NSF Notice on ARRA Funds
AAU Senior Research Officers:
Enclosed is an notice issued yesterday by Arden Bement on how NSF plans to spend its American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. I wanted to pass it along to you in case you had not already seen it. It can also be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/issuances/in131.pdf.
Key points from the notice as well as a general breakdown of where how the NSF Recovery Act funds will be distributed is below:
- The NSF will use a large share of its ARRA funding to address the backlog of existing proposals. States the notice, "With the exception of the Major Research Instrumentation, Academic Research Infrastructure and Science Masters programs, the majority of proposals eligible for Recovery Act funding include those that are already in house and will be reviewed and/or awarded prior to September 30, 2009…NSF also will consider proposals declined on or after October 1, 2008."
- Proposals supported with ARRA funds will have to be expended in a timely fashion. States the notice, "Given the goals of the Recovery Act, awardees will be informed that they are expected to expend funds in a timely manner on allowable award costs and that NSF will be monitoring awards for expenditures. If, after 12 months, no allowable expenditures have taken place, NSF may consider reducing or terminating the award and reallocating the funds."
- All grants issued with Recovery Act funds will be standard grants with durations of up to 5 years. This approach will allow NSF to structure a sustainable portfolio.
- A top priority for ARRA funding will be to provided support to new Principal Investigators and high-risk, high-return research.
$3.0 Billion NSF Recovery Act Funding Breakdown
Research and Related Activities: $2 billion
These funds will go to support existing highly rated NSF proposals
Research Instrumentation, Research Infrastructure, and the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction Account: $900 million
- Academic Research Infrastructure: $200 million – Solicitations to be posted this spring
- Major Research Instrumentation: $300 million – Solicitations to be posted this spring
- Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction: $400 – For MREFC projects which have already been identified
Education and Human Resources: $100 Million
- Math and Science Partnership: $25 million - No new solicitations expected
- Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program: $60 million - No new solicitations expected
- Professional Science Masters Program: $15 million – Solicitations to be posted this spring
