Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA ORD NRMRL CI 08 03
Apply for EPA ORD NRMRL CI 08 03
- The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Risk Management Research Laboratory Innovation and Research for Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.511 Office of Research and Development Consolidated Research/Training/Fellowships.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 16, 2008 and posted on Mar 25, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 27, 2008 The closing date has been revised from May 12, 2008 to May 27, 2008.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $10,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Individuals Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education State governments County governments City or township governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).
- See Section III of the announcement for additional eligibility information.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Research and Development and the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), offered a discretionary research funding opportunity focused on modernizing and improving the nation s water infrastructure. Titled "National Risk Management Research Laboratory Innovation and Research for Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century," this program was designed to support practical, near term research that helps communities deal with aging or failing systems used to convey and treat drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater. The central aim was to generate credible, usable evidence about innovative technologies, including physical systems, devices, and operational procedures, so decision makers can better understand what works, what it costs, and what value it delivers.
The opportunity emphasized applied outcomes rather than long horizon basic research. Projects were expected to produce, evaluate, and summarize performance, cost, and value data that the water sector can act on. In plain terms, the EPA was looking for work that helps utilities and other stakeholders choose and implement innovations that reduce lifecycle costs and improve effectiveness across key infrastructure activities such as design, day to day operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and eventual replacement. A defining requirement was timeliness: the outputs needed to be positioned to deliver their intended benefits to users within four years, meaning the research should lead to deployable guidance, validated results, decision support information, or field ready findings on a schedule that matches real infrastructure needs.
The primary user community for the results was explicitly identified as utilities, reflecting the practical end use of the research. At the same time, the program also targeted secondary audiences that influence technology adoption and standards, including technology and service providers, researchers and research funding organizations, and regulators. This framing signals that the EPA wanted results that are not only technically sound, but also packaged in a way that supports procurement decisions, operational changes, regulatory acceptance, and broader market uptake of effective innovations.
Administratively, the award instrument was a Cooperative Agreement, which generally indicates substantial federal involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant. The opportunity sat within the environmental funding activity category and was associated with CFDA number 66.511 (Office of Research and Development Consolidated Research Training Fellowships). The EPA anticipated making one award, with an estimated total funding amount of 10,000,000 and an award ceiling of 2,500,000. No cost sharing or matching requirement was listed, which can lower barriers to participation for organizations that may not have discretionary funds to contribute as match.
Eligibility was broad, spanning individuals; public and private institutions of higher education; state, county, and city or township governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status. The listing also referenced an "Others" category with additional clarification in the announcement, and applicants were directed to review Section III for detailed eligibility conditions. This range of eligible applicants aligns with the program s applied focus, since practical infrastructure innovation often involves partnerships among universities, utilities, local governments, nonprofits, and private sector technical experts.
Key dates show that the funding opportunity was posted on March 25, 2008, with an original closing date of May 12, 2008 that was later extended to May 27, 2008. The opportunity was archived on June 26, 2008. For applicants or interested parties who could not access the full announcement electronically, the contact provided was Diana Ruffini at (732) 321 6678.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this EPA funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "National Risk Management Research Laboratory Innovation and Research for Water Infrastructure for the 21st Century."
Which EPA offices were involved in offering this opportunity?
The program was offered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Office of Research and Development and the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL).
What is the main purpose of this research program?
The central purpose was to modernize and improve the nation’s water infrastructure by supporting practical, near-term research that helps communities address aging or failing systems used to convey and treat drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater.
What kinds of water systems does the program focus on?
The focus includes systems for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater, particularly where infrastructure is aging or failing and needs improved approaches for conveyance and treatment.
What type of research did EPA want to fund (applied vs. basic research)?
The opportunity emphasized applied outcomes rather than long-horizon basic research. Projects were expected to generate usable results that the water sector can act on in the near term.
What kinds of innovations were projects expected to study?
The program sought credible, usable evidence about innovative technologies, including physical systems, devices, and operational procedures, to help decision makers understand what works, what it costs, and what value it delivers.
What specific outputs were applicants expected to produce?
Projects were expected to produce, evaluate, and summarize performance, cost, and value data. The intent was to deliver results in forms that support real-world decision making and implementation.
What does "what works, what it costs, and what value it delivers" mean in this context?
In this program’s framing, research results should help stakeholders compare innovations by documenting performance outcomes, the costs to implement and operate them, and the value they provide to users and communities.
How quickly were project results expected to be useful?
Timeliness was a defining requirement. Outputs needed to be positioned to deliver intended benefits to users within four years, aligning with real infrastructure decision timelines.
What kinds of results would meet the program’s "within four years" expectation?
The announcement indicated that acceptable outputs could include deployable guidance, validated results, decision support information, or field-ready findings that can be used by the water sector within the four-year window.
What infrastructure activities were the research results meant to support?
The program aimed to support improvements across key activities such as design, day-to-day operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and eventual replacement of water infrastructure.
Who was the primary audience for the research results?
The primary user community was explicitly identified as utilities, reflecting the practical end use of the research.
Were there secondary audiences for the research findings?
Yes. The program also targeted secondary audiences that influence adoption and standards, including technology and service providers, researchers and research funding organizations, and regulators.
Why did the program emphasize packaging results for multiple audiences?
Because the program aimed to support not only technical validation, but also practical adoption. Results were meant to be usable for procurement decisions, operational changes, regulatory acceptance, and broader market uptake.
What award instrument was used?
The award instrument was a Cooperative Agreement.
What does it mean that the award was a Cooperative Agreement?
A Cooperative Agreement generally indicates substantial federal involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant.
What funding activity category was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was listed under the environmental funding activity category.
What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was associated with CFDA number 66.511 (Office of Research and Development Consolidated Research Training Fellowships).
How many awards did EPA anticipate making?
The EPA anticipated making one award.
What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount was 10,000,000.
What was the award ceiling?
The award ceiling was 2,500,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was listed for this opportunity.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included individuals; public and private institutions of higher education; state, county, and city or township governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status.
What does the "Others" eligibility category mean?
The listing referenced an "Others" category and noted that additional clarification was provided in the announcement. Applicants were directed to review Section III for detailed eligibility conditions.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on March 25, 2008.
What was the original closing date, and was it extended?
The original closing date was May 12, 2008, and it was later extended to May 27, 2008.
When was the opportunity archived?
The opportunity was archived on June 26, 2008.
Who can be contacted if someone could not access the full announcement electronically?
The contact listed was Diana Ruffini, reachable by phone at (732) 321 6678.
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