[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 129 (Monday, July 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36272-36274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17610]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Research


Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 97-15; 
Partnerships for Academic-Industrial Research (PAIR) in Support of 
Energy-Relevant Fundamental Research

AGENCIES: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Office of Energy 
Research (ER), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hereby announces its 
interest in receiving grant applications for performance of basic 
research to support important, long-term national objectives in energy 
relevant research. The purpose of this program is to promote research 
activities involving academic researchers, their students, and 
industrial researchers.

DATES: Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief 
preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 97-15, 
should be received by DOE by 4:30 P.M., November 5, 1997. A response 
discussing the potential program relevance of a formal application 
generally will be communicated to the applicant within 30 days of 
receipt. The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 P.M., 
January 14, 1998, in order to be accepted for merit review and to 
permit timely consideration for award in Fiscal Year 1998.

ADDRESSES: All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 97-15, 
should be sent to Dr. Paul H. Maupin, Division of Chemical Sciences, 
ER-14, Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290.
    After receiving notification from DOE concerning successful 
preapplications, applicants may prepare formal applications and send 
them to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research, Grants 
and Contracts Division, ER-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, 
Maryland 20874-1290, Attn: Program Notice 97-15. The above address must 
also be used when

[[Page 36273]]

submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service Express, any commercial 
mail delivery service, or when hand carried by the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning research 
topics in specific technical areas, contact the following individuals 
in the appropriate division of interest:

Dr. Paul H. Maupin, Chemical Sciences Division, ER-14, Office of Energy 
Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, 
MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-4355, e-mail: 
[email protected]
Dr. Gregory L. Dilworth, Division of Energy Biosciences, ER-17, Office 
of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, 
Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-2873, email: 
[email protected]
Dr. Robert Price, (Engineering), Engineering and Geosciences Division, 
ER-15, Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-3565, 
email: [email protected]
Dr. Wolfgang Wawersik, (Geosciences), Engineering and Geosciences 
Division, ER-15, Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 
19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-
5829, email: [email protected]
Dr. Timothy Fitzsimmons, Materials Sciences Division, ER-13, Office of 
Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, 
Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-9830, email: 
[email protected]

    Investigators may also wish to obtain information about a related 
funding opportunity entitled: ``Energy and Waste Minimization Research 
Supportive of Technology Vision 2020: The Chemical Industry''. Contact: 
Office of Industrial Technologies, EE-20, U. S. Department of Energy, 
1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC, 20585, web site: 
www.oit.doe.gov/IOF/chemicals/

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE encourages submission of applications to 
conduct high-quality basic research on fundamental issues important to 
the efficient, economical, safe, and environmentally responsible 
production and use of energy that will involve interactions of the 
academic basic research community with the industrial research 
community. Because the transition from discovery to development and 
deployment is not a linear process and because both basic and applied 
researchers contribute to problem definition, discovery, and 
understanding, this program seeks to promote, encourage, and facilitate 
partnerships between researchers in the academic and industrial 
sectors. In particular, emphasis is placed on stimulating interactions 
between a principal investigator in an institution of higher learning 
with a counterpart in industry with significant involvement of 
students.
    Applications received by ER under its normal competitive 
application mechanisms may also be deemed appropriate for consideration 
under this announcement and may be funded under this program.
    Information Regarding Applications for Assistance: The ER 
encourages the submission of applications that will foster substantive 
partnerships between researchers in academia and researchers in 
appropriate and relevant industries in order to:
    1. Strengthen interactions between those engaged in long-term, 
curiosity driven research and those involved in focused research.
    2. Provide increased awareness in both sectors of the problems of 
focused research and the problems and opportunities afforded by long-
term pre-competitive research.
    3. Provide opportunities for joint problem definition.
    4. Provide opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows to 
work in an industrial setting.
    5. Address and solve important, outstanding fundamental problems 
associated with the efficient, economical, safe, and environmentally 
responsible production and use of energy.
    In addition to the usual description of the proposed work, the 
application must include the following information and meet the 
following requirements:
    1. There must be evidence of a working relationship between the 
academic and industrial research partners.
    2. The fundamental scientific problem must be clearly expressed.
    3. The field of inquiry must fall within the scope of the research 
activities currently supported by BES. (For information on the scope of 
these activities, including references to publications of workshops and 
conferences sponsored by BES or its subsidiary divisions, refer to 
http://www.er.doe.gov/production/bes/bes.html.) The appropriate BES 
division should be specified on the cover page of the application.
    4. Individual value to both the academic and the industrial 
research partners must be stated and explained. There should be clear 
objectives, not necessarily the same, for each participant.
    5. The proposed interactions between the academic and the 
industrial research partners should be described. The nature of this 
interaction may take many forms, but it is expected to include 
reciprocal visits. In addition, the application must include support 
for graduate and/or post graduate students who will spend at least four 
weeks a year in the industrial setting. Graduate student activities 
should fall within the scope of requirements needed to fulfill an 
advanced degree.
    6. Cost sharing is not expected; however, the industrial partner 
will be expected to pay incremental costs associated with student and 
faculty visits on site.
    7. It should be the intention of the principal investigator to 
publish the results of the supported research in the peer-reviewed, 
archival scientific literature.
    It is anticipated that approximately $1,500,000 will be available 
in FY 1998 for research that encourages and facilitates interactive 
efforts between the academic and industrial communities. Multiple-year 
funding of grant awards is expected subject to satisfactory progress in 
the research and the availability of funds. For the grant to receive 
continuation funds at the end of each year, there must be evidence of 
substantial interactions between the university and the industrial 
research partners. Awards are expected to range from $50,000 annually 
to $150,000 annually with terms from one to three years. The number of 
awards and range of funding will depend on the number of applications 
received and selected for award.
    To minimize undue effort on the part of applicants and reviewers, 
interested parties are invited and encouraged to submit 
preapplications. The preapplications will be reviewed relative to the 
scope and research needs of the DOE's Basic Energy Sciences Program. 
The brief preapplication should consist of two to three pages of 
narrative describing the research objectives and methods of 
accomplishment. Telephone and FAX numbers are required parts of the 
preapplication, and electronic mail addresses are desirable. ER's 
preapplication guidelines can be found on the ER Grants and Contracts 
Web Site at: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/preapp.html

[[Page 36274]]

    Applications will be subjected to formal merit review and will be 
evaluated against the following criteria, which are listed in order of 
importance as set forth in 10 CFR Part 605:
    1. Scientific and/or technical merit of the project.
    2. Appropriateness of the proposed method or approach.
    3. Competency of applicant's personnel and adequacy of proposed 
resources.
    4. Reasonableness and appropriateness of the proposed budget.
    The evaluation will include program policy factors such as the 
relevance of the proposed research to the terms of the announcement and 
the agency's programmatic needs. General information about development 
and submission of applications, eligibility, limitations, evaluations 
and selection process, and other policies and procedures may be found 
in the Application Guide for the Office of Energy Research Financial 
Assistance Program and 10 CFR Part 605. Electronic access to the 
Application Guide is possible via the Internet using the following Web 
site address: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html

(The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program 
is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part 
605)

    Issued in Washington, DC on June 25, 1997.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.
[FR Doc. 97-17610 Filed 7-3-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P