Grants for Small businesses - Science and Technology

CDPs Foreign Assistance Leveraged for Cybersecurity Operational Needs FALCON project is intended to establish and maintain a reservoir of primarily commercial cybersecurity and technology capabilities that CDP can draw upon in short order and in a wide variety of situations to support U.S. allies and partners to effectively prevent, respond to, mitigate, and recover from cybersecurity incidents. The objective of the project is to support partner governments, their subordinate agencies and critical infrastructure operators and partners in their efforts to identify, prevent, respond to, mitigate and recover from cybersecurity incidents.

The PRMRP Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) supports fundamental research studies that will make an important contribution toward research, patient care, and/or quality of life for a disease or condition related to one of the FY24 PRMRP Topic Areas and one of the FY24 PRMRP Strategic Goals. This award mechanism is intended to support basic research that is exploratory in nature and seeks to further or validate preliminary findings for short- or long-term impact. Research projects may focus on any stage of basic laboratory research, ranging from fundamental research for the generation of knowledge, hypothesis, or models, to expansion of mature data.The rationale for a research idea may be derived from a laboratory discovery, population-based studies, a clinicians first-hand knowledge of patients, or anecdotal data. The project should include a well-formulated testable hypothesis based on existing evidence. Applications must include relevant preliminary data that support the rationale and feasibility for the proposed study. These data may be unpublished or from the published literature.This award mechanism is not intended to support translational research. Applicants seeking funding for projects that have progressed beyond the realm of basic research should consider one of the other FY24 PRMRP program announcements being offered. For information about these award mechanisms, see Section II.A.1, FY24 PRMRP Research Development Pipeline.

The key aspects of this award are: Overarching Question: FPA-RM applications must describe a unifying, overarching question that will be investigated by a set of research projects to address a critical unmet need relevant to rare melanoma research and/or patient care. The question may focus on one specific rare melanoma, or the question may be designed to address a critical unmet need that is relevant to multiple rare melanomas. Research Team: The overall effort will be led by a Principal Investigator (PI) with demonstrated success in leading large, focused projects. The PI is required to devote a minimum of 10% effort to this award. The PI will be the lead for one of the proposed research projects and is expected to create an environment that fosters and supports collaboration and innovation in a way that engages all members of the team. The research team assembled by the PI should be highly qualified and multidisciplinary, with an identified Project Leader(s) for the complementary and synergistic research project(s). The resources and expertise brought to the team by the Project Leader(s) should combine to create a robust collaboration. The PI and the Project Leader(s) do not have to be at the same organization. Research Projects: Applications should include multiple, distinct research projects that are each led by individual Project Leaders and address complementary aspects of the overarching question. Individual research projects may range from exploratory, hypothesis-developing studies through clinical trials. While individual projects should be capable of standing on their own high scientific merits, they should also be interrelated and synergistic to advance a solution beyond what would be possible through individual efforts. Each project, including hypothesis-developing studies, should propose a unique approach to addressing the overarching question and be capable of producing research findings with potential to advance the rare melanoma field and/or patient care. There should be a clear intent to progress toward translational/clinical work over the course of the effort. This award mechanism is not intended to support a series of research projects that are dependent on the success of the other project(s). All research projects must be based on a strong scientific rationale and preliminary data, as appropriate, that supports the feasibility of the proposed approach(es). Clinical trials are allowed; a research project proposing a clinical trial must include preliminary data. Implementation Plan: The research strategy to address the overarching question should be supported by an implementation plan that identifies critical milestones and outlines the knowledge, resources, and/or technical innovations that will be utilized to achieve the milestones. A plan for assessing individual project performance and progress toward addressing the overarching question should be included in the implementation plan. For multi-institutional collaborations, the application should discuss plans for communication and data transfer among the collaborating institutions, as well as how data, specimens, and/or products obtained during the study will be handled. Participating organizations should formalize an intellectual and material property plan. Milestone Meeting: The PI will be required to present an update on progress toward accomplishing the goals of the award at a Milestone Meeting to be held either virtually or in person in the National Capital Area after the conclusion of year 2 of the period of performance. The intent of the Milestone Meeting is to assess research progress, address problems, and define future directions. Research milestones to be accomplished by the end of year 2 must be clearly defined in the Statement of Work (SOW) and will be finalized during award negotiations. Up to two additional members of the research team may be invited to the meeting. If the research team includes rare melanoma consumer collaborators (see below), they should also be invited to attend the Milestone Meeting. The Milestone Meeting will be attended by members of the MRP Programmatic Panel, CDMRP staff, the USAMRAA Grants Officer, and other Department of Defense (DOD) stakeholders. Continued funding may be contingent upon the successful completion of specific research milestones and goals.

The CASF Broadband Public Housing Account provides grants and loans to build broadband networks offering free broadband service for residents of low-income communities including, but not limited to, publicly supported housing developments, farmworker housing, and other housing developments or mobile home parks with low-income residents that do not have access to any broadband service provider that offers free broadband service that meets or exceeds state standards for the residents of the low-income community. The allocated funding for the Broadband Public Housing Account is $15 million for fiscal year 2022-2023.  The Broadband Public Housing Account will finance up to 100 percent of the costs to install inside wiring and broadband network equipment.

The 24 Squared Grant Program, funded by Square Financial Services and the Community Foundation of Utah, offers grants between $1,000 to $10,000 to Utah-based non-profit organizations engaged in community development activities such as affordable housing, small business development, reentry support, and financial wellness, with special awards for the highest scored organization, those with great potential, and those supporting local small businesses.

This funding opportunity supports researchers and organizations developing innovative prediction models for early detection of Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias, particularly focusing on data from underserved communities to address health disparities.

This program provides funding to certified community development financial institutions to strengthen their operations and expand services for small businesses and underserved communities in Pennsylvania.

This funding opportunity is designed for small businesses to develop innovative drone swarm technology that enhances the U.S. Army's capabilities for efficient and safe river crossings in challenging environments.

This funding opportunity supports universities, research institutions, and non-profit organizations in conducting innovative research in measurement science to advance fundamental measurement methods and enhance our understanding of physics.

The FY24 RCRP RCDA supports the development of clinical or preclinical data sets and research resources that advance the field of rare cancers research and ultimately improve outcomes for individuals with rare cancers. Major gaps in patient care of rare cancers include lack of communication and dissemination strategies for rare cancers research and clinical findings within communities; lack of therapeutics and mechanistic studies to inform treatment development; lack of research and clinical resources, including patient tissues, cell, and tumor models; and lack of infrastructure for sharing data and other resources.The intent of this funding opportunity is to develop research platforms that can share resources and knowledge pertaining to available preclinical or clinical research models, molecular pathways, and therapeutic approaches to facilitate collaboration and information sharing among stakeholders such as researchers, patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other members of the rare cancers community.Clinical or preclinical datasets should strive to integrate or develop the following research resources. This list is not all-inclusive: Building and sharing rare tumor biospecimen repository with clinical annotation Databases/banks for centralizing and sharing data for patient registries that can be accessed globally Centralizing and sharing research models and molecular data related to genomics/ transcriptomics/immune profiling/proteomics/metabolomics/methylomics/bioinformatics Generating a data/reagent/model exchange program where researchers can list resources that they are willing to share and are tagged with indications that may be relevant Platform to enable or leverage longitudinal studies of disease natural history and treatment response Development of novel methods and systems for collection, sharing, and analysis of data or biospecimensApplicants should include a well-formulated project design based on a strong scientific rationale and clearly articulate how the proposed resource platform or community development addresses an unmet need in rare cancers research. Applicants should explain the advantage of their approach to developing resources or community versus standard methodologies, techniques, or scopes. A clear plan for collaboration and data sharing needs to be demonstrated. It is critical to demonstrate how the outcome of the proposed project can benefit type(s) or sub-type(s) of rare cancers. It is encouraged for the research platform/resource to have an effect on multiple types or sub-types of rare cancers.Key Elements of the Resource and Community Development Award are as follows: Impact: Outcomes of the RCDA must have potential for major impact on an unmet need in rare cancers research. A resource, as developed in the proposed research, should aim forDOD FY24 Rare Cancers Resource and Community Development Award 5long-term anticipated advantages toward greatly improving outcomes for people with rare cancers. Patient Advocate Partnership: Applications to the RCDA funding opportunity are required to include patient advocates who are involved with patient advocacy organization(s). The research team must include at least two rare cancers patient advocates who will be early and integral partners throughout the planning and implementation of the research project. Patient advocates should be involved in the development of the research question, project design, oversight, and evaluation, as well as other significant aspects of the proposed project. Interactions with other team members should be well integrated and ongoing, and not limited to attending seminars and semi-annual meetings. The patient advocates must be individuals who have been directly impacted by a rare cancer either by being diagnosed themselves or as a caretaker/family member of a patient, and they should be active in a cancer advocacy organization or within a support group focused on their rare cancer. Their role should be focused on providing objective input on the research and its potential impact for individuals with or at risk for a rare cancer. The patient advocates should have a high level of understanding of current rare cancers research. Preliminary Data: Due to the developmental nature of this award, preliminary data are not required but may be included, if available, to address the feasibility of the resource to be developed. Whether or not preliminary data are included, applications must apply solid scientific rationale and logical reasoning based on existing knowledge to the development of the proposed product. Clinical Research: Research involving human subject use is permitted under this mechanism but is restricted to studies without clinical trials. Clinical trials will not be supported. Applications focused on clinical research should demonstrate how the study will leverage clinical information to address knowledge gaps in the development of platforms that can be utilized for sharing data and tissue, the development of clinical annotation datasets, process development, and/or infrastructure development. Applied Research: Preclinical studies utilizing or creating animal models to further research into rare cancers may be supported by this funding opportunity. The RCDA is intended to support projects that will have the potential to move beyond the realm of basic research, with results that may impact clinical research or patient outcomes. Community Building: A plan describing how the rare cancers stakeholder community will be built/enhanced and the communitys involvement with developing the resource platform is required. It is also important to justify how the community is essential for the development and sustainment of the resource platform. Dissemination: A Dissemination Plan is required. The plan should describe the means by which the fully developed resource platform will be made easily available to the scientific and/or clinical community. Dissemination of resource platform will play a major role by not only educating the rare cancer community about the recent progress, but also help to develop an informational network.DOD FY24 Rare Cancers Resource and Community Development Award 6 Sustainment: A plan that outlines the sustainability of the resource in the future is required. The plan should detail the types of rare cancers that are less studied in the collaborations and the resources to be gathered, annotated, and sustained. Additional expansion and feasibility plans should be included. It is important to demonstrate how the outcomes of the current award will be continued and eventually will help the rare care cancer community, beyond the award period.A congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force was formed with the purpose of identifying ways to help accelerate clinical and translational research aimed at extending the lives of advanced state and recurrent patients. As a member of the Metastatic Cancer Task Force, CDMRP encourages applicants to review the recommendations (https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Congressional-Testimonies/2018/05/03/Metastatic-Cancer-Research) and submit research ideas to address these recommendations provided they are within the limitations of this funding opportunity and fit within the FY24 RCRP priorities.Collaborations between researchers at military or Veteran institutions and non-military institutions are strongly encouraged. These relationships can leverage knowledge, infrastructure, and access to unique clinical populations that the partners bring to the research effort, ultimately advancing cancer research that is of significance to the Warfighter, military Families, and the American public.Innovative research involving nuclear medicine and related techniques to support early diagnosis, more effective treatment, and improved health outcomes of active-duty Service Members and their Families is encouraged. Such research could improve diagnostic and targeted treatment capabilities through noninvasive techniques and may drive the development of precision imaging and advanced targeted therapies.CDMRP encourages research on health areas and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently from men, including studies analyzing sex as a biological variable. Such research should relate anticipated project findings to improvements in womens health outcomes and/or advancing knowledge for women's health.All projects should adhere to a core set of standards for rigorous study design and reporting to maximize the reproducibility and translational potential of clinical and preclinical research. The standards are described in SC Landis et al., 2012, A call for transparent reporting to optimize the predictive value of preclinical research, Nature 490:187-191 (https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v490/n7419/full/nature11556.html). While these standards are written for preclinical studies, the basic principles of randomization, blinding, sample-size estimation, and data handling derive from well-established best practices in clinical studies.

This funding opportunity supports Minnesota-based organizations and individuals conducting applied crop research to improve agricultural practices and outcomes for local farmers and rural communities.

The "DoD Multiple Sclerosis, Exploration - Hypothesis Development Award" is a grant that supports the exploration of innovative, high-risk concepts in MS research, with the aim of laying the groundwork for future scientific investigation, and it particularly encourages applications from new investigators in the early stages of their careers.

Funding available through this RFA supports company formation, as well as early research and development of novel oncology therapeutics, devices, treatment-oriented information technology products, diagnostics, or tools. The objective of the SEED Award program is to start with an interesting technology and to progress it toward a commercially viable business opportunity, i.e., make it more attractive to private funding agents. Typically, applicants have completed the following activities: Identified a novel therapeutic, diagnostic technology, or clinical tool and shown a biological effect Conducted preliminary safety and toxicology testing (in the case of therapeutic agents) Shown the product can be manufactured at small scale or as a prototype Assessed the business opportunity and organized a business plan that begins to address key issues (clinical utility, target market, financial plan, IP strategy, technical challenges, etc.) and lays out a preliminary development plan (formulation, toxicology, scale up, IND-enabling studies, phase 1 clinical trials, regulatory pathway, etc.). Established a company

This grant provides funding for U.S.-based researchers to explore innovative tissue engineering and mechanobiology solutions using the unique microgravity environment of the International Space Station, with the goal of improving health outcomes on Earth.

This grant provides funding for researchers to develop and advance treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, benefiting patients of all ages, including military personnel and their families.

The FY24 ARP Discovery Award supports innovative, non-incremental, high-risk/potentially high-reward research that will provide new insights, paradigms, technologies, or applications in autism research. Studies supported by this award are expected to lay the groundwork for future avenues of scientific investigation regarding an important question for autism research and/or the ASD community. The proposed research project should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on a sound scientific rationale and logical reasoning. Preliminary data are not required but is allowed. The outcome of research supported by this award should be the generation of robust preliminary data that can be used as a foundation for future research projects and applications for funding.The FY24 ARP Discovery Award seeks applications from all areas of research that will help fulfill the programs vision to improve the lives of individuals with ASD now and in their future, as well its mission is to promote innovative research that advances the understanding of ASD and leads to improved outcomes.

To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. To apply to this FOA, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Registration.aspx). For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. For problems with ARPA-E eXCHANGE, email [email protected] (with FOA name and number in the subject line). Questions about this FOA? Check the Frequently Asked Questions available at http://arpa-e.energy.gov/faq. For questions that have not already been answered, email [email protected]. Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260): (A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that (i) reduce imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reduce energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; (iii) improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; (iv) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (v) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. ARPA-E issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. 16538. The FOA and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this FOA are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established learning curves where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. In contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development. The Office of Management and Budget defines applied research as an original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledgedirected primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective and defines experimental development as creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes. Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts)1 should contact the DOEs Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (http://www.eere.energy.gov/), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). Program Overview: The Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimized Now (NEWTON) program will support the research and development of technologies that enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel (UNF) to alleviate the impact of storage in permanent disposal facilities. This program seeks to fund the development of novel technologies that increase the overall capacity factor, power output, and efficiency of particle generation systems (including but not limited to proton, neutron, and/or photon), by reducing beam trip magnitude and duration (referred to as loss of beam). Additional technologies will focus on increasing the throughput of transmutation by developing target materials that maximize transmutation rates and are easily processible to remove the transmuted material. The United States does not currently have an active facility for the permanent disposal of used nuclear fuel derived from the civilian nuclear sector. Used nuclear fuel comprises several classes of isotopes that could be processed in different ways due to their economic value. Firstly, uranium (U), which comprises greater than 95% of the mass of UNF, can be reprocessed and converted back into fuel for light-water reactors through the addition of small amounts of uranium-235 (U-235). Secondly, plutonium (Pu) and minor actinides (MAs), such as neptunium (Np), americium (Am), and curium (Cm), which together comprise roughly 1.5% of UNF by mass, are produced from nuclear fission. Many of these isotopes are fissionable and could be incorporated into fuels designed for advanced reactor concepts. Intermediate-lived fission products (ILFPs) including strontium-90 (Sr-90) and caesium-137 (Cs-137) have relatively short half-lives of roughly 30 years and have applications in radioisotope thermoelectric generators for space applications. However, ILFPs are largely destined for permanent disposal in a deep geological repository. The major long-lived fission products (LLFPs) have half-lives exceeding 200,000 years and have few commercial applications. LLFPS include selenium-79 (Se-79),technetium-99 (Tc-99), tin-126 (Sn-126), iodine-129 (I-129), and caesium-135 (Cs-135). The last class of isotopes are the stable isotopes produced from nuclear fission and resulting decay. These isotopes could be extracted from UNF, but no commercial processing of these have been undertaken. A deep geological disposal facility for the disposition of UNF in the U.S. has been estimated to cost $96.18 billion over the 150-year lifetime, after which the facility would cease to accept new waste. This facility would be able to store 70,000 metric tons (MT) of unprocessed UNF, which is insufficient for the existing volume of civilian waste. Densification of the waste can be accomplished through removal of the plutonium, minor actinides, and ILFP components of the UNF. Removal of 99.9% of these components would allow a densification factor of 225, based on current disposal requirements, thus allowing a single repository to store upwards of approximately 16 million MT of UNF. The LLFPs are responsible for many of the engineered barriers that are required to be built in the repository due to their long half-lives and environmental mobility. Removal of these LLFPs could decrease the capital expenditure of a permanent geological repository while also improving safety. To view the FOA in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

This funding opportunity is designed to support innovative prototype projects in military and civil engineering, targeting nontraditional defense contractors, traditional defense contractors, and nonprofit research institutions.

This grant provides funding to small businesses in the U.S. to develop innovative technologies that address critical national needs, particularly in health and technology, while promoting collaboration with research institutions.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for nonprofits, public-private partnerships, and industry consortia in North Dakota to develop and implement innovative autonomous agriculture projects that enhance technology, infrastructure, and workforce systems in the state.