[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 187 (Monday, September 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58276-58280]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24586]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY


Ideation Prize Competition

AGENCY: Science and Technology Directorate, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gives notice of the 
availability of the ``National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Think and 
Do Challenge'' ideation prize competition and rules. The DHS Science 
and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) Research and Development 
Partnerships (RDP) Group Office of National Labs (ONL) is seeking 
individuals and entities with unique ideas and concepts to jump start 
the development of an innovation ecosystem focused on Bio/Agro 
Security. Innovation ecosystems typically consist of the people, 
institutions, policies and resources that promote the translation of 
new ideas into products, processes and services. This innovation 
ecosystem will support one of DHS's major infrastructure investments: 
The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). This prize 
competition seeks novel approaches to build one or more pieces of the 
innovation ecosystem. The novel approach will result in enhancement to 
innovation, collaboration, training, and talent, therefore enhancing 
the NBAF mission. Cash prize(s) awarded from this competition are 
intended to fund a portion of the operating budget for the idea(s) and 
associated business plan(s) that provides the best solution to build 
one or more pieces of an innovation ecosystem that aligns to the needs 
of the NBAF mission. The total cash prize payout for this competition 
is up to $100,000 (USD) with at least one cash prize of $15,000 (USD) 
and no award will be less than $15,000 (USD). The awards and amounts 
will be paid to the best submission(s) as solely determined by the 
Seeker.
    This prize competition consists of the following unique features:
     Terminology
    [cir] Seeker: DHS S&T Office of National Labs
    [cir] Solvers: Ideation Prize competition submitters
     The Solvers are not required to transfer exclusive 
intellectual property rights to the Seeker. (See Additional 
Information-Intellectual Property below)

DATES: Submission Period Beginning Date: September 30, 2015.
    Submission Period Ending Date: All submissions must be received 
electronically as indicated in this announcement by 11:59 p.m. Eastern 
Standard Time on Monday, November 30, 2015. Late submissions will not 
be considered. All dates are subject to change. For more details please 
visit the http://www.challenge.gov Web site.

ADDRESSES: Questions about this prize competition may be emailed to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Prize Competition Manager: Ms. Julie 
Brewer; Phone: 202-254-6454; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The America Creating Opportunities to 
Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 (The America COMPETES Act), Public Law 111-
358, enacted January 4, 2011, authorizes Federal agencies to issue 
competitions to stimulate innovations that could advance their 
missions. Interested persons can find full details about the 
competition rules and register to participate online at http://www.challenge.gov. Contest rules are subject to change.
    Subject of the Prize Competition: Ideas and concepts to jump start 
the development of an innovation ecosystem focused on Bio/Agro Security 
and the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).
    Eligibility Rules: To be eligible to win a prize under this 
competition, an individual or entity--

(1) Shall have registered to participate in the competition under the 
rules

[[Page 58277]]

promulgated by the Department of Homeland Security, Science and 
Technology Directorate and in accordance with the description provided, 
below, under ``Registration Information;''
(2) Shall have complied with all of the requirements under this 
section;
(3) Pursuant to the America COMPETES Act of 2010, awards for this Prize 
competition may only be given to an individual that is a citizen or 
legal permanent resident of the United States, or an entity that is 
incorporated in and whose primary place of business is in the United 
States, subject to verification by the Seeker before Prizes are 
awarded. An individual or private entity must be the registered entrant 
to be eligible to win a prize. Further restrictions apply--see the 
Ideation Challenge-Specific Agreement found at the competition 
registration Web site and this Federal Register Notice for full 
details.
(4) Contestants to this prize competition must: agree to be bound by 
the rules of the prize competition; agree that the decision of the 
judges for this prize competition are final and binding; and 
acknowledge that their submission may be the subject of a Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA) request and that they are responsible for 
identifying and marking all business confidential and proprietary 
information in their submission.
(5) Entities selected as a prize competition winner must register or be 
previously registered in the System for Awards Management (http://www.sam.gov) in order to receive a cash prize. Registration in the 
System for Awards Management is not a prerequisite for submitting an 
entry to this prize competition.
(6) Winner(s) to this prize competition agree and consent to the 
Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate 
providing a copy of the winning proposed solution(s), after the final 
award winner(s) is announced, unless expressly stated otherwise in 
writing, to be considered for grants from the State of Kansas, 
administered by Kansas State University. DISCLAIMER: The Department of 
Homeland Security's only role is to refer prize competition submissions 
to the Kansas State University for their sole consideration of a 
potential grant. The Department of Homeland Security is not responsible 
or liable for any decision made by the Kansas State University or the 
State of Kansas to award or not award a grant per this prize 
competition. The Department of Homeland Security is only responsible 
for judging submissions as contained in the evaluation criteria, 
selecting award winner(s), and making cash award payments up to 
$100,000 as contained in this notice. Neither the Kansas State 
University nor the State of Kansas is obligated to provide any award or 
funding at any time.
(7) Contestants to this prize competition agree, as a condition for 
receiving a cash prize, to complete a Memorandum of Understanding with 
the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate 
to take every reasonable effort to implement their Proposed Solution's 
business plan and provide periodic progress reports.
(8) Contestants to this prize competition must agree and consent, as a 
condition for receiving a cash prize, to the use of their name, entity, 
city and state, likeness or image, comments, and a short synopsis of 
their winning solution as a part of the Department of Homeland 
Security's promotion of this prize competition.
(9) Contestants must own or have access at their own expense to a 
computer, an Internet connection, and any other electronic devices, 
documentation, software, or other items that Contestants may deem 
necessary to create and enter a Submission;
(10) The following individuals (including any individuals participating 
as part of an entity) are not eligible regardless of whether they meet 
the criteria set forth above:

(i) any individual under the age of 18;
(ii) any individual who employs an evaluator on the Judging Panel 
(hereafter, referenced simply as a ``Judge'') or otherwise has a 
material business relationship or affiliation with any Judge;
(iii) any individual who is a member of any Judge's immediate family or 
household;
(iv) any individual who has been convicted of a felony;
(v) the Seeker, Participating Organizations, and any advertising 
agency, contractor or other individual or organization involved with 
the design, production, promotion, execution, or distribution of the 
Contest; all employees, representatives and agents thereof; and all 
members of the immediate family or household of any such individual, 
employee, representative, or agent;
(vi) any Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of 
his or her employment, or as may otherwise be prohibited by Federal law 
(employees should consult their agency ethics officials);
(vii) any individual or entity that used Federal facilities or relied 
upon significant consultation with Federal employees to develop a 
Submission, unless the facilities and employees were made available to 
all Contestants participating in the Contest on an equal basis; and
(viii) any individual or entity that used Federal funds to develop a 
Submission, unless such use is consistent with the grant award, or 
other applicable Federal funds awarding document. If a grantee using 
Federal funds enters and wins this Contest, the prize monies will need 
to be treated as program income for purposes of the original grant in 
accordance with applicable Office of Management and Budget Circulars. 
Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract to 
develop a Submission for this competition.
(ix) Employees and contractors of the Department of Homeland Security, 
Science and Technology Directorate and the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Foreign Animal Diagnostic Laboratory located at Plum 
Island, NY are ineligible to compete in this competition. Likewise, 
members of their immediate family (spouses, children, siblings, 
parents), and persons living in the same household as such persons, 
whether or not related, are not eligible to participate in any portion 
of this competition, shall not work on their submission during assigned 
duty hours. Note: Federal ethical conduct rules may restrict or 
prohibit federal employees from engaging in certain outside activities, 
so any federal employee not excluded under the prior paragraph seeking 
to participate in this competition outside the scope of employment 
should consult his/her agency's ethics official prior to developing a 
submission; and
(11) For purposes hereof:
(i) the members of an individual's immediate family include such 
individual's spouse, children and step-children, parents and step-
parents, and siblings and step-siblings; and

[[Page 58278]]

(ii) the members of an individual's household include any other person 
who shares the same residence as such individual for at least three (3) 
months out of the year.
(12) Per 15 U.S.C. 3719(h), an individual or entity shall not be deemed 
ineligible under these eligibility rules 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; and
(13) Use of Marks: Except as expressly set forth in the Participant 
Agreement or the contest rules, participants shall not use the names, 
trademarks, service marks, logos, insignias, trade dress, or any other 
designation of source or origin subject to legal protection, 
copyrighted material or similar intellectual property (``Marks'') of 
the organizers or other prize competition partners, sponsors, or 
collaborators in any way without such party's prior written permission 
in each instance, which such party may grant or withhold in its sole 
and absolute discretion.
(14) An individual or entity that is currently on the Excluded Parties 
List will not be selected as a prize winner.

    Registration Information: To be eligible to win a prize under this 
competition, the Solver shall have registered to participate in the 
contest under the process identified on the central Federal Web site 
where government competitions are advertised (Challenge.gov). Access 
the http://www.challenge.gov Web site and sort by: Department of 
Homeland Security and then select the ``National Bio and Agro-Defense 
Facility Think and Do Challenge'' contest. Solvers will be directed to 
an external Web site created specifically for the competition to obtain 
contest information, register for the contest including signing the 
Ideation Challenge-Specific Agreement and submit their entry. After the 
competition deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and 
make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers 
that submitted a proposal will be notified on the status of their 
submissions; however, no evaluation of individual submissions will be 
provided.
    Submission Requirements: This competition requires a proposed 
solution with a written business plan that describes a novel approach 
to build one or more pieces of the bio-agro security innovation 
ecosystem. The novel approach will result in enhancement to innovation, 
collaboration, training, and talent, therefore enhancing the NBAF 
mission.
    Background information to assist in the completion of submission: 
In 2022, the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology 
Directorate will open the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) 
in Manhattan, Kansas. This state-of-the-art maximum biocontainment 
facility will offer leading-edge capabilities to help protect our food 
supply and the nation's public health.
    Without a smart strategy, a new laboratory may struggle to 
capitalize on the benefits of collaboration, innovation, talent and 
training that are necessary to support the mission over time. The NBAF 
``Think and Do Challenge'' is an opportunity for thinkers, doers, and 
entrepreneurs to offer fresh approaches, unique ideas or proven methods 
to jumpstart development of an instrument that enhances the NBAF's role 
in shaping bio/agro security for the 21st Century.
    According to the World Health Organization, approximately 75 
percent of new and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic diseases 
which may be transmitted from animals to humans. The United States 
currently does not have a laboratory facility with maximum 
biocontainment (BSL-4) space to study high-consequence zoonotic 
diseases affecting large livestock. NBAF will be the first laboratory 
facility in the United States to provide BSL-4 laboratories capable of 
housing cattle and other large livestock. NBAF will also feature a 
vaccine development module to augment its laboratory research and 
accelerate the transfer of new science and technology into the 
marketplace. See http://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/national-bio-and-agro-defense-facility
    NBAF's location in Manhattan, Kansas, places it within the Kansas 
City Animal Health Corridor, the largest concentration of animal health 
companies in the world. NBAF will be constructed and operated on a 
secure federally owned site on the northwest corner of the Kansas State 
University (KSU), adjacent to KSU's Biosecurity Research Institute in 
Pat Roberts Hall. NBAF will play a leading role in protecting the 
nation's health and food supply as part of an integrated, advanced bio/
agro security innovation system (BASIS). This system is designed to 
materially enhance public/private sector cooperation and collaboration, 
leverage stakeholder knowledge and capabilities, accelerate the 
transition of technologies and products into the marketplace, and 
enable skilled training, talent development, and regional economic 
growth. BASIS is strengthened by NBAF's proximity to a network of 
organizations with veterinary, agricultural, and animal pharmaceutical 
expertise.
    A video presentation that outlines the strategic vision of the 
innovation ecosystem can be found at http://www.dhs.gov/nbafchallenge. 
The National Science Foundation has identified a number of the features 
of an innovation ecosystem. For more information see: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/ecosystem.jsp
    While a number of the features are in place to establish an 
innovation ecosystem focused on Bio/Agro Security surrounding the NBAF, 
DHS S&T would like to maximize the potential for the NBAF to serve as a 
focal point for the ecosystem's components. Notional pieces of an 
innovation ecosystem include the following examples: Training 
Component: The prize competition winner would receive a cash prize to 
develop a certificate program for the training of animal care handlers 
in a biocontainment environment; Talent Component: The prize 
competition winner would receive a cash prize to develop a large animal 
veterinary student exchange program for exposure to the research in a 
biocontainment environment; Innovation Component: The prize competition 
winner would receive a cash prize to jump-start a business plan that 
would accelerate agricultural technologies to market; Collaboration 
Component: The prize competition winner would receive a cash prize to 
accelerate novel tools to facilitate virtual research collaboration 
across long distances or other barriers (i.e. from within 
biocontainment).
    The concepts above are provided as illustrations. Solvers are 
encouraged to develop their own concepts or to build upon the ideas 
above. Proposed Solutions should pursue economic, scientific, 
educational and technical opportunities that will advance the 
development of a vital innovation ecosystem around NBAF, comprising 
elements of innovation, collaboration, talent, and training.
    Submissions to this prize competition shall include a written 
business plan consisting of five sections that address each topic below 
as applicable. Business plans must clearly articulate an understanding 
of the solution and its impact in providing high-value, creative and 
specialized talent, training,

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innovation or collaboration to the innovation ecosystem. Competitive 
submissions are expected to be in the range of 10-20 pages consisting 
of:

(1) Cover Page (Format may be found on the competition Web site).
(2) Executive Summary.
(3) Problem and Solution (Also sometimes called an Issue Analysis) 
(Impact Criterion).
(i) Description of a current or future challenge or gap in training, 
talent, collaboration or innovation that should be considered by DHS as 
it moves towards the opening of the NBAF in 2022.
(ii) Gap to be filled; its importance; and to whom.
(iii) Importance of this identified current or future gap to the bio/
agro defense community and the NBAF.
(iv) Description of the solution that will solve the problems/obstacles 
described above if awarded the prize.
(v) Demonstrated understanding of the selected issue and target market.
(4) Implementation Plan (Method and Feasibility Criterion).
(i) Demonstrated understanding of the selected issue and target market.
(ii) Feasibility assessment and a statement describing Solver's ability 
to execute the proposed solution, including the estimated timeframe, 
supporting precedents and any special resource existing or needed.
(iii) Plan for use of the prize money if won.
(iv) Ability of the Solver to execute the proposed plan, including 
mapping the submission to the 5 step success criteria contained in the 
judging rules section of this notice.
(v) Milestones for the next 6-12 months.
(vi) Identify the largest risk factors in implementing the solution.
(vii) Identify additional resources that will need to be leveraged, 
including partnerships, to fully implement the proposed solution.
(viii) Identify current stakeholders in support as well as those who 
are targeted for future collaboration and involvement.
(ix) Describe entities and individuals involved in the proposed 
solution.
(5) Cost Analysis (Cost Realism Criterion).
(i) Business plan funding requirements and use of prize competition 
cash prize if won.
(ii) Adequate or identified financial resources to ensure robust 
institutional capacity.
(iii) Potential for becoming self-sustaining.
(iv) Implementation/Commercialization commitment with stakeholder buy-
in.

    Liability and Indemnification Information: By participating in this 
competition, each Solver agrees 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 competition, whether 
the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or 
otherwise. Likewise, each Solver agrees to indemnify the Federal 
Government against third party claims for damages arising from or 
related to competition activities. In order to receive a Prize, a 
Solver will be required to complete, sign and return to the Seeker 
affidavit(s) of eligibility and liability release, or a similar 
verification document.
    Payment of the Prize: Prizes awarded under this competition will be 
paid by the Seeker and must be received by the Solver(s) via electronic 
funds transfer. All Federal, state and local taxes are the sole 
responsibility of the winner(s). DHS will comply with the Internal 
Review Service withholding and reporting requirements, where 
applicable.
    Judging Criteria: Solutions for this competition will be evaluated 
by a judging panel using the criteria and rating scales described 
below. A total of 100 points is possible for each Proposed Solution. 
Judges will individually score accepted Proposed Solutions that meet 
the eligibility and submission criteria announced in this notice. The 
top 15 Proposed Solutions will advance to consensus judging for a final 
score and a decision on award amount, if any.
    Proposed Solution Rating System (1-10 points for each criterion).

(1) Excellent: Fully addressed all elements of this criterion. (10 
points)
(2) Very Good: High quality, addressed most significant elements of 
this criterion. (8-9 points)
(3) Good: Quality, adequately addressed some important elements of this 
criterion. (6-7 points)
(4) Fair: Solver failed to address one or more critical aspects of this 
criterion. (4-5 Points)
(5) Poor: This criterion has serious deficiencies. (1-3 points)

    Scoring: Criterion Score X Weighted Importance = Total
Judging Criteria:

(1) Impact (Weighted Importance: 5) (50 possible points) Proposed 
Solutions will be evaluated on their plan to effectively develop and 
implement/commercialize solutions that enhance innovation, education, 
training, and the improvement of skills within the (NBAF) ecosystem.
(i) A clear understanding of a real or persistent problem or an 
unaddressed opportunity, its urgency, and the ability of the Proposed 
Solution to solve the problem or capitalize on the opportunity;
(ii) Creative or even potentially transformative solutions based on an 
understanding of their role, benefit, and best practices within the 
innovation ecosystem;
(iii) A clear understanding of the current and future challenges facing 
the nation's agricultural system;
(iv) Alignment with current and future needs for the success of the 
NBAF;
(v) Quantifiable benefits that go beyond the Solver and benefit the 
innovation ecosystem and the NBAF;
(vi) The extent to which innovation, collaboration, training or talent 
aligned to the NBAF visions will be enhanced; and
(2) Method/Feasibility (Weighted Importance: 3) (30 possible points) 
The extent to which the Proposed Solution demonstrates:
(i) An understanding, use and incorporation of the 5 step success 
criteria in developing and implementing the solution: (Step 1) Engage: 
Reach out to stakeholders throughout private industry, livestock 
producers, animal health companies, research universities, local/state/
federal government; (Step 2) Align: Pinpoint nature alignments that 
exist within the stakeholder network and determine which alignments may 
provide a foundation for more significant and committed partnerships; 
(Step 3) Connect needs with system capabilities offered by others 
within the network to begin creating a symbiotic framework for 
protection of animal health, public health, and the food supply, while 
also promoting economic growth; (Step 4) Advance: Secure key 
partnerships by identifying specific shared goals within each aligned 
relationship, ascertaining progressive benchmarks for success and 
operationalizing each partnership; and (Step 5) Enrich: Mature 
ecosystem elements that support regional economic growth and further 
develop the partnerships nationally and internationally as appropriate;
(ii) Successful execution of the idea with a reasonable degree of 
success in the next year and demonstrated sustainability;

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(iii) Qualified personnel: Demonstrated project management expertise; 
The education, experience, and accomplishments of key personnel; 
Adequacy of the Individual/Entity to carry out the proposed work and 
achieve success; Previous performance; Quality of any partnerships and 
extent of partnership commitments; and
(iv) Appropriateness, quality, and availability of any facilities, 
materials and resources to be used in implementing the Proposed 
Solution; and
(3) Cost Realism (Weighted Importance 2) (20 possible points)
(i) Adequate financial resources to ensure robust institutional 
capacity;
(ii) Strong potential to become self-sustaining, even without 
significant future Federal funding;
(iii) Extent to which prize funding will support implementation of the 
idea;
(iv) Access to venture capital, angel financing or other funding needed 
to implement/transition the solution.
(v) Business plan presents accurate, well-founded, and reasonable 
estimates costs to kick-start the idea; and
(vi) A long-term, broad, and deep commitment to implement/commercialize 
the solution with buy-in from stakeholders.

    Additional Information: Intellectual Property--

(1) A Solver retains all ownership in intellectual property rights, if 
any, in the ideas, concepts, inventions, data, and other materials 
submitted in the prize competition. By entering the prize competition, 
each Solver agrees to grant to the United States Government, a Limited 
Purpose Research and Development License that is royalty free and non-
exclusive for a period of four years from the date of submission. The 
Limited Purpose Research and Development License authorizes the United 
States Government to conduct research and development, or authorize 
others to do so on behalf of the United States Government. The Limited 
Purpose License does not include rights to commercialize the 
intellectual property in the Proposed Solution.
(2) Each Solver warrants that he or she is the sole author and owner of 
any copyrightable works that the Submission comprises, that the works 
are wholly original with the Solver (or is an improved version of an 
existing work that the Solver has sufficient rights to use and 
improve), and that the Submission does not infringe any copyright or 
any other rights of any third party of which Solver is aware.

    Privacy: Personal information provided by entrants (Solvers) on the 
nomination form through the prize competition Web site will be used to 
contact selected finalists. Information is not collected for commercial 
marketing. Winners are permitted to cite that they won this 
competition. The names, cities, and states of selected winner or entity 
will be made available in promotional materials and at recognition 
events.
    Judges and their Organization:

(1) Justine Spencer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(2) Michelle Colby, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(3) Julie Brewer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(4) Martha Vanier, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(5) Matt Coats, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(6) Dr. Fernando Torres-Velez, U.S. Department of Agriculture
(7) Dr. Luis Rodriguez, U.S. Department of Agriculture

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 3719.

    Dated: September 18, 2015.
Reginald Brothers,
Under Secretary, DHS Science and Technology Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2015-24586 Filed 9-25-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-9F-P