To minimize redundancy and encourage adequate funding of all HPCC areas, the CIC R&D Subcommittee works with the agencies to define complementary areas of responsibility. Within each agency, the mechanisms used to evaluate and fund activities differ. The HPCC agencies support R&D conducted by agency staff and researchers at universities, in industry, and in national laboratories. Each agency that funds external (university- or industry-based) R&D activities has a program to review and fund competitive, merit-based awards that are consistent with the agency's mission. Calls for proposals for these grants and contracts may be in the form of Broad Area Announcements (BAAs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), Cooperative Agreement Notices (CANs), etc. These receive wide distribution, including both electronic means (e.g., electronic bulletin boards and World Wide Web sites on the Internet) and traditional media (e.g., Commerce Business Daily). R&D projects are usually subjected to the peer review process to aid in selection of the highest quality work and to ensure active participation by the research community.
 |
 |