NIST Electron and Optical Physics Division, Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) Financial Assistance Program; Availability of Funds, 16285-16288 [E6-4723]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 62 / Friday, March 31, 2006 / Notices
End of Certification
Accordingly, the following product is
deleted from the Procurement List:
Product
Product/NSN: Cloth, Abrasive.
NSN: 5350–00–187–6296—Cloth, Abrasive.
NPA: Louisiana Association for the Blind,
Shreveport, Louisiana.
Contracting Activity: GSA, Southwest Supply
Center, Fort Worth, Texas.
G. John Heyer,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E6–4691 Filed 3–30–06; 8:45 am]
COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM
PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR
SEVERELY DISABLED
Procurement List; Proposed Deletions
Committee for Purchase From
People Who Are Blind or Severely
Disabled.
ACTION: Proposed Deletions from
Procurement List.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Committee is proposing
to delete a product and services
previously furnished by nonprofit
agencies employing persons who are
blind or have other severe disabilities.
Comments Must be Received on or
Before: April 30, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase
From People Who Are Blind or Severely
Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800,
1421 Jefferson Davis Highway,
Arlington, Virginia, 22202–3259.
For Further Information or to Submit
Comments Contact: Sheryl D. Kennerly,
Telephone: (703) 603–7740, Fax: (703)
603–0655, or e-mail SKennerly
@jwod.gov.
This
notice is published pursuant to 41 U.S.C
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is to provide interested persons an
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
I certify that the following action will
not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
The major factors considered for this
certification were:
1. If approved, the action may result
in additional reporting, recordkeeping
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2. If approved, the action may result
in authorizing small entities to furnish
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16:35 Mar 30, 2006
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End of Certification
The following products and services
are proposed for deletion from the
Procurement List:
Product
PRODUCT/NSN: Computer Accessories.
NSN: 7045–01–483–7838—Comfort Wrist
Mouse Pad.
NPA: Wiscraft Inc.—Wisconsin Enterprises
for the Blind, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Contracting Activity: Office Supplies & Paper
Products Acquisition Center, New York,
NY.
BILLING CODE 6353–01–P
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3. There are no known regulatory
alternatives which would accomplish
the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in
connection with the product and
services proposed for deletion from the
Procurement List.
Services
Service Type/Location: Base Supply Center,
Brooks Air Force Base, Texas.
NPA: San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind,
San Antonio, Texas.
Contracting Activity: Department of the Air
Force.
Service Type/Location: Base Supply Center,
Defense Supply Service—Washington,
Skyline #3, 5109 Leesburg Pike,
Alexandria, Virginia.
NPA: Virginia Industries for the Blind,
Charlottesville, Virginia.
Contracting Activity: Defense Supply Service,
Washington DC.
Service Type/Location: Food Service, U.S.
Property and Fiscal Officer, Wisconsin,
Wisconsin Military Academy, 90 S 10th
Avenue, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
NPA: Challenge Unlimited, Inc., Alton,
Illinois.
Contracting Activity: U.S. Property and Fiscal
Officer for Wisconsin, Camp Douglas,
Wisconsin.
G. John Heyer,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. E6–4692 Filed 3–30–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6353–01–P
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Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting
of the Montana Advisory Committee
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to
the provisions of the rules and
regulations of the U.S. Commission on
Civil Rights, that a meeting of the
Montana State Advisory Committee will
convene at 6 p.m. (MST) and adjourn at
9 p.m. (MST), Wednesday, April 5,
2006, at the Holiday Inn Parkside, 200
S. Pattee St., Missoula, Montana 59802.
The purpose of the meeting is to
conduct orientation for new advisory
committee members; provide an
overview of the USCCR including recent
Commission activities and new policies
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affecting Advisory Committees;
facilitate a briefing on regional project
‘‘Confronting Discrimination in
Reservation Border Town
Communities’’ in Montana; and
planning through December 2006.
Persons desiring additional
information, or planning a presentation
to the Committee, should contact John
F. Dulles, Director of the Rocky
Mountain Regional Office, (303) 866–
1040 (TDD 303–866–1049). Hearingimpaired persons who will attend the
meeting and require the services of a
sign language interpreter should contact
the Regional Office at least ten (10)
working days before the scheduled date
of the meeting.
The meeting will be conducted
pursuant to the provisions of the rules
and regulations of the Commission. It
was not possible to publish this notice
15 days in advance of the meeting date
because of internal processing delays.
Dated at Washington, DC, March 23, 2006.
Ivy L. Davis,
Chief, Regional Programs Coordination Unit.
[FR Doc. E6–4687 Filed 3–30–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6335–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
[Docket No.: 060321082–6082–01]
NIST Electron and Optical Physics
Division, Center for Nanoscale Science
and Technology (CNST) Financial
Assistance Program; Availability of
Funds
National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST)
announces that the NIST Electron and
Optical Physics Division, Center for
Nanoscale Science and Technology
(CNST) Financial Assistance Program is
soliciting applications for financial
assistance for FY 2006. The primary
program objectives of the financial
assistance program in Nanoscale
Science and Technology is to develop
new measurement methods,
instrumentation and standards for
nanotechnology and explore new areas
of nanoscale science and technology in
a variety of areas; to assist and train
CNST collaborators and nanofabrication
facility users in their research; and to
conduct other outreach and educational
activities that advance the development
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 62 / Friday, March 31, 2006 / Notices
of nanotechnology by U.S. university
and industrial scientists.
DATES: Complete applications, paper
and electronic, must be received by 5
p.m., eastern standard time on April 24,
2006.
ADDRESSES: One signed original and two
paper copies of complete paper
applications must be submitted to
Barbara Coalmon, National Institute of
Standards and Technology, Center for
Nanoscale Science and Technology,
Electron and Optical Physics Division,
Mail Stop 8412, Gaithersburg, MD
20899–8412. Electronic applications
must be submitted through Grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
complete information about this
program and instructions for applying
by paper or electronically, read the
Federal Funding Opportunity Notice
(FFO) at https://www.grants.gov. A paper
copy of the FFO may be obtained by
calling (301) 975–6328. Technical
questions should be addressed to Dr.
Robert Celotta at National Institute of
Standards and Technology, Center for
Nanoscale Science and Technology,
Electron and Optical Physics Division,
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8412,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8412, Tel:
(301) 975–3710, E-mail:
Robert.Celotta@nist.gov. The CNST Web
site is: https://www.physics.nist.gov/cnst.
All grants related administration
questions concerning this program
should be directed to Joyce Brigham,
NIST Grants and Agreements
Management Division at (301) 975–6328
or joyce.brigham@nist.gov. For
assistance with using Grants.gov contact
support@grants.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
dsatterwhite on PROD1PC76 with NOTICES
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Name And Number: Measurement and
Engineering Research and Standards—
11.609
Program Description: The primary
program objectives of the financial
assistance program in Nanoscale
Science and Technology are to develop
new measurement methods,
instrumentation and standards for
nanotechnology and explore new areas
of nanoscale science and technology in
a variety of areas including
nanofabrication, nanomagnetics, theory
and modeling, post-complementary
metal oxide semiconductor electronics,
nano-electro mechanical systems,
nanomotion and nanomanipulation,
merging length scales, 2–D and 3–D
structural and chemical imaging,
electrical and magnetic dynamical
response of nanostructures, electrical
characterization of nanostructures,
nanoscale properties of soft matter,
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neutron scattering determination of
nanoscale properties, nanobiology, and
nanomedicine; to assist and train CNST
collaborators and nanofabrication
facility users in their research; and to
conduct other outreach and educational
activities that advance the development
of nanotechnology by U.S. university
and industrial scientists. This will entail
collaborative research among the
selected financial assistance recipients
and CNST staff scientists and visiting
scientists to advance these objectives,
primarily at CNST’s Nanofab, a national
user facility for nanoscale science and
technology that is described on the Web
site cnst.nist.gov.
Applicants and team members must
possess the education, experience, and
training, to pursue and advance the field
of Nanoscale Science and Technology
efficiently. In addition, the applicant
and team members must possess a
demonstrated record of excellence in
the development of measurement
methods, instrumentation or standards
for nanotechnology and in
nanotechnology research.
Additional information on the CNST
can be found at: https://
www.physics.nist.gov/cnst.
Funding Availability: Proposals will
be considered for cooperative
agreements with durations of up to five
years, subject to the availability of
funds, satisfactory progress, and the
continuing relevance to the objectives of
the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science
and Technology of the Electron and
Optical Physics Division. The
anticipated level of funding is up to
$1,500,000 per year and one or more
awards may be approved. Between one
and five awards are likely.
NIST will give preference to fullscope proposals. However applicants
may choose to submit proposals that are
limited to specific program objectives
and request an appropriate portion of
the total amount available. NIST will
determine whether to fund one award
for the full amount; to divide available
funds into multiple awards of any size,
and negotiate scopes of work and
budgets as appropriate; or not to select
any proposal for funding, upon
completing the selection process
described in this notice.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 272(b) and
(c).
Eligibility: The CNST Financial
Assistance Program is open to U.S.
institutions of higher education.
Cost Sharing: There is no cost sharing
or matching requirement for the
program.
Review and Selection Process: All
applications received in response to this
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announcement will be reviewed to
determine whether or not they are
complete and responsive to the scope of
the stated program objectives.
Incomplete or non-responsive
applications will not be reviewed for
technical merit. The Program will retain
one copy of each non-responsive
application for three years for record
keeping purposes. The remaining copies
will be destroyed.
Responsive proposals will be
reviewed by at least four independent,
objective individuals who are
knowledgeable about nanoscale science
and technology research,
nanofabrication, and nanotechnology
measurement and instrumentation.
These individuals will conduct a
technical review of proposals based on
the evaluation criteria listed below. If
non-Federal reviewers are used, any
advice provided will be on an
individual basis, not as a consensus.
The Physics Laboratory Deputy
Director, serving as the Selection
Official, will make the award selection.
In making the award selection, the
Physics Laboratory Deputy Director will
take into consideration the reviewers’
technical evaluations. The Physics
Laboratory Deputy Director, as the
selecting official, may choose a proposal
out of rank order based upon one or
more of the following factors: (1)
Availability of funds, (2) Redundancy,
(3) Balance/distribution of funds by
research areas described above in the
Program description of this Notice, (4)
Program objectives described above in
the Program Description section of this
Notice, (5) Logistical concerns, and (6)
Preference for full-scope proposals. If an
award is made to an applicant that
deviates from the scores of the
reviewers, the Physics Laboratory
Deputy Director shall justify the
selection in writing based on selection
factors described above. The Physics
Laboratory Deputy Director may select
all, none, or some of the applications for
funding.
The final approval of selected
applications and award of financial
assistance will be made by the NIST
Grants Officer based on compliance
with application requirements as
published in this notice, compliance
with applicable legal and regulatory
requirements, compliance with Federal
policies that best further the objectives
of the Department of Commerce, and
whether the recommended applicants
appear to be responsible. Applicants
may be asked to modify objectives, work
plans, or budgets and provide
supplemental information required by
the agency prior to award. The award
decision of the Grants Officer is final.
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Applicants should allow up to 90 days
processing time.
Unsuccessful applicants will be
notified in writing. The Program will
retain one copy of each unsuccessful
application for three years for record
keeping purposes. The remaining copies
will be destroyed.
Evaluation Criteria: For the Electron
and Optical Physics Division—CNST
Financial Assistance Program, the
technical reviewers will use the
following criteria to evaluate the
proposals:
1. Qualifications and experience of
the Principal Investigator in
nanotechnology research, as
demonstrated by extensive publications
and invited lectures in condensed
matter physics, chemistry, material
science, macromolecular science or
related fields. (25%).
2. Qualifications and experience of
the proposed university staff in
nanotechnology research or in related
scientific or engineering areas that are
key to the activities contained in the
proposal, as demonstrated by resumes of
staff proposed for this program. (10%).
3. Quality of the proposed research
and development plan and its potential
impact on nanoscale science and
technology. (20%).
4. Quality of the plan in terms of
providing research assistance to U.S.
nanotechnology researchers using the
CNST facilities, including related
training, education, and outreach.
(30%).
5. Quality of the plan to integrate
university staff effectively into the
activities of the CNST facility, including
establishing robust communications
between the university and the CNST.
(10%).
6. Cost effectiveness of the plan. (5%).
Additional Information:
The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements:
The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements
contained in the Federal Register notice
of December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389). On
the form SF–424, the applicant’s 9-digit
Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number
must be entered in the Applicant
Identifier block (68 FR 38402).
Collaborations with NIST Employees:
All applications should include a
description of any work proposed to be
performed by an entity other than the
applicant, and the cost of such work
should ordinarily be included in the
budget.
If an applicant proposes collaboration
with NIST, the statement of work
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16:35 Mar 30, 2006
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should include a statement of this
intention, a description of the
collaboration, and prominently identify
the NIST employee(s) involved, if
known. Any collaboration by a NIST
employee must be approved by
appropriate NIST management and is at
the sole discretion of NIST. Prior to
beginning the merit review process,
NIST will verify the approval of the
proposed collaboration. Any
unapproved collaboration will be
stricken from the proposal prior to the
merit review.
Use of NIST Intellectual Property: If
the applicant anticipates using any
NIST-owned intellectual property to
carry out the work proposed, the
applicant should identify such
intellectual property. This information
will be used to ensure that no NIST
employee involved in the development
of the intellectual property will
participate in the review process for that
competition. In addition, if the
applicant intends to use NIST-owned
intellectual property, the applicant must
comply with all statutes and regulations
governing the licensing of Federal
government patents and inventions,
described at 35 U.S.C. sec. 200–212, 37
CFR part 401, 15 CFR 14.36, and in
section 20 of the Department of
Commerce Pre-Award Notification
Requirements, published on December
30, 2004 (69 FR 78389). Questions about
these requirements may be directed to
the Counsel for NIST, 301–975–2803.
Any use of NIST-owned intellectual
property by a proposer is at the sole
discretion of NIST and will be
negotiated on a case-by-case basis if a
project is deemed meritorious. The
applicant should indicate within the
statement of work whether it already
has a license to use such intellectual
property or whether it intends to seek
one.
If any inventions made in whole or in
part by a NIST employee arise in the
course of an award made pursuant to
this notice, the United States
government may retain its ownership
rights in any such invention. Licensing
or other disposition of NIST’s rights in
such inventions will be determined
solely by NIST, and include the
possibility of NIST putting the
intellectual property into the public
domain.
Initial Screening of all Applications:
All applications received in response to
this announcement will be reviewed to
determine whether or not they are
complete and responsive to the scope of
the stated objectives for each program.
Incomplete or non-responsive
applications will not be reviewed for
technical merit. The Program will retain
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16287
one copy of each non-responsive
application for three years for record
keeping purposes. The remaining copies
will be destroyed.
Paperwork Reduction Act: The
standard forms in the application kit
involve a collection of information
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.
The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A,
424B, SF–LLL, and CD–346 have been
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) under the respective
Control Numbers 0348–0043, 0348–
0044, 0348–0040, 0348–0046, and 0605–
0001.
Notwithstanding any other provision
of the law, no person is required to
respond to, nor shall any person be
subject to a penalty for failure to comply
with, a collection subject to the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act, unless that collection of
information displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number.
Research Projects Involving Human
Subjects, Human Tissue, Data or
Recordings Involving Human Subjects:
Any proposal that includes research
involving human subjects, human
tissue, data or recordings involving
human subjects must meet the
requirements of the Common Rule for
the Protection of Human Subjects,
codified for the Department of
Commerce at 15 CFR part 27. In
addition, any proposal that includes
research on these topics must be in
compliance with any statutory
requirements imposed upon the
Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) and other Federal
agencies regarding these topics, all
regulatory policies and guidance
adopted by DHHS, FDA, and other
Federal agencies on these topics, and all
Presidential statements of policy on
these topics.
NIST will accept the submission of
human subjects protocols that have been
approved by Institutional Review
Boards (IRBs) registered with DHHS and
performed by entities possessing a
current, valid Federal-wide Assurance
(FWA) from DHHS. NIST will not issue
a single project assurance (SPA) for any
IRB reviewing any human subjects
protocol proposed to NIST.
On August 9, 2001, the President
announced his decision to allow Federal
funds to be used for research on existing
human embryonic stem cell lines as
long as prior to his announcement (1)
the derivation process (which
commences with the removal of the
inner cell mass from the blastocyst) had
already been initiated and (2) the
embryo from which the stem cell line
was derived no longer had the
possibility of development as a human
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 62 / Friday, March 31, 2006 / Notices
being. NIST will follow guidance issued
by the National Institutes of Health at
https://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/
humansubjects/guidance/stemcell.pdf
for funding such research.
Research Projects Involving Vertebrate
Animals: Any proposal that includes
research involving vertebrate animals
must be in compliance with the
National Research Council’s ‘‘Guide for
the Care and Use of Laboratory
Animals’’ which can be obtained from
National Academy Press, 2101
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20055. In addition, such proposals
must meet the requirements of the
Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et
seq.), 9 CFR parts 1, 2, and 3, and if
appropriate, 21 CFR part 58. These
regulations do not apply to proposed
research using pre-existing images of
animals or to research plans that do not
include live animals that are being cared
for, euthanized, or used by the project
participants to accomplish research
goals, teaching, or testing. These
regulations also do not apply to
obtaining animal materials from
commercial processors of animal
products or to animal cell lines or
tissues from tissue banks.
Limitation of Liability: In no event
will the Department of Commerce be
responsible for proposal preparation
costs if these programs fail to receive
funding or are cancelled because of
other agency priorities. Publication of
this announcement does not oblige the
agency to award any specific project or
to obligate any available funds.
Executive Order 12866: This funding
notice was determined to be not
significant for purposes of Executive
Order 12866.
Executive Order 13132 (Federalism):
It has been determined that this notice
does not contain policies with
federalism implications as that term is
defined in Executive Order 13132.
Executive Order 12372: Applications
under this program are not subject to
Executive Order 12372,
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.’’
Administrative Procedure Act/
Regulatory Flexibility Act: Notice and
comment are not required under the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C.
553) or any other law, for rules relating
to public property, loans, grants,
benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553 (a)).
Because notice and comment are not
required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any
other law, for rules relating to public
property, loans, grants, benefits or
contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis is not required and
has not been prepared for this notice, 5
U.S.C. 601 et seq.
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Dated: March 23, 2006.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. E6–4723 Filed 3–30–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
[Docket No. 050601149–5323–02]
Announcing Approval of Federal
Information Processing Standard
(FIPS) 200, Minimum Security
Requirements for Federal Information
and Information Systems
National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice announces the
Secretary of Commerce’s approval of
Federal Information Processing
Standard (FIPS) 200, Minimum Security
Requirements for Federal Information
and Information Systems. The use of
FIPS 200 is compulsory and binding on
federal agencies for: (i) All information
within the federal government other
than that information that has been
determined pursuant to Executive Order
12958, as amended by Executive Order
13292, or any predecessor order, or by
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended, to require protection against
unauthorized disclosure and is marked
to indicate its classified status; and (ii)
all federal information systems other
than those information systems
designated as national security systems
as defined in 44 United States Code
Section 3542(b)(2). FIPS 200 was
developed to complement similar
standards for national security systems.
DATES: This standard is effective March
31, 2006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Ron Ross, Computer Security Division,
Information Technology Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–
8930, telephone (301) 975–5390, e-mail:
ron.ross@nist.gov.
A copy of FIPS 200 is available
electronically from the NIST Web site
at: https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Federal Information Security
Management Act (FISMA) requires all
federal agencies to develop, document
and implement agency-wide
information security programs and to
provide information security for the
information and information systems
that support the operations and assets of
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the agency, including those systems
provided or managed by another agency,
contractor, or other source.
To support agencies conducting their
information security program, the
FISMA called for NIST to develop
federal standards for the security
categorization of federal information
and information systems according to
risk levels, and four minimum security
requirements for information and
information systems in each security
category. FIPS 199, Standards for the
Security Categorization of Federal
Information and Information Systems,
issued in February 2004, was the first
standard that was specified by the
FISMA. FIPS 199 requires agencies to
categorize their information and
information systems as low-impact,
moderate-impact, or high impact for the
security objectives of confidentiality,
integrity, and availability.
FIPS 200, which is the second
standard that was specified by the
FISMA, is an integral part of the risk
management framework that NIST has
developed to assist federal agencies in
providing appropriate levels of
information security based on levels of
risk. In applying the provisions of FIPS
200, agencies will categorize their
systems as required by FIPS 199, and
then select an appropriate set of security
controls from NIST Special Publication
800–53, Recommended Security
Controls for Federal Information
Systems, to satisfy their minimum
security requirements.
On July 15, 2005, a notice was
published in the Federal Register
(Volume 70, Number 135, 40983–40984)
announcing proposed FIPS 200 and
soliciting comments on the proposed
standard from the public, research
communities, manufacturers, voluntary
standards organizations, and federal,
state, and local government
organizations. In addition to being
published in the Federal Register, the
notice was posted on the NIST web
pages. Information was provided about
the submission of electronic comments.
Comments, responses, and questions
were received from 13 private sector
organizations, groups, or individuals
and from 14 federal government
organizations.
Most of the comments that were
received recommended editorial
changes; suggested the addition of
references; provided general comments
concerning the standard and its
implementation; and asked questions
concerning the implementation of the
standard and the use of waivers. Some
of the comments expressed concurrence
with the standard as proposed,
supported the intent, goals, and
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 62 (Friday, March 31, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16285-16288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4723]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No.: 060321082-6082-01]
NIST Electron and Optical Physics Division, Center for Nanoscale
Science and Technology (CNST) Financial Assistance Program;
Availability of Funds
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
announces that the NIST Electron and Optical Physics Division, Center
for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) Financial Assistance
Program is soliciting applications for financial assistance for FY
2006. The primary program objectives of the financial assistance
program in Nanoscale Science and Technology is to develop new
measurement methods, instrumentation and standards for nanotechnology
and explore new areas of nanoscale science and technology in a variety
of areas; to assist and train CNST collaborators and nanofabrication
facility users in their research; and to conduct other outreach and
educational activities that advance the development
[[Page 16286]]
of nanotechnology by U.S. university and industrial scientists.
DATES: Complete applications, paper and electronic, must be received by
5 p.m., eastern standard time on April 24, 2006.
ADDRESSES: One signed original and two paper copies of complete paper
applications must be submitted to Barbara Coalmon, National Institute
of Standards and Technology, Center for Nanoscale Science and
Technology, Electron and Optical Physics Division, Mail Stop 8412,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8412. Electronic applications must be submitted
through Grants.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For complete information about this
program and instructions for applying by paper or electronically, read
the Federal Funding Opportunity Notice (FFO) at https://www.grants.gov.
A paper copy of the FFO may be obtained by calling (301) 975-6328.
Technical questions should be addressed to Dr. Robert Celotta at
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Center for Nanoscale
Science and Technology, Electron and Optical Physics Division, 100
Bureau Drive, Stop 8412, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8412, Tel: (301) 975-
3710, E-mail: Robert.Celotta@nist.gov. The CNST Web site is: https://
www.physics.nist.gov/cnst. All grants related administration questions
concerning this program should be directed to Joyce Brigham, NIST
Grants and Agreements Management Division at (301) 975-6328 or
joyce.brigham@nist.gov. For assistance with using Grants.gov contact
support@grants.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name And Number: Measurement
and Engineering Research and Standards--11.609
Program Description: The primary program objectives of the
financial assistance program in Nanoscale Science and Technology are to
develop new measurement methods, instrumentation and standards for
nanotechnology and explore new areas of nanoscale science and
technology in a variety of areas including nanofabrication,
nanomagnetics, theory and modeling, post-complementary metal oxide
semiconductor electronics, nano-electro mechanical systems, nanomotion
and nanomanipulation, merging length scales, 2-D and 3-D structural and
chemical imaging, electrical and magnetic dynamical response of
nanostructures, electrical characterization of nanostructures,
nanoscale properties of soft matter, neutron scattering determination
of nanoscale properties, nanobiology, and nanomedicine; to assist and
train CNST collaborators and nanofabrication facility users in their
research; and to conduct other outreach and educational activities that
advance the development of nanotechnology by U.S. university and
industrial scientists. This will entail collaborative research among
the selected financial assistance recipients and CNST staff scientists
and visiting scientists to advance these objectives, primarily at
CNST's Nanofab, a national user facility for nanoscale science and
technology that is described on the Web site cnst.nist.gov.
Applicants and team members must possess the education, experience,
and training, to pursue and advance the field of Nanoscale Science and
Technology efficiently. In addition, the applicant and team members
must possess a demonstrated record of excellence in the development of
measurement methods, instrumentation or standards for nanotechnology
and in nanotechnology research.
Additional information on the CNST can be found at: https://
www.physics.nist.gov/cnst.
Funding Availability: Proposals will be considered for cooperative
agreements with durations of up to five years, subject to the
availability of funds, satisfactory progress, and the continuing
relevance to the objectives of the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science
and Technology of the Electron and Optical Physics Division. The
anticipated level of funding is up to $1,500,000 per year and one or
more awards may be approved. Between one and five awards are likely.
NIST will give preference to full-scope proposals. However
applicants may choose to submit proposals that are limited to specific
program objectives and request an appropriate portion of the total
amount available. NIST will determine whether to fund one award for the
full amount; to divide available funds into multiple awards of any
size, and negotiate scopes of work and budgets as appropriate; or not
to select any proposal for funding, upon completing the selection
process described in this notice.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 272(b) and (c).
Eligibility: The CNST Financial Assistance Program is open to U.S.
institutions of higher education.
Cost Sharing: There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for
the program.
Review and Selection Process: All applications received in response
to this announcement will be reviewed to determine whether or not they
are complete and responsive to the scope of the stated program
objectives. Incomplete or non-responsive applications will not be
reviewed for technical merit. The Program will retain one copy of each
non-responsive application for three years for record keeping purposes.
The remaining copies will be destroyed.
Responsive proposals will be reviewed by at least four independent,
objective individuals who are knowledgeable about nanoscale science and
technology research, nanofabrication, and nanotechnology measurement
and instrumentation. These individuals will conduct a technical review
of proposals based on the evaluation criteria listed below. If non-
Federal reviewers are used, any advice provided will be on an
individual basis, not as a consensus.
The Physics Laboratory Deputy Director, serving as the Selection
Official, will make the award selection. In making the award selection,
the Physics Laboratory Deputy Director will take into consideration the
reviewers' technical evaluations. The Physics Laboratory Deputy
Director, as the selecting official, may choose a proposal out of rank
order based upon one or more of the following factors: (1) Availability
of funds, (2) Redundancy, (3) Balance/distribution of funds by research
areas described above in the Program description of this Notice, (4)
Program objectives described above in the Program Description section
of this Notice, (5) Logistical concerns, and (6) Preference for full-
scope proposals. If an award is made to an applicant that deviates from
the scores of the reviewers, the Physics Laboratory Deputy Director
shall justify the selection in writing based on selection factors
described above. The Physics Laboratory Deputy Director may select all,
none, or some of the applications for funding.
The final approval of selected applications and award of financial
assistance will be made by the NIST Grants Officer based on compliance
with application requirements as published in this notice, compliance
with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, compliance with
Federal policies that best further the objectives of the Department of
Commerce, and whether the recommended applicants appear to be
responsible. Applicants may be asked to modify objectives, work plans,
or budgets and provide supplemental information required by the agency
prior to award. The award decision of the Grants Officer is final.
[[Page 16287]]
Applicants should allow up to 90 days processing time.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing. The Program
will retain one copy of each unsuccessful application for three years
for record keeping purposes. The remaining copies will be destroyed.
Evaluation Criteria: For the Electron and Optical Physics
Division--CNST Financial Assistance Program, the technical reviewers
will use the following criteria to evaluate the proposals:
1. Qualifications and experience of the Principal Investigator in
nanotechnology research, as demonstrated by extensive publications and
invited lectures in condensed matter physics, chemistry, material
science, macromolecular science or related fields. (25%).
2. Qualifications and experience of the proposed university staff
in nanotechnology research or in related scientific or engineering
areas that are key to the activities contained in the proposal, as
demonstrated by resumes of staff proposed for this program. (10%).
3. Quality of the proposed research and development plan and its
potential impact on nanoscale science and technology. (20%).
4. Quality of the plan in terms of providing research assistance to
U.S. nanotechnology researchers using the CNST facilities, including
related training, education, and outreach. (30%).
5. Quality of the plan to integrate university staff effectively
into the activities of the CNST facility, including establishing robust
communications between the university and the CNST. (10%).
6. Cost effectiveness of the plan. (5%).
Additional Information:
The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements: The Department of Commerce Pre-Award
Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements
contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2004 (69 FR
78389). On the form SF-424, the applicant's 9-digit Dun and Bradstreet
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number must be entered in the
Applicant Identifier block (68 FR 38402).
Collaborations with NIST Employees: All applications should include
a description of any work proposed to be performed by an entity other
than the applicant, and the cost of such work should ordinarily be
included in the budget.
If an applicant proposes collaboration with NIST, the statement of
work should include a statement of this intention, a description of the
collaboration, and prominently identify the NIST employee(s) involved,
if known. Any collaboration by a NIST employee must be approved by
appropriate NIST management and is at the sole discretion of NIST.
Prior to beginning the merit review process, NIST will verify the
approval of the proposed collaboration. Any unapproved collaboration
will be stricken from the proposal prior to the merit review.
Use of NIST Intellectual Property: If the applicant anticipates
using any NIST-owned intellectual property to carry out the work
proposed, the applicant should identify such intellectual property.
This information will be used to ensure that no NIST employee involved
in the development of the intellectual property will participate in the
review process for that competition. In addition, if the applicant
intends to use NIST-owned intellectual property, the applicant must
comply with all statutes and regulations governing the licensing of
Federal government patents and inventions, described at 35 U.S.C. sec.
200-212, 37 CFR part 401, 15 CFR 14.36, and in section 20 of the
Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements, published
on December 30, 2004 (69 FR 78389). Questions about these requirements
may be directed to the Counsel for NIST, 301-975-2803.
Any use of NIST-owned intellectual property by a proposer is at the
sole discretion of NIST and will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis
if a project is deemed meritorious. The applicant should indicate
within the statement of work whether it already has a license to use
such intellectual property or whether it intends to seek one.
If any inventions made in whole or in part by a NIST employee arise
in the course of an award made pursuant to this notice, the United
States government may retain its ownership rights in any such
invention. Licensing or other disposition of NIST's rights in such
inventions will be determined solely by NIST, and include the
possibility of NIST putting the intellectual property into the public
domain.
Initial Screening of all Applications: All applications received in
response to this announcement will be reviewed to determine whether or
not they are complete and responsive to the scope of the stated
objectives for each program. Incomplete or non-responsive applications
will not be reviewed for technical merit. The Program will retain one
copy of each non-responsive application for three years for record
keeping purposes. The remaining copies will be destroyed.
Paperwork Reduction Act: The standard forms in the application kit
involve a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction
Act. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, SF-LLL, and CD-346 have
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the
respective Control Numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046,
and 0605-0001.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty
for failure to comply with, a collection subject to the requirements of
the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
Research Projects Involving Human Subjects, Human Tissue, Data or
Recordings Involving Human Subjects: Any proposal that includes
research involving human subjects, human tissue, data or recordings
involving human subjects must meet the requirements of the Common Rule
for the Protection of Human Subjects, codified for the Department of
Commerce at 15 CFR part 27. In addition, any proposal that includes
research on these topics must be in compliance with any statutory
requirements imposed upon the Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) and other Federal agencies regarding these topics, all
regulatory policies and guidance adopted by DHHS, FDA, and other
Federal agencies on these topics, and all Presidential statements of
policy on these topics.
NIST will accept the submission of human subjects protocols that
have been approved by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) registered
with DHHS and performed by entities possessing a current, valid
Federal-wide Assurance (FWA) from DHHS. NIST will not issue a single
project assurance (SPA) for any IRB reviewing any human subjects
protocol proposed to NIST.
On August 9, 2001, the President announced his decision to allow
Federal funds to be used for research on existing human embryonic stem
cell lines as long as prior to his announcement (1) the derivation
process (which commences with the removal of the inner cell mass from
the blastocyst) had already been initiated and (2) the embryo from
which the stem cell line was derived no longer had the possibility of
development as a human
[[Page 16288]]
being. NIST will follow guidance issued by the National Institutes of
Health at https://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/humansubjects/guidance/
stemcell.pdf for funding such research.
Research Projects Involving Vertebrate Animals: Any proposal that
includes research involving vertebrate animals must be in compliance
with the National Research Council's ``Guide for the Care and Use of
Laboratory Animals'' which can be obtained from National Academy Press,
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20055. In addition, such
proposals must meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (7
U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), 9 CFR parts 1, 2, and 3, and if appropriate, 21
CFR part 58. These regulations do not apply to proposed research using
pre-existing images of animals or to research plans that do not include
live animals that are being cared for, euthanized, or used by the
project participants to accomplish research goals, teaching, or
testing. These regulations also do not apply to obtaining animal
materials from commercial processors of animal products or to animal
cell lines or tissues from tissue banks.
Limitation of Liability: In no event will the Department of
Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these
programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other
agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not oblige the
agency to award any specific project or to obligate any available
funds.
Executive Order 12866: This funding notice was determined to be not
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.
Executive Order 13132 (Federalism): It has been determined that
this notice does not contain policies with federalism implications as
that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.
Executive Order 12372: Applications under this program are not
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.''
Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Notice and
comment are not required under the Administrative Procedure Act (5
U.S.C. 553) or any other law, for rules relating to public property,
loans, grants, benefits or contracts (5 U.S.C. 553 (a)). Because notice
and comment are not required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other law, for
rules relating to public property, loans, grants, benefits or contracts
(5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required
and has not been prepared for this notice, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.
Dated: March 23, 2006.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. E6-4723 Filed 3-30-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P
