American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill)

For more information about the State of New Hampshire's
response to the ARRA, go to http://www.nh.gov/recovery/

DOD	DOE	DHHS	DHS	DOI
DOJ	DOT	EPA	NASA	NEA
NEH	NIH	NIST	NOAA	NSF
SBA	STATE	USDA	USED	USGS
Click on the agency acronym above to go to the summary of its R&D priorities and plans
Click on the agency name at the beginning of the summary to go to the agency's Recovery website for its complete plans and activities

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill) ---
Information for the UNH Community

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed by President Obama on February 19, 2009. It contains exciting opportunities for the advancement of research and education, including $21.5 billion to be invested in Federally-supported research and development over the next two years.

Details about the Federal agency investment priorities and application processes are emerging rapidly. This page will report information related to research, development, education, creative activities, and infrastructure programs ("R & D") applicable to UNH as it becomes available.

Comments? Other information you've discovered regarding stimulus-related opportunities
that is particularly relevant to UNH?
Please contact Lynnette Hentges at lynnette.hentges@unh.edu.

Questions about the ARRA and UNH? Or about research at UNH in general?
Send your questions to: research.info@unh.edu.

For answers to questions about the ARRA and UNH, see: FAQs

For ARRA resources at UNH, including a list of the College/Institute Liaisons, see: Resources

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The "UNH Forum on Economic Stimulus Opportunities" was held on April 27, 2009

Forum Resources:

Description of the Forum
Agenda
Recovery Act (Stimulus) Resources at UNH
PowerPoint presentation
Video of the Forum

ARRA-funded Projects at UNH

Click here for list and general and technical summaries of the funded projects

General Announcements

All agencies were required by February 26 to publish web pages devoted to the recovery (e.g., NSF.gov/recovery).

Many also have additional pages devoted to recovery activities of specific offices and/or programs within the agency.

Some have specific pages listing ARRA funding opportunities.

All agencies are required to post synopses of funding opportunities to Grants.gov.

For currently open ARRA funding opportunities, see http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=RA

By March 21, agency synopses of funding opportunities posted to Grants.gov were to link to the full announcements on the agency websites

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is allowing select programs to use electronic systems other than Grants.gov to process grant applications during this heightened period of demand caused by the ARRA

The following agencies will be accepting some or all applications outside of Grants.gov:

	Corp. for National & Community Service (CNCS)	Dept. of Justice (DOJ)
	Dept. of Defense (DOD)	Dept. of Transportation (DOT)
	Dept. of Education (US ED)	Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
	Dept. of Energy (DOE)	National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
	Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)	National Science Foundation (NSF)

All funding opportunities will continue to be posted on Grants.gov and will include specific application instructions, including as appropriate, instructions for submitting applications outside of Grants.gov
For details, see the notice at: http://grants.gov/applicants/bulletin.jsp

For additional general ARRA information, consult the General Resources section and the agency implementation plans below.

For ARRA funding opportunities and UNH eligibility, see: UNH-ARRA FOs

A number of the stimulus funding opportunities limit the number of proposals from an institution.

Please see http://www.unh.edu/osr/funding/lim_sub_prog.html for more information on the UNH limited submission selection process and how it will be implemented for ARRA solicitations and UNH-ARRA FOs for which ARRA solicitations have proposal number limits.

Information and tools for identifying currently open funding opportunities from both federal and non-federal sponsors are available at: http://www.unh.edu/osr/funding/funding_main.html.

General Resources

Recovery.gov -- the main website for ARRA

Initial Implementing Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (February 18)

On March 20, President Obama issued a Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies re: Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds that emphasized: ensuring merit-based decisionmaking for grants and other forms of federal assistance under the Recovery Act; avoiding funding of imprudent projects; and ensuring transparency of registered lobbyist communications concerning particular projcts, applicantions, or applicants for funding under the Recovery Act.

Updated Implementing Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was issued by the president on April 3.

AAAS Analysis of R&D in FY09 Stimulus Appropriations (does not necessarily include all agencies of interest to UNH)

Federal Agency Recovery Funding - R & D Priorities and Plans

DOD	DOE	DHHS	DHS	DOI
DOJ	DOT	EPA	NASA	NEA
NEH	NIH	NIST	NOAA	NSF
SBA	STATE	USDA	US ED	USGS

Click on the agency acronym above to go to the summary of its R&D priorities and plans

Click on the agency name at the beginning of the summary to go to the agency's Recovery website for its complete plans and activities

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Last update: 4/19/09

$176,000 designated to the Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s intramural research program) for deferred maintenance of its lab buildings and facilities

UNH Notes:

USDA received funding last year through the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA), a.k.a. the Farm Bill, for the new Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program (AFRI). The AFRI replaces the National Research Initiative (NRI) as USDA's major competitive extramural research funding program.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Broadband Grant Program may offer an opportunity for UNH to partner with NH DRED to move forward a project to provide wireless microwave & fiber optic network for entire state. Additional funding for the project may come through the Dept. of Commerce/ National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP)

Department of Defense (DOD) Last update: 4/14/09
- $300 million for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation to develop energy-efficient technologies, distributed equally across 4 Components - Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense-Wide
  - Section III (pp.162-169) of the DOD Expenditure Plan (3/20/09) describes the plan for RDT&E-funded near-term energy efficiency, alternative energy supply, and tactical energy/power system demonstrations and research to be supported
  - Funds are available for obligation through the end of fiscal 2010
- Back to top
Department of Education (US ED) Last update: 4/14/09
- No funds designated explicitly for research
- Governor has discretion to spend funds from formula allocation of State Fiscal Stabilization Fund for Education (SFSF for Education) on public IHEs
  - IHEs may use education funds for:
    - education and general expenditures
    - mitigating tuition and fee increases for in-State students
    - modernization, renovation, and repair of facilities used for instruction, research, student housing
  - SFSF funds will become available in two phases
    - 67% by end of March 2009
    - 33% Summer and Fall 2009
- Priorities for upcoming competitions for non- ARRA discretionary programs will be aligned with the reform goals of the ARRA-established Race to the Top fund, and will recognize states and local education agencies (LEAs) that optimize the use of the varied funding streams provided under ARRA.
- UNH Notes:
  - The “ FORECAST OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAMS FOR FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2009” can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html

Department of Energy (DOE) Last update: 5/5/09
- Office of Science:
  - $1.6 billion for a mix of extramural basic research, DOE laboratory research, facilities upgrades and construction, and advanced scientific computing - “many already existing, some new”
    - $277 million for Energy Frontier Research Centers, to be awarded on a competitive basis to universities and DOE National Laboratories across the country
      - These centers will accelerate the transformational basic science needed to develop plentiful and cost-effective alternative energy sources and will pursue advanced fundamental research in fields ranging from solar energy to nuclear energy systems, biofuels, geological sequestration of carbon dioxide, clean and efficient combustion, solid state lighting, superconductivity, hydrogen research, electrical energy storage, catalysis for energy, and materials under extreme conditions
    - $90 million for other core research, providing support for graduate students, postdocs, and Ph.D. scientists across the nation
    - $150 million to accelerate ongoing construction on the National Synchrotron Light Source-II at Brookhaven National Laboratory, in Upton, New York
      - This new, state-of-the-art high intensity light source is expected to facilitate major breakthroughs in next-generation energy technologies, materials science and biotechnology
    - $65 million to accelerate construction of the 12-Billion Electron Volt Upgrade of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) in Newport News, Virginia
      - The CEBAF upgrade will provide an international community of physicists with a cutting-edge facility for studying the basic building blocks of the visible universe. The advanced particle accelerator technology being developed for this project also has had important medical applications.
    - $69 million to create a national scale, prototype 100-gigabit per second data network linking research centers across the nation
      - This effort will enhance the Office of Science’s networking capabilities and benefit the commercial telecommunications sector
- Office of Fossil Energy:
  - $3.4 billion will focus on research, development and deployment of technologies to use coal more cleanly and efficiently
    - Investments will go toward (1) finding and testing new ways to produce energy from coal - such as gasification and (2) improving techniques to clean or capture and store the emissions from coal-fired power plants. Funds include:
      - $1.0 billion for fossil energy research and development programs
      - $800 million for additional amounts for the Clean Coal Power Initiative Round III Funding Opportunity Announcement
      - $1.52 billion for a competitive solicitation for a range of industrial carbon capture and energy efficiency improvement projects, including a small allocation for innovative concepts for beneficial reuse of carbon dioxide (CO2)
      - $50 million for a competitive solicitation for site characterization activities in geologic formations (in the context of CO2 sequestration in geologic formations)
      - $20 million for geologic CO2 sequestration training and research grants
      - $10 million for program direction funding
- Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
  - $2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects
    - $93 Million will support Wind Energy Projects (See: announcement)
      - $45 million for wind turbine drivetrain R&D and testing
      - $14 million for technology development
      - $10 million for National Wind Technology Center
      - $24 million for wind power research and development
        
        The Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program (WHTP) has issued a Notice of Upcoming Funding Opportunity Announcement: Recovery Act: Wind Energy Consortia between Institutions of Higher Learning and Industry (See: NOI for FOA DE-FOA-0000090)
        
        “Proposals are sought to stimulate jobs in the wind manufacturing and construction sectors, further advancements in R&D, eliminate barriers to the further deployment of wind energy, reduce the cost and risk of wind energy installations, and stimulate partnerships between institutions of higher learning and the wind industry. The workforce development initiatives will enhance wind energy education that maps to the green energy economy, including the creation of a new generation of energy professionals and wind technologists of the future.”
        
        Areas of particular interest:
        
        Partnerships for Wind Research and Turbine Reliability
        
        Wind Energy Research & Development:
        
        University R&D to advance material design, performance measurements, analytical models
        
        Leveraging partnerships with industry to improve power systems operations, maintenance or repair operations, wind turbine and/or component manufacturing, and interdisciplinary system integratio
        
        Anticipated program/project characteristics:
        
        Eligibility will be restricted to four-year institutions of higher learning
        
        Pre-applications will be required prior to the application deadline
        
        All projects will be funded for maximum of two (2) years, with one or more budget periods
        
        Awards will require cost sharing (per the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Recovery Act)
        
        Two to three awards will be made
        
        DOE plans to release the FOA in late May, 2009
        
        Details about cost share requirements will be included in the FOA along with the details of technical areas of interest, eligibility requirements, proposal preparation instructions and application merit review and evaluation criteria
        
        Once the FOA has been released, a “submit questions” feature will be defined
        
        The FOA will be available at Grants.gov and FedConnect.net
        
        Proposals will be submitted through FedConnect only
      - The Biomass Program has announced that $786.5 M in ARRA funding will be spent on a mix of new funding opportunities and additional funding for existing projects (See announcement )
        
        Funds will be allocated across four main areas:
        
        $480 Million Solicitation for Integrated Pilot- and Demonstration-Scale Biorefineries
        
        $176.5 Million for Commercial-Scale Biorefinery Projects
        
        $110 Million for Fundamental Research in Key Program Areas
        
        $20 Million for Ethanol Research
        
        Date(s) for the release of the FOA(s) are TBD
  - $400 million is set aside for geothermal energy
  - A Notice of Intent has been issued for the “ Recovery Act - Smart Grid Investment Grant Program” (DE-FOA-0000058)
    - Prospective applicants are invited to submit comments that convey concerns or needs for clarification until 5:00 pm EST on May 6, 2009
    - The formal Funding Opportunity Announcement is anticipated for release on or about June 17, 2009
- ARPA- E (Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy)
  - $400 million to start up new organization to support high-risk, high-payoff research into energy sources and energy efficiency in collaboration with industry
  - PURPOSE: create transformational new energy technologies and systems through funding and managing R&D efforts
  - MISSION: overcome the long-term and high risk technological barriers in the development of energy technologies that can achieve the following, with no direct detriment to any of ARPA-E’s Mission Areas:
    - Enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that result in:
      - reductions of imports of energy from foreign sources
      - reductions of energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases
      - improvement in the energy efficiency of all economic sectors
    - Ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies
  - Intended to complement existing R&D organizations within the DOE by adding an organization focused on R&D that is both transformational and translational
  - Will not support basic research aimed at discovery and knowledge generation for its own sake, nor will it undertake large-scale demonstration projects
  - STRATEGIES:
    - define key challenges, develop solution concepts, and support R&D projects that involve major leaps forward in the technology base, technology components, and/or integrated systems
    - emphasize high-risk concepts with potentially high-payoff
  - ARPA-E-supported R&D activities will not be restricted and may include:
    - targeted acceleration of novel, early-stage energy research with possible technology applications
    - development of techniques, processes, and technologies, and related testing and evaluation research and development of manufacturing processes for novel energy technologies
    - coordination with nongovernmental entities for demonstration of technologies and research applications to facilitate technology transfer
  - Expects to issue program-specific funding opportunity announcements
  - 1st program announcement has been issued: Recovery Act - Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E); Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0000065 (a.k.a. Recovery Act - ARPA-E )
    - See: Grants.gov Synopsis; FedConnect.net (Search "Public Opportunities" for title, Recovery Act - ARPA-E) OR Fed BizOpps Funding Announcement
    - This initial program announcement (DE-FOA-0000065) is:
      - narrowly focused on transformational R&D, but intentionally broad on applications and technologies
      - intended to fund energy technology projects that:
        
        translate scientific discoveries and cutting-edge inventions into technological innovations
        
        accelerate transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is not likely to undertake because of high technical or financial risk
      - primarily aimed at prospective applicants who already have a relatively well-formed R&D plan for a transformational concept or new technology that can make a significant contribution towards attainment of the Administration’s Energy and Environment Agenda, if and when if and when successfully deployed
    - ARPA-E anticipates that multiple awards will be made, totaling up to $150M
      - most awards will be for total project costs ranging from $2M - $5M
      - some awards may be as low as $500,000 or as high as $10M
      - in extremely exceptional cases, awards may up to $20M
    - Other characteristics of this program include:
      - Period of performance: Strongly prefer 24 months or less but will accept up to 36 months
      - Cost share from non-federal sources is required:
        
        At least 20% of the total allowable costs for R&D projects of an applied nature
        
        For some types of awards, at least 50% of the total project costs, where practicable, but at least 25%
        
        Monetary cost share is preferred, but in-kind cost share contributions will be considered
- UNH Notes:
  - A recently announced “sweeping reorganization of the way DOE awards grants and loans” may lead to changes in the solicitation and submission process for all DOE grants. OSR will monitor developments on this front.
  - DOE Office of Science is now requiring that proposals be submitted through the DOE e-Center (IIPS), but still be prepared using the appropriate grants.gov application package/forms.
    - For details, see the DOE Office of Science Grants and Contracts website.
  - A coordinated effort that includes the VPR, Deans, Institute/Center Directors and others is underway to determine UNH’s response(s) to the ARRA-funded construction, renovation, and major research equipment/instrumentation programs that will be offered by NIH, NSF, DOE and NIST.
  - The application and selection process for Recovery Act - Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E); Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0000065 is complex -- Click here for a UNH-prepared summary of the steps involved.
  - UNH is registered as an institution in Grants.gov and FedConnect, with OSR Grant/Contract Administrators (GCAs) authorized to submit proposals. No further registration is required by PIs.

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Last update: 5/11/09
- $ 2.6+ billion for R&D
  - $1.5 billion to the National Institutes for Health (NIH) for scientific research and facilities (see NIH section below for details)
  - $1.1 billion to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for comparative effectiveness research
    - $300 million: to build on existing collaborative and transparent Effective Health Care program
      - The AHRQ National Advisory Council’s meeting on April 3 included a discussion of this investment
    - $800 million: $400 million each to NIH and to the Office of HHS Secretary
      - Institute of Medicine (IOM) is directed by ARRA to recommend research priorities for these funds and gather stakeholder input; report is due June 30, 2009
      - The Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research has been created to offer guidance and coordination on the use of these funds
        
        A public comment session was held on April 14
        
        A second session will be held on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 in Chicago to allow public comment regarding comparative effectiveness research and the Coordinating Council’s activities; the meeting will be webcast at the DHHS Recovery website
  - $500 million: Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to double the healthcare workforce through loans, scholarships and incentive for training programs
- HHS continues to review spending plans and could possibly announce and/or begin releasing funds under operating plans for additional ARRA programs
- UNH Notes:
  - UNH is watching for plans from all the HHS agencies that provide discretionary funding in UNH areas of interest:
    - Administration for Children & Families (ACF)
    - Administration on Aging (AoA)
    - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
    - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    - Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)
    - Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA)
  - A summary of all the DHHS Recovery programs, prepared by Ned Helms, Director of the NH Institute for Health Policy and Practice, is available HERE
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Last update: 4/14/09
- No funds designated explicitly for R&D
- UNH Notes:
  - UNH will watch to see if funds become available through the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) which manages “a broad portfolio of solicitations and proposals for the development of homeland security technology.”

Department of the Interior (DOI) Last update: 4/14/09
- US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS)
  - $280 million to:
- United States Geological Survey (USGS)
  - $140 million that will be distributed as::
    - $15.2 million to modernize equipment in the National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) at all USGS volcano observatories
    - $14.6 million to upgrade to high-data radio (HDR) technology and upgrade streamgages with new technologies for streamflow measurement
    - $14.6 million for remediation to remove streamgages, cableways, and ground-water wells that are no longer in use
    - $29.4 million for projects that address health and safety issues; functional needs such as improved laboratory space; make facilities more energy efficient, and incorporate sustainable design criteria in project implementation
    - $29.4 million to modernize the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) by doubling the number of ANSS-quality stations and upgrading seismic networks nationwide
    - $17.8 million for research facilities at Patuxent Wildlife Refuge Research Center in Patuxent, MD; the Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) in Columbia, MO; and the Upper Midwest Environmental Services Center (UMESC) in LaCrosse, WI
    - $14.6 million to improve mapping data, which will then be made available for multiple uses including flood mapping, emergency operations, and natural resource management
    - $488,000 to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) to digitize, and make available to the public via the Internet, the historical banding recovery and bird banding records
- UNH Notes:
  - While direct project funding is not planned, the upgrades in USGS labs, equipment and databases may facilitate enhanced UNH efforts in these areas of research

Department of Justice (DOJ) Last update: 4/14/09
- $2.7 billion to the Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
  - $2 billion for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
    - Supports a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and improve the criminal justice system, from law enforcement and prosecution, to courts and corrections, to drug treatment, to victim assistance
- $1 billion under the COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP)
- UNH Notes:
  - The UNH Police Department may be able to take advantage of the CHRP

Department of State (STATE) Last update: 4/14/09

No funds explicitly for R&D or education/outreach programs
UNH Notes:
- UNH will watch for opportunities that will complement and/or extend the activities already underway on campus through STATE funding.

Department of Transportation (DOT) Last update: 4/14/09

No funds explicitly for R&D
UNH Notes:
- UNH faculty and staff may have opportunities to participate in state projects that will be funded by the ARRA through collaborations with the NH DOT

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Last update: 4/14/09

No funds explicitly for R&D
UNH Notes:
- UNH will watch for opportunities for which University faculty/staff would be eligible.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Last update: 5/22/09
- Science: $400 M --- Earth Science Plan
  - $325 M to accelerate the development of the Tier 1 set of Earth Science climate research missions recommended by the National Academies Decadal Survey
    - ARRA funding of on-going research efforts to gain better scientific knowledge or provide long-term educational value in:
    - Venture Class Solicitation and Award Process Initiation
      - The Venture Class solicitation will be for a series of small, relatively inexpensive, competitively selected missions and instruments that can be implemented quickly, e.g., a mix of instruments that can be flown on partner-funded spacecraft, and airborne, suborbital, and small space-based missions
      - Expect to release NASA Research Announcement (NRA) in June or July 2009
      - Expect to complete first Venture Class mission competitive selection process by February 2010
  - $ 75 M to increase the agency's supercomputing capabilities
- Exploration: $400 M --- Constellation Systems Plan
  - Constellation Program
    - Constellation systems in development include the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), and supporting mission and ground support systems that will provide transportation to the Moon, Mars, and beyond
    - ARRA funds will support accelerated testing, procurement, and manufacturing to maximize NASA’s ability to meet a March 2015 Initial Operational Capability (IOC) date
  - Commercial Crew and Cargo program
    - CCC program is NASA's investment to help develop cost-effective systems to carry crew and cargo to the ISS
    - There are four defined capabilities to be developed and demonstrated by industry partners:
      - Capability A: delivery and disposal of external unpressurized cargo to and from the International Space Station
      - Capability B: delivery and disposal of internal pressurized cargo to and from the International Space Station
      - Capability C: delivery and return to Earth of internal pressurized cargo to and from the International Space Station
      - Capability D, crew transportation to and from the International Space Station
    - Currently, NASA has only funded activities toward the demonstration of cargo transportation, i.e., Capabilities A-C
    - ARRA funds will be used to initiate investment toward Capability D, thus accelerating development of commercial access to space
- Aeronautics: $150 M --- Aeronautics Research Plan
  - Recovery funds will accelerate research in advanced aircraft technologies and systems, aircraft safety, fuel efficiency, and the Next Generation Air Transportation System
    - ARRA funds will be put into the existing Aeronautics Research Program
    - Research in all 4 programs within Aeronautics Research Program will be accelerated and enhanced
      - Aviation Safety program: to enhance and expand the fidelity of current research activities relating to composite materials and structures experimentation, simulations and flight tests
      - Airspace Systems program: to accelerate progress and conduct integrated system research to support the requirements and research and development gaps identified by the JPDO for NextGen advancements
      - Fundamental Aeronautics program: to reduce risk, accelerate progress, and initiate integrated aeronautical vehicle system level research in areas that have applicability to future vehicle concepts, reducing the impact of aviation on the environment
      - Aeronautics Test program: to help protect current and provide additional test capabilities for the aeronautics programs, and bolster NASA’s expertise and capabilities in critical test areas
    - Some of the funds will be allocated to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) activities
    - Activities associated with stimulus funding for these activities will typically be started between May and June 2009, and completed no later than September 2010
- Cross-Agency Support: $50 M ---- Institutional Investments Program Plan
  - Repair of buildings at Johnson Space Center damaged by Hurricane Ike in September 2008
- UNH Notes:
  - There may be opportunities for UNH scientists to participate in the Earth Science, Aeronautics Research, and possibly, Constellation Systems, programs, alone or with industry partners.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Last update: 4/26/09
- $49.5 million available to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn.
- UNH Notes:
  - UNH faculty/staff who are eligible to apply to the NH Arts Council should monitor the Council's and NEFA's webpages and/or sign up for the NHAC e-news alerts.

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Last update: 4/14/09
- No funds for the NEH were included in the ARRA
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Last update: 4/19/09
- $610 million available for R&D
  - $220 million for NIST laboratory research, measurements, and other services supporting economic growth and U.S. innovation
    - Includes competitive grants, research fellowships, and advanced measurement equipment and supplies.
    - A Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for “NIST Recovery Act Measurement Science and Engineering Research Grants Program: Providing the Technology Infrastructure to Address National Priorities has been posted; deadline will be 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
  - $360 million to address NIST’s backlog of maintenance and renovation projects and for construction of new facilities and laboratories
    - Includes $180 million for a competitive construction grant program for funding research science buildings outside of NIST
    - Details describing eligibility, application requirements and other guidance related to this grant program are not yet available
    - $20 million in funds transferred from the Department of Health and Human Services for standards-related research that supports the security and interoperability of electronic medical records to reduce health care costs and improve the quality of care
    - $10 million in funds transferred from the Department of Energy to help develop a comprehensive framework for a nationwide, fully interoperable smart grid for the U.S. electric power system
- UNH Notes:
  - UNH may be able to benefit from both the research support and the construction grant programs.
  - A coordinated effort that includes the VPR, Deans, Institute/Center Directors and others is underway to determine UNH’s response(s) to the ARRA-funded construction, renovation, and major research equipment/instrumentation programs that will be offered by NIH, NSF, DOE and NIST.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Last update: 5/12/09
- $8.2 billion for extramural R&D
  - The agency expects to:
  - $1 billion to the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) for extramural construction, repairs, and alterations in support of all NIH-funded research institutions
    - See: RFA-RR-09-007 and RFA-RR-09-008
  - $300 million for shared instrumentation and other capital equipment to support all NIH activities
    - See: PAR-09-028 and PAR-09-118
  - $400 million for health care comparative effectiveness research that will be coordinated with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
  - Institute/Center participation, deadlines and submission requirements for the ARRA funding mechanisms varies; applicants should check with the cognizant program director before preparing a proposal.
  - Applicants have been cautioned to read and follow the instructions provided in the ARRA opportunity solicitations carefully, especially regarding budget preparation.
  - NIH has announced ARRA-specific changes to the application review process: NIH Review Criteria, Scoring System, and Suspension of Appeals Process for the Recovery Act of 2009
  - NIH has announced specific changes to the terms and conditions of ARRA-funded awards: Standard Terms and Conditions American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and NOT-OD-09-08
- UNH Notes:
  - OSR is working with faculty who have active NIH awards to determine their eligibility for the supplemental funding and the specifics of applying for those supplements.
  - OSR is working with campus partners to develop a process for UNH to comply with the provisions of the ARRA-related Terms and Conditions.
  - A coordinated effort that includes the VPR, Deans, Institute/Center Directors and others is underway to determine UNH’s response(s) to the ARRA-funded construction, renovation, and major research equipment/instrumentation programs that will be offered by NIH, NSF, DOE and NIST.
  - UNH is not eligible for NIH’s shared instrumentation and other capital equipment opportunities.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Last update:4/14/09

Received $830 million in funds

$230 million to Operations, Research and Facilities (ORF), including:

Hydrographic Survey Backlog: $40 million to be awarded by the end of June to a) reduce the critical hydrographic survey backlog by approximately 1,700 square nautical miles; and b) support improved ingestion of significant increases of data so that nautical charts can be updated faster

Marine and Coastal Habitat Restoration: $167 million to be awarded by the end of June for mid- and large-scale restoration projects addressing coral reef conservation, restoring fish habitats and helping endangered species such as salmon and sea turtles; and contributing to the improvement of coastal resiliency in response to sea level rise and natural hazards

NOAA Research Vessel Maintenance and Repair: $20 million for critical repairs and replacements to NOAA’s fleet of research and exploration vessels, specifically major repairs for Rainier and Oregon II, as well as accelerating the replacement of hydrographic survey launches on Rainier and Fairweather

$600 million to Procurement, Acquisition and Construction (PAC), including:

NOAA Climate Computing and Modeling: $170 million to accelerate and enhance NOAA’s High Performance Computing capabilities to directly improve capabilities for weather and climate modeling and climate change research.

NOAA will start two computing systems in separate locations that will improve the accuracy of seasonal climate and global climate change assessments.

The two HPC sites will be selected by a competitive process and create jobs in manufacturing, construction, and software engineering

NEXRAD Dual Polarization Radar: $7.4 million to accelerate the Dual Polarization effort of the next generation (NEXRAD) Doppler weather radar system that will allow signals to be transmitted and received in two dimensions

Weather Forecast Office Construction: $9 million to upgrade the NOAA Weather Forecast Offices in Barrow and Nome, Alaska, as well as repair a number of other such local weather offices around the country

Accelerate Satellite Observations: $74 million to

accelerate development of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and climate sensors for these satellites

develop instruments that monitor the sun’s energy incident on the Earth and the Earth’s radiation budget, both crucial measurements for monitoring factors that affect climate change

Pacific Regional Center: $142 million to complete construction of NOAA’s consolidated Pacific Regional Center on Ford Island in Honolulu

Southwest Fisheries Science Center: $102 million to complete the design, construction, and occupancy of the replacement NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, CA

Fairbanks Satellite Facility Construction: $9 million to continue the replacement of the at-risk Fairbanks Operations Building in Fairbanks, Alaska, allowing NOAA to support the NOAA polar-orbiting satellites program through de-orbit of the last polar satellite in 2022, as well as support other ongoing satellite missions through 2026

Facility Maintenance and Repair: $8.6 million to fund necessary facility maintenance and repairs at the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamic Laboratory in Princeton, N.J., NOAA Fisheries Galveston Laboratory in Texas, and other NOAA facilities

Fishery Survey Vessel Construction: $78 million to complete the construction of the sixth Fisheries Survey Vessel that will replace the aged David Starr Jordan and support fisheries surveys and related research along the West Coast and Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean

UNH Notes:

The planned maintenance, repair and construction of the NOAA facilities and vessels should contribute to enhanced UNH research efforts as well as possibly provide direct funding opportunities

National Science Foundation (NSF) Last update: 5/19/09

$3 billion available for R&D

$2 billion for research grants that will be selected from the 24,000 proposals already in hand and high-quality proposals declined on or after October 1, 2008

Funding of new Principal Investigators and high-risk, high-return research will be top priorities

ARRA funds will be used to increase the number of CAREER and IGERT awards

NSF does not intend to provide any supplements to existing grants under ARRA

The Cognizant Program Officer will contact the institution when a declination reversal is being considered by NSF

$300 million for new Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) awards through the competitive review process

The RFP for the ARRA-funded competition, “ Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI-R²) Recovery and Reinvestment,” was released on May 11

Awards will be made in addition to those that will be made from the annual MRI program

Special eligibility and proposal preparation requirements apply

Acquisition and development requests for $100,000 - $6M will be accepted

For this MRI-R² competition only, the cost-sharing requirement is waived for institutions of higher education that are not ranked among the top 100 of those receiving Federal research and development funding

This is a limited submission program -- see UNH Notes (below) for the timeline for the UNH submission process

$200 million for the Academic Research Infrastructure program for competitively awarded grants to revitalize existing research facilities

The RFP for the ARRA-funded competition, “Academic Research Infrastructure Program: Recovery and Reinvestment (ARI-R²),” was released on May 11

The goals of the ARI-R² program are:

Update existing research facilities at institutions of higher education and other non-profit research organizations to support research that can address the challenges of the 21st century

Enable academic departments, disciplinary and cross-disciplinary units, or multi-organization consortia to renovate research facilities through the addition or augmentation of cyberinfrastructure to create environments that enhance research and integrate research with education

Improve access to and increase use of next-generation research facilities for researchers, educators and students

Assist research organizations, including those that have historically received limited Federal research and development funds, to improve their science and engineering research environments

The term "research facilities" refers to existing shared space where sponsored and/or unsponsored research activities and research training take place, either in "bricks and mortar," mobile or virtual research space

Funding will be limited to facilities where research and research training activities focus on NSF-supported fields of science and engineering

ARI-R² provides support for improvement of physical space, the mechanical systems of buildings and fixed equipment that is built into and generic to the research facility

ARI-R² will not support:

free-standing equipment

new construction

faculty or student offices, classrooms, seminar or conference rooms or other space facilities not devoted to scientific, engineering or educational research

basic building requirements such as elevators, loading/delivery areas or restrooms

acquisition/development/installation of specific research instrumentation for the research facilities

operation and maintenance of the research facilities

any research and research training activities

salary costs of submission-eligible organizations' employees

indirect costs

NSF expects to make 100 - 120 awards:

Approx. 100 awards of $250,000 to $2M (Duration: up to 3 years)

Approx. 6-10 awards of over $2M to $5M (Duration: up to 4 years)

Approx. 3-5 awards of over $5M to $10M (Duration: up to 4 years)

Institutions may submit only 1 proposal, either as the lead organization or as a sub-awardee, but not both ------ See UNH Notes (below) for the process UNH is using to develop infrastructure proposals to ARRA-supported programs

Special proposal and budget preparation requirements apply

$60 million to the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program

$25 million to the Math & Science Partnerships Program

$15 million to a new Professional Masters Science Program

A solicitation will be announced this spring

$400 million to accelerate construction of major research facilities with unique capabilities at the cutting edge of science.

The solicitations for the MRI, ARI and SM programs are expected to be the only solicitations that will be posted solely in response to the ARRA

All grants issued with ARRA funds will be standard grants with durations up to 5 years

Awardees will be expected to expend funds and demonstrate substantial success in the first two years

Award notices for ARRA-funded projects will include special terms and conditions -- See: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Terms and Conditions - May 2009

ARRA FAQs have been posted on the NSF website

The Science of Science & Innovation Policy (SciSIP) Program, within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, will fund “ Rapid Response Research (RAPID) to Study the Impact of the Economic Stimulus Package and to Advance the Scientific Understanding of Science Policy” - see NSF 09-034

Proposals may be submitted at any time

The SciSIP program director, Julia Lane ( jlane@nsf.gov), should be contacted for assistance and advice prior to proposal submission

UNH Notes:

OSR is working with campus partners to develop a process for UNH to comply with the provisions of the ARRA-related terms and conditions.

A coordinated effort that includes the VPR, Deans, Institute/Center Directors and others is underway to determine UNH’s response(s) to the ARRA-funded construction, renovation, and major research equipment/instrumentation programs that will be offered by NIH, NSF, DOE and NIST.

Pre-proposals for the selection of which UNH proposals will be submitted to the MRI-R² program are due JUNE 10. See the Announcement for details.

Small Business Administration (SBA) Last update: 4/19/09

No explicit funding for R&D or support for Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)
UNH Notes:
- The NH SBDC (based in WSBE) may be able to tap into the $25 million designated for “staffing up to meet demands for new programs.

Resources for Researchers

Resources for Graduate Students

Resources for Undergraduates

Resources for Corporations and Foundations

Resources for State Partnerships

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill)

DOD

DOE

DHHS

DHS

DOI

DOJ

DOT

EPA

NASA

NEA

NEH

NIH

NIST

NOAA

NSF

SBA

STATE

USDA

USED

USGS

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill) ---
Information for the UNH Community

General Announcements

General Resources

Federal Agency Recovery Funding - R & D Priorities and Plans

Click on the agency acronym above to go to the summary of its R&D priorities and plans

Click on the agency name at the beginning of the summary to go to the agency's Recovery website for its complete plans and activities

	For answers to questions about the ARRA and UNH, see: FAQs For ARRA resources at UNH, including a list of the College/Institute Liaisons, see: Resources
	***********
	The "UNH Forum on Economic Stimulus Opportunities" was held on April 27, 2009
	Forum Resources:	Description of the Forum Agenda Recovery Act (Stimulus) Resources at UNH PowerPoint presentation Video of the Forum

Resources for Researchers

Resources for Graduate Students

Resources for Undergraduates

Resources for Corporations and Foundations

Resources for State Partnerships

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill)

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill) --- Information for the UNH Community

General Announcements

General Resources

Federal Agency Recovery Funding - R & D Priorities and Plans

Click on the agency acronym above to go to the summary of its R&D priorities and plans

Click on the agency name at the beginning of the summary to go to the agency's Recovery website for its complete plans and activities

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill) ---
Information for the UNH Community