ARRA of 2009: Update Archive

Previous Updates
  • 10/16/09:
    Personalized medicine study targets drug safety - VUMC Reporter: Can genetic information embedded in patients' electronic medical records help improve treatment outcomes and avoid adverse drug effects? That's the question researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will try to answer thanks to a two-year, $6.4 million "Grand Opportunities" stimulus grant they received last month from the National Institutes of Health.

  • 10/16/09:
    NIH grant bolsters search for new cancer drugs - VUMC Reporter: Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have received a two-year, $4.7 million "Grand Opportunities" stimulus grant from the National Institutes of Health to launch a ground-breaking cancer drug discovery program.


  • 10/13/09:
    Recovery Act gives boost to Vanderbilt's scientific and medical research - Vanderbilt News Service: Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law in February, it has given a significant boost to scientific and medical research at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

  • 10/5/09:
    Key for Future Investment: Researchers' Response to America's Recovery Act The Chronicle of Higher Education


  • 9/29/09:
    ARRA-Funded University Research Addressing Climate Change to Cancer Issues - AAU, APLU, TSC Press Release (.pdf)


  • 9/11/09:
    Device to give peek into protein structures VUMC Reporter


  • 9/4/09:
    Aspirnauts' get chance to assist researchers on study VUMC Reporter


  • 9/3/2009:
    NIDDK Recovery Grant Funds Innovative Kidney Research Project for Students, News Release - National Institutes of Health (NIH)


  • 8/31/2009: $37M in federal stimulus for Tennessee could yield cures Tennessean


  • 8/21/09: Video: Aspirnaut Program News Channel 5


  • 7/31/2009:
    Academic Research Infrastructure, Recovery and Reinvestment     - The National Science Foundation is requesting merit review expertise in the Academic Research Infrastructure, Recover and Reinvestment (ARI-R2) program. This program is supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
    Full Announcement | Solicitation Form


  • 7/31/2009:
    New OMB guidance     loosens some restrictions on registered lobbyists - and others - discussing Recovery Act information with federal officials, although some key restrictions remain. In issuing the guidance, OMB said it was clarifying rules for agency officials discussing Recovery Act matters with "outside persons," a designation that includes registered lobbyists as well as researchers.


  • 7/24/2009:
     Grant aids clinical research training

    Stimulus funds spur VMC research efforts

    Vanderbilt Gives Boost to Middle Tennessee's Economy Thanks to National Institutes of Health Stimulus Funding

  • 7/22/2009:
    ARRA award is being made to Vanderbilt University's Institute for Global Health
    The initiative provides a year of mentored clinical research training at NIH-funded research sites in the developing world, designed to encourage the recipients to establish careers in global health-related clinical research. Among the new positions created will be 13 research fellows and 10 advanced research fellows, who will be able to continue their projects for a second year. The fellows will be employees of Vanderbilt University and other U.S. institutions, coming from medical schools and universities across the country.

  • 7/20/2009:
    Obama Administration Announces $85 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Early Career Scientists' Research

    Synopsis.
  • 7/17/2009:
    NIH     has interactive maps and lists grants by congressional district: http://report.nih.gov/recovery/index.aspx.

    TN ARRA grants are at: http://report.nih.gov/recovery/arragrants.cfm. As of today, TN has received 79, 46 of which are at Vanderbilt.

    Summer Research Experiences are at: http://report.nih.gov/recovery/ARRASupplements.cfm. As of today, TN has 11, 8 of which are at Vanderbilt.

  • 7/6/2009:
    DOE announces Early Career Research Program     The Office of Science of the Department of Energy hereby invites grant applications for support under the Early Career Research Program in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP), and NuclearPhysics(NP). The purpose of this program is to support the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and to stimulate research careers in the areas supported by the DOE Office of Science. Documents available: Synopsis and application.

  • 6/15/2009:
    NIST Seeks Proposals for $20 Million Recovery Act Program
     Grants Will Fund Measurement Science and Engineering Fellowships

  • 6/5/2009:
    Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences NSF 09-034     - People will ask important questions over the next one to two years about the success and the impact of the economic stimulus. The Science of Science & Innovation Policy (SciSIP) Program , within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, can be a vehicle for mobilizing research capacity to respond to these questions and to assess the effects on both the ecology of innovation and on the science and engineering enterprise.

    The SciSIP program will take advantage of NSF's Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism to accept short (two to five pages) RAPID proposals that attempt to answer many of the outcome questions that will be asked about the impact of the stimulus package as well as to advance the scientific understanding of science policy.

    In keeping with the Presidential focus on openness and transparency in government, proposals might also examine and evaluate different approaches to building appropriate platforms for tracking and assessing science investments across the federal government as well as ways to visually convey the information to policy makers and the American public.

    Proposals must conform to the Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) Guidelines specified in the Grant Proposal Guide and may be submitted electronically at any time to the Science of Science and Innovation Policy announcement (PD 09-7626) via FastLane or Grants.gov. The SciSIP program director, Julia Lane (jlane@nsf.gov), should be contacted for assistance and advice prior to proposal submission.

  • 6/1/2009:
    DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
    National Institute of Standards and Technology
    [Docket Number: 090306281–9287–01]
    Recovery Act Measurement Science and Engineering Research Fellowship Program
    http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-12665.pdf

    DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
    National Institute of Standards and Technology
    [Docket Number: 090306283–9284–01]
    Recovery Act Measurement Science and Engineering Research Grants Program
    http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-12667.pdf

    DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
    National Institute of Standards and Technology
    Docket No.: 090306286–9288–01]
    Recovery Act National Institute of Standards and Technology Construction Grant Program
    http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-12664.pdf

  • 5/29/2009:
    Update on Recovery Act Lobbying Rules: New Limits on Special Interest Influence

  • 5/26/2009:
    The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) held its annual meeting May 19    , which included a session on the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program. The panelists included two representatives from NSF, who described the soon-to-be-released solicitation for funding applications for the $15 million provided by the ARRA. According to the NSF presenters, the solicitation will likely be released in mid-June; the agency will probably request letters of intent followed by full proposals. The funds will go to proposals that advance NSF fields, i.e. science and engineering, rather than health or medicine related programs. The funds will be disbursed for FY 10, which begins October 1, 2009.

  • 5/22/2009:
    From the National Insitutes of Health     -- Implementation Plan on Scientific Research as part of the AARA.

    Update from National Science Foundation
    Due to an expected increase in Grants.gov submissions relating to the processing of Recovery Act proposals, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has authorized agencies to use alternative methods for proposal submission and acceptance. NSF is able to accept directly its full complement of proposals, both regular submissions and those additional proposals anticipated under the Recovery Act, using our long-established FastLane capabilities for proposal submission and acceptance. Therefore, in order to assist Grants.gov in the effort to alleviate system strain and increase system capacity, proposers will now be required to prepare and submit proposals to NSF through use of the NSF FastLane system.

    Effective immediately, new funding opportunities issued by NSF will exclusively require the use of FastLane to prepare and submit proposals. In addition, NSF plans to revise existing funding opportunity documents to reflect this change and to remove all active application packages from Grants.gov APPLY. NSF will continue to post information about available funding opportunities to Grants.gov FIND.

    Detailed instructions regarding the technical aspects of proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/.

  • 5/11/2009:
    NSF Announces $200 Million Funding for Research Instrumentation    : 200 million funding provided under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Submissions are limited. Please contact Elizabeth Rapisarda for information on the internal review process.

    NSF To Help Improve Academic Research Facilities: Funding is provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Submissions are limited. Please contact Elizabeth Rapisarda for information on the internal review process.

  • 5/8/2009:
    National Science Foundation posts American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Terms and Conditions     (NSF Document # arra0509) Building on the standard NSF award conditions, grantees are required to meet the reporting requirements specified in ARRA. As with other agencies, ARRA funds are to be separately tracked and the provisions flow down to sub-recipients. NSF will rely on the implementation of www.FederalReporting.gov for the special reporting and reminds/requires all grantees and sub-recipients to maintain current registrations in the Central Contractor Registration.

    In a departure from ARRA requirements, NSF requires reports within ten calendar days after each calendar quarter. COGR has asked OMB to use ten business days for reporting and will forward a similar request to NSF.

  • 5/5/09:
    Secretary Chu Announces Nearly $800 Million from Recovery Act to Accelerate Biofuels Research and Commercialization     - As part of the ongoing effort to increase the use of domestic renewable fuels, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced plans May 5 to provide $786.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate advanced biofuels research and development and to provide additional funding for commercial-scale biorefinery demonstration projects.

  • 4/27/09:
    Research Proposals Solicited for ARPA-E     - On April 27, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued the first solicitation for research proposals to be supported as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) . ARPA-E was created by the America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) as a mechanism for investing in "transformational" energy research and technology development. Concept papers may be submitted starting May 12 but not later than June 2, 2009. Full applications will be due within 31 days after notification of approval of a concept paper.

  • 4/17/09:
    Council on Government Relations     - letter to OMB providing feedback on the Updated Implementing Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It is COGR's understanding that the Implementing Guidance is an ongoing work in progress, and that the next version will be available in 30 to 60 days.

  • 4/13/09:
    New NIH Recovery Act Opportunity Seeks to Fund High Impact, Large-Scale, Accelerated Research    The National Institutes of Health highlighted a new funding opportunityunder the Recovery Act that will support approximately $200 million in large-scale research projects that have a high likelihood of enabling growth and investment in biomedical research and development, public health and health care delivery. The purpose of this new program, the Research and Research Infrastructure "Grand Opportunities" (GO), is to support high impact ideas that lend themselves to short-term funding and may lay the foundation for new fields of scientific inquiry. The GO grants will support large-scale research projects that accelerate critical breakthroughs, early and applied research on cutting edge technologies, and new approaches to improve the synergy and interactions among multi and interdisciplinary research teams. MORE

    Money Rush Hordes Are Swamping the Government By Jocelyn Kaiser | Science NOW

  • 4/14/09:
    Push to Compare Treatments Worries Drug, Device Makers
    By Jane Zhang | Wall Street Journal

  • 4/3/09:
    OMB Director Peter Orszag issues additional guidance     to heads of federal Departments and agencies on implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

    NIH issues "NIH Award Terms and Additional Information for Recipients Receiving Recovery Act Grant Funding"

  • 4/2/09:
    Reporting requirements     - Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a request for comments April 1, 2009, on an information collection that outlines the standard data elements for reporting under ARRA for grants, cooperative agreements and loans. The notice is available in the Federal Register (74FR14824). The Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR) council issued its interim rule (and request for comments) for meeting the reporting requirements on contracts funded by ARRA March 31, 2009. Comments are due to OMB on the standard data elements by May 1, 2009. Comments on the FAR interim rule are due June 1, 2009. It is important to note that the FAR interim rule was effective March 31, 2009 and contractors will begin seeing the requirement in ARRA-funded contracts.
    COGR will be submitting comments and welcomes input from campuses.

    Grants.gov - In 2006, Grants.gov processed 65,000 grant applications. In 2007, the number of applications nearly tripled, rising to 185,000. In 2008, 204,000 applications were submitted. Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed, Grants.gov has supported up to 200,000 daily users. Grants.gov has also experienced a sharp increase in the number of grant applications submitted from an average of 3,000 per week in December 2008 to 11,000 in one week in March 2009. It is estimated that the Recovery Act will result in the submission of an additional 75,000 grant applications on Grants.gov.
    HHS statement about Grants.gov.

    NIH Issues RFA for Faculty Recruitment Using Recovery Act Funds - In recent months, AAU has asked the Obama transition team and then the Obama Administration to consider using Recovery Act funds to address the faculty recruitment crunch. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has now issued a request for applications for a limited competition under its Recovery Act funding to support new faculty recruitment.

    Department of Education: State Fiscal Stabilization Funding - On April 1, the U.S. Department of Education posted on its Recovery web site a number of documents on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including: State Fiscal Stabilization Fund cover letter (with an overview of data metrics), application, and guidance; Title I, Part A guidance; IDEA, Part B guidance; IDEA, Part C fact sheet and guidance; Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants fact sheet and guidance; and Independent Living Programs fact sheet and guidance. A press release from the department and An Inside Higher Ed article about the announcement are also available.

  • 3/30/09:
    NSF "Frequently Asked Questions' document regarding ARRA.
    • 3/27/09:
    How stimulus spending plan could benefit VMC
    Vanderbilt Medical Center Reporter

  • 3/27/09:
    National Science Foundation Director Arden Bement's remarks to NSF employees about how NSF will implement ARRA

  • 3/25/09:
    DOD's plans for allocating ARRA funds
    Section III, beginning on page 162, covers Research, Development, Test and Evaluation; it's largely energy-project based. It appears that at least some of these might be opportunities for university-based researchers. Researchers who have DOD contacts in RDTE are encouraged to touch base with them for more information.

  • 3/25/09:
    Department of Education releases PowerPoint on ARRA disbursement: Over $100 billion available for education

  • 3/24/09:
    Administration releases guidance on ARRA implementation
    On March, 20, the Administration issued further guidance on implementation of ARRA. Section 1 of the memo reiterates the administration's emphasis on merit-based awards. Section 3 severely restricts any communication between registered lobbyists and federal agencies regarding projects funded under ARRA.

  • 3/23/09:
    Energy Secretary Chu announces $1.2 Billion in Recovery Act funding for science

  • 3/19/06:
    Council on Government Relations activities
    Two recent updates from COGR; first pertains to have administrative personnel charged to ARRA grants; an update on grants.gov; and COGR's letter to OIRA on improving the regulatory review process. The second includes some recent updates out of NIH.

    Department of Energy: Secretary Chu's comments on timing for launching Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

    Notice from National Science Foundation Director Bennett to university presidents. New funding for MRI program highlighted. NSF grants to last five years.

    Receive NSF funding updates via email by subscribing to the NSF listing at: http://www.nsf.gov/. Click on the updates link in the top-right portion of the page.

  • 3/19/09:
    $1.1 billion allocated for comparative effectiveness research
    Members of new "Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research" also named.

  • 3/17/09:
    NSF Director outlines key elements of Recovery Act implementation
    Notice no. 131 includes information on programs that will receive Stimulus funding, prioritization, and special award conditions.

  • 3/11/09:
    NIH announces American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding opportunities; $1 Billion available for extramural core facilities and other construction, renovation or repair awards

  • 2/18/09:
    OMB announces initial implemlentation guidance

  • 2/18/09:
    Statement from National Science Board

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