Opportunity Information: Apply for 2008 TIP 01
Apply for 2008 TIP 01
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Technology Innovation Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 10, 2008 and posted on Jul 9, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 15, 2008 Due to technical difficulties, NIST is extending the deadline for proposal submission for its Technology Innovation Program competition to 3 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday, September 15, 2008. NIST will accept only paper submissions during the extended time period. Paper submissions must be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 4701, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 4701. Please note that for paper submissions the Program requires one original and fifteen (15) copies of the proposal. The new Federal Register Notice with the updated application submission deadline can be found on the TIP web site (link given below), and applicants are advised to read it. Application forms, instructions and further details can be found in the TIP Proposal Preparation Kit on the TIP web site http://www.nist.gov/tip/comp08apply.html. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 9 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- A U.S. owned, single, small sized or medium sized company doing a majority of its business in the United States or a joint venture may apply for TIP funding. Members of joint ventures that are companies must also be doing a majority of their business in the United States. In addition, a company incorporated in the United States that has a parent company incorporated in another country may apply provided that certain requirements are met as discussed below. The term business or company means a for profit organization, including sole proprietors, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), and corporations (15 C.F.R. 296.2). a. Single Company a small sized or medium sized company. If the single company proposal includes contractors, the single company must be substantially involved in the RD, with a leadership role in the project and defining the research agenda. b. Joint Venture a business arrangement that includes either (1) At least two separately owned small sized or medium sized for profit companies that are both substantially involved in the project and both of which are contributing to the cost sharing requirement, with the lead entity of the joint venture being either a small sized or medium sized company or (2) At least one small sized or medium sized for profit company and one institution of higher education or other organization, such as a national laboratory, governmental laboratory (not including NIST), or nonprofit research institute, that are both substantially involved in the project and both of which are contributing to the cost sharing requirement, with the lead entity of the joint venture being either that small sized or medium sized company or that institution of higher education. TIP joint venture members must formally agree (i.e., sign a Joint Venture Agreement as discussed in Chapter 3, Section D) to collaborate on the project. The joint venture may include additional companies, institutions of higher education, and other organizations, such as national laboratories, governmental laboratories (not including NIST), and nonprofit research institutes, that may or may not contribute nonfederal funds to the project. A large sized company is not eligible to apply for TIP funding. A large sized company is defined as any business, including any parent company plus related subsidiaries, having annual revenues in excess of 1.63 billion. This number is based on the May 2008 issue of Fortune magazine s Fortune 1000 list. (Note that the revenue amount will be updated annually and will be noted in future annual announcements of availability of funds.) A company incorporated in the United States that has a parent company incorporated in another country is eligible to participate and receive TIP funding if it meets the conditions in the TIP legislation (15 U.S.C. 278n(l)(1)) and regulations (15 C.F.R. 296.5). Before making a final award, TIP will make a foreign eligibility finding based on these conditions regarding the company s participation in a TIP project. The foreign eligibility finding involves the collection of evidence of whether the following conditions are met a. The company s participation in the TIP project would be in the economic interest of the United States, and b. The home country of the parent company provides all of the following (1) Comparable opportunities to those afforded to any other company for U.S. owned companies to participate in government funded programs similar to TIP, (2) Comparable local investment opportunities to those afforded to any other company for U.S. owned companies, and (3) Adequate and effective protection of U.S. owned companies intellectual property rights.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) is a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funding opportunity created under the America COMPETES Act to push high-risk, high-reward research and development that could produce transformational advances with broad national impact. The program is designed for work that is too novel, too interdisciplinary, or too unconventional to compete well in traditional peer-review environments, but still falls within NIST's technical competence and targets a clearly defined area of critical national need. For the FY 2008 competition, TIP is focused on a single critical national need area: Civil Infrastructure, specifically the structural integrity challenge around inspection and monitoring of major public systems.
In this competition, TIP is looking for research that moves well beyond incremental upgrades to existing tools and instead delivers next-generation sensing approaches for roads, highways, bridges, water mains, and wastewater collection systems. The core problem TIP is trying to solve is that large portions of US infrastructure are aging out, while many municipalities and states lack cost-effective ways to continuously assess condition, detect deterioration early, and prioritize repair or replacement based on quantitative evidence. TIP emphasizes that only transformational sensing and monitoring capabilities will make a real difference at national scale, because the country needs solutions that are not only more accurate, but also easier to use, less expensive, and practical to deploy widely.
The types of projects TIP wants include creating and validating advanced nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and test sensing systems, or key components of such systems, that can quantitatively inspect infrastructure condition. Systems should be able to detect issues such as corrosion, cracking, delamination, or other failure mechanisms in critical infrastructure elements and materials. Strong proposals will typically include portable, mobile, or remote sensing methods that can provide near real-time insight into structural integrity and remaining service life. TIP also signals interest in network-capable, robust sensing solutions that can be deployed as fixed or mobile systems, ideally designed to be self-powered, self-monitoring, and easy to install at scale. A full solution can include hardware and software, and proposals that involve validation by potential end users (for example, infrastructure owners, operators, inspectors, or relevant public agencies) are viewed as especially compelling.
Two additional scopes are explicitly included: first, systems that introduce new and advanced methods to detect fluid leaks in water piping systems; and second, single components of a broader system, as long as the component is demonstrated in a realistic system context rather than discussed only as a standalone improvement. The competition draws a clear line against projects that merely integrate existing off-the-shelf components, or that propose straightforward performance tweaks without a credible case for a step-change improvement. It also excludes component-only work that does not include a prototype showing functionality as part of a system solution.
TIP also lists broader ineligibilities that reflect its focus on research advancement rather than productization or market deployment. It will not support straightforward product development, routine data gathering, standards and handbook efforts, or projects where the main risk is whether the market will adopt the outcome rather than whether the science and engineering can succeed. Pre-commercial large-scale demonstrations are also discouraged when they primarily prove scale or economics rather than advance the state of the art. Software-heavy efforts can be eligible only when the software is integral to the research and not mostly routine development or polishing of product features; extensive user testing aimed at product acceptance tends to be seen as uncompetitive or possibly ineligible. The announcement also includes a standard clinical trials exclusion framework (mostly not relevant to civil infrastructure), underscoring that TIP is a research program rather than a clinical or commercialization pipeline.
Funding for this FY 2008 competition is approximately $9 million total, with an expectation of about 9 awards. Awards are made as cooperative agreements, meaning NIST/TIP is expected to have substantial involvement during the project, beyond normal grant oversight. This can include technical assistance, milestone monitoring, ensuring alignment with TIP evaluation criteria, review and approval of key personnel changes (including the Principal Investigator), review of significant participant changes affecting the technical approach, and tracking of impact statements for TIP reporting. The anticipated project start date is January 1, 2009, and project length depends on the proposed R&D, with different maximums depending on the applicant structure.
Eligibility is centered on US-based innovation capacity. A single applicant must be a US-owned small or medium-sized for-profit company that conducts a majority of its business in the United States, and it must play a substantial leadership role in the R&D even if contractors are used. Joint ventures are also allowed and can be structured either as (1) at least two separately owned small or medium-sized for-profit companies, both substantially involved and both contributing to cost share, or (2) at least one small or medium-sized for-profit company partnered with an eligible research performer such as a university, national laboratory, government laboratory (excluding NIST), or nonprofit research institute, with both substantially involved and both contributing to cost share. Joint venture partners must sign a formal joint venture agreement, and additional partners may participate even if they do not contribute nonfederal cost share. Large companies are not eligible to apply, defined here as any business (including parent and related subsidiaries) with annual revenues over $1.63 billion based on the Fortune 1000 reference used for that year. US-incorporated subsidiaries of foreign parents may participate if they satisfy statutory and regulatory conditions and pass a "foreign eligibility finding" showing that the participation benefits the US economically and that the parent company home country provides comparable opportunities, investment access, and intellectual property protections for US firms.
The opportunity requires cost sharing or matching, and it offers different caps depending on the project structure. A single company can receive up to $3 million for up to 3 years. A joint venture can receive up to $9 million for up to 5 years. Continuation funding is not automatic; it depends on satisfactory performance, available appropriations, continued relevance to TIP objectives, and NIST discretion.
Administratively, this announcement (Funding Opportunity Number 2008 TIP 01) was posted July 9, 2008, and the closing date was extended due to technical issues to September 15, 2008 at 3 p.m. Eastern, with paper-only submissions required during the extension. Applicants had to submit one original plus fifteen copies to NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and were directed to use the TIP Proposal Preparation Kit and TIP regulations at 15 C.F.R. Part 296 for full requirements. The agency contact listed for access issues is Christopher Hunton, Grants Technical Assistant, at 301-975-5718.
Technology Innovation Program (TIP) FY 2008 - Civil Infrastructure: FAQ
What is the Technology Innovation Program (TIP)?
TIP is a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funding program created under the America COMPETES Act to support high-risk, high-reward research and development (R&D) that could lead to transformational advances with broad national impact.
What is the focus area for the FY 2008 TIP competition?
The FY 2008 competition focuses on a single critical national need area: Civil Infrastructure. Within that area, it specifically targets the structural integrity challenge related to inspection and monitoring of major public systems.
What core problem is TIP trying to address in this competition?
TIP is aiming to improve how the United States assesses aging infrastructure. Many roads, bridges, and water systems are deteriorating, while municipalities and states often lack cost-effective ways to continuously monitor condition, detect deterioration early, and prioritize repair or replacement based on quantitative evidence.
What types of infrastructure systems are included in the scope?
The scope includes roads, highways, bridges, water mains, and wastewater collection systems.
What kind of R&D is TIP looking to fund?
TIP is seeking next-generation sensing and monitoring approaches that move well beyond incremental upgrades to existing tools and that can be deployed widely at national scale. The emphasis is on transformational capability, not routine improvement.
What kinds of project outcomes are considered most compelling?
Strong proposals typically include portable, mobile, or remote sensing methods that provide near real-time insight into structural integrity and remaining service life, and that can quantitatively inspect infrastructure condition.
What issues or failure mechanisms should the proposed sensing systems be able to detect?
Systems should be able to detect issues such as corrosion, cracking, delamination, or other failure mechanisms in critical infrastructure elements and materials.
Does TIP fund nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies?
Yes. TIP is interested in creating and validating advanced nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and test sensing systems, or key components of such systems, that can quantitatively inspect infrastructure condition.
Are network-capable or distributed sensing systems encouraged?
Yes. TIP signals interest in network-capable, robust sensing solutions that can be deployed as fixed or mobile systems, ideally designed to be self-powered, self-monitoring, and easy to install at scale.
Can a proposal include both hardware and software?
Yes. A full solution can include hardware and software, as long as it supports the research objectives and represents more than routine development or polishing of product features.
Is end-user validation important?
Yes. Proposals that include validation by potential end users (such as infrastructure owners, operators, inspectors, or relevant public agencies) are viewed as especially compelling.
Are leak detection systems for water piping explicitly included?
Yes. TIP explicitly includes systems that introduce new and advanced methods to detect fluid leaks in water piping systems.
Can TIP fund a single component rather than a complete system?
Yes, but with conditions. A single component of a broader system can be funded only if it is demonstrated in a realistic system context, rather than presented only as a standalone improvement.
What kinds of projects are discouraged or excluded as non-transformational?
Projects that merely integrate existing off-the-shelf components, or propose straightforward performance tweaks without a credible case for a step-change improvement, are drawn as out of scope for this competition.
Are component-only projects ever ineligible?
Yes. Component-only work is excluded if it does not include a prototype showing functionality as part of a system solution.
Does TIP support product development or commercialization activities?
No. TIP will not support straightforward product development. It is focused on advancing research and engineering capability rather than productization or market deployment.
Are routine data gathering or standards/handbook efforts eligible?
No. TIP will not support routine data gathering, standards work, or handbook efforts under this competition.
Are large-scale pre-commercial demonstrations encouraged?
They are discouraged when they mainly prove scale or economics rather than advance the state of the art. TIP emphasizes research advancement over scale-up demonstrations focused primarily on deployment or cost validation.
Can software-heavy proposals be eligible?
They can be eligible only when the software is integral to the research. Software efforts that are mostly routine development, product feature polishing, or extensive user testing aimed at product acceptance are described as uncompetitive or possibly ineligible.
How much funding is available in total for this competition?
Approximately $9 million is available for the FY 2008 competition.
About how many awards does TIP expect to make?
TIP expects to make about 9 awards.
What is the award instrument type?
Awards are made as cooperative agreements, which means NIST/TIP expects to have substantial involvement during the project beyond normal grant oversight.
What does "substantial involvement" by NIST/TIP mean in practice?
It can include technical assistance, milestone monitoring, ensuring alignment with TIP evaluation criteria, review and approval of key personnel changes (including the Principal Investigator), review of significant participant changes affecting the technical approach, and tracking of impact statements for TIP reporting.
When is the anticipated project start date?
The anticipated start date is January 1, 2009.
How long can projects run?
Project length depends on the proposed R&D and has different maximums depending on the applicant structure. A single company project can run up to 3 years, while a joint venture project can run up to 5 years.
Who is eligible to apply as a single applicant?
A single applicant must be a U.S.-owned small or medium-sized for-profit company that conducts a majority of its business in the United States, and it must play a substantial leadership role in the R&D even if contractors are used.
Are joint ventures eligible to apply?
Yes. Joint ventures are allowed under two structures: (1) at least two separately owned small or medium-sized for-profit companies, or (2) at least one small or medium-sized for-profit company partnered with an eligible research performer (such as a university, national laboratory, government laboratory excluding NIST, or nonprofit research institute). In both cases, partners must be substantially involved and contribute to cost share.
Is a formal joint venture agreement required?
Yes. Joint venture partners must sign a formal joint venture agreement.
Can additional partners participate without providing nonfederal cost share?
Yes. Additional partners may participate even if they do not contribute nonfederal cost share.
Are large companies eligible to apply?
No. Large companies are not eligible to apply. For this opportunity, a large company is defined as any business (including parent and related subsidiaries) with annual revenues over $1.63 billion based on the Fortune 1000 reference used for that year.
Can a U.S.-incorporated subsidiary of a foreign parent participate?
It may participate if it meets statutory and regulatory conditions and passes a "foreign eligibility finding" showing that participation benefits the U.S. economically and that the parent company home country provides comparable opportunities, investment access, and intellectual property protections for U.S. firms.
Is cost sharing required?
Yes. The opportunity requires cost sharing (matching), and both joint venture partners are expected to contribute to cost share where applicable.
What is the maximum TIP funding for a single company project?
A single company can receive up to $3 million for up to 3 years.
What is the maximum TIP funding for a joint venture project?
A joint venture can receive up to $9 million for up to 5 years.
Is continuation funding guaranteed?
No. Continuation funding is not automatic. It depends on satisfactory performance, available appropriations, continued relevance to TIP objectives, and NIST discretion.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is 2008 TIP 01.
When was the opportunity posted?
It was posted on July 9, 2008.
What was the application deadline?
The closing date was extended due to technical issues to September 15, 2008 at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Were applicants allowed to submit electronically during the extension?
No. During the extension, paper-only submissions were required.
How many copies of the application were required?
Applicants had to submit one original plus fifteen copies.
Where were paper submissions sent?
Submissions were sent to NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
What guidance documents and regulations applied to proposal preparation?
Applicants were directed to use the TIP Proposal Preparation Kit and TIP regulations at 15 C.F.R. Part 296 for full requirements.
Who is the listed agency contact for access issues?
Christopher Hunton, Grants Technical Assistant, at 301-975-5718 is listed as the contact for access issues.
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