[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 218 (Friday, November 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58603-58607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27332]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 0911041393-91393-01]


New NOAA Cooperative Institutes (CIs): (1) A CI to Support NOAA 
Research Facilities in the Pacific Northwest; (2) A CI for Southwestern 
U.S. Marine Ecosystems, Climate, and Ocean Studies; and (3) A 
Southeastern Regional CI for Atmospheric and Marine Studies.

AGENCY: Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric

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Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publish this notice to provide 
the general public with a consolidated source of program and 
application information related to three single competitive cooperative 
agreement award offerings. NOAA is accepting applications for: (1) A CI 
to Support NOAA Research Facilities in the Pacific Northwest; (2) a CI 
for Southwestern U.S. Marine Ecosystems, Climate and Ocean Studies; and 
(3) a Southeastern Regional CI for Atmospheric and Marine Studies. 
Applicants should review the CI Interim Handbook prior to preparing a 
proposal for this announcement (http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci).

DATES: Proposals must be received no later than February 10, 2010, 5 
p.m., E.T. Proposals submitted after that date will not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online through 
the Grants.Gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov). Paper submissions are 
acceptable only if Internet access is not available. Grants.gov 
requires applicants to register with the system prior to submitting an 
application. This registration process can take several weeks, 
involving multiple steps. In order to allow sufficient time for this 
process, you should register as soon as you decide that you intend to 
apply, even if you are not yet ready to submit your proposal. If an 
applicant has problems downloading the application package from 
Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Customer Support at (800) 518-4726 or 
[email protected].
    If a hard copy application is submitted, the original and two 
unbound copies of the proposal should be included. Paper submissions 
should be sent to: Dr. John Cortinas, NOAA/OAR, 1315 East-West Highway, 
Room 11326, Silver Spring, MD 20910; telephone (301) 734-1090. No e-
mail or facsimile proposal submissions will be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please 
contact Dr. John Cortinas, NOAA/OAR, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 
11326, Silver Spring, MD 20910; telephone: (301) 734-1090; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All applicants must comply with all 
requirements contained in the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) 
announcements for each of these CIs.
    CI Concept/Program Background: A CI is a NOAA-supported, nonfederal 
organization that has established an outstanding research program in 
one or more areas that are relevant to the NOAA mission. CIs are 
established at research institutions with outstanding graduate degree 
programs in NOAA-related sciences. CIs provide significant coordination 
of resources among all non-government partners and promote the 
involvement of students and postdoctoral scientists in NOAA-funded 
research. The CI provides mutual benefits with value provided by all 
parties. For each CI, NOAA has identified the need to establish a CI to 
focus on scientific research associated in support of NOAA's Strategic 
Plan, NOAA's 5-year Research Plan, and NOAA's 20-year Research Vision. 
(All documents are available at http://www.nrc.noaa.gov/plans.html).
    A CI may partner with one or more research institutions that 
demonstrate outstanding performance within one or more established 
research programs in NOAA-related sciences, including Minority Serving 
Institutions and universities that can contribute to the proposed 
activities of the CI. If a CI is awarded to a consortium of 
institutions, the consortium must propose a governance structure that 
includes a single director and one award.
    CIs will conduct research under approved scientific research 
themes, described in detail in Section I.B of each Federal Funding 
Opportunity announcement. Activities of the CI are usually organized 
into three Tasks (additional tasks can be proposed by the CI).
    i. Task I activities are related to the management of the CI, as 
well as general education and outreach activities. This task also 
includes support of postdoctoral and visiting scientists conducting 
activities within the research themes of the CI that are approved by 
the CI Director, in consultation with NOAA, and are relevant to NOAA 
and the CI's mission goals.
    ii. Task II activities usually involve on-going direct 
collaboration with NOAA scientists. This collaboration typically is 
fostered by the collocation of Federal and CI employees.
    iii. Task III activities require minimal collaboration with NOAA 
scientists and may include research funded by other NOAA competitive 
grant programs.
    Base funding for Task 1 is provided annually by NOAA to the CI, 
contingent upon the availability of Federal appropriations. Throughout 
the award period, funding for additional Task I activities, as well as 
Task II and III (or other tasks by a particular CI) activities is added 
to the CI award as research project proposals are submitted by the CI 
and approved by NOAA.

Request for Applications

    Generally, applications must include all relevant Federal Standard 
Forms, a project description that includes sufficient information to 
address all the evaluation criteria identified in the FFO announcement, 
a budget, and a budget justification. The project description must 
include a thorough explanation of all themes and Tasks. The application 
should also identify the capability and the capacity of the CI to 
conduct research in the themes described in the FFO, as well as a 
summary of clearly stated goals to be achieved, reflecting NOAA's 
strategic goals and vision. Additional elements may also be requested. 
Applicants are directed to the FFO for all application information and 
requirements.

CI To Support NOAA Research Facilities in the Pacific Northwest

    The proposed Pacific Northwest CI should possess outstanding 
capabilities to provide research under seven themes: (1) Ocean and 
coastal observations, (2) climate research and impacts, (3) 
environmental chemistry, (4) seafloor processes, (5) marine ecosystems, 
(6) protection and restoration of marine resources, and (7) tsunami 
observations and modeling. To conduct research under these themes, the 
proposed CI should possess the flexibility needed to work on multi-
disciplinary research in collaboration with NOAA's Pacific Marine 
Environmental Laboratory, Climate Program Office, Alaska Fisheries 
Science Center, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, other CIs, and 
relevant Sea Grant programs. The location of the CI is required to be 
within a daily commuting distance to the Pacific Northwest NOAA 
facilities in Seattle, Washington, to promote ongoing close 
collaborations and training for the next generation of NOAA scientists. 
If the proposed CI is comprised of multiple member institutions, only 
the lead institution applying for the award and where the CI will be 
established must satisfy the daily commuting distance requirement.
    Funding Availability: The award period will be 5 years, and may be 
renewed for up to an additional 5 years based on the outcome of a CI 
review in the fourth year. All funding is contingent upon the 
availability of Federal appropriations. NOAA anticipates that up to 
approximately $20M will be available annually for this CI. Of that 
amount, approximately

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$500,000 will be available per year for Task I. The final amount of 
funding available for Task I will be determined during the negotiation 
phase of the award based on availability of funding. The actual annual 
funding that the CI receives may be less than the anticipated amount 
and will depend on the actual projects that are proposed by the CI and 
approved by NOAA after the main CI award begins, the availability of 
funding, the quality of the research, the satisfactory progress in 
achieving the stated goals described in project proposals, and 
continued relevance to program objectives.

CI for Southwestern U.S. Marine Ecosystems, Climate, and Ocean Studies

    The proposed Southwestern U.S. CI should possess outstanding 
capabilities to provide research under four themes: (1) Climate and 
coastal observations, analysis and prediction; (2) climate research and 
impacts; (3) marine ecosystems; and (4) ecosystem management. To 
conduct research under these themes, the proposed CI should possess the 
flexibility needed to work on multi-disciplinary research in 
collaboration with NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Climate 
Program Office, relevant Sea Grant programs, and other CIs. The 
location of the CI is required to be within a daily commuting distance 
to the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California, to 
promote ongoing close collaborations with NOAA and training for the 
next generation of NOAA scientists. If the proposed CI is comprised of 
multiple member institutions, only the lead institution applying for 
the award and where the CI will be established must satisfy the daily 
commuting distance requirement.
    Funding Availability: The award period will be 5 years, and may be 
renewed for up to an additional 5 years based on the outcome of a CI 
review in the fourth year. All funding is contingent upon the 
availability of Federal appropriations. NOAA anticipates that up to 
approximately $11M will be available annually for this CI. Of that 
amount, approximately $500,000 will be available per year for Task I. 
The final amount of funding available for Task I will be determined 
during the negotiation phase of the award based on availability of 
funding. The actual annual funding that the CI receives may be less 
than the anticipated amount and will depend on the actual projects that 
are proposed by the CI and approved by NOAA after the main CI award 
begins, the availability of funding, the quality of the research, the 
satisfactory progress in achieving the stated goals described in 
project proposals, and continued relevance to program objectives.

Southeastern Regional CI for Atmospheric and Marine Studies

    The proposed Southeastern Regional CI should possess outstanding 
capabilities to provide research under seven themes: (1) Sustained 
ocean and coastal observations, (2) climate research and impacts, (3) 
tropical weather, (4) ocean modeling, (5) ecosystem modeling and 
forecasting, (6) ecosystem management, and (7) protection and 
restoration of resources. To conduct research under these themes, the 
proposed CI should possess the flexibility needed to work on multi-
disciplinary research in collaboration with NOAA's Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, 
relevant Sea Grant programs, and other CIs. The location of the CI is 
required to be within a daily commuting distance to NOAA's Atlantic 
Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center in Miami, Florida, to promote ongoing close 
collaborations with NOAA and training for the next generation of NOAA 
scientists. If the proposed CI is comprised of multiple member 
institutions, only the lead institution applying for the award and 
where the CI will be established must satisfy the daily commuting 
distance requirement.
    Funding Availability: The award period will be 5 years, and may be 
renewed for up to an additional 5 years based on the outcome of a CI 
review in the fourth year. All funding is contingent upon the 
availability of Federal appropriations. NOAA anticipates that up to 
approximately $10M will be available annually for this CI. Of that 
amount, approximately $500,000 will be available per year for Task I. 
The final amount of funding available for Task I will be determined 
during the negotiation phase of the award based on availability of 
funding. The actual annual funding that the CI receives may be less 
than the anticipated amount and will depend on the actual projects that 
are proposed by the CI and approved by NOAA after the main CI award 
begins, the availability of funding, the quality of the research, the 
satisfactory progress in achieving the stated goals described in 
project proposals, and continued relevance to program objectives.
    Electronic Access: Applicants can access, download, and submit 
electronic grant applications, including the full funding opportunity 
announcement, for NOAA programs at the Grants.gov Web site: http://www.grants.gov. The closing date will be the same as for the paper 
submissions noted in this announcement. For applicants filing through 
Grants.gov, NOAA strongly recommends that you do not wait until the 
application deadline date to begin the application process through 
Grants.gov. Registration may take up to 10 business days.
    Proposals must include elements requested in the full Federal 
Funding Opportunity announcement on the grants.gov portal. If a hard 
copy application is submitted, NOAA requests that the original and two 
unbound copies of the proposal be included. Proposals, electronic or 
paper, should be no more than 75 pages (numbered) in length, excluding 
budget, investigators, vitae, and all appendices. Federally mandated 
forms are not included within the page count. Facsimile transmissions 
and electronic mail submission of full proposals will not be accepted.

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 313, 15 U.S.C. 1540; 15 U.S.C. 2901 et 
seq., 16 U.S.C. 753a, 33 U.S.C. 1442, Stat. 71 (January 23, 2004).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: 11.432, Office of Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Joint and Cooperative Institutes)

    Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to non-Federal public and 
private non-profit universities, colleges and research institutions 
that offer accredited graduate level degree-granting programs in NOAA-
related sciences. The lead institution applying for the award and where 
the CI will be established must also satisfy the daily commuting 
distance requirement.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: To stress the collaborative nature and 
investment of a CI by both NOAA and the research institution, cost 
sharing is required. There is no minimum cost sharing requirement; 
however, the amount of cost sharing will be considered when determining 
the level of the CI's commitment under NOAA's standard evaluation 
criteria for overall qualifications of applicants. Acceptable cost-
sharing proposals include, but are not limited to, offering a reduced 
indirect cost rate against activities in one or more Tasks, waiver of 
any indirect costs assessed by the awardee on subawards, waiver of 
indirect costs assessed against base funds and/or Task I activities, 
waiver or reduction of any costs associated with the use of facilities 
at the CI, and full or partial salary funding for the CI director, 
administrative staff, graduate students,

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visiting scientists, or postdoctoral scientists.
    Evaluation Criteria and Review and Selection Procedures: The 
general evaluation criteria and selection factors that apply to full 
applications to this funding opportunity are summarized below. The 
evaluation criteria for full applications will have different weights 
and details. Further information about the evaluation criteria and 
selection factors can be found in the official full Federal Funding 
Opportunity announcement which is only available through the Grants.gov 
Web site (http://www.grants.gov).
    Evaluation Criteria for Projects: Proposals will be evaluated using 
the standard NOAA evaluation criteria. Various questions under each 
criterion are provided to ensure that the applicant includes 
information that NOAA will consider important during the evaluation, in 
addition to any other information provided by the applicant.
    1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed 
project to the program goals (25 percent): This criterion ascertains 
whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance 
to NOAA, Federal, regional, state, or local activities.
     Does the proposal include research goals and projects that 
address the critical issues identified in NOAA's 5-year Research Plan, 
NOAA's Strategic Plan, and program priorities (see Section I.B. of the 
full funding opportunity announcement)?
     Is there a demonstrated commitment (in terms of resources 
and facilities) to enhance existing NOAA and CI resources to foster a 
long-term collaborative research environment/culture?
     Is there a strong education program with established 
graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences that also encourage 
student participation in NOAA-related research studies?
    2. Technical/scientific merit (30 percent): This criterion assesses 
whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the 
methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and 
objectives.
     Does the project description include a summary of clearly 
stated goals to be achieved during the five year period that reflect 
NOAA's strategic plan and goals?
     Does the CI involve partnerships with other universities 
or research institutions, including Minority Serving Institutions and 
universities that can contribute to the proposed activities of the CI?
    3. Overall qualifications of applicants (30 percent): This 
criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary 
education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative 
resources to accomplish the project.
     If the institution(s) and/or principal investigators have 
received current or recent NOAA funding, is there a demonstrated record 
of outstanding performance working with NOAA and/or NOAA scientists on 
research projects?
     Is there nationally and/or internationally recognized 
expertise within the appropriate disciplines needed to conduct the 
collaborative/interdisciplinary research described in the proposal?
     Is there a well-developed business plan that includes 
fiscal and human resource management, as well as strategic planning and 
accountability?
     Are there any unique capabilities in a mission-critical 
area of research for NOAA?
     Has the applicant shown a substantial investment to the 
NOAA partnership, as demonstrated by the amount of the cost sharing 
contribution?
    4. Project costs (5 percent): The budget is evaluated to determine 
if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-
frame.
    5. Outreach and education (10 percent): NOAA assesses whether this 
project provides a focused and effective education and outreach 
strategy regarding NOAA's mission to protect the Nation's natural 
resources.
    Review and Selection Process: An initial administrative review/
screening is conducted to determine compliance with requirements/
completeness. All proposals will be evaluated and individually ranked 
in accordance with the assigned weights of the above-listed evaluation 
criteria by an independent peer review panel. At least three experts, 
who may be Federal or non-Federal, will be used in this process. If 
non-Federal experts participate in the review process, each expert will 
submit an individual review and there will be no consensus opinion. The 
merit reviewers' ratings are used to produce a rank order of the 
proposals. The Selecting Official selects proposals after considering 
the peer reviews and selection factors listed below. In making the 
final selections, the Selecting Official will award in rank order 
unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based 
upon one or more of the selection factors. The Selecting Official makes 
the final award recommendation to the Grants Officer authorized to 
obligate funds.
    Selection Factors: The merit review ratings shall provide a rank 
order to the Selecting Official for final funding recommendations. The 
Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is 
justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of 
the following factors:
    1. Availability of funding.
    2. Balance/distribution of funds:
    (a) Geographically
    (b) By type of institutions
    (c) By type of partners
    (d) By research areas
    (e) By project types
    3. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded or 
considered for funding by NOAA or other Federal agencies.
    4. Program priorities and policy factors.
    5. Applicant's prior award performance.
    6. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups.
    7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination and draft 
necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to 
the Grants Officer.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    Limitation of Liability: In no event will NOAA 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 this announcement does not oblige 
NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.
    National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA). NOAA must analyze the potential environmental 
impacts, as required by NEPA, for applicant projects or proposals which 
are seeking NOAA federal funding opportunities. Detailed information on 
NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the NOAA NEPA Web site, 
http://www.nepa.noaa.gov, including our NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 
for NEPA, http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/%7Eames/NAOs/Chap_216/naos_216_6.html, and the Council on Environmental Quality 
implementation regulations, http://www.nepa.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm. Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under 
their description of their program activities, applicants are required 
to provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, 
locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible 
construction activities, and any

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environmental concerns that may exist (e.g., the use and disposal of 
hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous species, 
impacts to endangered and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and 
impacts to coral reef systems). In addition to providing specific 
information that will serve as the basis for any required impact 
analyses, applicants may also be requested to assist NOAA in drafting 
of an environmental assessment, if NOAA determines an assessment is 
required.
    Applicants will also be required to cooperate with NOAA in 
identifying feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse 
environmental impacts of their proposal. The failure to do so shall be 
grounds for not selecting an application. In some cases if additional 
information is required after an application is selected, funds can be 
withheld by the Grants Officer under a special award condition 
requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance 
information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any 
impacts that a project may have on the environment.
    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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR 
7696), are applicable to this solicitation.
    Paperwork Reduction Act: This document contains collection-of-
information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 
The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and SF-LLL has been approved 
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the respective 
control numbers 4040-004, 4040-006, 0348-0040, and 0348-0046. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to, 
nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, 
a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA 
unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.
    Executive Order 12866: This notice has been 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.
    Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior 
notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required by the 
Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning 
public property, loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. 
553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements 
for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are 
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been 
prepared.

    Dated: November 6, 2009.
Mark E. Brown,
Chief Financial Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-27332 Filed 11-12-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KD-P