The Endless Frontier bill, now incorporated into the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, made progress in the U.S. Senate while parallel legislation in the House also advanced to create a Technology Directorate in the NSF. Congress and the Administration also advanced through the budget process and other Congressionally authorization bills billions of dollars to create new tech hubs, advanced manufacturing, increased tech transfer, test beds, and applied research. Collectively this is one of the largest investments in applied research and tech based economic development undertaken by the federal government.
Taking advantage of these new funding opportunities will not be like applying for a R01 grant from NIH or an NSF award. More emphasis on transdisciplinary, multi-regional approaches, along with involvement with community colleges, HBCUs, tribal colleges and minority-serving institutions will be required. Funding will not come from just NSF, NASA and NIH, but NIST and EDA will play major roles and new programs such as BARDA, ARPA-H (Health) and ARPA-C (Climate) provide additional opportunities.
Earlier this month, the US Economic Development Administration released details on $3 billion in new funding for Investing in America’s Communities, with six Notices of Funding Opportunity:
- Build Back Better Regional Challenge ($1 billion)
- Good Jobs Challenge ($500 million)
- Economic Adjustment Assistance Challenge ($500 million)
- Indigenous Communities Challenge ($100 million)
- Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Grants ($750 million)
- Statewide Planning, Research, and Networks Grants ($90 million)
https://eda.gov/news/press-releases/2021/07/22/american-rescue-plan-programs.htm
See my AURP blog on some strategies universities, states and regions should consider now, while Congress and the Administration finalize plans for new investment opportunities including the new EDA funding.
https://aurpceo.blogspot.com/2021/07/endless-frontier-act-update.html
A non-profit international organization, AURP represents the leadership of these technology developments, which are designed to promote research institute-industry relations and innovation districts, to foster innovation, and to facilitate the transfer of technology from such institutions to the private sector.