Technology Innovation Program (TIP) Notice of Availability of Funds and Announcement of Public Meeting (Proposers' Conference), 14524-14531 [E9-7192]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14524-14531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7192]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No.: 090318324-9325-01]
RIN 0693-ZA89


Technology Innovation Program (TIP) Notice of Availability of 
Funds and Announcement of Public Meeting (Proposers' Conference)

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) 
Technology Innovation Program (TIP) announces that it will hold a 
single fiscal year 2009 competition and is soliciting high-risk, high-
reward research and development (R&D) proposals for financial 
assistance. TIP also announces that it will hold a public meeting 
(Proposers' Conference) for all interested parties. TIP is soliciting 
proposals under this fiscal year 2009 competition in two areas of 
critical national need entitled ``Civil Infrastructure'' and 
``Manufacturing'' as described in the Program Description section 
below.

DATES: The due date for submission of proposals is 3 p.m. Eastern Time, 
Tuesday, June 23, 2009. This deadline applies to any mode of proposal 
submission, including paper and electronic. Do not wait until the last 
minute to submit a proposal. TIP will not make any allowances for late 
submissions, including incomplete Grants.gov registration or delays by 
guaranteed overnight couriers. To avoid any potential processing 
backlogs due to last minute registrations, proposers are strongly 
encouraged to start their Grants.gov registration process at least four 
weeks prior to the proposal submission due date. Review, selection, and 
award processing is expected to be completed by the end of November 
2009.

ADDRESSES: Proposals must be submitted to TIP as follows:
    Paper Submission: Send to National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, Technology Innovation Program, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 4701, 
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4701.
    Electronic Submission: https://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Cuthill at 301-975-3273 or by 
e-mail at barbara.cuthill@nist.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Additional Information. The full Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) 
announcement for this request for proposals contains detailed 
information and requirements for the program. Proposers are strongly 
encouraged to read the FFO in developing proposals. The full FFO 
announcement text is available at https://www.grants.gov and on the TIP 
Web site at https://www.nist.gov/tip/helpful.html. In addition, 
proposers are directed to review the March 2009 Technology Innovation 
Program Proposal Preparation Kit available at https://www.nist.gov/tip/helpful.html. The TIP Proposal Preparation Kit must be used to prepare 
a TIP proposal. The TIP implementing regulations are published at 15 
CFR part 296, and included in the TIP Proposal Preparation Kit as 
Appendix B.
    Public Meeting (Proposers' Conference). TIP is holding a public 
meeting (Proposers' Conference) at NIST to provide general information 
regarding TIP, to offer guidance on preparing proposals, and to answer 
questions. Proprietary technical discussions about specific project 
ideas with NIST staff are not permitted at this conference or at any 
time before submitting the proposal to TIP. Therefore, proposers should 
not expect to have proprietary issues addressed at the proposers' 
conference. Also, NIST/TIP staff will not critique or provide feedback 
on project ideas while they are being developed by a proposer. However, 
NIST/TIP staff will answer questions about the TIP eligibility and 
cost-sharing requirements, evaluation and award criteria, selection 
process, and the general characteristics of a competitive TIP proposal 
at the Proposers' Conference and by phone and e-mail. Attendance at the 
TIP proposers' conference is not required.
    The TIP Proposers' Conference is being held on the following date, 
time, and location:
    April 8, 2009, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern Time: NIST Red Auditorium, 100 
Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD. Pre-registration is required by 5 p.m. 
Eastern Time on April 6, 2009 for the Proposers' Conference being held 
at NIST Gaithersburg, MD. Due to increased security at NIST, no on-site 
registrations will be accepted and all attendees must be pre-
registered. Photo identification must be presented at the NIST main 
gate to be admitted to the April 8, 2009 conference. Attendees must 
wear their conference badge at all times while on the NIST campus. 
Electronic Registration at: https://rproxy.nist.gov/CRS/.
    No registration fee will be charged at the Proposers' Conference. 
Presentation materials from the Proposers' Conference will be made 
available on the TIP Web site.
    TIP may schedule additional Proposers' Conferences at other 
locations throughout the country. If this occurs, notices will be 
posted on the TIP Web site at https://www.nist.gov/tip and grants.gov 
Web site and in the Federal Register.

    Statutory Authority.  Section 3012 of the America Creating 
Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, 
Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act, Public Law 110-69 (August 9, 
2007), 15 U.S.C.A. 278n (2008).

CFDA. 11.616, Technology Innovation Program.

    Program Description. TIP is soliciting proposals under this fiscal 
year 2009 competition in two areas of critical national need entitled 
``Civil Infrastructure'' and ``Manufacturing'' as described below.

Area of Critical National Need 1: Civil Infrastructure

    The objective of this competition is to provide civil 
infrastructure managers with tools to better manage the structural 
integrity of elements of the civil infrastructure. Two elements of the 
societal challenge of managing the Structural Integrity of the United 
States' Infrastructure will be addressed as outlined in the white paper 
``Advanced Sensing Technologies and Advanced Repair Materials for the 
Infrastructure: Water Systems, Dams, Levees, Bridges, Roads, and 
Highways'' (https://www.nist.gov/tip/comp09_home.html).
    Solutions to this societal challenge require advancement beyond the 
current practice and state-of-the-art of sensing technologies and 
repair/retrofit technologies. Sensing advancements are needed to assess 
the structural integrity and/or deterioration processes of water mains, 
wastewater collection systems, dams, levees, navigation lock 
structures, bridges, roads, and highways. Sensing technologies must be 
more accurate in their determinations of structural integrity, easier 
to use, and more economically feasible. The increased information 
obtained from new sensing technologies will lead to better 
prioritization of repair schedules; however, prioritization is only the 
first

[[Page 14525]]

step in a management strategy. Efficient infrastructure management 
requires that once a structural defect is detected, an economical 
repair be made. Advancing the technologies of repairing infrastructure 
elements in contact with water, in contact with salts (road salt or 
marine environments), and subjected to thermal changes requires 
transformative research to significantly extend the lifetimes of 
repairs, lower the costs of repairs, and provide repair technologies 
that are suitable for a wide range of conditions. For the scope of this 
competition, ``retrofit'' refers to the fitting into or onto a 
structure already in existence and that is in service or can be 
returned to service by repair. A retrofit material or application can 
be one that returns the infrastructure element to original 
specifications or that improves the performance of the infrastructure 
element beyond the specifications of the original construction. Novel 
materials and the novel methods to deploy the new materials, 
constituting repair/retrofit systems, can serve to help meet the 
societal challenge of better managing the structural integrity of civil 
infrastructure.
    The need for advanced sensing technologies and advanced repair/
retrofit materials is of national importance because nearly all 
municipalities and States in the nation face infrastructure management 
challenges. TIP's investment is justified because portions of 
infrastructure are reaching the end of their life spans and there are 
few cost effective technical means to monitor infrastructure integrity 
and to prioritize and implement long lived repair/retrofit of the wide 
variety of constructions of infrastructure elements. Transformational 
research beyond incremental advancements is required to achieve the 
objectives for this area of critical national need. Incremental 
improvements of current technologies will not meet the challenges of 
providing cost-effective, widely deployable solutions to the problems 
faced by infrastructure managers.

Element 1--Inspection and/or Monitoring Technologies

    Proposals are being sought to create and validate new, advanced, 
robust, network capable, nondestructive evaluation and test sensing 
systems, or system components, to cost effectively and quantitatively 
inspect and evaluate the structural integrity of civil infrastructure 
elements of water and wastewater mains, dams, levees, navigation lock 
structures, bridges, roads and highways. The targeted system should be 
capable of, but not limited to, detection of corrosion, cracking, 
delamination and other relevant modes of failure of critical 
infrastructure elements and the materials of which they are made.
    Solutions are needed for improved inspection systems for water and 
wastewater mains, dams, levees, navigation lock structures, bridges, 
roads, and highways, where these systems provide real-time 
understanding of the integrity and service life through the use of 
portable, mobile or remote sensing capabilities. Innovations are being 
sought in all aspects of a system to provide an advanced, cost 
effective, networked system, either fixed or mobile, that is easily 
deployable, self powered, and self monitoring. A complete system could 
include all system components, hardware, and software. In addition, the 
systems may, or may not, need to be underwater in order to assess 
underwater integrity issues.
    Proposals should include validation of the effectiveness of the new 
technology in actual environmental use conditions with potential end 
user(s) of the technology.
    Eligible projects that are also within the scope of this element 
are:
     Systems that provide new and advanced methodologies for 
the detection of fluid leaks from water piping systems.
     Single novel components of a system solution that include 
a validation of the component in a system setting.
     Inspection systems for structural components located below 
a water surface in part, or in whole, and susceptible to failure caused 
by scour, impact, degradation and/or some other subsurface mode of 
failure.
    Ineligible projects under this element include:
     Advancements in a system component without a prototype for 
validating that the component is functional within a system solution, 
as part of the proposed technical plan.
     Straightforward improvements to existing components or 
materials without the potential for a transformational increase in 
performance to the technical requirements.
     Integration projects using only existing state-of-the-art 
components or materials.
     Software development that is predominantly 
straightforward, routine data gathering using applications of standard 
software development practices.

Element 2--Repair/Retrofit Material and Application Technologies

    Proposals are also being sought to create novel technologies for 
repair or retrofit of existing civil infrastructure elements already 
identified above. These new technologies could be considered as 
consisting of two parts: A novel material and the application or 
deployment system for installing or placing the novel material. These 
novel materials and application/deployment technologies are to provide 
much longer-lived repairs than current repair materials and/or greater 
performance characteristics than current repair/retrofit methods and/or 
the original construction.
    A proposal for development of a new material, or a novel 
combination of materials that results in a transformational solution 
for cost-effective repair/retrofit that includes a novel technology for 
achieving the repair or retrofit will be considered as having strong 
potential.
    Proposals should include validation of the effectiveness of the new 
technology in actual environmental conditions with potential end 
user(s) of the technology.
    Eligible projects that are within the scope of this element are:
     The combination of a novel material, or a novel 
combination of materials, combined with a novel application or 
installation technology.
     A novel application technology that incorporates an 
existing material, or combination of materials, from material domains 
outside those normally used within civil infrastructure, or that 
incorporates a material or combination of materials, from a domain of 
materials normally used within civil infrastructure. To be considered 
competitive, there must be a transformational expansion of 
applicability of the materials. An example of a project within scope 
would be a robotic system capable of lining water mains with a material 
to restore the strength of a deteriorated main to the originally 
specified burst strength.
     A novel material, or a combination of novel materials, 
that can be applied with existing application technologies, or that 
requires minor adjustments to existing application technologies. An 
example of a project within scope would be a novel reinforcing material 
combined with a novel compressive matrix material that could be applied 
using current construction practices.
    Ineligible projects under this element are:
     Novel materials, or combinations of materials, that apply 
only to new

[[Page 14526]]

construction or primarily to new construction.
     A novel material, or novel combination of materials, for 
which there is not a deployment technology and no deployment technology 
approach is included in the proposed research.
     Training or training systems for repair/retrofit 
installation of novel materials or of current materials.
     Novel systems to deploy repair/retrofit materials, where 
the materials are both not novel and without a history of being long-
lived repair solutions.
     Novel repair parts or assemblies that do not incorporate a 
novel material, for example: a new type of retrofit stirrup or bracing 
made from current, conventional materials or combinations of materials.

Area of Critical National Need 2: Manufacturing

    The goal of the research outcome/impacts from this competition is 
to provide manufacturers and end users improved access to adequate 
quantities of advanced materials at competitive costs that allow 
evaluation and utilization of these materials in innovative ways. TIP's 
funding strategy for this competition will emphasize two important 
elements: (1) Process scale-up, integration, and design for advanced 
materials; and (2) Predictive modeling for advanced materials and 
materials processing. These two elements of the societal challenge of 
accelerating the use of advanced materials will be addressed as 
outlined in the white paper ``Accelerating the Incorporation of 
Materials Advances into Manufacturing Processes'' (https://www.nist.gov/tip/comp09_home.html).
    Materials performance is often a critical consideration and 
controlling factor in the innovation process.
    For example, high strength alloys, aluminum, and magnesium are used 
to build stronger, lighter and safer vehicles; superalloys are used to 
make higher efficiency gas turbines; composites make larger, more 
efficient wind turbine blades and provide improved performance in 
aerospace applications; and nanomaterials are finding their way into 
better performing batteries, energy storage devices, high voltage 
transmission lines and healthcare applications (e.g. imaging). 
Sustainable materials development and materials substitutions are 
additional examples where greater capabilities are critical to ongoing 
or increased competitiveness of U.S innovations.
    Without the ability to produce these new materials and to rapidly 
integrate them into products while maintaining the material's unique 
properties, the U.S. will lose these value-added manufacturing 
innovations to overseas competition, a trend which has already occurred 
in so many industries. Outlined in this announcement are two key areas 
related to the manufacturability of advanced materials and descriptions 
of the supporting technical challenges that need to be addressed.
    If successful, the manufacturing solutions envisioned would have 
the potential to create significant performance improvements in new 
products by accelerating the utilization of an advanced material's new 
functionality.
    For purposes of this area of critical national need, the term 
``advanced materials'' refers to materials that have unique 
functionalities but require improved controls and measurements to 
achieve desired functionalities in a revolutionary and cost-effective 
way. The unique functionality that these materials could bring to new 
products will require new levels of understanding in the sciences of 
materials processing and process control. For example, in 
nanomaterials, manipulation and measurement at the atomic level will be 
needed. In alloys, the control and measurement would be at the 
microscale (and eventually at the nanoscale) with an emphasis on 
anisotropic features of the micro (nano) structure. In composites, 
control and measurement would be at the mesoscale and would take 
advantage of the anisotropic layering of the process. Control of one 
material or phase within another will also be an important 
consideration.
    There are additional classes of materials (e.g., polymers, 
ceramics, etc.) that could be included in this discussion. However, the 
three classes of materials described above are considered to be most 
critical to emerging or other potential growth areas for manufacturing 
and will be the focus of this area of critical national need. 
Therefore, this competition is limited to nanomaterials; superalloys, 
alloys and smart materials; and composites.
    Manufacturing, like so many other areas of critical national need, 
has a variety of challenges that need to be addressed. TIP's funding 
strategy for this competition will emphasize two important elements: 
(1) Process scale-up, integration, and design for advanced materials; 
and (2) Predictive modeling for advanced materials and materials 
processing.

Element 1--Process Scale-Up Integration and Design for Advanced 
Materials

    New materials typically are developed in a laboratory setting in 
progressively larger quantities, and then samples are given to end-
users for alpha and beta testing. It can take considerable time and 
experimentation to understand how the materials can be incorporated 
into a new product in a way that maintains and utilizes its unique 
functionality. Time is also needed to effectively integrate the 
processes that scale-up from laboratory quantities to commercial 
amounts for more efficient production. This scale-up is often non-
linear and does not follow straightforward scaling laws due to the 
unique functionality that has been designed into the advanced 
materials.

Element 2--Predictive Modeling Tools for Advanced Materials and 
Materials Processing

    Predictive modeling capabilities are key to developing new 
processes, scaling-up these processes and understanding how to utilize 
an advanced material's unique functionality. Modeling capabilities are 
needed to:
     Analyze and understand why a newly discovered material 
does what it does and then extrapolate its behavior to new conditions, 
and
     Incorporate this knowledge into process design tools so 
new products can quickly be made while maintaining the unique 
functionality of the materials.
    To successfully address the proposed challenges for ``Accelerating 
the Integration of Materials Advances into Manufacturing Processes,'' 
research in new technologies will be needed. The table below 
illustrates the relationship between key challenges. The three columns 
of material types (nanomaterials, superalloys and composites) are 
arranged in order of increasing microstructural size. TIP expects 
proposed solutions to the challenges to map into one or more of the 
blank cells in the table, for the proposal to be within scope for 
funding under this area of critical national need.

[[Page 14527]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Superalloys,
        Technological needs                 Nanomaterials         alloys & smart    Composites
                                                                     materials
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Materials Processing...............  Scale-up from Laboratory     ..............  ..............  ..............
                                      Quantities/Controls
                                     Incorporate into New Uses/   ..............  ..............  ..............
                                      Maintain Functionality
Predictive Modeling Tools..........  Rules/Understand Why It      ..............  ..............  ..............
                                      Does What It Does
                                     Process Modeling/Design &    ..............  ..............  ..............
                                      Product Design Tools
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For Element 1--Process scale-up, integration and design for 
advanced materials, new processes will need to be developed. These 
processes will increase to commercial scale the quantity and quality of 
available advanced materials; or help incorporate these advanced 
materials into new, revolutionary products based on a new material's 
properties. These scaled-up processes may be a next generation or an 
entirely new process. For example, forging ever larger parts cannot be 
solved by building ever larger forges (which become prohibitively 
expensive), but instead by new partial forging techniques.
    In support of these new processes, new instrumentation and 
measurement capabilities will also be needed. These instruments will 
need to measure real time process parameters such as the properties 
that provide the unique capabilities of the advanced materials (e.g., 
composition). In addition, instruments for real time inspection are 
needed to ensure and/or verify materials are being correctly 
incorporated into manufactured products that require the revolutionary 
functions of these new materials.
    Proposals addressing process scale-up, integration and design for 
advanced materials will be considered eligible if they consist of:
     A single process to achieve the goals of the scale-up, or 
ones that consist of one or more processes integrated together into a 
coherent solution;
     Scale-up of materials processes to manufacture and apply 
coatings that are within the three eligible material types 
(nanomaterials; superalloys, alloys and smart materials; and 
composites); or
     Scale-up of materials processes for healthcare 
applications (e.g., imaging).
    Eligible proposals addressing process scale-up, integration and 
design for advanced materials must address all of the following issues:
     Address one or more of the materials areas:

--Nanomaterials;
--Superalloys, alloys, and smart materials; and/or
--Composites;

     Quantify the baseline processing capabilities;
     Describe how the results of the process scale-up could 
lead to new products and manufacturing process capabilities; and
     Quantification and qualification of the estimated output 
of the final project results.
    In addition, proposals for process scale-up must address both of 
the following issues:
     Scale-up of the quantities produced during the project 
must be targeted to increase by a factor of 1,000 fold or more (unit 
quantity per unit time) as compared to the baseline; and
     A detailed scientific rationale and description of the 
challenges to accomplish scale-up of the process(es).
    Proposals addressing process scale-up, integration and design of 
advanced materials will be considered more competitive if they:
     Include validation methodologies by or with processors or 
end users; and/or
     Address sustainability issues.
    Proposals addressing process scale-up, integration and design for 
advanced materials will be considered ineligible if they:
     Have the primary focus of the proposal on the following 
materials:

--Materials derived from a biological source;
--A pure ceramic, glass (including metallic glass), or polymer; or
--Primarily an electronic or photonic material.

     Focus primarily on the application of material coatings.
    For Element 2--Predictive modeling for advanced materials and 
materials processing, new tools are needed to enable researchers to use 
constitutive relations and rules (with validation) concerning the 
underlying behavior of materials (understanding structure vs. function) 
and the changes to behavior due to manufacturing processes. For 
example, new tools will need to account for the scale-dependent 
behavior of advanced materials. This capability will enable a better 
and quicker understanding of why materials do what they do. These 
efforts will also enable extrapolation of that knowledge beyond the 
laboratory conditions for which they were developed, and therefore will 
need new validation and verification capabilities.
    In addition, critical knowledge is also needed about why certain 
decisions or assumptions were made in order to incorporate new modeling 
capabilities for laboratory results into process design and modeling. 
Again, new validation and verification methodologies will be essential.
    With successful development of these tools, processes, and 
technologies, the manufacturing communities will have significantly 
improved capabilities to quickly incorporate advanced materials 
breakthroughs into revolutionary products based on new materials 
functionality, and thus establish new competitive advantages in a 
global economy.
    Eligible proposals addressing predictive modeling for advanced 
materials and materials processing must address all of the following 
issues:
     Address one or more of the eligible materials areas:

--Nanomaterials;
--Superalloys, alloys, and smart materials; and/or
--Composites;

     Quantify the baseline modeling capability; and
     Describe how the results of the proposed modeling 
capabilities could lead to new products and manufacturing process 
capabilities.
    Proposals for predictive modeling for advanced materials and 
materials processing must address one or both of the following:
     Develop constitutive relationships and rules that describe 
the behavior and the process of the materials at a level that is useful 
for describing laboratory results, as well as for developing a greater 
understanding of the materials for end users; and/or
     Develop or use the constitutive relationships and rules to 
develop process design tools for the manufacturing processes for these 
advanced materials.
    Proposals addressing predictive modeling for advanced materials and 
materials processing will be considered more competitive if they 
address:
     Collaboration by or with those who manufacture the 
advanced materials, in order to validate the models; and/or

[[Page 14528]]

     How users will specifically benefit from the acceleration 
and implementation of the proposed models in support of materials 
reliability (i.e. final properties or mechanical performance) and 
materials behavior before and after processing.
    Proposals addressing predictive modeling for advanced materials and 
materials processing that do not include validation of models will be 
considered less competitive.
    Proposals addressing predictive modeling for advanced materials and 
materials processing will be considered ineligible that:
     Have the primary focus of the modeling effort on the 
following materials:

--Materials derived from a biological source;
--A pure ceramic, glass (including metallic glass), or polymer; or
--Primarily an electronic or photonic material;

     Focus primarily on the application of material coatings.
    An additional key characteristic that all manufacturing proposals 
must address is how the outcomes of the research will enable 
manufacturers to produce advanced materials faster, better and cheaper, 
as well as enable the new uses for the advanced materials.

Additional Requirements for All Manufacturing Proposals

    Ineligible projects under this area of critical national need 
include:
     Projects whose principal focus is on discovery of new 
materials:
     Efforts related to the physical extraction of raw 
materials;
     Straightforward improvements to existing processes or 
materials without the potential for a transformational increase in 
performance to the technical requirements;
     Integration projects using only existing state-of-the-art 
processes, models or materials; or
     Software development that is predominantly 
straightforward, routine data gathering using applications of standard 
software development practices.

Additional Requirements for All Manufacturing and Civil Infrastructure 
Proposals

    In addition to the competition-specific ineligible projects, the 
following are ineligible projects:
     Straightforward improvements of existing products or 
product development.
     Projects that are Phase II, III, or IV clinical trials. 
TIP will rarely fund Phase I clinical trials and reserves the right not 
to fund a Phase I clinical trial. The portion of a Phase I trial that 
may be funded must be critical to meeting evaluation criterion (a)(1) 
addressing the scientific and technical merit of the proposal. The 
trial results must be essential for completion of a critical R&D task 
of the project. The definitions of all phases of clinical trials are 
provided in the TIP Guidelines and Documentation Requirements for 
Research Involving Human & Animal Subjects located at https://www.nist.gov/tip/helpful.html.
     Pre-commercial-scale demonstration projects where the 
emphasis is on demonstrating that some technology works on a large 
scale or is economically sound rather than on R&D that advances the 
state of the art and is high-risk, high-reward.
     Projects that TIP determines would likely be completed 
without TIP funds in the same time frame or nearly the same time frame, 
or with the same scale or scope.
     Predominantly straightforward, routine data gathering 
(e.g., creation of voluntary consensus standards, data gathering/
handbook/specification sheet preparation, testing of materials, or 
unbounded research aimed at basic discovery science) or application of 
standard engineering practices.
     Projects in which the predominant risk is market 
oriented--that is, the risk that the end product may not be embraced by 
the marketplace.
     Projects with software work, that are predominantly about 
final product details and product development, and that have 
significant testing involving users outside the research team to 
determine if the software meets the original research objectives, are 
likely to be either uncompetitive or possibly ineligible for funding. 
However, R&D projects with limited software testing, involving users 
outside of the research team, or vertebrate animals, may be eligible 
for funding and contain eligible costs within a TIP award when the 
testing is critical to meeting evaluation criteria and/or award 
criteria and the testing results are essential for completion of a 
critical task in the proposed research. This type of testing in 
projects may also be considered to involve human subjects or vertebrate 
animals in research and require compliance with applicable Federal 
regulations and NIST policies for the protection of human subjects or 
live vertebrate animals.
    Unallowable/Ineligible Costs. The following items, regardless of 
whether they are allowable under the Federal cost principles, are 
ineligible/unallowable under TIP:
    a. Bid and proposal costs unless they are incorporated into a 
Federally-approved indirect cost rate (e.g., payments to any 
organization or person retained to help prepare a proposal).
    b. Construction costs for new buildings or extensive renovations of 
existing buildings. However, costs for the construction of experimental 
research and development facilities to be located within a new or 
existing building are allowable provided the equipment or facilities 
are essential for carrying out the proposed project and are approved in 
advanced by the NIST Grants Officer. These types of facility costs may 
need to be prorated if they will not be used exclusively for the 
research activities proposed.
    c. Contractor office supplies and contractor expenses for 
conferences/workshops.
    d. Contracts to another part of the same company or to another 
company with identical or nearly identical ownership. Work proposed by 
another part of the same company or by another company with identical 
or nearly identical ownership should be shown as funded through inter-
organizational transfers that do not contain profit. Inter-
organizational transfers should be broken down in the appropriate 
budget categories.
    e. For research involving human and/or animal subjects, any costs 
used to secure Institutional Review Board or Institutional Animal Care 
and Use Committee approvals before or during the award.
    f. General purpose office equipment and supplies that are not used 
exclusively for the research: e.g., office computers, printers, 
copiers, paper, pens, and toner cartridges.
    g. Indirect costs, which must be absorbed by the recipient. 
However, indirect costs are allowable for contractors under a single 
company or joint venture. (Note that indirect costs absorbed by the 
recipient may be used to meet the cost-sharing requirement.)
    h. Marketing, sales, or commercialization costs, including 
marketing surveys, commercialization studies, and general business 
planning, unless they are included in a Federally approved indirect 
cost rate.
    i. Office furniture costs, unless they are included in a Federally 
approved indirect cost rate.
    j. Patent costs and legal fees, unless they are included in a 
Federally approved indirect cost rate.
    k. Preaward costs: i.e., any costs incurred prior to the award 
start date.

[[Page 14529]]

    l. Profit, management fees, interest on borrowed funds, or 
facilities capital cost of money. However, profit is allowable for 
contractors under a single company or joint venture.
    m. Project development planning (e.g. patent and literature 
searches) and creation of milestones. For example, proposals that plan 
on developing milestones only if an award is received and after 
literature searches are performed under the award are generally not 
competitive. Costs for literature searches in general are ineligible.
    n. Relocation costs, unless they are included in a Federally 
approved indirect cost rate.
    o. Salaries: NIST limits the salaries of project personnel to not 
exceed Level I of the Executive Schedule ($196,700 as of January 1, 
2009, https://www.opm.gov/oca/09tables/html/ex.asp).
    p. Tuition costs. An institution of higher education participating 
in a TIP project as a contractor or as a joint venture member or lead 
may charge TIP for tuition remission or other forms of compensation in 
lieu of wages paid to students working on TIP projects, but only as 
provided in OMB Circular A-21, Section J.41. In such cases, tuition 
remission would be considered a cash contribution rather than an in-
kind contribution.
    Funding Availability. Fiscal year 2009 appropriations include funds 
in the amount of approximately $25 million for new TIP awards. 
Approximately $10 million is available for the Civil Infrastructure 
area of critical national need and approximately $15 million is 
available in the Manufacturing area of critical national need. 
Approximately 25 total awards are anticipated. The anticipated start 
date is January 1, 2010. The period of performance depends on the R&D 
activity proposed. A single company can receive up to a total of $3 
million with a project period of performance of up to 3 years. A joint 
venture can receive up to total of $9 million with a project period of 
performance of up to 5 years. Continuation funding after the initial 
award is based on satisfactory performance, availability of funds, 
continued relevance to program objectives, and is at the sole 
discretion of NIST.
    Eligibility Criteria. Single companies and joint ventures may apply 
for TIP funding as provided in 15 CFR 296.2, 296.4, and 296.5.
    Large-sized Company Participation. A large-sized company is not 
eligible to apply for TIP funding. A large-sized company is defined as 
any business, including any parent company plus related subsidiaries, 
having annual revenues in excess of $1.63 billion. This number is based 
on the May 2008 issue of Fortune magazine's Fortune 1000 list. (Note 
that the revenue amount will be updated annually and will be noted in 
future annual announcements of availability of funds.)
    Cost-Sharing Requirements. Proposers must provide a cost share of 
at least 50 percent of the yearly total project costs (direct plus all 
of the indirect costs).
    Evaluation and Award Criteria. Proposals are selected for funding 
based on the evaluation criteria listed in 15 CFR 296.21 and the award 
criteria listed in 15 CFR 296.22 as identified below. Additionally, no 
proposal will be funded unless TIP determines that it has scientific 
and technical merit and that the proposed research has strong potential 
for addressing a societal challenge within the TIP-identified area of 
critical national need as described in this notice. Detailed guidance 
on how to address the evaluation and award criteria is provided in 
Chapter 2 of the TIP Proposal Preparation Kit, which is available at 
https://www.nist.gov/tip/helpful.html.
    Evaluation Criteria. The two components of the evaluation criteria 
and respective weights as listed in 15 CFR. 296.21 are as follows:
    (a)(1) The proposer(s) adequately addresses the scientific and 
technical merit and how the research may result in intellectual 
property vesting in a United States entity including evidence that:
    (i) The proposed research is novel;
    (ii) The proposed research is high-risk, high-reward;
    (iii) The proposer(s) demonstrates a high level of relevant 
scientific/technical expertise for key personnel, including contractors 
and/or informal collaborators, and has access to the necessary 
resources, for example research facilities, equipment, materials, and 
data, to conduct the research as proposed;
    (iv) The research result(s) has the potential to address the 
technical needs associated with a major societal challenge not 
currently being addressed; and
    (v) The proposed research plan is scientifically sound with tasks, 
milestones, timeline, decision points and alternate strategies.
    (2) Total weight of (a)(1)(i) through (v) is 50%.
    (b)(1) The proposer(s) adequately establishes that the proposed 
research has strong potential for advancing the state-of-the-art and 
contributing significantly to the United States science and technology 
knowledge base and to address areas of critical national need through 
transforming the Nation's capacity to deal with a major societal 
challenge(s) that is not currently being addressed, and generate 
substantial benefits to the Nation that extend significantly beyond the 
direct return to the proposer including an explanation in the proposal:
    (i) Of the potential magnitude of transformational results upon the 
Nation's capabilities in an area;
    (ii) Of how and when the ensuing transformational results will be 
useful to the Nation; and
    (iii) Of the capacity and commitment of each award participant to 
enable or advance the transformation to the proposed research results 
(technology).
    (2) Total weight of (b)(1)(i) through (iii) is 50%.
    Award Criteria. The six components of the award criteria as listed 
in 15 CFR 296.22 are as follows:
    (a) The proposal explains why TIP support is necessary, including 
evidence that the research will not be conducted within a reasonable 
time period in the absence of financial assistance from TIP;
    (b) The proposal demonstrates that reasonable and thorough efforts 
have been made to secure funding from alternative funding sources and 
no other alternative funding sources are reasonably available to 
support the proposal;
    (c) The proposal explains the novelty of the research (technology) 
and demonstrates that other entities have not already developed, 
commercialized, marketed, distributed, or sold similar research results 
(technologies);
    (d) The proposal has scientific and technical merit and may result 
in intellectual property vesting in a United States entity that can 
commercialize the technology in a timely manner; and
    (e) The proposal establishes that the research has strong potential 
for advancing the state-of-the-art and contributing significantly to 
the United States science and technology knowledge base; and
    (f) The proposal establishes that the proposed transformational 
research (technology) has strong potential to address areas of critical 
national need through transforming the Nation's capacity to deal with 
major societal challenges that are not currently being addressed, and 
generate substantial benefits to the Nation that extend significantly 
beyond the direct return to the proposer.
    NIST must determine that a proposal successfully meets all six 
award criteria for the proposal to receive funding under the Program.

[[Page 14530]]

    Selection Factors. In making final selections, the Selecting 
Official will select funding recipients based upon the Evaluation 
Panel's rank order of the proposals and the following selection 
factors:
    a. Assuring an appropriate distribution of funds among technologies 
and their applications,
    b. Availability of funds, and/or
    c. Program priorities.
    Program Priorities. TIP is soliciting proposals under this fiscal 
year 2009 competition in two areas of critical nation need entitled 
``Civil Infrastructure'' and ``Manufacturing'' as described in the 
Program Description section above.
    Selection Procedures. Proposals are selected based on a multi-
disciplinary peer-review process, as described in 15 CFR 296.20. A 
preliminary review is conducted to determine if the proposal is in 
accordance with 15 CFR 296.3; complies with the eligibility 
requirements described in 15 CFR 296.5; addresses award criteria (a) 
through (c) of 15 CFR 296.22; was submitted to a previous TIP 
competition, and if so, has been substantially revised; and is 
complete. Proposals that are incomplete or do not meet any one of the 
preliminary review requirements will normally be eliminated. All 
remaining proposals are then carefully reviewed based on the TIP 
evaluation criteria listed in 15 CFR 296.21 and award criteria listed 
in 15 CFR 296.22. An Evaluation Panel consisting of Federal employees 
will present funding recommendations to a Selecting Official in rank 
order for further consideration. The Selecting Official makes the final 
selections for funding. The selection of proposals by the Selecting 
Official is final and cannot be appealed. The final approval of 
selected proposals and award of assistance will be made by the NIST 
Grants Officer. The award decision of the NIST Grants Officer is final 
and cannot be appealed. NIST reserves the right to negotiate the cost 
and scope of the proposed work with the proposers that have been 
selected to receive awards. This may include requesting that the 
proposer delete from the scope of work a particular task that is deemed 
by NIST to be inappropriate for support. NIST also reserves the right 
to reject a proposal where information exists that raises a reasonable 
doubt as to the responsibility of the proposer.
    Intellectual Property Requirements. For single company award 
recipients, pursuant to the Bayh-Dole Act (35 U.S.C. 202 (a) and (b)) 
and ``Memorandum to the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: 
Government Patent Policy'' (February 18, 1983), the entity that invents 
owns the invention. However, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 202(a)(i), when a 
single company or its contractor under a TIP award is not located in 
the United States or does not have a place of business located in the 
United States or is subject to the control of a foreign government, 
NIST will require that title to inventions made by such parties be 
transferred to a United States entity that will ensure the 
commercialization of the technology in a timely fashion.
    For joint ventures, ownership of inventions arising from a TIP-
funded project may vest in any participant in a joint venture, as 
agreed by the members of the joint venture (notwithstanding 35 U.S.C. 
202 (a) and (b)). (Participant includes any entity that is identified 
as a recipient, subrecipient, or contractor on an award to a joint 
venture.)
    Title to any such invention shall not be transferred or passed, 
except to a participant in the joint venture, until the expiration of 
the first patent obtained in connection with such invention.
    Should the last existing participant in a joint venture cease to 
exist prior to the expiration of the first patent obtained in 
connection with any invention developed from assistance provided under 
TIP, title to such patent must be transferred or passed to a U.S. 
entity that can commercialize the technology in a timely fashion.
    The United States reserves a nonexclusive, nontransferable, 
irrevocable paid-up license, to practice or have practiced for or on 
behalf of the United States any intellectual property developed from a 
TIP award. The Federal government shall not in the exercise of such 
license publicly disclose proprietary information related to the 
license. This does not prohibit the licensing to any company of 
intellectual property rights arising from a TIP-funded project. (15 CFR 
296.11(b)(3)). The Federal government also has march-in rights in 
accordance with 37 CFR 401.6. Intellectual property means an invention 
patentable under title 35, United States Code, or any patent on such an 
invention, or any work for which copyright protection is available 
under title 17, United States Code. (15 CFR 296.2.)
    Projects Involving Human Subjects. Research involving human 
subjects must be in compliance with applicable Federal regulations and 
NIST policies for the protection of human subjects. Human subjects 
research activities involve interactions with live human subjects or 
the use of data, images, tissue, and/or cells/cell lines (including 
those used for control purposes) from human subjects. Research 
involving human subjects may include activities such as the use of 
image and/or audio recording of people, taking surveys or using survey 
data, using databases containing personal information, testing software 
with volunteers, and many tasks beyond those within traditional 
biomedical research. A Human Subjects Determination Checklist is 
included in the March 2009 TIP Proposal Preparation Kit in Chapter 4 
(https://www.nist.gov/tip/helpful.html) to assist you in determining 
whether your proposed research plan has human subjects involvement, 
which would require additional information in your proposal submission, 
and possibly more documentation during the Evaluation Panel's 
consideration of your proposal. See the TIP Guidelines and 
Documentation Requirements for Research Involving Human & Animal 
Subjects for more specific information on documentation requirements 
and due dates for documentation located at https://www.nist.gov/tip/helpful.html or by calling 1-888-847-6478. President Obama has issued 
Exec. Order No. 13,505, 74 FR 10667 (March 9, 2009), revoking previous 
executive orders and Presidential statements regarding the use of human 
embryonic stem cells in research. NIST will follow any guidance issued 
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) pursuant to the executive 
order and will develop its own procedures based on the NIH guidance 
before funding research using human embryonic stem cells. NIST will 
follow any additional polices or guidance issued by the current 
Administration on this topic.
    Projects Involving Live Vertebrate Animals. Research involving live 
vertebrate animals must be in compliance with applicable Federal 
regulations and NIST policies for the protection of live vertebrate 
animals. Vertebrate animal research involves live animals that are 
being cared for, euthanized, or used by the project participants to 
accomplish research goals or for teaching or testing. The regulations 
do not apply to animal tissues purchased from commercial processors or 
tissue banks or to uses of preexisting images of animals (e.g., a 
wildlife documentary or pictures of animals in newscasts). The 
regulations do apply to any animals that are transported, cared for, 
euthanized or used by a project participant for testing, research, or 
training such as testing of new procedures or projects, collection of 
biological samples or observation data on health and behavior. Detailed 
information regarding the use of live vertebrate animals in research 
plans and

[[Page 14531]]

required documentation is available in the TIP Guidelines and 
Documentation Requirements for Research Involving Human & Animal 
Subjects located at https://www.nist.gov/tip/helpful.html or by calling 
1-888-847-6478.
    Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs). Proposals under this program are not subject to Executive 
Order 12372.
    Administrative Procedure Act and Regulatory Flexibility Act. Prior 
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)). Because prior notice and an opportunity 
for public comment are not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any 
other law, the analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (5 U.S.C. et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory 
flexibility analysis is not required and has not been prepared.
    E.O. 13132 (Federalism). This notice does not contain policies with 
Federalism implications as defined in Executive Order 13132.
    E.O. 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review). This notice is 
determined to be not significant under Executive Order 12866..
    Paperwork Reduction Act. Notwithstanding any other provision of the 
law, no person is required to, nor shall any person be subject to 
penalty for failure to, comply with a collection of information, 
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 
unless that collection of information displays a currently valid Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number. This notice contains 
collection-of-information requirements subject to the PRA. The use of 
Form NIST-1022, Standard Form-424 (R&R), SF-424B, SF-LLL, Research and 
Related Other Project Information Form, and CD-346 has been approved by 
OMB under the respective control numbers 0693-0050, 4040-0001, 4040-
0007, 0348-0046, 4040-0001, and 0605-0001.
    Administrative and National Policy Requirements. Department of 
Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative 
Agreements, 73 FR 7696-05 (Feb. 11, 2008), apply to this solicitation. 
On the form SF-424 (R&R) item 3. Organization DUNS and item 6. Employer 
Identification (EIN) or (TIN), the applicant's 9-digit Dun and 
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and the applicants 9-
digit Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Taxpayer Identification 
Number (TIN) must be consistent with the information on the Central 
Contractor Registration (CCR) (https://www.ccr.gov) and Automated 
Standard Application for Payment System (ASAP). For complex 
organizations with multiple DUNS and EIN or TIN numbers, the DUNS and 
EIN or TIN numbers MUST be the numbers for the applying entity. 
Entities that provide incorrect/inconsistent DUNS and EIN or TIN 
numbers may experience significant delays in submitting their proposals 
through Grants.gov and receiving funds if the proposal is selected for 
funding.

    Dated: March 25, 2009.
Patrick Gallagher,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. E9-7192 Filed 3-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P