[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 8769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-02579]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) Notice of Solicitation 
of Letters of Intent

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office 
of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Department of Commerce 
(DOC).

ACTION: Notice of solicitation of letters of intent to apply to become 
the Guam Sea Grant Institutional Program.

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SUMMARY: The National Sea Grant College Program is requesting letters 
of intent from eligible applicants to become a Sea Grant Institutional 
Program serving the United States territory of Guam. An Institutional 
Program can be defined as a program that has demonstrated competence as 
a Coherent Area Program and has shown the ability to support broad 
responsibilities for the development of Sea Grant state, regional, and 
national activities, engaging all of the institutions of higher 
learning in the region. Only institutions that have been the host 
entity of a Sea Grant Coherent Area Program for at least three years 
are eligible to apply. The National Sea Grant College Act of 1976, as 
amended by 33 U.S.C. 1121 et seq. (the ``Act'' hereinafter) authorizes 
the NOAA to designate a Sea Grant institution on the basis of merit and 
that such designation is consistent with the goals of the Act.

DATES: Letters of intent must be received by March 11, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Letters of intent will be accepted by email to oar.sg.info[email protected]">oar.sg.info[email protected]. Please put ``Guam Institutional Program'' in the 
Subject line. All letters of intent will be acknowledged. If you do not 
receive an acknowledgement of your letter of intent within five days of 
sending it, please contact us using the information below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Currently, 34 Sea Grant Programs are located 
in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Guam and Puerto Rico. These 
Programs are partnerships between the Federal government and 
universities or other institutions with higher learning mandates, 
funded by Federal grants. More information about the National Sea Grant 
College Program can be found at http://seagrant.noaa.gov/. There is 
currently no Sea Grant Program whose main area of service is Guam that 
has been recognized with Institutional or College status.
    To be eligible to apply to this solicitation, an institution must 
have been the host entity of a Sea Grant Coherent Area Program for a 
minimum of three years. A ``Coherent Area Program'' is a grant-funded 
program selected by NOAA in order to conduct Sea Grant activities 
limited in geographic area and/or scope. All Coherent Area Programs are 
subject to Sea Grant review procedures and are periodically evaluated 
against Sea Grant project evaluation criteria.
    A letter of intent must include the following information: A non-
binding statement of intent to submit a full application to be 
considered for a Guam Institutional Sea Grant Program;

--Identification (name, address, and type of organization) of the 
institution, or group of institutions, that will submit the full 
application;
--Affirmation that the sender of the letter is authorized to represent 
that institution or group in seeking designation as an Institutional 
Sea Grant Program;
--Name and contact details (including email address) of the person to 
whom correspondence should be sent.

    Eligible applicants who submit a letter of intent will be provided 
a complete information package on how to prepare and submit a full 
application, the criteria against which the application will be 
evaluated (which are drawn from regulation at 15 CFR 918.3 
``Eligibility, qualifications, and responsibility of a Sea Grant 
College''), the evaluation procedure (which may include both document 
review and a site visit), and the conditions on the institution or 
group that are associated with accepting Sea Grant Institutional 
Program status.
    Contact Information: For any additional questions concerning this 
solicitation, please contact Rebecca Briggs at 301-734-1084 or by email 
at [email protected]. Please put ``Guam Institutional Status'' in 
the subject line.

    Dated: January 28, 2021.
David Holst,
Director Chief Financial Officer/CAO, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2021-02579 Filed 2-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KA-P