March 3, 2017–The Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program has received 175 applications for up to $30 million in funds from its Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program to advance research, development, and testing of key broadband technologies useful to public safety agencies. The PSCR has said that it expects to award the funds between fiscal years 2017 and 2019 in amounts from $10,000 to $1 million per year (TRDaily, Dec. 9, 2016). Both grants and cooperative agreements will be considered.

“I am very happy and excited by the level of interest shown in the Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Grant Program,” Dereck Orr, chief of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public Safety Communications Research Division, told TRDaily today. “The number of applications received exceeded our expectations and serves as a demonstration of the level of interest that exists in helping the Nation’s First Responders achieve their vision of the next step in public safety communications.”

“Based on cursory initial reviews it looks like we received at least one applications for each of the 6 technology areas listed in the NOFO [notice of funding opportunity],” Mr. Orr said. “We will know better as the in depth reviews are completed over the coming weeks.” He said that the program is “targeting making awards in time for awardees to attend  and present at the June PSCR stakeholder meeting.  Of course that is subject to change.” – Paul Kirby, paul.kirby@wolterskluwer.com