NIOSH Robotics and Intelligent Mining Technology and Workplace Safety Research (U60)
This grant funds U.S. academic research to develop and implement robotics, automation, and intelligent systems that improve safety, health, and emergency response in mining operations.
Funder: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA
Due Dates (Anticipated): February 2027 | October 2027
Funding Amounts: Up to $2,000,000 per award; total program funding estimated at $10,000,000; typically 2 awards.
Summary: Supports applied research in robotics, automation, and intelligent mining systems to improve safety and health in U.S. mining operations.
Key Information: Only U.S. academic institutions with ABET-accredited mining/mineral engineering undergrad and relevant graduate programs are intended as recipients.
Description
This cooperative agreement supports applied research projects that advance automation, robotics, and intelligent mining systems to enhance safety and health in U.S. mining operations. Funded projects are expected to deliver field-ready solutions that improve communication, self-escape, refuge performance, and overall safety through modern autonomy, advanced sensing, and decision-support technologies. The initiative aligns with the Miner Health Program's 2020–2030 Strategic Agenda, aiming to reduce hazardous exposures, strengthen emergency response, and improve overall miner well-being. Research should emphasize "assured autonomy," ensuring that autonomous equipment enhances worker safety while maintaining productivity.
Potential impacts include:
- Implementation of human-centered design principles for automated mining equipment.
- Development of new methods and best practices for technology integration, change management, training, and safety evaluation.
- Creation of evaluation techniques for safe design across mining operations.
- Advancement of enabling technologies for assured autonomy (e.g., sensors, data fusion, AI, situational awareness systems).
- New technologies for miner rescue and post-disaster surveillance.
Applicants are encouraged to leverage facilities and expertise in mining and explosives engineering graduate programs. Proposals must clearly articulate goals, link them to documented safety and health burdens, and provide evidence on exposures, populations at risk, and expected impact.
