[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18784-18787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8411]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket Number: [100311135-0139-01]
FY 2010 NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Comprehensive
Grants Program
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
announces that the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR)
Comprehensive Grants Program is soliciting applications for financial
assistance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. The NIST Center for Neutron
Research (NCNR) Comprehensive Grants Program is seeking proposals for
significant research involving Neutron Research and Spectroscopy
specifically aimed at assisting visiting researchers at the NIST Center
for Neutron Research, developing new instrumentation for Neutron
Research, conducting collaborative research with NIST scientists, and
to conduct other outreach and educational activities that advance the
use of neutrons by U.S. university and industrial scientists.
DATES: All applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. Eastern
Daylight Savings Time on Friday, May 7, 2010. Please see ``Application
Submission Information'' for more information.
ADDRESSES: Paper copies of full proposals must be submitted to the
address below. Paper submissions require an original and two copies:
Tanya Burke, NIST Center for Neutron Research; National Institute of
Standards and Technology; 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 6100; Gaithersburg,
Maryland 20899-6100. Electronic submissions of full proposals must be
submitted to: http://www.grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tanya Burke, NIST Center for Neutron
Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau
Drive, Stop 6100, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-6100. Tel (301) 975-
4711, E-Mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Electronic access: Applications are strongly
encouraged to read the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) available at
http://www.grants.gov/for complete information about this program, all
program requirements, and instructions for applying by paper or
electronically.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. Sec. 272(b) and (c), 15 U.S.C. Sec. 278g-
1(a), (b), 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7501(b)
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.609
Program Description
Program Objectives
The mission of the NIST Center for Neutron Research is to assure
the availability of neutron measurement capabilities to meet the needs
of U.S. researchers from industry, academia and other government
agencies. The primary program objectives of the NIST Center for Neutron
Research (NCNR) Comprehensive Grants Program are:
1. To advance, through cooperative efforts with one or more
recipients, research consistent with the mission of NIST, and NCNR
specifically. See http://www.nist.gov/ncnr/ and 15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.
2. To encourage significant research involving Neutron Research and
Spectroscopy specifically aimed at assisting visiting researchers at
the NIST Center for Neutron Research.
3. To develop new instrumentation for Neutron Research.
4. To conduct collaborative research with NIST scientists and to
conduct other outreach and educational activities that advance the use
of neutrons by U.S. academic and industrial scientists.
The NCNR intends this financial assistance program to address all
of these objectives through one or more Cooperative Agreements. An
eligible applicant is not prohibited from including any collaborating
subrecipients in its application.
Additional information about the NCNR can be found at: http://www.nist.gov/ncnr.
Additional information about the NIST Center for Neutron Research
(NCNR) Comprehensive Grants Program NCNR may be found in the Federal
Funding Opportunity (FFO) announcement for this program.
Funding Availability: NIST anticipates making 1-3 awards for a
period of performance of up to 5 years at $1,500,000--$2,000,000 per
year per award.
Total Amount to be Awarded: Up to $25 million in Cooperative
Agreements.
The funding instrument used in this program will be a Cooperative
Agreement.
Proposals will be considered for Cooperative Agreements with
durations of up to five years, funded in one year increments, subject
to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress, and the continuing
relevance to the objectives of the NIST Center for Neutron Research.
The anticipated level of funding is up to $2,000,000 per year and one
or more awards may be approved. Between one and three awards are
likely. Projects are expected to start by October 1, 2010.
NIST will determine whether to fund one award for the full amount;
to divide available funds into multiple awards of any size, and
negotiate scopes of work and budgets as appropriate; or not to select
any proposal for funding, upon completing the selection process
described below.
Cost Share Requirements: None.
Eligibility: This program is open to institutions of higher
education; hospitals; nonprofit organizations; commercial
organizations; state, local, and Indian tribal governments; foreign
governments; organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign
governments; and international organizations.
Evaluation Criteria
The applications will be evaluated and scored on the basis of the
following evaluation criteria:
[[Page 18785]]
1. Qualifications and experience of the Principal Investigator in
neutron scattering research, as demonstrated by extensive publications
and invited lectures in condensed matter physics, chemistry, material
science, macromolecular science or related fields (10%)
2. Qualifications and experience of the Applicant's proposed staff
in neutron scattering research or in related scientific or engineering
areas that are key to the activities contained in the proposal, as
demonstrated by resumes of staff proposed for this program (30%).
3. Quality of the proposed research and development plan and its
potential impact on neutron scattering science, particularly in the
areas of macromolecular science, condensed matter physics, and
chemistry (20%).
4. Quality of the plan in terms of providing research assistance to
U.S. neutron researchers using the NCNR facilities, including related
training, education, and outreach (30%).
5. Quality of the plan to integrate the applicant's staff
effectively into the activities of the NCNR facility, including
establishing robust communications between the university and the NCNR
(10%).
Selection Factors: The Selecting Official shall recommend award
based upon the rank order and recommendations of the reviewers, but may
select out of rank order based on one or more of the following factors:
a. Availability of Federal funds;
b. Balance/distribution of funds to ensure research opportunities
for all types of NCNR scientific research areas described in the
Funding Opportunity Description section of this Notice; and
c. Applicant's prior award performance.
Therefore, the highest scoring proposals may not necessarily be
selected for an award. If an award is made to an applicant that
deviates from the scores of the reviewers, the Selecting Official will
justify the selection in writing based on selection factors described
above.
Review and Selection Process
All timely submitted applications received in response to this
announcement will be reviewed to determine whether they are complete
and responsive to the scope of the stated objectives of the Program.
Incomplete or non-responsive applications will not be reviewed for
technical merit. NIST will retain one copy of each incomplete or non-
responsive application for three years for record keeping purposes. The
remaining copies will be destroyed.
Each complete and responsive application will be reviewed by at
least four independent, objective NIST employees, who are knowledgeable
in the subject matter of this announcement and its objectives and who
are able to conduct a review based on the evaluation criteria for the
Program as described in this notice. The reviewers will reach a
consensus score resulting in a rank order of applications and make
recommendations for funding to the Selecting Official. In making final
selections, the Selecting Official (Director, NCNR) will select funding
recipients based upon the rank order of the proposals, but may select
out of rank order based on one or more of the Selection Factors. The
final award of Cooperative Agreements will be made by the NIST Grants
Officer in Gaithersburg, Maryland, based on compliance with application
requirements as published in this notice, compliance with applicable
legal and regulatory requirements, and whether the recommended
applicants are determined to be responsible. Unsatisfactory performance
on any previous Federal award may result in an application not being
considered for funding. Applicants may be asked to modify objectives,
work plans, or budgets, and provide supplemental information required
by the agency prior to award. The decision of the Grants Officer is
final.
Timely submission of an application, whether submitted
electronically or in paper format, is the responsibility of the
applicant.
Application Submission Information: All applicants should be aware
that adequate time must be factored into applicant schedules for
delivery of the application for both electronic and paper submission.
Applicants who submit electronic applications are advised that volume
on Grants.gov may be extremely heavy, and if Grants.gov is unable to
accept applications electronically in a timely fashion, applicants are
encouraged to exercise their option to submit applications in paper
format.
Applications must be received on time, as the review process is
expected to begin shortly after the deadline.
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, which
are contained in the Federal Register Notice of February 11, 2008 (73
FR 7696), are applicable to this notice. On the form SF-424 items 8.b.
and 8.c., the applicant's 9-digit Employer/Taxpayer Identification
Number (EIN/TIN) and 9-digit Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number must be consistent with the information
on the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) (http://www.ccr.gov) and
Automated Standard Application for Payment System (ASAP). For complex
organizations with multiple EIN/TIN and DUNS numbers, the EIN/TIN and
DUNS numbers MUST be the numbers for the applying organization.
Organizations that provide incorrect/inconsistent EIN/TIN and DUNS
numbers may experience significant delays in receiving funds if their
proposal is selected for funding. Please confirm that the EIN/TIN and
DUNS numbers are consistent with the information on the CCR and ASAP.
Collaborations with NIST Employees: Collaboration with NIST is
presumed in the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Comprehensive
Grants Program. If any applicant proposes any activities involving
specific NIST employees, the statement of work should include a
statement of this intention, a description of the collaboration, and
prominently identify the NIST employee(s) involved. Any collaboration
by a NIST employee must be approved by appropriate NIST management and
approval is at the sole discretion of NIST. Prior to beginning the
merit review process, NIST will verify the approval of the proposed
collaboration. Any unapproved collaboration will be stricken from the
proposal prior to the merit review.
Use of NIST Intellectual Property: If the applicant anticipates
using any NIST-owned intellectual property to carry out the work
proposed, the applicant should identify such intellectual property.
This information will be used to ensure that no NIST employee involved
in the development of the intellectual property will participate in the
review process for that competition. In addition, if the applicant
intends to use NIST-owned intellectual property, the applicant must
comply with all statutes and regulations governing the licensing of
Federal government patents and inventions, described at 35 U.S.C. 200-
212, 37 CFR part 401, 15 CFR 14.36, and in Section B.21 of the
Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements, 73 FR 7696
(Feb. 11, 2008). Questions about these requirements may be directed to
the Chief Counsel for NIST, 301-975-2803.
Any use of NIST-owned intellectual property by a proposer is at the
sole discretion of NIST and will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis
if a project is deemed meritorious. The applicant should indicate
within the
[[Page 18786]]
statement of work whether it already has a license to use such
intellectual property or whether it intends to seek one.
If any invention made in whole or in part by a NIST employee arises
in the course of an award made pursuant to this notice, the United
States government may retain its ownership rights in any such
invention. Licensing or other disposition of NIST's rights in such
invention will be determined solely by NIST, and include the
possibility of NIST putting NIST's rights in the intellectual property
into the public domain.
Collaborations making use of Federal Facilities: All applications
should include a description of any work proposed to be performed using
Federal Facilities.
If an applicant proposes use of NIST facilities, the statement of
work should include a statement of this intention and a description of
the facilities. Any use of NIST facilities must be approved by
appropriate NIST management and is at the sole discretion of NIST.
Prior to beginning the merit review process, NIST will verify the
availability of the facilities and approval of the proposed usage. Any
unapproved facility use will be stricken from the proposal prior to the
merit review. Examples of some facilities that may be available for
collaborations are listed on the NIST Technology Services Web site,
http://ts.nist.gov/.
Paperwork Reduction Act: The standard forms in the application kit
involve a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction
Act. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, 424 (R&R), SF-LLL, and
CD-345 has been approved by OMB under the respective Control Numbers
0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 4040-0001, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required
to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure
to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements
of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information
displays a valid OMB Control Number.
Research Projects Involving Human Subjects, Human Tissue, Data or
Recordings Involving Human Subjects: Any proposal that includes
research involving human subjects, human tissue, data or recordings
involving human subjects must meet the requirements of the Common Rule
for the Protection of Human Subjects (Common Rule), codified for the
Department of Commerce at 15 CFR part 27. In addition, any proposal
that includes research on these topics must be in compliance with any
statutory requirements imposed upon the Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) and other federal agencies regarding these topics, all
regulatory policies and guidance adopted by DHHS, the Food and Drug
Administration, and other Federal agencies on these topics, and all
Presidential statements of policy on these topics. NIST will accept the
submission of human subjects protocols that have been approved by
Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) possessing a current registration
filed with DHHS and to be performed by institutions possessing a
current, valid Federal-Wide Assurance (FWA) from DHHS. NIST will not
issue a Single Project Assurance (SPA) for any IRB reviewing any human
subjects protocol proposed to NIST.
President Obama has issued Executive Order No. 13,505 (74 FR 10667,
March 9, 2009), revoking previous Executive Orders and Presidential
statements regarding the use of human embryonic stem cells in research.
On July 30, 2009, President Obama issued a memorandum directing that
agencies that support and conduct stem cell research adopt the
``National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Human Stem Cell
Research'' (NIH Guidelines), which became effective on July 7, 2009,
``to the fullest extent practicable in light of legal authorities and
obligations.'' On September 21, 2009, the Department of Commerce
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a statement of
compliance with the NIH Guidelines. In accordance with the President's
memorandum, the NIH Guidelines, and the Department of Commerce
statement of compliance, NIST will support and conduct research using
only human embryonic stem cell lines that have been approved by NIH in
accordance with the NIH Guidelines and will review such research in
accordance with the Common Rule, as appropriate. NIST will not support
or conduct any type of research that the NIH Guidelines prohibit NIH
from funding. NIST will follow any additional polices or guidance
issued by the Administration on this topic.
Research Projects Involving Vertebrate Animals: Any proposal that
includes research involving vertebrate animals must be in compliance
with the National Research Council's ``Guide for the Care and Use of
Laboratory Animals'' which can be obtained from National Academy Press,
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20055. In addition, such
proposals must meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (7
U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), 9 CFR parts 1, 2, and 3, and if appropriate, 21
CFR part 58. These regulations do not apply to proposed research using
pre-existing images of animals or to research plans that do not include
live animals that are being cared for, euthanized, or used by the
project participants to accomplish research goals, teaching, or
testing. These regulations also do not apply to obtaining animal
materials from commercial processors of animal products or to animal
cell lines or tissues from tissue banks.
Limitation of Liability: Funding for the programs listed in this
notice is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2010
appropriations. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NIST
or the Department of Commerce to award any specific project or to
obligate any available funds.
Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review): This
funding notice was 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.
Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs): Applications under this program are not subject to Executive
Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Notice and
comment are not required under the Administrative Procedure Act (5
U.S.C. 553) or any other law, for rules relating to public property,
loans, grants, benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)). Because notice
and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other law, for
rules relating to public property, loans, grants, benefits or contracts
(5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required
and has not been prepared for this notice, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.
Reporting: Recipients will be required to submit, on a semi-annual
basis, for the periods ending March 31 and September 30 of each year, a
technical progress report and a SF-269, Financial Status Report. From
time to time, and in accordance with the Uniform Administrative
Requirements and other terms and conditions governing the award, the
recipient may need to submit property and patent reports.
Anticipated Announcement and Award Date
NIST plans to make awards by September 30, 2010.
[[Page 18787]]
Dated: April 1, 2010.
Marc G. Stanley,
Acting Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-8411 Filed 4-12-10; 8:45 am]
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