[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 15 (Thursday, January 23, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3497-3499]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1653]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 960227052-6355-02]
RIN 0693-ZA06


Continuation of Fire Research Grants Program; Availability of 
Funds

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to inform potential applicants 
that the Fire Research Program, National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, is continuing its Fire Research Grants Program.

DATES: Proposals must be received no later than the close of business 
September 30, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must submit one signed original and two (2) 
copies of the proposal along with the Application for Federal 
Assistance, Standard Form 424, (Rev. 4-92), as referenced under the 
provisions of OMB Circular A-110 to:
Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL), Attention: Sonya Parham, 
Building 226, Room B206
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 
20899-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Technical questions concerning the NIST Fire Research Grants Program 
should be directed to Sonya Parham, (301) 975-6854. Administrative 
questions concerning the NIST Fire Research Grants Program may be 
directed to the NIST Grants Office at (301) 975-6329. Additional 
information can be found in the Extramural Fire Research Program: 
Program Announcement and Preparation Guide. Copies may be downloaded 
from the BFRL web site (http://www.bfrl.nist.gov) or obtained from 
Sonya Parham at the above address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number: 
Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards; 11.609.

    Authority: As authorized by section 16 of the Act of March 3, 
1901, as amended (15 U.S.C. 278f), the NIST Building and Fire 
Research Laboratory conducts directly and through grants and 
cooperative agreements, a basic and applied fire research program. 
The annual budget for the Fire Research Grants Program is 
approximately $1.4 million. Because of commitments for the support 
of multi-year programs, only a portion of the budget is available to 
initiate new programs in any one year. Most grants and cooperative 
agreements are in the $10,000 to $100,000 per year range. The Fire 
Research Program is limited to innovative ideas generated by the 
proposal writer, who chooses the topic and approach. The issuance of 
awards is contingent upon the availability of funding.

    All grants proposals submitted must be in accordance with the 
programs and objectives listed below.

Program Objectives

A. Fire Modeling and Applications

    To perform research, develop, and demonstrate the application of 
analytical models for the quantitative prediction of the consequences 
of fires and the means to assess the accuracy of those models. This 
includes: develop methods to assess fire hazard and risk; create 
advanced, usable models for the calculation of the effluent from 
building fires; model the ignition and burning of furniture, contents, 
and building elements such as walls; develop methods of evaluating and 
predicting the performance of building safety design features; develop 
a protocol for determining the accuracy of algorithms and comprehensive 
models; develop data bases to facilitate use of fire models, and 
develop methodologies to acquire, model, and display fire information.

[[Page 3498]]

B. Large Fire Research

    To perform research on and develop techniques to measure, predict 
the behavior of, and mitigate large fire events. This includes: 
understanding the mechanisms of large fires that control gas phase 
combustion, burning rate, thermal and chemical emissions, transport 
processes; developing field measurement techniques to assess the near- 
and far-field impact of large fires and their plumes; performing 
research on the use of combustion for environmental cleanup; predicting 
the performance and environmental impact of fire protection measures 
and fire fighting systems and techniques; and developing and operating 
the Fire Research Program large-scale experimental facility.

C. Advanced Fire Measurements

    Produces the scientific basis and robust measurement methods for 
characterizing fires and their effluents at full- and reduced-scales.
    This includes discrete point, volume-integrated, and time- and 
space-resolved measurements for such properties as temperature, smoke 
density, chemical species and flow velocity. Laboratory and 
computational research is also performed to understand the underpinning 
fire phenomena to ensure the soundness of the developed measurement 
techniques.

D. Materials Fire Research

    Performs research to enable the confident development by industry 
of new, less-flammable materials and products. This capability is based 
on understanding fundamentally the mechanisms that control the 
ignition, flame spread, and burning rate of materials and the chemical 
and physical characteristics that affect these aspects of flammability. 
This includes: Developing methods of measuring the response of a 
material to fire conditions that enable assured prediction of the full-
scale performance of the final product; developing computational 
molecular dynamics and other mechanistic approaches to understand flame 
retardant mechanisms and the effect of polymer chemical structure on 
flammability; characterizing the burning rates of charring and non-
charring polymers and composites; delineating and modeling the enthalpy 
and mass transfer mechanisms of materials combustion.

E. Fire Sensing and Extinguishment

    Develops understanding, metrology, and predictive methods to enable 
high-performance fire sensing and extinguishment systems; devises new 
approaches to minimizing the impact of unwanted fires and the 
suppression process. This includes: research for the identification and 
insitu measurement of the symptoms of pending and nascent fires and the 
consequences of suppression; devising or adapting monitors for these 
variables and the intelligence for timely interpretation of the data; 
developing methods to characterize the performance of new approaches to 
fire detection and suppression; determining mechanisms for deflagration 
and detonation suppression by advanced agents and principles for their 
optimal use; and modeling the extinguishment process.

Award Period

    Proposals will be considered for research projects from one to 
three years. When a proposal for a multi-year grant is approved, 
funding will initially be provided for only the first year of the 
program. 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 DoC. Funding for 
each subsequent year of a multi-year proposal will be contingent on 
satisfactory progress, fit to the NIST Fire Research Program, and the 
availability of funds.

Matching Requirements

    The Fire Research Grants Program does not involve the payment of 
any matching funds and does not directly affect any state or local 
government.

Eligibility

    Academic institutions, non-Federal agencies, and independent and 
industrial laboratories and research organizations.

Proposal Review Process

    All proposals are assigned to the appropriate group leader of the 
five programs listed above. Both technical value of the proposal and 
the relationship of the work proposed to the needs of the specific 
program are taken into consideration in the group leader's 
recommendation to the Division Chief. Applicants should allow up to 90 
days processing time. Proposals are evaluated for technical merit by at 
least three reviewers chosen from NIST professionals, technical experts 
from other interested government agencies and experts from the fire 
research community at large.

Evaluation Criteria

    a. Technical quality of the research: 0-35.
    b. Potential impact of the results: 0-25.
    c. Staff and institution capability to do the work: 0-20.
    d. Match of budget to proposed work: 0-20.

Selection Procedure

    The results of these evaluations are transmitted to the group 
leader of the appropriate research unit in the Building and Fire 
Research Laboratory who prepares an analysis of comments, considers 
overall program balance and objective, and makes a recommendation to 
the Division Chief.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and LLL mentioned in this 
notice are subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
and have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget, (OMB), 
under Control Numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, and 0348-0046. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to 
respond nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to 
comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information 
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

Application Kit

    An application kit, containing all required application forms and 
certifications is available by calling Sonya Parham, NIST Fire Research 
Grants Program (301) 975-6854. An application kit includes the 
following:

SF-424 (Rev. 4/92)--Application for Federal Assistance
SF-424A (Rev. 4/92)--Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs
SF-424B (Rev. 4/92)--Assurance-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

Additional Requirements

Past Performance

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

[[Page 3499]]

Preaward Activities

    Applicants who incur any costs prior to an award being made do so 
solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the Government. 
Notwithstanding any verbal assurance that may have been provided, there 
is no obligation on the part of NIST to cover preaward costs.

Primary Application 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,'' and the following explanations are hereby provided:
    1. Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension. Prospective 
participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 605) are subject to 
15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F., ``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., 
``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 Disclosure. Any applicant that has been 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, ``Certification 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.

Name Check Reviews

    All for-profit and non-profit applicants will be 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

    Applicants are reminded that a false statement may be grounds for 
denial or termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by 
fine or imprisonment.

Delinquent Federal Debts

    No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has an 
outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
    1. The delinquent account is paid in full;
    2. A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least one 
payment is received, or;
    3. Other arrangements satisfactory to DoC are made.

No Obligation for Future Funding

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

Federal Policies & Procedures

    Recipients and subrecipients under the Fire Research Grants Program 
are subject to all applicable Federal laws and Federal and Departmental 
policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial 
assistance awards. The Fire Research Grant 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.''

Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products

    Applicants are hereby notified that they are encouraged, to the 
greatest extent practicable, to purchase American-made equipment and 
products with funding provided under this program.

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 cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is 
less.

Executive Order Statement

    This funding notice was determined to be ``not significant'' for 
purposes of E.O. 12866.

    Dated: January 16, 1997.
Elaine Bunten-Mines,
Director, Program Office.
[FR Doc. 97-1653 Filed 1-22-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-M