Addresses: For the Precision Measurement Grants Program, applicants are requested to direct technical questions and submit an abbreviated proposal, with a description of their proposed work of no more than five double spaced pages to:

Dr. Peter J. Mohr

Manager, NIST Precision Measurement Grants Program

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Bldg. 225, Rm. B161

100 Bureau Drive - STOP 8401

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8401

Although applicants are not required to submit more than three copies of the proposal, the normal review process for the Precision Measurement Grants Program utilizes 10 copies. Applicants are encouraged to submit sufficient proposal copies for the full review process if they wish all reviewers to receive color, unusually sized (not 8.5" × 11"), or otherwise unusual materials submitted as part of the proposal.

Authority: The authority for the Precision Measurement Grants Program is as follows: As authorized by 15 U.S.C. 272 (b) and (c), NIST conducts directly, and supports through grants and cooperative agreements, a basic and applied research program in the general area of fundamental measurement and the determination of fundamental constants of nature.

Program Description and Objectives: The program description and objectives for the Precision Measurement Grants Program are as follows: as part of its research program, since 1970 NIST has awarded Precision Measurement Grants primarily to universities and colleges so that faculty may conduct significant, primarily experimental research in the field of fundamental measurement or the determination of fundamental constants. NIST sponsors these grants and cooperative agreements primarily to encourage basic, measurement-related research in universities and colleges and other research laboratories and to foster contacts between NIST scientists and those faculty members of academic institutions and other researchers who are actively engaged in such work. The Precision Measurement Grants are also intended to make it possible for researchers to pursue new, fundamental measurement ideas for which other sources of support may be difficult to find. There is some latitude in research topics that will be considered under the Precision Measurement Grants Program. The key requirement is that the proposed project support NIST's ongoing work in the field of basic measurement science, which includes:

• Experimental and theoretical studies of fundamental physical phenomena which test the basic laws of physics or which may lead to new or improved fundamental measurement methods and standards.

• The determination of important fundamental physical constants.

Although proposals for either experimental or theoretical research will be considered, the former will be given preference because of the more immediate applicability of experimental work to metrology. Proposals from workers at the assistant and associate professor level who have some record of accomplishment are especially encouraged in view of the comparative difficulty researchers have in obtaining funds at the early stages of their careers.

Typical projects which have been funded through the NIST Precision Measurement Grants Program include:

1. Precision optical spectroscopy of positronium, S. Chu, Stanford University.

2. Spectroscopy of francium: towards a precise parity nonconservation measurement in a laser trap, L.A.  Orozco, State University of New York at Stony Brook.

3. Measurement of Newton's constant G using a new method, J.H. Gundlach, University of Washington.

4. Measurement of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background, S.T. Staggs, Princeton University.

5. Combining the quantum Hall and AC Josephson effects for electric current metrology, E.A. Gwinn, University of California, Santa Barbara.

6. A test of CPT symmetry using a new K-³He self- compensating magnetometer, M.V. Romalis, University of Washington.

Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, other non-profits, commercial organizations, international organizations, State, local and Indian tribal governments and Federal agencies with appropriate legal authority.

Award Period and Funding Availability: Applicants should propose multi-year projects for up to three years at no more than $50,000 per year. NIST anticipates spending $100,000 this year for two new grants at $50,000 each for the first year of the research projects. NIST may award all, none or some of these new awards. Second and third year funding will be at the discretion of NIST, based on satisfactory performance, continuing relevance to program objectives, and the availability of funds.

Proposal Review Process: For the Precision Measurement Grants Program, to simplify the proposal writing and evaluation process, the following selection procedure will be used:

Applicants will initially submit abbreviated proposals, containing a description of the proposed project, including sufficient information to address the evaluation criteria, with a total length of no more than five double spaced pages, to the mailing address given above in the Addresses section. These proposals will be screened to determine whether they address the requirements outlined in this notice. Proposals that do not meet those requirements will not be considered further. Eight independent, objective individuals, at least half of whom are NIST employees, and who are knowledgeable about the scientific areas that the program addresses will conduct a technical review of each proposal, based on the evaluation criteria described in the Evaluation Criteria section for this program. The proposals will then be ranked based on the average of the reviewers' rankings. If non-Federal reviewers are used, the reviewers may discuss the proposals with each other, but ranks will be determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.

The Precision Measurement Grants Program manager, the selecting official, will then select approximately four to eight finalists. In selecting finalists, the selecting official will take into consideration the results of the reviewers' evaluations, including rank, and relevance to the program objectives described above.

Finalists will then be asked to submit full proposals containing a description of the proposed project, including sufficient information to address the evaluation criteria, with a length of no more than ten (10) double spaced pages in addition to the federally mandated forms and certifications, to the mailing address given above in the Addresses section. The same independent reviewers will then evaluate the detailed proposals based on the same evaluation criteria, and the proposals will be ranked as previously described. In selecting proposals that will be recommended for funding, the selecting official will take into consideration the results of the reviewers' evaluations, including rank, and relevance to the program objectives described in the Program Description and Objectives section for this program.

The final approval of selected applications and award of grants or cooperative agreements will be made by the NIST Grants Officer based on compliance with application requirements as published in this notice, compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, compliance with Federal policies that best further the objectives of the Department of Commerce, and whether the recommended applicants appear to be responsible.

Applicants may be asked to modify objectives, work plans, or budgets and provide supplemental information required by the agency prior to award.

The decision of the Grants Officer is final.

Evaluation Criteria: The evaluation criteria to be used in evaluating the abbreviated application proposals and full proposals are:

1. The importance of the proposed research--Does it have the potential of answering some currently pressing question or of opening up a whole new area of activity?

2. The relationship of the proposed research to NIST's ongoing work--Will it support one of NIST's current efforts to develop a new or improved fundamental measurement method or physical standard, test the basic laws of physics, or provide an improved value for a fundamental constant?

3. The feasibility of the research and the potential impact of the grant--Is it likely that significant progress can be made in a three year time period with the funds and personnel available and that the funding will enable work that would otherwise not be done with existing or potential funding?

4. The qualifications of the applicant--Does the educational and employment background and the quality of the research, based on recent publications, of the applicant indicate that there is a high probability that the proposed research will be carried out successfully?

Matching Requirements: The Precision Measurement Grants Program does not require any matching funds.

Application Kit: For the Precision Measurement Grants Program, an application kit, containing all required application forms and certifications will be provided to the finalists by Ms. Bonnie Whipp, (301) 975-4750.

Inquiries or comments: Feedback.
Online: August 2000   -   Last update: April 2004