Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program: RERC on Information and Communication Technologies Access | HHS 2024 ACL NIDILRR REGE 0079

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2024 ACL NIDILRR REGE 0079

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program: RERC on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Access is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), through NIDILRR, focused on research and development that improves access to technology for people with disabilities. The overall RERC program exists to strengthen the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act by funding advanced engineering research, development, demonstration, and evaluation of innovative technologies that address specific rehabilitation challenges or reduce environmental barriers. In addition to producing new or improved technologies, RERCs are expected to help move solutions into real-world use by supporting changes in service delivery systems, encouraging private-sector production and distribution of new devices and equipment, and providing training opportunities that build capacity in the field.

This specific competition targets accessibility and usability in information and communication technologies, meaning the center funded under this award is expected to pursue practical, forward-looking R and D on technologies and strategies that make ICT more usable for people with disabilities. In plain terms, the goal is not only to study accessibility, but to create, test, and validate approaches that measurably improve how people with disabilities access and use digital tools and communication systems. The emphasis on demonstration and evaluation signals that the funded work should go beyond conceptual ideas and include evidence that solutions work in realistic settings, with an eye toward adoption by service systems and the marketplace.

NIDILRR expects to make a single award under this funding opportunity. The project period is 60 months (five years), structured as five separate 12-month budget periods. The maximum award amount listed is $925,000 (award ceiling), and because only one award is anticipated, the program is essentially selecting one lead applicant to serve as the national center for this topic area during the project term. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development under CFDA 93.433.

Eligibility is broad across public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors, reflecting the applied engineering and translation-to-practice nature of RERC work. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they otherwise qualify); for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities described in the announcement. Faith-based and community organizations are eligible if they meet the standard eligibility requirements. Foreign entities are explicitly not eligible to compete for or receive awards under this announcement.

Key administrative details from the notice include the funding opportunity number HHS 2024 ACL NIDILRR REGE 0079, an original application closing date of 2024-04-15, and a posting (creation) date of 2024-02-13. In short, this is a single, five-year, applied research center award intended to advance the state of the art in ICT accessibility, while also pushing results toward deployment, market availability, and improved systems and practices that benefit people with disabilities.

• The Administration for Community Living in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program: RERC on Information and Communication Technologies Access" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.433.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $925,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for HHS 2024 ACL NIDILRR REGE 0079

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