[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 212 (Monday, November 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59349-59350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-29004]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Restricted Eligibility Support of Advanced Fossil 
Resource Utilization Research by Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities and Other Minority Institutions

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Energy Technology 
Center (FETC).

ACTION: Notice of restricted eligibility.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy announces that it intends to conduct 
a competitive Program Solicitation and award financial assistance 
(grants) to U.S. Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other 
Minority Institutions in support of innovative research and development 
of advanced concepts pertinent to fossil resource conversion and 
utilization. Applications will be subjected to a review by a DOE 
technical panel, and awards will be made to a limited number of 
applicants on the basis of the scientific merit of the application, 
application of relevant program policy factors, and the availability of 
funds. Collaboration with private industry is encouraged.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John R. Columbia, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Federal Energy Technology Center, Acquisition and Assistance 
Division, P.O. Box 10940, MS 921-143, Pittsburgh PA 15236-0940, 
Telephone: (412) 892-6219, FAX: (412) 892-6216. The solicitation 
(created in Word Perfect 6.1 for Windows) will be released on DOE's 
FETC World Wide Web Server Internet System (http://www.fetc.doe.gov/
business) on or about November 7, 1997. If applicants do not have 
Internet capability or experience difficulty accessing the solicitation 
file, a 3.5'' double sided/high density diskette copy of the 
solicitation will be available, upon receipt of a written request 
submitted via facsimile (fax) at (412) 892-6216 or e-mail at 
[email protected]. No telephone requests will be honored for 
request of diskettes.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title of Solicitation. ``Support of Advanced Fossil Resource 
Utilization Research by Historically Black Colleges and Universities 
and Other Minority Institutions''.
    Objectives. Through Program Solicitation No. DE-PS26-98FT40047, the 
Department of Energy seeks applications from Historically Black 
Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Other Minority Institutions (OMI) 
and HBCU/OMI-affiliated research institutes for innovative research and 
development of advanced concepts pertinent to fossil resource 
conversion and utilization. The resultant grants are intended to 
maintain and upgrade educational, training, and research capabilities 
of our HBCU/OMI in the fields of science and technology related to 
fossil energy resources; to foster private sector participation, 
collaboration, and interaction with HBCU/OMI; and to provide for the 
exchange of technical information and to raise the overall level of 
HBCU/OMI competitiveness with other institutions in the field of fossil 
energy research and development. Thus, the establishment of linkages 
between the HBCU/OMI and the private sector fossil energy community is 
critical to the success of this program, and consistent with the

[[Page 59350]]

Nation's goal of ensuring a future supply of fossil fuel scientists and 
engineers from a previously under-utilized resource.
    Eligibility. Eligibility for participation in this Program 
Solicitation is restricted to Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities (HBCU) and Other Minority Institutions (OMI) recognized by 
the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Education, and 
identified on the OCR's United States Department of Education list of 
U.S. Accredited Postsecondary Minority Institutions list in effect on 
the closing date of the program solicitation. Applications submitted by 
any institution not on OCR's aforementioned list are ineligible for 
technical evaluation and award. For information regarding the 
qualification criteria and process of becoming recognized by the 
Education Department's Office for Civil Rights as a ``Minority 
Institution'', institutions should contact the Education Department 
directly at the following address: Mr. Peter A. McCabe, Office for 
Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Washington DC 20202, 
Telephone (202) 205-9567. Note: The Education Department should only be 
contacted on matters related to Institutional status; questions 
regarding the Program Solicitation should be directed to Mr. Columbia 
at DOE by telefacsimile on (412) 892-6216.
    Applications from HBCU/OMI-affiliated research institutes must be 
submitted through the college or university with which they are 
affiliated. The university (not the university-affiliated research 
institute) will be the recipient of any resultant DOE grant award. 
Applications submitted in response to the solicitation must meet the 
following two criteria: the Principal Investigator or a Co-Principal 
Investigator must be a teaching professor at the submitting university 
listed in the application; and at least one student registered at the 
university is to be compensated for a significant portion of the work 
performed in the conduct of research proposed in the application. 
Although it is not required as an application qualification criterion, 
collaboration with the private sector is encouraged, and applications 
proposing private sector collaboration may be evaluated more favorably. 
The solicitation will contain a complete description of the technical 
evaluation factors and relative importance of each factor. 
Collaboration by the private sector with the HBCU/OMI may be in the 
form of cash cost sharing, consultation, HBCU/OMI access to industrial 
facilities or equipment, experimental data and/or equipment not 
available at the university, or as a subgrantee/subcontractor to the 
HBCU/OMI.
    Areas of Interest. In order to develop and sustain a national 
program of HBCU/OMI research in advanced and fundamental fossil fuel 
studies, the Department is interested in innovative research and 
development of advanced concepts pertinent to fossil fuel conversion 
and utilization limited to the following seven (7) technical topics:

Topic 1--Advanced Environmental Control Technology for Coal
Topic 2--Advanced Coal Utilization
Topic 3--Coal Liquefaction Technology
Topic 4--Heavy Oil Upgrading and Processing
Topic 5--Advanced Environmental and Recovery Technologies for Oil
Topic 6--Natural Gas Supply, Storage, and Processing
Topic 7--Faculty/Student Exploratory Grants

    Note: This is the only topic (Topic seven (7)) under this 
Program Solicitation wherein the inclusion or exclusion of private 
sector collaboration will not affect the technical evaluation of the 
application.

    Awards. DOE anticipates issuing financial assistance (grants) for 
each project selected. DOE reserves the right to support or not support 
any or all applications received in whole or in part, and to determine 
how many awards may be made through the solicitation subject to funds 
available in this fiscal year. The limitation on the maximum DOE 
funding for each selected grant to be awarded under this Program 
Solicitation is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Maximum  
                                                                award   
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Topics 1-6:                                                             
  To 12 months grant duration..............................   $85,000.00
  13--24 months grant duration.............................   150,000.00
  25--36 months grant duration.............................   200,000.00
Topic 7:                                                                
  To 12 months grant duration..............................    15,000.00
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    Approximately $850,000 is planned for this solicitation. The total 
should provide support for four to eight R&D application selections 
(Topics 1-6), and approximately two to four faculty/student exploratory 
application selections (Topic 7).
    Solicitation Release Date. The Program Solicitation is expected to 
be ready for release on or about November 7, 1997. Applications must be 
prepared and submitted in accordance with the instructions and forms 
contained in the Program Solicitation. To be eligible, applications 
must be Received by the designated DOE office by the closing time and 
date specified in the Program Solicitation (anticipated to be on or 
about December 19, 1997, at 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time).
Dale A. Siciliano,
Contracting Officer, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 97-29004 Filed 10-31-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P