The NFPA Research Fund (previously known as the “Code Fund”) was established in 2006 and is supported each year by a generous financial contribution from NFPA. The purpose of the Fund is to stimulate and provide a mechanism for facilitating research to support the work of NFPA Technical Committees and other NFPA activities.
The Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to plan, manage and communicate research in support of the NFPA mission. The mission of the NFPA is to help save lives and reduce loss with information, knowledge, and passion.
Selection criteria/Process
All are encouraged to submit a project idea through our project idea submission portal. You can also download the required fields in word document format for you to prepare your submission.” Project submittals for the NFPA Research Fund are reviewed on an annual basis at the end of the calendar year. The deadline for the follow year's submittals is December 31. We are seeking ideas of small research or data projects that may help Technical Committees or other NFPA groups resolve issues or stimulate some further research funded by others. NFPA Research Fund projects have typically been reasonably small in size (~$30K or less) and completed within one year. We also have an opportunity to provide some smaller projects to current graduate students, so no project is too small.
The review process is conducted based on recommendations provided by a project review panel, with consideration of factors including but not limited to the following: technical and scientific value, magnitude of problem, available other funding, likelihood of success, required time frame, relation to strategic research agenda (PDF), and balancing projects across the broad spectrum of NFPA activity areas. Each year the NFPA Research Fund seeks to partially or fully fund the top prioritized projects based on the available resources.
The Foundation would like to keep the idea generation process on-going throughout the year, so please fill out and submit the project statement form at any time. As project ideas are received, the Foundation will consider how to best pursue. For example, this could mean traditional fund raising to support a project or submission to the pool of NFPA Research Fund project ideas for the upcoming year. If you have questions, please contact research@nfpa.org.
2021 selected projects
Prior projects
The following are the NFPA Research Fund projects from prior years:
2020 selected projects
2019 selected projects
2018 selected projects
2017 selected projects
- Spray Sprinkler Obstructions (Phase 1)
- Power over Ethernet – Workshop
- Internal Corrosion of Sprinkler Piping
- Literature Review and Summary of Explosion Propagation in Pipes Handling Combustible Dusts
- Dust Deflagration Quenching in Small Diameter Pipes and Ducts
- Responsiveness of Occupants to Fire Alarms in Buildings
- Station Wear Performance
- Fireball dimensions from NFPA 68
- Fire Hazards in Spaceports
2016 selected projects
- Fire Fighter Equipment Operational Environment
- Foam application rates for suppressing fires involving High Hazard Flammable Liquid Train Incidents (HFFT)
- Hazard Classification of Technical and Fertilizer Grade Ammonium Nitrate (AN)
- Rural Water Supply
- Representative Sample In-Home Survey on Prevalence and Characteristics of Smoke Alarms
- Influence of Gap Sizes around Swinging Doors with Builders Hardware
- Develop Model SOP/SOG Template
- Marina Risk Reduction
- Evaluation of LPG Pool Fire Heat Flux
- Impact of Fixed Fire Fighting Systems on Road Tunnel Resilience, Ventilation, and Other Systems
- Assessment of Fire and Electrically Safe Devices for Use in the Atmosphere of Increased Burning Rate (AIBR)
- Response Time of Quick Response Intermediate Temperature Sprinklers versus Standard Response Ordinary Temperature Sprinklers
2015 selected projects
2014 selected projects
2013 selected projects
- Data Collection Summary for PPE Care and Maintenance (NFPA 1851)
- Non-Fire Hazard Provisions in NFPA Codes and Standards: A Literature Review (NFPA 101)
- Validation of the Healthcare Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES) in the 2013 Edition of NFPA 101A (NFPA 101A)
- Evaluation of Intrinsic Safety for Emergency Responder Electronic Safety Equipment (NFPA 1801, 1981, 1982)
- Quantifying Heavy Snowfall in NFPA 58 (NFPA 58)
- Evaluation of Fire Flow Methodologies (NFPA 1)
- Smoke Alarm Nuisance Source Characterization – Phase 1 (NFPA 72)
- Quantification of Water Flow Testing Adjustments for Sprinkler System Design (NFPA 20, 24)
- Aircraft Loading Walkways - Literature and Information Review (NFPA 415)
- Addressing the Performance of Sprinkler Systems: NFPA 25 and Other Strategies (NFPA 25)
- Determining Self-Preservation Capability in Pre-School Children (NFPA 101, 5000)
- Evaluating Occupant Load Factors For Business Operations (NFPA 101, 5000)
- Egress Modelling in Health Care Occupancies (NFPA 101, 5000)
- Development of Permeation Test Method for Zippers and Other Closures (NFPA 1991, 1994)
- Literature Review on Hybrid Fire Suppression Systems (NFPA 750, 2001)
- Summary of the 51 Code Fund project submittals for 2014.
2012 selected projects
- Determining the Appropriate Emergency First Responder PPE for Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Fires (NFPA 70E, 1851, 1855, 1951, 1971, 1975, 1999)
- Guide to Applying Reliability Based Decision Making to ITM Frequency for Fire Protection Systems and Equipment (all NFPA standards that have inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements)
- Development of Quantitative Risk Assessment Examples for Operating Rooms (NFPA 99)
- Defining Emergency and Non Emergency Use of Buildings by Occupants (NFPA 1, 101, and 5000)
- Assessment of Total Evacuation Systems of Tall Buildings (NFPA 101)
- Sprinkler Protection for Cloud Ceilings (NFPA 13)
- Combustible Metals Case Studies (NFPA 484)
- Evaluation of Fire Service Training Fires (NFPA 1403)
- Assessing the List of Typical Oxidizers (NFPA 400)
2011 selected projects
- Residential Sprinkler Insulation Study (NFPA 13D)
- WUI Regulatory Effectiveness Study (NFPA 1144)
- Assessment of Rescue Tools for Current and Future High-Strength Metal Alloys (NFPA 1936)
- Evaluation of "Alternate Equipotential Bonding Means" to Reduce the Voltage Gradients in Pool Areas (NFPA 70)
- Elevator Messaging Strategies (NFPA 1, 101, 5000)
- Analysis of Ambulance Crash Data (NFPA 1917)
- Testing Image Quality of Fire Service Thermal Imagers (NFPA 1801)
- Fire Pump Data Collection and Analysis (NFPA 20, 25)
- Combustion Air Requirements for Large Input Appliances (NFPA 54)
- Sidewall Venting into Screened Enclosures (NFPA 54)
2010 selected projects
- Evaluation of Health Care Operating Rooms as Wet/Dry Locations (PDF)(2010; NFPA 99)
- Developing Friction Loss Coefficients for Modern Fire Hose(NFPA 1002 & 1961)
- Research Planning on Emergency Responder Respirator Thermal Characteristics (NFPA 1981)
- Validation of Methodologies to Determine Fire Load for Use in Structural Fire Protection (PDF, 723 KB) (2011; NFPA 557)
- Evaluation of the Impact of Non-Linear Power on Wiring Requirements(NFPA 70)
- Advisory Service to Assessment of Non-Metallic Cable Arcing (NFPA 70)
- Glovebox Fire Protection: A Literature Review (PDF) (2010; NFPA 801)
2009 selected projects
- Fire Safety in Theatres - A New Design Approach (PDF) (2009; NFPA 101 & 5000)
- Quantitative Evaluation of Fire and EMS Mobilization Times (2010; NFPA 450, 1221, 1710, & 1720) Part 1 (PDF) Part 2 (PDF) Part 3
- Profiles on Residential Power Consumption: Phase 1 Final Report (PDF) (2010; NFPA 70)
- Measuring the Impact of Fire Extinguisher Agents on Cultural Resource Materials – Final Report (2010; NFPA 10 & 914)
2008 selected projects
- The Transition of the Hazardous Materials Codes and the Emergence of the Threshold Quantity System to NFPA 1 UFC (PDF) (2008; NFPA 1)
- Marina and Boatyard Indoor Rack Storage Sprinkler Protection Literature and Data Review (PDF) (2008; NFPA 13 & 303)
- Quantifying Smoke Barrier (Fire Stop) Performance (2008; NFPA 80, 101, & 5000)
2007 selected projects
- Clearance Distance for Gas Appliance Sidewall Venting final report (PDF, 1 MB) (2007; NFPA 54)
- Explosion Venting Data and Modeling Literature Review (PDF, 3 MB) (2008; NFPA 68)
- Respiratory Exposure Study for Fire Fighters and Other Emergency Responders - segment 1 segment 2 segment 3 segment 4 (2007; NFPA 1500)
2006 selected projects
- Single Point Sprinkler Design Criteria vs Traditional Density-Area Curves(2007)
- Sprinkler Design Criteria for the Protection of Compact Mobile Shelving Systems (2007)
- Review of NFPA 13 Dry System Water Delivery Provisions (2007)
- Public Perceptions of High-Rise Building Safety and Emergency Evacuation Procedures(2007)