[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75941-75944]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21605]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket Number: 061128312-6312-01]


Precision Measurement Grants Program; Availability of Funds

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
announces that the Precision Measurement Grants Program is soliciting 
applications for financial assistance for FY 2007. The Precision 
Measurement Grants Program is seeking proposals for significant 
research in the field of fundamental measurement or the determination 
of fundamental constants.

DATES: Abbreviated proposals must be received at the address listed 
below no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 2, 2007. 
Proposals received after this deadline will be returned with no further 
consideration. Finalists will be selected by approximately March 23, 
2007, and will be requested to submit full proposals to NIST. All full 
proposals, paper and electronic, must be received no later than 5 p.m. 
Eastern Daylight Time on May 4, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Abbreviated proposals and paper applications must be 
submitted to: Dr. Peter J. Mohr; Manager, NIST Precision Measurement 
Grants Program; National Institute of Standards and Technology; 100 
Bureau Drive, Stop 8420; Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8420; E-mail: 
[email protected]. Electronic final proposals should be uploaded to 
Grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For complete information about this 
program and instructions for applying by paper or electronically, read 
the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) Notice at http://www.grants.gov. 
A paper copy of the FFO may be obtained by calling (301) 975-6328. 
Technical questions should be addressed to: Dr. Peter J. Mohr at the 
address listed in the Addresses section above, or at Tel: (301) 975-
3217; E-mail: [email protected].; Web site: http://physics.nist.gov/pmg. 
Grants Administration questions should be addressed to: Grants and 
Agreements Management Division; National Institute of Standards and 
Technology; 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1650; Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1650; 
Tel: (301) 975-6328. For assistance with using Grants.gov contact 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name 
and Number: Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards--11.609.
    Program Description: The National Institute of Standards and 
Technology (NIST) announces that the Precision Measurement Grants 
Program is soliciting applications for financial assistance for FY 
2007. The Precision Measurement Grants Program is seeking proposals for 
significant research in the field of fundamental measurement or the 
determination of fundamental constants. As part of its research 
program, since 1970 NIST has awarded Precision Measurement Grants 
primarily to universities and colleges so that faculty may conduct 
significant research in the field of fundamental measurement or the 
determination of fundamental constants. NIST sponsors these grants and 
cooperative agreements primarily to encourage basic, measurement-
related research in universities and colleges and other research 
laboratories and to foster contacts between NIST scientists and those 
faculty members of academic institutions and other researchers who are 
actively engaged in such work. The Precision Measurement Grants are 
also intended to make it possible for researchers to pursue new ideas 
for which other sources of support may be difficult to find. There is 
some latitude in research topics that will be considered under the 
Precision Measurement Grants Program. The key requirement is that the 
proposed project is consistent with NIST's ongoing work in the field of 
basic measurement science.
    Funding Availability: Applicants should propose multi-year projects 
for up to three years at no more than $50,000 per year. NIST 
anticipates spending $100,000 this year for two new grants at $50,000 
each for the first year of the research projects. NIST may award both, 
one, or neither of these new awards. Second and third year funding will 
be at the discretion of NIST, based on satisfactory performance, 
continuing

[[Page 75942]]

relevance to program objectives, and the availability of funds.
    Funding for the program listed in this notice is contingent upon 
the availability of Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations. NIST issues this 
notice subject to the appropriations made available under the current 
continuing resolution, H.R. 5631, ``Continuing Appropriations 
Resolution, 2007,'' Public Law 109-289, as amended by H.J. Res. 100, 
Public Law 109-369. NIST anticipates making awards for the program 
listed in this notice provided that funding for the program is 
continued beyond December 8, 2006, the expiration of the current 
continuing resolution.
    Statutory Authority: The authority for the Precision Measurement 
Grants Program is as follows: As authorized by 15 U.S.C. 272 (b) and 
(c), NIST conducts directly, and supports through grants, a basic and 
applied research program in the general area of fundamental measurement 
and the determination of fundamental constants of nature.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education; hospitals; non-profit organizations; commercial 
organizations; State, local and Indian tribal governments; foreign 
governments; organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign 
governments; international organizations; and Federal agencies with 
appropriate legal authority.
    Review and Selection Process: All abbreviated proposals and full 
applications received in response to this announcement will be reviewed 
to determine whether or not they are complete and responsive to the 
scope of the stated objectives for each program. Incomplete or non-
responsive abbreviated proposals and full applications will not be 
reviewed for technical merit. The Program will retain one copy of each 
non-responsive abbreviated proposal and full application for three 
years for record keeping purposes. The remaining copies will be 
destroyed.
    To simplify the proposal writing and evaluation process, the 
following selection procedure will be used:
    All applicants must submit an abbreviated proposal (original and 
two signed copies), containing a description of the proposed project, 
including sufficient information to address the evaluation criteria, 
with a total length of no more than five (5) double spaced pages, to 
the mailing address given above in the Addresses section. These 
proposals will be screened to determine whether they address the 
requirements outlined in this notice. Proposals that do not meet those 
requirements will not be considered further. Eight independent, 
objective individuals, at least half of whom are NIST employees, and 
who are knowledgeable about the scientific areas that the program 
addresses will conduct a technical review of each abbreviated proposal, 
based on the evaluation criteria described in the Evaluation Criteria 
section of this notice. Each reviewer will rank all complete proposals. 
The proposals will then be ranked based on the average of the 
reviewers' rankings. If non-Federal reviewers are used, the reviewers 
may discuss the proposals with each other, but the ranking will be 
determined on an individual basis, not as a consensus.
    The Chief of the Atomic Physics Division of the Physics Laboratory, 
the selecting official, will then select approximately four to eight 
finalists. In selecting finalists, the selecting official will take 
into consideration the results of the reviewers' evaluations, including 
rank, and relevance to the program objectives described above in the 
Program Description section. Applicants not selected as finalists will 
be notified in writing.
    Finalists will then be asked in writing to submit full proposals in 
accordance with the requirements set forth in the Content and Form of 
Application Submission section of the FFO notice. The same independent 
reviewers that reviewed the abbreviated proposals will then evaluate 
the full proposals based on the same evaluation criteria, and the 
proposals will be ranked as previously described. In selecting 
proposals that will be recommended for funding, the selecting official 
will take into consideration the results of the reviewers' evaluations, 
including rank and relevance to the program objectives described in the 
Program Description section of this notice.
    The final approval of selected applications and award of grants 
will be made by the NIST Grants Officer based on compliance with 
application requirements as published in this notice, compliance with 
applicable legal and regulatory requirements, compliance with Federal 
policies that best further the objectives of the Department of 
Commerce, and whether the recommended applicants appear to be 
responsible.
    Applicants may be asked to modify objectives, work plans, or 
budgets and provide supplemental information required by the agency 
prior to award.
    The decision of the Grants Officer is final.
    Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing. The Program 
will retain one copy of each unsuccessful application for three years 
for record keeping purposes. The remaining copies will be destroyed.
    Evaluation Criteria: The evaluation criteria to be used in 
evaluating the abbreviated application proposals and full proposals 
are:
    1. The importance of the proposed research--Does it have the 
potential of answering some currently pressing question or of opening 
up a whole new area of activity?
    2. The relationship of the proposed research to NIST's ongoing 
work--Will it support one of NIST's current efforts to develop a new or 
improved fundamental measurement method or physical standard, test the 
basic laws of physics, or provide an improved value for a fundamental 
constant?
    3. The feasibility of the research and the potential impact of the 
grant--Is it likely that significant progress can be made in a three 
year time period with the funds and personnel available and that the 
funding will enable work that would otherwise not be done with existing 
or potential funding?
    4. The qualifications of the applicant--Does the educational and 
employment background and the quality of the research, based on recent 
publications, of the applicant indicate that there is a high 
probability that the proposed research will be carried out 
successfully?
    Each of these factors is given equal weight in the evaluation 
process.
    Cost Share Requirements: The Precision Measurement Grants Program 
does not require any matching funds.
    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements: The Department of Commerce Pre-Award 
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements 
contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 
78389) is applicable to this notice. On the form SF-424, the 
applicant's 9-digit Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System 
(DUNS) number must be entered in the Applicant Identifier block (68 FR 
38402).
    Collaborations with NIST Employees: All applications should include 
a description of any work proposed to be performed by an entity other 
than the applicant, and the cost of such work should ordinarily be 
included in the budget.
    If an applicant proposes collaboration with NIST, the statement of 
work should include a statement of this intention, a description of the 
collaboration, and prominently identify the NIST employee(s) involved, 
if known. Any collaboration by a NIST

[[Page 75943]]

employee must be approved by appropriate NIST management and is at the 
sole discretion of NIST. Prior to beginning the merit review process, 
NIST will verify the approval of the proposed collaboration. Any 
unapproved collaboration will be stricken from the proposal prior to 
the merit review.
    Use of NIST Intellectual Property: If the applicant anticipates 
using any NIST-owned intellectual property to carry out the work 
proposed, the applicant should identify such intellectual property. 
This information will be used to ensure that no NIST employee involved 
in the development of the intellectual property will participate in the 
review process for that competition. In addition, if the applicant 
intends to use NIST-owned intellectual property, the applicant must 
comply with all statutes and regulations governing the licensing of 
Federal government patents and inventions, described at 35 U.S.C. 200-
212, 37 CFR part 401, 15 CFR 14.36, and in section B.20 of the 
Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements published on 
December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389). Questions about these requirements may 
be directed to the Counsel for NIST, 301-975-2803.
    Any use of NIST-owned intellectual property by a proposer is at the 
sole discretion of NIST and will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis 
if a project is deemed meritorious. The applicant should indicate 
within the statement of work whether it already has a license to use 
such intellectual property or whether it intends to seek one.
    If any inventions made in whole or in part by a NIST employee arise 
in the course of an award made pursuant to this notice, the United 
States government may retain its ownership rights in any such 
invention. Licensing or other disposition of NIST's rights in such 
inventions will be determined solely by NIST, and include the 
possibility of NIST putting the intellectual property into the public 
domain.
    Collaborations Making Use of Federal Facilities: All applications 
should include a description of any work proposed to be performed using 
Federal Facilities. If an applicant proposes use of NIST facilities, 
the statement of work should include a statement of this intention and 
a description of the facilities. Any use of NIST facilities must be 
approved by appropriate NIST management and is at the sole discretion 
of NIST. Prior to beginning the merit review process, NIST will verify 
the availability of the facilities and approval of the proposed usage. 
Any unapproved facility use will be stricken from the proposal prior to 
the merit review. Examples of some facilities that may be available for 
collaborations are listed on the NIST Technology Services Web site, 
http://ts.nist.gov/.
    Initial Screening of all Applications: All applications received in 
response to this announcement will be reviewed to determine whether or 
not they are complete and responsive to the scope of the stated program 
objectives. Incomplete or non-responsive applications will not be 
reviewed for technical merit. The Program will retain one copy of each 
non-responsive application for three years for record keeping purposes. 
The remaining copies will be destroyed.
    Paperwork Reduction Act: The standard forms in the application kit 
involve a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, SF-LLL, and CD-346 have 
been approved by OMB under the respective Control Numbers 0348-0043, 
0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046, and 0605-0001. Notwithstanding any 
other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor 
shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a 
collection subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 
unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
Control Number.
    Research Projects Involving Human Subjects, Human Tissue, Data or 
Recordings Involving Human Subjects: Any proposal that includes 
research involving human subjects, human tissue, data or recordings 
involving human subjects must meet the requirements of the Common Rule 
for the Protection of Human Subjects, codified for the Department of 
Commerce at 15 CFR part 27. In addition, any proposal that includes 
research on these topics must be in compliance with any statutory 
requirements imposed upon the Department of Health and Human Services 
(DHHS) and other Federal agencies regarding these topics, all 
regulatory policies and guidance adopted by DHHS, FDA, and other 
Federal agencies on these topics, and all Presidential statements of 
policy on these topics.
    NIST will accept the submission of human subjects protocols that 
have been approved by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) possessing a 
current registration filed with DHHS and to be performed by 
institutions possessing a current, valid Federal-wide Assurance (FWA) 
from DHHS. NIST will not issue a single project assurance (SPA) for any 
human subjects protocol proposed to NIST.
    On August 9, 2001, the President announced his decision to allow 
Federal funds to be used for research on existing human embryonic stem 
cell lines as long as prior to his announcement (1) The derivation 
process (which commences with the removal of the inner cell mass from 
the blastocyst) had already been initiated and (2) the embryo from 
which the stem cell line was derived no longer had the possibility of 
development as a human being. NIST will follow guidance issued by the 
National Institutes of Health at http://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/humansubjects/guidance/stemcell.pdf for funding such research.
    Research Projects Involving Vertebrate Animals: Any proposal that 
includes research involving vertebrate animals must be in compliance 
with the National Research Council's ``Guide for the Care and Use of 
Laboratory Animals'' which can be obtained from National Academy Press, 
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20055. In addition, such 
proposals must meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (7 
U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), 9 CFR parts 1, 2, and 3, and if appropriate, 21 
CFR part 58. These regulations do not apply to proposed research using 
pre-existing images of animals or to research plans that do not include 
live animals that are being cared for, euthanized, or used by the 
project participants to accomplish research goals, teaching, or 
testing. These regulations also do not apply to obtaining animal 
materials from commercial processors of animal products or to animal 
cell lines or tissues from tissue banks.
    Limitation of Liability: Funding for the program listed in this 
notice is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2007 
appropriations. NIST issues this notice subject to the appropriations 
made available under the current continuing resolution, H.R. 5631, 
``Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007,'' Public Law 109-289, as 
amended by H.J. Res. 100, Public Law 109-369 and H.J. Res. 102, Public 
Law 109-383. NIST anticipates making awards for the program listed in 
this notice provided that funding for the program is continued beyond 
February 15, 2007, the expiration of the current continuing resolution. 
In no event will NIST or the Department of Commerce be responsible for 
proposal preparation costs if these programs fail to receive funding or 
are cancelled because of other agency priorities. Publication of

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this announcement does not oblige the agency to award any specific 
project or to obligate any available funds. Funding of any award under 
any program announced in this notice is subject to the availability of 
funds.
    Executive Order 12866: This funding notice was determined to be not 
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
    Executive Order 13132 (Federalism): It has been determined that 
this notice does not contain policies with federalism implications as 
that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.
    Executive Order 12372: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Notice and 
comment are not required under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553) or any other law, for rules relating to public property, 
loans, grants, benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553 (a)). Because notice 
and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other law, for 
rules relating to public property, loans, grants, benefits or contracts 
(5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required 
and has not been prepared for this notice, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.

    Dated: December 13, 2006.
James E. Hill,
Acting Deputy Director, NIST.
 [FR Doc. E6-21605 Filed 12-18-06; 8:45 am]
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