[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 224 (Monday, November 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63798-63800]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30359]



[[Page 63798]]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 00-04: 
Biotechnological Investigations--Ocean Margins Program (BI-OMP)

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice inviting research grant applications.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) of 
the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby 
announces its interest in receiving research applications involving the 
use of molecular biological and biogeochemical techniques to understand 
the linkages between carbon and nitrogen cycles (primary production and 
microbial processes) in ocean margins. This information is critical to 
understanding carbon fixation and sequestration in ocean margin 
ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles. Applications must involve 
mutually collaborative partnerships between institutions with a strong 
tradition of research in marine sciences and those institutions with 
developing research capabilities in marine science. Partnerships are 
particularly encouraged with institutions that traditionally have 
served groups under represented in the sciences. The goals of such 
collaborative research projects are to enhance the research 
capabilities of both institutions, to promote significant interactions 
between institutions, to foster long-term collaboration among 
investigators, and to advance understanding at the molecular and 
biogeochemical level of the linkages between nitrogen cycling and 
carbon fixation and sequestration in coastal oceans.

DATES: To permit timely consideration for awards in Fiscal Year 2000 
and early Fiscal Year 2001, formal applications submitted in response 
to this notice must be received by 4:30 p.m., E.S.T., February 10, 
2000.

ADDRESSES: Formal applications referencing Program Notice 00-04 should 
be forwarded 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 00-04. This address also must be used 
when submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail or any 
commercial mail delivery service, or when hand-carried by the 
applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Anna Palmisano, Environmental 
Sciences Division, SC-74, Office of Biological and Environmental 
Research, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-9963, 
e-mail: [email protected], fax: (301) 903-8519. The full 
text of Program Notice 00-04 is available via the Internet using the 
following web site address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/
grants.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The primary research goal of the 
Biotechnological Investigation--Ocean Margins Program is to establish a 
more thorough understanding of the molecular to global scale links and 
feedback mechanisms between solar irradiance, marine microbial 
activity, primary productivity, carbon and nitrogen cycles and 
remotely-sensed ocean color data. Specifically, DOE seeks applications 
to:
    I. Apply new and innovative techniques in marine molecular biology 
and marine biotechnology to assess fixation of carbon dioxide from the 
atmosphere, determine the mechanisms and processes that control the 
dynamics of nitrogen fixation or denitrification in coastal waters and 
sediments, define the coupling and/or decoupling of carbon and nitrogen 
cycles in coastal environments, and determine the linkages between the 
function and structure of microbial communities mediating carbon and 
nitrogen cycling in coastal environments, and
    II. Examine the environmental factors (including nutrient 
availability, temperature, irradiance, and biopolymer lability) that 
affect the linkages between primary productivity, the utilization of 
particulate and dissolved organic matter (POM and DOM) by bacterial 
populations, and nitrogen cycling in coastal areas.
    This information is crucial to understanding the responses of 
marine biological systems to changes in atmospheric radiative budgets 
and global biogeochemical cycles.

Program Relationships

    The Biotechnological Investigations--Ocean Margins Program is 
expected to build on past research results and accomplishments within 
the Ocean Margins Program (OMP) component of the Biological and 
Environmental Research (BER) program. The main objective of OMP was 
determining whether primary productivity on continental shelves is 
quantitatively significant in removing carbon dioxide (CO2) 
from the atmosphere. Other objectives of the OMP were: (1) Quantifying 
the ecological and biogeochemical processes that affect the cycling, 
flux, and storage of carbon and other biogenic elements at the land/
ocean interface; and (2) Defining ocean margin sources and sinks in 
global biogeochemical cycles.
    Under the first phase of BI-OMP, molecular biological techniques 
were developed, adapted, and applied to determine how biological 
processes are regulated and controlled by genetic limitations and 
environmental variables. Research emphasis was placed on molecular 
regulation of photosynthetic carbon reduction by phytoplankton; 
molecular diagnostic markers of bacterial growth, production, and 
nutrient limitations to growth, and; molecular techniques for 
elucidating metabolic pathways.
    Research in Biotechnological Investigations--Oceans Margins Program 
will complement ongoing OBER efforts in the area of ocean carbon 
sequestration. The Carbon Management Science Program is funding a DOE 
Center for Ocean Carbon Sequestration Research jointly lead by the 
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National 
Laboratory.
    The Center is performing research necessary to evaluate the 
feasibility, effectiveness and environmental acceptability of 
sequestration of carbon in the ocean, either through direct injection 
of carbon dioxide to ocean depths or by fertilization of the ocean with 
limiting nutrients such as iron. The Carbon Management Science Program 
also is supporting the sequencing of microorganisms involved in ocean 
carbon cycling including Prochlorococcus marinus.

Biotechnological Investigations--Ocean Margins Program (BI-OMP)

    BI-OMP is an outgrowth of the Ocean Margins Program (OMP). It 
places an increased emphasis on the application of modern molecular 
tools to marine microbes and their role in carbon and nitrogen cycling, 
and processes affecting global change. Photosynthetic rates in the 
ocean, and sequestration of atmospheric CO2 by marine 
primary production greatly depend on the availability of fixed 
inorganic nitrogen. Three major external sources of fixed inorganic 
nitrogen are cultural eutrophication of the coastal zone; atmospheric 
deposition of anthropogenic and naturally produced oxides of nitrogen; 
and nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere by microorganisms.
    Research in Temperate and High Latitude coastal areas indicates 
that the availability and cycling of nitrogen is likely to be the major 
control on primary productivity and carbon cycling in these

[[Page 63799]]

areas. Moreover, it appears that denitrification (the reduction of 
fixed nitrogen to N2) overwhelms nitrogen fixation by 
cyanobacteria in Northern Latitude waters and sediments. In these 
areas, there does not appear to be paucity of iron (Fe) to limit 
nitrogen fixation, but nitrogenase activity may be inhibited by the 
elevated concentrations of ammonia (NH3) that occur in 
Arctic waters following phytoplankton blooms. Since little is known 
about the rates of nitrogen fixation, primary productivity, and 
bacterial respiration in cold water areas, this notice calls for 
applications to help understand the molecular to global scale links and 
feedback mechanisms between solar irradiance, marine microbiology, 
coastal nitrogen and carbon cycles, primary productivity, and remotely-
sensed ocean color data in the low-temperature waters, such as those 
off Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
    Although it is anticipated that most of the research performed will 
be laboratory-based, if field studies are necessary, they should be 
conducted in the coastal waters, including those off the North Slope of 
Alaska and Pacific Northwest; or, in the estuarine and shelf waters of 
the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico; Savannah River and South 
Atlantic Bight; or Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic Bight. Applications 
that are solely concerned with the taxonomic characterization or 
distributions of bacteria, or the identification of new biochemicals or 
enzymes from marine organisms, are excluded from consideration within 
this notice.

Application of Molecular Tools to Microbes Mediating Carbon and 
Nitrogen Cycling

    This notice encourages applications that use molecular approaches 
to study marine microbial processes, in particular, carbon and nitrogen 
cycling. Insights can be gained from application of biotechnological 
tools to carbon sequestration and storage, nitrogen fixation and 
denitrification. Knowledge of the genes responsible for these 
processes, and most importantly, the expression of these genes in 
marine environments is needed. The mechanisms by which environmental 
factors regulate gene expression in ocean margin environments will help 
us to understand the natural controls on these processes.
    The advent of modern molecular biology has provided powerful tools 
for examining genes and gene expression. Molecular methods are now 
being applied to research problems in marine biology, including the 
enzymes involved in carbon fixation (e.g., ribulose bisphosphate 
carboxylase), nitrogen fixation (e.g., nitrogenase) and denitrification 
(e.g., nitrate reductase). Examples of enabling biotechnologies include 
in situ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify specific catabolic 
genes within bacterial cells, and fluorescent in situ hybridization 
(FISH) to elucidate genotypes in microbial communities. A fundamental 
knowledge of molecular regulatory mechanisms of photosynthesis and 
nitrogen cycling in the oceans is needed.

Environmental Factors That Affect Linkages Between Carbon and 
Nitrogen Cycling

    Environmental factors such as nutrient availability, temperature, 
irradiance, and biopolymer lability affect the coupling and decoupling 
of primary production, bacterial respiration, POM and DOM formation, 
and nitrogen metabolism in coastal areas. The impact of individual 
environmental factors and synergistic effects of multiple environmental 
factors, on these processes is poorly understood. This notice 
encourages applications that address the environmental controls on 
carbon and nitrogen cycles, and their coupling and decoupling. An 
understanding of these linkages is critical to monitoring and 
predicting potential changes due to physical, chemical or biological 
factors, and may ultimately contribute to the development of algorithms 
for use in interpreting remotely sensed ocean color data.

Collaborative Partnerships

    Research applications shall include a mutually collaborative 
partnership between institutions that have a strong tradition of 
research in the marine sciences and those institutions with developing 
research capabilities in marine science. Participation of institutions 
with a high proportion of groups that are under represented in the 
sciences are particularly encouraged. Examples of collaborative 
activities include co-investigator status, periodic exchanges of 
researcher-in-residence between institutions, and joint supervision of 
research students. It is critical that both institutions have key roles 
in the collaboration. One institution should serve as the primary 
applicant with a subcontract to the collaborative institution. The 
application should:
     Clearly state the nature of the collaborative research 
agreement between the institutions;
     Define respective research roles and responsibilities of 
scientists at each institution;
     Describe how the partnership between the institutions will 
be effected (e.g., team meetings, shared students, etc.); and
     Provide separate institutional budgets.
    In addition, the applicants will need to show how their proposed 
collaborative research addresses the goals stated in this notice and 
convey a commitment to developing research partnerships between 
respective institutions. Additional information on collaboration is 
available in the Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial 
Assistance Program that is available via the Internet at http://
www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/Colab.html.
    It is anticipated that a total of up to $2 million will be 
available for multiple grants awarded in FY2000 and FY2001, contingent 
upon availability of appropriated funds. Applications may request 
project support up to three years, with out-year support contingent on 
availability of funds, progress of the research and programmatic needs. 
Annual budgets are expected to range from approximately $50,000 
depending on the number of partnerships involved the nature of the 
research proposed. Applications should include detailed budgets for 
each year of support requested.
    Applications will be subjected to formal merit review (peer review) 
and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria which 
are listed in descending order of importance 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 may be used, and 
submission of an application constitutes agreement that this is 
acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
    Information about the development, submission of applications, 
eligibility,

[[Page 63800]]

limitations, evaluation, the selection process, 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 made available via 
the World Wide Web at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/
grants.html. In addition, for this notice, the Project Description must 
be 20 pages or less, exclusive of attachments, and the application must 
contain a Table of Contents, an abstract or project summary, letters of 
intent from collaborators (if any) and short curriculum vitae 
consistent with National Institutes of Health guidelines. On the SC 
grant face page, form DOE F4650.2, in block 15, also provide the PI's 
phone number, fax number, and E-mail address. Lengthy application 
appendices are not encouraged.
    The Office of Science as part of its grant regulations requires at 
10 CFR 605.11(b) that a recipient receiving a grant and performing 
research involving recombinant DNA molecules and/or organisms and 
viruses containing recombinant DNA molecules shall comply with NIH 
``Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules,'' which 
is available via the world wide web at: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/
biosafe/nih/rdna-apr98.pdf, (59 FR 34496, July 5, 1994), or such later 
revision of those guidelines as may be published in the Federal 
Register.

    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 November 8, 1999.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 99-30359 Filed 11-19-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-U