[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 127 (Monday, July 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34519-34522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-16288]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No. 950621163-5163-01]
RIN: 0648-ZA17
NOAA Pan-American Climate Studies (PACS), Program Announcement
AGENCY: Office of Global Programs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Pan-American Climate Studies (PACS) Program is a
contribution to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Climate and Global Change Program, and as such is 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 PACS Program is a 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 1996 process are:
Letters of Intent must be received at the Office or Global Program
(OGP) no later than August 2, 1995. Full proposals must be received at
OGP no later than September 22, 1995. Applicants should receive
notification of the suitability of their intended proposals by August
11, 1995. Investigators who have not received notification by that date
should contact the program office. The time from target date to grant
award varies with program area. We anticipate that review of the full
proposal will occur during the fall of 1995 and funding should begin
during the early spring of 1996 for most approved projects. April 1,
1996, should be used as the proposed start date on proposals, unless
otherwise directed by a 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 should be submitted to:
Office of Global Programs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1225, Silver Spring, MD 20910-
5603, Attn: Michael Patterson
An Applications Kit can be obtained from: Grant Management
Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1325 East
West Highway, Room 5426, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Patterson at the above address, 301-427-2089x12, Internet:
Patterson@ogp.noaa.gov; or Stephen Piotrowicz, NOAA/Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research, 1315 East-West Highway, Rm 11560, Silver
Spring, MD 20910, 301-713-2465, Internet: SPiotrowicz@oar.noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Funding Availability
This Program Announcement is for projects to be conducted by
investigators both inside and outside of NOAA, over a period of up to
three years. NOAA believes that the Climate and Global Change Program
will benefit significantly from a strong partnership with outside
investigators. Current Program plans assume that approximately 50% of
the total anticipated new resources available ($0-5-1.0 million) in FY
1996 will support extramural efforts, particularly those involving the
academic community. Actual funding levels may be subject to change
depending on the final FY 1996 budget appropriation. For Federal
Government investigators, funding will be provided through intra- or
interagency transfers, as appropriate. For non-Federal investigators,
the funding instrument will be a grant unless it is anticipated that
NOAA will be substantially involved in the implementation of the
project for which an award is to be made, 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 contractual arrangements for
services and products for delivery to NOAA are not available under this
announcement.
Program Authority
Authority: 49 U.S.C. App. 1463; 33 U.S.C. 883d, 883e; 15 U.S.C.
2904; 15 U.S.C. 2931 et seq.
[[Page 34520]]
(CFDA No. 11.431)--Climate and Atmospheric Research
Program Objectives
PACS is a joint Program of the NOAA Office of Global Programs (OGP)
and Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)/Environmental
Research Laboratories (ERL) which falls within the scope of the U.S.
GOALS (Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System) Program. PACS is designed
to advance the ability to predict seasonal to interannual climate
variability, particularly summertime precipitation, over the Americas.
Specific scientific objectives are to better understand and more
realistically model (1) the seasonally varying mean climate over the
Americas and adjacent ocean regions, with emphasis on the intertropical
convergence zones, the North and South American monsoons, the
equatorial cold tongues, the subtropical oceanic stratus decks, and the
dominant tropical and extratropical cyclone tracks; (2) the role of
boundary processes in forcing seasonal to interannual climate
variability, with emphasis on tropical sea surface temperature in
relation to continental precipitation; (3) the coupling between the
oceanic mixed layer and the atmospheric planetary boundary layer in the
tropical Atlantic and eastern Pacific; and (4) the processes that
determine the structure and evolution of the tropical sea surface
temperature field.
Program Priorities
With limited funding anticipated for new starts in FY 1996, NOAA
will place emphasis on new projects designed to improve the
understanding and modeling of coupled ocean-atmosphere interactions in
the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. This region has been identified as
an initial target in PACS because of its importance in influencing the
seasonally-varying precipitation over the American continents.
Proposals are encouraged to focus on pilot field observations, data
management, and empirical studies. Pilot field observing efforts are
needed to provide improved measurements of rainfall, surface fluxes and
upper ocean and atmospheric dynamics in the East Pacific Intertropical
Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and other important phenomena in the eastern
Pacific Ocean. Field observing projects are expected, to the greatest
extent possible, to build upon existing observing systems and planned
field projects and to be well coordinated with other observing efforts
in the region. Data management activities should aim at providing PACS-
related global data sets (particularly satellite observations), field
projects, and modeling efforts. Empirical studies should provide
preliminary analysis of data available in the eastern Pacific in an
effort to establish the background climatology required for model
validation and field program planning in this region. Proposals in
response to the announcement are expected to be of one to three years
duration.
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.
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: (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, according to the selection criteria for full
proposals described. (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 program
review should not be submitted as full proposals.
Evaluation Criteria
Consideration for financial assistance will be given to those
proposals which address one of the Program Priorities listed above and
meet the following evaluation criteria:
(1) Scientific Merit (20%): Intrinsic scientific value of the
subject and the study proposed.
(2) Relevance (20%): Importance and relevance to the goal of the
Climate and Global Change Program and to the research areas listed
above.
(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.
(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. Matching funding is
encouraged, but is not required.
Selection Procedures
All proposals 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. Their
individual recommendations and evaluations will be considered by the
Program Managers 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. For the proposals
rated either Excellent, Very Good or Good, the Program Managers will:
(a) Ascertain which proposals meet the objectives, fit the criteria
posted, and do not substantially duplicate other projects that are
currently funded by NOAA or are approved for funding by other federal
agencies, (b) select the proposals to be funded, (c) determine the
total duration of funding for each proposal, and (d) determine the
amount of funds available for each proposal. Awards are not necessarily
made to the highest-scored proposals, even though scoring is one of
several factors considered in selecting proposals for award.
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.
(a) 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
[[Page 34521]]
required to submit more than 3 copies of the proposal. (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 fullname,
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 project descriptions.
(5) Budget: Applicants must submit 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 detailed 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 from prescribed above applies;
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--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, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other
Non-Profit Organizations'', and 15 CFR part 24, ``Uniform
Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to
State and Local Governments'', as applicable. Applications under this
program are not subject to Executive Order 12372,
[[Page 34522]]
``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 of 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 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Classification: This notice has been determined to be not
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866. 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.
Dated: June 27, 1995.
J. Michael Hall,
Director, Office of Global Programs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 95-16288 Filed 6-30-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-M
