[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 224 (Monday, November 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63800-63801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30361]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 00-03; 
Fundamental Plant and Microbial Research in Carbon Management

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice inviting grant 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), hereby announces its 
interest in receiving applications for research grants in the area of 
fundamental research underlying potential strategies to reduce or limit 
gaseous carbon production from fossil fuel use. Research-related 
activities in areas of interest to the Division of Energy Biosciences 
include biochemical, molecular genetic, and cellular mechanisms of 
carbon fixation metabolism in plants and microbes.

DATES: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief 
preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 00-03, 
should be received by DOE by January 12, 2000. A response regarding the 
potential program relevance of the preapplication and encouraging or 
discouraging a formal application will be communicated to the applicant 
by January 31, 2000.
    The deadline for receipt of formal applications is March 1, 2000, 
in order to be accepted for merit review and to permit timely 
consideration for award in Fiscal Year 2000.

ADDRESSES: All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 00-03, 
should be sent to Dr. Gregory L. Dilworth, Division of Energy 
Biosciences, SC-17, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290.
    Formal applications, referencing Program Notice 00-03, should be 
sent 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 00-03. This address must also be used when 
submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail or any 
other commercial overnight delivery service, or when hand-carried by 
the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning research 
topics in specific technical areas, contact: Dr. Gregory L. Dilworth, 
Division of Energy Biosciences, SC-17, Office of Science, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, 
telephone (301) 903-2873, fax (301) 903-1003, e-mail: 
[email protected]
    The full text of Program Notice 00-03 is available via the Internet 
using the following web site address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/
grants/grants.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Conversion of sunlight to fuels and 
chemicals by plants and microorganisms and the interconversion of 
greenhouse gases requires a better understanding of plant and microbial 
biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, and the structure and 
function of enzymes and sub-cellular components. Areas of specific 
interest include fundamental understanding in photosynthesis, 
photochemistry, photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic carbon fixation, 
plant and microbial carbon biochemistry, regulatory control of plant 
assimilate allocation and transport, molecular regulatory mechanisms 
controlling carbon metabolism, and related areas of bioscience.

Program Funding

    It is anticipated that up to $4.8 million will be available for 
multiple grant awards to be made in FY 2000. Multiple year funding of 
grant awards is expected, and is also contingent on the availability of 
appropriated funds, progress of the research, and continuing program 
need. Applications received by the Office of Science under its normal 
competitive application mechanisms may also be deemed appropriate for 
consideration under this announcement and may be funded under this 
program.
    Applicants may collaborate with researchers in other institutions, 
such as industry, non-profit organizations, federal laboratories and 
Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), including 
the DOE National Laboratories. A parallel announcement with a similar 
potential total amount of funds will be issued for DOE Federally Funded 
Research and Development Centers. All projects will be evaluated using 
the same criteria, regardless of the submitting institution.
    Applications will be subjected to scientific merit review (peer 
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 
this 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.

[[Page 63801]]

    Information about the development, submission of applications, 
eligibility, 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. On the SC grant face page, form DOE F 4650.2, in 
block 15, also provide the PI's phone number, fax number and e-mail 
address. The research description must be 10 pages or less, exclusive 
of figure illustrations, and must contain an abstract or summary of the 
proposed research (to include the hypotheses being tested and the 
proposed experimental design). Attachments include curriculum vitae, a 
listing of all current and pending federal support, and letters of 
intent when collaborations are part of the proposed research.

    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 12, 1999.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 99-30361 Filed 11-19-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P