[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 125 (Thursday, June 29, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33787-33788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-15911]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
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Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 125 / Thursday, June 29, 1995 /
Notices
[[Page 33787]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization (AARC)
Center; AARC Center Request for Proposals
AGENCY: Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization (AARC)
Center, USDA.
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, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of
1990, Pub. L. No. 101-624, 7 U.S.C. 5904. Potential funding for
proposals to provide commercialization assistance to private companies
using the Cooperative Agreements 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 cooperative 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-commercialization or
commercialization tasks, including marketing for the 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 1996. The Administration's budget request
to Congress was $8 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 ratio 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 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. The private sector partner must
take the lead when an educational institution is involved.
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/processes 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 has approved funding for about 40 projects
using 1993 and 1994 appropriated funds. Another 14 projects are
currently under consideration for funding with 1995 appropriations.
Projects include use of a broad range of agricultural and forestry
materials such as: Soybean oil, soybean meal cotton lint, peanut hulls,
corn husks, wheat straw, milkweed, kenaf, castor oil, rapeseed, cuphea,
crambe, ethanol, mesquite, hesperaloe, lesquerella, agricultural and
forestry wastes, biomass, and plant proteins. Examples of products
include: biocontrol agents, medium-density fiberboard and building
materials from straw, plypole, food packaging, bonded paper from kenaf,
oil absorbents, fillers and yarn, spinning fibers, highway signposts
and railroad ties, building and furniture composites, heating and
electricity, potting mixes, biodiesel--as
[[Page 33788]]
replacement for petroleum, biodegradable lubricants, coatings
cosmetics, detergents, personal care products, compost, carrier for
crop protection materials, and cat litter.
Evaluation Criteria
The AARC Center's primary interest, in this request for pre-
proposals/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 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 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 1996 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 October 1, 1995. One of the following addresses should be
used, as applicable:
Regular U.S. Mail
USDA AARC Center, AG Box 0401, 14th & Independence Ave. SW., 0156
South Building, Washington, DC 20250-0401.
Overnight Delivery
USDA AARC Center, 0156 South Building, 14th & Independence Ave.,
Washington, DC 20250-0401 Tel: 202-690-1633.
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 202-690-1655 to receive
a packet containing the instructions and forms. Specific questions
should be directed to Patricia Dunn: Phone 202-690-1634.
Done at Washington, DC, on June 23, 1995.
W. Bruce Crain,
Director, AARC Center.
[FR Doc. 95-15911 Filed 6-28-95; 8:45 am]
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