcare, manufacturing, and physical infrastructure, with priority funding in areas of special interest to NIST. In the environment and climate change subcategory, priority research includes measurement and modeling of aerosols and their impacts, monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, development of buoy sensor technology to support accurate ocean color and chemistry measurement, and research to better characterize environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials. In the biosciences/healthcare subcategory, priority research includes development of measurement systems and standards for discovering and visualizing disease signatures in blood and tissue, development of measurement tools and standards for analysis of human cells, and development of reference methods and standards for nucleic acids, proteins and non-peptide hormones in blood. For more information, go to www.grants.gov and search for opportunity number 2009-NIST-ARRA-MSE-RESEARCH-01.