[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 116 (Thursday, June 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32488-32489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15438]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Science


Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 99-21; 
Department of Energy Experimental Program To Stimulate Competitive 
Research (DOE/EPSCoR)

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice inviting research applications.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) of the Office of 
Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in keeping with its 
energy-related mission to assist in strengthening the Nation's 
scientific research enterprise through the support of science, 
engineering, and mathematics, announces its interest in receiving 
applications from eligible States for the support of the DOE/EPSCoR 
Program. The purpose of the DOE/EPSCoR Program is to enhance the 
capabilities of designated States to conduct nationally-competitive 
energy-related research and to develop science and engineering manpower 
in energy-related areas to meet current and future needs.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 p.m. 
E.S.T., December 1, 1999, in order to be accepted for merit review and 
to permit timely consideration for award in Fiscal Year 2000.

ADDRESSES: Formal applications referencing Program Notice 99-21, must 
be submitted to U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Grants 
and Contracts Division, SC-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 
20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 99-21. This address must also be used 
when 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 general questions concerning this 
Notice and the DOE/EPSCoR program, contact the following individual: 
Dr. Matesh N. Varma, DOE/EPSCoR Program Manager, Office of Basic Energy 
Sciences, SC-132, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, 
Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-3209, e-mail: 
([email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To continue to enhance the competitiveness 
of states and territories identified for participation in the 
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) by the 
National Science Foundation (NSF), DOE has decided to again restrict 
eligibility to the following states and territory: Alabama, Arkansas, 
Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, 
Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, 
Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
    An appropriate fiscal agent, acting on behalf of a state's EPSCoR 
Committee, may submit only one application in response to this program 
notice. It is the DOE/EPSCoR program policy to limit the Research 
Implementation awards to one active award per state. Therefore, only 
those EPSCoR states that have: (1) Not received a previous DOE/EPSCoR 
Research Implementation award, (2) ``graduated'' their previously 
supported Research Implementation award research clusters or (3) 
received final funding for their Research Implementation award in FY 
1999, are eligible to apply for FY 2000 funding.
    Awards issued under this Notice will provide funding for state 
program coordination, human resource development activities, and 
research, including a balanced portfolio of

[[Page 32489]]

student research activities spanning from K-12 to postgraduate 
students. The DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation award should be used 
to improve the academic research infrastructure of key science and 
technology areas identified by the state's EPSCoR governing committee 
as critical to the development of state and institutional research and 
development capability. The state's strategy to develop and utilize the 
scientific and technological resources that reside in its research 
universities should be described in its DOE/EPSCoR Research 
Implementation award application. In preparation for submitting an 
application, the EPSCoR governing committee within each state is 
expected to have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the strengths, 
weaknesses, and opportunities for development of its research 
institutions in support of overall state research and development 
objectives. Successful infrastructure improvement plans are likely to 
be those which are focussed on one or two energy-related research areas 
and which candidly represent the opportunities for enhanced academic 
R&D competitiveness, including the acquisition of sustained non-EPSCoR 
support. Most important, the state's infrastructure improvement 
strategy must have a high probability of realizing stated goals and 
objectives as judged by members of a DOE merit review panel. In all 
instances, performance milestones and a timetable for achieving such 
milestones are prerequisites for EPSCoR support. Priority will be given 
to applications that propose to develop new competitive research areas 
rather than those that propose to enhance or continue research areas 
that are already competitive. The DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation 
awards are not an appropriate mechanisms to provide support for 
individual faculty science and technology research projects. Requests 
for support of such projects should be directed to the DOE's ongoing 
research grant programs.

Program Funding

    Subject to Congressional authorization and approval of funds in FY 
2000 DOE anticipates an estimated $3.0 million will be available for 
awards to fund collaborative research and manpower development in 
energy-related science and engineering disciplines. Approximately four 
awards are anticipated in FY 2000 at a maximum award level of $750,000 
per year for a period of three years. Continuation funding for the 
awards will be contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds, 
progress of the research and continuing program need. Renewal 
applications beyond the initial three-year period will be considered 
for an additional two years, subject to continuing meritorious 
performance and progress in the previous award periods, as well as the 
value added of the proposed effort and the availability of funds.
    As a tangible measure of an applicant's commitment to the 
objectives of the DOE/EPSCoR Program, cost-sharing on a minimum one-to-
one ratio is a requirement of this program. Therefore, each application 
submitted requesting support from DOE under this Notice must provide, 
from non-Federal funds, an amount equal to or greater than the amount 
awarded by DOE; i.e., for every dollar provided by DOE, the recipient 
must provide a dollar or more from non-Federal sources for the project.

Applications

    The DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation awards are open to the 
entire range of energy-related disciplines supported by the Department 
of Energy. Additional information on the DOE Research Programs is 
available at the following web site addresses:

Department of Energy (General Information): http://www.doe.gov
Office of Science (formerly Energy Research): http://www.er.doe.gov
Basic Energy Sciences: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/bes/bes.html
Biological and Environmental Research: http://www.er.doe.gov/
production/ober/ober__top.html
Computational and Technology Research: http://www.er.doe.gov/octr/
index.html
Fusion Energy: http://www.ofe.er.doe.gov
High Energy and Nuclear Physics: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/henp/
henp.html
Office of Defense Programs: http://www.dp.doe.gov/Public/default.htm
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: http://
www.eren.doe.gov
Office of Fossil Energy: http://www.fe.doe.gov
Office of Environmental Management: http://www.em.doe.gov
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management: http://www.rw.doe.gov
Office of Nuclear Energy: http://www.ne.doe.gov
    Applications will be subjected to formal scientific merit review 
and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria listed 
in descending order of importance as codified at 10 CFR 605.10(d).
    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.

    Note: External peer reviewers are selected with regard to both 
their scientific expertise and the absence of conflict-of-interest 
issues. Non-federal reviewers will often be used, and submission of 
an application constitutes agreement that this is acceptable to the 
investigator(s) and the submitting institution.

    Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with researchers in other 
institutions, such as universities, industry, and nonprofit 
organizations. All projects will be evaluated using the same criteria, 
regardless of the submitting institution.
    General information about the development and submission of 
applications, eligibility, limitations, evaluation, and selection 
processes, and other policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR 
Part 605 and in the Application Guide for the Office of Science 
Financial Assistance Program. Electronic access to the Guide and 
required forms is available via the World Wide Web at: http://
www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.
    Specific guidance for the preparation of the DOE/EPSCoR Research 
Implementation applications may be found in the ``Supplemental 
Information Guidelines'' at website: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/
bes/EPSCoR/APPLI.HTM. Because of program specific information required 
and the overall complexity of the applications, the format and guidance 
included in the ``Supplemental Information Guidelines'' supercedes that 
of the general instructions for the preparation of an application to 
the Office of Science.
    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, D.C. on June 8, 1999.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 99-15438 Filed 6-16-99; 8:45 am]
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