Grantee Research Project Results
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Research
P3 Award Program
CLOSED - FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY
3rd Annual P3 Award: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet
This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Number:
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z1 – Agriculture
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z2 – Materials and Chemicals
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z3 – Energy
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z4 – Information Technology
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z5 – Water
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z6 – Built Environment
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.516
Solicitation Opening Date: December 12, 2005
Solicitation Closing Date: February 21, 2006, 4:00 pm Eastern Time
Eligibility Contact: Tom Barnwell: 202-343-9862; email: barnwell.thomas@epa.gov
Electronic Submissions: Bronda Harrison: 202-343-9777; email: harrison.bronda@epa.gov
Technical Contact: Julie Beth Zimmerman: 202-343-9689; email: zimmerman.julie@epa.gov
Table of Contents: | |
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS | |
Synopsis of Program | |
Award Information | |
Eligibility Information | |
Application Materials | |
Contact Person(s) | |
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION | |
Introduction | |
Background | |
Authorities and Regulations | |
Specific Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes | |
Special Requirements | |
II. AWARD INFORMATION | |
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION | |
Eligible Applicants | |
Cost Sharing | |
Other | |
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION | |
Internet Address to Request a Application Package | |
Content and Form of Application Submission | |
Submission Dates and Times | |
Funding Restrictions | |
Other Submission Requirements | |
V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION | |
Criteria | |
Review and Selection Process | |
VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION | |
Award Notices | |
Disputes | |
Administrative and National Policy Requirements | |
VII. AGENCY CONTACTS |
Access Standard Application Forms
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Synopsis of Program
The P3 competition will provide grants to teams of college students to research, develop, and design solutions to challenges to sustainability. P3 highlights people, prosperity, and the planet – the three pillars of sustainability – as the next step beyond P2 or pollution prevention. The P3 Award program is a partnership between the public and private sectors to progress toward sustainability by achieving the mutual goals of economic prosperity, protection of the natural systems of the planet, and providing a higher quality of life for its people. EPA and its partners offer the P3 Award competition to respond to the technical needs of the developed and developing world in moving towards the goal of sustainability. Please see the P3 Award website (www2.epa.gov/P3) for more details about this program.
Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately 50 awards for Phase I; approximately 10 awards for Phase II
Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $1,250,000 total for all awards
Potential Funding per Grant: Up to $10,000 per Phase I grant for one year including direct and indirect costs. Proposals for Phase I grants with budgets exceeding $10,000 will not be considered. Upon the successful completion of Phase I, Phase I grant recipients will have the opportunity to apply for Phase II funding of up to $75,000 for one additional year including direct and indirect costs (see Background section for more information). Proposals for Phase II grants with budgets exceeding $75,000 will not be considered. Cost-sharing is not required for either Phase I or Phase II grants.
Eligibility Information:
Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes public institutions of higher education and hospitals) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes private institutions of higher education and hospitals) located in the U.S. are eligible to apply to become the recipient of a grant to support teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students. Collaboration with colleges and universities outside the United States is permitted, but only U.S. institutions will be eligible for awards. See full announcement for more details.
Application Materials:
You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement. The necessary forms for submitting a P3 application will be found on the P3 web site, https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms.
To apply electronically, you must use the application package available at https://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html (see “Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications”). If your organization is not currently registered with grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one week to complete the registration process to apply electronically. This registration, and electronic submission of your application, must be performed by an appropriate representative of your organization. |
Contact Persons:
Eligibility Contact: Tom Barnwell; phone: 202-343-9862; email: barnwell.thomas@epa.gov
Electronic Submissions Contact: Bronda Harrison; phone: 202-343-9777; email: harrison.bronda@epa.gov
Technical Contact: Julie Beth Zimmerman; phone: 202-343-9689; email: Zimmerman.julie@epa.gov
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
Introduction
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the auspices of the Office of Research and Development (ORD), National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), and its partners (see Background section for specific names) invite submissions under the 3rd Annual P3 Award: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability. P3 is the next step beyond P2 – pollution prevention – and focuses on the three components of sustainability: People, Prosperity, and the Planet.
The P3 Award will be given to the winner(s) of a national, intercollegiate design competition among interdisciplinary student teams for their research, development, and design solutions to the scientific, technical, and policy challenges of sustainability. The Brundtland Commission has defined sustainability as “…meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, 1987)
The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to select innovative design proposals for support to compete for the P3 Award. Note: The competitors for the P3 Award itself and a subsequent award for further development and demonstration (Phase II) will be limited to those selected to receive support as a result of the competition under this RFA (Phase I). Additional instructions for the Phase II proposals can be found below in the section entitled “Instructions for Phase II proposals”.
This RFA represents the third National P3 Award competition. The projects funded through the first and second competitions can be viewed at https://www.epa.gov/P3.
Background
Among the critical components to promote a systematic shift towards more environmentally benign and sustainable products, processes and systems, is increased awareness and training. It is essential that all involved in the design, discovery, demonstration, and implementation of innovations understand the fundamental methodologies, techniques, and principles that underlie sustainability and design. In addition, it is imperative to recognize that scientific, engineering, and policy innovation play a key role in addressing the persistent challenges of under-development in the world. Fundamental to the success of sustainable designs are considerations of people, prosperity, and the planet that recognize the needs, available resources, and boundaries of the intended user.
This announcement, which addresses the first phase of the competition for Phase I awards, requests innovative design proposals from eligible institutions to obtain support for a student team to compete for the P3 Award. In Phase I, EPA will fund approximately 50 student design projects from around the country during the 2006-2007 academic year for research and development of their sustainable designs.
Phase II will occur in the Spring of 2007 when the student teams and their faculty advisor (the Principal Investigator on the grant) will be invited to submit their completed Phase I design to compete for the P3 Award. The National Academies (National Academy of Science/National Academy of Engineering/Institute of Medicine) will convene a panel to judge the P3 award competition that will include a demonstration event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Applicants for the P3 Award may submit a proposal to EPA requesting additional funds from EPA for Phase II as described in the “Instructions for Phase II proposals” section below. The Phase I design and proposal for Phase II submitted at the completion of Phase I will be included in the evaluation for the selection of winners at the P3 Award competition.
The winner(s) of the P3 Award will be eligible to receive additional funding from EPA in Phase II (subject to availability of funds). Partnerships with industry or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are strongly encouraged in Phase II. These partners are expected to help further develop the design, demonstrate the project in the field, and/or move the design to the marketplace. Matching contributions are not required in the either the Phase I or the Phase II competition; however, anticipated partnerships should be identified.
Partners for the P3 project can represent industry or NGOs and they do not necessarily need to be affiliated with EPA’s P3 Award. At this time, there are more than 40 affiliate organizations from government, industry and NGOs participating in the implementation of the competition. Partners for this competition include:
Government
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Science Foundation
- Office of the Federal Environmental Executive
- US AID
- United States Department of Agriculture
- White House Council on Environmental Quality
- White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Industry
- DaimlerChrysler
- Dell
- Herman Miller
- Hewlett-Packard
- Nexant
- US Business Council for Sustainable Development
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
- Association of American Geographers
- American Chemical Society
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
- American National Standards Institute
- American Society for Engineering Education
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors
- Association of University Leaders for Sustainable Future
- Business Roundtable
- Education for Sustainability Western Network
- Engineers Forum for Sustainability
- Engineers without Borders
- Engineers for a Sustainable World
- Global Environment and Technology Foundation
- Green Chemistry Institute
- Industrial Design Society of America
- Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Institute for Society, Ecology, and Environment
- International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST)
- Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute
- National Center for Manufacturing Sciences
- The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) - Description
- National Council for Science and the Environment
- US Green Buildings Council
- US Partnership for the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development
- WERC
- World Resources Institute
EPA will continue to create affiliations with additional interested parties as the competition for the P3 Award continues to evolve. These new partners will be added to the EPA P3 Award website as they are formalized. These partners provide in-kind support for EPA’s P3 Award competition.
Sustainability in both the developed and developing world requires scientific and technical innovation to create designs that enable the earth and its inhabitants to prosper. EPA and its partners are conducting the competition for the P3 Award to demonstrate to the nation and the world the possibilities of innovative, inherently benign, integrated, and interdisciplinary designs to simultaneously benefit people, prosperity, and the planet.
The primary specific Strategic Goal, Objective and Sub-objective from EPA’s Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are: Goal 5: Compliance and Environmental Stewardship, Objective 5.4: Enhance Science and Research, Sub-objective 5.4.2: Conducting Research. The EPA’s Strategic Plan can be found at https://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/2003sp.pdf.
Authorities and Regulations
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 66.516.
The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is contained in Clean Air Act, Section 103, 42 U.S.C. 7401; Clean Water Act, Section 104, 33 U.S.C.; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001, 42 U.S.C. 6901; Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442, 42 U.S.C. 300j-l; Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, 15 U.S.C. 2609; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20, 7 U.S.C. 136r.
A project must consist of activities within the statutory terms of these EPA grant authorities. Most of the statutes authorize grants for the following activities: “research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys and studies.” These activities relate generally to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing the state of knowledge. Grant proposals should emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem via a well-established method. For example, a proposal to plant some trees in an economically depressed area, in order to prevent erosion, would probably not, in itself, fall within the statutory terms “research, studies” etc., nor would a proposal to start a routine recycling program.
On the other hand, the statutory term “demonstration” can encompass the first instance of the application of a pollution control technique, or an innovative application of a previously used method. Similarly, the application of established practices may qualify when they are part of a broader project which qualifies under the term “research”. However, we cannot fund demonstration projects year after year for an indefinite period of time.
In order to be funded, a project's focus generally must be one that is specified in the statutes listed above. For most of the statutes, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of air, water, or solid/hazardous waste pollution, or, in the case of grants under the Toxic Substances Control Act or the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, to “carrying out the purposes of the Act”. The overarching concern or principal focus must be on the statutory purpose of the applicable grant authority, in most cases “to prevent or control pollution”. In light of this, proposals relating to other topics which are sometimes included within the term “environment” such as recreation, conservation, restoration, protection of wildlife habitats, etc., should describe the relationship of these topics to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control.
Specific Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
This Phase I competition is purposely designed to provide flexibility for creativity, allowing the interdisciplinary teams of students to: (1) define a technical challenge to sustainability; (2) discuss the relationship of the challenge to people, prosperity, and the planet; and (3) develop a design approach to address the challenge.
Challenges from a wide range of categories will be considered. Proposals can include, but are not limited to, the technical challenges listed as examples in the category descriptions. All projects, regardless of category, should be student led with faculty involvement, as appropriate and necessary.
Categories include:
- agriculture (e.g., irrigation practices, reduction or elimination of pesticides)
- materials and chemicals (e.g., materials conservation; renewable, bio-based feedstocks; inherently benign materials and chemicals through green engineering and green chemistry, biotechnology; recovery and reuse of materials through product, process, or system design)
- energy (e.g., reduction in air emissions through innovative strategies for energy production and energy distribution; energy conservation; inherently benign energy through green chemistry, green engineering, biotechnology)
- information technology (e.g., delivery of and access to environmental performance, technical, educational, or public health information related environmental decisions making)
- water (e.g., water quality, quantity, conservation, availability, and access)
- built environment (e.g., environmental benefits through innovative green buildings, transportation and mobility strategies, and smart growth as it results in reduced vehicle miles traveled or reduces storm water runoff)
Challenges related to population growth and medical care, while important, are not included in this competition (other than the delivery or distribution systems of knowledge, goods, and supplies).
The P3 Award program aims to generate research outputs in the form of innovative, inherently benign, integrated, and interdisciplinary designs that will advance the scientific, technical, and policy knowledge necessary to further the goals of sustainability. The desired outcomes of the P3 Award research will minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances, utilize resources and energy effectively and efficiently, and simultaneously advance the goals of economic competitiveness and human health and environmental protection for societal benefit.
Special Requirements
Agency policy prevents EPA scientists and engineers from providing individual applicants with information that would provide them with an unfair competitive advantage. Consequently, EPA scientists and engineers will not review, comment, advise, or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs, or discuss in any manner how the Agency will apply the published evaluation criteria for this competition.
It is anticipated that a total of approximately $500,000 will be awarded under this announcement for Phase I awards, depending on the availability of funds. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 50 grants for Phase I under this RFA. The projected award per Phase I grant is up to $10,000 for one year. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $10,000 including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. The total project period for an application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed 1 year.
Based on the completed Phase I design, the proposal for additional funding under Phase II, and recommendations from the judging panel convened by the National Academies, EPA will select up to ten (10) P3 Award winners. These P3 Award winners will be eligible to receive the additional Phase II funding of up to $75,000 each from EPA bringing the total funding under this solicitation to approximately $1,250,000. The competitors for the P3 Award and a subsequent award for further development and demonstration (Phase II) will be limited to those selected to receive support as a result of the competition under this RFA (Phase I).
The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this RFA if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 4 months after the original selection decisions.
EPA intends to fund grants rather than cooperative agreements under this announcement. Agency scientists and engineers will not be substantially involved in grants receiving EPA funding. However, EPA encourages interaction between its own laboratory scientists and grant Principal Investigators after the award of an EPA grant for the sole purpose of exchanging information in research areas of common interest that may add value to their respective research activities. This interaction must be incidental to achieving the goals of the research under a grant. Interaction that is “incidental” does not involve resource commitments.
Eligible Applicants
Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes public institutions of higher education and hospitals) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes private institutions of higher education and hospitals) located in the U.S. are eligible to apply to be the recipient of a grant to support teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students. The students on the teams supported by the institution receiving the grant must be enrolled in the college, university, or post-secondary educational institution they will be representing at the time the proposal is submitted. Institutions are allowed to submit more than one proposal where each proposal represents a unique design concept and student team. For the purposes of grant administration, the team’s faculty advisor will be designated the principal investigator throughout the P3 Award grant and competition process.
Universities and educational institutions must be subject to OMB Circular A-21. Profit-making firms are not eligible to receive grants from the EPA under this program. Eligible nonprofit organizations include any organizations that meet the definition of nonprofit in OMB Circular A-122. However, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible to apply.
Interdisciplinary teams, including representatives from multiple engineering departments and/or departments of chemistry, architecture, industrial design, business, economics, policy, social science, and others, are strongly encouraged to submit an application through their institution.
Collaboration with colleges and universities outside the United States is permitted, but only U.S. institutions will be eligible for awards. Up to 40% of the total grant may be sub-contracted to another educational institution (domestic or foreign) as described in instructions for submitting to this RFA. If foreign work is performed, in the process of funding the grant, EPA’s Office of Research and Development is required to obtain clearance from EPA’s Office of International Activities and the U.S. Department of State.
Potential applicants who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact Tom Barnwell in NCER, phone (202) 343-9862, email: barnwell.thomas@epa.gov
Cost-Sharing
Institutional cost-sharing is not required for Phase I or Phase II. However, if partners are providing contributions (funding and/or in-kind), this information should be included on the budget forms and should be described, as requested, in the research plan. In addition, a brief statement concerning cost-sharing should be added to the budget justification.
Other
Applications that do not substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement will be rejected. In addition, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to parts of the application, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed. Applications must be received by the EPA on or before the solicitation closing date published in Section IV of this announcement. Applications received after the published closing date will be returned to the sender without further consideration. Also, applications exceeding the funding limits described herein will be returned without review. Applications that fail to demonstrate a public purpose of support or stimulation will not be funded.
In addition, as mentioned above, the competitors for the P3 Award and a subsequent award for further development and demonstration (Phase II) will be limited to those selected to receive support as a result of the competition under this RFA (Phase I).
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
For Phase I awards, you may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement. Instructions for both forms of submission follow.
Internet Address to Request Application Package
For paper applications, forms and instructions can be found on the NCER web site: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms.
For electronic applications, use the application package available at https://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html (see “Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications”).
For both paper and electronic applications, an email will be sent by NCER to the Principal Investigator and the Administrative Contact (see below) to acknowledge receipt of the application and transmit other important information. The email will be sent from receipt.application@epa.gov; email to this address will not be accepted. If you do not receive an email acknowledgment within 30 days of the submission closing date, immediately contact the Technical Contact listed under "Agency Contacts" in this solicitation. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed. See “Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications” for additional information regarding acknowledgment of receipt of electronically submitted applications. Please note: Due to often lengthy delays in delivery, it is especially important that you monitor NCER’s confirmation of receipt of your application when using regular mail.
Content and Form of Application Submission For Phase I Awards
The application is made by submitting the materials described below. It is essential that the application contain all information requested and be submitted in the formats described.
The applicant must complete form SF424. This form will be the first page of the application. Instructions for completion of the SF424 are included with the form. The form must contain the original (or electronic) signature of an authorized representative of the applying institution. Please note that both the Principal Investigator and an administrative contact must be identified in Item 5 of the SF424.
Applicants are required to provide a “Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System” (DUNS) number in Item 5 when applying for federal grants or cooperative agreements. Organizations may receive a DUNS number by calling 1-866-705-5711 or by visiting the web site at http://www.dnb.com.
Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,” applies to most EPA programs and assistance agreements, unless the program or assistance agreement supports tribal, training/fellowships (other than Wastewater and Small Water Systems Operator training programs), and research and development (with some exceptions). Item 16 of the SF424 refers to this requirement. Selection of research proposals is limited to those administered by EPA’s Office of Research and Development which: (a) require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); or (b) do not require an EIS but will be newly initiated at a particular site and require unusual measures to limit the possibility of adverse exposure or hazard to the general public; or (c) have a unique geographic focus and are directly relevant to the governmental responsibilities of a State or local government within that geographic area. Otherwise, national research programs are exempt from review. Applicants should consult http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html to determine whether their state participates in this process and how to comply.
The applicant must complete the “Key Contacts” form as the second page of the application; the Key Contacts continuation page is also available https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. The Key Contacts form should also be completed for major sub-agreements (i.e., contacts at the institutions for primary co-investigators). Please make certain that all contact information is accurate.
Provide a list of the major subdivisions of the application indicating the page number on which each section begins. (A Table of Contents is not required for electronic submissions.)
The abstract is a very important document in the review process. Therefore, it is critical that the abstract accurately describes the research being proposed and conveys all the essential elements of the research. Also, the abstracts of applications that receive funding will be posted on the NCER web site.
The abstract should include the information indicated in the example format and described below (1-10). Examples of abstracts for current grants may be found on the P3 web site.
Research Plan (10 pages)
Applications should focus on a limited number of research objectives that adequately and clearly demonstrate that they meet the RFA requirements. Explicitly state the main hypotheses that you will investigate, the data you will create or use, the analytical tools you will use to investigate these hypotheses or analyze these data, the results you expect to achieve, and the methods you will use to ensure the quality of your work. Research methods must be clearly stated so that reviewers can evaluate the appropriateness of your approach and the tools you intend to use. A statement such as: “we will evaluate the data using the usual statistical methods” is not specific enough for peer reviewers.
This description must not exceed ten (10) consecutively numbered (bottom center), 8.5x11-inch pages of single-spaced, standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins. While these guidelines establish the minimum type size requirements, applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in selection of an appropriate font for use in the proposal.
The description must provide the following information:
Budget
Prepare a budget table using the guidance and format found at http://wwww.epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms, and select “All required forms.” If a sub-agreement, such as a subcontract is included in the application, provide a separate budget for the sub-agreement. Include the total amount for the sub-agreement under “Contracts” in the master budget. Any project containing sub-agreements that constitute more than 40% of the total direct cost of the grant will be subject to special review. Additional justification for use of such subcontracts must be provided, discussing the need for this agreement to accomplish the objectives of the research project.
Please note that institutional cost-sharing is not required. However, if cost-sharing is proposed, a brief statement concerning cost-sharing should be added to the budget justification, and estimated dollar amounts must be included in the appropriate categories in the budget table.
Budget Justification (2 pages in addition to the Section E. page limitations)
Describe the basis for calculating the travel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and other costs identified in the itemized budget. The budget justification should not exceed two consecutively numbered (bottom center), 8.5x11-inch pages of single-spaced, standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins.
Budget information should be supported at the level of detail described below:
Resumes: Provide resumes for each investigator and important co-worker. The resume for each individual must not exceed two consecutively numbered (bottom center), 8.5x11-inch pages of single-spaced, standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins.
Current and Pending Support: Identify any current and pending financial resources that are intended to support research related to the proposal or that would consume the Principal Investigator’s time. Provide information on current and pending support in the format provided at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms for each investigator and important co-worker.
Confidentiality
By submitting an application in response to this solicitation, the applicant grants the EPA permission to make limited disclosures of the application to technical reviewers both within and outside the Agency for the express purpose of assisting the Agency with evaluating the application. Information from a pending or unsuccessful application will be kept confidential to the fullest extent allowed under law; information from a successful application may be publicly disclosed to the extent permitted by law.
In accordance with 40 CFR 2.203, applicants may claim all or a portion of the application/proposal as confidential business information (for example, hypotheses or methodologies contained in the research narrative that the applicant wishes to protect from possible public disclosure). EPA will evaluate confidentiality claims in accordance with 40 CFR Part 2. Applicants must clearly mark applications/proposals or portions of applications/proposals they claim as confidential. If no claim of confidentiality is made, the EPA is not required to make an inquiry to the applicant otherwise required by 40 CFR 2.204(c)(2) prior to disclosure.
Funding Opportunity Number
At various places in the application, applicants are asked to identify the funding opportunity number. The number must be placed at the top of the abstract (location is shown in the abstract format, https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms) and in Box 10 of Standard Form 424 for all applications. For paper submissions, the number must also be placed in the address on the package that is sent to the EPA (see below). Each application must be submitted using a single funding opportunity number.
Applicants must select a funding opportunity number corresponding to their proposed research topic area in the solicitation. It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify the proper opportunity number based on the nature of the proposed research. Failure to do so could result in an inappropriate peer review assignment. If your research seems to fit under more than one funding opportunity number, choose the most appropriate one. For electronic submissions, you must use the appropriate electronic application package (see “Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications”) for the chosen funding opportunity number.
Letters of Intent/Letters of Support
Letters of intent to provide resources for the proposed research are limited to one brief paragraph committing the availability of a resource (e.g., use of a person's time or equipment) as described in the Research Plan. Letters of intent are to be included as an addition to the budget justification documents.
Principal investigators may believe that letters of support from local constituencies contribute to the relevance of their proposal. All letters that do not commit a resource vital to success of the proposal are considered letters of support. Letters of intent that exceed one brief paragraph and letters of support are considered part of the Research Plan and are included in the 10-page Research Plan limit.
- Standard Form 424
- Key Contacts
- Table of Contents
- Abstract (1 page)
- Research Category and Funding Opportunity Number: Enter the full name of the solicitation (P3 Award: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet) and the funding opportunity number that appears in the front of this announcement that best represents the proposed project. (Be sure to use the appropriate code from the list shown above.)
- Title: Use the exact title of your project as it appears in the application. The title must be brief yet represent the major thrust of the project. Because the title will be used by those not familiar with the project, strike a balance between highly technical words and phrases and more commonly understood terminology. Do not use general phrases such as “research on.”
- Faculty Advisor: List the Faculty Advisor, then the names and affiliations of each co-advisor who will significantly contribute to the project. Provide a web site URL or an e-mail contact address for additional information.
- Institutions: In the same order as the list of advisors, list the name and city/state of each participating university or other applicant institution. The lead institution applying for the grant must be clearly identified.
- Student Represented Departments and Institutions: List the departments and institutions that will be represented through student participation on the team.
- Project Period: The project will begin on or about September 30, 2006 and end on or about May 30, 2007.
- Project Amount (EPA): Show the total dollar request, including directand indirect costs, to the EPA for the entire project period such that the budget total does not exceed $10,000 including direct and indirect costs.
- Total Project Amount: show the total dollar amount, including total dollar request from EPA and an estimate of the total contribution (funding and/or in-kind) that will be provided by partners (such as educational institutions, industry, NGOs) for Phase I.
- Project Summary: Cover the following: (1) Definition of a technical challenge to sustainability; (2) Development of an innovative design approach with technical merit to address the challenge; (3) Discussion of how the challenge and proposed design relate to sustainability including people, prosperity, and the planet; (4) Description of strategy for measuring results, evaluation and demonstration; and (5) Description of how P3 concepts will be used as an educational tool at the university.
- Supplemental Keywords: Supply keywords to assist database searchers in finding your research, without duplicating terms already used in the text of the abstract. A complete set of keywords is very important. A list of suggested keywords will be found at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms.
- Research Plan and Quality Assurance Statement
Address the peer review criteria (see Section V, Application Review Information section). Include the criteria subheadings [challenge definition; innovation and technical merit; relationship of challenge to sustainability; and measurable results (outputs/outcomes), evaluation method, and demonstration strategy; and integration of P3 concepts as an educational tool].
Show significant steps and milestones in the project. Clearly depict the project’s duration, and include key milestones and project tasks from research to design to development to demonstration. Indicate anticipated role and tasks of each team member or department represented. Also, indicate anticipated interactions with any and all partners (see 4 below), if applicable.
Partnerships are strongly encouraged and will be particularly important for the demonstration strategies. While formal partnerships need not be established prior to submitting the proposal, indicate any and all anticipated partnerships established for the purposes of competing for the P3 Award including the type of partner (educational institution, industry and/or NGOs), matching contributions (funding and/or in-kind) provided by the partner, and the nature of the partnership. The team may partner with one of EPA’s partners for the P3 Award competition or may identify others. Formal letters of understanding or commitment from any and all partners should be submitted in support of the application, when available and appropriate.
References cited are in addition to the 10-page Research Plan limit.
Please see section on letters of intent/letters of support for more details on these attachments.
Appendices may be included but must remain within the 10-page limit.
- P3 Project Description
- Project Schedule
- Partnerships (if applicable) Note: This description does not count towards the ten (10) page limit.
- Important Attachments:
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Personnel – Personnel costs are not eligible under this solicitation.
- Fringe Benefits – Fringe benefits are not eligible under this solicitation.
- Travel - Specify the estimated number of faculty advisors and students who will require travel funds to participate in the demonstration event for the P3 Award on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in late spring of 2007.
- Equipment: Identify all tangible, non-expendable personal property to be purchased that has an estimated cost of $5,000 or more per unit and a useful life of more than one year. (Personal property items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are considered supplies.)
- Supplies: “Supplies” means tangible property other than “equipment.” Identify categories of supplies to be procured (e.g., laboratory supplies or office supplies) and specifically identify computers to be purchased or upgraded.
- Contractual - Identify each proposed sub-agreement (grant or contract) and specify its purpose and estimated cost.
- Other - List each item in sufficient detail for the EPA to determine the reasonableness of its cost relative to the research to be undertaken.
- Indirect Charges - If indirect charges are included in the budget, indicate the approved rate and base with an explanation of how indirect costs were calculated.
- Resumes and Current and Pending Support
- Guidelines, Limitations, and Additional Requirements
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z1 – Agriculture
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z2 – Materials and Chemicals
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z3 – Energy
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z4 – Information Technology
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z5 – Water
- EPA-G2006-P3-Z6 – Built Environment
For paper copy submissions, the original and two (2) copies of the complete application (3 in all), and one (1) additional copy of the abstract, must be received by NCER no later than 4:00 pm Eastern Time on the solicitation closing date. Electronic applications must be transferred to grants.gov no later than 4:00 pm Eastern Time on the solicitation closing date. It should be noted that this schedule may be changed without prior notification because of factors that were not anticipated at the time of announcement. In the case of a change in the required application closing date, a new date will be posted on the NCER web site (https://www.epa.gov/P3) and a modification posted on www.grants.gov Applications received after the closing date will be returned to the sender without further consideration.
Solicitation Closing Date: February 21, 2006, 4:00 pm Eastern Time
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: September 2006.
The funding mechanism for all awards issued under this RFA will consist of assistance agreements from the EPA. All award decisions are subject to the availability of funds. In accordance with Public Law 95-224, the primary purpose of a grant is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by Federal statute, rather than acquisition for the direct benefit or use of the Agency. In issuing a grant agreement, the EPA anticipates that there will be no substantial EPA involvement in the design, implementation, or conduct of the research. However, the EPA will monitor research progress through annual reports provided by grantees and other contacts, including site visits, with the Principal Investigator.
Collaborative applications involving more than one institution must be submitted as a single administrative package from one of the institutions involved.
Any contracts for services or products funded with EPA financial assistance must be awarded under the competitive procurement procedures of 40 CFR Part 30. Moreover, naming a specific contractor in the application does not relieve the applicant of its obligations to comply with competitive procurement requirements. Also, the regulations contain limitations on consultant compensation.
You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement.
Submission Instructions for Paper Applications
The application and abstract must be prepared in accordance with these instructions. The original, signed copy of the application must not be permanently bound or stapled in any way. The other two (2) required copies of the application should be secured with paper or binder clips or secure staples.
Because of security concerns, paper applications cannot be personally delivered. They must be sent through regular mail, express mail, or a major courier.
The following address must be used for regular mail:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Peer Review Division (8725F)
Funding opportunity number: EPA-G2006-P3-XX (replace the "XX" with the appropriate number)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
The following address must be used for express mail and couriers:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Peer Review Division (8725F)
Funding opportunity number: EPA- G200X-P3-XX (replace the "XX" with the appropriate number)
1025 F Street, NW (Room 3500)
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: (202) 233-0686
Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications Using Grants.gov
The electronic application package available through the http://www.grants.gov/ web site must be used for electronic submissions. In order to view the application package, download the PureEdge viewer (hyperlink available under "Apply for Grants" then "Apply Step 1"). The application package may be quickly accessed from https://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html using either the CFDA number of 66.516 or the appropriate Funding Opportunity Number EPA-G2006-P3-XX. Be sure to download the electronic application package for the appropriate funding opportunity number or topic area. It is recommended that you “Register to Receive Notification” of announcement updates.
The actual submission of an electronic application must be made by an authorized organizational representative (AOR) of the submitting institution who is registered with grants.gov (most individual investigators will not be eligible to submit the application). See http://www.grants.gov/, “Get Started” for further information. The registration process may take a week or longer to complete. Check with your Sponsored Programs or equivalent office to locate your AOR and see if your institution is registered. If your institution is not currently registered, encourage your AOR to begin the process immediately.
The complete application must be transferred to grants.gov no later than 4:00 pm Eastern Time on the solicitation closing date (see “Submission Dates and Times”). An e-mail will be sent by NCER to the Principal Investigator and the Administrative Contact to acknowledge receipt of the application and to transmit other important information. The email will be sent from receipt.application@epa.gov; email to this address will not be accepted. If an email acknowledgment from NCER (not support@grants.gov) has not been received within 30 days of the submission closing date, immediately contact the Technical Contact listed under "Agency Contacts" in this solicitation. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.
Documents must be submitted in Adobe Acrobat PDF format to maintain format integrity. Prior to preparing the electronic application package, view files for any PDF conversion errors. Submit the required documents as described below.
On the electronic Grant Application Package page, enter the Principal Investigator’s name, starting with the last name, in the “Application Filing Name” field.
Complete the form. There are no attachments.
- Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)
- EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54
- Complete the form.
- If additional pages are needed, see “E. Other Attachments Form” below.
- Project Narrative Attachment Form
- Compile the Research Plan into one document labeled ResearchPlanQA and submit it as the “Add Mandatory Project Narrative File.”
- Prepare a document with your abstract, label it Abstract, and submit it as an “Add Optional Project Narrative File.”
- Prepare one document containing all Resumes followed by Current and Pending Support (see format example located at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms), label it Resumes, and submit it as an “Add Optional Project Narrative File.”
- Budget Narrative Attachment Form
- Where possible, prepare one document for your Budget and Budget Justification (see format example located at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms), label this document BudgetAndJustification, and submit it as the “Add Mandatory Budget Narrative.”
- If you cannot compile your Budget and Budget Justification into one document, prepare one document for each.
- Label your Budget document Budget and submit it as the “Add Mandatory Budget Narrative.”
- Label the Budget Justification document BudgetJustification and submit it as an “Add Optional Budget Narrative” document.
- When submitting letters of intent, first refer to the “Letters of Intent/Letters of Support” paragraph under Section IV. H. (Guidelines, Limitations and Additional Requirements) for additional information. Letters of intent appropriate for inclusion in the budget justification are to be compiled into one document named LettersofIntent and submitted as an “Add Optional Budget Narrative” document.
- Other Attachments Form
- If Key Contacts Continuation pages are needed for the Key Contacts Form 5700-54, compile them into one document labeled ContactsContinuation and submit the document.
- Other appropriate documents may also be submitted here.
Once the application package has been completed, the “Submit” button will become active. Save your completed application package with two different file names before providing it to your AOR to avoid having to re-create the package should submission problems be experienced. Submission of the application package must be completed by your AOR.
Close all other software before attempting to submit the application package. If you experience submission problems, reboot your computer (turning the power off may be necessary) and re-attempt the submission. If submission problems continue, contact grants.gov for assistance (Phone: 1-800-518-4726, Email: support@grants.gov). If submission problems are not quickly resolved, contact the NCER electronic submission support person, Bronda Harrison (Phone: 202-343-9777, Email: harrison.bronda@epa.gov).
Instructions For Phase II proposals
P3 teams that are invited to apply for Phase II funding must provide, as described below, a comprehensive overview of their research objectives and results (outputs/outcomes), as well as publications and presentations, in language that would be understood by the educated public. P3 teams should describe conclusions and implications for further research, development, or demonstration as described below. P3 teams are also encouraged to provide website links to their publications or related research efforts. The Phase II proposals will be due on April 10, 2007.
The Phase II proposal including items listed in A and B below must not exceed fifteen (15) consecutively numbered (bottom center), 8.5x11-inch pages of single-spaced, standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins. While these guidelines establish the minimum type size requirements, applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in selection of an appropriate font for use in the proposal. The description should contain the following information:
- Summary of Previous Results
- Background and problem definition
- Relationship to people, prosperity and the planet
- Relevance and significance to developing or developed world
- Implementation of the P3 Award project as an educational tool
- Purpose, objectives, scope
- Data, outputs, outcomes, findings
- Discussion, conclusions, recommendations
-
- Streamlined life cycle costing and analysis, if appropriate
- Quantifiable benefits to people, prosperity, and the planet (estimated or actual)
- Qualitative benefits to people, prosperity, and the planet
- Background and problem definition
- Workplan for Phase II
Applications should be focused on a limited number of research objectives that adequately and clearly meet the RFA requirements. Explicitly state how Phase II will build on the successes achieved in the Phase I project. Detail the methods and approaches that will be used to further the design in terms of development or demonstration.
The Phase II proposal must provide the following information:
Address the Phase II review criteria (see Section V, Application Review Information Section). Include the criteria subheadings [Challenge Definition and Relationship to Phase I; Innovation and Technical Merit; Relationship of Challenge to Sustainability; Measurable Results (outputs/outcomes), Evaluation Method, and Demonstration Strategy; and Integration of P3 Concepts as an Educational Tool].
Show significant steps and milestones in the project. Clearly depict the project’s duration, and include key milestones and project tasks building on the timeline from research to design (Phase I) through development and demonstration (Phase II). Indicate anticipated role and tasks of each team member or department represented. Also, indicate anticipated interactions with any and all partners (see 3 below), if applicable.
Partnerships are strongly encouraged and considered particularly important for the demonstrations strategies.
Formal partnerships should be established prior to drafting the Phase II proposal. Detail any and all partnerships established for the purposes of competing for the P3 Award including the type of partner (educational institution, industry and/or NGOs), matching contributions (financial and/or in-kind) provided by the partner, the nature of the partnership, and the role of the partner in the project.
Formal letters of understanding or commitment including anticipated support for Phase II of the project from any and all partners should be submitted in support of the application, when available.
References cited are in addition to the 10-page limit for the proposal.
Letters of intent or understanding detailing commitment or support should be included and are in addition to the 10-page limit for proposal.
- P3 Phase II Project Description
- Project Schedule
- Partnerships (if applicable). Note: This description does not count towards the page limit.
- Important Attachments
V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION
The following are the criteria for the Phase I awards. The criteria used to select P3 Award winners and subsequent awardees for Phase II funding are listed in the “Criteria for Phase II awards” part of this Section.
Criteria For Phase I awards:
An external peer review panel will be asked to assess which Phase I proposals are the most meritorious. The following criteria will be used in descending order of importance. Note: This order is not the same as the required order for proposal submission.
Does the proposed entry for the P3 Award integrate and sustain environmental protection, economic prosperity, and social benefit across scales in the developing and/or developed world? Does the proposal address how future generations will be affected by the proposed design?
People: Do the proposed environmental and economic outcomes benefit society? Does the proposed project meet the needs of the intended end user and is it affordable (either in the developing or developed world)? If the design is intended for the developing world, does it provide for basic needs such as food, water, shelter, energy, health care, education, and/or transportation? If it is intended for the developed world, does it use energy and material resources effectively and efficiently through the life cycle while reducing hazards to human health and the environment?
Prosperity: Does the cost-benefit analysis consider both short-term (i.e., capital costs for demonstration) and long-term (i.e., operation and maintenance) needs? Does the design promote prosperity across scales and directly benefit the local, regional, national, and/or world economy?
Planet: In general, will the design reduce impacts on the environment and human health, diminish resource consumption, and/or directly benefit the environment? Does the proposal demonstrate: (1) That design demonstration will not exhaust or degrade the local environment or shift the environmental impacts to another locality? (2) That the proposed project is less damaging or more beneficial to the health of natural systems than the traditional design?
Multidisciplinary approaches to impact areas (i.e., air, land, and water as well as ecosystem and human health) are encouraged.
Is the technical challenge defined in terms that are relevant and significant in the developing and/or developed world and directly related to sustainability? Is the scope of the project clearly and accurately described? Are project characteristics, opportunities, and limitations described?
Is the design novel? Is the design interdisciplinary? Does it aim to move beyond optimization by creating new approaches to development and demonstration of science and technology for sustainability? Does the concept address feasibility of the design, demonstrate scientific/technical soundness, and analyze trade-offs in the design approach? Are the proposed approach and suggested materials adequate and appropriate for the designated location in the developing or developed world?
Can the goals and objectives be determined and achieved? If implemented, are the potential realized benefits described in terms of people, prosperity, and the planet? Are the methods to quantify the benefits of demonstration applicable, effective, and appropriate? How is “success” defined relative to the design and demonstration? Is the proposed strategy for moving the design from research to development to demonstration adequate and realistic? Have the necessary partnerships been developed? Does the faculty advisor have the expertise, qualifications, and experience to help the students achieve the goals of the project? Is the design effective, transferable, replicable, and applicable across situations and contexts to the extent appropriate?
Will the proposed plans maximize the educational benefits of the competition for the P3 Award? Is the research, development, and strategic planning for the competition integrated into core courses and/or elective courses or is the competition implemented as an extracurricular, student chapter, or club activity? Will student awareness be increased in terms of the impacts of their designs on people, prosperity, and the planet?
- Relationship of Challenge to Sustainability (people, prosperity, and the planet)
- Challenge Definition
- Innovation and Technical Merit
- Measurable Results (outputs/outcomes), Evaluation Method, and Demonstration Strategy
- Integration of P3 concepts as an Educational Tool
Phase I Review and Selection Process
All grant applications for Phase I awards will be reviewed by an appropriate external technical peer review panel using the criteria above. In general, each peer review group is composed of non-EPA scientists, engineers, social scientists, and/or economists who are experts in their respective disciplines and proficient in the technical subjects they are reviewing. Reviewers are asked to assign a summary score of either highly recommended, recommended, or not recommended to each application. This review is designed to evaluate each proposal according to its scientific merit.
Applications receiving scores of highly recommended or recommended as a result of the peer review process will then undergo a programmatic review conducted by technical experts from the EPA, including individuals from the Office of Research and Development (ORD) and program and regional offices involved with the science or engineering proposed. All other applications are automatically declined. The internal programmatic review panel considers:
- the relevance of the proposed science to EPA research priorities,
- the applicant’s past performance and reporting, and
- the applicant’s organizational experience.
The purpose of the programmatic review is to assure an integrated research portfolio for the Agency and help determine which applications to recommend for award. In conducting the programmatic review, the EPA will consider information provided by the applicant and may consider information from other sources including agency files.
Final funding decisions are made by the NCER Director based on the results of the peer review and internal programmatic review. In addition, in making the final funding decisions, the NCER Director may also consider program balance, available funds, and the congressionally mandated Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCOR) (see https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/other/). Applicants selected for funding will be required to provide additional information listed below under “Award Notices.” The application will then be forwarded to EPA’s grants administration office for award in accordance with the EPA’s procedures.
Criteria for Phase II Awards:
The reviewers convened by the National Academy of Engineering will be asked to assess which P3 Phase II proposals are the most meritorious. The following criteria will be used in descending order of importance.
How well does the proposed follow-on work for Phase II of the P3 Award integrate and sustain environmental protection, economic prosperity, and social benefit across scales in the developing and/or developed world? Does the proposal address how future generations may be affected by the proposed design?
People: Do the proposed environmental and economic outcomes benefit society? Does the proposed project meet the needs of the intended end user and is it affordable (either in the developing or developed world)? If the design is intended for the developing world, does it provide for basic needs such as food, water, shelter, energy, health care, education, and/or transportation? If it is intended for the developed world, does it use energy and material resources effectively and efficiently through the life cycle while reducing hazards to human health and the environment?
Prosperity: Does the cost-benefit analysis consider both short-term (i.e., capital costs for demonstration) and long-term (i.e., operation and maintenance) needs? Does the design promote prosperity across scales and directly benefit the local, regional, national, and/or world economy?
Planet: In general, will the design reduce impacts on the environment and human health, diminish resource consumption, and/or directly benefit the environment? Does the proposal demonstrate that: (1) design demonstration will not exhaust or degrade the local environment or shift the environmental impacts to another locality? (2) the proposed project is less damaging or more beneficial to the health of natural systems than a traditional design?
Is the technical challenge defined in terms that are relevant and significant in the developing and/or developed world and directly related to sustainability? Is the scope of the project clearly and accurately described? Are project characteristics, opportunities, and limitations described? Was Phase I of the project successful? How does Phase II build on the successes in Phase I? What are the lessons learned from Phase I and how will they be applied in Phase II? How will Phase II advance and improve progress in Phase I?
Is the design novel? Is the design interdisciplinary? Does it aim to move beyond optimization by creating new approaches to development and demonstration of science and technology for sustainability? Does the concept address feasibility of the design, demonstrate scientific/technical soundness, and analyze trade-offs in the design approach? Are the proposed approaches and suggested materials adequate and appropriate for the designated location in the developing or developed world? What is the likelihood of success for the work proposed in Phase II?
How will the goals and objectives for Phase II be achieved? Are the potential realized benefits described in terms of people, prosperity, and the planet? Are the methods to quantify the benefits of demonstration applicable, effective, and appropriate? How is “success” defined relative to the design and demonstration? Is the proposed strategy for moving the design from research to development (Phase I) to demonstration (Phase II) adequate and realistic? Have the necessary partnerships been developed? Is the design effective, transferable, replicable, and applicable across situations and contexts to the extent appropriate?
Was Phase I of the P3 project successfully implemented as an educational tool? Will the proposed plans for Phase II maximize the educational benefits of the competition for the P3 Award? Is the research, development, and strategic planning for the competition integrated into core courses and/or elective courses or is the competition implemented as an extracurricular, student chapter, or club activity? Will student awareness be increased in terms of the impacts of their designs on people, prosperity, and the planet beyond those directly participating on the P3 project?
- Relationship of Challenge to Sustainability (People, Prosperity, and the Planet)
- Challenge Definition and Relationship to Phase I
- Innovation and Technical Merit
- Measurable Results (Outputs/Outcomes), Evaluation Method, and Demonstration Strategy
- Integration of P3 Concepts as an Educational Tool
Phase II Review and Selection Process
As part of the second phase of the P3 program, the National Academy of Engineering will judge the Phase I projects and review the Phase II proposals to recommend projects to receive EPA’s P3 Award. Winners of the P3 Award will be chosen by EPA and are eligible for additional funding (Phase II) to support further development and demonstration as described in the Phase II proposal.
The judges convened by the National Academy of Engineering will review the Phase II proposals prior to the P3 Award competition on the National Mall on May 9 and 10, 2006. They will also evaluate the Phase I project at the demonstration event on the National Mall. Based on the Phase II proposal and the demonstration of the Phase I project, the judges will use the Phase II criteria to make recommendations to the EPA on the top projects that should be considered for the P3 Award and the opportunity to receive Phase II funding. EPA will make the final decisions on who receives the Phase II funding.
Award Notices
Customarily, applicants are notified about award decisions within six months of the application closing date. A summary statement of the scientific review by the peer panel will be provided to each applicant with an award or declination letter. After selection for award, applicants recommended for funding will be required to submit additional certifications and an electronic version of the revised project abstract. They may also be asked to provide responses to comments or suggestions offered by the peer reviewers, a revised budget, and/or to resubmit their proposal. EPA Project Officers will contact Principal Investigators to obtain these materials.
Nonprofit applicants recommended for funding under this announcement will be subject to a preaward administrative capability review consistent with sections 8.b, 8.c, and 9.d of EPA Order 5700.8, EPA Policy on Assessing Capabilities of Non-Profit Applicants for Managing Assistance Awards (https://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/regulations.htm).
The official notification of an award will be made by the Agency’s Grants Administration Division. Applicants are cautioned that only a grants officer can bind the Government to the expenditure of funds; preliminary selection by the NCER Director in the Office of Research and Development does not guarantee an award will be made. Before or after an award, applicants may be required to provide additional quality assurance documentation.
Disputes
Disputes related to this assistance agreement competition will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures set forth in 70 FR 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005) which can be found at https://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/resolution.htm. Questions regarding disputes may be referred to the Eligibility Contact identified below.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Expectations and responsibilities of NCER grantees are summarized in this section. See https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grants-guidance for the full terms and conditions associated with an award, including activities that require prior approval from the EPA.
Congress, through OMB, has instructed each federal agency to implement Information Quality Guidelines designed to "provide policy and procedural guidance...for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information, including statistical information, disseminated by Federal agencies." The EPA's implementation may be found at https://www.epa.gov/quality/informationguidelines/. These procedures may apply to data generated by grant recipients if those data are disseminated as described in the Guidelines.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a project that is supported in whole or in part with federal funds and (2) cited publicly and officially by a federal agency in support of an action that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed through FOIA. If such data are requested by the public, the EPA must ask for it, and the grantee must submit it, in accordance with A-110 and the EPA regulations at 40 C.F.R. 30.36.
A grant recipient must agree to provide copies of any peer reviewed journal article(s) resulting from the research during the project period. In addition, the recipient should notify the EPA Project Officer of any papers published after completion of the grant that were based on research supported by the grant. NCER posts references to all publications resulting from a grant on the NCER web site.
This publication [article] was developed under a P3 Research Assistance Agreement No. __________ awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It has not been formally reviewed by the EPA. The views expressed in this document are solely those of [name of recipient] and the EPA does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication.
- Meetings: Principal Investigators will be expected to budget for, and participate in, All-Investigators Meetings (also known as progress reviews) once during the grant (P3 Award competition on the National Mall) with EPA scientists and other grantees to report on research activities and discuss issues of mutual interest.
- Approval of Changes after Award: Prior written approval is required from the EPA if there will be significant change from work described in the application. Examples of these changes are contained in 40 C.F.R. 30.25. Note: prior written approval is also required from the EPA for incurring costs more than 90 calendar days prior to award.
- Human Subjects: A grant recipient must agree to meet all EPA requirements for studies using human subjects prior to implementing any work with these subjects. These requirements are given in 40 C.F.R. 26, referred to as the “Common Rule.” No work involving human subjects, including recruiting, may be initiated before the EPA has received a copy of the applicant’s Institutional Review Board’s (IRB) approval of the project and the EPA has also provided approval. Where human subjects are involved in the research, the recipient must provide evidence of subsequent IRB reviews, including amendments or minor changes of protocol, as part of annual reports. Until further notice, EPA will not consider funding for research that involves intentional dosing human toxicity studies with pesticides.
- Animal Welfare: A grant recipient must agree to comply with the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-544), as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2131-2156. The recipient must also agree to abide by the " U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals used in Testing, Research, and Training" (50 Federal Register 20864-20865. May 20,1985).
- Data Access and Information Release: After award, all data (including primary and secondary/existing data) must be made available to the NCER Project Officer without restriction and be accompanied by comprehensive metadata documentation adequate for specialists and nonspecialists alike to be able to understand how and where the data were obtained and to evaluate the quality of the data. If requested, the data products and their metadata must be provided to the NCER Project Officer in a standard exchange format no later than the due date of the grant's final report or the publication of the data product's associated results, whichever comes first.
- Reporting : A grant recipient must agree to provide a final report with an executive summary for web posting at the conclusion of Phase I.
- Acknowledgement of EPA Support: EPA’s full or partial support must be acknowledged in journal articles, oral or poster presentations, news releases, interviews with reporters and other communications. Any documents developed under the agreement for distribution to the public or inclusion in a scientific, technical, or other journal shall include the following statement:
Further information, if needed, may be obtained from the EPA officials indicated below. Information regarding this RFA obtained from sources other than these Agency Contacts may not be accurate. Email inquiries are preferred.
Eligibility Contact: Tom Barnwell: 202-343-9862; email: barnwell.thomas@epa.gov
Electronic Submissions: Bronda Harrison: 202-343-9777; email: harrison.bronda@epa.gov
Technical Contact: Julie Beth Zimmerman: 202-343-9689; email: zimmerman.julie@epa.gov
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.