[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15675-15678]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7051]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket Number: 100311134-0141-01]


Professional Research Experience Program in Chemical Science and 
Technology Laboratory; 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) 
Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL) announces that the 
Professional Research Experience Program (PREP-CSTL) is soliciting 
applications for financial assistance from accredited colleges and 
universities to enable those institutions to provide laboratory 
experiences and financial assistance to undergraduate and graduate 
students and post-doctoral associates in the Chemical Science and 
Technology Laboratory (CSTL) at the NIST, Gaithersburg Laboratories in 
Gaithersburg, Maryland or the NIST, Hollings Marine Laboratory in 
Charleston, South Carolina.

DATES: All applications, paper and electronic, must be received no 
later than 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on June 19, 2010. Applications 
received after this deadline will not be reviewed or considered.

ADDRESSES: Hard copies of full proposals must be submitted to: Donna 
Kimball; Grants Coordinator, NIST Chemical Science and Technology 
Laboratory; National Institute of Standards and Technology; 100 Bureau 
Drive, Stop 8300; Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8300. Electronic submissions 
of full proposals should be submitted at http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A paper copy of the Federal Funding 
Opportunity (FFO) announcement may be obtained by calling (301) 975-
8362. Technical questions should be addressed to: Donna Kimball at the 
address listed in the Addresses section above, or at Tel: (301) 975-
8362; E-mail: [email protected] or Web site: http://www.nist.gov/cstl. 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] or call 800-518-4726.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Electronic access: Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the 
Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) available at http://www.grants.gov 
for complete information about this program, all program requirements, 
and instructions for applying by paper or electronically.

    Authority: The authority for the Professional Research 
Experience Program in Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory 
(PREP-CSTL) is as follows: As authorized by 15 U.S.C. 278g-1(a), 
NIST conducts directly, and supports through grants, awards of 
research fellowships and other forms of financial assistance to 
students at institutions of higher learning within the U.S. whose 
research is relevant to the mission and programs of NIST.

    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) Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL) 
announces that the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP-CSTL) 
is soliciting applications for financial assistance from accredited 
colleges and universities to enable those institutions to provide 
laboratory experiences and financial assistance to undergraduate and 
graduate students and post-doctoral associates in the CSTL at the NIST, 
Gaithersburg Laboratories in Gaithersburg, Maryland or at the NIST 
Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina. In 
Gaithersburg, the CSTL carries out programs in the following fields of 
measurement science research, focused on reference methods, reference 
materials and reference data: Biochemical Science, Chemical and 
Biochemical Reference Data, Process Measurements, Surface and 
Microanalysis Science, Thermophysical Properties, and Analytical 
Chemistry. In Charleston, the CSTL carries out programs in the 
following fields of measurement science research, focused on reference 
methods, reference materials, and reference data: Biochemical Science, 
Chemical and Biochemical Reference Data, and Analytical Chemistry. 
Financial assistance may be provided for research support and 
professional development opportunities that include conferences, 
workshops, or other technical research meetings that are relevant to 
the mission of the CSTL.
    The objectives of the PREP-CSTL are to encourage the growth and 
progress of science and engineering in the United States by providing 
research opportunities for students and post-doctoral associates, 
enabling them to collaborate with internationally known NIST 
scientists, exposing them to cutting-edge research. The PREP-CSTL will 
promote students' pursuit of degrees in science and engineering, and 
post-doctoral associates' professional development in science and 
engineering. The PREP-CSTL Coordinator and NIST/CSTL scientists will 
coordinate with appropriate division chiefs, outreach coordinators, and 
directors of multi-disciplinary academic organizations to identify 
students and programs that would benefit from the PREP-CSTL experience. 
Applicants must be able to ensure the availability of students for on-
site collaborative research experiences at the NIST/CSTL Laboratories 
in Gaithersburg, Maryland and Charleston, South Carolina, concurrent 
with their university studies. Any participating student must also be 
enrolled in an academic program acceptable to both the sponsoring 
institution and NIST/CSTL.

[[Page 15676]]

    Funding Availability: Funding for the PREP-CSTL will be provided as 
fellows are identified by the successful applicant and approved by 
NIST/CSTL. Fellowship support from NIST/CSTL under the PREP-CSTL is 
contingent upon the availability of NIST/CSTL program funds, NIST/CSTL 
program objectives, and the discretion of NIST/CSTL advisors.
    NIST anticipates awarding one or more cooperative agreements to 
eligible institution(s).
    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 agency priorities. Publication of 
this announcement does not oblige NIST or the Department of Commerce to 
award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.
    Successful applicants will be eligible, but are not required, to 
participate in the PREP-CSTL for up to a 5-year period beginning at the 
time of award.
    NIST plans to fund the awards as cooperative agreements.
    Cost Share Requirements: Cost sharing and matching are not required 
under this program.
    Indirect costs also are eligible project costs and applicants are 
encouraged to propose to cover them as cost share under this program. 
Any indirect costs proposed in an application under this program must 
not exceed the indirect cost rate negotiated with the applicant's 
cognizant or oversight Federal agency prior to the proposed effective 
date of the award.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are accredited institutions of 
higher education in the United States and its territories that offer 
undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics, chemistry, mathematics, 
computer science, or engineering. Institutions should have a 4-year 
degree plan. Undergraduate and graduate students who receive 
fellowships under the PREP-CSTL must show evidence of a 3.0 or higher 
grade point average in a curriculum acceptable to the sponsoring 
educational institution and NIST/CSTL and must be enrolled full-time at 
a sponsoring institution. Post-doctoral associates must be affiliated 
with a sponsoring institution of higher education and be no more than 5 
years beyond receiving their Ph.D. The program provides fellowships to 
undergraduate and graduates for a maximum of 5 years duration.
    When a proposal for a multi-year award is approved, funding will 
generally be provided for only the first year of the program. If an 
application is selected for funding, NIST has no obligation to provide 
any additional funding in connection with that award. Continuation of 
an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at 
the total discretion of NIST. Funding for each subsequent year of a 
multi-year proposal will be contingent upon satisfactory progress, 
continued relevance to the mission of CSTL and the availability of 
funds. The multi-year awards must have scopes of work that can be 
easily separated into annual increments of meaningful work that 
represent solid accomplishments if prospective funding is not made 
available to the applicant, (i.e., the scopes of work for each funding 
period must produce identifiable and meaningful results in and of 
themselves).
    Each proposal should include necessary costs to provide oversight 
of the program. All successful applicants will be required to have a 
PREP-CSTL coordinator. Responsibilities of the successful applicant's 
PREP-CSTL coordinator include: serving as a single point of contact for 
University staff, PREP-CSTL applicants and participants, and NIST/CSTL 
research scientists and engineers; assisting students, University 
sponsors, and NIST/CSTL advisors in implementing the program and 
resolving any difficulties that may arise, and serving as the signatory 
on all agreements between NIST/CSTL, the University, and each fellow.
    Evaluation Criteria: The applications will be evaluated and scored 
on the basis of the following evaluation criteria:
    (a) Soundness of the applicant's academic program, proposed project 
objectives, and appropriateness of proposed student work assignments in 
light of ongoing research at NIST/CSTL and the students' academic 
programs. (30 points.)
    (b) Experience in providing students pursuing degrees in physics, 
chemistry, mathematics, computer science, or engineering with work 
experiences in laboratories or other settings consistent with 
furthering the students' education. (30 points.)
    (c) Adequacy and reasonableness of plans for administering the 
project and coordinating with the NIST/CSTL Director and PREP-CSTL 
Administrative Coordinator in Gaithersburg, Maryland. (20 points.)
    (d) Costs of the proposed project budget (proposed fellowships and 
other proposed costs) in light of the activities proposed and the 
objectives of the sponsoring institution and NIST. Voluntary cost 
sharing may include, but is not limited to, cash contributions for 
direct costs, contributions of indirect costs, or third-party in-kind 
contributions. (20 points.)
    Review and Selection Process: Screening of Applications: All PREP-
CSTL proposals must be submitted to the NIST/CSTL PREP-CSTL 
Administrative Coordinator. Each proposal is examined for completeness 
and responsiveness to the scope of the stated objectives of the PREP-
CSTL. Substantially incomplete or non-responsive proposals will not be 
reviewed for technical merit nor considered for funding, and the 
applicant will be notified. The NIST/CSTL PREP-CSTL Administrative 
Coordinator will retain one copy of each non-responsive application for 
three years for recordkeeping purposes. The remaining copies will be 
destroyed.
    Each complete and responsive PREP-CSTL application packet will be 
reviewed by at least three independent, objective NIST scientists, all 
of whom are NIST employees, who are knowledgeable in the subject matter 
of this announcement and its objectives and who are able to conduct a 
review based on the Evaluation Criteria for the PREP-CSTL as described 
in this notice.
    The merit review ratings shall provide a rank order to a Selecting 
Official for final funding recommendations. The Selecting Official will 
be the Director of the NIST Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory 
in Gaithersburg, Maryland. A Federal Program Officer may first make 
recommendations to the Selecting Official. The Selecting Official shall 
recommend for award in the rank order unless the proposal is justified 
to be selected out of rank order. Justification for award order 
different from the rank order shall be based upon one or more of the 
following factors:
    1. Availability of funds.
    2. Applicant's prior award performance.
    The final selection of applications and award of cooperative 
agreements will be made by the NIST Grants Officer in Gaithersburg, 
Maryland, based on compliance with application requirements as 
published in this notice, compliance with applicable legal and 
regulatory requirements, and whether the recommended applicants appear 
to be responsible. Unsatisfactory performance on any previous Federal 
award may result in an application not being considered for funding. 
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. Applicants should 
allow up to 60 days processing time.

[[Page 15677]]

    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 are 
contained in, 73 FR 7696 (February 11, 2008), apply to this notice. On 
the form SF-424 items 8.b. and 8.c., the applicant's 9-digit Employer/
Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN/TIN) and 9-digit Dun and Bradstreet 
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number must be consistent with 
the information on the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) (http://www.ccr.gov) and Automated Standard Application for Payment System 
(ASAP). For complex organizations with multiple EIN/TIN and DUNS 
numbers, the EIN/TIN and DUNS number MUST be the numbers for the 
applying organization. Organizations that provide incorrect/
inconsistent EIN/TIN and DUNS numbers may experience significant delays 
in receiving funds if their proposal is selected for funding. Please 
confirm that the EIN/TIN and DUNS number are consistent with the 
information on the CCR and ASAP.
    Collaborations with NIST Employees: Collaboration with NIST is 
presumed in PREP-CSTL. If any applicant proposes any activities 
involving specific NIST employees, the statement of work should include 
a statement of this intention, a description of the collaboration, and 
prominently identify the NIST employee(s) involved. Any collaboration 
by a NIST 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 Part 14.36, and in Section B.21 of the 
Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements, 73 FR 7696 
(February 11, 2008). 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. Disposition of NIST's retained rights in such inventions 
will be determined solely by NIST, and may include, but is not limited 
to, the grant of a license(s) to parties other than the applicant to 
practice such invention, or placing NIST's retained rights 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/.
    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, 424 (R&R), SF-LLL, and 
CD-346 have been approved by OMB under the respective Control Numbers 
0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 4040-0001, 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 of information 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, the Food and Drug 
Administration, and other Federal agencies on these topics, and all 
Presidential statements of policy on these topics.
    NIST will accept the submission of proposals containing research 
activities involving human subjects. The human subjects research 
activities in a proposal will require approval 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 that is linked to the cognizant IRB. In 
addition, NIST as an institution requires that IRB approval 
documentation go through a NIST administrative review; therefore, 
research activities involving human subjects are not authorized to 
start within an award until approval for the activity is issued in 
writing from the NIST Grants Officer. NIST will not issue a single 
project assurance (SPA) for any IRB reviewing any human subjects 
protocol proposed to NIST.
    President Obama has issued Executive Order No. 13,505 (74 FR 10667, 
March 9, 2009), revoking previous Executive Orders and Presidential 
statements regarding the use of human embryonic stem cells in research. 
On July 30, 2009, President Obama issued a memorandum directing that 
agencies that support and conduct stem cell research adopt the 
``National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Human Stem Cell 
Research'' (NIH Guidelines), which became effective on July 7, 2009, 
``to the fullest extent practicable in light of legal authorities and 
obligations.'' On September 21, 2009, the Department of Commerce 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a statement of 
compliance with the NIH Guidelines. In accordance with the President's 
memorandum, the NIH Guidelines, and the Department of Commerce 
statement of compliance, NIST will support and conduct research

[[Page 15678]]

using only human embryonic stem cell lines that have been approved by 
NIH in accordance with the NIH Guidelines and will review such research 
in accordance with the Common Rule and NIST implementing procedures, as 
appropriate. NIST will not support or conduct any type of research that 
the NIH Guidelines prohibit NIH from funding. NIST will follow any 
additional polices or guidance issued by the current Administration on 
this topic.
    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: NIST anticipates making awards for the 
program listed in this notice. In no event will NIST or the Department 
of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation cost if these 
programs(s) fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other 
agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not obligate 
NIST or the Department of Commerce to award any specific project or to 
obligate any available 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: March 25, 2010.
Marc G. Stanley,
Acting Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-7051 Filed 3-29-10; 8:45 am]
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