[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58569-58572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-23654]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
[Docket No. 0809261279-81280-01; I.D. GF001]
A North Atlantic Regional Cooperative Institute
AGENCY: OAR Cooperative Institutes Program Office (CIPO), Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the NOAA
Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research (OAR) invite applications for
the establishment of a cooperative institute (CI) that will focus on
the themes of (1) Ecosystem Forecasting, (2) Ecosystem Monitoring, (3)
Ecosystem Management, Protection and Restoration of Resources, (4)
Sustained Ocean Observations and (5) Climate Research. These 5 themes
will be supported by a variety of research activities, which may
include:
Research on the linkages among productivity, fish and
fisheries, pollution, climate change, and ecosystem health;
Research to improve the integration and availability of
ocean observations across spatial scales, from global to regional and
local;
Research to distinguish marine resource changes due to
human impacts from those resulting from natural forcing, including
climate variability and change;
Development and application of new tools and approaches
for monitoring ecosystem health and forecasting ecosystem change'
Examination of the expected increases in socioeconomic
benefits accrued from a better understanding of the effects of climate
change, food webs, physical-chemical coupling, and ecosystem production
dynamics'
Collaborative research and education leading to closer
linkages between scientific assessments and management actions.
This research, conducted within the New England and the Mid-
Atlantic regions, is described in the full Federal Funding Opportunity
notice.
Through this new CI, NOAA also seeks to augment its existing North
East Regional climate research with an expanded fisheries forecasting
capability, and to develop an integrated capability to research
emerging issues from an ecosystem perspective. 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 above. Through this competition, NOAA
intends to establish competitively a new CI according to the policy and
procedures described in NOAA Administrative Order 216-107 and the
Cooperative Institute Interim Handbook both available at http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci/. This announcement provides requirements for the
proposed CI and includes details for the technical program, evaluation
criteria, and competitive selection procedures. Applicants should
review the CI Interim Handbook prior to preparing a proposal for this
announcement.
DATES: Proposals must be received by OAR no later than January 5, 2009
5 p.m., E.T. Proposals submitted after that date will not be
considered.
ADDRESSES: Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online through
the Grants.Gov Web site http://www.grants.gov. Paper submissions are
acceptable only if internet access is not available. 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 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. 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: Mr. Philip L.
Hoffman, 1315 East West Highway, Room 11308, Silver Spring, Maryland
20910; telephone (301)734-1096. No email or facsimile proposal
submissions will be accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For a copy of the Federal Funding
Opportunity announcement and/or an application package, please access
Grants.gov, the NOAA Cooperative Institute Web site (http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci) or contact Mr. Philip L. Hoffman, 1315 East West
Highway, Room 11308, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; telephone (301)734-
1096; e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this announcement is to
invite the submission of proposals to establish a North Atlantic
Regional CI which will operate along the eastern U.S. Continental Shelf
frontier to conduct exploration, research, and technology development,
and to provide details on the application, review, and selection
process.
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. More specifically, the new CI will
perform the following types of research activities:
Research on the linkages among productivity, fish and
fisheries, pollution, climate change, and ecosystem health;
Research to improve the integration and availability of
ocean observations
[[Page 58570]]
across spatial scales, from global to regional and local;
Research to distinguish marine resource changes due to
human impacts from those resulting from natural forcing, including
climate variability and change;
Development and application of new tools and approaches
for monitoring ecosystem health and forecasting ecosystem change;
Examination of the expected increases in socioeconomic
benefits accrued from a better understanding of the effects of climate
change, food webs, physical-chemical coupling, and ecosystem production
dynamics;
Collaborative research and education leading to closer
linkages between scientific assessments and management actions.
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) and Tasks
(additional tasks can be proposed by the CI).
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 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 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, 33 U.S.C. 883(d), 15 U.S.C.
313, 15 U.S.C. 2901 et seq., 118 Stat. 71 (Jan. 23, 2004).
CFDA: 11.432, OAR Joint and Cooperative Institutes.
Funding Availability: The award period will be 5 years, and may be
renewed for an additional 5 years based on the outcome of a CI review
in the fourth year. All funding is contingent upon the availability of
Federal appropriations. NOAA expects that approximately $7M will be
available for the CI in the first year of the award. The Task I budget
should not exceed $350,000. 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.
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. 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 funding 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?
Does the proposal meet the geographical constraints
described in the announcement?
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/
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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 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, 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 12866: 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
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for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: October 1, 2008.
Mark E. Brown,
Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer, Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-23654 Filed 10-6-08; 8:45 am]
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