The Stimulus Package: A CLAS Perspective
Since the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on February
17, 2009, we have all been wondering how we can take advantage of the opportunities
that are contained within this set of one-time monies. Based on an analysis of the
ARRA, we strongly feel that CLAS can respond to potential initiatives and be successful
at receiving support if we are strategic and well prepared with an understanding of the
initiative. Broadly, the ARRA contains the following amounts of funding that CLAS has
the potential to compete for.
 3.5 billion for R&D Facilities and capital equipment including:
 Repairs,
 Maintenance, and
 Construction of scientific facilities as well as
 Large equipment and instrumentation.
 These funds are available through NIH, NSF, and NIST.
 18 billion for the conduct of basic and applied research and development
 Heavily weighted toward basic research
 Provides an immediate boost to the federal research portfolio that has
seen no real increase in funding for five yearsi
Following is a very brief analysis of ARRA. This is likely to be the first of several
updates on ARRA’s intent and impact. As federal agencies develop their plans for
utilizing ARRA funds, we will share that information with you through this newsletter or
e-mail announcements.
Research & Development Funds in FY 2009 ARRA
(Includes funding for all types of research as well as building, infrastructure, and equipment opportunities)
Agency
National Institutes of
Healthii
Funding Amount
1,000,000,000
300,000,000
7,400,000,000
800,000,000
National Science
Foundationiii
National Aeronautics and
Space Administrationiv
400,000,000
300,000,000
200,000,000
100,000,000
400,000,000
400,000,000
400,000,000
150,000,000
Activity
Allocated to the National Center for Research Resources
(NCRR) in support of all NIH funded research institutions
for extramural construction, repairs and alterations
Shared instrumentation and other capital equipment
Transferred to the institutes and Centers and Common
Fund based on a percentage-based formula
Office of Director in support of a program designed to
focus on health and science problems where progress
can be expected in two years
Comparative Effectiveness Research
Major Research Instrumentation Program
Academic Research Facilities Modernization
Education and Human Resources
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction
Science to accelerate the development of the Tier 1 set
of Earth Science climate research missions
recommended by the National Academies and increase
the agency’s supercomputing capabilities
Exploration
Systems-level research, development and demonstration
National Institute for
Standards and Technologyv
220,000,000
360,000,000
Department of Educationvi
100,000,000
Department of Health and
Human Servicesvii
500,000,000
Agency for Healthcare
Research and Qualityviii
400,000,000
400,000,000
National Endowment for the
Artsix
50,000,000
Health Information
Technologyx
2,000,000,000
activities related to aviation safety, environmental impact
mitigation and the Next Generation Air Transportation
System
Scientific and Technical Research
Construction of Research Facilities; 50% is for a
competitive construction grants
Carry out part A of Title II of Higher Ed Act of 1965;
Teacher Preparation Programs
Address Health Professions workforce shortages. Funds
may be used to provide scholarships, loan repayment,
and grants to training programs for equipment
Transferred to the Office of the Director of the National
Institutes of Health to conduct or support comparative
effectiveness research (this is in addition to the
800,000,000 already designated)
Allocated at the discretion of the Secretary of Health and
Human Services to accelerate the development and
dissemination of research assessing the comparative
effectiveness of health care treatments and strategies
Grants to fund projects and activities that preserve jobs in
non-profit arts. Matching requirements must be removed.
Must have received NEA funding within the last 4 years
This is the full amount. There are programs listed for
training, evaluation of effectiveness and collaboration that
do not have specific amounts listed.
Most of the agencies have not yet put out requests for proposals or other activities to
implement their portions of ARRA. However, since much of the funding will utilized to
lower paylines or support on-going research, there are several actions that we can be
taking now to respond.
1. If you are currently funded by any of these agencies, prepare supplement
requests by contacting your program officer for details. Be sure your progress
reports are up to date; otherwise you will not be eligible for supplemental funding.
2. If you have submitted a proposal within the last couple of years and were scored,
consider preparing to re-submit your proposal. If possible, revise your aims and
budget so your project can be completed by 9/30/2010.
3. If you have any major equipment needs formalize your needs by working with
your department chair or across departments.
4. If you have needs to update or create new spaces for lab work, contact your
department chair immediately to begin working on a plan so that you are in the
pipeline to respond to calls for infrastructure when they are published.
5. Examine new opportunities for CHALLENGE grants that have recently become
available. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/challenge_award/Omnibus.pdf
We are committed to helping all of CLAS improve their sponsored projects portfolios.
Contact the CLAS Grant Development Coordinator, Carol Achziger, or Laura Argys,
Associate Dean for Research and Creative Activities if you have questions. We will
keep you informed as requests for proposals are issued, but you can also contact
ORDE for assistance in developing a coordinated search for funding sources.
i
AAAS R&D Funding Update, retrieved March 2, 2009 from http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/stim09c.htm#tb
Kington, R. (2009) NIH’s Role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), retrieved
March 2, 2009 from http://nih.gov/about/director/02252009statement_arra.htm
iii H.R. 1, One Hundred Eleventh Congress of the United Stated of America, American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009, p 17, retrieved March 3, 2009 from http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgibin/getdoc
iv NASA Information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, retrieved March 3, 2009
from http://www.nasa.gov/recovery/index.html
v Qs and As on Recovery Act Funding to NIST, retrieved March 2, 2009 from
http://www.nist.gov/recovery/recov_qs_and_as.html
vi ARRA, p. 69
vii ARRA, p. 61
viii ARRA, p. 62 - 63
ix ARRA, p. 57 -58
x ARRA, p. 65 - 66
ii