[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53608-53609]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27287]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Research
Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 98-02;
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR);
Building EPSCoR-State National Laboratory Partnerships
AGENCY: Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice inviting research grant applications.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) of the Office of
Energy Research (ER), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in keeping with
its energy-related mission to assist in strengthening the Nation's
scientific research enterprise through the support of science,
engineering, and mathematics, announces its interest in receiving grant
applications for collaborative partnerships between academic or
industrial researchers from states eligible for the DOE/EPSCoR Program
and researchers at DOE's National Laboratories, facilities, and
centers. The purpose of the DOE /EPSCoR program is to enhance the
capability of designated states to conduct nationally-competitive
energy-related research and to develop science and engineering manpower
in energy-related areas to meet current and future needs. The purpose
of this program notice is to initiate and promote partnering and
collaborative relationships that build beneficial energy-related
research programs.
DATES: Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief
preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 98-02,
should be received by DOE by 4:30 P.M., E.S.T., December 3, 1997. A
response discussing the potential program relevance of a formal
application generally will be communicated to the applicant within 30
days of receipt. The deadline for receipt of formal applications is
4:30 P.M., E.S.T., February 10, 1998, in order to be accepted for merit
review and to permit timely consideration for award in Fiscal Year
1998.
ADDRESSES: All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 98-02,
should be sent to Ms. Donna J. Prokop, Division of Materials Sciences,
ER-13, Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290.
After receiving notification from DOE concerning successful
preapplications, applicants may prepare formal applications and send
them to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research, Grants
and Contracts Division, ER-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD
20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 98-02. The above address must also be
used when submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service Express, any
commercial mail delivery service, or when hand carried by the
applicant.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Donna J. Prokop, DOE/EPSCoR
Program Manager, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, ER-132, U. S.
Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290,
[[Page 53609]]
Telephone: (301) 903-0511, or Internet e-mail address:
donna.prokop@mailgw.er.doe.gov.
General information about the development and submission of
preapplications, applications, eligibility, limitations, evaluation,
and selection processes, and other policies and procedures are
contained in the Application Guide for the Office of Energy Research
Financial Assistance Program and 10 CFR Part 605. Electronic access to
the latest version of ER's Financial Assistance Guide is possible via
the Internet at the following Web Site: http://www.er.doe.gov/
production/grants/grants.html
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To continue to enhance the competitiveness
of states and territories identified for participation in the
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), DOE
encourages the formation of partnerships between academic and
industrial researchers in EPSCoR states and the researchers at DOE's
National Laboratories, facilities and centers in scientific areas
supported by DOE. These collaborations should address areas of research
of current interest to the Department. Undergraduate and graduate
students should be active members of the research team, and it is
highly desirable that a student spend a summer or academic-year at the
National Laboratory, facility or center. Subcontracting arrangements
with DOE National Laboratories will not be permitted. DOE continues to
restrict EPSCoR eligibility to the following states and territory:
Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
To minimize undue effort on the part of applicants and reviewers,
interested parties are invited and encouraged to submit
preapplications. The preapplications will be reviewed relative to the
scope and research needs of the Department of Energy. The brief
preapplication should consist of three to five pages of narrative
describing the research objectives and methods of accomplishment.
Telephone and FAX numbers are required parts of the preapplication,
and electronic mail addresses are desirable. Instructions regarding the
contents of a preapplication and other preapplication guidelines can be
found on the ER Grants and Contracts Web Site at: http://
www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/preapp.html
In addition to the project description all preapplications and
formal applications must include the following information:
1. Applications should explain the relevance of the proposed
research to the agency's programmatic needs. On the cover page,
applicants should specify the relevant DOE technical program office,
and if known, the name of the program manager, and telephone number.
DOE program descriptions may be accessed via the web at http://
www.doe.gov/.
2. Applications must demonstrate clear evidence of collaborative
intent, including a delineation of each partner's role and contribution
to the research effort as well as a ``Letter-of-Intent'' from the
participating DOE National Laboratory, facility, or center.
3. Applications must explain the individual value to both the
EPSCoR and the National Laboratory partners. There should be clear
objectives, not necessarily the same, for each partner.
It is anticipated that approximately $750,000 will be available in
FY 1998 for research that encourages and facilitates collaborative
efforts between researchers EPSCoR states and researchers at DOE's
National Laboratories, facilities, and centers. Multiple-year funding
of grant awards is expected subject to satisfactory progress of the
research, the availability of funds, and evidence of substantial
interactions between the EPSCoR researchers and the National Laboratory
partner. Awards are expected to range up to a maximum of $50,000
annually with terms from one to three years. The number of awards and
range of funding will depend on the number of applications received and
selected for award. All funds will be provided to the recipient
organization within the EPSCoR state for the purpose of supporting
activities in the EPSCoR state and may include travel and lodging,
faculty or student stipends, materials, services and equipment.
Applications will be subjected to formal merit review and will be
evaluated against the following criteria, which are listed in
descending order of importance as set forth in 10 CFR Part 605:
1. Scientific and/or technical merit of the project.
2. Appropriateness of the proposed method or approach.
3. Competency of applicant's personnel and adequacy of proposed
resources.
4. Reasonableness and appropriateness of the proposed budget.
The evaluation will include program policy factors such as the
relevance of the proposed research to the terms of the announcement and
an agency's programmatic needs. Note, external peer reviewers are
selected with regard to both their scientific expertise and the absence
of conflict-of-interest issues. Non-federal reviewers will often be
used, and submission of an application constitutes agreement that this
is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
The principal investigator should publish the results of the
supported research in the peer-reviewed, archival scientific
literature.
Applications received by ER under its normal competitive
application mechanisms that meet the criteria outlined in this Notice
may also be deemed appropriate for consideration under this
announcement and may be funded under this program.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program
is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part
605.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 3, 1997.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director, for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.
[FR Doc. 97-27287 Filed 10-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
