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Alert

Opportunities Abound for Higher Education in the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Law

By Aimee P. Ghosh, Jeffrey P. Metzler, Johnna Purcell

Alert

By Aimee P. Ghosh, Jeffrey P. Metzler, Johnna Purcell

Takeaways

The new infrastructure law includes key opportunities for institutions of higher education, including through new grant programs and opportunities to partner on research and pilot projects.
Rural institutions of higher education may directly benefit from broadband initiatives, but will need to initiate planning with state agencies in the near future.

12.14.21

Alongside billions in funding for so-called “hard infrastructure,” composed of funding for roads, bridges, energy, resilience, and other priorities, provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure package also includes key opportunities for institutions of higher education. Enacted on November 15, 2021, the new law includes direct grant opportunities for universities and research centers, opportunities to partner with grant recipients to conduct research and pilot projects, and potential benefits stemming from far-reaching efforts to expand broadband capabilities across the United States.

Some examples of key opportunities for institutions of higher education follow.

Energy Funding Opportunities

  • Battery Recycling Research, Development, and Demonstration Grants: The Department of Energy (DOE) will make multi-year competitive grants to certain “eligible entities,” including institutions of higher education for research, development, and demonstration projects to increase the reuse and recyclability of batteries. $60M for each year over the next five years has been authorized to carry out this program, and Congress has already appropriated $125M.
  • Pumped Storage Hydropower Wind and Solar Integration and System Reliability Project Funding: By September 2023, DOE will enter into an agreement with an eligible entity, including an institution of higher education, to provide financial assistance to carry out project design, transmission studies, power market assessments, and permitting for pumped storage hydropower projects to facilitate the long-duration storage of intermittent renewable energy. To receive funds, the entity must provide matching funds. The new law authorizes and appropriates $10B over five years to carry out the program.
  • Building, Training, and Assessment Centers: DOE will expend $10M in fiscal year 2022 to provide grants to institutions of higher education to establish building, training, and assessment centers to promote energy efficiency in the design and operation of buildings. This includes projects that would promote application of emerging energy efficiency concepts in commercial and institutional buildings and training programs for engineers, architects, building scientists, building energy permitting and enforcement officials, and building technicians in energy-efficient design and operation. Congress has fully appropriated this program.

Transportation Funding Opportunities

  • Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program: The law authorizes $350M to be expended from the Highway Trust Fund over five years to create a wildlife crossing pilot program to provide grants for projects that will reduce the number of vehicle collisions with wildlife. Entities such as state highway agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, and regional transportation authorities may partner with institutions of higher education and allocate portions of their grant money to those partners.
  • Centers of Excellence for Resilience and Adaptation: Under the law, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will designate a National Center of Excellence for Resilience and Adaptation and 10 Regional Centers of Excellence for Resilience and Adaptation. These centers will receive grants for research and development to improve the resilience of the U.S. to natural disasters and extreme weather by promoting the resilience of surface transportation infrastructure. Institutions of higher education and consortiums of nonprofits led by an institute of higher education are eligible to be designated as centers. The law authorizes $500M over five years to fund grants, with each center receiving a minimum of $5M each year (subject to a 50 percent cost share).
  • Rail Research and Development Center of Excellence: The law directs DOT to create a Rail Research and Development Center of Excellence. The center will award grants to institutions of higher education to improve rail systems by conducting research and creating educational and workforce development efforts related to safety, project delivery, efficiency, reliability, resiliency, and sustainability of rail systems. The new law authorizes up to 10 percent of all funds appropriated to the Federal Railroad Administration over the next five years to be directed to this grant program.
  • National Multimodal Cooperative Freight Research Program: The law establishes a National Multimodal Cooperative Freight Transportation Research Program to be administered by the National Academy of Sciences. This cooperative will spearhead research efforts to improve the efficiency and resilience of freight movement. As part of the cooperative, the National Academy of Sciences will establish an advisory council composed of stakeholders, including institutions of higher education. Additionally, the National Academy of Sciences may award grants to entities, including institutions of higher education, to research emerging issues in freight transportation.
  • Advanced Research Projects Agency: The law creates an Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) within the DOT to support development of science and technology solutions to overcome infrastructure challenges. Institutions of higher education may submit research proposals to the ARPA and the ARPA may aid research projects in the form of grants, contacts, cooperative agreements, cash prizes or other forms of funding.
  • Advanced Transportation Research Initiative: The law establishes an Advanced Transportation Research Initiative where institutions of higher education may submit unsolicited research proposals to DOT for funding. These proposals may involve any research initiative that may be relevant to the mission of DOT or initiatives that the agency deems necessary. DOT may choose to provide grants to proposals submitted. Congress has authorized $50M in spending per year for the next five fiscal years.

Broadband Opportunities for Rural Institutions of Higher Education

  • Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program: The law establishes a $42B grant program for states to access in order to expand broadband service. A key aspect of this program is for state broadband offices to develop five-year plans that that focus on (i) unserved areas, (ii) underserved areas, and (iii) community anchor institutions, including higher education institutions. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the agency tasked with administering this program, will be developing the rules and procedures over the next six months, but higher education institutions interested in receiving additional broadband service should identify and work with their local agencies that are developing the state plans.
  • Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program: The law establishes a $1B program to encourage the expansion of high-speed, middle-mile broadband service. Middle Mile service does not directly provide access to customers, but serves as the backbone for broadband consumer companies to connect to the Internet. Companies must apply directly to NTIA for grants, and priority will be given to those proposals that will offer direct interconnection to anchor institutions (i.e., Middle Mile facilities must be located within 1,000 feet).
  • State Digital Equity Act Programs: The law establishes three Digital Equity grant programs, totaling $2.75B, for states to develop local plans to promote adoption and use of broadband services. As with the BEAD program, these grants will be disbursed to states that have submitted applications to NTIA, and states will be encouraged to identify and work with community anchor institutions such as community colleges and universities in developing their digital equity programs.

The opportunities for institutions of higher education will continue to evolve as administrative agencies begin the work of initiating programs created by the new infrastructure law and Congress appropriates additional funds for these programs.

Tags
Federal Funding Resource Center, Government Law & Strategies, Education
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