[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 189 (Monday, September 30, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59939-59941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23731]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Announcement of Requirements and Registration for Respirator 
Trusted-Source Mobile Application Challenge

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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    Award Approving Official: Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Director, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Administrator, Agency 
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) located within the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is challenging teams of 
developers to design a mobile application (app) that will be used by 
the public to query the NIOSH trusted source site http://knowits.niosh.gov for specific criteria and display all relevant 
information on the Web page in an easy to view format on a mobile 
device. The NIOSH Trusted-Source Web page is the one-stop resource to 
get reliable respirator information. The goal is to create a mobile app 
that can run on multiple platforms, such as Apple iOS, Windows and 
Android, and that makes the Respirator Trusted-Source content 
selectable and easy-to-use, reaching users with portable technology.

DATES: The contest will be launched on September 30, 2013. Other 
important contest-related dates:
     Challenge Submission Period: September 30, 2013 through 
December 23, 2013
     Judging Process for Entries: December 23-January 6, 2014
     Winners Notified: Week of January 13, 2014

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Sporrer, phone (412)-386-6435 or 
email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 59940]]

Subject of Challenge Competition

    The 2009 H1N1 outbreak yielded a widespread acknowledgement of the 
need for respiratory protection as an essential line of defense for 
workers. Confusion among stakeholders and respirator users of important 
facts relative to respiratory protection was the main driver that led 
to the development of the NIOSH Respirator Trusted-Source Web page.
    The NIOSH Respirator Trusted-Source Web page is the one stop 
resource to get reliable respirator information. The Web site is: 
http://knowits.niosh.gov. The Web site includes content to address 
three specific sections of information as follows: (1) Information on 
understanding the various types of respirators, how to identify 
approved models, and outlets for purchase; (2) Information on how to 
implement the use of respirators in the workplace and use them 
appropriately; (3) Ancillary respirator information, such as, commonly 
asked questions and answers, respirator myths, science of respirator 
function and performance, and respiratory protective devices not 
approved by NIOSH.
    In this challenge, CDC/NIOSH is seeking an app that will be used by 
the public to query the NIOSH trusted source site http://knowits.niosh.gov for specific criteria and display all relevant 
information on the Web page in an easy to view format on a mobile 
device. The app should be capable of conducting searches of all 
information on the Web site and providing all the info relevant to the 
criteria selected for display. The purpose of this app is to query the 
site for specific criteria and display it in an easy to view format.
    In addition to providing the app or a link to the app, contestants 
should:
    (1) Upload a brief slide presentation that describes your entry. 
Slide decks should be in .PDF format, and contain a maximum of 10 
slides. We strongly recommend you explain how you addressed the 
evaluation criteria and the key features of the product as they relate 
to the challenge.
    (a) Narrative: One of the slides in the presentation should be a 
narrative explaining how the app is intended to work.
    (2) Provide a link to a 4-minute demo video showing your 
application in action. Post videos to video-sharing sites like YouTube.
    (3) Mobile application must be Section 508-compliant. For 
information on Section 508-compliance, and tools for implementation, 
visit: www.section508.gov.
    (4) App must be accessible on a mobile hand-held device.
    (5) Neither the CDC name nor CDC logo will be used in the app or 
the icon for the app.
    (6) The first place prize winner will provide paths to download the 
app from app stores as a free app.
    (7) The first place prize winner will provide technical support for 
1 year after the award at no cost to HHS/CDC/NIOSH. The scope of the 
technical support is to fix any malfunctions that may come up during 
the app being used by stakeholders.
    (8) All videos and presentations must be submitted in English.
    (9) Videos should not include endorsements of private products, 
services, or enterprises.
    (10) Videos containing profane language, violence, weapons, 
sexually explicit content, or personal attacks on people or 
organizations will not be considered and will be disqualified.

Eligibility Rules for Participating in the Competition

    To be eligible to win a prize under this challenge, an individual 
or entity--
    (1) Shall have registered to participate in the competition under 
the rules promulgated by HHS/CDC;
    (2) Shall have complied with all the requirements under this 
section;
    (3) In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and 
maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the 
case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, 
shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States; and
    (4) May not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within 
the scope of their employment.
    (5) Shall not be an HHS employee working on their applications or 
submissions during assigned duty hours.
    (6) Shall not be an employee or contractor of NIOSH, judges of the 
challenge, or any other party involved with the design, production, 
execution, or distribution of the challenge or their immediate family 
(spouse, parents or step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, and 
children and step-children).
    (7) Federal grantees may not use Federal funds to develop COMPETES 
Act challenge applications unless consistent with the purpose of their 
grant award.
    (8) Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract 
to develop COMPETES Act challenge applications or to fund efforts in 
support of a COMPETES Act challenge submission.
    An individual or entity shall not be deemed ineligible because the 
individual or entity used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal 
employees during a competition if the facilities and employees are made 
available to all individuals and entities participating in the 
competition on an equitable basis.
    By participating in this competition, contestants agree to assume 
any and all risks and waive claims against the Federal Government and 
its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any 
injury, death, damage or loss of property, revenue or profits, whether 
direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this 
contest, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through 
negligence or otherwise. By participating in this competition, 
contestants agree to indemnify the Federal Government against third 
party claims for damages arising from or related to contest activities.
    Contestants must obtain liability insurance or demonstrate 
financial responsibility in the amount of $0.00 for claims by: (1) A 
third party for death, bodily injury, or property damage, or loss 
resulting from an activity carried out in connection with participation 
in a competition, with the Federal Government named as an additional 
insured under the registered contestant's insurance policy and 
registered contestants agreeing to indemnify the Federal Government 
against third party claims for damages arising from or related to 
competition activities; and (2) the Federal Government for damage or 
loss to Government property resulting from such an activity. 
Contestants participating within a group must obtain insurance or 
demonstrate financial responsibility for all members of the group.

Registration Process for Participants

    Interested persons should read the official rules posted on https://www.challenge.gov. Contestants must submit their content through the 
https://www.challenge.gov Web site. All submissions will be reviewed by 
HHS/CDC to confirm eligibility. Registration is free and can be 
completed anytime during the submission period, September 30, 2013 
through December 23, 2013.

Amount of the Prize

    There will be one $8,000 first place prize and two $1,000 honorable 
mention prizes, for a total of $10,000.

Payment of the Prize

    Prizes awarded under this competition will be paid by electronic 
funds transfer and may be subject to Federal income taxes. HHS will 
comply

[[Page 59941]]

with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting 
requirements, where applicable.

Basis Upon Which Winner Will Be Selected

    A panel of judges will evaluate each submission on the following 
four criteria:
User Interface--30%
     Were the user instructions easy to follow and comprehend?
     Is the display and color scheme of the information 
appealing?
Ease of Use--20%
     Are you able to search for information easily?
     Is the requested information, both text and graphics, easy 
to read when displayed?
Innovation in Design--20%
     Is the application original?
     Is the application creative?
     Is the design engaging (i.e. pleasant and satisfying to 
use)?
Functionality and Accuracy--30%
     Application has been tested on intended platforms?
     Can the application be accessed by the end user?
     Does the application return the correct information?

Additional Information

    Participation in this contest constitutes a contestants' full and 
unconditional agreement to abide by the contest's official rules found 
at https://www.challenge.gov.
    If contestants choose to provide HHS/CDC with personal information 
by registering or filling out the submission form through the 
Challenge.gov Web site, that information is used to respond to 
contestants in matters regarding their submission, announcements of 
entrants, finalists, and winners of the contest. Information is not 
collected for commercial marketing. Winners are permitted to cite that 
they won this contest.
    Contestant(s) warrants that he or she is the sole author and owner 
of the contest submission, and that the contest submission completely 
originates with the contestant, that it does not infringe upon any 
copyright or any other rights of any third party of which contestant(s) 
is aware, and is free of malware. The contestant cannot submit material 
that he or she did not create and is not the owner of; the contestant 
cannot take material from any other source.
    All materials submitted to the Respirator Trusted-Source Mobile App 
challenge remain the intellectual property of the individuals who 
developed them. However, HHS, CDC, and NIOSH maintain a non-exclusive, 
royalty-free license to use, reproduce, publish, distribute and exhibit 
the submission/winning challenge in any and all formats or manner for 
educational, training and other public health purposes consistent with 
HHS, CDC and/or NIOSH's mission. The contestant will be acknowledged in 
any NIOSH actions conducted under this license.
    HHS/CDC reserves the right to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the 
contest, or any part of it, for any reason, at HHS/CDC's sole 
discretion.

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 3719.

    Dated: September 24, 2013.
Tanja Popovic,
Deputy Associate Director for Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-23731 Filed 9-27-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P