[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 178 (Thursday, September 15, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-22759]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 15, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 940549-4149]

 

Computer Systems Laboratory Cooperative Agreement Program--
Availability of Funds

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Computer Systems Laboratory (CSL) National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST) announces funding availability for 
cooperative agreements to support its ongoing programs in the following 
fields of research: Human--Computer Interfaces, Image Recognition, 
Parallel Processing, Wireless communications, and Collaborative 
Engineering. Specific details are outlined below in the Program 
Objectives section. The purpose of the CSL program is to expand the 
research being performed in these fields and disseminate resulting 
information publicly for potential commercial use. Applicants must 
submit an abbreviated proposal for preliminary screening; based on the 
merit of the abbreviated proposal applicants will be advised whether a 
full proposal should be submitted. A proposal shall deal with only one 
area of research.

DATES: Abbreviated proposals must be received at the address listed 
below no later than 3 p.m. EDT on October 17, 1994. Proposals 
transmitted by facsimile or electronic mail will not be accepted. Each 
applicant submitting an abbreviated proposal will receive a written 
recommendation regarding whether or not to prepare and submit a full 
proposal. Such notification will be mailed/faxed on or before November 
18, 1994. Full proposals must be received by 3 p.m. EDT on December 19, 
1994. Cooperative agreements are expected to be awarded on or before 
April 3, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Abbreviated proposals and full proposals should be submitted 
to The National Institute of Standards and Technology, Computer Systems 
Laboratory, Building 225, Room A216, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-0001; 
Attention: Mary Ruhl. Each application package should be clearly marked 
``CSL Cooperative Agreement'' and identify the field of research.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Technical inquiries should be directed to the following Program 
Managers: David Pallett, (301) 975-2935 [Manager, Speech Recognition]; 
Donna Harman, (301) 975-3569 [Manager, Text Retrieval]; Charles Wilson, 
(301) 975-2080 [Manager, Image Recognition]; Gordon Lyon, (301) 975-
5679 [Manager, Parallel Processing]; Wayne McCoy, (301) 975-2984 
[Manager, Signal Processing Systems]; Fernando Podio, (301) 975-2947 
[Project Leader, Collaborative Engineering]. Inquiries should be 
general in nature. Special inquiries as to a laboratory's needs, the 
usefulness or merit of any particular project, or other inquiries with 
the potential to provide any competitive advantage to an applicant are 
not acceptable.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    As authorized by 15 U.S.C. 272, the Computer Systems Laboratory 
conducts a basic and applied research program directly and through 
cooperative agreements to eligible recipients.

Program Description

    The objectives of the CSL Cooperative Agreement Program are to: (1) 
Support its ongoing programs in the research fields of Human-Computer 
Interfaces, Image Recognition, Parallel Processing, Wireless 
Communications, and Collaborative Engineering; (2) expand the research 
being performed in these fields; and (3) disseminate resulting 
information publicly for potential commercial use. Federal assistance 
is for cooperative agreements to support these objectives. Since CSL 
has ongoing efforts in these research areas, the cooperative agreements 
will involve a close working relationship between CSL and the 
recipients. The results of the research will be made publicly available 
for potential commercialization. The beneficiaries of this program are 
commercial end users of various techniques that are furthered by the 
research enabled by these cooperative agreements.
    All proposals submitted must be in accordance with the program 
objectives listed below. Details on ongoing CSL research are provided 
in order that applicants may submit proposals consistent with CSL 
objectives. NIST shall retain title to all intangible property 
developed under the cooperative agreement and shall make such property 
available for public use without any obligation to the recipient. The 
appropriate Program Manager for each field of research may be contacted 
for clarification of the program objectives and activities.
    I. Human--Computer Interfaces
    The primary objective is to design and develop natural language 
user interfaces (spoken and written) to computers. CSL efforts focus on 
developing a spoken natural language user interface to electronic 
library catalogs and improving natural language approaches for text 
retrieval from large text collections.

I.A. Spoken Language User Interfaces

    NIST has initiated a project to investigate the feasibility of 
building a spoken natural language user interface to electronic 
libraries, as a specific instance of spoken language user interfaces to 
information services. The prototype system will be built from a 
technology base of (D)ARPA-sponsored spoken language systems research 
(e.g., Air Travel Information Systems).
    Late in FY 1994, a prototype system is to be built, consisting of a 
library catalog information kiosk. Users will be able to use spoken 
natural language to obtain library catalog information with simple 
human-computer dialogues (e.g., ``What's the title of Julia Child's 
recent book? Is it in the collection at this library? What is the 
catalog number?''). For the initial prototype system, library catalog 
data is to be accessed from a subset of Library of Congress MARC files 
comprising of approximately 10,000 titles. In CY 1995, user-interface 
data will be collected and the system capabilities enhanced. During 
development, NIST will use the prototype system to collect a corpus of 
spoken natural language data to be shared with the spoken language 
research community through the Linguistic Data Consortium, to encourage 
other researchers to join in development of this technology.
    In FY '96 and beyond, this technology is to be extended to permit 
user spoken language access to on-line library catalog information over 
ordinary telephone lines, and to provide expanded spoken natural 
language information search and retrieval services for electronic 
libraries. To accomplish this, more robust speech recognition 
technology must be developed, and method of dialogue management 
developed to paraphrase and summarize information for presentation 
using speech synthesis technology.

I.B. Text Retrieval

    The primary objective is to design and develop algorithms for 
improving the performance of text retrieval against large amounts of 
text. NIST has emphasized the testing of text retrieval algorithms 
using natural language access against large amounts of text for the 
past five years. This included building and testing a very fast 
prototype retrieval system that allowed the use of simple English 
phrases as the input query and returned a list of documents ranked in 
order of likely relevance to that query. This project was followed by 
continued research using this prototype.
    To continue this work, proposals most compatible with CSL's ongoing 
research in text retrieval are requested that use the large (3 
gigabyte) text collection developed at NIST for Text Retrieval 
Conferences. This research should involve natural language approaches 
to text retrieval, including document ranking. Specific topics are (1) 
the use of multi-term content indicators for retrieval and (2) the 
design of user tools to improve initial queries.
    The research involving these complex content indicators should be 
directed toward identification of complex content indicators in brief 
natural language statements of information need, efficiently search for 
occurrences of them in an indexed document collection, and 
incorporating the matches effectively into a weighting and ranking 
model. These complex content indicators might range from simple word 
combinations (e.g., phrases) to more abstract representations of words 
or concepts and their semantic relationships (such as causal 
relationships).
    The research into design of user tools can investigate the use of 
relevance feedback in large test collections, implement user studies as 
to what tools are needed by various user populations, or deal with the 
design and testing of novel tools that allow users to improve their 
queries.

II. Image Recognition

    The primary objective in this research area is to design and 
develop image pattern recognition algorithms which will generate 
improved performance in commercial applications. The image pattern 
recognition algorithms should address image segmentation and contextual 
checking of classified images. Examples include efforts to improve 
image segmentation of handwritten text or improved extraction of 
specific visual material from cluttered images such as a face in a 
crowd or a drawing in a technical document. This segmentation should 
lead naturally to improved image classification and sufficient 
understanding to allow indexing of image databases without domain 
specific constraints.

III. Parallel Processing

    The primary objective is to design and develop algorithms, 
measurement tools, and related software for Parallel Processor 
platforms. General techniques and software tools for debugging and 
tuning parallel codes often ignore important points, such as 
scalability or portability. An opportunity exists for novel solutions 
that address such pivotal aspects. These can be hitherto untried 
concepts, or well-designed empirical investigations that shed insight 
on the demands special to the parallel programming task. Both software 
and hardware approaches can be used. The publication ``System Software 
and Tools for High Performance Computing Environments'' (edited by P. 
Messina and T. Sterling, SIAM, 1993) is a good survey of the issues and 
problems of interest.

IV. Wireless Communications

    This primary objective is to devise, test, and demonstrate adaptive 
error control strategies for a variety of information types (e.g., 
speech, image, video) for use in wireless communications. A principal 
barrier to the realization of the National Information Infrastructure 
will be in interfacing networks of fundamentally different 
characteristics while providing uniform, transparent end-to-end 
service. For example, the wireline technologies being proposed will 
provide bit transfer rates from 64 Kb/s to over 2 Gb/s, while wireless 
technologies are expected to be in the range of 10 Kb/s to perhaps 1 
Mb/s. The strategies for efficient use of network services will be very 
different for the different technologies used. Central to such 
strategies are compression and encoding methodologies. For wireless 
services, compression and encoding have to take into account inherently 
lower transmission bandwidth and much higher levels of noise and 
interference than for wireline services. When the services must be 
transparently interconnected, there must be a way for these networks to 
adapt to dynamic transmission environments.
    Proposals most compatible with CSL's on-going research in Wireless 
Communications would target:

--Examining the effects of signal transmission for various source 
encoding techniques by means of appropriate metrics (e.g., Signal to 
Noise Ratios (SNR), perceptual differences, and spectral 
distortions);
--Identifying critical characteristics of reference source signals 
that are most influential to receive quality and devising strategies 
as part of the encoding scheme to protect the critical 
characteristics of the source signal;
--Devising precise evaluation methodologies and metrics;
--Examining characteristics of various transmission technologies 
(e.g., modulation schemes);
--Devise strategies for transparent transmission considering 
information type, network characteristics, physical environment 
(e.g., noise), and appropriate security/privacy techniques.

V. Collaborative Engineering

    The primary objective is to assist industry in applying state-of-
the-art collaborative engineering technology to engineering and 
manufacturing applications. This efforts includes research on high 
performance computing and communication (HPCC) and interconnectivity 
among heterogeneous systems.
    In real-time collaborative computing environments, a group of 
individuals need to share an application and objects of this 
application. In addition, they need to work on the objects to modify 
them, et. Reliable real-time operations require protocols for 
application synchronization and command synchronization. For example, 
transferring mouse movements and keystrokes require that the 
information gets reliably to all the partners in the right sequence.
    Proposals most compatible with CSL's on-going research in 
Collaborative Engineering would include research on synchronization of 
real-time shared applications. For example, the design and development 
of protocols for applications synchronization (e.g., two CAD 
applications to be able to work in real-time) and command 
synchronization (e.g., mouse movements). This work will allow 
differently configured applications to perform the same actions 
simultaneously and transparently to the user.

Funding Availability

    Approximately $900,000 is available to support cooperative 
agreements under this program. The number of awards will depend on the 
quality of the proposals received and the amount of funding requested 
by the proposals under consideration for award. The Computer Systems 
laboratory Research Program is limited to innovative ideas generated by 
the proposal writer on what specific tasks will be performed and how. 
Any additional years of project funding will be subject to annual 
competition.

Matching Requirements

    There are no matching requirements.

Type of Funding Instrument

    Due to the substantial involvement by various divisions of the CSL, 
cooperative agreements will be awarded. Cooperative agreements will 
generally involve a close working relationship between CSL and the 
recipient, and it is expected that the recipient will periodically 
visit and work at the NIST Gaithersburg, Maryland site with the 
guidance of NIST scientists.

Eligibility

    Eligible applicants under the CSL program is limited to colleges 
and universities.

Award Period

    NIST intends to fund cooperative agreements for a one (1) year 
period.

Preliminary Screening Process

    Applicants must submit an abbreviated proposal prior to submitting 
a full proposal. The purpose of the abbreviated proposal is to provide 
applicants with feedback regarding whether the proposed projects are 
sufficiently promising relative to the selection criteria to warrant 
preparation of a full proposal. The abbreviated proposal shall include 
a budget synopsis. The abbreviated proposal is limited in length to no 
more than 10 pages (8\1/2\ x 11 inch) plus the title page. Forms or 
certifications for the full proposal shall not be included in the 
abbreviated proposal. Applicants will be notified in writing whether or 
not a full submission is invited. Proposals will receive an 
independent, objective review by a panel composed of at least three 
persons knowledgeable about the particular scientific area described 
above that the proposal addresses. Each applicant must submit one 
signed original and two copies of each proposal.

Full Proposal Review Process

    Full proposals are limited in length to no more than 30 pages (8\1/
2\ x 11 inch) plus the title page. Proposals will receive an 
independent, objective review by a panel composed of at least three 
persons knowledgeable about the particular scientific area described 
above that the proposal addresses. The proposals will be evaluated on a 
competitive basis. Each applicant must submit one signed original and 
two copies of each proposal along with Standard Form 424 (Rev 4/92) and 
other required forms, as referenced under the provisions of OMB 
Circular A-110.

Application Kit

    An application kit, containing all required application forms and 
certifications is available by calling Trudy Cummings at (301) 975-
2946. An application kit includes the following:

SF424 (Rev 4/92)--Application for Federal Assistance
SF424A (Rev 4/92)--Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs
SF424B (Rev 4/92)--Assurances--Non-Construction Programs
CD 511 (7/91)--Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and 
Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and 
Lobbying
CD 512 (7/91)--Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, 
Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusions--Lower Tier Covered 
Transactions and Lobbying
SF-LLL--Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
SF-LLL-A--Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Continuation Sheet

Evaluation Criteria

    The criteria to be used in evaluating the proposals include 
technical factors, qualifications of personnel, and reasonability of 
cost in relation to proposed project scope. Technical factors include: 
Technical merit of proposal, rationality of approach, compatibility of 
proposal with needs of targeted area of research, use of new approaches 
and new methods, and availability of resources. Technical personnel 
qualifications factors include: Previous technical work with respect to 
subject area, performance on previous cooperative agreements, grants, 
or contracts, and academic qualifications with regard to proposed 
research area (include curriculum vitae and list of publications).

Technical FActors--Total=65%
    --technical merit of proposal: 35%
    --rationality of approach: 10%
    --compatibility of proposal with needs of targeted area of 
research: 10%
    --use of new approaches and new methods: 5%
    --availability of resources: 5%
Personal Qualifications--Total=25%
    --previous technical work with respect to subject area: 10%
    --academic qualifications with respect to proposed research 
area: 19%
    --performance on previous cooperative agreements, grants, or 
contracts: 5%
Reasonability of cost with proposed project scope--Total=10%

Selection Procedure

    Award recommendations shall be made by the panels based on the 
scores of the proposals determined in accordance with the evaluation 
criteria. The chief of each CSL division will make the final award 
recommendation to the NIST Grants Officer taking into account the score 
received by the applicant, available funding, and the compatibility of 
the proposal with the CSL programs. The highest-scored proposals may 
not necessarily receive award; award is dependent on the compatibility 
of the proposal with the CSL program.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The Standard Form 424 and Standard Form LLL mentioned in this 
notice are subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
and have been approved by OMB under Control Numbers 0348-0043 and 0348-
0046.

Primary Application Certification

    All primary applicants must submit a completed form CD-511, 
``Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other 
Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and 
Lobbying,'' and the following explanations are hereby provided:
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 form 
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, ``Government wide 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 the 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 Disclosure
    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.
5. Lower-Tier Certifications
    Recipients shall require applicants/bidders for subgrants, 
contracts, subcontracts, or other 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 NIST. SF-LLL submitted by any tier recipient or 
subrecipient should be submitted to NIST in accordance with the 
instructions contained in the award document.

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 or written assurance that may have been 
received, there is no obligation on the part of NIST to cover preaward 
costs.

No Obligation for Future Funding

    If an application is selected for funding, DoC has no obligation to 
provide any additional future funding in connection with that award. 
Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of 
performance is at the total discretion of NIST.

Past Performance

    Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result in 
an application not being considered for funding.

Name Check Reviews

    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.

False Statements

    A false statement on 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.

Buy American-Made Equipment or Products

    Applicants are hereby notified that they are encouraged, to the 
extent feasible, to purchase American-made equipment and products with 
funding provided under this program in accordance with Congressional 
intent as set forth in the resolution contained in Public Law 103-121, 
Sections 602 (a) and (b).

Delinquent Federal Debts

    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 DoC are made.

Indirect Costs

    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 costs dollar amount in the application, whichever is 
less.

Federal Policies and Procedures

    Recipients and subrecipients under the Computer Systems Laboratory 
Research Program are subject to all Federal Laws and Federal and 
Departmental policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to 
Federal financial assistance awards. The Computer Systems Laboratory 
cooperative agreements program does not directly affect any state or 
local government. Applications under this program are not subject to 
Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''

    Dated: September 8, 1994.
Samuel Kramer,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 94-22759 Filed 9-14-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-M