[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 24, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59837-59838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24214]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Science Financial Assistance Program Notice 03-03;
Enhanced Research Capabilities at DOE X-ray and Neutron Facilities
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) of the Office of
Science (SC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hereby announces its
interest in receiving grant applications for new capabilities or for
upgrading existing research capabilities for innovative fundamental
research at DOE-supported synchrotron light sources and neutron
sources. Such instrumentation should employ state-of-the-art technology
so that the photon and neutron beams are utilized more effectively.
Applications for the development of new capabilities, as well as
upgrading of existing capabilities are encouraged.
DATES: Potential applicants are required to submit a brief
preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 03-03,
should be received by November 12, 2002. A response to the
preapplications encouraging or discouraging a formal application will
be communicated to the applicant within approximately thirty days of
receipt. To permit timely consideration for awards in Fiscal Year 2003,
formal applications submitted in response to this notice must be
received by January 28, 2003.
ADDRESSES: All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 03-03,
should be sent to Dr. Helen M. Kerch, Office of Basic Energy Sciences,
Division of Materials Sciences, ER-132/Germantown Building, Office of
Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20585-1290.
After receiving notification from DOE concerning successful
preapplications, applicants may prepare formal applications. We
encourage you to submit formal applications in response to this
solicitation electronically through DOE's Industry Interactive
Procurement System (IIPS) at: http://e-center.doe.gov/. IIPS provides
for the posting of solicitations and receipt of applications in a
paperless environment via the Internet. Applications must be submitted
through IIPS in PDF format by an authorized institutional business
official. Questions regarding the operation of IIPS may be e-mailed to
the IIPS Help Desk at: center.doe.gov">HelpDesk@e-center.doe.gov or you may call the
help desk at (800) 683-0751. Further information on the use of IIPS by
the Office of Science is available at: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.
If you are unable to submit the application through IIPS, formal
applications may be sent to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of
Science, Grants and Contracts Division, SC-64/Germantown Building, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-1290, ATTN: Program
Notice 03-03.
When submitting applications by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail,
any commercial mail delivery service, or when hand carried by the
applicant, the following address must be used: U.S. Department of
Energy, Office of Science, Grants and Contracts Division, SC-64, 19901
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, ATTN: Program Notice 03-03.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Helen M. Kerch , Office of Basic
Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences, ER-132/Germantown
Building, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-1290. Telephone: (301)
903-2346; Fax: (301) 903-9513; e-mail: [email protected]. The
full text of Program Notice 03-03 is available via the Internet using
the following Web address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: X-ray and neutron scattering are powerful
tools used to investigate the fundamental properties of materials. BES
is the major supporter of x-ray and neutron science in the United
States and has pioneered the development of virtually all of the
instruments and techniques used at these facilities for research in
materials sciences, surface science, condensed matter physics, atomic
and molecular physics, chemical dynamics, x-ray microscopy, tomography,
femtosecond phenomena, interfacial/environmental, and geophysics
studies. Within the physical sciences, BES remains the dominant federal
supporter of beamline development and instrument fabrication providing
as much as 85% of the federal support for these activities. Major
instruments at the synchrotron light sources and the neutron sources
have a lifetime of 7-10 years after which the instruments may undergo
major upgrades or be retired. Thus, after a facility is fully
instrumented, about 10-15% of the instruments must be upgraded or
replaced each year to keep the facility at the forefront of science.
The National User Facilities supported by the Office of Basic
Energy Sciences are the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) (currently
under construction), National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), High
Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS),
Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL), Advanced Light Source
(ALS), Advanced Photon Source (APS), and Los Alamos Neutron Scattering
Center (LANSCE). These facilities have the capabilities of extreme
flux, or brightness, to make certain experiments possible, which
couldn't be done otherwise. The Department's intention for this program
is to support fundamental research, which will include the upgrade and/
or development of new instrumentation for general user beamlines at the
Department's National User Facilities. The ability to conduct
innovative fundamental research should be emphasized in each
application. Grant applications are encouraged from the fields of
solid-state physics, materials chemistry, metals and ceramics, chemical
sciences, geosciences, and environmental sciences for energy-relevant
research which make use of the DOE-supported user facilities.
Instrumentation appropriate for consideration would include, but not be
limited to, the following: beamline optics and transport guides,
monochromators of much greater resolution, more efficient detectors to
reduce the background noise, sample environments that afford control of
temperature, pressure and magnetic field, electronics and data
processing equipment to enable investigators to carry out new or more
difficult experiments and/or more experiments in the same amount of
time.
Program Funding
It is anticipated that approximately $7,292,000 will be available
for awards during FY 2003 to support instrument upgrades, instrument
replacements, and new instrumentation at the x-ray and neutron
scattering facilities, contingent upon the availability of appropriated
funds. These funds will be competed among both academic and laboratory
institutions, and the resulting instruments and beamlines will be made
available to the entire U.S. scientific research community. Multiyear
[[Page 59838]]
beamline and instrument development in such areas as materials
sciences, surface science, condensed matter physics, atomic and
molecular physics, polymers and soft materials, nanostructured
materials, x-ray microscopy, tomography, femtosecond phenomena,
interfacial studies, and imaging results will be considered. The number
of awards and the range of funding will depend on the number of
applications received and selected for award.
Collaboration
Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with industry and to
incorporate cost sharing and consortia wherever feasible. The extent of
the collaboration and cost sharing will be factors, along with the
principal criterion of the scientific merit of the application, in the
selection process by the Department.
Merit Review
Applications will be subjected to scientific merit review (peer
review) and will be evaluated against the following criteria listed in
descending order of importance as codified at 10 CFR 605.10(d):
1. Scientific and/or technical merit of the project;
2. Appropriateness of the proposed method or approach;
3. Competency of applicant's personnel and adequacy of proposed
resources;
4. Reasonableness and appropriateness of the proposed budget.
The evaluation will include program policy factors, such as the
relevance of the proposed research to the terms of the announcement and
agency's programmatic needs. External peer reviewers will be selected
with regard to their scientific expertise and the absence of conflict-
of-interest issues. Non-federal reviewers may be used, and submission
of an application constitutes agreement that this is acceptable to the
investigator(s) and the submitting institution.
General information about the development and submission of
applications, eligibility, limitations, evaluation and selection
processes, and other policies and procedures are contained in the
Application Guide for the Office of Science Financial Assistance
Program and 10 CFR part 605. Electronic access to the latest version of
SC's Application Guide is possible via the Internet at the following
Web address: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html. DOE
is under no obligation to pay for any costs associated with the
preparation or submission of applications.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this
program is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10
CFR part 605.
Issued in Washington, DC, on September 17, 2002.
John Rodney Clark,
Associate Director of Science for Resource Management.
[FR Doc. 02-24214 Filed 9-23-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-03-P