[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 15, Volume 1, Parts 0 to 299]
[Revised as of January 1, 2001]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 15CFR290.6]

[Page 435-436]
 
                  TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND FOREIGN TRADE
 
 CHAPTER II--NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT 
                               OF COMMERCE
 
PART 290--REGIONAL CENTERS FOR THE TRANSFER OF MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 290.6  Proposal evaluation and selection criteria.

    (a) In making a decision whether to provide financial support, NIST 
shall review and evaluate all qualified proposals in accordance with the 
following criteria, assigning equal weight to each of the four 
categories.
    (1) Identification of target firms in proposed region. Does the 
proposal define an appropriate service region with a large enough 
population of target firms of small- and medium-sized manufacturers 
which the applicant understands and can serve, and which is not 
presently served by an existing Center?
    (i) Market analysis. Demonstrated understanding of the service 
region's manufacturing base, including business size, industry types, 
product mix, and technology requirements.
    (ii) Geographical location. Physical size, concentration of 
industry, and economic significance of the service region's 
manufacturing base. Geographical diversity of Centers will be a factor 
in evaluation of proposals; a proposal for a Center located near an 
existing Center may be considered only if the proposal is unusually 
strong and the population of manufacturers and the technology to be 
addressed justify it.
    (2) Technology resources. Does the proposal assure strength in 
technical personnel and programmatic resources, full-time staff, 
facilities, equipment, and linkages to external sources of technology to 
develop and transfer technologies related to NIST research results and 
expertise in the technical areas noted in these procedures?
    (3) Technology delivery mechanisms. Does the proposal clearly and 
sharply define an effective methodology for delivering advanced 
manufacturing technology to small- and medium-sized manufacturers?
    (i) Linkages. Development of effective partnerships or linkages to 
third parties such as industry, universities, nonprofit economic 
organizations, and state governments who will amplify the Center's 
technology delivery to reach a large number of clients in its service 
region.
    (ii) Program leverage. Provision of an effective strategy to amplify 
the Center's technology delivery approaches to achieve the proposed 
objectives as described in Sec. 290.3(e).
    (4) Management and financial plan. Does the proposal define a 
management structure and assure management personnel to carry out 
development and operation of an effective Center?
    (i) Organizational structure. Completeness and appropriateness of 
the organizational structure, and its focus on the mission of the 
Center. Assurance of full-time top management of the Center.
    (ii) Program management. Effectiveness of the planned methodology of 
program management.

[[Page 436]]

    (iii) Internal evaluation. Effectiveness of the planned continuous 
internal evaluation of program activities.
    (iv) Plans for financial matching. Demonstrated stability and 
duration of the applicant's funding commitments as well as the 
percentage of operating and capital costs guaranteed by the applicant. 
Identification of matching fund sources and the general terms of the 
funding commitments. Evidence of the applicant's ability to become self-
sustaining in six years.
    (v) Budget. Suitability and focus of the applicant's detailed one-
year budget and six-year budget outline.