[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 147 (Thursday, July 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41094-41097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-20096]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Environmental Molecular Science Institutes (EMSI): Special
Research Opportunity (NSF 97-135); Program Announcement
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Mathematical
and Physical Sciences and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of
Energy Research (ER) announce a one-time opportunity for support of
Environmental Molecular Science Institutes (EMSI) aimed at increasing
fundamental understanding of natural and industrial processes and their
interaction at the molecular level. NSF and DOE encourage cohesive,
interdisciplinary, university-industry group efforts in basic research
on fundamental issues that underpin the amelioration of environmental
problems caused by societal activities such as
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manufacturing and utilization activities that are energy- and
pollution-intensive.
This funding opportunity will establish one to three Environmental
Molecular Science Institutes. Five year requests in the range of $0.5
million to $2 million per year are appropriate. Up to $2.0 million per
year from NSF will be made available beginning in FY98, subject to
availability of funds. In addition, approximately $2.0 million from DOE
in FY98, subject to availability of funds, will support specific
activities within Institutes appropriate to DOE interests, such as
elaborated in the supplementary information section below. This
announcement is being made jointly by DOE and NSF to ensure that the
strongest possible programs are supported with the limited funds
available, to minimize multiple submissions to the two agencies, and to
concentrate resources to realize measurable progress in focused
research areas.
An Institute should serve as a national model and resource for
excellence in collaborative environmental research and in dissemination
of results for solution of amelioration of environmental problems. To
strengthen the probability that the proposed basic research focus will
contribute in the future to improved technologies and processes, it is
expected that proposals will include working collaborations with
appropriate and relevant industries. Understanding the molecular
behavior of complex, dynamic environmental systems is expected to
require interdisciplinary approaches involving scientists from multiple
departments. An Institute must have a focused research theme and
specific goals. The organization and management structure must be
designed to enable these goals to be met. An Institute should not be a
collection of existing projects. Rather proposers are invited to take a
fresh look at environmental challenges to develop a unified activity.
Examples of appropriate research areas include, but are not limited
to: chemical and materials synthesis or processing for pollution
prevention; integrated understanding of speciation, sorption,
transport, and bioavailability in a specified environment; response of
a specific environment to chemical perturbations caused by human
activities. The proposed activities, as an ancillary benefit, should
help to integrate research and education and provide broadened
experience to students. Strong institutional support for programmatic
reinforcement of the educational activities will be considered
positively.
Proposal Submission
Eligibility is limited to colleges, universities, and other not-
for-profit institutions in the U.S. and its territories, as described
in detail in the Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 95-27). Potential applicants
are required to submit a brief preliminary proposal. All preliminary
applications must reference this document (NSF 97-135) and five copies
must be received by October 15, 1997. The preliminary proposal should
include a project summary; a three-page project description that
outlines goals, research plans, and roles of collaborators;
biographical sketches limited to two pages per investigator; one budget
page for the total funding requested (institutional signature is not
required). Other general guidance and forms are provided in the NSF
Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 9527). Proposals must be sent to: EMSI (NSF
97-135), NSF--Room P60-PPU, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.
Preliminary proposals will be evaluated by NSF and DOE staff from
relevant disciplines in order to advise Principal Investigators on
responsiveness to goals and priorities described above and on the
likelihood of successful competition with other proposals in the merit
review process. Those submitting will be informed of the result of this
review by November 15, 1997.
Full proposals (15 copies including the original, prepared in
accordance with the NSF Grant Proposal Guide) must be received by
February 1, 1998. These will be evaluated by appropriate mechanisms,
which may include ad hoc mail review, panel review, or site visits. In
addition to the published new NSF criteria, other factors will be
considered, such as the potential for significant contributions to
environmental chemistry, the strength of the collaborations planned,
the value to education, and the potential for national leadership among
the constituency interested in the research theme. Proposals involving
industrial collaboration will receive preference over those of equal
scientific merit that lack such collaboration. Activities considered
for funding by DOE will be reviewed for excellence of the science and
relevance to the mission of the Department and its technology programs.
Below is Additional Information on scope, format, and review criteria.
Grants awarded as a result of this announcement will be
administered in accordance with the terms and conditions of NSF GC-1
(10/95) or FDP-III (u/1/96), Grant General Conditions. Copies of these
documents are available on www.nsf.gov under ``Grants and Awards.'' NSF
encourages, but does not require, organizations responding to this
announcement to contribute to the costs of the project beyond the
minimum one-percent statutory cost-sharing requirement. However, any
additional cost-sharing specified in the proposal will be referenced
and included as a condition of any award resulting from this
announcement.
Janet G. Osteryoung, Director, Division of Chemistry, National Science
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230, josteryo@nsf.gov,
703-306-1845
Robert S. Marianelli, Director, Chemical Sciences Division, Office of
Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of
Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290,
robert.marianelli@mailgw.er.doe.gov, (301) 903-5808
Additional Information on Scope of Institutes and Full Proposal
Format
This letter broadly describes the nature and scope of an institute
and is not intended to be unnecessarily prescriptive. There are many
models and variations that may be considered, including the traditional
understanding of an institute at a specific location, as well as
regional or more widely distributed institutes. Proposal should include
information that defines the institute, describes the planning process,
defines mission and goals, describes how the desired goals will be
achieved and how it will be determined that these goals have been
accomplished. The proposing groups are encouraged to construct the
appropriate organization and structure that will maximize the
effectiveness and impact of their strengths and resources.
The leadership of an institute should be provided by a small group,
including a director and, as approrpratie for the size of the
institute, an associate director and an external advisory committee.
The director of an institute should be a respected scientist with
demonstrated organizational, managerial, and leadership ability. An
institute's scientific guidance should be provided by a committee of
scientists from the participating institutions. Although a multi-
institutional consortium may be involved, a single entity must accept
overall management responsibility in dealing with NSF.
The NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG), NSF 95-27, describes the format
required for proposals. The Project
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Description in the full proposal will be subject to the page
limitations for each section described below.
Proposals not adhering to these limits will be returned without
review.
*Detailed description of the intellectual focus and rationale for the
institute, its overall goals, and expected impact (3 pages, maximum);
*Planned scientific activities, including a five-year plan for phasing
activities in or out, and the roles of the various partners (15 pages,
maximum);
*Plans for human resource development, including involvement of
undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students and members of under-
represented groups (2 pages, maximum);
*Description of planned outreach activities and dissemination (2 pages,
maximum);
*Description of goals and outcomes expected and how the impact will be
demonstrated and evaluated (2 pages, maximum);
*Description of the organizational structure of the institute, clearly
outlining the proposed management structure, mechanisms for focusing
institute activities, methods for selecting and integrating research
emphases, criteria for selection of participants, allocating funds and
equipment, and managing the involvement of other groups (4 pages,
maximum).
Each biographical sketch, limited to two pages, should include a
brief summary of results of prior NSF support. Please note that letters
describing collaborative arrangements significant to the proposals
should be included under ``supplementary documentation.'' Only letters
of commitment are permitted; ``endorsement'' letters may not be
included. No appendices are permitted. Additional sources of financial
support for the institute should be identified.
Merit Review Process
Proposals submitted in response to this announcement will be
subject to the NEW merit review criteria approved by the National
Science Board on March 28, 1997 (NSB9772). Additional information on
NSF's new merit review criteria is available in the Merit Review Task
Force Final Report at www.nsf.gov/cgibin/getpub?nsbmr975. The new merit
review criteria are:
What is the Intellectual Merit and Quality of the Proposed Activity?
The following are suggested questions that the reviewer will
consider in assessing how well the proposal meets this criterion. Each
reviewer will address only those questions which he/she considers
relevant to the proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make
judgments.
How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and
understanding within its own field and across different fields? How
well qualified is the proposer (individual or team) to conduct the
project? (If appropriate, the reviewer will comment on the quality of
prior work.) To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and
explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and
organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to
resources?
Wht Are the Broader Impacts of the Proposed Activity?
The following are suggested questions that the reviewer will
consider in assessing how well the proposal meets this criterion. Each
reviewer will address only those questions which he/she considers
relevant to the proposal and for which he/she is qualified to make
judgments.
How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding
while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the
proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups
(e.g., gender ethnicity, geographic, etc.)? To what extent will it
enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as
facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? Will the
results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological
understanding? What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to
society?
Additional Criteria Specific to This Activity
In addition to these generic review criteria, reviewers will be
asked to use the following additional criteria when reviewing proposals
that respond to this announcement. These criteria are as follows:
* Quality of the scientific activities and their potential for
leadership and impact on environmental chemistry and solutions to
environmental problems;
* Extent of interdisciplinarity and the extent to which communication
and interaction with other areas of science and engineering are
fostered by linkages and partnerships among university research groups,
industry, national laboratories, etc.;
* Capabilities of the institute leadership, including managerial and
organizational ability of the director and of the proposed leadership
team;
* Quality and anticipated effectiveness of the management plan,
including plans for interaction among institute staff and institutional
partners and for operation of the institute, including selection of
activities and participants;
* Quality of the institute's education and training components,
especially plans to attract, involve and mentor students and under-
represented groups;
* Quality and effectiveness of proposed outreach activities and
dissemination of results;
* Clarity of mission and goals and quality of the evaluation plan;
* Level and quality of the commitment to the institute by the lead
institution and its partners.
A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and
signed by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as
confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names
of the reviewers, are mailed to the proposer by the Program Director.
In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision
to award or decline funding.
Supplementary Information on Topical Workshops Sponsored by NSF and
DOE
NSF and DOE have co-sponsored two interdisciplinary workshops to
help define priorities for research in two areas that have been
identified as activities responsible for complex and intransigent
environmental problems.
These are: (1) Vehicular Transportation and (2) Reducing Energy
Consumption and Pollution from Energy and Pollution Intensive
Processes.
A critical issue identified for the 21st Century is the balancing
of industrial activity and environmental stewardship; more knowledge is
needed to make choices to achieve that balance. There are seven
industries that consume 80 percent of the energy and produce over 90
percent of the wastes in the manufacturing sector. These seven
industries are chemicals, petroleum refining, forest products, steel,
aluminum, glass, and metal casting. Those aspects of the workshop
reports that deal with fundamental molecular science and the
crosscutting issues identified in the reports are particularly relevant
to proposals in response to this announcement.
Copies of the workshop reports entitled ``Basic Research Needs for
Environmentally Responsive Technologies of the Future'' and ``Basic
Research Needs for Vehicles of the Future'' can be obtained from
Princeton
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Materials Institute, Bowen Hall, Princeton University, 70 Prospect
Avenue, Princeton, New Jersey 08544-522.
The reports can also be found on the World Wide Webb at http://
pmi.princeton.edu.
The Foundation provides awards for research and education in the
sciences and engineering. The awardee is wholly responsible for the
conduct of such research and preparation of the results for
publication. The Foundation, therefore, does not assume responsibility
for the research findings or their interpretation.
The Foundation welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists and
engineers and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with
disabilities to compete fully in any of the research and education
related programs described here. In accordance with federal statutes,
regulations, and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color,
age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial
assistance from the National Science Foundation.
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disability
(FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable
persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including
student research assistants) to work on NSF projects. See the program
announcement or contact the program coordinator at (703) 306-1636.
Privacy Act. The information requested on proposal forms in
solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of
1950, as amended. It will be used in connection with the selection of
qualified proposals and may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and
staff assistants as part of the review process; to applicant
institutions/grantees; to provide or obtain data regarding the
application review process, award decisions, or the administration of
wards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers, and researchers
as necessary to complete assigned work; and to other government
agencies in order to coordinate programs. See Systems of Records, NSF
50, Principal Investigators/Proposal File and Associated Records, and
NSF-51, 60 FR 4449 (January 23, 1995). Reviewer/Proposal File and
Associated Records, 59 FR 8031 (February 17, 1994).
Public Burden. Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure
to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the
possibility of your receiving an award.
The public reporting burden for this collection of information is
estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for
reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or
any other aspect of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to Gail A. McHenry, Reports
Clearance Officer, Information Dissemination Branch, National Science
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 245, Arlington, VA 22230.
The National Science Foundation has TDD (Telephonic Device for the
Deaf) capability, which enables individuals with hearing impairment to
communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment, or
general information. To access NSF TDD, dial (703) 306-0090; for FIRS,
1-800-877-8339.
Dated: July 25, 1997.
Janet G. Osteryoung,
Director, Chemistry Division.
[FR Doc. 97-20096 Filed 7-30-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M
