[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 130 (Monday, July 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38397-38400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15313]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
[Docket No. 080605738-8739-01]
Cooperative Institute: Eastern U.S. Continental Shelf Frontier
Exploration, Research, and Technology Development
AGENCY: Cooperative Institutes Program Office (CIPO), Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) invites
applications for the establishment of a cooperative institute (CI) that
will: Explore and research continental shelf frontier ecosystems;
advance the state of knowledge of both shallow and deep coral
ecosystems under U.S. jurisdiction; and develop, test and evaluate
advanced ocean technologies and tools. This CI will facilitate a long-
term collaborative environment between NOAA and the recipient(s) within
which broad-based exploration, research, technology development, and
education and outreach capabilities that focus on NOAA's priorities for
the living and non-living marine resources within and beyond the
eastern U.S. Continental Shelf can be developed and sustained. The CI
may consist of one or more research institutions with expertise and
capabilities in the NOAA priority areas that contribute to the areas of
research described as research themes listed below.
The CI should possess outstanding capabilities to conduct ocean
exploration, research and technology development in the three research
themes summarized below. Additionally, the CI should possess the
ability to conduct outreach and education activities in support of
these three research themes.
i. Develop advanced underwater technologies. The CI will expand the
scope and efficiency of exploration and research by developing,
testing, and applying new and/or innovative uses of existing
technologies to ocean exploration and research activities.
ii. Explore and research the frontier regions of the eastern U.S.
Continental Shelf and beyond. The CI will focus on the exploration and
research of ecosystems and habitats of economic, hazardous, scientific
or cultural importance within and beyond the eastern U.S. Continental
Shelf as defined by the NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research program.
iii. Vulnerable Deep and Shallow Coral Ecosystems. Priority
activities will include supporting ocean exploration and research using
advanced underwater technologies and techniques to improve the
understanding of coral and sponge ecosystems.
This announcement provides requirements for the proposed CI and
includes details for the technical program, evaluation criteria, and
competitive selection procedures. Applicants should review NOAA's CI
Policy and CI Interim Handbook (both available at http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci) prior to preparing a proposal for this
announcement.
DATES: Proposals must be received by OAR no later than October 6, 2008,
5 p.m., E.T. Proposals submitted after that date will not be
considered. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online (http://www.grants.gov), but paper submissions are acceptable only if Internet
access is not available. If a hard copy application is submitted, the
original and two unbound copies of the proposal should be included.
Paper submissions should be sent to: NOAA, OAR, 1315 East West Highway,
Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, Attn: Dr. John Cortinas. No
e-mail or facsimile proposal submissions will be accepted.
ADDRESSES: Applications submitted in response to this announcement
should be submitted through the Grants.gov Web site. All application
materials can be found at the Grants.gov portal: http://www.grants.gov.
Applicants without Internet access may contact Dr. John Cortinas,
telephone (301) 734-1090, or send a letter to Dr. John Cortinas, 1315
East West Highway, Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Printed
forms from Grants.gov are not acceptable if submitting an application
in hard copy.
Grants.gov requires applicants to register with the system prior to
submitting an application. This registration process can take several
weeks, involving multiple steps. In order to allow sufficient time for
this process, you should register as soon as
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you decide that you intend to apply, even if you are not yet ready to
submit your proposal. If an applicant has problems downloading the
application package from Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Customer
Support at (800) 518-4726 or [email protected]. For non-Windows
computer systems, please see http://www.grants.gov/MacSupport for
information on how to download and submit an application through
Grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Cortinas, 1315 East West
Highway, Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; telephone (301)
734-1090; e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this announcement is to
invite the submission of proposals to establish a CI for the eastern
U.S. Continental Shelf frontier exploration, research, and technology
development, and to provide details on the application, review, and
selection process. This CI will give NOAA the benefit of working with
complementary capabilities at one or more research institutions that
contribute to NOAA's ocean exploration, research, and technology
priorities on the eastern U.S. Continental Shelf.
CI Concept/Program Background
A CI is a NOAA-supported, non-Federal organization that has
established an outstanding research program in one or more areas that
are relevant to the NOAA mission ``to understand and predict changes in
the Earth's environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine
resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and environmental
needs.'' CIs are established at research institutions that also have a
strong education program with established graduate degree programs in
NOAA-related sciences. The CI provides significant coordination of
resources among all non-government partners and promotes the
involvement of students and post-doctoral scientists in NOAA-funded
research. The CI provides mutual benefits with value provided by all
parties.
NOAA establishes a new CI competitively when it identifies a need
to sponsor a long-term (5-10 years) collaborative partnership with one
or more outstanding non-Federal, non-profit research institutions. For
NOAA, the purpose of this long-term collaborative partnership is to
promote research, education, training, and outreach aligned with NOAA's
mission; to obtain research capabilities that do not exist internally;
and/or to expand research capacity in NOAA-related sciences to:
Conduct collaborative, long-term research that involves
NOAA scientists and those at the research institution(s) from one or
more scientific disciplines of interest to NOAA;
Utilize the scientific, education, and outreach expertise
at the research institution(s) that, depending on NOAA's research
needs, may or may not be located near a NOAA facility;
Support student participation in NOAA-related research
studies; and
Strengthen or expand NOAA-related research capabilities
and capacity at the research institution(s) that complement and
contribute to NOAA's ability to reach its mission goals.
A CI will consist of one or more research institutions that
demonstrate outstanding performance within one or more established
research programs in NOAA-related sciences. These institutions may
include Minority Serving Institutions and universities with strong
departments that can contribute to the proposed activities of the CI.
CIs conduct research under approved scientific research themes (see
Section I.B of the full funding opportunity announcement for a more
detailed description of research themes) and Tasks (additional tasks
can be proposed by the CI):
i. Task I. Task I activities are related to the management of the
CI, as well as general education and outreach activities. This task
also includes support of postdoctoral and visiting scientists
conducting activities within the research themes of the CI that are
approved by the CI Director, in consultation with NOAA, and are
relevant to NOAA and the CI's mission goals.
ii. Task II. Task II activities usually involve on-going direct
collaboration with NOAA scientists. This collaboration typically is
fostered by the collocation of Federal and CI employees.
iii. Task III. Task III activities require minimal collaboration
with NOAA scientists and may include research funded by other NOAA
competitive grant programs.
Electronic Access: The full text of the full funding opportunity
announcement for this program can be accessed via the Grants.gov Web
site at http://www.grants.gov. The announcement will also be available
by contacting the program officials identified under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants must comply with all requirements
contained in the full funding opportunity announcement.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1540, 16 U.S.C. 753a, 16 U.S.C.
1884, 16 U.S.C. 6406, and 33 U.S.C. 883d.
CFDA: 11.432, OAR Joint and Cooperative Institutes.
Funding Availability: NOAA expects that approximately $2.5M will be
available for the CI in the first year of the award. The Task I budget
should not exceed $150,000. The final amount of funding available for
Task I will be determined during the negotiation phase of the award
based on availability of funding. Funding for subsequent years is
expected to be constant throughout the period and will depend on the
quality of the research, the satisfactory progress in achieving the
stated goals described in the proposal, continued relevance to program
objectives, and the availability of funding.
Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to non-Federal public and
private non-profit universities, colleges and research institutions
that offer accredited graduate level degree-granting programs in NOAA-
related sciences, as described in the CI Interim Handbook located at
http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci/.
Cost Sharing Requirements: To stress the collaborative nature and
investment of a CI by both NOAA and the research institution, cost
sharing is required. There is no minimum cost sharing requirement;
however, the amount of cost sharing will be considered when determining
the level of the CI's commitment under NOAA's standard evaluation
criteria for overall qualifications of applicants. Acceptable cost-
sharing proposals include, but are not limited to, offering a reduced
indirect cost rate against activities in one or more Tasks, waiver of
indirect costs assessed against base funds and/or Task I activities,
waiver or reduction of any costs associated with the use of facilities
at the CI, and full or partial salary funding for the CI director,
administrative staff, graduate students, visiting scientists, or
postdoctoral scientists.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures: The general evaluation
criteria and selection factors that apply to full applications to this
funding opportunity are summarized below. The evaluation criteria for
full applications will have different weights and details. Further
information about the evaluation criteria and selection factors can be
found in the full funding opportunity announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects: Proposals will be evaluated using
the standard NOAA evaluation criteria.
[[Page 38399]]
Various questions under each criterion are provided to ensure that the
applicant includes information that NOAA will consider important during
the evaluation, in addition to any other information provided by the
applicant.
i. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed
project to the program goals (25 percent): This criterion ascertains
whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance
to NOAA, Federal, regional, state, or local activities.
Does the proposal include research goals and projects that
address the critical issues identified in NOAA's 5-year Research Plan,
NOAA's Strategic Plan, and the priorities described in the program
priorities (see Section I.B of the full federal opportunity
announcement)?
Is there a demonstrated commitment (in terms of resources
and facilities) to enhance existing NOAA and CI resources to foster a
long-term collaborative research environment/culture?
ii. Technical/scientific merit (30 percent): This criterion
assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative,
if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project
goals and objectives.
Does the project description include a summary of clearly
stated goals to be achieved during the five year period that reflect
NOAA's strategic plan and goals?
Does the project description include innovative approaches
to meeting the undersea technology development, exploration and
research goals of the proposal?
Does the CI involve partnerships with other universities
or research institutions, including Minority Serving Institutions and
universities with strong departments that can contribute to the
proposed activities of the CI?
iii. Overall qualifications of applicants (30 percent): This
criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary
education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative
resources to accomplish the project.
If the institution(s) and/or Principal Investigators have
received current or recent NOAA funding, is there a demonstrated record
of outstanding performance working with NOAA and/or NOAA scientists on
research projects?
Is there nationally and/or internationally recognized
expertise within the appropriate disciplines needed to conduct the
collaborative/interdisciplinary research described in the proposal?
Is there a well-developed business plan that includes
fiscal and human resource management, as well as strategic planning and
accountability?
Are there any unique capabilities in a mission-critical
area of research for NOAA?
Does the CI possess the necessary undersea technical
expertise and resources, and/or provide access to the technical
resources outlined in the proposal?
Has the applicant shown a substantial investment to the
NOAA partnership, as demonstrated by the amount of the cost sharing
contribution?
iv. Project costs (5 percent): The budget is evaluated to determine
if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-
frame.
v. Outreach and education (10 percent): NOAA assesses whether this
project provides a focused and effective education and outreach
strategy regarding NOAA's mission to protect the Nation's natural
resources.
Is there a strong education program with established
graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences that also encourages
student participation in NOAA-related research studies?
Review and Selection Process: An initial administrative review/
screening is conducted to determine compliance with requirements/
completeness. All proposals will be evaluated and individually ranked
in accordance with the assigned weights of the above-listed evaluation
criteria by an independent peer review panel. At least three experts,
who may be Federal or non-Federal, will be used in this process. If
non-Federal experts participate in the review process, each expert will
submit an individual review and there will be no consensus opinion. The
merit reviewers' ratings are used to produce a rank order of the
proposals. The Selecting Official selects proposals after considering
the peer reviews and selection factors listed below. In making the
final selections, the Selecting Official will award in rank order
unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based
upon one or more of the selection factors.
Selection Factors for Projects: The merit review ratings shall
provide a rank order to the Selecting Official for final funding
recommendations. The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order
unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based
upon one or more of the following factors:
i. Availability of funding.
ii. Balance/distribution of funds:
a. Geographically.
b. By type of institutions.
c. By type of partners.
d. By research areas.
e. By project types.
iii. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded or
considered for funding by NOAA or other Federal agencies.
iv. Program priorities and policy factors.
v. Applicant's prior award performance.
vi. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups.
vii. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination and draft
necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to
the Grants Officer.
Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.''
Limitation of Liability: In no event will NOAA or the Department of
Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these
programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other
agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not oblige
NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): NOAA must analyze the
potential environmental impacts, as required by the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals
which are seeking NOAA federal funding opportunities. Detailed
information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following
NOAA NEPA Web site: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our NOAA
Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6_TOC.pdf, and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation
regulations, http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm.
Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under their
description of their program activities, applicants are required to
provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted,
locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible
construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist
(e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals,
introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and
threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef
systems). In addition to providing specific information that will serve
as the basis for any required
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impact analyses, applicants may also be requested to assist NOAA in
drafting of an environmental assessment, if NOAA determines an
assessment is required. Applicants will also be required to cooperate
with NOAA in identifying feasible measures to reduce or avoid any
identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. The failure
to do so shall be grounds for not selecting an application. In some
cases if additional information is required after an application is
selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a special
award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional
environmental compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make
an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on the
environment.
The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements: The Department of Commerce Pre-Award
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements
contained in the Federal Register notice of February 11, 2008 (73 FR
7696), are applicable to this solicitation.
Paperwork Reduction Act: This document contains collection-of-
information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).
The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and SF-LLL and CD-346 has
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the
respective control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046,
and 0605-0001.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required
to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply
with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the
PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently valid
OMB control number.
Executive Order 1286: This notice has been determined to be not
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
Executive Order 13132 (Federalism): It has been determined that
this notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications as
that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior
notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required by the
Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning
public property, loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C.
553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements
for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: July 1, 2008.
Terry Bevels,
Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research.
[FR Doc. E8-15313 Filed 7-3-08; 8:45 am]
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