Please forward the following announcement of research grants to anyone who has performed interesting research on urban issues. Summary: HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research wishes to fund from seven to ten empirical research projects on trends in urban areas, that is, social, economic, demographic, and fiscal change in cities. Research grants of up to $40,000 each would allow HUD to commission a variety of in-depth and high-quality research projects. For example, the release of the Census 2000 long-form data presents an excellent opportunity to inform us on the long-run dynamics of population, housing, income, and transportation in urban areas. Research using other current data sets, such as the County Business Patterns Special Extracts, FBI Crime Statistics, or Building Permits Data found in the State of the Cities Data Systems or concerning other topics such as the fiscal condition of cities, crime, poverty, or economic development would also be encouraged. These research projects would provide HUD with a basic understanding of how cities are changing, what factors are driving change, and the impact of public policy on change. Available Funds: $300,000 from HUD's FY 2002 research and technology appropriation. HUD anticipates funding seven to ten studies on these topics; studies will be funded through cooperative agreements, up to a maximum of $40,000. Eligible Applicants: Academic and not-for-profit institutions located in the U.S., State and local governments, and federally recognized Indian tribes are eligible to apply. For-profit businesses also are eligible; however, they are not allowed to earn a fee. Application Deadline: May 27, 2003. Further Information: see FR-4780-N-01 (Wednesday, March 26, 2003) in the Federal Register (http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a030326c.html). You may contact: Dr. Alastair McFarlane, Economic Development and Public Finance Division, at the address above, telephone (202) 708-0426, extension 5901, or Mr. Patrick Tewey, Grants Officer, 202-708-1796 extension 4098 (these are not toll-free numbers). Hearing- and speech-impaired persons may access the above telephone number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.