Solicitation of Applications for the i6 Challenge Under EDA's Economic Adjustment Assistance Program, 23676-23679 [2010-10433]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• Economic Development Administration

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23676-23679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10433]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration

[Docket No.: 100429201-0201-01]


Solicitation of Applications for the i6 Challenge Under EDA's 
Economic Adjustment Assistance Program

AGENCY: Economic Development Administration (EDA), Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for applications.

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SUMMARY: The i6 Challenge is a new, multi-agency innovation competition 
led by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and its Economic 
Development Administration (EDA). EDA intends to fund implementation 
grants for technical assistance through its Economic Adjustment 
Assistance Program under the i6 Challenge. The DOC and EDA will 
coordinate this funding opportunity with the National Institutes of 
Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. 
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to leverage federal resources and 
maximize available funding to i6 Challenge winners. The i6 Challenge is 
designed to encourage and reward innovative, ground-breaking ideas that 
will accelerate technology commercialization and new venture formation 
across the United States, for the ultimate purpose of helping to drive 
economic growth and job creation. To accomplish this, the i6 Challenge 
targets sections of the research-to-deployment continuum that are in 
need of additional support, in order to strengthen regional innovation 
ecosystems. Applicants to the i6 Challenge are expected to propose 
mechanisms to fill in existing gaps in the continuum or leverage 
existing infrastructure and institutions, such as economic development 
organizations, academic institutions, or other non-profit 
organizations, in new and

[[Page 23677]]

innovative ways to achieve the i6 objectives.

DATES: Applicants (defined below) must submit their applications no 
later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 15, 2010 in order to be considered 
for funding. Letters of intent to participate are strongly encouraged 
and must be sent to i6@doc.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 15, 
2010. Winning Applicants should expect to receive grant awards by fall 
of 2010. EDA will hold an online information session at 2:00 p.m. 
Eastern time on May 17, 2010 to answer questions about the i6 
Challenge. More details on the session will be posted at the i6 
Challenge website at https://www.eda.gov/i6.
    Application Submission Requirements: Applicants are advised to read 
carefully the instructions contained in section IV of the Federal 
Funding Opportunity (FFO) announcement for this request for 
applications. To access the FFO announcement, please see the websites 
listed below under ``Electronic Access.''
    Applications may be submitted only in electronic form, either (i) 
in accordance with the procedures provided on https://www.grants.gov; or 
(ii) if Grants.gov produces an error message as an Applicant tries to 
apply via the Web site, then in PDF format via e-mail to i6@doc.gov. 
EDA will not accept facsimile transmissions of applications. Applicants 
applying electronically through https://www.grants.gov may access the 
application package by following the instructions provided on https://www.grants.gov. See the FFO for more details on how to apply via https://www.grants.gov.
    The preferred file format for electronic attachments (e.g., the 
Project Narrative and attachments to Form ED-900) is portable document 
format (PDF); however, EDA will accept electronic files in Microsoft 
Word, WordPerfect, or Excel formats.
    Applicants should access the following link for assistance in 
navigating https://www.grants.gov and for a list of useful resources: 
https://www.grants.gov/help/help.jsp. If you do not find an answer to 
your question under ``Applicant FAQs,'' try consulting the ``Applicant 
User Guide.'' If you still cannot find an answer to your question, 
contact https://www.grants.gov via e-mail at support@grants.gov or 
telephone at 1-800-518-4726.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information please send 
questions via e-mail to i6@doc.gov. EDA's Web site at https://www.eda.gov/i6 also has information on EDA and the i6 Challenge.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Program Information: EDA's mission is to lead the federal economic 
development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, 
preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide 
economy. Under the i6 Challenge, EDA solicits competitive applications 
to increase and accelerate technology commercialization in regions 
across the United States. Applicants are expected to leverage regional 
strengths, capabilities, and competitive advantages. Furthermore, they 
are expected to identify a real or persistent problem or an unaddressed 
opportunity with a sense of urgency, cultivate strong public-private 
partnerships, provide a credible plan to access resources, demonstrate 
how the effort will be sustained, and bring together a well-qualified 
team and partners.
    EDA encourages the submission of applications that will 
significantly benefit regions with distressed economies. Distress may 
exist in a variety of forms, including high levels of unemployment, low 
income levels, large concentrations of low-income families, and 
significant declines in per capita income because of large numbers (or 
high rates) of business failures, sudden major layoffs or plant 
closures, military base closures, natural or other major disasters, 
depletion of natural resources or reduced tax bases, and substantial 
loss of population because of the lack of employment opportunities.
    Electronic Access: The FFO announcement for the i6 Challenge is 
available at https://www.grants.gov and at https://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/FFON.xml.
    Statutory Authority: EDA's authorizing statute is the Public Works 
and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended (42 U.S.C. 3121 et 
seq.) (PWEDA). The specific authority for the Economic Adjustment 
Assistance Program is section 209 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3149), which 
authorizes EDA to make grants for economic adjustment assistance. EDA's 
regulations at 13 CFR parts 300-302 and subpart A of 13 CFR part 307 
set out the general and specific regulatory requirements applicable to 
the Economic Adjustment Assistance Program.
    EDA's regulations are codified at 13 CFR chapter III. The 
regulations and PWEDA are accessible on EDA's Web site at https://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/Lawsreg.xml.
    Funding Availability: Funding appropriated under the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111-117, 123 Stat. 3034 at 3114 
(2009)) is available for the economic development assistance programs 
authorized by PWEDA and for the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms 
Program under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2341 et 
seq.). Funds in the amount of $255,000,000 have been appropriated for 
FY 2010 and shall remain available until expended. For FY 2010, EDA 
will allocate a total of $6,000,000 for this competitive solicitation. 
EDA will make at least six awards of up to $1,000,000, one in each of 
its six regions. The i6 Challenge awards will be made pursuant to grant 
agreements. The project period of each award is not to exceed two 
years. These award funds are anticipated to be available until 
expended.
    The funding periods and funding amounts referenced in this 
competitive solicitation are subject to the availability of funds at 
the time of award, as well as to Department of Commerce and EDA 
priorities at the time of award. The Department of Commerce and EDA 
will not be held responsible for application preparation costs if the 
i6 Challenge fails to receive funding or is cancelled because of agency 
priorities. Publication of this competitive solicitation does not 
obligate the Department of Commerce or EDA to award any specific grant 
or cooperative agreement or to obligate all or any part of available 
funds.
    EDA hopes to be able to fund at least one winning Applicant in each 
EDA region. Subject to the availability of funding at the time of 
award, the funds allocated to the i6 Challenge are anticipated to be 
available until expended.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.307, 
Economic Adjustment Assistance.
    Definitions: For purposes of this FFO, the following terms shall 
have the following meanings:
    1. Applicant means the party(ies) submitting the application to EDA 
for funding, who is/are either a (i) non-profit organization formed by 
a team of more than one individual or entity, or (ii) combination of 
entities that satisfy the eligibility requirements described in section 
3 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3122) and 13 CFR 300.3 and that apply jointly as 
co-applicants to EDA for a single award.
    2. Matching Share means the monetary value of the Applicant's 
committed cash matching funds or in-kind contributions, all of which 
must be from non-federal sources.
    3. SBIR Grantee means a recipient of a Small Business Innovation 
Research grant from the National Institutes of

[[Page 23678]]

Health or the National Science Foundation.
    4. Partner means any individual or entity, working with an 
Applicant, who has provided a letter of commitment to contribute to the 
accomplishment of that Applicant's proposed objectives.
    Applicant Eligibility: Pursuant to PWEDA, only the following types 
of entities are eligible to receive funding assistance from EDA:
    1. District Organization (as defined in 13 CFR 304.2);
    2. Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes;
    3. State, city, or other political subdivision of a State, 
including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged 
in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium 
of political subdivisions;
    4. Institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions 
of higher education; or
    5. Public or private non-profit organization or association acting 
in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State.\1\
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    \1\ For projects of significant regional or national scope, EDA 
may waive the requirement that a non-profit organization demonstrate 
it is acting in cooperation with officials of a political 
subdivision of a State. See 13 CFR 301.2(b) and 307.5(b).
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    See section 3 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3122) and 13 CFR 300.3.
    In addition to satisfying these statutory requirements, in order to 
be eligible for the i6 Challenge (and as stated in the Definitions 
section), an Applicant must be either:
    (i) A non-profit organization that is formed by a team of more than 
one individual or entity, including, but not limited to, entrepreneurs, 
universities, SBIR Grantees, foundations, or other private or non-
profit organizations, or
    (ii) A combination of otherwise eligible entities that apply 
jointly as co-applicants to EDA for a single award. Applicants 
(including eligible entities that form part of an Applicant) may submit 
more than one proposal to EDA in response to this competitive 
solicitation.
    EDA is not authorized to provide grants directly to individuals or 
to for-profit entities. However, individuals or for-profit entities may 
form an Applicant or be Partners with Applicants.
    Project Period: The project period shall not exceed two years.
    Matching Share Requirement: Applicants must demonstrate a Matching 
Share of at least $500,000, which must be available and committed to 
the project from non-federal sources. EDA will give preference to 
applications with higher Matching Shares and to applications with 
higher levels of cash contributions in their Matching Share. Generally, 
the amount of an EDA grant may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost 
of the project. Projects may receive up to 80 percent of total cost, 
based on the relative needs of the region in which the project will be 
located, as determined by EDA. See section 204(a) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 
3144) and 13 CFR 301.4(b)(1). In-kind contributions, in the form of 
space, equipment, or services, or forgiveness or assumptions of debt, 
may provide the required matching requirement. See section 204(b) of 
PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3144), 13 CFR 301.4(b)(1), and 15 CFR 14.23 and 24.24. 
EDA will fairly evaluate all in-kind contributions, which must be used 
for eligible project costs that meet applicable federal cost principles 
and uniform administrative requirements. Applicants must provide 
letters of commitment to demonstrate that the Matching Share is 
committed to the project for the project period, will be available as 
needed, and is not conditioned or encumbered in any way that precludes 
its use consistent with the requirements of EDA investment assistance. 
See 13 CFR 301.5.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications for funding under the i6 
Challenge are subject to the State review requirements imposed by 
Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs,'' where applicable.
    Evaluation and Selection Procedures: Throughout the review and 
selection process, EDA reserves the right to seek clarification in 
writing from Applicants whose applications are being reviewed and 
considered.

1. Responsiveness Review

    EDA will review all applications for responsiveness. Applications 
that are ineligible for EDA funding or that do not contain all forms 
and narratives listed in Section IV of the FFO announcement will be 
deemed non-responsive and excluded from further consideration.

2. Merit Review by EDA Review Panels

    EDA will convene a panel of federal employees in each of its six 
regions to review the merits of each application submitted within that 
region. Using the evaluation criteria listed in Section V.A. of the FFO 
announcement, the panels will identify the top five applications in 
each region.

3. Merit Review by NSF Peer Review Panels

    Each region's top five applications will be subject to external 
peer review by NSF. NSF will convene panels of external peer reviewers 
to discuss the merits and shortcomings of each application, using the 
evaluation criteria in this notice and further detailed in Section V.A 
of the FFO announcement. Applications will be reviewed in a fair, 
competitive, and in-depth manner pursuant to NSF peer review policies 
and guidelines set forth at https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/meritreview. The peer review panels will summarize and make 
recommendations to be presented to the Selection Committee (defined 
below) for discussion and consideration.

4. Joint Selection Committee Review

    Upon completion of the NSF peer review, a selection committee 
(``Selection Committee''), which will be composed of senior officials 
from the Department of Commerce, NIH, and NSF, will review the findings 
and recommendations of the EDA review panels and NSF peer review 
panels. Then it will either (i) rank the top five applications in each 
region and forward this ranked list to the Selecting Official (defined 
below), or (ii) identify any deficiencies in the review process and 
convene a new EDA review panel in the applicable region(s) to restart 
the selection process in those region(s). If directed by the Selection 
Committee to re-evaluate the applications in a particular region, a new 
EDA review panel will perform a merit review and submit the top five 
applications in the region with new findings and recommendations to a 
NSF peer review panel and subsequent referral to the Selection 
Committee.
    Selecting Official and Policy factors: EDA expects to fund the 
highest ranking applications. The Regional Director in each EDA region 
will be the Selecting Official for the award to be made within his 
region. The Selecting Official may follow the recommendations of the 
Selection Committee; however, the Selecting Official retains the 
discretion not to make a selection in any region, or to select an 
application out of order in any region for any of the following 
reasons:
    1. Availability of program funding;
    2. A determination that the application better meets the overall 
objectives of section 2 and 209 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3121 and 3149); or
    3. The Applicant's performance under previous federal financial 
assistance awards.
    If the Selecting Official makes a selection out of order, he will 
document the rationale for the decision in writing. Each Selecting 
Official will submit his decision to EDA headquarters for review before 
making the final selection.

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    Evaluation Criteria: Review Panels, convened pursuant to Section V 
of the FFO announcement, will evaluate applications based on the 
following criteria, which will be weighted equally:

1. Merit

    The extent to which Applicants demonstrate:
     A clear understanding of a real or persistent problem or 
an unaddressed opportunity and its urgency;
     Creative or even potentially transformative models or 
solutions and how the proposal is different from those that are funded 
by other government agencies;
     A clear understanding of the challenges facing the 
region's entrepreneurs and innovators;
     A ``roadmap'' for filling the gaps in the research-to-
commercialization continuum and eliminating obstacles to 
commercialization; and
     Alignment with EDA investment priorities, as described at 
https://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/InvestmentPriorities.xml.

2. Feasibility

    The extent to which Applicants demonstrate:
     A coherent plan to leverage regional strengths, mitigate 
regional weaknesses, and capitalize on strategic opportunities while 
minimizing short- and long-term threats;
     A sound strategy to support entrepreneurs and innovators 
at appropriate phase(s) of the process, that could include assessments 
for commercialization potential, patenting, licensing, venture 
formation, financing, and marketing;
     Adequate financial resources to ensure robust 
institutional capacity, as well as access to capital for high-growth 
firms;
     Strong potential to become self-sustaining, even without 
significant future federal funding;
     Long-term, broad, and deep commitment from private and 
public sector leaders throughout the region, and strong participation 
and buy-in from stakeholders; and
     Qualified personnel that, as a group, demonstrate project 
management expertise, as well as demonstrated success in protecting, 
licensing, and commercializing intellectual property.

3. Impact

    The extent to which Applicants demonstrate:
     Quantifiable benefits that go beyond the Applicant and 
benefit the regional economy;
     The extent to which infrastructure for commercialization 
and enterprise formation will be enhanced; and
     A clear understanding of how the model or solution could 
be replicated elsewhere.
    Information Session: Please be advised that the informational 
teleconferences may be audio-taped and the actual recordings or a 
transcript of the actual recording may be made available online or 
otherwise for the benefit of prospective applicants unable to 
participate. Prospective applicants who participate on the 
teleconferences are deemed to consent to the taping.
    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements: Administrative and national policy 
requirements for all Department of Commerce awards are applicable to 
this competitive solicitation. These requirements may be found in the 
Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements, which was published in the Federal Register 
on February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696). This notice may be accessed by 
entering the Federal Register volume and page number provided in the 
previous sentence at the following Web site: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/.
    Paperwork Reduction Act: This document contains the following 
collections of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 
and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): (i) Form ED-
900 (OMB Control No. 0610-0094); (ii) Form SF-424 (OMB Control No. 
4040-0004); (iii) Form SF-424A (OMB Control No. 4040-0006); (iv) Form 
SF-424B (OMB Control No. 4040-0007); (v) Form SF-LLL (OMB Control No. 
0348-0046). This document contains the following collections of 
information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and approved 
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): (i) Form ED-900 (OMB 
Control No. 0610-0094); (ii) Form SF-424 (OMB Control No. 4040-0004); 
(iii) Form SF-424A (OMB Control No. 4040-0006); (iv) Form SF-424B (OMB 
Control No. 4040-0007); (v) Form SF-LLL (OMB Control No. 0348-0046). 
The documents that are listed in section IV.B of the FFO announcement 
have been approved by OMB under the following respective forms/control 
numbers. Specifically, the Project Narrative, Biographies of Key 
Individuals and Letter(s) of commitment from any Partner(s) are 
supplemental information requested by Form SF-424 and approved under 
OMB Control No. 4040-0004. The Letter(s) of commitment for Matching 
Share; Budget Narrative; Facilities and Administrative Cost Rate 
Agreement; and Staffing Plan are supplemental information requested by 
Form SF-424A and approved under OMB Control No. 4040-0006. The 
collection of a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy is 
requested by ED-900 and approved under OMB Control No. 0610-0094. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to 
respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to 
comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of 
the PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    Executive Order 12866: This notice has been 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.
    Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior 
notice and an opportunity for public comments are not required by the 
Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning 
grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because notice 
and opportunity for 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. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a 
regulatory flexibility analysis has not been prepared.

    Dated: April 29, 2010.
John R. Fernandez,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, Economic 
Development Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-10433 Filed 5-3-10; 8:45 am]
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