[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 196 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54444-54447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-27177]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 980413092-8224-03]
RIN 0648-ZA39
NOAA Climate and Global Change Program, Program Announcement
AGENCY: Office of global programs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Climate and Global Change Program represents a National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contribution to evolving
national and international programs designed to improve our ability to
observe, understand, predict, and respond to changes in the global
environment. this program builds on NOAA's mission requirements and
longstanding capabilities in global change research and prediction. The
NOAA Program is a key contributing element of the U.S. Global Change
Research Program (USGCRP), which is coordinated by the interagency
Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources. NOAA's program is
designed to complement other agency contributions to that national
effort.
DATES: Strict deadlines for submission to the FY 1999 CLIVAR-Atlantic
Program process are: Letters of intent must be received at OGP no later
than November 6, 1998. Full proposals must be received at OGP no later
than January 15, 1999. Applicants who have not received a response to
their letter of intent by December 2, 1998, should contact the program
office. The time from target date to grant award varies. We anticipate
that review of full proposals will occur during the spring of 1999 for
most approved projects. June 1, 1999, should be used as the proposed
start date on proposals, unless otherwise
[[Page 54445]]
directed by the Program Manager. Applicants should be notified of their
status within 6 months. All proposals must be submitted in accordance
with the guidelines below. Failure to heed these guidelines may result
in proposals being returned without review.
ADDRESSES: Proposals may be submitted to: Office of Global Programs,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1100 Wayne Avenue,
Suite 1225, Silver Spring, MD 20910-5603.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irma duPree at the above address, or
at phone: (301) 427-2089 ext. 107, fax: (301) 427-2073, Internet:
duPree@ogp.noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Funding Availability
NOAA believes that the Climate and Global Change Program will
benefit significantly from a strong partnership with outside
investigators. Current program plans assume that 100% of the total
resources provided through this announcement will support extramural
efforts, particularly those involving the broad academic community.
Approximately one million dollars is expected to be available for this
program. Actual funding levels will depend upon the final FY 1999
budget appropriations. This Program Announcement is for projects to be
conducted by investigators both inside and outside of NOAA, primarily
over a one, two or three year period. The funding instrument for
extramural awards will be a grant unless it is anticipated that NOAA
will be substantially involved in the implementation of the project, in
which case the funding instrument should be a cooperative agreement.
Examples of substantial involvement may include but are not limited to
proposals for collaboration between NOAA or NOAA scientists and a
recipient scientist or technician and/or contemplation by NOAA of
detailing Federal personnel to work on proposed projects. NOAA will
make decisions regarding the use of a cooperative agreement on a case-
by-case basis. Funding for non-U.S. institutions and contractural
arrangements for services and products for delivery to NOAA is not
available under this announcement. Matching share is not required by
this program.
Program Authority
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 44720 (b); 33 U.S.C. 883d, 883e; 15 U.S.C.
2904; 15 U.S.C. 2931 et seq.
(CFDA No. 11.431)--Climate and Atmospheric Research
Program Objectives
The long term objective of the Climate and Global Change Program is
to provide reliable predictions of climate change and associated
regional implications on time scales ranging from seasons to a century
or more. NOAA believes that climate variability across these time
scales can be modelled with an acceptable probability of success and
are the most relevant for fundamental social concerns. Predicting the
behavior of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-land surface system will be
NOAA's primary contribution to a successful national effort to deal
with observed or anticipated changes in the global environment. NOAA
has a range of unique facilities and capabilities that can be applied
to Climate and Global Change investigations. Proposals that seek to
exploit these resources in collaborative efforts between NOAA and
extramural investigators are encouraged.
Program Priority
CLIVAR-Atlantic Program--As an initial NOAA C&GC
contribution to the emerging international Climate Variability and
Predictability Programme (CLIVAR) and a follow-on to the Atlantic
Climate Change Program (ACCP), proposals are sought which will address
natural climate variability and predictability in the coupled ocean-
atmosphere tropical Atlantic system and its interaction with higher
latitude variability, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). It
is anticipated that this initial focus will lay the foundation for a
more expanded CLIVAR-Atlantic Program which is being planned for FY
2000 and beyond.
In FY 1999, preference will be given to those proposals which
address--through modeling, theoretical study, analysis or synthesis of
existing data--the underlying mechanisms of tropical Atlantic climate
variability, including potential linkages to the mid-latitudes. In
addition, proposals that seek to elucidate the societal impacts of the
NAO are also encouraged. For an information sheet containing further
details, please contact James F. Todd, NOAA/Office of Global Programs,
Silver Spring, MD: 301-427-2089 ext. 139, Internet: todd@ogp.noaa.gov
Eligibility
Extramural eligibility is not limited and is encouraged with the
objective of developing a strong partnership with the academic
community. Non-academic proposers are urged to seek collaboration with
academic institutions. Universities, non-profit organizations, for
profit organizations, State and local governments, and Indian Tribes,
are included among entities eligible for funding under this
announcement. While not a prerequisite for funding, applicants are
encouraged to consider conducting their research in one or more of the
National Marine Estuarine Research Reserve System or National Marine
Sanctuary sites. For further information on these field laboratory
sites, contact Dr. Dwight Trueblood, NOAA/NOS, 301-713-3145 ext. 174.
The NOAA Climate and Global Change Program has been approved for
multi-year funding up to a three year duration. Funding for non-U.S.
institutions is not available under this announcement.
Letters of Intent
Letters of Intent (LOI) will be used to provide advice to the
recipient on suitability of projected research. (1) Letters should be
no more than two pages in length and include the name and institution
of principal investigator(s), a statement of the problem, brief summary
of work to be completed, approximate cost of the project, and program
element(s) to which the proposal should be directed. (2) Evaluation
will be by program management. (3) It is in the best interest of
applicants and their institutions to submit letters of intent; however,
it is not a requirement. (4) Facsimile and electronic mail are
acceptable for letters of intent only. (5) Projects deemed unsuitable
during LOI review will not be encouraged to submit full proposals.
Evaluation Criteria
Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those
proposals which address one of the Program Priorities listed below and
meet the following evaluation criteria:
(1.) Scientific Merit (20%): Intrinsic scientific value of the
subject and the study proposed.
(2.) Relevance (20%): Important and relevance to the goal of the
Climate and Global Change Program. (See Summary)
(3.) Methodology (20%): Focused scientific objective and strategy,
including measurement strategies and data management considerations;
project milestones; and final products.
(4.) Readiness (20%): Nature of the problem; relevant history and
status of existing work; level of planning, including existence of
supporting documents; strength of proposed scientific and management
team; past performance record of proposers.
[[Page 54446]]
(5.) Linkages (10%): Connections to existing or planned national
and international programs; partnerships with other agency or NOAA
participants, where appropriate.
(6.) Costs (10%): Adequacy of proposed resources; appropriate share
of total available resources; prospects for joint funding;
identification of long-term commitments.
Selection Procedures
All proposals, including those submitted by NOAA employees, will be
evaluated and ranked in accordance with the assigned weights of the
above evaluation criteria by (1) independent peer mail review, and/or
(2) independent peer panel review; both NOAA and non-NOAA experts in
the field may be used in this process. The program officer will not be
a voting member of an independent peer panel. Their recommendations and
evaluations will be considered by the Program Manager/Officer in final
selections. Those ranked by the panel and program as not recommended
for funding will not be given further consideration and will be
notified of non-selection. Proposals rated Excellent, Very Good or
Good, are usually awarded in the numerical order they are ranked based
on the independent peer mail review or the independent peer panel
review. However, the Program Manager will ascertain which proposals
meet the program priorities (see Program Priority Section above), and
do not substantially duplicate other projects that are currently funded
by NOAA or are approved for funding by other federal agencies. As a
result of this review, the Program Manager may decide to select an
award out of the ranking order provided by the peer mail or peer panel
reviewers. The Program Manager will also determine the total duration
of funding and the amount of funding for each selected proposal.
Unsatisfactory performance by a recipient under prior Federal
awards may result in an application not being considered for funding.
Proposal Submission
The guidelines for proposal preparation provided below are
mandatory. Failure to heed these guidelines may result in proposals
being returned without review.
Full proposals: (1) Proposals submitted to the NOAA Climate and
Global Change Program must include the original and two unbound copies
of the proposal. (2) Investigators are not required to submit more than
3 copies of the proposal, however, the normal review process requires
20 copies. Investigators are encouraged to submit sufficient proposal
copies for the full review process if they wish all reviewers to
receive color, unusually sized (not 8.5 x 11''), or otherwise unusual
materials submitted as part of the proposal. Only three copies of the
Federally-required forms are needed. (3) Proposals must be limited to
30 pages (numbered), including budget, investigators vitae, and all
appendices, and should be limited to funding requests for one to three
year duration. Appended information may not be used to circumvent the
page length limit. Federally-mandated forms are not included within the
page count. (4) Proposals should be sent to the NOAA Office of Global
Programs at the above address. (5) Facsimile transmissions and
electronic mail submission of full proposals will not be accepted. (b)
Required Elements: All proposals should include the following elements:
(1.) Signed title page: The title page should be signed by the
Principal Investigator (PI) and the institutional representative and
should clearly indicate which project area is being addressed. The PI
and institutional representative should be identified by full name,
title, organization, telephone number and address. The total amount of
Federal funds being requested should be listed for each budget period.
(2.) Abstract: An abstract must be included and should contain an
introduction of the problem, rationale and a brief summary of work to
be completed. The abstract should appear on a separate page, headed
with the proposal title, institution(s) investigator(s), total proposed
cost and budget period.
(3.) Results from prior research: The results of related projects
supported by NOAA and other agencies should be described, including
their relation to the currently proposed work. Reference to each prior
research award should include the title, agency, award number, PIs,
period of award and total award. The section should be a brief summary
and should not exceed two pages total.
(4.) Statement of work: The proposed project must be completely
described, including identification of the problem, scientific
objectives, proposed methodology, relevance to the goal of the Climate
and Global Change Program, and the program priorities listed above.
Benefits of the proposed project to the general public and the
scientific community should be discussed. A year-by-year summary of
proposed work must be included clearly indicating that each year's
proposed work is severable and can easily be separated into annual
increments of meaningful work. The statement of work, including
references but excluding figures and other visual materials, must not
exceed 15 pages of text. Investigators wishing to submit group
proposals that exceed the 15 page limit should discuss this possibility
with the appropriate Program Officer prior to submission. In general,
proposals from 3 or more investigators may include a statement of work
containing up to 15 pages of overall project description plus up to 5
additional pages for individual descriptions.
(5.) Budget: Applicants must submit an a Standard Form 424 (4-92)
``Application for Federal Assistance'', including a detailed budget
using the Standard Form 424a (4-92), ``Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs''. The form is included in the standard NOAA
application Kit. The proposal must include total and annual budgets
corresponding with the descriptions provided in the statement of work.
Additional text to justify expenses should be included as necessary.
(6.) Vitae: Abbreviated curriculum vitae are sought with each
proposal. Reference lists should be limited to all publications in the
last three years with up to five other relevant papers.
(7.) Current and pending support: For each investigator, submit a
list that includes project title, supporting agency with grant number,
investigator months, dollar value and duration. Requested values should
be listed for pending support.
(8.) List of suggested reviewers: The cover letter may include a
list of individuals qualified and suggested to review the proposal. It
also may include a list of individuals that applicants would prefer to
not review the proposal. Such lists may be considered at the discretion
of the Program Officer.
(c) Other requirements:
(1.) Applicants may obtain a standard NOAA application kit from the
Program Office.
Primary applicant Certification--All primary applicants must submit
a completed Form CD-511, ``Certification Regarding Debarment,
Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace
Requirements and Lobbying''. Applicants are also hereby notified of the
following:
1. Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension--Prospective
participants (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, section 105) are subject to
15 CFR part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension,'' and the
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
[[Page 54447]]
2. Drug Free Workplace--Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR part 26,
section 605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F, ``Governmentwide
Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section
of the certification form prescribed above applies;
3. Anti-Lobbying--Persons (as defined at 15 CFR Part 28, section
105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352,
``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal
contracting and financial transactions'', and the lobbying section of
the certification form prescribed above applies to applications/bids
for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than
$100,000, and loans and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the
single family maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever
is greater; and
4. Anti-Lobbying Disclosures--Any applicant that has paid or will
pay for lobbying using any funds must submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of
Lobbying Activities,'' as required under 15 CFR part 28, appendix B.
Lower Tier Certifications
(1.) Recipients must require applicants/bidders for subgrants,
contracts, subcontracts, or lower tier covered transactions at any tier
under the award to submit, if applicable, a completed Form CD-512,
``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and
Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and
disclosure form SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form CD-
512 is intended for the use of recipients and should not be transmitted
to DOC. SF-LLL submitted by any tier recipient or subrecipient should
be submitted to DOC in accordance with the instructions contained in
the award document.
(2.) Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all applicable
Federal laws and Federal and Department of Commerce policies,
regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance
awards.
(3.) Preaward Activities--If applicants incur any costs prior to an
award being made, they do so solely at their own risk of not being
reimbursed by the Government. Notwithstanding any verbal assurance that
may have been received, there is no obligation to the applicant on the
part of Department of Commerce to cover pre-award costs.
(4.) This program is subject to the requirements of OMB Circular
No. A-110, and 15 CFR Part 14, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements
for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education,
Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations'' Applications under this
program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental
Review of Federal Programs.''
(5.) All non-profit and for-profit applicants are subject to a name
check review process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key
individuals associated with the applicant have been convicted of, or
are presently facing criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury, or
other matters which significantly reflect on the applicant's
management, honesty, or financial integrity.
(6.) A false statement on an application is grounds for denial or
termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by a fine or
imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
(7.) No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who
has an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
(i) The delinquent account is paid in full,
(ii) A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least
one payment is received, or
(iii) Other arrangements satisfactory to the Department of Commerce
are made.
(8.) Buy American-Made Equipment or Products--Applicants are
encouraged that any equipment or products authorized to be purchased
with funding provided under this program must be American-made to the
maximum extent feasible.
(9.) The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an
application under this program must not exceed the indirect cost rate
negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency prior to the
proposed effective date of the award or 100 percent of the total
proposed direct cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is
less.
(d) If an application is selected for funding, the Department of
Commerce has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in
connection with the award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or
extend the period of performance is at the total discretion of the
Department of Commerce.
(e) In accordance with Federal statutes and regulations, no person
on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability
shall be excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving
financial assistance from the NOAA Climate and Global Change Program.
The NOAA Climate and Global Change Program does not have direct TDD
(Telephonic Device for the Deaf) capabilities, but can be reached
through the State of Maryland supplied TDD contact number, 800-735-
2258, between the hours of 8:00 am-4:30 pm.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required
to respond 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 Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information
displays a current valid OMB control number.
Classification: The standard forms have been approved by the Office
of Management and Budget pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act under
OMB approval number 0348-0043, 0348-0044, and 0348-0046. This notice
has been determined to be not significant for purposes of Executive
Order 12866.
Dated: September 18, 1998.
J. Michael Hall,
Director, Office of Global Programs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 98-27177 Filed 10-8-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-M
