NIST Seeks Proposals for $35 Million in Grants for Measurement Science

NIST will award up to 60 grants of up to $1.5 million.

Published: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 - 11:53

(NIST: Gaithersburg, Maryland) -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it will award up to $35 million in grants and cooperative agreements for measurement science and engineering research. Approximately 20 to 60 awards, lasting from one to three years, and ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million, will be funded by these grants, which are part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“The Recovery Act provides a unique opportunity to expand scientific research in the pursuit of economic prosperity,” says Gary Locke, Commerce Secretary.

NIST is looking for proposals that advance the state of knowledge and practice of measurement science in six identified research areas of critical national importance:

• Energy;
• Environment and climate change;
• Information technology and cybersecurity;
• Biosciences/health care;
• Manufacturing; and
• Physical infrastructure.

State-of-the-art measurement science provides the infrastructure that industry and science need to develop and commercialize new technologies. The air conditioning and refrigeration industry, for example, has saved millions of dollars over the past 20 years due to NIST’s work on the measurement of the thermophysical properties of alternative refrigerants (i.e., alternatives to ozone-depleting compounds).

The United States' innovation and competitiveness in areas such as automobile manufacturing, medical imaging, bridge safety, climate change studies, cloud computing, and renewable energy sources depend on measurement science research.

In addition to advancing NIST ’ s mission to quickly develop measurement methods as new science and technology emerges, these grants are also expected to create jobs, promote economic recovery, and make investments in research areas that will provide long-term economic benefits.

The program is open to U.S. higher education institutions, nonprofits, and commercial organizations, as well as state, local, and Indian tribal governments.

The deadline for applications is Monday, July 13, 2009. NIST expects to announce grant awards later this year.

For more detailed information on the Measurement Science Grants, see the links on the  NIST Recovery Act Measurement Science and Engineering Research Grants Program web page at  www.nist.gov/recovery/measurement_program.html. Application information is available at Grants.gov under Federal Funding Opportunity code 2009-NIST-ARRA-MSE-RESEARCH-01 or CFDA 11.609

A Federal Register notice, “ Recovery Act Measurement Science and Engineering Research Grants Program” (Docket Number: 090306283-9284-01]), announcing this competition was published on June 1, 2009.

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NIST

Founded in 1901, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a nonregulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, NIST’s mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.