[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 237 (Friday, December 8, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76986-76989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31328]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 000913258-0258-01; I.D. No 091100C]

RIN: 0648-ZA93


Announcement of Funding Opportunity for Research Project Grants

AGENCY: Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research/Coastal Ocean 
Program (CSCOR/COP), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Solicitation of proposals for undergraduate, graduate, and 
recently graduated students concerning career development in coastal 
ocean science, management, and policy.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this document is to advise the public that 
CSCOR/COP is soliciting 1-year and 2-year proposals for career 
development programs commencing in late Fiscal Year (FY 2001) with an 
anticipated start date of July 1, 2001. The purpose of these awards 
will be to support activities designed to facilitate and/or enhance the 
development of qualified professionals in the fields of coastal ocean 
science, management, and policy. The coastal ocean is inclusive of the 
near shore ocean, estuaries, and the Great Lakes.
    This notice solicits applications for proposals from eligible non-
Federal applicants. Proposals selected for funding from non-Federal 
researchers will be funded through a project grant. Proposals from 
academic institutions,

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particularly those that are Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), 
collaborate with MSIs, or serve minority students, are strongly 
encouraged.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of proposals at the COP office is 3 
p.m., EST, January 23, 2001. Note that late-arriving applications that 
were provided to a delivery service on or before January 22, 2001, with 
delivery guaranteed before 3 p.m., EST, on January 23, 2001, will be 
accepted for review if the applicant can document that the application 
was provided to the delivery service with delivery to the address 
listed below guaranteed prior to the specified closing date and time. 
Subject to the availability of funds and facilities, it is anticipated 
that final decisions on awards will be made by early March, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit the original and 10 copies of your proposal to the 
Coastal Ocean Program Office (Career 2001), SSMC 3, 9th Floor, 
Station 9700, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. NOAA and 
COP Standard Form Applications with instructions are accessible on the 
COP Internet site (http://www.cop.noaa.gov) under the COP Grants 
Support Section, Part D, Application Forms for Initial Proposal 
Submission. Forms may be viewed, and in most cases, filled in by 
computer. All forms must be printed, completed, and mailed to CSCOR/COP 
with original signatures. Blue ink for original signatures is 
recommended but not required. If you are unable to access this 
information, you may call CSCOR/COP at 301-713-3338 to leave a mailing 
request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical Information: Susan Banahan, 
Career 2001 Program Manager, COP Office, 301-713-3338/ext 115, 
Internet: [email protected];
    Business Management Information: Leslie McDonald, COP Grants 
Administrator, 301-713-3338/ext 137, Internet: 
[email protected].
    Further information on this program may be viewed at the COP 
internet site.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Program Description

    For complete Program Description and Other Requirements for the 
COP, see the General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions of the 
Coastal Ocean Program published in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, 
October 19, 2000) and at the COP home page.
    CSCOR/COP supports research programs designed to address critical 
management issues in the Nation's estuaries, coastal waters, and the 
Great Lakes. Its primary objective is to provide decision makers with 
high quality scientific information appropriate to promoting near-term 
improvements in coastal ecosystem management.
    In support of that objective, CSCOR/COP recognizes the need to 
foster the development of qualified professionals in the fields of 
coastal ocean science, management, and policy. It is the intent of 
CSCOR/COP to augment NOAA's existing programs in research and education 
and to increase the participation of minorities and under-represented 
students in coastal ocean sciences and resource management. The COP is 
soliciting proposals describing a coherent program designed to develop 
techniques and skills in professional networking, job hunting, proposal 
writing, and in preparation of presentations, and publishing for recent 
graduates, graduate or undergraduate students, including minorities or 
under-represented students considering careers in coastal ocean 
science, resource management and policy.
    Examples of such activities could include, but are not limited to 
establishing an invited speaker series; mini-courses, workshops, or 
special sessions at national meetings (e.g., sessions on career options 
in research, management agencies, consulting, environmental education, 
non-governmental organizations, and so forth.); funding to support 
student attendance, including minority and under-represented students, 
at appropriate national meetings or workshops; establishing networking 
or instructional websites; and establishing mentoring programs and/or 
internships with research institutes, management offices, non-
governmental agencies, etc. This announcement is not soliciting 
proposals for research projects.
    Proposals should provide detailed descriptions and time line for 
proposed activities, including any reports to be generated. Where 
appropriate, letters indicating collaboration with other entities or 
investigators not named in the proposal should be included. Proposals 
should also include the means to evaluate and measure project 
effectiveness.

Part I: Schedule and Proposal Submission

    This notice requests full proposals only. The provisions for 
proposal preparation provided here are mandatory. Proposals received 
after the published deadline or proposals that deviate from the 
prescribed format will be returned to the sender without further 
consideration. Information regarding this announcement, additional 
background information, and required Federal forms are available on the 
COP home page.

Full Proposals

    Applications submitted in response to this announcement require an 
original proposal and 10 proposal copies at time of submission. This 
includes color or high-resolution graphics, unusually sized materials 
(i.e., not 8.5 x 11 inches or 21.6 cm x 28 cm), or otherwise unusual 
materials submitted as part of the proposal. For color graphics, submit 
either color originals or color copies. The stated requirements for 10 
proposal copies provide for a timely review process. Facsimile 
transmissions and electronic mail submission of full proposals will not 
be accepted.

Required Elements

    All recipients must closely follow the following seven elements in 
the preparation of proposals. Part II: Further Supplementary 
Information of this Document provides additional, necessary 
information.
    (1) Signed summary title page: The title page should be signed by 
the Principal Investigator (PI) and the institutional representative. 
The summary title page identifies the project's title starting with 
``Career 2001,'' a short title ( less than 50 characters), and the lead 
PI's name and affiliation, complete address, phone, FAX, and E-mail 
information. The requested budget for each fiscal year should be 
included on the summary title page. Multi-institution proposals must 
include signed summary title pages from each institution.
    (2) One-page abstract/project summary: The Project Summary 
(Abstract) Form, which is to be submitted at time of application, shall 
include an introduction describing the program/department and 
institution in which the career development activities will be 
conducted, the career development activity(s) to be completed, and the 
expected outcome(s). The prescribed COP format for the Project Summary 
Form can be found on the COP Internet site under the COP Grants Support 
section, Part D.
    The summary should appear on a separate page, headed with the 
proposal title, institution(s), investigator(s), total proposed cost, 
and budget period. It should be written in the third person. The 
summary helps compare proposals quickly and allows the respondents to 
summarize these key points in their own words.
    (3) Statement of work/project description: The project description

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section must not exceed eight pages. Page limits are inclusive of 
figures and other visual materials, but exclusive of references and 
milestone chart. The proposed 1- or 2-year project must be completely 
described, including a brief description of the academic program. The 
description of career development objectives, proposed activities, 
participants, and means of measuring effectiveness, and a brief 
synopsis of relevant results from any similar career development 
programs supervised by the proposing investigator(s) must be included.
    Project management should be clearly identified with a description 
of the functions of each investigator, if more than one. A full 
justification, not a reiteration of the justifications presented in 
this document, must be provided. This section should also include:
    (a) The objective for the period of proposed work and its expected 
significance and impact.
    (b) The relation to other ongoing career development activities 
and/or programs.
    (c) A discussion of how the proposed project lends value to the 
stated COP objectives.
    (d) Potential coordination with other investigators, programs, 
departments, or institutions.
    (e) References cited. Reference information is required. Each 
reference must include the names of all authors in the same sequence in 
which they appear in the publications, the article title, volume 
number, page numbers, and year of publications. This section should 
include bibliographic citations only and should not be used to provide 
parenthetical information outside the 8-page project description.
    (4) Milestone chart: Provide time lines of major tasks covering the 
duration of the proposed project, up to 24 months.
    (5) Budget and Application Forms: Both NOAA and COP-specific 
application forms may be obtained at the COP Grants website. Forms may 
be viewed, and in most cases, filled in by computer. All forms must be 
printed, completed, and mailed to CSCOR/COP; original signatures in 
blue ink are encouraged. If applicants are unable to access this 
information they may call the CSCOR/COP grants administrator listed in 
the section FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    At time of proposal submission, all applicants shall submit the 
Standard Form, SF-424 (Rev 7-97) Application for Federal Assistance, to 
indicate the total amount of funding proposed for the whole project 
period. Applicants will also submit a COP Summary Proposal Budget Form 
for each fiscal year increment. Multi-institution proposals must 
include a Summary Proposal Budget Form from each institution.
    Use of this budget form will provide for a detailed annual budget 
and for the level of detail required by the COP program staff to 
evaluate the effort to be invested by investigators and staff on a 
specific project. The COP budget form is compatible with forms in use 
by other agencies that participate in joint projects with COP and can 
be found on the COP home page under COP Grants Support, Part D, or may 
be requested from the COP Grants Administrator.
    All applicants shall include a budget narrative and a justification 
that support all proposed budget categories. The program office will 
review the proposed budgets to determine the necessity and adequacy of 
proposed costs for accomplishing the objectives of the proposed grant.
    Applicants who are subsequently recommended for award will be 
instructed to furnish the other required standard NOAA forms provided 
on the COP home page.
    (6) Biographical sketch: With each proposal, there should be an 
abbreviated curriculum vitae, two pages per investigator, and a list of 
all persons (including their organizational affiliation), in 
alphabetical order, who have collaborated on a project, book, article, 
or paper within the last 48 months. If there are no collaborators, this 
should be so indicated. Students, post-doctoral associates, and 
graduate and postgraduate advisors of the PI should also be disclosed. 
This information helps to identify potential conflicts of interest or 
bias in the selection of reviewers.
    (7) Proposal format and assembly: The original proposal should be 
clamped in the upper left-hand corner, but left unbound. The 10 
required copies can be stapled in the upper left-hand corner or bound 
on the left edge. The page margin must be one inch (2.5 cm) margins at 
the top, bottom, left and right, and the type face standard 12 points 
size must be clear and easily legible.

Part II: Further Supplementary Information

    (1) Program authorities: For a list of all program authorities for 
the Coastal Ocean Program, see General Grant Administration Terms and 
Conditions of the Coastal Ocean Program published in the Federal 
Register (65 FR 62706, October 19, 2000) and at the COP home page. 
Specific authority cited for this announcement is 15 U.S.C. 1540.
    (2) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 11.478 Coastal 
Ocean Program.
    (3) Program description: For complete COP program descriptions, see 
General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions of the Coastal Ocean 
Program published in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, October 19, 
2000).
    (4) Funding availability: Funding is contingent upon the 
availability of Federal appropriations for FY 2001 and FY 2002. It is 
anticipated that up to a total of $100,000 will be available per fiscal 
year in FY 2001 and FY 2002 for supporting activities proposed by 
submissions to this announcement.
    If an application is selected for funding, DOC/NOAA has no 
obligation to provide any additional future funding in connection with 
that award beyond the specified period of performance. Renewal of an 
award or amendment of an award to increase funding or to extend the 
period of performance is based on satisfactory performance and is at 
the total discretion of the DOC/NOAA.
    Publication of this document does not obligate the COP to any 
specific award or to any part of the entire amount of funds available. 
Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and agency 
policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial 
assistance awards.
    (5) Matching requirements: None.
    (6) Eligibility criteria: Eligible applicants are institutions of 
higher education and other non-profits. All applications will be 
competed against each other. Proposals selected for funding from non-
Federal applicants will be funded through a project grant or a 
cooperative agreement under the terms of this notice.
    Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are especially encouraged to 
submit proposals. Other academic institutions are encouraged to 
collaborate with MSI(s). MSI(s) include institutions of higher 
education identified by the Department of Education as Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions or 
Tribal Colleges and Universities.
    DOC requirements will prevail if there is a conflict between those 
requirements and institutional requirements. Federal employees may not 
apply for funding, however Federal employees may be included in 
projects as unfunded collaborators.
    (7) Award period: Full Proposals should cover a project period of 1 
or 2 years, with a start date of July 1, 2001. Multi-year project 
period funding may be funded incrementally on an annual

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basis; but, once awarded, multi-year projects will not compete for 
funding in the subsequent year. Each award shall require a Statement of 
Work which represents substantial accomplishments that can be easily 
separated into annual increments if prospective funding is not made 
available, or is discontinued.
    (8) Indirect costs: If indirect costs are proposed, the following 
statement applies: The total dollar amount of the indirect costs 
proposed in an application must not exceed the indirect cost rate 
negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency prior to the 
proposed effective date of the award.
    (9) Project funding priorities: For description of project funding 
priorities, see General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions of 
the COP published in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, October 19, 
2000) and at the COP home page.
    (10) Evaluation criteria: The following criteria and assigned 
evaluation weights will be used for evaluating proposals:
    (a) Rationale (10 percent): How well the proposed project addresses 
the stated objectives;
    (b) Approach (10 percent): Innovativeness of the project approach 
to meeting its stated objectives;
    (c) Program Plan (40 percent): Program plans should explain the 
following: the effectiveness of the proposed activities in furthering 
the careers of students and/or recent graduates, including minority and 
under-represented students, in the coastal ocean sciences, resource 
management, and policy; how the proposed activities will complement 
existing in-house programs; what new opportunities will be developed 
for students and the expected outcomes; how many students are expected 
to participate; what type of plan is developed for determining the 
effectiveness of the project, especially in terms of impact on student 
and/or recent graduates opportunities; how proposed activities will be 
accomplished within the grant period; and upon completion of the 
project, how the activities will be incorporated into the institution's 
programs;
    (d) Qualifications of the Project Personnel (20 percent): 
Qualifications and demonstrated ability of the investigators within 
their area of expertise; the ability of the investigators to complete 
the proposed project successfully; previous experience of investigator 
in managing or designing educational enhancement programs; and 
participating institute has the appropriate resources to carry out the 
proposed activities;
    (e) Linkages (10 percent): Collaboration with other programs, 
departments, MSI, or other educational, research, or management 
institutions;
    (f) Costs (10 percent): The proposed budget is reasonable and 
adequate to accomplish the proposed work within the specified period of 
performance.
    (11) Selection procedures: For complete information on selection 
procedures, refer to General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions 
of the COP published in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, October 19, 
2000) and at the COP home page. All proposals received under this 
specific Federal Register notice will be evaluated and ranked 
individually in accordance with the assigned weights of the above 
evaluation criteria through independent peer review. Both Federal and 
non-Federal experts in the field may be used in this process.
    Investigators may be asked to modify objectives, work plans or 
budgets, and provide supplemental information required by the DOC/NOAA 
prior to the award. When a decision has been made (whether an award or 
declination), verbatim copies of reviews and summaries of review panel 
deliberations, if any, will be made available to the proposer.
    (12) Other requirements: Intergovernmental Review: Applications 
under this program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.'' For a complete 
description of other requirements, see General Grant Administration 
Terms and Conditions of the COP published in the Federal Register (65 
FR 62706, October 19, 2000) and at the COP Home Page.
    (13) Pursuant to Executive Orders 12876, 12900, and 13021, DOC/NOAA 
is strongly committed to broadening the participation of Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and 
Tribal Colleges and Universities in its educational and research 
programs. The DOC/NOAA vision, mission, and goals are to achieve full 
participation by MSI(s) in order to advance the development of human 
potential, to strengthen the nation's capacity to provide high-quality 
education, and to increase opportunities for MSI to participate in, and 
benefit from, Federal Financial Assistance programs. DOC/NOAA 
encourages all applicants to include meaningful participation of 
MSI(s).
    (14) Applicants are hereby notified that they are encouraged, to 
the greatest practicable extent, to purchase American-made equipment 
and products with funding provided under this program.
    (15) This notification involves collection-of-information 
requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of 
Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and SF-LLL has been approved by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control numbers 0348-0043, 
0348-0044, 0348-0040 and 0348-0046.
    The following requirements have been approved by OMB under control 
number 0648-0384; a Summary Proposal Budget Form (30 minutes per 
response), a Project Summary Form (30 minutes per response), a 
standardized format for the Annual Performance Report (5 hours per 
response), a standardized format for the Final Report (10 hours per 
response), and the submission of up to 20 copies of proposals (10 
minutes per response). The response estimates include the time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate 
or any other aspect of this collection of information, including 
suggestions for reducing this burden, to [email protected]. 
Copies of these forms and formats can be found on the COP home page 
under Grants Support sections, Parts D and F.
    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure 
to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements 
of the PRA unless that collection displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

    Dated: December 1, 2000.
John Oliver,
Director, Management and Budget Office, National Ocean Service.
[FR Doc. 00-31328 Filed 12-7-00; 8:45 am]
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