New NOAA Cooperative Institutes (CIs): (1) A Cooperative Institute To Improve Mesoscale and Stormscale High Impact Weather Forecasts, Watches, and Warnings Through the Use of, and Enhancement of, Weather Radar and (2) A Cooperative Institute To Support NOAA Northwest Research Facilities in the Area of Marine Resources, 69917-69920 [2010-28592]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 220 / Tuesday, November 16, 2010 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–351–840]
Certain Orange Juice From Brazil;
Notice of Extension of Time Limits for
Preliminary Results of Antidumping
Duty Administrative Review
Blaine Wiltse or Hector Rodriguez, AD/
CVD Operations, Office 2, Import
Administration, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230;
telephone: (202) 482–6345 or (202) 482–
0629, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On April 27, 2010, the Department of
Commerce (the Department) published a
notice of initiation of administrative
review of the antidumping duty order
on certain orange juice from Brazil. See
Initiation of Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Administrative
Reviews and Request for Revocation in
Part, 75 FR 22107 (Apr. 27, 2010). The
period of review is March 1, 2009,
through February 28, 2010, and the
preliminary results are currently due no
later than December 1, 2010. The review
covers four producers/exporters of the
subject merchandise to the United
States.
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Extension of Time Limit for Preliminary
Results
Pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act),
the Department shall make a
preliminary determination in an
administrative review of an
antidumping order within 245 days after
the last day of the anniversary month of
the date of publication of the order.
Section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act further
provides, however, that the Department
may extend the 245-day period up to
365 days if it determines it is not
practicable to complete the review
within the foregoing time period. We
determine that it is not practicable to
complete this administrative review
within the time limits mandated by
section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act because
we require more time to issue
supplemental questionnaires to certain
of the respondents and analyze their
responses. Therefore, we have fully
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ADDRESSES:
[FR Doc. 2010–28840 Filed 11–15–10; 8:45 am]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
19:33 Nov 15, 2010
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
at the following address: NOAA/OAR,
Attn: Dr. John Cortinas, 1315 East West
Highway, Room 11326, Silver Spring,
Maryland 20910. Use of U.S. mail or
another delivery service must be
documented with a receipt. No facsimile
or electronic mail proposal submissions
will be accepted. Proposals submitted
after 5 p.m., E.T., February 11, 2011 will
not be considered. (Note that latearriving hard copy proposals provided
to a delivery service on or before 5 p.m.,
E.T., February 11, 2011 will be accepted
for review if the applicants can
document that the proposals were
provided to the guaranteed delivery
service by the specified closing date and
time and if the proposals are received by
OAR no later than 5 p.m., two business
days following the closing date.)
October 1, 2011 should be used as the
proposed start date on proposals.
Dated: November 9, 2010.
Susan H. Kuhbach,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Operations.
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
DATES: Effective Date: November 16,
2010.
AGENCY:
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extended the deadline for completing
the preliminary results until March 31,
2011. The deadline for the final results
of the review continues to be 120 days
after the publication of the preliminary
results.
This extension notice is published in
accordance with sections 751(a)(3)(A)
and 777(i) of the Act.
69917
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
New NOAA Cooperative Institutes
(CIs): (1) A Cooperative Institute To
Improve Mesoscale and Stormscale
High Impact Weather Forecasts,
Watches, and Warnings Through the
Use of, and Enhancement of, Weather
Radar and (2) A Cooperative Institute
To Support NOAA Northwest Research
Facilities in the Area of Marine
Resources
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research (OAR), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
AGENCY:
The NOAA Office of Oceanic
and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and
the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) invite applications for: (1) A
cooperative institute (CI) to improve
mesoscale and stormscale high impact
weather forecasts, watches, and
warnings through the use of, and
enhancement of, weather radar and
(2) a CI to support NOAA research
facilities in the northwest U.S. in the
area of marine resources. Applicants
should review the CI Interim Handbook
prior to preparing a proposal for this
announcement (https://
www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci).
DATES: Proposals must be received by
OAR no later than February 11, 2011,
5 p.m., E.T. For applications submitted
through Grants.gov, a date and time
receipt indication will form the basis for
determining timeliness. Proposals must
be validated by Grants.gov in order to be
considered timely. For those applicants
who do not have access to the Internet,
one signed original and two hard copy
applications must be received by NOAA
SUMMARY:
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The standard application
package is available at https://
www.grants.gov. For applicants without
Internet access, an application package
may be secured by contacting Dr. John
Cortinas, 1315 East West Highway,
Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland
20910; telephone (301) 734–1090.
Dr.
John Cortinas, 1315 East-West Highway,
Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland
20910; telephone (301) 734–1090;
E-mail: John.Cortinas@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Request for Applications
The NOAA Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) invites applications for two
cooperative institutes: (1) CI to improve
mesoscale and stormscale high impact
weather forecasts, watches, and
warnings through the use of, and
enhancement of, weather radar and
(2) a CI to support NOAA research
facilities in the northwest U.S. in the
area of marine resources.
Generally, a CI is a NOAA-supported,
non-Federal organization that has
established an outstanding research
program in one or more areas that are
relevant to the NOAA mission ‘‘to
understand and predict changes in the
Earth’s environment and conserve and
manage coastal and marine resources to
meet our Nation’s economic, social, and
environmental needs.’’ CIs are
established at research institutions with
outstanding graduate degree programs
in NOAA-related sciences. CIs provide
significant coordination of resources
among all non-government partners and
promote the involvement of students
and post-doctoral scientists in NOAAfunded research.
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69918
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 220 / Tuesday, November 16, 2010 / Notices
NOAA establishes a new CI
competitively when it identifies a need
to sponsor a long-term (5–10 years)
collaborative partnership with one or
more outstanding non-Federal, nonprofit research institutions. For NOAA,
the purpose of this long-term
collaborative partnership is to promote
research, education, training, and
outreach aligned with NOAA’s mission;
to obtain research capabilities that do
not exist internally; and/or to expand
research capacity in NOAA-related
sciences to:
• Conduct collaborative, long-term
research that involves NOAA scientists
and those at the research institution(s)
from one or more scientific disciplines
of interest to NOAA;
• Utilize the scientific, education,
and outreach expertise at the research
institution(s) that, depending on
NOAA’s research needs, may or may not
be located near a NOAA facility;
• Support student participation in
NOAA-related research studies; and
• Strengthen or expand NOAArelated research capabilities and
capacity at the research institution(s)
that complements and contributes to
NOAA’s ability to reach its mission
goals.
A CI may also partner with one or
more research institutions that
demonstrate outstanding performance
within one or more established research
programs in NOAA-related sciences,
including Minority Serving Institutions
that can contribute to the proposed
activities of the CI. CIs conduct research
under approved scientific research
themes and Tasks (additional tasks can
be proposed by the CI):
• Task I activities are related to the
management of the CI, as well as general
education and outreach activities. This
task also includes support of
postdoctoral and visiting scientists
conducting activities within the
research themes of the CI that are
approved by the CI Director, in
consultation with NOAA, and are
relevant to NOAA and the CI’s mission
goals;
• Task II activities usually involve
on-going direct collaboration with
NOAA scientists. This collaboration
typically is fostered by the collocation
of Federal and CI employees; and
• Task III activities require minimal
collaboration with NOAA scientists.
Generally, applications must include
all relevant Federal Standard Forms, a
project description that includes
sufficient information to address all the
evaluation criteria identified in the FFO
announcement, a budget, and a budget
justification. The project description
must include a thorough explanation of
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all themes and Tasks. The application
should also identify the capability and
the capacity of the CI to conduct
research in the themes described in the
FFO announcement, as well as a
summary of clearly stated goals to be
achieved, reflecting NOAA’s strategic
goals and vision. Additional elements
may also be requested. Applicants are
directed to the FFO for all application
information and requirements.
A Cooperative Institute To Improve
Mesoscale and Stormscale High Impact
Weather Forecasts, Watches, and
Warnings Through the use of, and
Enhancement of, Weather Radar
The CI will focus on the themes of:
(1) Weather radar research and
development, (2) stormscale and
mesoscale modeling research and
development, (3) forecast improvements
research and development, (4) impacts
of climate change related to extreme
weather events, and (5) social and
socioeconomic impacts of high impact
weather systems. The CI will be
established at a research institution not
only having outstanding graduate degree
programs in NOAA-related sciences, but
also located within a commuting
distance to NOAA’s facilities in
Norman, Oklahoma that provides for
direct interactions on a regular basis.
The CI will provide significant
coordination of resources among all
non-governmental partners and will
promote the involvement of students
and post-doctoral scientists in NOAAfunded research. If the CI is comprised
of multiple member institutions, only
the lead institution applying for the
award and where the CI will be
established must satisfy the commuting
distance requirement.
Funding Availibility: All funding is
contingent upon the availability of
appropriations. NOAA anticipates that
up to approximately $15M will be
available annually for this CI. Of that
amount, approximately $300,000–
$400,000 will be available per year for
Task I. The final amount of funding
available for Task I will be determined
during the negotiation phase of the
award based on availability of funding.
The actual amount of annual funding
that the CI receives may be more or less
than the anticipated amount and will
depend on the actual projects that are
approved by NOAA, the availability of
funding, the quality of the research, the
satisfactory progress in achieving the
stated goals described in project
proposals, and continued relevance to
program objectives.
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A Cooperative Institute To Support
NOAA Northwest Research Facilities in
the Area of Marine Resources
The CI to support NOAA research
facilities in the northwest U.S. in the
area of marine resources will focus on
the themes of: (1) Seafloor processes, (2)
marine mammal acoustics, (3) marine
ecosystems, and (4) protection and
restoration of marine resources. The CI
will be established at a research
institution not only having outstanding
graduate degree programs in NOAArelated sciences, but also located within
a commuting distance that allows direct
interactions with CI and NOAA
scientists at NOAA’s Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory, Northwest
Fisheries Science Center, and Alaska
Fisheries Science Center offices in
Newport, Oregon, on a regular basis.
The CI will provide significant
coordination of resources among all
non-governmental partners and will
promote the involvement of students
and post-doctoral scientists in NOAAfunded research. If the CI is comprised
of multiple member institutions, only
the lead institution applying for the
award and where the CI will be
established must satisfy the commuting
distance requirement. This
announcement provides requirements
for the proposed CI and includes details
for the technical program, evaluation
criteria, and competitive selection
procedures.
Funding Availibility: All funding is
contingent upon the availability of
appropriations. NOAA anticipates that
up to approximately $7M will be
available annually for this CI. Of that
amount, approximately $100,000 will be
available per year for Task I. The final
amount of funding available for Task I
will be determined during the
negotiation phase of the award and will
be based on availability of funding. The
actual annual funding that the CI
receives may be less than the
anticipated amount and will depend on
the actual projects that are approved by
NOAA, the availability of funding, the
quality of the research, the satisfactory
progress in achieving the stated goals
described in project proposals, and
continued relevance to program
objectives.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access: The full text of the
FFO announcement for this program can
be accessed via the Grants.gov Web site
at https://www.grants.gov. The
announcement will also be available by
contacting the program officials
identified under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Applicants must
comply with all requirements contained
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 220 / Tuesday, November 16, 2010 / Notices
in the full funding opportunity
announcement.
Proposals must include elements
requested in the full Federal Funding
Opportunity announcement on the
Grants.gov portal. If a hard copy
application is submitted, NOAA
requests that the original and two
unbound copies of the proposal be
included. Proposals, electronic or paper,
should be no more than 75 pages
(numbered) in length, excluding budget,
investigators, vitae, and all appendices.
Federally mandated forms are not
included within the page count.
Facsimile transmissions and electronic
mail submission of full proposals will
not be accepted.
Statutory Authorities: 15 U.S.C. 1540,
15 U.S.C. 313, 15 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.,
118 STAT. 71 (January 23, 2004).
Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to
public and private non-profit
universities, colleges and research
institutions that offer accredited
graduate level degree-granting programs
in NOAA-related sciences and that are
within a commuting distance that
provides for direct contact on a regular
basis with scientists at the NOAA
facilities in Norman, OK. If the
proposed CI is comprised of multiple
member institutions, only the lead
institution applying for the award (and
where the CI will be established) must
satisfy the commuting distance
requirement.
Cost Sharing Requirements: To stress
the collaborative nature and investment
of a CI by both NOAA and the research
institution, cost sharing is required.
There is no minimum cost sharing
requirement; however, the amount of
cost sharing will be considered when
determining the level of the CI’s
commitment under NOAA’s standard
evaluation criteria for overall
qualifications of applicants. Acceptable
cost-sharing proposals include, but are
not limited to, offering a reduced
indirect cost rate against activities in
one or more Tasks, waiver of any
indirect costs assessed by the awardee
on subawards, waiver of indirect costs
assessed against base funds and/or Task
I activities, waiver or reduction of any
costs associated with the use of facilities
at the CI, and full or partial salary
funding for the CI director,
administrative staff, graduate students,
visiting scientists, or postdoctoral
scientists.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures:
The general evaluation criteria and
selection factors that apply to full
applications to this funding opportunity
are summarized below. Further
information about the evaluation criteria
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19:33 Nov 15, 2010
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and selection factors can be found in the
FFO announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects:
Proposals will be evaluated using the
standard NOAA evaluation criteria.
Various questions under each criterion
are provided to ensure that the
applicant includes information that
NOAA will consider important during
the evaluation, in addition to any other
information provided by the applicant.
1. Importance and/or relevance and
applicability of proposed project to the
program goals (25 percent): This
criterion ascertains whether there is
intrinsic value in the proposed work
and/or relevance to NOAA, regional,
state, or local activities.
• Does the proposal include research
goals and projects that address the
critical issues identified in NOAA’s
5-year Research Plan, NOAA’s Strategic
Plan, and the priorities described in the
program priorities (see Section I.B.)?
• Is there a demonstrated
commitment (in terms of resources and
facilities) to enhance existing NOAA
and CI resources to foster a long-term
collaborative research environment/
culture?
• Is there a strong education program
with established graduate degree
programs in NOAA-related sciences that
also encourages student participation in
NOAA-related research studies?
2. Technical/scientific merit (30
percent): This criterion assesses whether
the approach is technically sound and/
or innovative, if the methods are
appropriate, and whether there are clear
project goals and objectives.
• Does the project description include
a summary of clearly stated goals to be
achieved during the five year period
that reflect NOAA’s strategic plan and
goals?
• Does the CI involve partnerships
with other universities or research
institutions, including Minority Serving
Institutions and universities that can
contribute to the proposed activities of
the CI?
3. Overall qualifications of applicants
(30 percent): This criterion ascertains
whether the applicant possesses the
necessary education, experience,
training, facilities, and administrative
resources to accomplish the project.
• If the institution(s) and/or Principal
Investigators have received current or
recent NOAA funding, is there a
demonstrated record of outstanding
performance working with NOAA and/
or NOAA scientists on research
projects?
• Is there nationally and/or
internationally recognized expertise
within the appropriate disciplines
needed to conduct the collaborative/
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69919
interdisciplinary research described in
the proposal?
• Is there a well-developed business
plan that includes fiscal and human
resource management, as well as
strategic planning and accountability?
• Are there any unique capabilities in
a mission-critical area of research for
NOAA?
• Has the applicant shown a
substantial investment to the NOAA
partnership, as demonstrated by the
amount of the cost sharing contribution?
4. Project costs (5 percent): The
budget is evaluated to determine if it is
realistic and commensurate with the
project needs and time-frame.
5. Outreach and education (10
percent): NOAA assesses whether this
project provides a focused and effective
education and outreach strategy
regarding NOAA’s mission to protect
the Nation’s natural resources.
Review and Selection Process: An
initial administrative review/screening
is conducted to determine compliance
with requirements/completeness. All
proposals will be evaluated and
individually ranked in accordance with
the assigned weights of the above-listed
evaluation criteria by an independent
peer review panel. At least three
experts, who may be Federal or nonFederal, will be used in this process. If
non-Federal experts participate in the
review process, each expert will submit
an individual merit review and there
will be no consensus opinion. The merit
reviewers’ ratings are used to produce a
rank order of the proposals. The
Selecting Official selects proposals after
considering the peer reviews and
selection factors listed below. In making
the final selections, the Selecting
Official will award in rank order unless
the proposal is justified to be selected
out of rank order based upon one or
more of the selection factors. The
Selecting Official makes the final award
recommendation to the Grants Officer
authorized to obligate funds.
Selection Factors for Projects: The
merit review ratings shall provide a rank
order to the Selecting Official for final
funding recommendations. The
Selecting Official shall award in the
rank order unless the proposal is
justified to be selected out of rank order
based upon one or more of the following
factors:
1. Availability of funding.
2. Balance/distribution of funds:
(a) Geographically.
(b) By type of institutions.
(c) By type of partners.
(d) By research areas.
(e) By project types.
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69920
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 220 / Tuesday, November 16, 2010 / Notices
3. Whether this project duplicates
other projects funded or considered for
funding by NOAA or other agencies.
4. Program priorities and policy
factors.
5. Applicant’s prior award
performance.
6. Partnerships and/or participation of
targeted groups.
7. Adequacy of information necessary
for NOAA staff to makea National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
determination and draft necessary
documentation before recommendations
for funding are made to the Grants
Officer.
Intergovernmental Review:
Applications under this program are not
subject to Executive Order 12372,
‘‘Intergovernmental Review of
Programs.’’
Limitation of Liability: In no event
will NOAA or 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 NOAA to award any specific
project or to obligate any available
funds.
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA): NOAA must analyze the
potential environmental impacts, as
required by the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant
projects or proposals which are seeking
NOAA federal funding opportunities.
Detailed information on NOAA
compliance with NEPA can be found at
the following NOAA NEPA Web site:
https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including
our NOAA Administrative Order 216–6
for NEPA, https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/
NAO216_6.pdf, and the Council on
Environmental Quality implementation
regulations, https://ceq.hss.doe.gov/
nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm.
Consequently, as part of an
applicant’s package, and under their
description of their program activities,
applicants are required to provide
detailed information on the activities to
be conducted, locations, sites, species
and habitat to be affected, possible
construction activities, and any
environmental concerns that may exist
(e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous
or toxic chemicals, introduction of nonindigenous species, impacts to
endangered and threatened species,
aquaculture projects, and impacts to
coral reef systems). In addition to
providing specific information that will
serve as the basis for any required
impact analyses, applicants may also be
requested to assist NOAA in drafting of
an environmental assessment, if NOAA
determines an assessment is required.
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Applicants will also be required to
cooperate with NOAA in identifying
feasible measures to reduce or avoid any
identified adverse environmental
impacts of their proposal. The failure to
do so shall be grounds for not selecting
an application. In some cases if
additional information is required after
an application is selected, funds can be
withheld by the Grants Officer under a
special award condition requiring the
recipient to submit additional
environmental compliance information
sufficient to enable NOAA to make an
assessment on any impacts that a project
may have on the environment.
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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696), are
applicable to this solicitation.
Paperwork Reduction Act: This
document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The
use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B,
SF–LLL, and CD–346 has been approved
by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) under the respective
control numbers 4040–0004, 0348–0044,
0348–0040, 0348–0046, and 0605–0001.
Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, no person is required to, nor shall
a 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
implications as that term is defined in
Executive Order 13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/
Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior notices
and an opportunity for public comment
are not required by the Administrative
Procedure Act or any other law for rules
concerning public property, loans,
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
for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable.
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility
analysis has not been prepared.
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Dated: November 9, 2010.
Leon M. Cammen,
Acting, Chief Financial Officer, Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010–28592 Filed 11–15–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–KD–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
(NOAA) Science Advisory Board (SAB)
Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
AGENCY:
The Science Advisory Board
(SAB) was established by a Decision
Memorandum dated September 25,
1997, and is the only Federal Advisory
Committee with responsibility to advise
the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere on strategies
for research, education, and application
of science to operations and information
services. SAB activities and advice
provide necessary input to ensure that
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) science
programs are of the highest quality and
provide optimal support to resource
management.
Time and Date: The meeting will be
held Tuesday, November 30, 2010, from
8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and Wednesday,
December 1, 2010, from 8 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. These times and the agenda topics
described below are subject to change.
Please refer to the Web page https://
www.sab.noaa.gov/Meetings/
meetings.html for the most up-to-date
meeting agenda.
Place: The meeting will be held both
days at Dupont Hotel, 1500 New
Hampshire Ave., NW., Washington, DC
20036, Phone: (202) 483 6000.
Please check the SAB Web site
https://www.sab.noaa.gov for
confirmation of the venue and for
directions.
Status: The meeting will be open to
public participation with a 30-minute
public comment period on November 30
at 5:15 p.m. (check Web site to confirm
time). The SAB expects that public
statements presented at its meetings will
not be repetitive of previously
submitted verbal or written statements.
In general, each individual or group
making a verbal presentation will be
limited to a total time of five (5)
minutes. Written comments should be
received in the SAB Executive Director’s
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69917-69920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28592]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket No.101101550-0550-01; I.D. GF001]
New NOAA Cooperative Institutes (CIs): (1) A Cooperative
Institute To Improve Mesoscale and Stormscale High Impact Weather
Forecasts, Watches, and Warnings Through the Use of, and Enhancement
of, Weather Radar and (2) A Cooperative Institute To Support NOAA
Northwest Research Facilities in the Area of Marine Resources
AGENCY: Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: The NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) invite applications for:
(1) A cooperative institute (CI) to improve mesoscale and stormscale
high impact weather forecasts, watches, and warnings through the use
of, and enhancement of, weather radar and (2) a CI to support NOAA
research facilities in the northwest U.S. in the area of marine
resources. Applicants should review the CI Interim Handbook prior to
preparing a proposal for this announcement (https://www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci).
DATES: Proposals must be received by OAR no later than February 11,
2011, 5 p.m., E.T. For applications submitted through Grants.gov, a
date and time receipt indication will form the basis for determining
timeliness. Proposals must be validated by Grants.gov in order to be
considered timely. For those applicants who do not have access to the
Internet, one signed original and two hard copy applications must be
received by NOAA at the following address: NOAA/OAR, Attn: Dr. John
Cortinas, 1315 East West Highway, Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland
20910. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented
with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail proposal submissions
will be accepted. Proposals submitted after 5 p.m., E.T., February 11,
2011 will not be considered. (Note that late-arriving hard copy
proposals provided to a delivery service on or before 5 p.m., E.T.,
February 11, 2011 will be accepted for review if the applicants can
document that the proposals were provided to the guaranteed delivery
service by the specified closing date and time and if the proposals are
received by OAR no later than 5 p.m., two business days following the
closing date.) October 1, 2011 should be used as the proposed start
date on proposals.
ADDRESSES: The standard application package is available at https://www.grants.gov. For applicants without Internet access, an application
package may be secured by contacting Dr. John Cortinas, 1315 East West
Highway, Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; telephone (301)
734-1090.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Cortinas, 1315 East-West
Highway, Room 11326, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; telephone (301)
734-1090; E-mail: John.Cortinas@noaa.gov.
Request for Applications
The NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) invites applications for two
cooperative institutes: (1) CI to improve mesoscale and stormscale high
impact weather forecasts, watches, and warnings through the use of, and
enhancement of, weather radar and (2) a CI to support NOAA research
facilities in the northwest U.S. in the area of marine resources.
Generally, a CI is a NOAA-supported, non-Federal organization that
has established an outstanding research program in one or more areas
that are relevant to the NOAA mission ``to understand and predict
changes in the Earth's environment and conserve and manage coastal and
marine resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and
environmental needs.'' CIs are established at research institutions
with outstanding graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences. CIs
provide significant coordination of resources among all non-government
partners and promote the involvement of students and post-doctoral
scientists in NOAA-funded research.
[[Page 69918]]
NOAA establishes a new CI competitively when it identifies a need
to sponsor a long-term (5-10 years) collaborative partnership with one
or more outstanding non-Federal, non-profit research institutions. For
NOAA, the purpose of this long-term collaborative partnership is to
promote research, education, training, and outreach aligned with NOAA's
mission; to obtain research capabilities that do not exist internally;
and/or to expand research capacity in NOAA-related sciences to:
Conduct collaborative, long-term research that involves
NOAA scientists and those at the research institution(s) from one or
more scientific disciplines of interest to NOAA;
Utilize the scientific, education, and outreach expertise
at the research institution(s) that, depending on NOAA's research
needs, may or may not be located near a NOAA facility;
Support student participation in NOAA-related research
studies; and
Strengthen or expand NOAA-related research capabilities
and capacity at the research institution(s) that complements and
contributes to NOAA's ability to reach its mission goals.
A CI may also partner with one or more research institutions that
demonstrate outstanding performance within one or more established
research programs in NOAA-related sciences, including Minority Serving
Institutions that can contribute to the proposed activities of the CI.
CIs conduct research under approved scientific research themes and
Tasks (additional tasks can be proposed by the CI):
Task I activities are related to the management of the CI,
as well as general education and outreach activities. This task also
includes support of postdoctoral and visiting scientists conducting
activities within the research themes of the CI that are approved by
the CI Director, in consultation with NOAA, and are relevant to NOAA
and the CI's mission goals;
Task II activities usually involve on-going direct
collaboration with NOAA scientists. This collaboration typically is
fostered by the collocation of Federal and CI employees; and
Task III activities require minimal collaboration with
NOAA scientists.
Generally, applications must include all relevant Federal Standard
Forms, a project description that includes sufficient information to
address all the evaluation criteria identified in the FFO announcement,
a budget, and a budget justification. The project description must
include a thorough explanation of all themes and Tasks. The application
should also identify the capability and the capacity of the CI to
conduct research in the themes described in the FFO announcement, as
well as a summary of clearly stated goals to be achieved, reflecting
NOAA's strategic goals and vision. Additional elements may also be
requested. Applicants are directed to the FFO for all application
information and requirements.
A Cooperative Institute To Improve Mesoscale and Stormscale High Impact
Weather Forecasts, Watches, and Warnings Through the use of, and
Enhancement of, Weather Radar
The CI will focus on the themes of: (1) Weather radar research and
development, (2) stormscale and mesoscale modeling research and
development, (3) forecast improvements research and development, (4)
impacts of climate change related to extreme weather events, and (5)
social and socioeconomic impacts of high impact weather systems. The CI
will be established at a research institution not only having
outstanding graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences, but also
located within a commuting distance to NOAA's facilities in Norman,
Oklahoma that provides for direct interactions on a regular basis. The
CI will provide significant coordination of resources among all non-
governmental partners and will promote the involvement of students and
post-doctoral scientists in NOAA-funded research. If the CI is
comprised of multiple member institutions, only the lead institution
applying for the award and where the CI will be established must
satisfy the commuting distance requirement.
Funding Availibility: All funding is contingent upon the
availability of appropriations. NOAA anticipates that up to
approximately $15M will be available annually for this CI. Of that
amount, approximately $300,000-$400,000 will be available per year for
Task I. The final amount of funding available for Task I will be
determined during the negotiation phase of the award based on
availability of funding. The actual amount of annual funding that the
CI receives may be more or less than the anticipated amount and will
depend on the actual projects that are approved by NOAA, the
availability of funding, the quality of the research, the satisfactory
progress in achieving the stated goals described in project proposals,
and continued relevance to program objectives.
A Cooperative Institute To Support NOAA Northwest Research Facilities
in the Area of Marine Resources
The CI to support NOAA research facilities in the northwest U.S. in
the area of marine resources will focus on the themes of: (1) Seafloor
processes, (2) marine mammal acoustics, (3) marine ecosystems, and (4)
protection and restoration of marine resources. The CI will be
established at a research institution not only having outstanding
graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences, but also located
within a commuting distance that allows direct interactions with CI and
NOAA scientists at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory,
Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and Alaska Fisheries Science Center
offices in Newport, Oregon, on a regular basis. The CI will provide
significant coordination of resources among all non-governmental
partners and will promote the involvement of students and post-doctoral
scientists in NOAA-funded research. If the CI is comprised of multiple
member institutions, only the lead institution applying for the award
and where the CI will be established must satisfy the commuting
distance requirement. This announcement provides requirements for the
proposed CI and includes details for the technical program, evaluation
criteria, and competitive selection procedures.
Funding Availibility: All funding is contingent upon the
availability of appropriations. NOAA anticipates that up to
approximately $7M will be available annually for this CI. Of that
amount, approximately $100,000 will be available per year for Task I.
The final amount of funding available for Task I will be determined
during the negotiation phase of the award and will be based on
availability of funding. The actual annual funding that the CI receives
may be less than the anticipated amount and will depend on the actual
projects that are approved by NOAA, the availability of funding, the
quality of the research, the satisfactory progress in achieving the
stated goals described in project proposals, and continued relevance to
program objectives.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access: The full text of the FFO announcement for this
program can be accessed via the Grants.gov Web site at https://www.grants.gov. The announcement will also be available by contacting
the program officials identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Applicants must comply with all requirements contained
[[Page 69919]]
in the full funding opportunity announcement.
Proposals must include elements requested in the full Federal
Funding Opportunity announcement on the Grants.gov portal. If a hard
copy application is submitted, NOAA requests that the original and two
unbound copies of the proposal be included. Proposals, electronic or
paper, should be no more than 75 pages (numbered) in length, excluding
budget, investigators, vitae, and all appendices. Federally mandated
forms are not included within the page count. Facsimile transmissions
and electronic mail submission of full proposals will not be accepted.
Statutory Authorities: 15 U.S.C. 1540, 15 U.S.C. 313, 15 U.S.C.
2901 et seq., 118 STAT. 71 (January 23, 2004).
Eligibility: Eligibility is limited to public and private non-
profit universities, colleges and research institutions that offer
accredited graduate level degree-granting programs in NOAA-related
sciences and that are within a commuting distance that provides for
direct contact on a regular basis with scientists at the NOAA
facilities in Norman, OK. If the proposed CI is comprised of multiple
member institutions, only the lead institution applying for the award
(and where the CI will be established) must satisfy the commuting
distance requirement.
Cost Sharing Requirements: To stress the collaborative nature and
investment of a CI by both NOAA and the research institution, cost
sharing is required. There is no minimum cost sharing requirement;
however, the amount of cost sharing will be considered when determining
the level of the CI's commitment under NOAA's standard evaluation
criteria for overall qualifications of applicants. Acceptable cost-
sharing proposals include, but are not limited to, offering a reduced
indirect cost rate against activities in one or more Tasks, waiver of
any indirect costs assessed by the awardee on subawards, waiver of
indirect costs assessed against base funds and/or Task I activities,
waiver or reduction of any costs associated with the use of facilities
at the CI, and full or partial salary funding for the CI director,
administrative staff, graduate students, visiting scientists, or
postdoctoral scientists.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures: The general evaluation
criteria and selection factors that apply to full applications to this
funding opportunity are summarized below. Further information about the
evaluation criteria and selection factors can be found in the FFO
announcement.
Evaluation Criteria for Projects: Proposals will be evaluated using
the standard NOAA evaluation criteria. Various questions under each
criterion are provided to ensure that the applicant includes
information that NOAA will consider important during the evaluation, in
addition to any other information provided by the applicant.
1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed
project to the program goals (25 percent): This criterion ascertains
whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance
to NOAA, regional, state, or local activities.
Does the proposal include research goals and projects that
address the critical issues identified in NOAA's 5-year Research Plan,
NOAA's Strategic Plan, and the priorities described in the program
priorities (see Section I.B.)?
Is there a demonstrated commitment (in terms of resources
and facilities) to enhance existing NOAA and CI resources to foster a
long-term collaborative research environment/culture?
Is there a strong education program with established
graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences that also encourages
student participation in NOAA-related research studies?
2. Technical/scientific merit (30 percent): This criterion assesses
whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the
methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and
objectives.
Does the project description include a summary of clearly
stated goals to be achieved during the five year period that reflect
NOAA's strategic plan and goals?
Does the CI involve partnerships with other universities
or research institutions, including Minority Serving Institutions and
universities that can contribute to the proposed activities of the CI?
3. Overall qualifications of applicants (30 percent): This
criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary
education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative
resources to accomplish the project.
If the institution(s) and/or Principal Investigators have
received current or recent NOAA funding, is there a demonstrated record
of outstanding performance working with NOAA and/or NOAA scientists on
research projects?
Is there nationally and/or internationally recognized
expertise within the appropriate disciplines needed to conduct the
collaborative/interdisciplinary research described in the proposal?
Is there a well-developed business plan that includes
fiscal and human resource management, as well as strategic planning and
accountability?
Are there any unique capabilities in a mission-critical
area of research for NOAA?
Has the applicant shown a substantial investment to the
NOAA partnership, as demonstrated by the amount of the cost sharing
contribution?
4. Project costs (5 percent): The budget is evaluated to determine
if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-
frame.
5. Outreach and education (10 percent): NOAA assesses whether this
project provides a focused and effective education and outreach
strategy regarding NOAA's mission to protect the Nation's natural
resources.
Review and Selection Process: An initial administrative review/
screening is conducted to determine compliance with requirements/
completeness. All proposals will be evaluated and individually ranked
in accordance with the assigned weights of the above-listed evaluation
criteria by an independent peer review panel. At least three experts,
who may be Federal or non-Federal, will be used in this process. If
non-Federal experts participate in the review process, each expert will
submit an individual merit review and there will be no consensus
opinion. The merit reviewers' ratings are used to produce a rank order
of the proposals. The Selecting Official selects proposals after
considering the peer reviews and selection factors listed below. In
making the final selections, the Selecting Official will award in rank
order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order
based upon one or more of the selection factors. The Selecting Official
makes the final award recommendation to the Grants Officer authorized
to obligate funds.
Selection Factors for Projects: The merit review ratings shall
provide a rank order to the Selecting Official for final funding
recommendations. The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order
unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based
upon one or more of the following factors:
1. Availability of funding.
2. Balance/distribution of funds:
(a) Geographically.
(b) By type of institutions.
(c) By type of partners.
(d) By research areas.
(e) By project types.
[[Page 69920]]
3. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded or
considered for funding by NOAA or other agencies.
4. Program priorities and policy factors.
5. Applicant's prior award performance.
6. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups.
7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to makea
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination and draft
necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to
the Grants Officer.
Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of
Programs.''
Limitation of Liability: In no event will NOAA or 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
NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): NOAA must analyze the
potential environmental impacts, as required by the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals
which are seeking NOAA federal funding opportunities. Detailed
information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following
NOAA NEPA Web site: https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our NOAA
Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6.pdf, and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation
regulations, https://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm.
Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under their
description of their program activities, applicants are required to
provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted,
locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible
construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist
(e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals,
introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and
threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef
systems). In addition to providing specific information that will serve
as the basis for any required impact analyses, applicants may also be
requested to assist NOAA in drafting of an environmental assessment, if
NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be
required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying feasible measures to
reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their
proposal. The failure to do so shall be grounds for not selecting an
application. In some cases if additional information is required after
an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer
under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit
additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable
NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on
the environment.
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 February 11, 2008 (73 FR
7696), are applicable to this solicitation.
Paperwork Reduction Act: This document contains collection-of-
information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).
The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, SF-LLL, and CD-346 has been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the
respective control numbers 4040-0004, 0348-0044, 0348-0040, 0348-0046,
and 0605-0001. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is
required to, nor shall a 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 implications as that term is
defined in Executive Order 13132.
Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior
notices and an opportunity for public comment are not required by the
Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning
public property, loans, 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
for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been
prepared.
Dated: November 9, 2010.
Leon M. Cammen,
Acting, Chief Financial Officer, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-28592 Filed 11-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KD-P
