[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 127 (Friday, July 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38666-38667]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16627]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0012]


Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Marine Environmental 
Sciences Consortium/Dauphin Island Sea Lab Collaboration (U19)

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the 
availability of grant funds for the support of a cooperative agreement 
between the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and 
the Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium/Dauphin Island Sea Lab 
(DISL). The goal of the DISL is marine science education, basic and 
applied marine science research, coastal zone management policy, and 
educating the general public.

DATES: Important dates are as follows:
    1. The application due date is August 1, 2011.
    2. The anticipated start date is September, 2011.
    3. The opening date is the date the Funding Opportunity is 
published in the Federal Register.
    4. The expiration date is August 2, 2011.

For Further Information and Additional Requirements Contact:

Scientific/Programmatic Contact

    Robert Dickey, Office of Food Safety, Gulf Coast Seafood 
Laboratory, One Iberville Dr., PO. D1-1, rm. 122 (HFS 400), Dauphin 
Island, AL 36528,. Tele.: 251-690-3368; e-mail: 
[email protected].

Grants Management Contact

    Gladys Melendez-Bohler, Office of Acquisition and Grant Services 
(OAGS), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1078, 
Rockville, MD 20857, Tele.: 301-827-7175; e-mail: [email protected].
    For more information on this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) 
and to obtain detailed requirements, please refer to the full FOA 
located at http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/default.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
RFA-FD-11-015; 93.103.

A. Background

    This FOA issued by the FDA/Office of Food Safety is soliciting a 
sole source grant application from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). 
FDA is authorized to enforce the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(the FD&C Act) as amended (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.). In fulfilling its 
responsibilities under the FD&C Act, FDA among other things, directs 
its activities toward promoting and protecting the public health by 
ensuring the safety and security of foods (Appendix A). To accomplish 
its mission, FDA must stay abreast of the latest developments in 
research and also communicate with stakeholders about complex 
scientific and public health issues. Increased development of research, 
education and outreach partnerships with the Marine Environmental 
Science Consortium-Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) will greatly 
contribute to FDA's mission.
    The DISL is one of Alabama's most valuable assets and adds 
immeasurably to the quality of life in the state and beyond. The DISL 
network of 21 institutions enrolls students worldwide in degree 
programs delivered in classrooms, laboratories, education centers, and 
online. The DISL's nationally ranked programs, leading-edge research 
collaborations, and innovative business partnerships provide an 
environment to support diverse multidisciplinary exchanges with FDA. 
The scientific, public health and policy expertise within FDA provide 
opportunities for collaborations that support the DISL mission and 
strategic themes to provide access to high-quality education, research 
discovery, and knowledge-based services responsive to both the promises 
and demands of the state and the nation in the new century.

B. Research Objectives

    FDA Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory (GCSL) and the Marine 
Environmental Science Consortium of the DISL (the Parties) have a 
shared interest in scientific progress in the diverse disciplines that 
directly and indirectly affect seafood safety and human and animal 
health. The Parties also endorse scientific training for faculty, 
students and staff to foster a well-grounded foundation in 
interdisciplinary fields in which academia and government share mutual 
interest.
    The cooperative agreement will establish terms of collaboration 
between FDA and DISL to support these shared interests that can be 
pursued through programs of collaborative research, public outreach, 
cooperative international initiatives, disciplinary training, and 
exchange of scientists and staff, including a program of graduate 
student internships.
    The types of activities expected to develop from this agreement 
include:
     Exchanges between university faculty and staff and FDA 
scientists and staff;
     Educational opportunities for qualified students 
(graduate), staff members and faculty members in the Parties' 
laboratories, classroom and offices;
     Joint meetings for education and research;
     Research collaborations;
     Cooperative international activities including outreach; 
and
     Sharing of unique facilities and equipment for increased 
cost efficiencies for scientific endeavors;
     Promulgation and communication of identified collaborative 
efforts through appropriate means;
     Adjunct, affiliates and research facility appointments for 
appropriate FDA professional staff, provided that appointment of such 
candidates will advance specific programmatic

[[Page 38667]]

objectives of the parties as appropriate, and provided that such 
appointments comply with university policies on appointment of 
facility/affiliates;
     In an effort to enhance collaborative interactions and 
communication between both institutions, FDA and DISL will collaborate 
in the development of regular workshops where faculty from all the 
institutions within the DISL and FDA scientists and staff share 
information about ongoing research, education and outreach efforts of 
mutual interest.

C. Eligibility Information

    Competition is limited to the DISL. There are no other sources that 
can provide the required proximity to the FDA/GCSL and independent 
marine fieldwork capability required. The DISL is a diverse 
institutional consortium of undergraduate and graduate education and 
research. University programs faculty at the DISL are actively involved 
in both basic and applied research in coastal waters of the northern 
Gulf of Mexico. The DISL operates marine research vessels (boats) 
crewed by faculty and students for field studies and sample 
collections. DISL possesses extensive laboratory and wet-laboratory 
resources relevant to the mission of the FDA/GCSL. The DISL is located 
within 1 mile of the FDA/GCSL which will engage the proposed program of 
collaboration and internships. This unique circumstance of capability, 
capacity and proximity is irreplaceable without extended and costly 
concessions.

II. Award Information/Funds Available

A. Award Amount

    The estimated amount of support in FY12 will be up to $125,000. 
(direct plus indirect costs) with the possibility of 4 additional years 
of support for up to $125,000.00 per year, subject to the availability 
of funds. Future year amounts will depend on annual appropriations and 
successful contract performance.

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. Paper Application, Registration, and Submission Information

    To submit a paper application in response to this FOA, applicants 
should first review the full announcement located at http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/default.htm. (FDA has verified the Web site 
addresses throughout this document, but FDA is not responsible for any 
subsequent changes to the Web sites after this document publishes in 
the Federal Register.) Persons interested in applying for a grant may 
obtain an application at http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html. For all paper application submissions, the following steps 
are required:
     Step 1: Obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 
Numbering System (DUNS) Number.
     Step 2: Register With Central Contractor Registration.
     Step 3: Register With Electronic Research Administration 
(eRA) Commons.
    Steps 1 and 2, in detail, can be found at http://www07.grants.gov/applicants/organization_registration.jsp. Step 3, in detail, can be 
found at https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/registration/registrationInstructions.jsp. After you have followed these steps, 
submit paper applications to:
    Gladys Melendez-Bohler, Office of Acquisition and Grant Services 
(OAGS), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1078, 
Rockville, MD 20857.

    Dated: June 28, 2011.
Leslie Kux,
Acting Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011-16627 Filed 6-30-11; 8:45 am]
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