[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 234 (Monday, December 7, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67465-67466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-32457]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Technology Center; Notice of Restricted
Eligibility Support of Advanced Fossil Resource Utilization Research by
Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority
Institutions
AGENCY: Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC), U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE).
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, E-mail:
[email protected] The solicitation (available in both Word Perfect
6.1 for Windows and Portable Document Format (PDF)) will be released on
DOE's FETC World Wide Web Server Internet System (http://
www.fetc.doe.gov/business/solicit) on or about November 30, 1998. If
applicants do not have Internet capability, 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-PS26-99FT40192, 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 Nation's goal of ensuring a
future supply of fossil fuel scientists and engineers from an
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
[[Page 67466]]
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 telefacsimilie 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 a minimum of 30% of personnel time
invoiced under the grant is to pay for student assistance for each year
of the grant. 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 Technologies for Coal
Topic 2--Advanced Coal Utilization
Topic 3--Coal Liquefaction Technology
Topic 4--Heavy Oil Upgrading and Processing
Topic 5--Advanced Recovery, Completion/Stimulation, and Geoscience
Technologies for Oil
Topic 6--Natural Gas Supply, Storage, and Processing
Topic 7--Faculty/Student Exploratory Research Training Grants
Note: Technical Topic No. 7, Faculty/Student Exploratory
Research Training Grants, is the only topic 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,
with or without discussions, 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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Topics 1-6 Maximum award
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To 12 months grant duration............................. $85,000.00
13-24 months grant duration............................. 150,000.00
25-36 months grant duration............................. 200,000.00
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Topic 7 Maximum award
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To 12 months grant duration............................. $20,000.00
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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 twelve faculty/ student
exploratory research training application selections (Topic 7).
Solicitation Release Date
The Program Solicitation is expected to be ready for release on or
about November 30, 1998. 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 January 20, 1999,
at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time).
Dale A. Siciliano,
Contracting Officer, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 98-32457 Filed 12-4-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
