[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 73 (Monday, April 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20153-20154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7702]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DHS-2005-0032]


Office of Research and Development; Proposed Federally Funded 
Research and Development Center

AGENCY: Office of National Laboratories, Directorate of Science and 
Technology, Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expects to sponsor a 
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to address the 
need for scientific research to better anticipate, prevent, and 
mitigate the consequences of biological attacks. The proposed FFRDC 
will be the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center 
(NBACC) which is a critical component in the overarching Homeland 
Security national biodefense complex. The NBACC will both coordinate 
biodefense research activities among various federal agencies and to 
execute its own research plan. Also required will be technical and 
program management capabilities to

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facilitate operation of the NBACC facility.

ADDRESSES: If you desire to submit comments, they must be submitted 
within 30 days after publishing of this Notice. Comments must be 
identified by DHS-2005-0032 and may be submitted by one of the 
following methods:
     EPA Federal Partner EDOCKET Web site: http://www.epa.gov/feddocket. Follow instructions for submitting comments on the Web site.
     E-mail: [email protected] Include docket number in 
the subject line of the message.
     Fax: 202-254-6163.
     Mail: James V. Johnson, Science and Technology 
Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, Washington DC 20528.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read the background documents 
or comments received, go to http://www.epa.gov/feddocket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James V. Johnson via e-mail at 
[email protected], or by telephone at (202) 254-6098.

SUPPLMENTARY INFORMATION: The FFRDC would be established under the 
authority of Section 305 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, P.L. 
107-296. Pursuant to this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
``acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, shall 
have the authority to establish * * * 1 or more federally funded 
research and development centers to provide independent analysis of 
homeland security issues, or to carry out other responsibilities under 
this Act* * *.''
    This notice is provided pursuant to 5.205b of the Federal 
Acquisition Regulations (FAR) to enable interested members of the 
public to provide comments to DHS on this proposed action. The 
potential FFRDC procurement will involve a Request for Proposals within 
approximately 90 days of the date of this notice. Upon request, a copy 
of the Request for Proposals, including the scope of work for the 
proposed FFRDC, will be provided to any interested party or parties. 
Contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section, above.
    This also constitutes preliminary notice pursuant to section 
308(c)(2)-(4) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 that DHS may 
establish a headquarters laboratory to perform the functions envisioned 
by the NBACC. As required under section 308(c)(3)(A) and (B) of the 
Homeland Security Act, should the Secretary choose to establish a 
headquarters laboratory, he will establish criteria for the selection 
of that laboratory in consultation with the National Academy of 
Sciences and other agencies and experts. The criteria so established 
will be published in the Federal Register.
    Further background of this potential establishment of the proposed 
FFRDC can be found out at the USAMRAA Web site, http://www.usamraa.army.mil.

    Dated: April 12, 2005.
Dr. Maureen McCarthy,
Director, Office of Research and Development, Department of Homeland 
Security.
[FR Doc. 05-7702 Filed 4-15-05; 8:45 am]
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