[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26408-26409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-12798]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2009-N-0671]


 Cooperative Agreement to Support the Illinois Institute of 
Technology's National Center for Food Safety and Technology (U01)

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing its 
intention to receive and consider a single source application for the 
award of a cooperative agreement in fiscal year 2009 (FY09) to the 
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) to support the National Center 
for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST). The estimated amount of support 
in FY09 will be for up to $7 million (direct plus indirect costs), with 
the possibility of 4 additional years of support for up to $28 million, 
subject to the availability of funds. This award will improve public 
health by continued support of an applied research, education, and 
outreach program related to the safety of food processing technologies 
and processed foods.

DATES: The application due date is June 28, 2009. The anticipated start 
date is September 2009. The opening date was May 28, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS CONTACT: For more 
information on this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) and to 
obtain detailed requirements, please refer to the full FOA located at 
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Request for Application Number: RFA-FD-09-004
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: 93.103

A. Background

    FDA has supported the NCFST under five previously awarded 
cooperative agreements (53 FR 15736; 56 FR 46189; 59 FR 24703; 64 FR 
39512; and 69 FR 25405). NCFST was established by IIT to bring together 
the food safety and technology expertise of academia, industry and FDA 
for the purpose of enhancing the safety of the food supply in the 
common goal of enhancing and improving the safety of the food for U.S. 
consumers. NCFST is structured so that representatives of participating 
organizations play a role in establishing policy and administrative 
procedures as well as identifying long- and short-term research needs. 
With this organizational structure, NCFST is able to build cooperative 
food safety programs on a foundation of knowledge about current 
industrial trends in food processing and packaging technologies, 
regulatory perspectives from public health organizations, and 
fundamental scientific expertise from academia.

B. Research Objectives

    The FDA recognizes that food production and processing technology 
is rapidly changing, that globalization of the food supply is 
increasing, and that the number and nature of the hazards associated 
with foods are rapidly evolving. FDA intends to maintain and facilitate 
the further development of NCFST for the purpose of enhancing food 
safety to benefit the public. NCFST is uniquely positioned as a key 
component of FDA's food protection program. Specifically, through the 
center's science platforms, the research at NCFST focuses on the 
development and validation of food processing and packaging 
technologies for safety and quality; investigation and development of 
preventive technologies targeted to reduce or eliminate harmful 
chemical and microbial contamination of foods; and the effects of 
processing on the stability and safety of bioactive ingredients added 
to or naturally occurring in foods. Additionally, the development of an 
integrated collaborative food protection research/education/outreach 
program will provide fundamental food safety information, in the public 
domain, for use by all segments of the food science community in 
product and process development, regulatory activities, academic 
programs and consumer programs.

C. Eligibility Information

    Competition is limited to the IIT. FDA believes that continued 
support of NCFST at IIT is appropriate because IIT is uniquely 
qualified to fulfill the objectives of the proposed cooperative 
agreement. IIT's Moffet Center, where NCFST is located, is a unique 
research facility which includes an industrial-size pilot plant and 
smaller pilot plants for food processing and packaging equipment, a 
pathogen containment pilot plant, a packaging laboratory, analytical 
laboratories, offices, containment facilities, classrooms, and support 
facilities which permit research from bench-top to industrial-scale. 
The industrial-size pilot plant is built to accommodate routine food 
processing and packaging research in a commercial atmosphere. The 
physical layout of the facility provides maximum versatility in the use 
and arrangement of equipment of both commercial and pilot size, and in 
the capability to simultaneously operate several different pieces of 
equipment without interference with each other. Additionally, NCFST has 
a BL3 pilot plant and laboratory as well as a select agent laboratory 
to conduct studies with C. botulinum and other selected agents. NCFST 
researchers have access to nutritional clinical facilities on the IIT 
campus for validating in humans how processing may impact the 
availability of bioactive ingredients added to or naturally occurring 
in foods.

II. Award Information/Funds Available

A. Award Amount

    The estimated amount of funds available for support in FY 2009 will 
be for up to $7 million (direct plus indirect costs), with the 
possibility of 4 additional years of support for up to $28 million, 
subject to the availability of funds. Future year amounts will depend 
on annual appropriations and successful performance.
    This award will be funded based on the quality (e.g., how well the 
grantee responds to the RFA (request for application) requirements) of 
the application received and is subject to availability of Federal 
funds to support the project. In addition, if a cooperative agreement 
is awarded, the grantee will be informed of any additional 
documentation that should be submitted to FDA. This cooperative 
agreement program requires that the applicant substantially share in 
the project costs if an award is made.
    FDA grants policies as described in the DHHS (Department of Health 
and Human Services) Policy Statement, http://www.hhs.gov/grantsnet/adminis/gpd/index.htm, will apply to the applications submitted and 
awards made in response to this FOA.

[[Page 26409]]

B. Length of Support

    The award will provide 1 year of support and include future 
recommended support for 4 additional years, contingent upon 
satisfactory performance in the achievement of project and program 
reporting objectives during the preceding year and the availability of 
Federal fiscal year appropriations.

III. How to Submit a Paper Application

    To submit a paper application in response to this FOA, applicants 
should first review the full announcement located at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html. Persons interested in applying for a grant 
may obtain an a copy of the PHS 398 application at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.html
    For paper submissions, the following steps are required:
     Step 1: Obtain a DUNS Number
     Step 2: Register with Central Contractor Registration 
(CCR)
    Information on the process necessary to obtain DUNS and register in 
CCR can be found at http://www07.grants.gov/applicants/organization_registration.jsp.
    Submit one (1) original signed copy of the application to: Gladys 
M. Bohler, Food and Drug Administration, Division of Acquisition 
Support and Grants, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 2105 (HFA-500), Rockville, 
MD 20857, 301-827-7168, FAX: 301-827-7101, email: [email protected].
    Submit five (5) copies of the paper application to: Donald L. Zink, 
Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied 
Nutrition (HFS-006), 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740, 
301-436-2290, email: [email protected].

    Dated: May 27, 2009.
Jeffrey Shuren,
Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning.
[FR Doc. E9-12798 Filed 6-1-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S