99-2540. Office of Science; Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 99-13; Complex and Collective Phenomena

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 3, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5267-5269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2540]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Office of Science; Office of Science Financial Assistance Program 
Notice 99-13; Complex and Collective Phenomena

AGENCY: 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 
Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby announces its 
interest in receiving grant applications for innovative research on the 
topic of complex and collective phenomena. Opportunities exist for 
research covering the entire range of disciplines supported by the BES 
program, including research in the materials sciences, chemical 
sciences, engineering sciences, geosciences and energy biosciences.

DATES: Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief 
preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 99-13, 
should be received by DOE by 4:30 P.M., E.S.T., March 2, 1999. A 
response to the preapplications encouraging or discouraging a formal 
application generally will be communicated to the applicant within 21 
days of receipt. The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 
4:30 P.M., E.S.T., April 21, 1999, in order to be accepted for merit 
review and to permit timely consideration for award in Fiscal Year 
1999.

ADDRESSES: All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 99-13,

[[Page 5268]]

should be sent to Dr. Jerry J. Smith, Division of Materials Sciences, 
SC-13, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown 
Road, Germantown MD 20874-1290.
    Formal applications referencing Program Notice 99-13 should be 
forwarded to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Grants and 
Contracts Division, SC-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, Maryland 
20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 99-13. This 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: For questions concerning research 
topics in specific technical areas, contact the following individuals 
in the appropriate division of interest:
    Dr. Jerry J. Smith, Division of Materials Sciences, SC-13, Office 
of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, 
Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone [phone], e-mail: 
([e-mail]).
    Dr. William S. Millman, Division of Chemical Sciences, SC-14, 
Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, 
Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone [phone], e-mail: 
([e-mail]).
    Dr. James Tavares, Division of Energy Biosciences, SC-17, Office of 
Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, 
MD 20874-1290, telephone [phone], e-mail: 
([e-mail]).
    Dr. Robert Price, Division of Engineering, SC-15, Office of 
Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, 
MD 20874-1290, telephone [phone], e-mail: 
([e-mail]).
    Dr. Nick Woodward, Division of Geosciences, SC-15, Office of 
Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, 
MD 20874-1290, telephone [phone], e-mail: 
([e-mail]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Much of the research supported by the BES 
program and its predecessor organizations during the past 50 years has 
been devoted to solving very difficult problems in idealized, simple 
systems. The challenge now is to use that knowledge to understand 
complex systems. This program will support work at the frontiers of 
basic research. Work is intended to be revolutionary rather than 
evolutionary, and it is expected that it may involve multidisciplinary 
and/or interdisciplinary efforts. Further it is expected to strengthen 
the basis for understanding complex and collective phenomena currently 
viewed from a single domain such as the atomic level (reductionist 
view) or continuum mechanics (classical view). The program is open to 
the entire range of disciplines supported by the BES program. 
Additional information on the BES Research Program is available at the 
following web site address: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/bes/
bes.html.
    Some important categories of studies that might be included within 
the initiative in Complex and Collective Phenomena are:
     Materials that are beyond binary; that lack stoichiometry; 
that are far from equilibrium; that have little or no symmetry or low 
dimensionality. Often desired properties and behaviors exist only in 
``non-ideal compounds,'' i.e., those that are made from more than a few 
elements, made in non-stoichiometric combinations, made far from 
equilibrium; or made in one or two dimensions. As examples, high-
temperature superconductors are complex compounds of four or more 
elements that are not stoichiometric with respect to oxygen; the glassy 
metal state, which has many desirable properties, has no long range 
order or symmetry; and many interesting and useful properties exist in 
atomic and molecular arrangements that have only one or two dimensions, 
such as is found in thin films, membranes, and quantum dots. These 
classes of materials, which will dominate the next generation of energy 
technologies, pose new challenges and opportunities because of their 
complexity.
     Functional synthesis. Although chemists routinely 
synthesize molecules to desired elemental composition and structure, 
the ability to predict structure/function relationships remains 
elusive. Because function can be exquisitely sensitive to even minor 
changes in both composition and structure and because the number of 
combinations is virtually boundless, we are unable to predict what 
combinations of elements and arrangements of atoms give rise to desired 
properties such as superconductivity, magnetism, ductility, toughness, 
strength, resistance, catalytic function, or enzymatic function.
     The control of entropy. To a scientist, entropy has a 
precise mathematical definition; however, to a nonscientist, entropy 
can be viewed as synonymous with disorder. A standard maxim in physics 
is that ``the entropy of the universe tends to increase,'' i.e., things 
become increasingly disordered with time. Interestingly, most of our 
energy now comes from fossil fuels that were derived from 
photosynthesis--the ability of plants to reduce entropy locally by 
absorbing sunlight and converting carbon dioxide to lower-entropy 
hydrocarbons, polysaccharides, and other compounds. However, even 
though photosynthesis has been studied for decades, we still do not 
completely understand it nor have we been able to duplicate or improve 
on it. This one example of the control of entropy--the ability to mimic 
the functions of plants--remains one of the outstanding challenges in 
the natural sciences.
     Phenomena beyond the independent particle approximation. 
Phenomena beyond the independent particle model--that by their nature 
are collective--challenge our understanding of the natural world and 
require major advances in theory, modeling, computing, and experiment. 
Collective phenomena include widely diverse phenomena in the gas and 
condensed phases, including Bose-Einstein condensation, high-
temperature superconductivity, and electron correlation.
     Scaling in space and time. Research in chemistry, 
materials, engineering, geosciences, and biosciences covers lengths 
from the atomic scale to the cellular scale to the hundreds of 
kilometers scale and times from femtoseconds to millennia. We 
understand single atoms, molecules, and pure crystals fairly well; but, 
when we go beyond these simple systems to larger more complex systems, 
our understanding is limited. The relationships between constituent and 
collective properties and behavior of systems over a wide range of 
spatial scales, and their response to processes operating over a wide 
range of time scales, are not well understood. Improving our 
understanding of phenomena over wide time scales--from femtoseconds in 
spectroscopy to decades in the regulatory system of plants to thousands 
of years in radioactive waste disposal--and over spatial scales from 
atomic to geologic is important.

Program Funding

    It is anticipated that an estimated $1.5 million will be available 
for grant awards during FY 1999, contingent upon the availability of 
appropriated funds. Multiple year funding of grant awards is expected, 
also contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds, progress 
of the research and continuing program need. Applications received by 
the Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under its

[[Page 5269]]

current competitive application mechanisms may be deemed appropriate 
for consideration under this notice and may be funded under this 
program.

Preapplications

    A brief preapplication may be submitted. The preapplication should 
identify, on the cover sheet, the institution, principal investigator 
name, address, telephone, fax and e-mail address, title of the project, 
and the field of scientific research. The preapplication should consist 
of no more than a three page narrative describing the research project 
objectives and methods of accomplishment. These will be reviewed 
relative to the scope and research needs of the Complex and Collective 
Phenomena initiative.
    Preapplications are strongly encouraged but not required prior to 
submission of a formal application. Please note that notification of a 
successful preapplication is not an indication that an award will be 
made in response to the formal application.
    Applications will be subjected to scientific merit review (peer 
review) and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria 
listed in descending order of importance as codified at 10 CFR 
605.10(d).
    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 may be used and 
submission of an application constitutes agreement that this is 
acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
    Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with researchers in other 
institutions, such as universities, industry, non-profit organizations, 
federal laboratories and Federally Funded Research and Development 
Centers (FFRDCs), including the DOE National Laboratories. A parallel 
announcement with a similar potential total amount of funds will be 
issued to DOE FFRDCs. All projects will be evaluated using the same 
criteria, regardless of the submitting institution.
    Information about the development and submission of applications, 
eligibility, limitations, evaluation, selection process, and other 
policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR Part 605 and in the 
Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial Assistance 
Program. Electronic access to the Guide and required forms is available 
via the World Wide Web at: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/
grants.html. On the grant face page, form DOE F 4650.2, block 15, 
provide the principal investigator's phone number, fax number and e-
mail address. The research description must be 20 pages or less, 
exclusive of figure illustrations, and must contain an abstract or 
summary of the proposed research. Attachments include curriculum vitae, 
a listing of all current and pending federal support, and letters of 
intent when collaborations are part of the proposed research.

    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 January 27, 1999.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 99-2540 Filed 2-2-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P