Announcement of Requirements and Registration for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Innovations in Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (I-FAST) Prize Competition, 32620-32624 [2018-14996]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 135 / Friday, July 13, 2018 / Notices
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
their participation; (2) a brief statement
of the process used by the recipient
institution to identify individuals and
groups who are stakeholders and to
collect input from them; and (3) a
statement of how collected input was
considered. There is no legislatively
prescribed form or format for this
reporting requirement. However, the
1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions
are required to report on their
Stakeholder Input Process annually as
part of their Annual Report of
Accomplishments and Results.
Section 103(e) of AREERA requires
that the 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant
institutions establish a merit review
process, prior to October 1, 1999, in
order to obtain agricultural research and
extension funds. Section 104 of
AREERA also stipulated that a scientific
peer review process be established for
research programs funded under section
3(c)(3) of the Hatch Act (commonly
referred to as Hatch Multistate Research
Funds).
This notice also revises the Plan of
Work to include Extension Program
Initiations and Annual Reports in the
REEport platform in place of the current
Planned Programs and make the current
REEport Hatch and Evans-Allen
approved Research Project Initiations
and Annual Progress Reports as a part
of the Plan of Work and Annual Report
of Accomplishments. This will reduce
the overall burden for Hatch and EvansAllen research grant recipients. The
burden for Extension Grant recipients is
estimated to remain the same.
The revised Plan of Work will have
the following sections:
(1). Institutional Profile and Executive
Summary
(2). Merit Review Process
(3). Stakeholder Input
(4). Multistate Extension and
Integrated Research and Extension
(5). Critical Issues
(6). Extension Program Initiations and
Research Project Initiations in the
REEport Platform
I. Initial 5-Year Plan of Work
Estimate of Burden: The Initial 5-Year
Plan of Work as revised will submitted
for the FY 2020–2024 Plan of Work in
2019. The total reporting and record
keeping requirements for the
submission of the ‘‘Initial 5-Year Plan of
Work’’ is estimated to average 64 hours
per response. There are six components
of this ‘‘5-Year Plan of Work’’: ‘‘Critical
Issues,’’ ‘‘Extension Program and
Research Project Initiations in the
REEport Platform,’’ ‘‘Stakeholder Input
Process,’’ ‘‘Merit Review Process,’’
‘‘Multi state Activities,’’ and ‘‘Integrated
Activities.’’
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Estimated Number of Respondents:
75.
Estimated Number of Responses: 150.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 9,600 hours.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
II. Annual Update to 5-Year Plan of
Work
Estimate of the Burden: The total
reporting and record keeping
requirements for the submission of the
‘‘Annual Update to the 5-Year Plan of
Work’’ is estimated to average 64 hours
per response. There are six components
of this ‘‘5-Year Plan of Work’’: ‘‘Critical
Issues,’’ ‘‘Extension Program and
Research Project Initiations in the
REEport Platform,’’ ‘‘Stakeholder Input
Process,’’ ‘‘Merit Review Process,’’
‘‘Multi state Activities,’’ and ‘‘Integrated
Activities.’’
Estimated Number of Respondents:
75.
Estimated Number of Responses: 150.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 9,600 hours.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
III. Annual Report of Accomplishments
and Results
Estimate of the Burden: The total
annual reporting and record keeping
requirements of the ‘‘Annual Report of
Accomplishments and Results’’ is
estimated to average 260 hours per
response.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
75.
Estimated Number of Responses: 150.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 39,000 hours.
Frequency of Responses: Annually.
Comments: Comments are invited on:
(a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the Agency’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
to OMB for approval. All comments will
become a matter of public record.
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Done in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2018.
Thomas G. Shanower,
Acting Director, National Institute of Food
and Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2018–14997 Filed 7–12–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Institute of Food and
Agriculture
Announcement of Requirements and
Registration for U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Innovations in
Food and Agricultural Science and
Technology (I–FAST) Prize
Competition
National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The National Institute of Food
and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA, is
announcing the I–FAST prize
competition (the ‘‘I–FAST Competition’’
or the ‘‘Competition’’) to develop and
implement the Innovations in Food and
Agricultural Science and Technology (I–
FAST) Program. NIFA will partner with
the National Science Foundation (NSF)
Innovation Corps (I-Corps) to provide
entrepreneurship training to NIFA
grantees under this I–FAST pilot
program. The goals are to identify
valuable product opportunities that can
emerge from NIFA supported academic
research. Selected NIFA I–FAST project
teams will participate in the educational
programs with NSF I-Corps Program.
Over a period of six months the NIFA
supported teams in the I–FAST program
will learn what it will take to achieve an
economic impact with their particular
innovation. The final goal of the I–FAST
Competition is to facilitate technology
transfer of innovations that can make an
impact in the marketplace and the
global economy.
DATES: Competition Submission
Period—Pre-Application and Evaluation
Interviews:
• Pre-Application Open Period: July
10, 2018 to August 3, 2018.
• Pre-Application Evaluation and
Interviews: August 6, 2018 to August 9,
2018.
• Full Application Open Period:
August 10, 2018 to August 17, 2018.
• Final Evaluation and Judging—Full
Application: August 20, 2018 to August
22, 2018.
• Verification of Winners: August 23,
2018.
• Announcement of Winner(s):
August 24, 2018.
NSF I-Corps Training for Winner(s):
Winning team(s) will need to be
SUMMARY:
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available to travel to and attend one of
the following NSF I-Corps training
sessions with the following dates and
locations:
Fall 2018 COHORTS:
Fall Cohort #1: Location TBD (Likely
Detroit, MI)
• Kickoff (on-site): September (arrive
25) 26–28, 2018.
• Web sessions (online): Thursdays
1:00–4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)—
October 4, 11, 18, 25 and November 1,
2018.
Lessons Learned (on-site): November
8–9, 2018.
Fall Cohort #2: Location TBD (Likely
Los Angeles or San Diego, CA)
• Kickoff (on-site): September (arrive
30) to October 1–3, 2018.
• Web sessions (online): Mondays
1:00–4:00 p.m. ET –October 10, 17, 24,
31 and November 7, 2018.
Lessons Learned (on-site): November
15–16, 2018.
The Pre-Application Phase
Competition Submission Period begins
July 10, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. ET and ends
August 3, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Pre-Application Interviews will take
place August 6, 2018 to August 9, 2018.
The Full-Application Phase
Competition Submission Period begins
August 10, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. ET and
ends August 17, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Competition dates are subject to
change. Entries submitted before or after
the Competition Submission Period will
not be reviewed or considered for
award. For more details, visit the
www.challenge.gov website.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the Competition can be
directed to Scott Dockum at sdockum@
nifa.usda.gov, or phone 202–720–6346
or Olivia Moreno at Olivia.moreno@
nifa.usda.gov, or 202–603–9186.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Subject of Challenge Competition
The National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA), USDA, mission is to
invest in and advance agricultural
research, education, and extension to
solve societal challenges. As part of this
mission NIFA is charged with providing
grant funding for research, education,
and extension that address key
problems of national, regional, and
multi-state importance in sustaining all
components of agriculture. A majority of
NIFA grant funding is provided to
academic institutions to focus on
developing research in the areas of farm
efficiency and profitability, ranching,
renewable energy, forestry (both urban
and agroforestry), aquaculture, rural
communities and entrepreneurship,
human nutrition, food safety,
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biotechnology, and conventional
breeding.
NIFA will partner with the NSF
Innovation Corps (I-Corps) who will
provide an Entrepreneurial Immersion
course and training to NIFA grantees
through this I–FAST Competition. The
goals of this Competition are to spur
translation of fundamental research to
the market place, to encourage
collaboration between academia and
industry, and to train NIFA-funded
faculty, students and other researchers
to understand innovation and
entrepreneurship.
The purpose of the I–FAST
Competition is to identify NIFA-funded
research teams (an I–FAST team
includes the Principal Investigator (PI),
the Entrepreneurial Lead, and the
Mentor) who will receive additional
support, in the form of mentoring,
training, and funding to accelerate the
translation of knowledge derived from
fundamental research into emerging
products and services that can attract
subsequent third-party funding. NIFAfunded research teams will be required
to participate in Entrepreneurial
Immersion courses provided by the NSF
I-Corps program. The NSF I-Corps is a
program specifically designed to
broaden the impact of select, basic
research projects by preparing scientists
and engineers to focus beyond the
laboratory. Leveraging experience and
guidance from established
entrepreneurs and a targeted curriculum
within the NSF I-Corp program, NIFA I–
FAST teams will learn to identify
valuable product opportunities that can
emerge from NIFA supported academic
research. The I–FAST Competition will
help create a stronger national
ecosystem for innovation that couples
scientific discovery with technology
development to address agricultural and
societal needs.
Each team that receives an I-FAST
award is required to participate in the
following NSF I-Corps activities: (1)
Attendance by the entire team at an onsite three-day NSF I-Corps
Entrepreneurial Immersion course; (2)
Mandatory participation in the I-Corps
weekly Webinars following the inperson three day on-site meeting; (3)
Completion of approximately 15 hours
of preparation per week over the
duration of the program; (4) Attendance
of a two day lessons learned in-person
meeting at the end of the training.
During the training, teams are expected
to engage in at least 100 contacts with
potential customers and provide a 5page summary report back to NIFA on
the outcome of the training and
milestones to be met by the team (i.e.,
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commercialization, market proposition,
and lessons learned from the program).
Team Eligibility Rules and
Responsibilities for Participating in the
Competition
The I-FAST Competition is open to
teams (‘‘Teams’’ or ‘‘Participants’’) that
are made up of individuals from
academic/university institutions that
have received a prior NIFA award in a
scientific or engineering field relevant to
the proposed innovation that is
currently active or that has been active
within five years from the closing date
of the Pre-Application Open Period. The
prior award could range from a modest
single-investigator award to a large,
distributed center and also includes
awards involving students. All
individuals supported (i.e. Senior/Key
Personnel or Other Personnel) under the
prior award are eligible to serve on the
Team. Individuals not eligible to serve
on the Team include a Federal
employee acting within the scope of
their employment, individuals whose
primary place of business is outside of
the United States, and individuals who
are not a citizen or permanent resident
of the United States.
Makeup of I-FAST Competition
Teams: Each Team shall consist of three
members:
(1) Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)
(2) I-FAST Team Mentor
(3) Principal Investigator (PI)
I-FAST teams are made up of
individuals from an academic/
university institution except for the
Mentor who may reside with a nonacademic institution as described
below. Also described below, are the
responsibilities of each team member
should the Team be selected as a winner
of the competition.
The Entrepreneurial Lead (EL) could
be a postdoctoral scholar, graduate, or
other student with relevant knowledge
of the technology located at the
academic/university institution and a
deep commitment to investigate the
commercial landscape surrounding the
innovation. The EL should also be
capable and have the will to support the
transition of the technology to
commercial viability. The EL will be
responsible for: (1) Developing the team
to include the mentor and PI, (2) leading
the development of the pre-application,
participating in the I-FAST interviews
and developing the full application, if
selected, (3) starting and completing all
training activities in the Entrepreneurial
Immersion course provided by the NSF
I-Corps program, (4) communicating and
coordinating with team members to
achieve the goals of the team, (5)
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developing and monitoring team
activity milestones from the
Entrepreneurial Immersion course, (6)
ensuring the team milestones are
completed on time, and (7) ensuring the
team is in communication with the
NIFA I-FAST Competition Director and
the NSF I-Corps Program Director as
needed.
Ideally, the I-FAST Teams Mentor
will be an experienced or emerging
entrepreneur with proximity to the
academic/university institution and
have prior experience developing and
commercializing other products within
the broader technology space related to
the specific project under development.
The Mentor should be selected as a
third-party resource, or may be a person
that has an established relationship with
the team (e.g., Board Member,
consultant), but cannot be an employee
nor directly involved with the
technology development. The EL will
need to identify a Mentor that has
business expertise in the proposed
technology sector and has
entrepreneurial experience. A Mentor
will be someone with appropriate
contacts in the technology area of
commercialization which are critical for
propelling the technology towards
commercialization. The EL of the team
should seek input from their University
Technology Transfer Office for potential
Mentors. The I-FAST Team’s Mentor
will be responsible for guiding the team
forward using existing entrepreneurial
experience and tracking the team’s
progress through regular
communication with the EL, PI, the
NIFA I-FAST competition director, and
the NSF I-Corps Program Director, as
needed.
The PI is expected to have in-depth
knowledge of the innovation developed
under the prior NIFA Grant and, if
selected, will be responsible for: (1)
Coordinating with the university on the
transfer of prize funds from NIFA, (2)
tracking of the prize funding for team
activities, (3) reporting to NIFA on
disbursements and obligations of the
prize funding, (4) guiding the EL and
Mentor on technical aspects of the
innovation, (5) communicating as
needed with the NIFA I-FAST
Competition Director and the NSF ICorps Program Director, (6) ensuring the
EL meets the required milestones for the
NSF I–CORP training, and (7)
participating as a team member. The
Principal Investigator who received the
earlier NIFA grant for the technology is
allowed to participate on the team, but
cannot be the Entrepreneurial Lead.
During the I-Corps course, each
participating team, including all its
team members, must:
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• Attend, in person, an evening
reception and 3-day kick-off
Entrepreneurial Immersion course;
• Conduct approximately 100
customer interviews over the 6-week
program, and submit interview
summary reports. This process of
customer discovery includes in-person
face to face meetings with potential
customers and requires the team to be
‘‘outside the building’’ for these
activities. It is expected that the team
will not use telephone or online
conferencing during the customer
discovery process. It is expected the
team will require a minimum of 15
hours and a maximum of 40 hours per
week for at least five weeks following
the in person training;
• Participate in 5 weekly webinar
sessions and submit regular updates to
the team’s business model canvas. In
addition, it is expected that I-Corps
teams will take advantage of instructor
office hours; and
• Attend, in person, the final 2-day
course close out/lessons learned session
(to be held in the same region as the
kick-off course).
Teams are strongly encouraged to
consider the time commitments and
requirements of the program before
submitting an application. If one or
more team members cannot meet these
requirements, the team should not
submit an application.
Selected I-FAST Teams that fail to
meet the requirements of the program
must provide NIFA documented
justification for failing to meet the
requirements. NIFA will determine
based on the justification or no
justification, whether the team is subject
to reimbursing NIFA for any prize
funding.
Amount of the Prize
The NIFA I-FAST Competition Prize
Purse will be a maximum of $250,000
which will be divided to provide
$50,000 each to a maximum of five (5)
teams. Prize Purse funds are required to
be used by winning Teams to fully
participate in the NSF I-Corps program
curriculum.
NIFA reserves the right to award less
than the maximum number of available
prizes.
Payment of the Prize
Prizes awarded under this
Competition will be paid by electronic
funds transfer to the academic/
university institution the Team(s)
represent(s). Once prize winners are
selected, NIFA will provide the winners
with the forms and financial documents
that must be completed and returned to
NIFA to set up the electronic transfer.
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All Federal, state and local taxes are the
sole responsibility of the winner(s).
Submission Process for Participants
The Competition will have a threephase selection process. Initially, Teams
will submit a pre-application. From the
pre-applications, NIFA will conduct
phone interviews. Selected Teams will
be invited to submit a full application.
From the full applications, NIFA will
select the winning Team(s).
Teams can enter the contest by
submitting the pre-application through
the ‘‘Enter a Submission’’ function on
www.Challenge.gov, and then send the
pre-application, with name and contact
info, to contest@nifa.usda.gov. The preapplication shall contain the following
information:
Prepare a three-page Executive
Summary that describes the following:
(1) Composition of the Team and roles
(EL, Mentor, and PI) of the members
proposing to undertake the
commercialization feasibility research.
(2) Contact information for ALL of the
members.
(3) Relevant current/previous NIFA
award(s) including award number, Title
of the Project, and the NIFA program the
award was funded under.
(4) Brief description of the potential
commercial impact.
(5) Brief description of the current
commercialization plans for the
innovation.
After the interviews, Teams that are
selected to submit a full application will
submit it via challenge.gov through the
‘‘Enter a Submission’’ function and then
send the application with name and
contact info to contest@nifa.usda.gov.
The full application shall include the
following project description
information:
1. I-Corps Team (one page limit).
a. Briefly describe the I-Corps team
and provide rationale for its formation,
focusing on members’ entrepreneurial
expertise, relevance to the innovation
effort, and members’ experience in
collaborating on previous projects.
b. Include contact information for all
team members.
2. Lineage of the Proposed Innovation
(one page limit).
a. Provide the current/previous NIFA
award(s) including award number, Title
of Project and the NIFA program that
funded the award.
b. Briefly describe how this research
has led the Team to believe that a
commercial opportunity exists for the
effort moving forward.
3. Description of the Potential
Commercial Impact (two page limit).
a. Provide a brief profile of a typical
customer of the proposed innovation.
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b. Describe how the proposed
innovation will meet the customer’s
needs.
c. Describe how the customer
currently meets those needs.
d. Your approach—What is the
proposed innovation? How does it relate
to the fundamental research already
conducted under previous award(s)?
e. How much do you think a customer
would pay for your solution?
4. Brief description of the project plan
(one page limit).
a. Current Status—In what stage is the
development: proof-of-principle, proofof-concept, prototype (alpha, beta), etc.
b. Provide a brief description of the
proof-of-concept or technology
demonstration that will be provided at
the end of the project.
The total page limit for the project
description full application is five (5)
pages.
From the Teams submitting full
applications, a maximum of five Teams
will be selected as winners to enter into
the I-FAST Program.
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Judging
The information on the Competition
will be provided via
www.challenges.gov.
NIFA will screen all entries for
eligibility and completeness. Entries
from Teams that do not meet the
eligibility requirements and/or that fail
to include required submission
elements will not be evaluated or
considered for award. Eligible and
complete entries will be judged by a fair
and impartial panel of individuals from
NIFA and NSF (the ‘‘Judging Panel’’).
Pre-Application Evaluation: The
Judging Panel will evaluate the preapplication to determine the following:
(1) Did the technology proposed
receive past NIFA funding within the
specified timeframe?
(2) Does the team have the required
team members and are the roles of each
team member clearly described and
meet the noted responsibilities?
(3) Does the commercialization plan
provide a good understanding of the
team’s knowledge of the current state of
the art and how the technology could
enter into a potential market?
(4) Were the page limits met?
Following the evaluation, the Judging
Panel will conduct a phone interview
with each selected team. This will
emphasize the time commitment and
availability of the entire team to
complete the NSF I–CORPS program
during one of the fall 2018 cohorts.
Full-Application Evaluation: The
Judging Panel will evaluate the Fullapplication to determine the following
and approximately equal consideration
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will be given to each criterion except for
item (3), which will receive twice the
value of any of the other items:
1. I-Corps Team: Does the application
clearly describe: the I-Corps team, the
rationale for the team’s formation,
members’ entrepreneurial expertise,
relevance to the innovation effort, and
members’ experience in collaborating?
2. Lineage of the Proposed Innovation:
Does the application provide a table of
previous NIFA awards and identify the
original Principle Investigator (PI)? Does
the application clearly describe how
this research has led the Team to believe
that a commercial opportunity exists for
the effort moving forward?
3. Description of the Potential
Commercial Impact: Does the
application clearly describe the profile
of a typical customer of the proposed
innovation? Does the application
describe the customer needs to be met
by the proposed innovation? Does the
application describe how the customer
currently meets those needs with the
current state of the art and does the
customer believe this innovation is
better than the current technology? Does
the application clearly describe the
proposed innovation and how it relates
to the fundamental research already
conducted under previous award(s)?
Does the application describe how
much a customer would pay for the
solution?
4. Project plan: Does the project plan
clearly describe the current status
including the stage of development?
Does the application provide a
description of the proof-of-concept or
technology demonstration that will be
provided at the end of the project?
5. Page Limits: Did the application
meet the required page limits?
Additional Rules and Conditions
A. General Conditions
By entering the Competition, each
Team certifies that its entry complies
with all applicable Federal and State
laws and regulations.
Each Team warrants that its entry is
free of viruses, spyware, malware, and
any other malicious, harmful, or
destructive device. Teams submitting
entries containing any such device will
be held liable and may be prosecuted to
the fullest extent of the law.
Entries containing any matter which,
in the sole discretion of NIFA, is
indecent, defamatory, in obvious bad
taste, demonstrates a lack of respect for
public morals or conduct, promotes
discrimination in any form, shows
unlawful acts being performed, is
slanderous or libelous, adversely affects
the reputations of NIFA or NSF, is
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unacceptable as determined by NIFA,
then such entry shall be deemed
disqualified and will not be evaluated
or, if evaluated, will not be considered
for award.
The winning Team(s) must comply
with all applicable laws and regulations
regarding Prize Purse receipt and
disbursement.
NIFA’s failure to enforce any term of
any applicable rule or condition shall
not constitute a waiver of that term.
B. Entry Conditions, Release & Liability
By entering the Competition, each
Team agrees to:
(1) Comply with and be bound by all
applicable rules and conditions, and the
decisions of NIFA, which are binding
and final in all matters relating to this
Competition.
(2) Release and hold harmless NIFA
and NSF and all their respective past
and present officers, directors,
employees, agents, and representatives
(collectively the ‘‘Released Parties’’)
from and against any and all claims,
expenses, and liability arising out of or
relating to the Team’s entry or
participation in the Competition and/or
the Team’s acceptance, use, or misuse of
the Prize Purse or recognition. Provided,
however, that Participants are not
required to waive claims arising out of
the unauthorized use or disclosure by
NIFA or NSF of the intellectual
property, trade secrets, or confidential
business information of the Participant.
The Released Parties are not
responsible for: (1) Any incorrect or
inaccurate information, whether caused
by Teams, printing errors, or by any of
the equipment or programming
associated with or used in the
Competition; (2) technical failures of
any kind, including, but not limited to,
malfunctions, interruptions, or
disconnections in phone lines or
network hardware or software; (3)
unauthorized human intervention in
any part of the entry process for the
Competition; (4) technical or human
error that may occur in the
administration of the Competition or the
processing of entries; or (5) any injury
or damage to persons or property that
may be caused, directly or indirectly, in
whole or in part, from Team’s
participation in the Competition or
receipt or use or misuse of the Prize
Purse. If for any reason a Team’s entry
is confirmed to have been deleted
erroneously, lost, or otherwise
destroyed or corrupted, that Team’s sole
remedy is to submit another entry in the
Competition.
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 135 / Friday, July 13, 2018 / Notices
C. Termination and Disqualification
NIFA reserves the authority to cancel,
suspend, and/or modify the
Competition, or any part of it, if any
fraud, technical failures, or any other
factor beyond NIFA’s reasonable control
impairs the integrity or proper
functioning of the Competition, as
determined by NIFA in its sole
discretion.
NIFA reserves the right to disqualify
any Team it believes to be tampering
with the entry process or the operation
of the Competition or to be acting in
violation of any applicable rule or
condition.
Any attempt by any person to
undermine the legitimate operation of
the Competition may be a violation of
criminal and civil law, and, should such
an attempt be made, NIFA reserves the
authority to seek damages from any
such person to the fullest extent
permitted by law.
D. Verification of Potential Winner(s)
All potential Competition winners are
subject to verification by NIFA whose
decisions are final and binding in all
matters related to the Competition.
Potential winner(s) must continue to
comply with all terms and conditions of
the Competition rules, and winning is
contingent upon fulfilling all
requirements. The potential winner(s)
will be notified by email and/or
telephone. If a potential winner cannot
be contacted, or if the notification is
returned as undeliverable, the potential
winner forfeits. In the event that a
potential winner, or an announced
winner, is found to be ineligible or is
disqualified for any reason, NIFA may
make award, instead, to the next runner
up, as previously determined by the
Judging Panel.
Prior to awarding the Prize Purse,
NIFA will verify that the potential
winner(s) is/are not suspended,
debarred, or otherwise excluded from
doing business with the U.S. Federal
Government. Suspended, debarred, or
otherwise excluded parties are not
eligible to win the Competition.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
E. Intellectual Property
By entering the Competition, each
Team certifies that it is the author and/
or authorized owner of its entry, and
that the entry is wholly original with the
Team (or is an improved version of an
existing project plan the Team is legally
authorized to enter into the
Competition), and that the submitted
entry does not infringe on any
copyright, patent, or any other rights of
any third party. Each Team agrees to
hold the Released Parties harmless for
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:47 Jul 12, 2018
Jkt 244001
any infringement of copyright,
trademark, patent, and/or other real or
intellectual property right that may be
caused, directly or indirectly, in whole
or in part, from that Team’s
participation in the Competition.
All legal rights in any materials
produced or submitted in entering the
Competition are retained by the Team
and/or the legal holder of those rights.
Entry into the Competition constitutes
express authorization for NIFA, NSF,
and the Judging Panel to review and
analyze any and all aspects of submitted
entries, including any trade secret or
proprietary information contained in or
evident from review of the submitted
entries.
F. Privacy & Disclosure Under Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA)
Personal and contact information is
not collected for commercial or
marketing purposes. Information
submitted throughout the Competition
will be used only to communicate with
Teams regarding entries and/or the
Competition.
Teams’ entries to the Competition
may be subject to disclosure under the
FOIA. If a Team believes that all or part
of its Competition entry is protected
from release under FOIA (e.g., if the
information falls under FOIA exemption
#4 for ‘‘trade secrets and commercial or
financial information obtained from a
person [that is] privileged or
confidential’’) the Team will be
responsible for clearly marking the
page(s)/section(s) of information it
believes are protected.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
Done at Washington, DC, on July 3, 2018.
Kim L. Hicks,
Branch Chief, Grants and Agreements
Management Branch USDA, Agricultural
Research Service, Financial Management and
Agreements Division.
[FR Doc. 2018–14996 Filed 7–12–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Housing Service
Notice To Implement a Guarantee
Systems User Fee for Lender Use of
the Single Family Housing Section 502
Guaranteed Loan Program Automated
Systems
Rural Housing Service, USDA.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Housing Opportunity
Through Modernization Act of 2016 was
signed into law on July 29, 2016. It
created Section 502(i) in the Housing
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Act of 1949, later amended by Section
758 of the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2018, which permits the Secretary
to assess and collect a guarantee
underwriting user fee (also known as a
technology fee) from lenders for their
use of the Rural Housing Service’s
(Agency’s) automated guaranteed loan
systems. The collection of the fee will
enable the Agency to fund future
information technology enhancements
needed to improve program delivery
and reduce burden to the public. The
fee amount will be published in the
Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan
Program (SFHGLP) Handbook HB–1–
3555, available at https://
www.rd.usda.gov/publications/
regulations-guidelines/handbooks.
The fee will not exceed $50 per loan,
and constitutes a reasonable and
customary cost that is an authorized
loan purpose in accordance with the
Guaranteed Rural Housing Program. The
primary method of collecting the fee
will be through the Agency’s Lender
Loan Closing (LLC) system when a loan
goes to closing.
DATES: Written or email comments on
the proposed rule must be received on
or before September 11, 2018 to be
assured for consideration.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this proposed rule by any one of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments
electronically.
• Mail: Submit written comments via
the U.S. Postal Service to the Branch
Chief, Regulations and Paperwork
Management Branch, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, STOP 0742, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington,
DC 20250–0742.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: Submit
written comments via Federal Express
mail, or other courier service requiring
a street address to the Branch Chief,
Regulations and Paperwork
Management Branch, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave.
SW, Washington, DC 20250–0742.
All written comments will be
available for public inspection during
regular work hours at 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington,
DC 20250–0742.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate
Jensen, Finance and Loan Analyst,
Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan
Division, STOP 0784, Room 2250,
USDA Rural Development, South
Agriculture Building, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250–0784, telephone: (503) 894–
E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM
13JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 135 (Friday, July 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32620-32624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-14996]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Announcement of Requirements and Registration for U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Innovations in Food and Agricultural Science and
Technology (I-FAST) Prize Competition
AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA,
is announcing the I-FAST prize competition (the ``I-FAST Competition''
or the ``Competition'') to develop and implement the Innovations in
Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (I-FAST) Program. NIFA
will partner with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation
Corps (I-Corps) to provide entrepreneurship training to NIFA grantees
under this I-FAST pilot program. The goals are to identify valuable
product opportunities that can emerge from NIFA supported academic
research. Selected NIFA I-FAST project teams will participate in the
educational programs with NSF I-Corps Program. Over a period of six
months the NIFA supported teams in the I-FAST program will learn what
it will take to achieve an economic impact with their particular
innovation. The final goal of the I-FAST Competition is to facilitate
technology transfer of innovations that can make an impact in the
marketplace and the global economy.
DATES: Competition Submission Period--Pre-Application and Evaluation
Interviews:
Pre-Application Open Period: July 10, 2018 to August 3,
2018.
Pre-Application Evaluation and Interviews: August 6, 2018
to August 9, 2018.
Full Application Open Period: August 10, 2018 to August
17, 2018.
Final Evaluation and Judging--Full Application: August 20,
2018 to August 22, 2018.
Verification of Winners: August 23, 2018.
Announcement of Winner(s): August 24, 2018.
NSF I-Corps Training for Winner(s): Winning team(s) will need to be
[[Page 32621]]
available to travel to and attend one of the following NSF I-Corps
training sessions with the following dates and locations:
Fall 2018 COHORTS:
Fall Cohort #1: Location TBD (Likely Detroit, MI)
Kickoff (on-site): September (arrive 25) 26-28, 2018.
Web sessions (online): Thursdays 1:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
Time (ET)--October 4, 11, 18, 25 and November 1, 2018.
Lessons Learned (on-site): November 8-9, 2018.
Fall Cohort #2: Location TBD (Likely Los Angeles or San Diego, CA)
Kickoff (on-site): September (arrive 30) to October 1-3,
2018.
Web sessions (online): Mondays 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET -October
10, 17, 24, 31 and November 7, 2018.
Lessons Learned (on-site): November 15-16, 2018.
The Pre-Application Phase Competition Submission Period begins July
10, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. ET and ends August 3, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Pre-Application Interviews will take place August 6, 2018 to August
9, 2018.
The Full-Application Phase Competition Submission Period begins
August 10, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. ET and ends August 17, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.
ET.
Competition dates are subject to change. Entries submitted before
or after the Competition Submission Period will not be reviewed or
considered for award. For more details, visit the www.challenge.gov
website.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the Competition can be
directed to Scott Dockum at [email protected], or phone 202-720-
6346 or Olivia Moreno at Ol[email protected], or 202-603-9186.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Subject of Challenge Competition
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA,
mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education,
and extension to solve societal challenges. As part of this mission
NIFA is charged with providing grant funding for research, education,
and extension that address key problems of national, regional, and
multi-state importance in sustaining all components of agriculture. A
majority of NIFA grant funding is provided to academic institutions to
focus on developing research in the areas of farm efficiency and
profitability, ranching, renewable energy, forestry (both urban and
agroforestry), aquaculture, rural communities and entrepreneurship,
human nutrition, food safety, biotechnology, and conventional breeding.
NIFA will partner with the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) who will
provide an Entrepreneurial Immersion course and training to NIFA
grantees through this I-FAST Competition. The goals of this Competition
are to spur translation of fundamental research to the market place, to
encourage collaboration between academia and industry, and to train
NIFA-funded faculty, students and other researchers to understand
innovation and entrepreneurship.
The purpose of the I-FAST Competition is to identify NIFA-funded
research teams (an I-FAST team includes the Principal Investigator
(PI), the Entrepreneurial Lead, and the Mentor) who will receive
additional support, in the form of mentoring, training, and funding to
accelerate the translation of knowledge derived from fundamental
research into emerging products and services that can attract
subsequent third-party funding. NIFA-funded research teams will be
required to participate in Entrepreneurial Immersion courses provided
by the NSF I-Corps program. The NSF I-Corps is a program specifically
designed to broaden the impact of select, basic research projects by
preparing scientists and engineers to focus beyond the laboratory.
Leveraging experience and guidance from established entrepreneurs and a
targeted curriculum within the NSF I-Corp program, NIFA I-FAST teams
will learn to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge
from NIFA supported academic research. The I-FAST Competition will help
create a stronger national ecosystem for innovation that couples
scientific discovery with technology development to address
agricultural and societal needs.
Each team that receives an I-FAST award is required to participate
in the following NSF I-Corps activities: (1) Attendance by the entire
team at an on-site three-day NSF I-Corps Entrepreneurial Immersion
course; (2) Mandatory participation in the I-Corps weekly Webinars
following the in-person three day on-site meeting; (3) Completion of
approximately 15 hours of preparation per week over the duration of the
program; (4) Attendance of a two day lessons learned in-person meeting
at the end of the training. During the training, teams are expected to
engage in at least 100 contacts with potential customers and provide a
5-page summary report back to NIFA on the outcome of the training and
milestones to be met by the team (i.e., commercialization, market
proposition, and lessons learned from the program).
Team Eligibility Rules and Responsibilities for Participating in the
Competition
The I-FAST Competition is open to teams (``Teams'' or
``Participants'') that are made up of individuals from academic/
university institutions that have received a prior NIFA award in a
scientific or engineering field relevant to the proposed innovation
that is currently active or that has been active within five years from
the closing date of the Pre-Application Open Period. The prior award
could range from a modest single-investigator award to a large,
distributed center and also includes awards involving students. All
individuals supported (i.e. Senior/Key Personnel or Other Personnel)
under the prior award are eligible to serve on the Team. Individuals
not eligible to serve on the Team include a Federal employee acting
within the scope of their employment, individuals whose primary place
of business is outside of the United States, and individuals who are
not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
Makeup of I-FAST Competition Teams: Each Team shall consist of
three members:
(1) Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)
(2) I-FAST Team Mentor
(3) Principal Investigator (PI)
I-FAST teams are made up of individuals from an academic/university
institution except for the Mentor who may reside with a non-academic
institution as described below. Also described below, are the
responsibilities of each team member should the Team be selected as a
winner of the competition.
The Entrepreneurial Lead (EL) could be a postdoctoral scholar,
graduate, or other student with relevant knowledge of the technology
located at the academic/university institution and a deep commitment to
investigate the commercial landscape surrounding the innovation. The EL
should also be capable and have the will to support the transition of
the technology to commercial viability. The EL will be responsible for:
(1) Developing the team to include the mentor and PI, (2) leading the
development of the pre-application, participating in the I-FAST
interviews and developing the full application, if selected, (3)
starting and completing all training activities in the Entrepreneurial
Immersion course provided by the NSF I-Corps program, (4) communicating
and coordinating with team members to achieve the goals of the team,
(5)
[[Page 32622]]
developing and monitoring team activity milestones from the
Entrepreneurial Immersion course, (6) ensuring the team milestones are
completed on time, and (7) ensuring the team is in communication with
the NIFA I-FAST Competition Director and the NSF I-Corps Program
Director as needed.
Ideally, the I-FAST Teams Mentor will be an experienced or emerging
entrepreneur with proximity to the academic/university institution and
have prior experience developing and commercializing other products
within the broader technology space related to the specific project
under development. The Mentor should be selected as a third-party
resource, or may be a person that has an established relationship with
the team (e.g., Board Member, consultant), but cannot be an employee
nor directly involved with the technology development. The EL will need
to identify a Mentor that has business expertise in the proposed
technology sector and has entrepreneurial experience. A Mentor will be
someone with appropriate contacts in the technology area of
commercialization which are critical for propelling the technology
towards commercialization. The EL of the team should seek input from
their University Technology Transfer Office for potential Mentors. The
I-FAST Team's Mentor will be responsible for guiding the team forward
using existing entrepreneurial experience and tracking the team's
progress through regular communication with the EL, PI, the NIFA I-FAST
competition director, and the NSF I-Corps Program Director, as needed.
The PI is expected to have in-depth knowledge of the innovation
developed under the prior NIFA Grant and, if selected, will be
responsible for: (1) Coordinating with the university on the transfer
of prize funds from NIFA, (2) tracking of the prize funding for team
activities, (3) reporting to NIFA on disbursements and obligations of
the prize funding, (4) guiding the EL and Mentor on technical aspects
of the innovation, (5) communicating as needed with the NIFA I-FAST
Competition Director and the NSF I-Corps Program Director, (6) ensuring
the EL meets the required milestones for the NSF I-CORP training, and
(7) participating as a team member. The Principal Investigator who
received the earlier NIFA grant for the technology is allowed to
participate on the team, but cannot be the Entrepreneurial Lead.
During the I-Corps course, each participating team, including all
its team members, must:
Attend, in person, an evening reception and 3-day kick-off
Entrepreneurial Immersion course;
Conduct approximately 100 customer interviews over the 6-
week program, and submit interview summary reports. This process of
customer discovery includes in-person face to face meetings with
potential customers and requires the team to be ``outside the
building'' for these activities. It is expected that the team will not
use telephone or online conferencing during the customer discovery
process. It is expected the team will require a minimum of 15 hours and
a maximum of 40 hours per week for at least five weeks following the in
person training;
Participate in 5 weekly webinar sessions and submit
regular updates to the team's business model canvas. In addition, it is
expected that I-Corps teams will take advantage of instructor office
hours; and
Attend, in person, the final 2-day course close out/
lessons learned session (to be held in the same region as the kick-off
course).
Teams are strongly encouraged to consider the time commitments and
requirements of the program before submitting an application. If one or
more team members cannot meet these requirements, the team should not
submit an application.
Selected I-FAST Teams that fail to meet the requirements of the
program must provide NIFA documented justification for failing to meet
the requirements. NIFA will determine based on the justification or no
justification, whether the team is subject to reimbursing NIFA for any
prize funding.
Amount of the Prize
The NIFA I-FAST Competition Prize Purse will be a maximum of
$250,000 which will be divided to provide $50,000 each to a maximum of
five (5) teams. Prize Purse funds are required to be used by winning
Teams to fully participate in the NSF I-Corps program curriculum.
NIFA reserves the right to award less than the maximum number of
available prizes.
Payment of the Prize
Prizes awarded under this Competition will be paid by electronic
funds transfer to the academic/university institution the Team(s)
represent(s). Once prize winners are selected, NIFA will provide the
winners with the forms and financial documents that must be completed
and returned to NIFA to set up the electronic transfer. All Federal,
state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner(s).
Submission Process for Participants
The Competition will have a three-phase selection process.
Initially, Teams will submit a pre-application. From the pre-
applications, NIFA will conduct phone interviews. Selected Teams will
be invited to submit a full application. From the full applications,
NIFA will select the winning Team(s).
Teams can enter the contest by submitting the pre-application
through the ``Enter a Submission'' function on www.Challenge.gov, and
then send the pre-application, with name and contact info, to
[email protected]. The pre-application shall contain the following
information:
Prepare a three-page Executive Summary that describes the
following:
(1) Composition of the Team and roles (EL, Mentor, and PI) of the
members proposing to undertake the commercialization feasibility
research.
(2) Contact information for ALL of the members.
(3) Relevant current/previous NIFA award(s) including award number,
Title of the Project, and the NIFA program the award was funded under.
(4) Brief description of the potential commercial impact.
(5) Brief description of the current commercialization plans for
the innovation.
After the interviews, Teams that are selected to submit a full
application will submit it via challenge.gov through the ``Enter a
Submission'' function and then send the application with name and
contact info to [email protected]. The full application shall
include the following project description information:
1. I-Corps Team (one page limit).
a. Briefly describe the I-Corps team and provide rationale for its
formation, focusing on members' entrepreneurial expertise, relevance to
the innovation effort, and members' experience in collaborating on
previous projects.
b. Include contact information for all team members.
2. Lineage of the Proposed Innovation (one page limit).
a. Provide the current/previous NIFA award(s) including award
number, Title of Project and the NIFA program that funded the award.
b. Briefly describe how this research has led the Team to believe
that a commercial opportunity exists for the effort moving forward.
3. Description of the Potential Commercial Impact (two page limit).
a. Provide a brief profile of a typical customer of the proposed
innovation.
[[Page 32623]]
b. Describe how the proposed innovation will meet the customer's
needs.
c. Describe how the customer currently meets those needs.
d. Your approach--What is the proposed innovation? How does it
relate to the fundamental research already conducted under previous
award(s)?
e. How much do you think a customer would pay for your solution?
4. Brief description of the project plan (one page limit).
a. Current Status--In what stage is the development: proof-of-
principle, proof-of-concept, prototype (alpha, beta), etc.
b. Provide a brief description of the proof-of-concept or
technology demonstration that will be provided at the end of the
project.
The total page limit for the project description full application
is five (5) pages.
From the Teams submitting full applications, a maximum of five
Teams will be selected as winners to enter into the I-FAST Program.
Judging
The information on the Competition will be provided via
www.challenges.gov.
NIFA will screen all entries for eligibility and completeness.
Entries from Teams that do not meet the eligibility requirements and/or
that fail to include required submission elements will not be evaluated
or considered for award. Eligible and complete entries will be judged
by a fair and impartial panel of individuals from NIFA and NSF (the
``Judging Panel'').
Pre-Application Evaluation: The Judging Panel will evaluate the
pre-application to determine the following:
(1) Did the technology proposed receive past NIFA funding within
the specified timeframe?
(2) Does the team have the required team members and are the roles
of each team member clearly described and meet the noted
responsibilities?
(3) Does the commercialization plan provide a good understanding of
the team's knowledge of the current state of the art and how the
technology could enter into a potential market?
(4) Were the page limits met?
Following the evaluation, the Judging Panel will conduct a phone
interview with each selected team. This will emphasize the time
commitment and availability of the entire team to complete the NSF I-
CORPS program during one of the fall 2018 cohorts.
Full-Application Evaluation: The Judging Panel will evaluate the
Full-application to determine the following and approximately equal
consideration will be given to each criterion except for item (3),
which will receive twice the value of any of the other items:
1. I-Corps Team: Does the application clearly describe: the I-Corps
team, the rationale for the team's formation, members' entrepreneurial
expertise, relevance to the innovation effort, and members' experience
in collaborating?
2. Lineage of the Proposed Innovation: Does the application provide
a table of previous NIFA awards and identify the original Principle
Investigator (PI)? Does the application clearly describe how this
research has led the Team to believe that a commercial opportunity
exists for the effort moving forward?
3. Description of the Potential Commercial Impact: Does the
application clearly describe the profile of a typical customer of the
proposed innovation? Does the application describe the customer needs
to be met by the proposed innovation? Does the application describe how
the customer currently meets those needs with the current state of the
art and does the customer believe this innovation is better than the
current technology? Does the application clearly describe the proposed
innovation and how it relates to the fundamental research already
conducted under previous award(s)? Does the application describe how
much a customer would pay for the solution?
4. Project plan: Does the project plan clearly describe the current
status including the stage of development? Does the application provide
a description of the proof-of-concept or technology demonstration that
will be provided at the end of the project?
5. Page Limits: Did the application meet the required page limits?
Additional Rules and Conditions
A. General Conditions
By entering the Competition, each Team certifies that its entry
complies with all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations.
Each Team warrants that its entry is free of viruses, spyware,
malware, and any other malicious, harmful, or destructive device. Teams
submitting entries containing any such device will be held liable and
may be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Entries containing any matter which, in the sole discretion of
NIFA, is indecent, defamatory, in obvious bad taste, demonstrates a
lack of respect for public morals or conduct, promotes discrimination
in any form, shows unlawful acts being performed, is slanderous or
libelous, adversely affects the reputations of NIFA or NSF, is
unacceptable as determined by NIFA, then such entry shall be deemed
disqualified and will not be evaluated or, if evaluated, will not be
considered for award.
The winning Team(s) must comply with all applicable laws and
regulations regarding Prize Purse receipt and disbursement.
NIFA's failure to enforce any term of any applicable rule or
condition shall not constitute a waiver of that term.
B. Entry Conditions, Release & Liability
By entering the Competition, each Team agrees to:
(1) Comply with and be bound by all applicable rules and
conditions, and the decisions of NIFA, which are binding and final in
all matters relating to this Competition.
(2) Release and hold harmless NIFA and NSF and all their respective
past and present officers, directors, employees, agents, and
representatives (collectively the ``Released Parties'') from and
against any and all claims, expenses, and liability arising out of or
relating to the Team's entry or participation in the Competition and/or
the Team's acceptance, use, or misuse of the Prize Purse or
recognition. Provided, however, that Participants are not required to
waive claims arising out of the unauthorized use or disclosure by NIFA
or NSF of the intellectual property, trade secrets, or confidential
business information of the Participant.
The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) Any incorrect or
inaccurate information, whether caused by Teams, printing errors, or by
any of the equipment or programming associated with or used in the
Competition; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not
limited to, malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone
lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human
intervention in any part of the entry process for the Competition; (4)
technical or human error that may occur in the administration of the
Competition or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage
to persons or property that may be caused, directly or indirectly, in
whole or in part, from Team's participation in the Competition or
receipt or use or misuse of the Prize Purse. If for any reason a Team's
entry is confirmed to have been deleted erroneously, lost, or otherwise
destroyed or corrupted, that Team's sole remedy is to submit another
entry in the Competition.
[[Page 32624]]
C. Termination and Disqualification
NIFA reserves the authority to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the
Competition, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures, or
any other factor beyond NIFA's reasonable control impairs the integrity
or proper functioning of the Competition, as determined by NIFA in its
sole discretion.
NIFA reserves the right to disqualify any Team it believes to be
tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Competition or
to be acting in violation of any applicable rule or condition.
Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of
the Competition may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and,
should such an attempt be made, NIFA reserves the authority to seek
damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.
D. Verification of Potential Winner(s)
All potential Competition winners are subject to verification by
NIFA whose decisions are final and binding in all matters related to
the Competition.
Potential winner(s) must continue to comply with all terms and
conditions of the Competition rules, and winning is contingent upon
fulfilling all requirements. The potential winner(s) will be notified
by email and/or telephone. If a potential winner cannot be contacted,
or if the notification is returned as undeliverable, the potential
winner forfeits. In the event that a potential winner, or an announced
winner, is found to be ineligible or is disqualified for any reason,
NIFA may make award, instead, to the next runner up, as previously
determined by the Judging Panel.
Prior to awarding the Prize Purse, NIFA will verify that the
potential winner(s) is/are not suspended, debarred, or otherwise
excluded from doing business with the U.S. Federal Government.
Suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded parties are not eligible to
win the Competition.
E. Intellectual Property
By entering the Competition, each Team certifies that it is the
author and/or authorized owner of its entry, and that the entry is
wholly original with the Team (or is an improved version of an existing
project plan the Team is legally authorized to enter into the
Competition), and that the submitted entry does not infringe on any
copyright, patent, or any other rights of any third party. Each Team
agrees to hold the Released Parties harmless for any infringement of
copyright, trademark, patent, and/or other real or intellectual
property right that may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or
in part, from that Team's participation in the Competition.
All legal rights in any materials produced or submitted in entering
the Competition are retained by the Team and/or the legal holder of
those rights. Entry into the Competition constitutes express
authorization for NIFA, NSF, and the Judging Panel to review and
analyze any and all aspects of submitted entries, including any trade
secret or proprietary information contained in or evident from review
of the submitted entries.
F. Privacy & Disclosure Under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Personal and contact information is not collected for commercial or
marketing purposes. Information submitted throughout the Competition
will be used only to communicate with Teams regarding entries and/or
the Competition.
Teams' entries to the Competition may be subject to disclosure
under the FOIA. If a Team believes that all or part of its Competition
entry is protected from release under FOIA (e.g., if the information
falls under FOIA exemption #4 for ``trade secrets and commercial or
financial information obtained from a person [that is] privileged or
confidential'') the Team will be responsible for clearly marking the
page(s)/section(s) of information it believes are protected.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
Done at Washington, DC, on July 3, 2018.
Kim L. Hicks,
Branch Chief, Grants and Agreements Management Branch USDA,
Agricultural Research Service, Financial Management and Agreements
Division.
[FR Doc. 2018-14996 Filed 7-12-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P
