The Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program supports projects that provide an essential underpinning for scholarship, education, and public programming in the humanities. Thousands of libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations across the country maintain important collections of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art and material culture, and digital objects. This program strengthens efforts to extend the life of such materials and make their intellectual content widely accessible, often through the use of digital technology. Awards are also made to create various reference resources that facilitate use of cultural materials, from works that provide basic information quickly to tools that synthesize and codify knowledge of a subject for in-depth investigation.

Proposed projects may address the holdings or activities of a single institution or may involve collaboration between institutions. However, even in the case of single-institution projects, working with specialists in other offices or departments or colleagues in other institutions often helps ensure that proposed activities are achievable and will have maximum impact for the humanities. Collaboration can be crucial in providing the appropriate mix of humanities content and methodological expertise and can help broaden the scope of, and audiences for, proposed collections or reference resources.

The ARPA-E REPAIR FOA is soliciting applications for technologies required to rehabilitate legacy natural gas distribution pipes. The desired rehabilitation technologies will enable the automated construction of a new pipe inside the old pipe. The primary success criteria are the new pipe (1) must meet utilities’ and regulatory agencies’ requirements, (2) have a minimum life of 50 years, (3) have sufficient material properties to operate throughout its service life without reliance on the exterior pipe, and (4) have an installation cost of less than $1 million per mile.

For the ARPA-E REPAIR FOA, NETL seeks to engage partners for one or more the following research topics to help accomplish the ARPA-E program’s objectives:

• Joining technologies: Various joining technologies (ultrasonic welding, laser welding, etc.) for thin metal foils will need to be developed and scaled up for continuous operation.
• Coating technologies: Polymer coatings will be applied inside and outside of the liner for mechanical strength and corrosion protection.
• Sensor technologies: The proposed composite liner will be embedded with the state-of-the-art sensor technologies to remotely monitor the health of liners over time. Corrosion, gas composition, and strain monitoring are of interest.
• Testing and characterization of composite materials.
• Manufacturing: Joining and coating capabilities to fabricate pipes/liners 10-20 in diameter and 3-20 ft long.
• Expertise in natural gas pipeline regulations in state and federal level.
• Experience relevant to the development of embedded sensors.
• Development of a novel coating with smart features.

The project duration will be proposed at up to 24 months. The anticipated funding for the partner selected under this opportunity to participate is up to $1,000,000 total, which includes mandatory cost share of up to 20%* of total project costs. NETL anticipates total project costs to be proposed at up to $2,000,000.

*Project Teams composed exclusively of domestic educational institutions, domestic nonprofits, and/or FFRDCs/DOE Labs/Federal agencies and instrumentalities (other than DOE) are not required to providecost share.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides cooperative agreement support for statewide and/or interstate regional networks to achieve the following objectives: (1) to support the development and/or enhancement of infrastructure and human resources required to address clinical and translational research needs in IDeA-eligible states/jurisdictions, (2) to strengthen clinical and translational research that addresses the broad spectrum of health challenges faced by populations in IDeA-eligible states/jurisdictions, and (3) to foster and coordinate collaboration in clinical and translational research within an IDeA-CTR network and with other institutions. It is expected that IDeA-CTR networks will expand the capacity for clinical and translational research in IDeA-eligible states/jurisdictions and enhance the competitiveness of the investigators to obtain extramural funding for clinical and translational research.

NIH established the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program in 1993 to enhance biomedical research activities in states that have had historically low NIH grant funding success rates. The program currently supports competitive research in 23 states and Puerto Rico. Strengthening clinical and translational research in IDeA-eligible states and jurisdictions is a pressing need, since health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, infectious diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, maternal health, and substance overuse disorders are disproportionally prevalent in these mostly rural and often economically disadvantaged states/jurisdictions. NIH is committed to supporting health and health research professionals with first-hand knowledge about these challenges to lead the charge in improving the health of residents in IDeA states/jurisdictions. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) supports the development and/or enhancement of statewide and/or interstate regional networks for clinical and translational research in IDeA-eligible states/jurisdictions.

The objectives of the IDeA-CTR initiative are the following:

• To support the development and/or enhancement of infrastructure and human resources required to address clinical and translational research needs in IDeA-eligible states.
• To strengthen clinical and translational research that addresses the broad spectrum of health challenges faced by populations in IDeA-eligible states/jurisdictions.
• To foster and coordinate collaboration in clinical and translational research within an IDeA-CTR network and with other institutions.

For the purposes of this initiative, the following definitions apply:

• “Clinical research” comprises studies and trials in human subjects as defined by NIH Regulations and Policies.
• “Translational research” includes research that aims to convert basic research advances to practical applications in humans, and research aimed at the adoption of best practices in community healthcare.

This FOA provides funding through the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism. As a cooperative agreement, implementation involves the participation of NIGMS IDeA Program staff in the planning and execution of the proposed activities.  

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention hereby notify Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) holding specific types of research grants (activity codes listed above) that funds are available for administrative supplements to enhance the diversity of the research workforce by recruiting and supporting students, postdoctorates, and eligible investigators from underrepresented backgrounds, including those from groups that have been shown to be nationally underrepresented in health-related research. This supplement opportunity is also available to PD(s)/PI(s) of research grants who are or become disabled and need additional support to accommodate their disability in order to continue to work on the research project. Administrative supplements must support work within the scope of the original project.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is designed specifically for applicants proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial. Applicants to this FOA are permitted to propose research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor.

Fostering diversity in the scientific research workforce is a key component of the NIH strategy to identify, develop, support and maintain the quality of our scientific human capital NOT-OD-20-031. Every facet of the United States scientific research enterprise—from basic laboratory research to clinical and translational research to policy formation–requires superior intellect, creativity and a wide range of skill sets and viewpoints. NIH’s ability to help ensure that the nation remains a global leader in scientific discovery and innovation is dependent upon a pool of highly talented scientists including those from underrepresented groups and others who will help to diversify the workforce to help further NIH’s mission.

Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. There are many benefits that flow from a diverse NIH-supported scientific workforce, including: fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of the research, advancing the likelihood that underserved or health disparity populations participate in, and benefit from health research, and enhancing public trust.

In spite of tremendous advancements in scientific research, information, educational and research opportunities are not equally available to all. NIH encourages institutions to diversify their student, postdoctorate and faculty populations to enhance the participation of individuals from groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences.

The mission of Biological Technologies Office (BTO) is to foster, demonstrate, and transition breakthrough research, discoveries, and applications that integrate biology, engineering, computer science, mathematics, and the physical sciences. BTO’s research investment portfolio includes combating pandemic disease, innovative physiological interventions, human performance and warfighter readiness, microbes as production platforms, and deep exploration of changing ecologies and environments on U.S. capabilities and resilience. BTO’s programs operate across a wide range of scales, from individual cells to the warfighter to global ecosystems. BTO responds to the urgent and longterm needs of the Department of Defense (DoD) and addresses national security priorities. BTO is interested in submissions related to the following areas:

• Discovering and leveraging novel findings from biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology, neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and relateddisciplines to advance treatment and resilience in neurological health, transformative neural processing, and optimize human performance.
• Understanding and improving interfaces between the biological and physical world to enable seamless hybrid systems and revolutionary new human-machine interfaces.
• Designing novel materials, sensors, or processes that mimic or are inspired by biological systems.
• Leveraging and translating a biological system’s underlying design rules, functional processes, and/or means of interactivity to provide insight into or control over complex biological systems from biofilms to organs.
• Developing new tools and capabilities for forward engineering of biological systems, such as cells, tissues, organs, organisms, and complex communities, to both develop new products and functional systems, as well as to gain new insights into underlying mechanisms.
• Developing new platform technologies that integrate, automate, and miniaturize the collection, processing, and analysis of biological and chemical samples.
• Developing technologies that leverage ecological diversity and/or help support human operations in extreme environments (ocean, desert, space, arctic, etc.).
• Developing and validating new theories and computational models that identify factors and principles underlying collective and interactive behaviors of biological organisms at all scales from individual cells to global ecosystems.
• Understanding the dynamics of population and ecosystem behavior to preserve equilibrium, provide strategic opportunity, or avoid catastrophe.
• Developing and leveraging new technologies that can be applied to agricultural ecosystems for production stabilization, by improving quality or reducing losses from pathogens or pests.
• Developing and leveraging new insights into non-human biology across and between populations of microbes, insects, plants, marine life, and other non-human biologic entities.
• Developing technologies to leverage biological systems and enhance the ability to acquire and maintain critical and strategic organic and inorganic materials.
• Developing new technologies and approaches that ensure biosafety, biosecurity, digital biosecurity of biological hardware, data and information, and protection of the bioeconomy.
• Understanding emerging threats to global food and water supplies and developing countermeasures that could be implemented on regional or global scales.
• Developing new technologies to treat, prevent, and predict the emergence and spread of infectious diseases that have the potential to cause significant health, economic, and social burden.
• Developing and leveraging technologies to advance continuous or near-continuous monitoring of an organism’s physiology to elucidate mechanisms of human resilience.
• Developing new technologies for the rapid manufacturing, delivery and distribution of large molecule drugs such as biologics.
• Leveraging biology to provide new tactical and strategic maritime operational advantages.
• Developing an understanding of mechanisms that organisms use to assess and interact with their environment.
• Developing new technologies for advanced eukaryotic cellular engineering to support next generation cellular therapeutic applications.
• Developing new platform technologies for targeted, effective, spatio-temporally controlled delivery of large and small molecules and biologics.
• Developing tools to understand the underlying rules defining biomolecular and biomaterial structure/function properties in order to predict desired outcomes for novel materials.
• Leveraging biological systems to produce solutions for antimicrobial resistance.
• Other biological technology topic areas that fit the national security scope of BTO’s mission.