News and Events
Improving mining safety and health forever
Overview
The Alpha Foundation seeks to actively engage the mining safety and health community. See the press releases below for the most current information.
Press Releases
Solicitation AFCRFP21
The Alpha Foundation announces a solicitation (AFCRFP21) for requesting proposals on two specific topics: 1) Assessing Mining Industry Readiness for Exoskeletons and 2) Health and Safety Management Predictive Data Analytics Study. This is a follow up effort to the previous AFCRFP20 solicitation in which proposals that were submitted in this area failed to meet the Foundation expectations. The RFPs have been revised to more clearly detail what we are looking for, and we are now accepting proposal submissions for these topics. The solicitation and RFPs are accessible on the website home page.
2019 Alpha Foundation Annual Report
The 2019 Annual Report of the Alpha Foundation can be found here.
2018 Alpha Foundation Annual Report
The 2018 Annual Report of the Alpha Foundation can be found here.
Presentation highlighting Alpha research accomplishments at the SME/PCMIA
Dr. Thomas Barczak, Foundation Technical Director, gave a presentation at the Joint Meeting of SME and the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America on October 19, 2018. The presentation is available here.
Alpha Foundation Announces Open Solicitation for Mining Safety and Health Research Projects
The Alpha Foundation announces a solicitation for mining safety and health research projects focused on meeting its mission of improving mining safety and health. This new solicitation AFC820, “Projects in Mining Safety and Health Research”, is open to proposals in any of the topics and priority areas that have formed the structure of the Foundation’s portfolio from the beginning as well as suitably justified proposals on topics outside of these areas. Read the full solicitation as well as the list of critical topics of priority here.
Alpha Foundation Awards $3.1 Million for Research on Targeted Topics in Mining Safety and Health
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health has announced approximately $3.1 million in new awards to address critical topics of priority interest. The research projects are directed towards fulfilling the Foundation’s mission to improve mine safety and health through funding research and development projects by qualified academic institutions and other not-for-profit organizations. Read the full press release here.
Alpha Foundation Announces New Solicitation for Exploratory Projects on Targeted Topics in Mining Safety and Health Research
The Alpha Foundation announces its latest solicitation for exploratory research and development projects vital to meeting its mission of improving mining safety and health. The emphasis for this new solicitation AFC719, “Targeted Topics in Mining Safety and Health Research”, is to address mining safety and health gaps in the portfolio of previously-funded Alpha Foundation projects. Read the full solicitation as well as the list of critical topics of priority here.
Alpha Foundation Annual Report Posted
The 2017 Annual Report for the Alpha Foundation is available here.
Alpha Foundation Announces $4.5 Million for Holistic Mining Safety and Health Research Projects
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health has announced approximately $4.5 million in new awards in the area of holistic mining safety and health research. The research projects are directed towards fulfilling the Foundation’s mission to improve mine safety and health through funding research and development projects by qualified academic institutions and other not-for-profit organizations. The three funded projects bring a range of disciplines together to interact and provide a better opportunity through synergistic efforts to solve challenging mine problems through cohesive, multidisciplinary research efforts incorporating a blend of engineering and health science along with behavioral science and training. Additional information on these new awards can be found here.
Alpha Foundation Announces $2.85 Million for Technology Development and Exploratory Research Projects
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health has announced approximately $2.85 million in new awards in two areas — technology development and exploratory research focused on mining-related health problems. The research projects are directed towards fulfilling the Foundation’s mission to improve mine safety and health through funding research and development projects by qualified academic institutions and other not-for-profit organizations. For the first time, the Foundation issued two contemporaneous solicitations in February 2017. Both focused on shorter term efforts using new approaches to meet targeted goals and encourage broader participation. Additional information on these new awards can be found here.
Alpha Foundation Announces Two New Solicitations
Today, the Alpha Foundation announces two new solicitations for research and development projects vital to meeting its mission of improving mining safety and health. Building on a solid base of prior and ongoing work, these solicitations seek to engage the broader research community in meeting mining safety technology development needs as well as to address mining health-related problems. Solicitation AFC518, “Technology Development Projects”, offers funding for proof-of-concept of a proposed technology at the laboratory level. Solicitation AFC618, “Exploratory Research Projects Regarding Mining-Related Health Problems”, will provide funding for novel, exploratory and developmental research efforts that challenge accepted paradigms in an effort that can lead to innovative solutions to mining health problems. View the full announcement here.
Alpha Foundation 2016 Annual Report Released
The Alpha Foundation Board of Directors are pleased to issue the Foundation’s 2016 Annual Report, accessible at 2016-alpha-foundation-annual-report.
Alpha Foundation Announces New Solicitation focusing on Holistic and Multidisciplinary Approaches
The Alpha Foundation announces its fourth solicitation, AFC417, focusing on Holistic Mining Safety and Health Efforts. In contrast to prior solicitations that focused on single investigator grants, the goal of this solicitation is to bring a range of disciplines together to interact and provide a better opportunity through synergistic efforts to solve challenging mine problems. View the full announcement here.
Alpha Foundation Announces $2.6 Million for Latest Round of Research Grants
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health has announced approximately $2.6 million in additional research grant awards directed towards fulfilling its mission to improve mine health and safety through funding research and development projects by qualified academic institutions and other not-for-profit organizations. The full announcement is available here. Project synopses can be found here.
Alpha Foundation Grant Opportunities: Current and Future
In order to build on the solid base of initial work while also expanding opportunities for engagement, the Alpha Foundation announces its plans for continued support of research and development projects vital to meeting its mission of improving mining safety and health. See the full announcement here.
Individual Project Synopses: Funded Research Projects-Second Full Grant Solicitation
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health, Inc., is pleased to provide a compilation of the individual synopses of all funded projects, under this solicitation. The synopses can be found here.
Announcement of $5.5 Million in Research Grant Awards
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health announces approximately $5.5 million in additional research grant awards directed towards fulfilling its mission to improve mine health and safety through funding research and development projects by qualified academic institutions and other not-for-profit organizations. The full announcement is available here.
The Sixth Semi-Annual Report is Published
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health, Inc. is pleased to present its Sixth semi-annual report, Attaining Results. This report provides an update on progress in addressing the Foundation’s vision in collaboration with a growing engagement from the research community. The full report is available here.
Presentation at the Joint Meeting of the West Virginia Coal Mining Institute and the Central Appalachian Section of SME
Dr. Thomas Barczak, Foundation Technical Director, gave a presentation on Alpha Foundation accomplishments during the Joint Meeting of the West Virginia Coal Mining Institute and the Central Appalachian Section of SME, which was held at the Stonewall Jackson Resort, West Virginia. The presentation is available here.
The Fifth Semi-Annual Report is Published
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health, Inc. is pleased to present its fifth semi-annual report, Pursuing Innovative Solutions. This report provides an update on progress in addressing the Foundation’s vision in collaboration with a growing engagement from the research community. The full report is available here.
Individual Project Synopses: Short-term Research Funded Projects
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health, Inc., is pleased to provide a compilation of the individual synopses of all funded projects, under the short-term solicitation. The synopses can be found here.
Announcement of $750,000 in short-term research grant awards
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health has announced approximately $750,000 in short-term research grant awards targeting innovative solutions towards fulfilling its vision of enabling miners to be free of work-related injury and disease. This is the second set of grants awarded by the Foundation. The Full press release is available here.
