[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 20, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15689-15694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-6892]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Science Foundation

[Docket 000127019-0323-02; I.D. 111500D]
RIN: 0648-ZA77


Announcement of Funding Opportunity to Submit Proposals for the 
Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics Project

AGENCIES: 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); and 
the National Science Foundation (NSF), Directorate for Geosciences, 
Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE).

ACTION: Announcement of Funding Opportunity for financial assistance 
for project grants and cooperative agreements.

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

SUMMARY: The purpose of this document is to advise the public that 
CSCOR/COP and NSF are soliciting up to 4-year proposals for the GLOBEC-
01 program as part of a Federal research partnership. Funding is 
contingent upon the availability of Federal Fiscal Year 2002 
appropriations. It is anticipated that final recommendations for awards 
will be made in early FY 2002.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of proposals in the COP office is 3 
p.m. local time July 10, 2001. Note that late-arriving applications 
provided to a delivery service, on or before, July 9, 2001, with 
delivery guaranteed before 3 p.m., EST, on July 10, 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; 
and in any event, the proposals are received in the COP office by 3 
p.m. EST, no later than two business days following the closing date.

ADDRESSES: Submit the original and 19 copies of your proposal to 
Coastal Ocean Program Office (GLOBEC-01), SSMC4, 8th Floor, 
Station 8243, 1305 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: Elizabeth 
Turner, GLOBEC Program Manager, COP Office, 603-862-4680, Internet: 
[email protected]; or Dr. Phillip Taylor, NSF Division of Ocean 
Sciences, 703-292-8582, Internet: [email protected]
    Business Management Information: Leslie McDonald, COP Grants 
Administrator, Internet: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Access

    Data collected under the U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic/Georges 
Bank Program and associated documentation is available to all 
researchers at http://globec.whoi.edu/globec-dir/globec.doc.html under 
protocols established under the U.S. GLOBEC Data Policy.
    The U.S. GLOBEC Report 10 is available at: http://www.usglobec.org/reports/datapol/datapol.contents.html). For a list of funded projects 
during phases I-III of the Georges Bank Study, consult http://globec.whoi.edu/globec-dir/list-of-all-projects.html.
    Publications resulting from U.S. GLOBEC studies are catalogued at:

[[Page 15690]]

 http://www.usglobec.org/misc/funded.contributions.html
    The U.S. GLOBEC Report No 6 is available at: http://
www.usglobec.org/reports/reports.home.html6.
    For information concerning the NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Decision 
Analysis Series report, see: http://www.cop.noaa.gov/pubs/das.html.
    For information concerning the NSF form 1239, see: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?99form1239.

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.
    Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (U.S. GLOBEC) is a component of 
the U.S. Global Change Research Program, with the goals of 
understanding and ultimately predicting how populations of marine 
animal species (holozooplankton, fish and benthic invertebrates) 
respond to natural and anthropogenic changes in global climate. U.S. 
GLOBEC is also the U.S. component of the GLOBEC International program, 
a core project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, with 
co-sponsorship from the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research and 
the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. This notice is under 
the auspices of the U.S. GLOBEC program within NSF/OCE and the regional 
ecosystem studies and U.S. GLOBEC initiatives of NOAA's COP.
    The GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic study of Georges Bank and environs 
has thus far consisted of a three-phase study of the continental margin 
and shelf in the context of the larger oceanic boundary region and the 
processes and phenomena that affect the ecosystem of the Bank. The 
first three phases of this cooperative, inter-agency research program 
have supported integrated, multi-investigator, inter-disciplinary 
programs of modeling, retrospective analysis, and monitoring and 
process field studies. This coordinated effort has the overall goal of 
understanding of the potential impacts of climate variability and 
change on the ecosystem dynamics of Georges Bank with the aim of 
improving predictability and management of U.S. marine resources.
    This request for proposals constitutes the initiation of the fourth 
and final phase of the U.S. GLOBEC/Northwest Atlantic Program. Its 
principal objective is to foster integration and synthesis of data 
collected during the field phases of the program and other relevant 
data and knowledge, through group interactions and modeling activities; 
no new field work will be supported. The Phase IV initiative is 
absolutely open to the participation of scientists without past 
involvement in U.S. GLOBEC as well as current U.S. GLOBEC 
investigators. The organization of principal investigators and 
proposals with emphasis on the integration of observations and models, 
and the close coordination of research groups with one another, will be 
vital to the success of the Phase IV synthesis effort.

Research Program Goals

    Within the overall goal outlined above, this Northwest Atlantic/
Georges Bank Program continues to have three specific goals:
    (1) To determine the processes that control the Georges Bank 
circulation and transport of biological and chemical materials in a 
strongly tidal and wind-driven system, and to determine how physical 
and biological processes control the population dynamics of the target 
organisms (early life stages of cod and haddock and the copepods 
Calanus finmarchicus and Pseudocalanus spp.) in the Northwest Atlantic/
Georges Bank area; and
    (2) To embody this understanding in conceptual and quantitative 
models capable of elucidating ecosystem dynamics and responses on a 
broad range of space and time scales; and
    (3) To understand the effects of climate variability and climate 
change on the distribution, abundance and production of the target 
organisms.
    The specific objectives and scientific questions related to these 
goals are described in greater detail in U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic 
Implementation Plan (Report No. 6) referenced earlier in this document. 
This report should be consulted in responding to this announcement. An 
online version is available under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
of this document.

Research Approach

    Phase IV of the U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic/Georges Bank Program 
will emphasize a number of topic areas. Examples of appropriate topics 
to be considered are described here. The intent is for coordinated 
activities that collectively address the program goals. It is 
anticipated that proposed work may address more than one of these topic 
areas.
(1) Synthesis of Data Sets
    Integration of broad-scale, process, and vital-rate study 
components of the program, and of observational, retrospective and 
modeling analyses are critical in the development of the synthesis 
research efforts. Investigators who have not been involved in the first 
three phases of the program, but who have new ideas about how to 
analyze or model currently available data sets are strongly encouraged 
to participate. Investigators involved in the first three field phases 
of the program are encouraged to collaborate in the integration of 
their data sets with other data sets to facilitate multi-disciplinary 
approaches to understanding factors affecting the dynamics of the 
target organisms. Topics under this initiative include, but are not 
limited to:
    (a) Occurrence, abundance, and distribution of target species: 
Broad-scale studies include integration and synthesis of data collected 
during Phases I-III from shipboard surveys, moorings, and satellites. 
The emphasis is on the determination of the distribution and abundance 
of the target organisms in relation to their physical environment 
during the pelagic period of cod and haddock early life history stages. 
Creation of integrated data sets that can be used for inter-annual 
comparisons of population processes and their coupling to the physical 
structure and variability of the environment to answer the key 
questions posed in Phases I-III is of fundamental importance.
    (b) Processes that regulate the occurrence, abundance and 
distribution of target species: Synthesis of process and vital-rate 
studies will include the integration of field and laboratory data 
designed to investigate specific biological and physical processes 
associated with vertical mixing and stratification with regional 
exchanges of water and organisms on and off Georges Bank, and with the 
mechanisms and dynamics of cross-frontal exchanges of water and 
organisms to understand critical forcing mechanisms. Examples include: 
synthesis of the experimental measurements of vital rates of target 
species to determine if the vertical distribution and vital rates of 
target species are correlated with mixing processes; examination of 
physical exchanges of water across the boundary of the Bank to 
determine how they influence population abundance and how exchange of 
the biota is affected by vertical migration behavior; and examination 
of how plankton patchiness, predator-prey interactions,

[[Page 15691]]

 and vital rates are influenced by turbulence on all scales.
(2) Physical/biological Modeling
    The development and use of conceptual and quantitative models to 
investigate physical and coupled physical/biological processes in the 
Georges Bank ecosystem have been emphasized throughout the U.S. GLOBEC 
Northwest Atlantic/Georges Bank program. Three-dimensional circulation 
models have been used to study the influence of seasonal stratification 
and wind forcing on flow to and over the Bank, using both idealized and 
realistic regional bathymetry and forcing. The role of advection, 
turbulent mixing, nutrient supply, insolation, predation, and other 
factors on the early population development of the target species has 
been examined using both continuous and individual-based models. These 
studies have involved both diagnostic and predictive models, and more 
recently included data assimilation to improve model accuracy and 
understanding of key processes. In Phase IV, these and other model 
approaches will be encouraged, with the following multiple aims: (a) To 
improve understanding of the key physical and biological processes 
which affect the target species on Georges Bank; (b) to help integrate 
and synthesize the various physical and biological data collected 
during the field program; and (c) to begin coupling the lower and upper 
trophic level models of the Georges Bank ecosystem.
    Ideally, a product of Phase IV will be quantitative coupled 
physical/biological ecosystem models that embody the collective 
knowledge learned in the Georges Bank program and that can be used to 
investigate the Bank ecosystem response to future climate variability.
(3) Upstream and Broader Scale Effects Influenced by Climate Change
    Waters from the Labrador Sea and Gulf of St. Lawrence flow 
southwestward along the eastern Canadian slope and shelf and can be 
traced downstream to the Middle Atlantic Bight. Thus, the planktonic 
populations located off eastern Canada are connected with those of the 
Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank region and points south. Results from phases 
I to III have shown that these advective fluxes are important 
contributors to the target species dynamics in the Gulf of Maine and on 
Georges Bank. Hydrographic changes observed in the Georges Bank/Gulf of 
Maine region are now known to be part of a larger scale regional change 
likely associated with ocean basin scale atmospheric forcings (North 
Atlantic Oscillation).
    In Phase IV, particular emphasis will be placed on the inter-
regional coupling of target species populations through the larger 
scale current systems. This initiative will provide a unique 
opportunity for evaluation of large-scale environmental influences. In 
this regard, the Atlantic component of Canada GLOBEC investigated the 
effect of environment on gadid fish and copepods using field 
observations, laboratory experiments, and numerical models. Integration 
and collective analysis of these data sets are encouraged. One mutual 
question is how much regional variability in zooplankton abundance on 
the continental shelf is generated locally as opposed to being 
controlled by advective forcing from slope and shelf currents or the 
adjoining open ocean? Together with historical data sets, recent 
observations made during Phases I-III can be used to evaluate the 
affects of environment on zooplankton populations and recruitment of 
gadid stocks.
    At these scales, it is possible to address the effects of climate 
variability as manifest through changes in the shelf and Slope Water 
transports and water properties. For example, general circulation model 
products could yield insight into the nature and magnitude of historic 
or projected change, the historic hydrographic record could be examined 
for similar information, and these changes could be imposed on 
simulations of the coupled physical/biological shelf system. Studies 
that investigate this regional manifestation of climate variability are 
encouraged.
(4) Comparative Regional Studies and Climate Change
    Ecosystem studies similar to U.S. GLOBEC and Canadian GLOBEC have 
been conducted in other regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. For 
example, the ICES Cod and Climate Change program and Trans-Atlantic 
Studies of Calanus (TASC) have emphasized studies of the biology of cod 
and the copepod Calanus in the northeastern Atlantic and their coupling 
to large-scale and meso-scale circulation. There exists an opportunity 
for regional comparisons across the North Atlantic. Such studies should 
emphasize comparison at a fundamental level specifically addressing 
vital rates of the target species (fecundity, feeding, growth as a 
function of food levels and temperature), behavior, predation, trophic 
interactions, and source populations. In addition, the extent and 
timing of zooplankton transport among the regions and the role of banks 
and nearby basins as spawning/nursery areas for gadids and their 
zooplanktonic prey need to be examined. In phase IV, such basin-scale 
studies will be encouraged.
    Recent results from these programs show that regional Calanus 
finmarchicus fluctuations are linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation 
and thus are sensitive to climate variability and change. To understand 
the linkage, there is a need for more comprehensive modeling to 
integrate basin-scale ocean and atmospheric models with near shore 
regional biophysical models in order to identify and separate processes 
which are linked to the large scale forcing from those which act more 
locally.
(5) Development of Indices to Characterize Environmental and Ecosystem 
Status and Change
    A more complete understanding of the Georges Bank ecosystem gained 
through the U.S. GLOBEC program should allow for the design of better, 
more efficient, and more informative, monitoring programs in the 
region. Achieving this improvement will involve determining indices for 
the physical and lower trophic level system components that best 
characterize the status of the ecosystem, particularly in relation to 
potential higher trophic level production. An important goal is for the 
indices to identify the environmental influence on fish recruitment 
variability that can be incorporated into the assessment of the fish 
stocks in the region. Indices may be derived from directly measured 
parameters or from output of specific configurations of U. S. GLOBEC 
biological-physical models.
    One form that this type of synthesis may take is a written 
documentation of the state of the Georges Bank ecosystem during the 
GLOBEC years. Such a document should include an overview of the GLOBEC 
NWA program and how it led to the identification of indices, and use of 
these variables in summarizing the state of the ecosystem. This could 
be published initially as a NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Decision 
Analysis Series report, but could also be updated on a regular basis as 
a tool to provide regional managers, such as the New England Fishery 
Management Council, with ecosystem information. Information on the 
Decision Analysis Series is shown at a web site listed earlier in this 
document under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

Part I: Schedule and Proposal Submission

    This document requests full proposals only. The provisions for 
proposal

[[Page 15692]]

 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.
    Proposals may be submitted by institutions in support of individual 
investigators or small groups. Synergistic collaboration among 
researchers and collaboration or partnerships with industry or 
government laboratories is encouraged when appropriate. Group and 
collaborative proposals involving more than one institution must be 
submitted as a single administrative package from one of the 
institutions involved. Foreign institutions are not eligible for 
funding through this announcement.

Full Proposals

    Applications submitted in response to this announcement require an 
original proposal and 19 proposal copies at time of submission. This 
includes color or high-resolution graphics, unusually-sized materials 
(not 8.5 x 11" 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 the 
number of 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 are to closely follow the instructions and 
guidelines in the preparation of the standard NOAA Application Forms 
and Kit requirements listed earlier in this document under the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. Each proposal must also include the 
following eight elements:
    (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 the 
acronym GLOBEC-01, a short title (less than 50 characters), and the 
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 of the problem, rationale, scientific 
objectives and/or hypotheses to be tested, and a brief summary of work 
to be completed. 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 is used to help compare proposals quickly and allows the 
respondents to summarize these key points in their own words.
    (3) Statement of work/project description: The proposed project 
must be completely described, including identification of the problem, 
scientific objectives, proposed methodology, relevance to the GLOBEC-01 
program goals, and its scientific priorities. The project description 
section (including relevant results from prior support) should not 
exceed 15 pages. Page limits are inclusive of figures and other visual 
materials, but exclusive of references and milestone chart.
    Project management should be clearly identified with a description 
of the functions of each PI within a team. It is important to provide a 
full scientific justification for the research; do not simply reiterate 
justifications presented in this document. This section should also 
include:
    (a) The objective for the period of proposed work and its expected 
significance;
    (b) The relation to the present state of knowledge in the field and 
relation to previous work and work in progress by the proposing 
principal investigator(s);
    (c) A discussion of how the proposed project lends value to the 
program goals, and
    (d) Potential coordination with other investigators.
    (e) References cited: Reference information is required. Each 
reference must include the name(s) 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. While there is no 
established page limitation, this section should include bibliographic 
citations only and should not be used to provide parenthetical 
information outside of the 15-page project description.
    (4) Milestone chart: Provide time lines of major tasks covering the 
duration of the proposed project, up to 60 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 heading Electronic Access
    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 for 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.
    All applicants shall include a budget narrative and a justification 
to support all proposed budget categories. The SF-424A, Budget 
Information (Non-Construction) Form, shall be requested from only those 
recipients subsequently recommended for a NOAA award. Proposals 
subsequently selected for NSF funding will be required to comply with 
that agency's grants administration forms and paperwork requirements.
    (6) Biographical sketch: Abbreviated curriculum vitae, two pages 
per investigator, are sought with each proposal. Include a list of up 
to five publications most closely related to the proposed project and 
up to five other significant publications. 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 should be included. 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 is used to help identify potential conflicts of 
interest or bias in the selection of reviewers.
    (7) Current and pending support: NSF requires information on 
current and pending support of all proposers. Describe all current and 
pending support for all PIs, including subsequent funding in the case 
of continuing grants.

[[Page 15693]]

 A model format is shown at the webside listed in this document under 
Supplementary Information. Use of this form is optional; however, the 
categories of information included on the NSF Form 1239 must be 
provided. All current support from whatever source (e.g., Federal, 
State or local government agencies, private foundations, industrial or 
other commercial organizations) must be listed.
    The proposed project and all other projects or activities requiring 
a portion of time of the PI and other senior personnel should be 
included, even if they receive no salary support from the project(s). 
The total award amount for the entire award period covered (including 
indirect costs) should be shown as well as the number of person-months 
per year to be devoted to the project, regardless of source of support.
    (8) Proposal format and assembly: The original proposal should be 
clamped in the upper left-hand corner, but left unbound. The 20 
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 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. 
Specific Authority cited for this Announcement is U.S.C. 883(d) for the 
Coastal Ocean Program and the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, 
as amended (42 U.S.C. 1861-75), for the National Science Foundation.
    (2) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.478 
Coastal Ocean Program and 47.050 for the Directorate for Geosciences, 
National Science Foundation.
    (3) Program description: For complete COP program descriptions, see 
the 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 receipt of 
fiscal years 2002-2005 Federal appropriations. The anticipated maximum 
funding for GLOBEC activities under this announcement is estimated at 
$2M per year over 4 years (FY2002-FY2005). Priority consideration will 
be given to a set of proposals that provide balanced coverage of the 
overall GLOBEC science goals stated in this Document, and avoid 
duplication of completed or ongoing work.
    If an application is selected for funding, NSF and NOAA have no 
obligation to provide any additional prospective funding in connection 
with that award in subsequent years. Renewal of an award to increase 
funding or extend the period of performance is based on satisfactory 
performance and is at the total discretion of the funding agencies. Not 
all proposals selected will receive funding for the entire duration of 
the program.
    Moreover, start dates for some proposals may be delayed, or 
proposals may be funded for a portion of the four years only. Proposals 
selected for funding by NSF will need to submit additional forms 
required by that agency. Publication of this notice does not obligate 
any agency to any specific award or to obligate 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) Type of funding instrument: Project Grants, Interagency 
Agreements, or NOAA Financial Operating Plan transfers.
    (7) Eligibility criteria: For complete eligibility criteria for the 
COP, see COP's General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions annual 
document in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, October 19, 2000) and 
the COP home page. Eligible Applicants are institutions of higher 
education, not-for-profit institutions, international organizations, 
state, local and Indian tribal governments and Federal agencies. COP 
will accept proposals that include foreign researchers as collaborators 
with a researcher who is affiliated with a U.S. academic institution, 
Federal agency, or other non-profit organization.
    Applications from non-Federal and Federal applicants will be 
competed against each other. Proposals selected for funding from non-
Federal applicants will be funded through a project grant or 
cooperative agreement under the terms of this notice. Proposals 
selected for funding from NOAA employees shall be effected by an intra-
agency fund transfer. Proposals selected for funding from a non-NOAA 
Federal agency will be funded through an inter-agency transfer. PLEASE 
NOTE: Before non-NOAA Federal applicants may be funded, they must 
demonstrate that they have legal authority to receive funds from 
another Federal agency in excess of their appropriation. Because this 
announcement is not proposing to procure goods or services from 
applicants, the Economy Act (31 USC 1535) is not an appropriate legal 
basis.
    (8) Award period: Full Proposals can cover a project period from 1 
to 4 years, i.e. from date of award for up to 48 consecutive months. 
Multi-year project period funding may be funded incrementally on an 
annual basis; but once awarded, multi-year projects will not compete 
for funding in subsequent years. For NOAA awards, each annual award 
shall require a Statement of Work that can be easily separated into 
annual increments of meaningful work which represent solid 
accomplishments if prospective funding is not made available, or is 
discontinued.
    (9) 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.
    (10) Application forms and kit: For complete information on 
application forms for the COP, see COP's General Grant Administration 
Terms and Conditions annual Document in the Federal Register (65 FR 
62706, October 19, 2000); the COP home page; and the information given 
under Required Elements, paragraph (5) Budget.
    (11) Project funding priorities: For description of project funding 
priorities, see COP's General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions 
annual notification in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, October 19, 
2000) and at the COP home page.
    (12) Evaluation criteria: For complete information on evaluation 
criteria, see COP's General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions 
annual Document in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, October 19, 2000) 
and at the COP home page.
    (13) Selection procedures: For complete information on selection 
procedures, see COP's General Grant Administration Terms and Conditions 
annual Document in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, October 19, 2000) 
and at the COP home page. All proposals received under this specific 
Document will be evaluated and ranked individually in accordance with 
the assigned weights of the above evaluation criteria by independent 
peer mail review and panel review.
    At conclusion of the review process, the NOAA GLOBEC Program 
Manager or the NSF Biological Oceanography Program Director or staff 
will notify lead

[[Page 15694]]

 proposers for those projects recommended for support, and negotiate 
revisions in the proposed work and budget. Final awards will be issued 
by the agency responsible for a specific project after receipt and 
processing of any specific materials required by the agency.
    (14) Other requirements: For a complete description of other 
requirements, see COP's General Grant Administration Terms and 
Conditions annual Document in the Federal Register (65 FR 62706, 
October 19, 2000) and at the COP home page. NOAA has specific 
requirements that environmental data be submitted to the National 
Oceanographic Data Center.
    (15) Pursuant to Executive Orders 12876, 12900 and 13021, the 
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(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 Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) 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 MSIs to participate in, and benefit from, Federal 
Financial Assistance programs. DOC/NOAA encourages all applicants to 
include meaningful participation of MSIs.
    (16) 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.
    (17) Intergovernmental review: Applications under this program are 
not subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Federal Programs.''
    (18) This notification involves collection-of-information 
requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The use of 
Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and SF-LLL have 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.
    Proposals to NSF must include the NSF Form l239 for Current and 
Pending Support. The NSF Form l239 for Current and Pending Support is 
also cleared as part of the NSF Grant Proposal Guide and Proposal Forms 
Kit under OMB Number 3145-0058 with an expiration date of June 2002.
    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 Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.

    February 9, 2001.
Donald Heinrichs,
Interim Director, Division of Ocean Sciences, National Science 
Foundation.
    Dated: February 13, 2001.
Ted I. Lillestolen,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 01-6892 Filed 3-19-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S