[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 31, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-13184]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: May 31, 1994]
VOL. 59, NO. 103
Tuesday, May 31, 1994
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization (AARC) Center
AARC Center Request for Proposals
AGENCY: Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization (AARC)
Center.
ACTION: AARC Center request for proposals.
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Program Description
Purpose
The Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization (AARC)
Center is requesting proposals to use agricultural (traditional and new
crops, animal by-products or forestry) materials in industrial products
or processes. The authority for the Program is contained in sections
1660 and 1661 of the Food, Agricultural, Conservation, and Trade Act of
1990, Public Law No. 101-624, 7 U.S..C. 5904. Potential funding for
proposals can be either under research and development assistance or
the commercialization assistance provisions using the Cooperative
Agreement Program (Program) to assist emerging industrial products/
processes involving the use of agricultural materials in non-food, non-
feed, non-traditional fiber products or processes. The Board of
Directors reserves the right to use only certain types of authorized
assistance. Successful projects are expected to repay the AARC Center
Revolving Fund through negotiated arrangements. The Program is
administered by the AARC Center, which is an independent entity within
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The objectives of the AARC Center are:
To search for new non-food, non-feed, non-traditional
fiber products that may be produced from agricultural commodities and
for processes to produce such products.
To conduct product and co-product/process development and
demonstration projects, as well as provide commercialization assistance
for industrial products from agricultural and forestry materials.
To encourage cooperation development and marketing efforts
among manufacturers, private and government laboratories, universities,
and financiers to assist in bridging the gap between research results
and marketable, competitive products and processes.
To collect and disseminate information about
commercialization projects that use agricultural or forestry materials
and industrial products derived therefrom.
Under the Program, the AARC Center will award competitive
cooperative agreements to support primarily pre-commercial tasks but
also targeted research and development of new industrial products or
processes derived from agricultural or forestry materials. All other
things equal, the nearer to commercialization a product or process is
the higher the likelihood of funding by the AARC Center.
The AARC Center will accept either pre-proposals or full proposals.
Pre-proposals will be evaluated to determine if an idea has sufficient
merit to warrant a full proposal including if it meets the AARC
Center's mission, and to provide suggestions for improvement. Full
proposals will require more time to complete and will be evaluated to
determine if they warrant funding. The AARC Center may ask applicants
submitting either pre-proposals or full proposals to make an oral
presentation. All proposals will be evaluated by external reviewers, as
well as by the AARC Center staff, before the proposals along with
review comments are provided to the Board of Directors. The Board makes
final funding decisions.
Available Funding
This request for proposals is being announced subject to funding
from Congress for Fiscal Year 1995. The Administration's budget request
to Congress was $9 million for the AARC Center.
The AARC Center Board expects applicants to, at minimum, match the
dollars requested from the AARC Center. A preference may be given to
projects for which the ration of AARC Center funds to non-Center funds
would be the lowest.
Eligibility
Proposals are invited from any private firm, individual, public or
private educational or research institution or organization, Federal
agency, cooperative, or non-profit organization. Cooperative projects
involving combinations of the above organizations, especially with
private sector leadership, are strongly encouraged. Since this is
basically a program to commercialize new products, and since repayment
is expected, it is much more likely that awards will be given to
private firms. Small business entrepreneurs are preferred.
Program Emphasis
As determined by the AARC Center Board from a series of public
hearings, Congressional Hearings, workshops, and experience from the
initial two rounds of proposals, each proposal should focus on
products/ processing using at least one of the following agricultural
or forestry material categories:
Starch/Carbohydrates
Fats and Oils
Fibers
Forest Materials
Animal By-Products
Other Plant Materials used as pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals,
encapsulation agents, etc.
The AARC Center Board is in the process of funding about 20
projects from the request for pre-proposals and full proposals that
appeared in the Federal Register on June 8, 1993. Projects include use
of a broad range of agricultural and forestry materials such as:
Soybean oil, cotton lint, peanut hulls, corn husk, wheat straw,
milkweed, kenaf, castor oil, rapeseed, cuphea, crambe, ethanol,
compost, biomass, and plant proteins. Examples of products include:
Biocontrol agents, medium-density fiberboard from straw, plypole, food
packaging, bonded paper from kenaf, oil adsorbents, fillers and yarn,
spinning fibers, highway signposts and railroad ties, building
composites, heating and electricity, potting mixes, diesel fuel
replacements, lubricants, coatings, cosmetics, detergents, personal
care products, and cat litter.
Evaluation Criteria
The AARC Center's primary interest, in this request for
prepoposals/proposals, is in providing assistance in pre-commercial
activities to move new industrial products from agricultural and
forestry materials into the marketplace. The AARC Center Board seeks
projects that will have market impact. This includes expanding use of
agricultural or forestry materials in industrial products especially
those that expand markets for farmers, create jobs, spur rural
development, provide environmental and/or conservation benefits, and
improve trade. Emphasis will be given to those proposals whose products
are closest to commercialization and have positive impact on rural
employment and economic activity.
Proposals and pre-proposals will be evaluated on four primary
criteria: Management team capability, business and marketing soundness,
technical factors, and expected time and magnitude of impacts if
successful. Examples of types of information that will enter the
decision process on each of the primary categories of criteria include:
Management: Capability of the management team.
Amount of matching funds (cash) committed.
Awareness of the financial resources needed to successfully
market the product.
Clear identification of project milestones.
Private sector leadership to commercialize the product or
process.
Business: Potential profitability.
Clear identification of customers.
Structure of the market in terms of size, number, leading
competitors, and reaction of competitors to a new product.
Amount and nature of the value added to the agricultural or
forestry material.
Ability to replicate in other parts of the country.
Key issues and government policies or regulations that might
impact success.
Applicant's ability and willingness to repay the AARC Center for
the risk investment made by the American taxpayers.
Technical: Relation to previous work.
Technical requirements of the product--industry standards or
guidelines.
Technical and market testing needed.
Government approvals or permits required.
Major technical hindrances.
Innovative techniques and patents.
Ability to achieve technical claims.
Present stage of development.
Impacts: Volume of agricultural or forestry material used.
Number and quality of jobs (especially in distressed rural
areas) expected to be created--type, rural/urban, timeframe.
Potential positive and negative environmental impacts from
production to consumer disposal of product.
Proposed product's implications for helping improve farm income,
especially the family farm.
Resource conservation effects such as replacement of stock
resources, crop diversification, soil erosion, water use, etc.
Estimated impact on export/import trade balance, commodity
support programs and rural economic activity.
Other Considerations
With respect to projects carried out with private researchers or
commercial companies, the enabling legislation provides that
information submitted by applicants incident thereto will be kept
confidential. Project information including applications is
specifically excluded from release under the Freedom of Information
Act, except with the approval of the person providing the information
or in a judicial or administrative proceeding in which such information
is subject to protective order. However, the information is subject to
protective order. However, the information will be reviewed by three
reviewers who will be held to confidentiality. Board members are
required to exclude themselves from consideration of a proposal where a
conflict of interest exists.
Intellectual property rights, such as patents and licenses, shall
remain with the owner unless other arrangements are negotiated as part
of the agreement. Inventions made under an award under this Program
shall be owned by the awardee in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 200-204 and
37 CFR part 401.
No agreement may be entered into under the program for the
acquisition or construction of a building or facility.
All applicants must file a declaration of compliance with 31 U.S.C.
1352 regarding limitation on the use of appropriated funds to influence
certain Federal contracting and financial transactions either prior to
or simultaneous with the submission.
Due to limited funds, the AARC Center may not be able to fund all
projects meriting support, and awards will be based on merit using the
review evaluations and the Board's judgement.
Applicants who submitted a proposal or pre-proposal previously must
reapply to be considered for Fiscal Year 1995 funding.
Future Proposals
In the future and until further notice, the AARC Center Board will
accept proposals or pre-proposals at any time on AARC Center forms. The
Board will meet at least twice a year to select proposals for funding.
Submissions
To be eligible for this round of AARC Center Board decisions, both
pre-proposals and full proposals must be received at the AARC Center
office by August 31, 1994. One of the following addresses should be
used, as applicable:
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Regular U.S. mail Overnight delivery
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USDA AARC Center, Ag Box 0400, 14th USDA AARC Center, 300 12th Street
& Independence Avenue SW., Cotton SW., Cotton Annex, 2nd flr Mez,
Annex, 2nd flr Mez, Washington, DC Washington, DC 20250-0400.
20250-0400.
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For More Information
Proposals must be submitted on forms provided by the AARC Center--
either pre-proposals or full proposals. Contact the AARC Center by
letter using the addresses above or fax number 202-401-6068 to receive
a packet containing the instructions and forms.
Specific questions should be directed to Patricia Dunn: Phone 202-
401-4860.
Done at Washington, DC, on May 25, 1994.
Paul F. O'Connell,
Director, AARC Center.
[FR Doc. 94-13184 Filed 5-27-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-2B-M
