Research grants from the National Science Foundation funded through the federal stimulus bill could trickle down to the University, keeping intact a source of funding that topped $19 million in the 2007-08 academic year. Science departments could end up with building repairs and new equipment if the projects are approved first by the University and then by the foundation this summer.
President Barack Obama has said one of the principal purposes of the economic recovery act passed in February is to “provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health.” For former ASUO Sen. Cassie Gray, the funding comes at an opportune time.
“I am happy that our leadership is continuing to seek out funding sources to keep both the educational and research mission of the University moving forward despite these challenging times,” Gray said.
The $787-billion stimulus allocates $21.5 billion for federal research and development, to be invested within two years, focused on agencies such as National Science Foundation and The National Institutes of Health. Jim Barlow, director of the University science and research communications office, said the research facilities at the University rely heavily on grants from the NSF.
In 2007-08, the last year for which there is complete data, NSF funding accounted for 19 percent of the University’s $101 million in federal agency awards, Barlow said.
The foundation was in the top-three agencies from which the University received awards in fiscal year of 2008 and Barlow says the NSF expect to issue 400 awards nationally from a $2-million pool of funds.
“Funds (from the NSF) are used primarily for scientific research-education programs and instrumentation, as well as for graduate student research assistantships, traineeships and fellowships,” said Rich Linton, vice president for research and graduate studies.
Linton’s assistant and liaison to the faculty, Moira Kiltie, said, “These grant will keep us at the cutting edge of whatever field that goes forward with the application.”
The foundation accepts a limited number of proposals from each university, so Linton said the Office of Research and Administration screens all proposals “so that we have chance to review and prioritize the requests that will go forward to NSF.”
A request for one grant would go toward the repair of an existing research facility that may have been deteriorating in the past years.
Linton’s office often receives more applications than there are slots to fill, Kiltie said, so her office has to prioritize according to “the specific interest of the grant application.”
“We work with senior leadership in the school, and make sure they have the strongest application for the grant proposal,” Kiltie said.
The department proposals include information identifying the research facility needing the instrumentation, and how an upgraded facility will contribute to meeting the research and research training goals and capabilities of the University.
The applications will be reviewed by the NSF panels soon after the Aug. 10 deadline and will be announced by Dec. 31.
“Combined with the Recovery Act, the short-term outlook for federal support of the University’s research and development is considerably brighter now than in recent years,” Linton said.
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