[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 212 (Monday, November 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59349-59350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-29004]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Restricted Eligibility Support of Advanced Fossil
Resource Utilization Research by Historically Black Colleges and
Universities and Other Minority Institutions
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Energy Technology
Center (FETC).
ACTION: Notice of restricted eligibility.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy announces that it intends to conduct
a competitive Program Solicitation and award financial assistance
(grants) to U.S. Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other
Minority Institutions in support of innovative research and development
of advanced concepts pertinent to fossil resource conversion and
utilization. Applications will be subjected to a review by a DOE
technical panel, and awards will be made to a limited number of
applicants on the basis of the scientific merit of the application,
application of relevant program policy factors, and the availability of
funds. Collaboration with private industry is encouraged.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John R. Columbia, U.S. Department
of Energy, Federal Energy Technology Center, Acquisition and Assistance
Division, P.O. Box 10940, MS 921-143, Pittsburgh PA 15236-0940,
Telephone: (412) 892-6219, FAX: (412) 892-6216. The solicitation
(created in Word Perfect 6.1 for Windows) will be released on DOE's
FETC World Wide Web Server Internet System (http://www.fetc.doe.gov/
business) on or about November 7, 1997. If applicants do not have
Internet capability or experience difficulty accessing the solicitation
file, a 3.5'' double sided/high density diskette copy of the
solicitation will be available, upon receipt of a written request
submitted via facsimile (fax) at (412) 892-6216 or e-mail at
columbia@fetc.doe.gov. No telephone requests will be honored for
request of diskettes.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Solicitation. ``Support of Advanced Fossil Resource
Utilization Research by Historically Black Colleges and Universities
and Other Minority Institutions''.
Objectives. Through Program Solicitation No. DE-PS26-98FT40047, the
Department of Energy seeks applications from Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Other Minority Institutions (OMI)
and HBCU/OMI-affiliated research institutes for innovative research and
development of advanced concepts pertinent to fossil resource
conversion and utilization. The resultant grants are intended to
maintain and upgrade educational, training, and research capabilities
of our HBCU/OMI in the fields of science and technology related to
fossil energy resources; to foster private sector participation,
collaboration, and interaction with HBCU/OMI; and to provide for the
exchange of technical information and to raise the overall level of
HBCU/OMI competitiveness with other institutions in the field of fossil
energy research and development. Thus, the establishment of linkages
between the HBCU/OMI and the private sector fossil energy community is
critical to the success of this program, and consistent with the
[[Page 59350]]
Nation's goal of ensuring a future supply of fossil fuel scientists and
engineers from a previously under-utilized resource.
Eligibility. Eligibility for participation in this Program
Solicitation is restricted to Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCU) and Other Minority Institutions (OMI) recognized by
the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Education, and
identified on the OCR's United States Department of Education list of
U.S. Accredited Postsecondary Minority Institutions list in effect on
the closing date of the program solicitation. Applications submitted by
any institution not on OCR's aforementioned list are ineligible for
technical evaluation and award. For information regarding the
qualification criteria and process of becoming recognized by the
Education Department's Office for Civil Rights as a ``Minority
Institution'', institutions should contact the Education Department
directly at the following address: Mr. Peter A. McCabe, Office for
Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Washington DC 20202,
Telephone (202) 205-9567. Note: The Education Department should only be
contacted on matters related to Institutional status; questions
regarding the Program Solicitation should be directed to Mr. Columbia
at DOE by telefacsimile on (412) 892-6216.
Applications from HBCU/OMI-affiliated research institutes must be
submitted through the college or university with which they are
affiliated. The university (not the university-affiliated research
institute) will be the recipient of any resultant DOE grant award.
Applications submitted in response to the solicitation must meet the
following two criteria: the Principal Investigator or a Co-Principal
Investigator must be a teaching professor at the submitting university
listed in the application; and at least one student registered at the
university is to be compensated for a significant portion of the work
performed in the conduct of research proposed in the application.
Although it is not required as an application qualification criterion,
collaboration with the private sector is encouraged, and applications
proposing private sector collaboration may be evaluated more favorably.
The solicitation will contain a complete description of the technical
evaluation factors and relative importance of each factor.
Collaboration by the private sector with the HBCU/OMI may be in the
form of cash cost sharing, consultation, HBCU/OMI access to industrial
facilities or equipment, experimental data and/or equipment not
available at the university, or as a subgrantee/subcontractor to the
HBCU/OMI.
Areas of Interest. In order to develop and sustain a national
program of HBCU/OMI research in advanced and fundamental fossil fuel
studies, the Department is interested in innovative research and
development of advanced concepts pertinent to fossil fuel conversion
and utilization limited to the following seven (7) technical topics:
Topic 1--Advanced Environmental Control Technology for Coal
Topic 2--Advanced Coal Utilization
Topic 3--Coal Liquefaction Technology
Topic 4--Heavy Oil Upgrading and Processing
Topic 5--Advanced Environmental and Recovery Technologies for Oil
Topic 6--Natural Gas Supply, Storage, and Processing
Topic 7--Faculty/Student Exploratory Grants
Note: This is the only topic (Topic seven (7)) under this
Program Solicitation wherein the inclusion or exclusion of private
sector collaboration will not affect the technical evaluation of the
application.
Awards. DOE anticipates issuing financial assistance (grants) for
each project selected. DOE reserves the right to support or not support
any or all applications received in whole or in part, and to determine
how many awards may be made through the solicitation subject to funds
available in this fiscal year. The limitation on the maximum DOE
funding for each selected grant to be awarded under this Program
Solicitation is as follows:
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Maximum
award
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Topics 1-6:
To 12 months grant duration.............................. $85,000.00
13--24 months grant duration............................. 150,000.00
25--36 months grant duration............................. 200,000.00
Topic 7:
To 12 months grant duration.............................. 15,000.00
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Approximately $850,000 is planned for this solicitation. The total
should provide support for four to eight R&D application selections
(Topics 1-6), and approximately two to four faculty/student exploratory
application selections (Topic 7).
Solicitation Release Date. The Program Solicitation is expected to
be ready for release on or about November 7, 1997. Applications must be
prepared and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms
contained in the Program Solicitation. To be eligible, applications
must be Received by the designated DOE office by the closing time and
date specified in the Program Solicitation (anticipated to be on or
about December 19, 1997, at 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time).
Dale A. Siciliano,
Contracting Officer, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 97-29004 Filed 10-31-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
