Source: RMC Research & Education Foundation, Alexandria, Va.
The RMC Foundation is collaborating with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and its Research, Engineering & Standards Committee (RES) on identification of industry research needs and referral of proposals for potential funding. Members of an RES task group, chaired by Bruce Blair, president of Consumers Concrete in Kalamazoo, Mich., have developed a list of concrete materials research topics, posted on the Foundation’s website, along with proposal submittal guidance.
While not a guarantee for funding of a particular proposal, the list will give stakeholders interested in concrete materials research topics a better, timely sense of what the industry needs and be updated regularly. The hope is that it will also generate more relevant and higher quality proposals for the Foundation and industry. The Foundation’s mission is to fund both research and education projects to increase the quality, sustainability and professionalism in the industry; researchers and consultants are welcome to submit ideas on a variety of topics that fit within that mission.
In addition to providing and updating the list of research needs, the RES task group will review conceptual proposals. If there is sufficient interest and confirmation that the proposal is consistent with the research needs, the applicant will be invited to submit a full proposal which will be entered into the Foundation’s three-tiered approvals process. The task group may provide feedback on the direction of the research after the project is funded, and members may review and comment on interim and final reports. Additional information on the research target list and RMC Foundation proposal process can be obtained from NRMCA Vice President, Technical Services Karthik Obla, [email protected].
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