AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT

1. AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT Stimulus Background for: National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and National Endowment for the Arts Elizabeth Grossman Ph.D, Carole McGuire, Michael Ledford March 19, 2009

2. National Science Foundation Overall, NSF received $3 billion in the stimulus bill.

3. NSF – Research ($2 billion) • Distribution Among Programs: Funding will support all research divisions, although not necessarily evenly. • Primary Goal and Method of Distribution: Increasing success rates in planned FY 2009 competitions. (Current plan - no supplements.) • Focus on the Pipeline: Particular emphasis on funding for early career researchers and support for undergrads, grad students, and post-docs. (Congressional interest in STEM workforce and jobs jobs jobs.)

4. NSF – Infrastructure and Instrumentation • Facilities Modernization: $200 million to restart an old NSF program to repair and renovate science and engineering research facilities (not new construction). New solicitation coming. • Note: NIST also has $180 million for an existing research buildings construction grant program. • Instrumentation: $300 million for existing NSF Major Research Instrumentation program. New solicitation likely. • Other Infrastructure: NSF can use research funds for already-planned small and medium-sized infrastructure projects and ongoing discipline-specific instrumentation programs.

5. NSF - Education • Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree programs: $15 million to establish a new program to facilitate the creation or improvement of PSMs. New solicitation needed. • Increase Success Rates in Two Programs: Extra funding for Noyce Teacher Scholarship program ($60 million) and Math and Science Partnerships ($25 million).

6. Department of Energy • Department of Energy (DOE) is key agency for President Obama’s initiatives in energy independence and climate change; reflected in ARRA • $1.6 billion for DOE Office of Science for basic research will be spent relatively quickly and support jobs • DOE will devote part to infrastructure projects and facility upgrades to address backlog • DOE plans to devote part to funding new Energy Frontier Research Centers

7. DOE – Long-term • ARRA provides nearly $40 billion to develop clean, efficient domestic sources of energy • Funding will largely implement President Obama’s energy plan • Research opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable energy and fossil energy – applied research • Spending likely to be focused on partnerships of industry, academia, and DOE national laboratories

8. Department of Energy

9. DOE Smart Grid • ARRA provides $4.5 billion for development of the smart electricity grid • DOE program is now $137 million • R&D focus is on high temperature superconductivity R&D; visualization and controls; energy storage and power electronics; and renewable and distributed systems integration • New solicitations likely; focus on utilities and industry partnerships

10. DOE EERE Research • $2.5 billion is provided for energy efficiency and renewable energy RDD&D; compares to $1.9 billion • Focus on developing new EERE technologies, reducing carbon emissions, and reducing utility bills • $800 million is for biomass; $400 million is for geothermal; $50 million is to increase efficiency of information and communications technology • $1.25 billion to wind, solar, hydrogen, water power, etc. • Expect new solicitations; funds to be awarded competitively to universities, companies and DOE national laboratories

11. DOE Clean Energy Priority • DOE Secretary Chu’s clean energy priorities include deploying demonstrated RE technologies (wind, solar, geothermal) at scale and cost-effectively • Demonstrate next-generation energy technologies (cc&s, cellulosic biofuels, batteries and storage systems, enhanced geothermal, next-generation nuclear) • Research and develop future energy technologies (advanced solar, methane hydrates, coal-bed methane, enhanced oil recovery)

12. DOE Fossil Energy R&D • $1 billion for existing Fossil Energy R&D programs (coal, natural gas, oil) that address fuel and power systems; fuel cells; advanced turbine technologies; likely to go to FutureGen project in Illinois • $1.5 billion directed to a competitive solicitation for a range of industrial carbon capture and energy efficiency improvement projects, including a small amount of innovative concepts for beneficial CO2 reuse • This is a separate initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change

13. Fossil Energy (cont.) • $50 million in competitive grants for site characterization activities in geologic formations • $20 million for geologic sequestration training and research grants • Oil and gas expertise may open opportunities in this new focus area

14. ARPA-E • ARRA funds establishment of Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy – ARPA-E • Within DOE with goal to support novel, early-stage energy research; technology development; R&D on manufacturing processes; technology demonstration and tech transfer • High-risk, high-reward R&D and transformational science are priorities for DOE Secretary Chu

15. DOE - Infrastructure • Office of Science funding is proposed to be spent on DOE laboratory and related infrastructure – address the backlog • Interest in developing “green” campuses • ARRA provides $3.2 billion for new Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants • Funding to Governors, State, local and tribal governments for energy efficiency and conservation projects by formula

16. DOE – Education and Training • Secretary Chu emphasizes investing in breakthrough science to achieve transformational discoveries; connect basic and applied sciences at DOE • Develop science and engineering talent; attract the best to DOE; partner with other agencies, industry, academia, and globally • Create millions of green jobs and increase competitiveness • Position US to lead on climate change policy, technology, and science

17. National Endowment for the Arts • $50 million appropriated to NEA • $500,000 for administrative and program support purposes • $19.8 million (40%) available to be distributed to State arts agencies and regional arts organizations when subgranting will distribute funds through competitive and qualitative reviews (already competed) • $29.7 million (60%) available for competitively selected grants to non-profit arts organizations • Eligible institutions are 501(c) 3 organizations which have received NEA funding in the last four years (a grant must have been awarded in 2005 for FY 2006 or after that date). Institutions may request a grant between $25,000 and $50,000 and there is no matching requirement. The due date for grant applications is April 2nd.

18. National Endowment for the Arts • Proposals from eligible institutions are limited to: • Salary support for one or more positions that are critical “to an organization’s artistic mission and that are in jeopardy or have been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate” or • For “fees for previously engaged artists and/ or contractual personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such persons would be engaged.”   • Additional information can be found here: http://www.nea.gov/grants/apply/recovery/index.html

19. Stimulus – Not Business as Usual • Programmatic decisions at agencies being made in days, not years. • Once agency plans approved by White House, expect flurry of activity, with short turnaround times. • Intensive Tracking Requirements (quarterly reports on spend and completion rates, jobs created).