Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2023-11

NSF’s Convergence Accelerator Releases Upcoming Topics

for the Program’s 2023 Solicitation

NSF published Dear Colleague Letter NSF-23-066 to make the research and innovation community aware of convergent research topics for the program’s upcoming 2023 solicitation. NSF’s Convergence Accelerator has published a Dear Colleague Letter, DCL (NSF 23-066) to make the research and innovation community aware of the convergent research topics selected for the program’s upcoming 2023 solicitation. The program, within the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships or TIP, supports use-inspired solutions toward societal impact.

            The 2023 solicitation is expected to be published in the coming months. The purpose of the DCL is to provide additional time prior to the funding opportunity for researchers, innovators, practitioners, educators and others to form teams and proposal submission ideas aligned to the track topics. The convergent research track topics were selected from the program's ideation process. Eleven ideas were funded by NSF into community workshops to further develop and frame ideas to incorporate convergence research and encourage collaboration among a wide range of disciplines and expertise. The workshop findings assisted NSF in developing the final track topics outlined below.  

            Track K: Equitable Water Solutions

            Track L: Real-World Chemical Sensing Applications

            Track M: Bio-Inspired Design Innovations

More information is posted on https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/convergence-accelerator/updates/nsfs-convergence-accelerator-releases-upcoming

NSF: Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies - Satellite-Terrestrial Coexistence (SWIFT-SAT); Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology HBCU Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (CREST HBCU-RISE); Synthesis Center for Understanding Organismal Resilience; Safe Learning-Enabled Systems

NIH: NIH Medical Scientist Partnership Program (FM1); IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) (P20); NIMHD Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (R21)

Department of Energy: Scientific Discovery Through Advanced Computing (SCiDAC) - FES Partnerships; Quantum Testbed Pathfinder; Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Carbon Capture Large-Scale Pilot Projects

Program Reforms in President Biden's Budget: President Biden unveiled nearly across-the-board spending surges in his fiscal 2024 budget request on Thursday, signaling that the White House is looking to aggressively fund its key priorities and shoving aside criticisms from the congressional Republicans who are promising to fight to reduce federal spending next year. President Biden released his $6.9 trillion Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget blueprint proposal, which included $688 billion in base discretionary funding for nondefense programs, up 7.3% from last year, and $886 billion for defense-related programs, up 3.3% over Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23).  The President’s FY24 budget invests in basic research and scientific infrastructure authorized in the CHIPS and Science Act, and additional support for climate resilience and science provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.

U.S. Department of Education

• Topline: $90 billion for the Department in FY24, a $10.8 billion or 13.6% increase above the FY23 enacted level
• Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA): $2.7 billion, $620 million increase over the FY23 enacted level. This additional funding is needed to provide better support to student loan borrowers, especially as they return to repayment. The increase allows FSA to implement critical improvements to student loan servicing, continue to modernize its digital infrastructure, and ensure the successful administration of its financial aid programs through a simplified and streamlined process for students and borrowers.
• Higher Education: Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): $3.9 billion
• Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE): $725 million
• Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program: $405 million, an increase of $121 million over the FY23 enacted level.  The request would continue recent efforts under this program to combat the well-documented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and target a priority for projects to improve outcomes for children and youth in foster care, a critically vulnerable student population, including through partnerships with child welfare agencies.

U.S. Department of Commerce

• Topline: $12.3 billion for the Department in FY24, an increase of $1.3 billion or 11% above the FY23 enacted level
• Economic Development Administration (EDA)
  • Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program: $4 billion to build on the one-time $500 million provided in FY23 for this new program authorized by the CHIPS Act.  The Budget also includes $50 million in discretionary funding to continue to grow foundational resources for these purposes.  This funding would enable EDA to establish cutting-edge and strategic regional technology hubs that foster the geographic diversity of innovation and create quality jobs in underserved and vulnerable communities across the country.
  • Good Jobs Challenge: $100 million to fund high-quality, locally-led workforce systems that expand career opportunities
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): $6.8 billion, an increase of $451 million above the FY23 enacted level
  • Climate Research Programs: $231 million, a $7 million increase above the FY23 enacted level, to support the ongoing work of the National Climate Assessment and continue high-priority long-term observing, monitoring, researching, and modeling activities
  • Offshore Wind Permitting Activities: $60 million to expand offshore wind permitting activities, a $39 million increase above the FY23 enacted level. This will allow NOAA to use the best available science to help meet the goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030 while protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable ocean co-use. $
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST):
  • Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability: $97.5 million, including a $3.5 million increase for NIST’s efforts in GHG measurement and monitoring
  • Industrial Technology Services: $375 million, a $163 million increase above the FY23 enacted level, including a $98 million increase to Manufacturing USA to support the progress of NIST’s existing manufacturing institute, funding for a new institute to be launched in 2023, and $60 million to be awarded competitively across the Government-wide network of manufacturing institutes to promote domestic production of institute-developed technologies.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

• Topline: $52 billion for the Department, a $6.2 billion or 13.6% increase from the FY23 enacted level
• Climate and clean energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment: $11.9 billion across all DOE programs
• Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EERE): $3.8 billion
• Office of Science (SC): $8.8 billion, an increase of $680 million or 9% over the FY23 enacted level, advancing toward the CHIPS Act full authorization level
  • Fusion Research: $1 billion, the largest investment ever in this promising clean energy power source

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

• Topline: $144.3 billion in discretionary funding, a $14.8 billion or 11.5% increase from the FY23 enacted level
• Cancer Moonshot: The Cancer Moonshot aims to reduce the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years and improve the experience of people who are living with or have survived cancer, their families, and caregivers. The Budget includes $1.7 billion for dedicated Cancer Moonshot activities across HHS, in addition to targeted investments at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Agriculture, and other Cancer Cabinet agencies.
• Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H): $2.5 billion, an increase of $1 billion to drive innovative health research and speed the implementation of breakthroughs that would transform the treatment, prevention, and early detection of cancer and other diseases, such as diabetes and dementia.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): $48.6 billion, $920 million above the FY23 level. 

U.S. Department of Labor

• Top line: $15.1 billion for the Department in FY24, a $1.5 billion or 11% increase above FY23

National Science Foundation

• Top line: $11.3 billion in FY24, a $1.8 billion or 18.6% increase above the FY23 level
• Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (Authorized by the CHIPS Act): $1.2 billion to help accelerate and translate scientific research into innovations, industries, and jobs.
• Climate Research and Development: $1.6 billion for climate research and development, an increase of $630 million above the FY23 enacted level. Supports research in atmospheric composition; water and carbon cycles; renewable energy technologies; climate resilience technologies for communities heavily affected by climate change; social, behavioral, and economic research on human responses to climate change; and more.
• Expands STEM Workforce and Advances Racial and Gender Equity in STEM: $1.4 billion, a $198 million increase from the FY23 enacted level, to accelerate STEM education and workforce development, and to help ensure the U.S. science and technology workforce reflects the Nation as a whole.
• Fosters Scientific and Technological Advances: $2 billion for research and development to maintain America’s edge in the industries of tomorrow, including advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, microelectronics and semiconductors, and quantum information science.

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New Biden Budget Calls for Historic Clean Energy and Emerging Tech Investments: he Biden administration wants the U.S. to continue its broad push to advance emerging and critical technologies, making significant allocations for their research, development and application within the new 2024 budget proposal. Released on Thursday, the fiscal year 2024 budget aims to allocate nearly $25 billion in discretionary funding to research pursuant to the CHIPS and Science Act, encompassing subjects including artificial intelligence, clean energy sources, quantum information sciences and semiconductor manufacturing. Energy would be expected to use the provided funding to continue research in fusion energy, following a breakthrough at an Energy-funded national laboratory in December. The Budget delegates $1 billion specifically to accelerate fusion ignition as a potential clean energy source. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Energy Looks for Additional Ways to Prepare the Future Quantum Workforce: The Department of Energy has asked higher education to weigh in on how the agency can help prepare students to work in quantum information science. The Energy Department is looking for information about where it can best help to prepare the future quantum workforce, according to a request for information scheduled to be published on Monday in the Federal Register.  According to the RFI, the emerging field of quantum information science could lead to innovations in quantum computing, simulation, communication, sensing and other critical technologies. The RFI noted that “as a new and strongly technology-oriented field, QIS requires a well-trained workforce to fill positions ranging from research and development to design and manufacturing.” As a result, the Energy Department is asking higher education institutions—including public and private universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, minority serving institutions, community colleges and emerging research institutions—to comment on how to prepare students to work in quantum information science fields. The agency is also looking for opportunities where its national laboratory network could help train students. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

Question:       Can I change project start and end dates after I have submitted for approval?

Answer:         When a proposal is routed for approval certain information is locked to ensure that the information at the various approval levels (department, college, and university) remains constant.  This is intended to guarantee that the authority of academic leadership (e.g., chairs and deans) is recognized in the system.

The start and end dates are included in the data that is locked.  If you need to change the dates of a proposal already submitted for approval, you will have to recall the proposal, make the necessary changes, and resubmit for approval.

More FAQs on Streamlyne: Please visit http://www.njit.edu/research/streamlyne/