In January, the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, announced it will sponsor new research funding opportunities aimed at reducing thermal and chemical fire exposures for firefighters. Through the Discoveries in Safety Grants Program, FSRI will award up to two grants of $200,000 a year for a three-year period beginning in 2024.
Vice President and FSRI Executive Director Steve Kerber recently participated in an informational webinar with other UL Research Institutes leaders to provide an overview of the research funding opportunities available through the grants program. During the panel discussion, Kerber revealed how evolving fire safety challenges—including risk of fire from lithium-ion batteries, wildland urban interface fires spurred by climate change, and increased thermal and chemical exposures to firefighters—drive FSRI’s ongoing and future research priorities.
“All of this means that there are more hazards to occupants and firefighters than we’ve ever seen before,” Kerber said. He also stated that FSRI is looking for qualified teams to develop data, methods, or techniques that quantify human and environmental impact or minimize personal protective equipment contamination. Potential research teams are encouraged to apply to one of these two focus areas related to emerging chemical threats to human and environmental health.
Letters of intent are due by February 16, 2024. To learn more about the research funding opportunities available through FSRI, visit the notice of funding opportunity website.
