Federal Funds Lead to Spike in Grant Requests

Federal Funds Lead to Spike in Grant Requests

In late February, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) received one-time budget injections as a result of the Congressional American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), more commonly referred to as the economic stimulus package. Later that same month, the Obama administration proposed regular budget increases to both agencies for the 2010 fiscal year. These commitments led to a spike in federal grants applications by ISERP Faculty Fellows.

Amid a flailing economy, the NIH announced in late February that through the stimulus package it would receive a short-term budget increase of $10.4 billion, $8.2 billion of which would be devoted to research activities. NSF announced a similar increase of $3 billion with more than 80 percent allocated for research, including $85 million specially designated for the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) research directorate. SBE focuses on collaborative research that builds fundamental knowledge of human behavior, interaction, and social and economic systems, organizations and institutions.

The Obama administration also announced in late February an increase in the 2010 federal budget of $7.045 billion for the NSF.  This 8.5 percent increase over 2009 appropriated funds keeps NSF on course to double its total budget by 2016. According to the Obama administration’s proposal, funding specifically for research will jump to $5.773 billion, representing a 10.6 percent increase over 2009.

In light of this governmental commitment to the social sciences and to policy relevant research, ISERP faculty fellows have responded with gusto. In addition to the usual flurry of winter proposals in response to regularly scheduled NSF and NIH deadlines, there was a second burst of activity in the early spring of 2009. In April, six grant applications accounted for $2.17 million in federal funding requests by ISERP affiliated faculty.

NSF and NIH are using a number of mechanisms to distribute the stimulus funds, including increasing the success rates of already-submitted proposals; offering supplemental funds for new equipment or new hires to speed up existing research already funded by those agencies; and posting new requests for proposals for major equipment purchases and for research initiatives that can be completed in the next two years.

While awaiting decisions on both rounds of 2009 proposals, ISERP, its centers, and its faculty fellows are focusing on existing research projects and looking ahead to the summer grant cycle. As approval decisions for new funding are announced in the coming months, ISERP hopes to use new funds to renew its ongoing commitment to socially relevant research that affects public policy.