New NIH Programs Emerge Despite Shrinking Budgets - The NIH will soon
publish new Requests for Applications (RFA) in an effort to encourage targeted
grant applications to fund programs which have special research priorities.
RFAs are critical to stimulating research in understudied and priority areas
where there is a particular gap in research. Some of the planned RFAs involve
the following targeted initiatives:
Prevention and Treatment of Pediatric Obesity in Primary Care ($3 million
for research project grants, small grants and exploratory/development grants)
Designs to Study the Effects of Work Policies/Practices on Parents/Children
($3 million for cooperative agreements.)
Check the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts for these and other RFAs at the
following URL: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html
NIH Workload Increase: According to the NIH, the number of applications
received in 2003 increased dramatically by 24% over the volume processed in
2002. During the first quarter of 2004, there have been 15% more applications
than the same period of 2003. See the following site for more information:
http://www.csr.nih.gov/prnotes/prnotes.asp
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) has produced a video of a mock study section meeting: Inside the NIH Grant Review Process. It is an introduction for both applicants and new reviewers to the NIH peer review system. The video also provides information on what applicants can do to improve their applications. The video may be viewed in streaming media via the Web. Go to the following address for more information and to download the video: http://www.csr.nih.gov/video/video.asp
Army Research Laboratory: The Army Research Laboratory has released
a broad agency announcement for research in the physical, engineering and life
sciences. Some of the areas targeted for research include the computational
and information sciences, sensors and electron devices, survivability/lethality
analysis, weapons and materials research, human research and engineering, and
vehicle technology. ELIGIBILITY: Educational institutions, nonprofit organizations
and other research organizations are eligible to submit proposals. This solicitation
will remain open until Sept. 30, 2006. More information is available at URL:
https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi/solicitation_view.cfm?psolicitationnbr=DAAD1903R0017
American Psychological Association: The APA is seeking proposals for
scientific research conferences in psychology to promote the exchange
of important new contributions and approaches in scientific psychology. ELIGIBILITY:
One of the primary organizers must be a member of APA. Only academic institutions
accredited by a regional body may apply. Joint proposals from cooperating institutions
are encouraged. Conferences may be held only in the United States, its possessions,
or Canada. FUNDING: Grant money, ranging from $500 to $20,000, is available
for each scientific conference. The conference must also be supported by the
host institution with direct funds, in-kind support, or a combination of the
two. DUE: June 1, 2004
WEB: http://apa.org/science/confer2.html
Department of Commerce -Technology Opportunities Program: The National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) within the U.S. Department
of Commerce is the Executive Branch's principal voice on domestic and international
telecommunications and information technology issues. NTIA works to spur innovation,
encourage competition, help create jobs and provide consumers with more choices
and better quality telecommunications products and services at lower prices.
The Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) is a highly competitive, merit-based
matching grant program that supports this mission through funding demonstrations
of new telecommunications and information applications for the provision
of educational, health care, or public information in the Nation's public
and non-profit sectors. ELIGIBILITY: Eligible applicants are non-profit entities,
public sector organizations as well as state, local and tribal governments.
FUNDING: Approximately $12.9 million in grants is available for federal
assistance under this program. DUE: April 27, 2004. WEB: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top
Department of State (DoS) - Program for Research & Training on Eastern
Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union: The DoS invites
organizations with substantial experience in conducting research and training
to serve as intermediaries administering nationwide competitive programs for
individuals and institutions concerning research and training on the countries
of Southeast Europe and Eurasia. ELIGIBILITY: U.S.-based public and private
non-profit organizations and educational institutions may submit proposals that
sustain and support American expertise on the countries of Eurasia and Southeast
Europe. FUNDING: Funding may be available at a level of approximately $5
million. DUE: April 2, 2004 WEB: http://www.state.gov/s/inr/rls/grants/
The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation - Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program: This program supports the teaching and research careers of talented young faculty in the chemical sciences. The Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program is based on accomplishments in scholarly research with undergraduates, as well as a compelling commitment to teaching. ELIGIBILITY: Institutions in the States, Districts, and Territories of the United States of America that grant a bachelor's or higher degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, or biochemistry may submit nominations to the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program. Nominees must hold a full-time tenure-track academic appointment, be between the fourth and twelfth years of their independent academic careers, and engage in teaching and research primarily with undergraduates. Awardees are typically in departments that do not grant a doctoral degree. FUNDING: The Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award provides a $60,000 research grant. WEB: http://www.dreyfus.org/th.shtml DUE: June 24, 2004
Department of Education - The High School Equivalency Program (HEP):
The program helps migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their children obtain
a general education diploma (GED) that meets the guidelines for high school
equivalency established by the State in which the HEP project is conducted,
and to gain employment or be placed in an IHE or other postsecondary education
or training. For FY 2004, the Competitive Preference Priority is: Novice Applicant.
ELIGIBILITY: Institutions of higher education (IHEs) or private non-profit agencies
working in cooperation with IHEs. FUNDING: It is estimated that $5.9 million
will be available for about 15 awards ranging from $150,000 to $475,000.WEB:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2000-1/011900c.html
DUE: April 5, 2004
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program: The EPA is interested in supporting source reduction/pollution prevention and resource conservation projects that will provide an overall benefit to the environment by preventing the generation of pollutants at the source. Project initiatives can involve but are not limited to: reducing production waste and consumption; improving facility and institutional operations by reducing pollutant use and exposure; reformulating and procuring products to reduce toxic constituents; improving reuse and recycling opportunities; reducing disposal risks; providing direct technical assistance to businesses and other organizations; encouraging green product design and manufacturing; conducting outreach; collecting and analyzing data; and integrating pollution prevention concepts in state, regional and tribal environmental media programs. ELIGIBILITY: Assistance under this program is available to States, local governments, city or township governments, independent school district governments, state controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, Federally-recognized tribal governments, non-profits, and community-based grassroots organizations. FUNDING: EPA is expecting the availability of $1 million in FY 2004 to fund grants and cooperative agreements. All awards shall be made through a competitive process for amounts not to exceed $100,000 per year. Proposals may include up to 2 years in their schedule and budget. In the past five years, EPA has awarded related assistance agreements in the range of $5,000 - $100,000. WEB: http://www.epa.gov/p2/pubs/2004RFP_sourcereduction.htm DUE: April 16, 2004
National Endowment for the Humanities - Fellowship Program: Fellowships support individuals pursuing advanced research in the humanities that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the general public's understanding of the humanities. ELIGIBILITY: Applicants may be faculty or staff members of colleges or universities, or of primary or secondary schools, or independent scholars or writers. FUNDING: Fellowships provide support for projects that can be completed during the tenure of the award, as well as for work that is part of a long-term endeavor. Successful applicants will receive an outright award of $24,000 for a six to eight-month full-time tenure and $40,000 for a nine to twelve-month full-time tenure. Recipients usually produce scholarly articles, monographs on specialized subjects, books on broad topics,archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly tools. WEB: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/fellowships.html DUE: May 1, 2004.
National Science Foundation - NSF Middleware Initiative (NMI): The program is designed develop, deploy and sustain a set of reusable and expandable middleware functions that benefit many science and engineering applications in a networked environment. Robust middleware services are especially important for enhancing scientific productivity and for facilitating research and education collaborations through sharing of data, instruments, and computing resources. The program encourages open source software development and distribution approaches, as well as the development of necessary middleware standards. Middleware refers to the software that is common to multiple distributed applications and is built atop the network transport layer and the operating system. Middleware manages interactions between remote resources and hides the underlying complexity so that rapid development of new networked applications is enabled. Middleware services must, hence, provide high levels of usability and robustness on the individual desktop, the enterprise platforms and beyond. Middleware technology also addresses a variety of security and privacy concerns to support resource sharing and collaborations. Building on the successes of current projects, the FY 2004 NMI solicitation focuses on two areas for future funding: (1) integration of middleware technologies with domain science and engineering applications to create production environments; and (2) development and prototyping of new middleware functions and services. The intended environments for these areas are not tethered exclusively to high-end computing systems, and may include other platforms such as desktop and enterprise networks, as well as networks of embedded systems. FUNDING: It is anticipated that $10 million will be available for 7-14 awards in FY 2004. WEB: http://www.cise.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_display.cfm?pub_id=13067NSF-DOC: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/ getpub?nsf04555 DUE: May 14, 2004
National Science Foundation - Cross-disciplinary Research at Undergraduate Institutions (C-RUI): The goal of the Cross-disciplinary Research at Undergraduate Institutions (C-RUI) (formerly called Collaborative Research at Undergraduate Institutions) is to support research efforts involving faculty from different fields and undergraduate students at predominantly undergraduate institutions. This program is specifically targeted toward cross-disciplinary research projects that require contributions from more than one disciplinary area. C-RUI is also intended to facilitate greater diversity in student participation and to contribute to the development of the next generation of scientists well-trained in 21st century biology. ELIGIBILITY: Only predominantly undergraduate institutions as defined in the Research at Undergraduate Institutions program announcement, NSF 00-144, are eligible to submit proposals. Minority-serving institutions and two year colleges are especially encouraged to apply. Eligible institutions may partner with non-RUI academic institutions and not-for-profit research institutions, provided that a majority of the key personnel and all undergraduate students to be involved are from RUI institutions. FUNDING: It is anticipated that $2 million will be available for about 8 new awards in FY 2005. WEB: http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04536 DUE: June 15, 2004.