USTDA signed grants totaling $1.6 million in the Europe region recently to begin the planning of five major development projects that offer significant commercial opportunities for American firms. U.S. Contractors in the aviation, environment and telecommunications sectors will be sought to perform the USTDA-funded activities supported by these grants.  This most recent set of grants in Europe includes:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina – Wireless Fidelity Broadband. This $230,850 grant will enable BH Telecom, a Sarajevo- based national telecommunications operator, to explore the development of wireless broadband services.

• Croatia – Medical Waste Management.  A $105,000 grant will assist in developing a medical waste processing system for the Split/Dalmatia region.

• Poland – MPEC Wroclaw Telecom Network. The heat distribution company in the  southern Polish city of Wroclaw will utilize a $429,098 grant to help it develop a plan to expand the communications services that it offers.

• Romania – Siret River Basin WATFRAME.  A $562,080 USTDA grant will help small Romanian municipalities along the Siret River devise a plan to protect themselves from floods and utilize their natural resources responsibly.

• Romania – National Environmental Laboratories. This $281,105 grant will help the government of Romania plan an upgrade of its national network of environmental laboratories.  The opportunities to bid on the contracts associated with these grants are expected to open soon.

Interested U.S. firms should monitor the Federal Business Opportunities (www.eps.gov) website for submission deadlines. Proposals from U.S. firms for each solicitation will be sent to the appropriate grantee for evaluation and contractor selection.