Transcript Providing Comprehensive Federal Relations

AMERICAN RECOVERY AND
REINVESTMENT ACT
Stimulus Background for:
National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and
National Endowment for the Arts
Elizabeth Grossman Ph.D, Carole McGuire, Michael Ledford
March 19, 2009
National Science Foundation
Overall, NSF received $3 billion in the stimulus bill.
Research: $2 billion
Instrumentation: $300
million
Facilities Modernization:
$200 million
Education: $100 million
Major Research Equipment
& Facilities Construction:
$400 million
NSF – Research ($2 billion)
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Distribution Among Programs: Funding will
support all research divisions, although not
necessarily evenly.
Primary Goal and Method of Distribution:
Increasing success rates in planned FY 2009
competitions. (Current plan - no
supplements.)
Focus on the Pipeline: Particular emphasis on
funding for early career researchers and
support for undergrads, grad students, and
post-docs. (Congressional interest in STEM
workforce
and jobs jobs jobs.)
NSF – Infrastructure and
Instrumentation
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Facilities Modernization: $200 million to restart an
old NSF program to repair and renovate science and
engineering research facilities (not new
construction). New solicitation coming.
 Note: NIST also has $180 million for an existing
research buildings construction grant program.
Instrumentation: $300 million for existing NSF Major
Research Instrumentation program. New
solicitation likely.
Other Infrastructure: NSF can use research funds for
already-planned small and medium-sized
infrastructure projects and ongoing disciplinespecific instrumentation programs.
NSF - Education
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Professional Science Master’s (PSM)
degree programs: $15 million to establish
a new program to facilitate the creation or
improvement of PSMs. New solicitation
needed.
Increase Success Rates in Two Programs:
Extra funding for Noyce Teacher
Scholarship program ($60 million) and
Math and Science Partnerships ($25
million).
Department of Energy
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Department of Energy (DOE) is key agency for
President Obama’s initiatives in energy
independence and climate change; reflected in
ARRA
$1.6 billion for DOE Office of Science for basic
research will be spent relatively quickly and
support jobs
DOE will devote part to infrastructure projects
and facility upgrades to address backlog
DOE plans to devote part to funding new Energy
Frontier Research Centers
DOE – Long-term
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ARRA provides nearly $40 billion to develop clean,
efficient domestic sources of energy
Funding will largely implement President Obama’s
energy plan
Research opportunities in energy efficiency and
renewable energy and fossil energy – applied
research
Spending likely to be focused on partnerships of
industry, academia, and DOE national laboratories
Department of Energy
6
5
4
3
FY 2008
FY 2009 Omnibus
Stimulus
2
1
0
Office of
Science
EERE
ED & ER
Fossil
Energy
R&D
DOE Smart Grid
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ARRA provides $4.5 billion for
development of the smart electricity grid
DOE program is now $137 million
R&D focus is on high temperature
superconductivity R&D; visualization and
controls; energy storage and power
electronics; and renewable and distributed
systems integration
New solicitations likely; focus on utilities
and industry partnerships
DOE EERE Research
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$2.5 billion is provided for energy efficiency and
renewable energy RDD&D; compares to $1.9
billion
Focus on developing new EERE technologies,
reducing carbon emissions, and reducing utility
bills
$800 million is for biomass; $400 million is for
geothermal; $50 million is to increase efficiency
of information and communications technology
$1.25 billion to wind, solar, hydrogen, water
power, etc.
Expect new solicitations; funds to be awarded
competitively to universities, companies and DOE
national laboratories
DOE Clean Energy Priority
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DOE Secretary Chu’s clean energy priorities
include deploying demonstrated RE technologies
(wind, solar, geothermal) at scale and costeffectively
Demonstrate next-generation energy
technologies (cc&s, cellulosic biofuels, batteries
and storage systems, enhanced geothermal, nextgeneration nuclear)
Research and develop future energy technologies
(advanced solar, methane hydrates, coal-bed
methane, enhanced oil recovery)
DOE Fossil Energy R&D
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$1 billion for existing Fossil Energy R&D programs
(coal, natural gas, oil) that address fuel and
power systems; fuel cells; advanced turbine
technologies; likely to go to FutureGen project in
Illinois
$1.5 billion directed to a competitive solicitation
for a range of industrial carbon capture and
energy efficiency improvement projects, including
a small amount of innovative concepts for
beneficial CO2 reuse
This is a separate initiative to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and address climate change
Fossil Energy (cont.)
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$50 million in competitive grants for site
characterization activities in geologic
formations
$20 million for geologic sequestration
training and research grants
Oil and gas expertise may open
opportunities in this new focus area
ARPA-E
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ARRA funds establishment of Advanced
Research Projects Agency for Energy – ARPAE
Within DOE with goal to support novel, earlystage energy research; technology
development; R&D on manufacturing
processes; technology demonstration and
tech transfer
High-risk, high-reward R&D and
transformational science are priorities for
DOE Secretary Chu
DOE - Infrastructure
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Office of Science funding is proposed to be
spent on DOE laboratory and related
infrastructure – address the backlog
Interest in developing “green” campuses
ARRA provides $3.2 billion for new Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants
Funding to Governors, State, local and
tribal governments for energy efficiency
and conservation projects by formula
DOE – Education and Training
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Secretary Chu emphasizes investing in
breakthrough science to achieve transformational
discoveries; connect basic and applied sciences at
DOE
Develop science and engineering talent; attract
the best to DOE; partner with other agencies,
industry, academia, and globally
Create millions of green jobs and increase
competitiveness
Position US to lead on climate change policy,
technology, and science
National Endowment for the Arts
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$50 million appropriated to NEA
$500,000 for administrative and program support purposes
$19.8 million (40%) available to be distributed to State arts
agencies and regional arts organizations when subgranting
will distribute funds through competitive and qualitative
reviews (already competed)
$29.7 million (60%) available for competitively selected
grants to non-profit arts organizations
 Eligible institutions are 501(c) 3 organizations which have
received NEA funding in the last four years (a grant must have
been awarded in 2005 for FY 2006 or after that date).
Institutions may request a grant between $25,000 and $50,000
and there is no matching requirement. The due date for grant
applications is April 2nd.
National Endowment for the Arts
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Proposals from eligible institutions are limited to:
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Salary support for one or more positions that are critical “to an
organization’s artistic mission and that are in jeopardy or have
been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate” or
For “fees for previously engaged artists and/ or contractual
personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such
persons would be engaged.”
Additional information can be found here:
http://www.nea.gov/grants/apply/recovery/ind
ex.html
Stimulus – Not Business as Usual
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Programmatic decisions at agencies
being made in days, not years.
Once agency plans approved by
White House, expect flurry of
activity, with short turnaround times.
Intensive Tracking Requirements
(quarterly reports on spend and
completion rates, jobs created).