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Office of Research & Economic Development

recovery.gov

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Information

Background information

NSF:
On March 18, NSF issued a memo detailing how the agency will spend ARRA funds. Here are the highlights as reported by the Council of Government Relations (GOGR):
  • NSF has many highly rated proposals that it has not been able to fund. NSF plans to use the majority of the $2 billion available in Research and Related Activities for proposals already in house, which will be reviewed and/or awarded before Sept. 30. Exceptions are the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI), the Academic Research Imitative (ARI) and Science Masters programs.
  • NSF also will consider proposals declined on or after Oct. 1, 2008. The reversal of the decision to decline must be based on both the high quality of the reviews received on the initial submission and the lack of available funding at the time of the original decision. The cognizant program officer will contact the institution when a reversal is being considered by NSF.
  • All NSF grants issued with ARRA funds will be standard awards for up to five years.
  • Funding of new principal investigators and high-risk, high-return research will be top priorities for NSF.
  • NSF will post a solicitation this spring for the Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI). NSF currently anticipates that no other solicitations will be posted that are solely in response to ARRA.
  • NSF will monitor awards for expenditures. If no allowable funds have been spent after 12 months, the agency may reduce or terminate the award and reallocate the funds.
General:
Investigators must be prepared to respond quickly to new funding opportunities and just-in-time requests. Agencies are expected to use the majority of stimulus funds on proposals already in the pipeline.
  • The goal of ARRA is to get funds working in the economy as quickly as possible; ARRA funds must be obligated by Sept. 30, 2010. It is uncertain whether projects that extend beyond FY 2010 will be allowed under ARRA.
  • ARRA identifies specific priority areas for research funding. These will be further outlined on individual agency recovery Web sites.
  • Agencies are required to have their Agency Recovery Plan in place by May 1. Detailed agency financial reports will become available May 15. On May 20, agencies will begin reporting their competitive grants and contracts.
  • Highly rated proposals already in the pipeline that were not initially funded will be among the first candidates for ARRA funding.
  • Job creation and contribution to economic recovery are critical factors in determining if a research program is appropriate for funding.
  • Funds will be distributed through grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, loans and loan guarantees.
  • Reporting requirements, both fiscal and programmatic, will be unprecedented. Investigators and institutions receiving ARRA funds will have additional reporting requirements. Expect mandatory quarterly reports for progress, job creation and spending.
  • Extensive audit requirements are built in to the Office of Management and Budget guidance to agencies.
  • NIH has advised potential stimulus fund awardees that a previously submitted R01 proposal with a modular budget will require a full and complete budget prior to award.
  • The "Buy American" provision of ARRA applies to construction materials and should not be a factor when submitting proposals requesting funding for basic research.
  • The "Employ Americans" provision of ARRA should not apply to proposals that request salary support for foreign students.