Department of Energy
Office of Science

Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 99-21;
Department of Energy Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DOE/EPSCoR)

Agency: U.S. Department of Energy

Action: Notice inviting research applications

SUMMARY: The Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) of the Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in keeping with its energy-related mission to assist in strengthening the Nation's scientific research enterprise through the support of science, engineering, and mathematics, announces its interest in receiving applications from eligible States for the support of the DOE/EPSCoR Program. The purpose of the DOE/EPSCoR Program is to enhance the capabilities of designated States to conduct nationally-competitive energy-related research and to develop science and engineering manpower in energy-related areas to meet current and future needs.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 p.m. E.S.T., December 1, 1999, in order to be accepted for merit review and to permit timely consideration for award in Fiscal Year 2000.

ADDRESSES: Formal applications referencing Program Notice 99-21, must be submitted to U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Grants and Contracts Division, SC-64, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 99-21. This address must also be used when submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service Express, any commercial mail delivery service, or when hand carried by the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general questions concerning this Notice and the DOE/EPSCoR program, contact the following individual:

Dr. Matesh N. Varma, DOE/EPSCoR Program Manager, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, SC-132, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301)903-3209, e-mail: (matesh.varma@science.doe.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

To continue to enhance the competitiveness of states and territories identified for participation in the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) by the National Science Foundation (NSF), DOE has decided to again restrict eligibility to the following states and territory: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.An appropriate fiscal agent, acting on behalf of a state's EPSCoR Committee, may submit only one application in response to this program notice. It is the DOE/EPSCoR program policy to limit the Research Implementation awards to one active award per state. Therefore, only those EPSCoR states that have: (1) not received a previous DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation award, (2) "graduated" their previously supported Research Implementation award research clusters or (3) received final funding for their Research Implementation award in FY 1999, are eligible to apply for FY 2000 funding.

Awards issued under this Notice will provide funding for state program coordination, human resource development activities, and research, including a balanced portfolio of student research activities spanning from K-12 to postgraduate students. The DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation award should be used to improve the academic research infrastructure of key science and technology areas identified by the state's EPSCoR governing committee as critical to the development of state and institutional research and development capability. The state's strategy to develop and utilize the scientific and technological resources that reside in its research universities should be described in its DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation award application. In preparation for submitting an application, the EPSCoR governing committee within each state is expected to have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for development of its research institutions in support of overall state research and development objectives. Successful infrastructure improvement plans are likely to be those which are focussed on one or two energy-related research areas and which candidly represent the opportunities for enhanced academic R&D competitiveness, including the acquisition of sustained non-EPSCoR support. Most important, the state's infrastructure improvement strategy must have a high probability of realizing stated goals and objectives as judged by members of a DOE merit review panel. In all instances, performance milestones and a timetable for achieving such milestones are prerequisites for EPSCoR support. Priority will be given to applications that propose to develop new competitive research areas rather than those that propose to enhance or continue research areas that are already competitive. The DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation awards are not an appropriate mechanisms to provide support for individual faculty science and technology research projects. Requests for support of such projects should be directed to the DOE's ongoing research grant programs.

Program Funding

Subject to Congressional authorization and approval of funds in FY 2000 DOE anticipates an estimated $3.0 million will be available for awards to fund collaborative research and manpower development in energy-related science and engineering disciplines. Approximately four awards are anticipated in FY 2000 at a maximum award level of $750,000 per year for a period of three years. Continuation funding for the awards will be contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds, progress of the research and continuing program need. Renewal applications beyond the initial three-year period will be considered for an additional two years, subject to continuing meritorious performance and progress in the previous award periods, as well as the value added of the proposed effort and the availability of funds.As a tangible measure of an applicant's commitment to the objectives of the DOE/EPSCoR Program, cost-sharing on a minimum one-to-one ratio is a requirement of this program. Therefore, each application submitted requesting support from DOE under this Notice must provide, from non-Federal funds, an amount equal to or greater than the amount awarded by DOE; i.e., for every dollar provided by DOE, the recipient must provide a dollar or more from non-Federal sources for the project.

Applications

The DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation awards are open to the entire range of energy-related disciplines supported by the Department of Energy. Additional information on the DOE Research Programs is available at the following web site addresses:

• Department of Energy (General Information): http://www.doe.gov
  
• Office of Science (formerly Energy Research): http//www.er.doe.gov
  
• Basic Energy Sciences: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/bes/bes.html
  
• Biological and Environmental Research: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/ober/ober_top.html
  
• Advanced Scientific Computing Research (formerly Computational and Technology Research): http://www.er.doe.gov/octr/index.html
  
• Fusion Energy Sciences: http://www.ofe.er.doe.gov
  
• High Energy and Nuclear Physics: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/henp/henp.html
  
• Office of Defense Programs: http://www.dp.doe.gov/Public/default.htm
  
• Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: http://www.eren.doe.gov
  
• Office of Fossil Energy: http://www.fe.doe.gov
  
• Office of Environmental Management: http://www.em.doe.gov
  
• Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management: http://www.rw.doe.gov
  
• Office of Nuclear Energy: http://www.ne.doe.gov
  

Applications will be subjected to formal scientific merit review and will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria listed in descending order of importance as codified at 10 CFR 605.10(d).

1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project
2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach
3. Competency of Applicant's Personnel and Adequacy of Proposed Resources
4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget

The evaluation will include program policy factors such as the relevance of the proposed research to the terms of the announcement and the agency's programmatic needs. Note: External peer reviewers are selected with regard to both their scientific expertise and the absence of conflict-of-interest issues. Non-federal reviewers will often be used, and submission of an application constitutes agreement that this is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting institution.

Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with researchers in other institutions, such as universities, industry, and nonprofit organizations. All projects will be evaluated using the same criteria, regardless of the submitting institution.

General information about the development and submission of applications, eligibility, limitations, evaluation, and selection processes, and other policies and procedures may be found in 10 CFR Part 605 and in the Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program. Electronic access to the Guide and required forms is available via the World Wide Web at: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.

Specific guidance for the preparation of the DOE/EPSCoR Research Implementation applications may be found in the "Supplemental Information Guidelines" at website: http://www.er.doe.gov/production/bes/EPSCoR/APPLI.HTM. Because of program specific information required and the overall complexity of the applications, the format and guidance included in the "Supplemental Information Guidelines" supercedes that of the general instructions for the preparation of an application to the Office of Science.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR Part 605.

John Rodney Clark
Associate Director of Science
for Resource Management

Published in the Federal Register June 17, 1999, Vol. 64, No. 116, pages 32488-32489.