[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 28, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45295-45296]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21666]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


National Nuclear Security Administration; Stewardship Science 
Academic Alliances Program

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), U. S. 
Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of intent to solicit applications.

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SUMMARY: In continuation of the Inertial Fusion Science in Support of 
Stockpile Stewardship Grant Program, the DOE announces that it plans to 
expand this university program and conduct a competitive solicitation 
for research projects in additional areas of fundamental science 
relevant to the NNSA stockpile stewardship program. The stockpile 
stewardship program is based on a leading-edge scientific approach to 
meeting the challenges of ensuring the safety, reliability, and 
performance of the nuclear weapon stockpile in the absence of testing. 
The Stewardship Science Academic Alliances Program is sponsored by the 
Office of Research, Development and Simulation, in the DOE/NNSA Office 
of Defense Programs (DP). When issued, Solicitation No. DE-PS03-
01SF22349 will invite universities and academic institutions to submit 
cooperative agreement or research grant applications. The total amount 
of funding expected to be available for the Fiscal Year 2002 (FY02) 
program cycle is approximately $10,000,000. Multiple awards are 
anticipated.

ADDRESSES: The formal solicitation document will be disseminated 
electronically as Solicitation Number DE-PS03-01SF22349, Stewardship 
Science Academic Alliances Program, through the Industry Interactive 
Procurement System (IIPS) located at the following URL: http://e-
center.doe.gov. IIPS provides the medium for disseminating 
solicitations, receiving financial assistance applications and 
evaluating the applications in a paperless

[[Page 45296]]

environment. Completed applications are required to be submitted via 
IIPS. Individuals who have the authority to enter their University or 
Academic Institution into a financial assistance award and intend to 
submit proposals/applications via the IIPS system must register and 
receive confirmation that they are registered prior to being able to 
submit an application on the IIPSsystem. An IIPS ``User Guide for 
Contractor'' can be obtained by going to the IIPS Homepage at the 
following URL: http://e-center.doe.gov and then clicking on the 
``Help'' button. Questions regarding the operation of IIPS may be e-
mailed to the IIPS Help Desk at IIPS center.doe.gov">HelpDesk@e-center.doe.gov or call 
the help desk at (800) 683-0751.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bertha Crisp, Contract Specialist, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The solicitation document will contain all 
the information relative to this action for prospective applicants. The 
solicitation is targeted for release in late September 2001. Pre-
applications and applications will be subject to scientific peer review 
against predetermined, published criteria. Consideration will be given 
to a broad spectrum of proposed university programs, ranging from 
single-investigator projects to comprehensive Centers of Excellence. 
Final selection of successful applications will be made by the DOE/
NNSA. It is anticipated that multiple Cooperative Agreements and 
Research Grants will be awarded within the available funding. The 
stockpile stewardship mission focuses on both an increased fundamental 
understanding of basic physical phenomena associated with stockpile 
performance, safety, and reliability, as well as on sustaining a 
comprehensive set of core science and technology competencies in the 
NNSA/DP complex. Under the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances 
Program, the NNSA will consider applications for university-based 
research in fields of physical sciences that are relevant to stockpile 
stewardship and which fall within the areas of research supported by 
the NNSA/DP Office of Research, Development and Simulation. An 
objective of the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances Program is to 
complement the current NNSA/DP Accelerated Strategic Computing 
Initiative (ASCI) Academic Strategic Alliances Program (ASAP) by 
emphasizing primarily experimental research in the following physical 
sciences areas:
    A.--Properties of Materials under Extreme Conditions and 
Hydrodynamics: This research area includes the static and dynamic 
(i.e., shock-compressed) properties of materials under conditions of 
high-pressure, high-temperature (1-10 eV regime), high-strain and high-
strain-rate, and hydrodynamic experiments in low-energy-density physics 
regimes where materials properties (strength, etc.) dominate.
    B.--High-Energy-Density Physics and Fluid Dynamics: This research 
area includes plasma physics, properties of materials under high-
energy-density conditions, inertial fusion, atomic physics, radiation 
generation, the interaction of radiation with matter, and the physics 
of turbulence and fluid interfaces.
    C.--Low-Energy Nuclear Science: This research area includes 
experimental and theoretical investigations leading to greater accuracy 
in the knowledge of cross sections of stable and unstable nuclei and 
corresponding reaction rates for neutron-, - and ion-induced 
reactions of relevance to the stockpile for both simulation and 
radiochemistry diagnosis.
    Additional topics of interest may be added pending clarification of 
funding for FY02. All work funded through this program will be 
unclassified.

    Issued in Oakland, CA, on August 21, 2001.
Ernest Rios,
Director, Financial Assistance Center, Oakland Operations Office.
[FR Doc. 01-21666 Filed 8-27-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P