Weekly updates on the US federal government’s response to COVID-19 and research opportunities. 
Federal Guidance Related to Research and Higher Education
National Science Foundation (NSF)
The 2020 NSF Proposal and Award Policy and Procedures Guide will go into effect as planned on June 1. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of the new requirement to use NSF-approved formats for the biographical sketch and current and pending support sections of proposals is delayed until October 1. Other new requirements and changes will continue to go into effect June 1.
Department of Energy (DOE)
The DOE has delayed the 2020 Solar Decathlon Build Challenge due to the coronavirus. The challenge was set to take place in June 2020 and is now delayed to April 16-18, 2021. The competition will no longer take place on the National Mall in Washington, DC, but will be moved to DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, where it will “coincide with the Solar Decathlon 2021 Design Challenge competition.” The Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that challenges student teams to “design and build highly efficient and innovative buildings powered by renewable energy.” Read more here.
Research and Funding Opportunities
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
On May 15, the National Cancer Institute released a Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Serological Sciences Centers of Excellence. NCI expects to publish the final Funding Opportunity Announcement on June 10, with the first due date on July 20. Full details of this program.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
On May 22, the NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate (CISE) announced a new Computing Innovation Fellows (CIFellows) Program, which targets recent and soon-to-be PhD graduates in CISE research areas, whose academic job search was impacted by COVID-19. The, CIFellows program, which will be operated by the Computing Research Association (CRA) and the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), will offer two-year postdoctoral opportunities in computing and activities to support career development. Awards will cover an annual salary of $75,000 and are open to all researchers whose work falls under the umbrella of CISE-supported disciplines. CISE hosted a webinar to describe the new program on May 26. More information on the CIFellows program and a recording of the webinar can be found at https://cifellows2020.org/.
This information was prepared by Lewis-Burke Associates and curated by Shandrea Stallworth, Early Career Representative on ASPB’s Science Policy Committee. Information about ASPB’s response to COVID-19 can be found here.
If you are interested in helping the effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, FEMA has established a website with more information.