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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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National Center for Environmental Research
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program

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Sources and Atmospheric Formation of Organic Particulate Matter

This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2007-STAR-E1

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509

Solicitation Opening Date: November 20, 2006
Solicitation Closing Date: February 27, 2007, 4:00 pm Eastern Time

Eligibility Contact: Tom Barnwell (barnwell.thomas@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9862
Electronic Submissions: Bronda Harrison (harrison.bronda@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9777
Technical Contact: Darrell Winner, PhD (winner.darrell@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9748

Table of Contents:
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
  Synopsis of Program
  Award Information
  Eligibility Information
  Application Materials
  Agency Contacts
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
  A. Introduction
  B. Background
  C. Authority and Regulations
  D. Specific Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
  E. References
  F. Special Requirements
II. AWARD INFORMATION
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
  A. Eligible Applicants
  B. Cost Sharing
  C. Other
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
  A. Internet Address to Request Application Package
  B. Content and Form of Application Submission
  C. Submission Dates and Times
  D. Funding Restrictions
  E. Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements
V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION
  A. Peer Review
  B. Programmatic Review
  C. Funding Decisions
VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
  A. Award Notices
  B. Disputes
  C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Access Standard STAR Forms
Research awarded under previous solicitations

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Synopsis of Program:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing to understand the sources and formation processes that produce organic compounds in atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant
Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately 5 awards
Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $3 million total for all awards
Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $600,000, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 3 years.
Cost-sharing is not required. Proposals with budgets exceeding the total award limits will not be considered

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., state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. 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 STAR application will be found on the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) 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 Grants.gov (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications" in Section IV). 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 authorized representative of your organization.

Agency Contacts:
Eligibility Contact: Tom Barnwell (barnwell.thomas@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9862
Electronic Submissions: Bronda Harrison (harrison.bronda@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9777
Technical Contact: Darrell Winner, PhD (winner.darrell@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9748

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction
One of the high-priority research areas identified by the EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) is atmospheric fine particulate matter. Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA has the responsibility for setting air quality standards to protect the public's health and welfare with an adequate margin of safety. One of the major air pollutants of concern, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), represents a broad class of chemically and physically diverse substances. PM2.5 can be described by size, formation mechanism, origin, and chemical composition. In many locations, a significant portion of PM2.5 is composed of organic compounds. Despite progress in the past few years, the understanding of the sources and processes that produce organic PM2.5 is incomplete. Research funded as a result of this solicitation will enable accurate modeling of atmospheric concentrations of organic PM2.5.

B. Background
PM2.5 has been linked to a range of serious respiratory and cardiovascular health problems. The key effects associated with exposure to ambient particulate matter include premature mortality, aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease (as indicated by increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits, school absences, work-loss days, and restricted activity days), aggravated asthma, acute respiratory symptoms, chronic bronchitis, decreased lung function, and increased risk of myocardial infarction. Recent estimates indicate that exposures to PM2.5 may result in tens of thousands of excess deaths per year, and many more cases of illness among the US population.

Due to the complex nature of PM2.5, there are many scientific issues that require further inquiry to support the future efforts of air quality managers who are responsible for designing cost-effective implementation strategies to reduce exposure to harmful levels of PM2.5 across the country. One large gap in the understanding of PM2.5 is the sources of organic PM2.5. Identified sources of organic PM2.5 include diesel engines, wood smoke, gasoline engines, paved road dust, fires, and gaseous precursors that lead to secondary organic aerosol (SOA).

Much evidence points toward biogenic sources of SOA precursors as an important contributor to organic PM2.5 that is either underrepresented or lacking in air quality models. Isoprene has been shown to produce low yields of organic PM2.5 (Kroll et al., 2005). However, since isoprene is the second most abundant hydrocarbon emitted into the atmosphere (after methane), even low yields can produce significant levels of organic PM2.5 throughout the globe. Further, heterogeneous pathways involving cloud processing may enhance organic PM2.5 formation from isoprene (Carlton et al., 2006). Researchers are also beginning to quantify the importance of sesquiterpenes as biogenic SOA precursors (Stroud et al., 2005). Underlying research on biogenic sources of air pollution is the question of whether any effective emission control strategies are possible. Early evidence points towards potential reductions of biogenic SOA with reductions in NOx and/or reductions of anthropogenic organic PM2.5. An understanding of the impacts of current air pollution strategies on biogenic PM2.5 is important, and moving the science to the point that enables effective policy options is crucial.

It is well established that aromatic hydrocarbons, primarily from vehicle emissions, can form SOA (Odum et al., 1997; Kleindienst et al., 1999). However, existing chemical mechanisms do not incorporate the newly discovered particle-phase reactions, acid-catalyzed reactions, and heterogeneous reactions that lead to large amounts of SOA formation (Jang et al., 2002). Increasing evidence points towards the formation of oligomers, especially by SOA from aromatic precursors (Kalberer et al., 2005).

Very recent results (Donahue et al., 2006) point towards the need to consider multi-day processing of semi-volatile vapors. In areas dominated by regional emissions, organic aerosol may not be represented by static yields or emissions factors but rather by emission of chemically active compounds whose products and partitioning evolve throughout long-range transport from the source to the receptor site.

The new insights have not yet been incorporated into comprehensive air quality models, which do not accurately simulate observed organic PM2.5. Observations in the free troposphere above the Northwestern Pacific Ocean are 10-100 times higher than predictions (Heald et al., 2005). A comparison of two leading air quality models against measurements in the Southeastern U.S. showed an underestimation of organic PM2.5 of 60% for CAMx and 80% for CMAQ (Morris et al., 2005). Models underestimate organic PM2.5 by a factor of 2 in Los Angeles during severe photochemical episodes (Held et al., 2005), despite decades of effort into detailed emission inventories and atmospheric observations (e.g. Schauer et al., 1996; Fraser et al., 2000). Thus, a pressing need exists to synthesize available information and fill critical gaps so that air quality models can be used with confidence to support regulations that target organic PM2.5. The emerging results point toward the need to quantify several different SOA mechanisms (e.g. formation from aromatic precursors, formation from isoprene) in order to fully account for the sources of organic PM2.5.

The EPA currently supports a number of air pollution-related research grants resulting from previous solicitations. Information regarding current research can be found on ORD's National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) web site.

The specific Strategic Goal, Objective and Sub-objective from EPA's Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are:

Goal 1: Clean Air and Global Climate Change, Objective 1.6: Enhance Science and Research, Sub-objective 1.6.2: Conduct Air Pollution Research

The EPA's Strategic Plan (PDF) (239 pp, 4.7 MB) can be found at https://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/2003sp.pdf.

C. Authority and Regulations
The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is contained in the Clean Air Act, Section 103, 42 U.S.C. 7403.

For research with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102 (2)(F).

D. Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
This RFA solicits applications that must address one or more of the following key questions:

  1. What laboratory measurements can be made to provide the information necessary to produce accurate model representations of atmospheric organic PM2.5 formation and processing?
  2. What new modules can be developed that improve the ability of comprehensive air quality models to accurately simulate ambient organic PM2.5 concentrations?
  3. What are the implications for effective reductions in ambient organic PM2.5? Do we have the ability to reduce biogenic SOA through reductions in anthropogenic emissions of NOx, SOx, VOC, or organic PM?

Proposals that focus on laboratory measurements must include a clear plan on how these measurements will be used in modules to better simulate organic PM2.5. Proposals that focus on new module development must include a clear plan to evaluate the module using appropriate laboratory and ambient measurements. Not only should comparisons to total organic PM2.5 measurements be included, but also consider insights possible through other measurements such as tracer compounds (Rogge et al., 1996), water soluble organic carbon (Sullivan et al., 2004) , radiocarbon (Hildemann et al., 1994) and FTIR functional group analysis for organic mass to organic carbon mass ratios (Russell, 2003 ). Proposals that include both laboratory measurements and module development are encouraged. Modules that are compatible with the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model (http://www.cmascenter.org/ ) are encouraged.

Several outputs will be developed from the research supported from this solicitation. Expected outputs include reports, presentations, and articles in peer-reviewed journals summarizing data and analyses that will identify important sources and processes leading to atmospheric organic PM2.5. The outputs will contribute to important outcomes including increased efficiency in federal and state/local air quality management strategies and reduced uncertainty in health risk assessments.

E. References

Carlton AG, Turpin BJ, Lim HJ, Altieri KE, Seitzinger S (2006) Link Between Isoprene and SOA: Pyruvic Acid Oxidation Yields Low Volatility Organic Acids in Clouds, Geophys. Res. Let., 33, L06822.

de Gouw, J. A.; Middlebrook, A. M.; Warneke, C.; Goldan, P. D.; Kuster, W. C.; Roberts, J. M.; Fehsenfeld, F. C.; Worsnop, D. R.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Pszenny, A. A. P.; Keene, W. C.; Marchewka, M.; Bertman, S. B.; Bates, T. S. Budget of organic carbon in a polluted atmosphere: Results from the New England air quality study in 2002, J. Geophys. Res. 2005, 110, D16305.

Donahue, N. M., A. L. Robinson, C. O. Stanier, and S. N. Pandis, The coupled partitioning, dilution, and chemical aging of semivolatile organics. Environ. Sci. Technol., 40 (8), 2635 -2643, 2006.

Fraser, M. P.; Kleeman, M. J.; Schauer, J. J.; Cass, G. R., Modeling the atmospheric concentrations of individual gas-phase and particle-phase organic compounds. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2000, 34, 1302-1312.

Heald, C. L., D. J. Jacob, R. J. Park, L. M. Russell, B. J. Huebert, J. H. Seinfeld, H. Liao, and R. J. Weber (2005), A large organic aerosol source in the free troposphere missing from current models, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L18809, doi:10.1029/2005GL023831.

Held T., Q. Ying, M.J. Kleeman, J.J. Schauer, M.P. Fraser (2005) A comparison of the UCD/CIT air quality model and the CMB source-receptor model for primary airborne particulate matter. Atmospheric Environment. 39: 2281-2297.

Hildemann, L. M. Klinedinst, D. B. Klouda, G. A. Currie, L. A. (1994) Sources of urban contemporary carbon aerosol, Environmental Science & Technology, 28:9, pages 1565-1576.

Jang, Myoseon; Czoschke, Nadine M; Lee, Sangdon; Kamens, Richard M, Heterogeneous atmospheric aerosol production by acid-catalyzed particle-phase reactions, Science, Volume 298, Issue 5594, , October 25, 2002, Pages 814-817.

Kalberer, M.; Paulsen, D.; Sax, M.; Steinbacher, M.; Dommen, J.; Prevot, A. S. H.; Fisseha, R.; Weingartner, E.; Frankevic, V.; Zenobi, R.; Baltensperger, U. Identification of polymers as major components of atmospheric organic aerosols, Science 2004, 303, 1659.

Kleindienst, T.E.; D. F. Smith, W. Li, E. O. Edney, D. J. Driscoll, R. E. Speer and W. S. Weathers, Secondary organic aerosol formation from the oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of dry submicron ammonium sulfate aerosol, Atmospheric Environment, Volume 33, Issue 22, , September 1999, Pages 3669-3681.

Kroll, J.H., Ng, N.L., Murphy, S.M., Flagan, R.C., and Seinfeld, J.H., Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Isoprene Photooxidation under High-NOx Conditions, Geophysical Research Letters, 32, L18808, doi: 10.1029/2005GL023637, 2005.

Morris, R. E.; Koo, B.; Guenther, A.; Yarwood, G.; McNally, D.; Tesche, T. W.; Tonnesen, G.; Boylan, J.; Brewer, P., Model sensitivity evaluation for organic carbon using two multi-pollutant air quality models that simulate regional haze in the southeastern United States. Atmos. Environ. 2006, 40, 4960-4972.

Odum, J.R., T.P.W. Jungkamp, R.J. Griffin, R.C. Flagan, and J.H. Seinfeld, (1997). The atmospheric aerosol-forming potential of whole gasoline vapor. Science 276, 96-99.

Rogge, W. F., L. M. Hildemann, M. A. Mazurek, G. R. Cass, and B. R. T. Simoneit (1996), Mathematical modeling of atmospheric fine particle-associated primary organic compound concentrations, J. Geophys. Res., 101(D14), 19,379-19,394.

Russell, L.M. (2003) Aerosol Organic-Mass-to-Organic-Carbon Ratio Measurements, Environ. Sci. Technol., 37, 13, 2982 - 2987.

Schauer, J.J.; W. F. Rogge, L. M. Hildemann, M. A. Mazurek, G. R. Cass, and B. R. T. Simoneit, (1996). Source Apportionment of Airborne Particulate Matter Using Organic Compounds as Tracers, Atmospheric Environment, 30, 3837-3855.

Stroud, C., Makar, P., Karl, T., Guenther, A., Geron, C., Turnipseed, A., Nemitz, E., Baker, B., Potosnak, M., Fuentes, J., 2005. Role of canopy-scale photochemistry in modifying biogenic-atmosphere exchange of reactive terpene species: results from the CELTIC field study. Journal of Geophysical Research 110 (D17), D17303.

Sullivan, A.P., R. J. Weber, A.L. Clements, J.R. Turner, M.S. Bae, and J.J. Schauer (2004) A method for on-line measurement of water-soluble organic carbon in ambient aerosol particles: Results from an urban site, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L13105 10.1029/2004GL019681.

F. Special Requirements
Agency policy prevents EPA technical staff and managers from providing individual applicants information that may create an unfair competitive advantage. Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise, provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs, endorse an application or discuss in any manner how the Agency will apply the published evaluation criteria for this competition.

Groups of two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a consortium and submit a single application for this assistance agreement. The application must identify which organization will be the recipient of the assistance agreement and which organizations(s) will be subawardees of the recipient.

The application must include a plan (see "Data Plan" in section IV.B.5.c.) to make available to the public all data generated from observations, analyses, or model development (primary data) and any secondary (or existing) data used under an agreement awarded from this RFA. The data must be available in a format and with documentation such that they may be used by others in the scientific community.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

It is anticipated that a total of approximately $3 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds and quality of applications received. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 5 grants under this RFA. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $600,000, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. The total project period requested in an application submitted for this RFA may not exceed 3 years. The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards, or make fewer awards than anticipated, under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right, consistent with Agency policy and without further competition, to make additional awards under this RFA if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than four months after the original selection decisions.

EPA intends to fund only grants under this announcement. Under a grant, EPA scientists and engineers are not permitted to be substantially involved in the execution of the research. 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.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. 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., state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. Profit-making firms are not eligible to receive assistance agreements 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.

National laboratories funded by Federal Agencies (Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers, "FFRDCs") may not apply. FFRDC employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. They may participate in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant, but may not direct projects on behalf of the applicant organization. The institution, organization, or governance receiving the award may provide funds through its assistance agreement from the EPA to an FFRDC for research personnel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses directly related to the research. However, salaries for permanent FFRDC employees may not be provided through this mechanism.

Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on an assistance agreement, and may not receive salaries or augment their Agency's appropriations in other ways through awards made under this program.

The applicant institution may enter into an agreement with a Federal Agency to purchase or utilize unique supplies or services unavailable in the private sector. Examples are purchase of satellite data, census data tapes, chemical reference standards, analyses, or use of instrumentation or other facilities not available elsewhere. A written justification for federal involvement must be included in the application. In addition, an appropriate form of assurance that documents the commitment, such as a letter of intent from the Federal Agency involved, should be included.

Potential applicants who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact Tom Barnwell (barnwell.thomas@epa.gov) in NCER, phone (202) 343-9862.

B. Cost-Sharing
Institutional cost-sharing is not required.

C. Other
Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or they will be rejected. In addition, where a page limitation is expressed in Section IV with respect to parts of the application, pages in excess of the page limit will not be reviewed. Applications must be received by the EPA, or Grants.gov, on or before the solicitation closing date and time in Section IV of this announcement or they will be returned to the sender without further consideration. Also, applications exceeding the funding limits or project period term described herein will be returned without review. Further, applications that fail to demonstrate a public purpose of support or stimulation (e.g., by proposing research which primarily benefits a Federal program or provides a service for a Federal agency) will not be funded.

Applications must address one or more of the following key questions or they will not be reviewed:

  1. What laboratory measurements can be made to provide the information necessary to produce accurate model representations of atmospheric organic PM2.5 formation and processing?
  2. What new modules can be developed that improve thw ability to accurately simulate ambient organic PM2.5 concentrations?
  3. What are the implications for effective reductions in ambient organic PM2.5? Do we have the ability to reduce biogenic SOA through reductions in anthropogenic emissions of NOx, SOx, VOC, or organic PM?

In addition, to be eligible for funding consideration, a project's focus must consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA's financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed in I.C. above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution; toxic substances control; or pesticide control. These activities should relate to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing the state of knowledge. Proposals should emphasize this "learning" concept, as opposed to "fixing" an environmental problem via a well-established method. Proposals relating to other topics which are sometimes included within the term "environment" such as recreation, conservation, restoration, protection of wildlife habitats, etc., must describe the relationship of these topics to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control.

Applications deemed ineligible for funding consideration will be notified within fifteen calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement. Instructions for both types of submission follow. If not otherwise marked, instructions apply to both types of submissions.

A. 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 Grants.gov (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications"). Note: With the exception of the Budget form (available at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms), all necessary forms are included in the electronic application package.

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; emails to this address will not be accepted. If you do not receive an email acknowledgment within 30 days of the submission closing date, immediately inform the Eligibility Contact shown 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.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission
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.

  1. Standard Form 424

    The applicant must complete Standard Form 424. This form will be the first page(s) of the application. Instructions for completion of the SF424 are included with the form. (However, note that EPA requires that the entire requested dollar amount appear on the 424, not simply the proposed first year expenses.) The form must contain the original (or electronic) signature of an authorized representative of the applying institution.

    Applicants are required to provide a "Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System" (DUNS) number 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). The SF424 refers to this Executive Order requirement. National research programs are generally exempt from review unless the proposals (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. To determine whether their state participates in this process, and how to comply, applicants should consult http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.

  2. Key Contacts

    The applicant must complete the "Key Contacts" form as the second page of the application: a Key Contacts continuation page is also available at 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., primary co-investigators). Please make certain that all contact information is accurate.

  3. Table of Contents

    Provide a list of the major subdivisions of the application indicating the page number on which each section begins.

  4. Abstract (1 page)

    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 described below (a-h). Examples of abstracts for current grants may be found on the NCER web site.

    1. Funding Opportunity Title and Number for this proposal.
    2. Project 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."
    3. Investigators: List the Principal Investigator, then the names and affiliations of each co-investigator who will significantly contribute to the project. Provide a web site URL or an email contact address for additional information.
    4. Institution: In the same order as the list of investigators, list the name, city and state of each participating university or other applicant institution. The institution applying for assistance must be clearly identified.
    5. Project Period and Location: Show the proposed project beginning and ending dates, and the geographical location(s) where the work will be conducted.
    6. Project Cost: Show the total dollars requested from the EPA (include direct and indirect costs for all years).
    7. Project Summary: Provide three subsections addressing: (1) the objectives of the study (including any hypotheses that will be tested), (2) the experimental approach to be used (a description of the proposed project), and (3) the expected results of the project and how it addresses the research needs identified in the solicitation, including the estimated improvement in risk assessment or risk management that will result from successful completion of the proposed work.
    8. Supplemental Keywords: Without duplicating terms already used in the text of the abstract, list keywords to assist database searchers in finding your research. A list of suggested keywords may be found at: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms.

  5. Research Plan, Quality Assurance Statement and References

    Page allowances for the following section(s) are in addition to those allowed for the Research Plan and Quality Assurance Statement.

    1. Research Plan (15 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, and the results you expect to achieve. 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 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 must provide the following information:

      1. Objectives: List the objectives of the proposed research and the hypotheses being tested during the project, and briefly state why the intended research is important and how it fulfills the requirements of the solicitation. Describe the policy, planning and/or decision-making that the research is intended to inform. This section should also include any background or introductory information that would help explain the objectives of the study. If this application is to expand upon research supported by an existing or former assistance agreement awarded under the STAR program, indicate the number of the agreement and provide a brief report of progress and results achieved under it (one to two pages recommended).
      2. Approach/Activities: Outline the research design, methods, and techniques that you intend to use in meeting the objectives stated above (five to ten pages recommended).
      3. Expected Results, Benefits, Outputs, and Outcomes: Describe the results you expect to achieve during the project (outputs) and the potential benefits of the results (outcomes). This section should also discuss how the research results will lead to solutions to environmental problems and improve the public's ability to protect the environment and human health. A clear, concise description will help NCER and peer reviewers understand the merits of the research (one to two pages recommended).
      4. General Project Information: Discuss other information relevant to the potential success of the project. This should include facilities, personnel expertise/experience, project schedules, proposed management, interactions with other institutions, etc. Applications for multi-investigator projects must identify project management and the functions of each investigator in each team and describe plans to communicate and share data (one to two pages recommended).
      5. Appendices may be included but must remain within the 15-page limit.

    2. Quality Assurance Statement (1 to 3 pages in addition to the 15-page research plan)

      For projects involving environmental data collection or processing, conducting surveys, modeling, method development, or the development of environmental technology (whether hardware-based or via new techniques), provide a Quality Assurance Statement (QAS) regarding the plans for processes that will be used to ensure that the products of the research satisfy the intended project objectives. Follow the guidelines provided below to ensure that the QAS describes a system that complies with ANSI/ASQC E4, Specifications and Guidelines for Quality Systems for Environmental Data Collection and Environmental Technology Programs. Do not exceed three consecutively numbered, 8.5x11-inch pages of single-spaced, standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins.

      Address each section below by including the required information, referencing the specific location of the information in the Research Plan, or explaining why the section does not apply to the proposed research.

      1. Identify the individual who will be responsible for the quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) aspects of the research along with a brief description of this person's functions, experience, and authority within the research organization. Describe the organization's general approach for conducting quality research. (QA is a system of management activities to ensure that a process or item is of the type and quality needed for the project. QC is a system of activities that measures the attributes and performance of a process or item against the standards defined in the project documentation to verify that they meet those stated requirements.)
      2. Discuss project objectives, including quality objectives, any hypotheses to be tested, and the quantitative and/or qualitative procedures that will be used to evaluate the success of the project. Include any plans for peer or other reviews of the study design or analytical methods.
      3. Address each of the following project elements as applicable:
        1. Collection of new/primary data:

          (Note: In this case the word "sample" is intended to mean any finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole. If certain attributes listed below do not apply to the type of samples to be used in your research, simply explain why those attributes are not applicable.)

          1. Discuss the plan for sample collection and analysis. As applicable, include sample type(s), frequency, locations, sample sizes, sampling procedures, and the criteria for determining acceptable data quality (e.g., precision, accuracy, representativeness, completeness, comparability, or data quality objectives).
          2. Describe the procedures for the handling and custody of samples including sample collection, identification, preservation, transportation, and storage, and how the accuracy of test measurements will be verified.
          3. Describe or reference each analytical method to be used, any QA or QC checks or procedures with the associated acceptance criteria, and any procedures that will be used in the calibration and performance evaluation of the analytical instrumentation.
          4. Discuss the procedures for overall data reduction, analysis, and reporting. Include a description of all statistical methods to make inferences and conclusions, acceptable error rates and/or power, and any statistical software to be used.
        2. Use of existing/secondary data (i.e., data previously collected for other purposes or from other sources):
          1. Describe or reference each analytical method to be used, any QA or QC checks or procedures with the associated acceptance criteria, and any procedures that will be used in the calibration and performance evaluation of the analytical instrumentation.
          2. Discuss the procedures for overall data reduction, analysis, and reporting. Include a description of all statistical methods to make inferences and conclusions, acceptable error rates and/or power, and any statistical software to be used.
        3. Method development:

          (Note: The data collected for use in method development or evaluation should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in section 3A and/or 3B above.)

          Describe the scope and application of the method, any tests (and measurements) to be conducted to support the method development, the type of instrumentation that will be used and any required instrument conditions (e.g., calibration frequency), planned QC checks and associated criteria (e.g., spikes, replicates, blanks), and tests to verify the method's performance.

        4. Development or refinement of models:

          (Note: The data collected for use in the development or refinement of models should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in section 3A and/or 3B above.)

          1. Discuss the scope and purpose of the model, key assumptions to be made during development/refinement, requirements for code development, and how the model will be documented.
          2. Discuss verification techniques to ensure the source code implements the model correctly.
          3. Discuss validation techniques to determine that the model (assumptions and algorithms) captures the essential phenomena with adequate fidelity.
          4. Discuss plans for long-term maintenance of the model and associated data.
        5. Development or operation of environmental technology:

          (Note: The data collected for use in the development or evaluation of the technology should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in section 3A and/or 3B above.)

          1. Describe the overall purpose and anticipated impact of the technology.
          2. Describe the technical and quality specifications of each technology component or process that is to be designed, fabricated, constructed, and/or operated.
          3. Discuss the procedure to be used for documenting and controlling design changes.
          4. Discuss the procedure to be used for documenting the acceptability of processes and components, and discuss how the technology will be benchmarked and its effectiveness determined.
          5. Discuss the documentation requirements for operating instructions/guides for maintenance and use of the system(s) and/or process(s).
        6. Conducting surveys:

          (Note: The data to be collected in the survey and any supporting data should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in section 3A and/or 3B above.)

          Discuss the justification for the size of the proposed sample for both the overall project and all subsamples for specific treatments or tests. Identify and explain the rational for the proposed statistical techniques (e.g., evaluation of statistical power).

      4. Discuss data management activities (e.g., record-keeping procedures, data-handling procedures, and the approach used for data storage and retrieval on electronic media). Include any required computer hardware and software and address any specific performance requirements for the hardware/software configuration used.
    3. Data Plan (2 pages in addition to the 15-page research plan)

      The application must include a plan to make all data resulting from an agreement under this RFA available in a format and with documentation/metadata such that they may be used by others in the scientific community. This includes both primary and secondary or existing data, i.e., from observations, analyses, or model development collected or used under the agreement. Applicants who plan to develop or enhance databases containing proprietary or restricted information must provide, within the two pages, a strategy to make the data widely available, while protecting privacy or property rights.

    4. References: References cited are in addition to the 15-page Research Plan limit.

  6. Budget and Budget Justification
    1. Budget

      Prepare a budget table using the guidance and form found at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms, and select "All required forms." If a subaward, such as a subagreement with an educational institution, is greater than $25,000 and is included in the application, provide a separate budget and budget justification for the subaward. Include the total amount for the subaward under "Other" in the master budget. Any project containing subawards or subcontracts that constitute more than 40% of the total direct cost of the application will be subject to special review. Additional justification for use of these must be provided, discussing the need for the subaward/subcontract 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.

    2. Budget Justification [2 pages in addition to the Section 5 page limitations, not including additions under Nos. (6) and (7) below to support contracts and subawards]

      Describe the basis for calculating the personnel, fringe benefits, 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:

      1. Personnel: List all staff positions by title. Give annual salary, percentage of time assigned to the project, and total cost for the budget period.
      2. Fringe Benefits: Identify the percentage used and the basis for its computation.
      3. Travel: Specify the estimated number of trips, locations, and other costs for each type of travel. Explain the need for any travel, paying particular attention to travel outside the United States. Include travel funds for annual STAR program progress reviews (estimate for two days in Washington, D.C.) and a final workshop to report on results.
      4. 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.)
      5. Supplies: "Supplies" means tangible property other than "equipment." Identify categories of supplies to be procured (e.g., laboratory supplies or office supplies). Specifically identify computers to be purchased or upgraded.
      6. Contractual: Identify each proposed contract for services/analyses or consultants and specify its purpose and estimated cost. Contracts greater than $25,000 must have a separate itemized budget and budget justification, not to exceed one additional page each, included as part of the application.
      7. Other: List each item in sufficient detail for the EPA to determine the reasonableness of its cost relative to the research to be undertaken. Note that subawards, such as those with other universities for members of the research team, are included in this category. Subawards greater than $25,000 must have a separate itemized budget and budget justification, not to exceed one additional page each, included as part of the application.
      8. Indirect Costs: If indirect costs are included in the budget, indicate the approved rate and base with an explanation of how the indirect costs were calculated.
  7. 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.

  8. Current and Pending Support

    Complete a current and pending support form (provided at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms) for each investigator and important co-worker. Include all supported research.

  9. Guidelines, Limitations, and Additional Requirements
    1. Letters of Intent/Letters of Support

      Letters of intent to provide resources for the proposed research or to document intended interactions are limited to one brief paragraph committing the availability of a resource (e.g., use of a person's time or equipment) or intended interaction (e.g., sharing of data, as-needed consultation) that is described in the Research Plan. Letters of intent are to be included as an addition to the budget justification documents.

      All letters that do not commit a resource vital to success of the proposal are considered letters of support. Letters of support, and letters of intent that exceed one brief paragraph, are considered part of the Research Plan and are included in the 15-page Research Plan limit.

      Note: Letters of intent or support must be part of the application; letters submitted separately will not be accepted.

    2. Funding Opportunity Number(s) (FON)

      At various places in the application, applicants are asked to identify the FON.
      The Funding Opportunity Number for this RFA is:

      Sources and Atmospheric Formation of Organic Particulate Matter, EPA-G2007-STAR-E1

    3. 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 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 or portions of applications they claim as confidential. If no claim of confidentiality is made, the EPA is not required to make an inquiry to the applicant as otherwise required by 40 CFR 2.204(c) (2) prior to disclosure.

C. Submission Dates and Times
For paper copy submissions, the original and two (2) copies of the complete application (3 in all, see E. below) 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. Applications received after the closing date and time will be returned to the sender without further consideration.

It should be noted that this schedule may be changed without prior notification because of factors not anticipated at the time of announcement. In the case of a change in the application closing date, a new date will be posted on the NCER web site (https://www.epa.gov/ncer/) and a modification posted on www.grants.gov.

Solicitation Closing Date: February 27, 2007, 4:00 pm Eastern Time for paper applications, 4:00 pm Eastern Time for electronic submissions.

D. Funding Restrictions
The funding mechanism for all awards issued under STAR solicitations will consist of assistance agreements from the EPA. All award decisions are subject to the availability of funds. In accordance with the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act, 31 U.S.C. 6301 et seq., the primary purpose of an assistance agreement 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, 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.

If you wish to submit applications for more than one STAR funding opportunity you must ensure that the research proposed in each application is significantly different from any other that has been submitted to the EPA or from any other financial assistance you are currently receiving from the EPA or other federal government agency.

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 and/or Part 31. 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.

Each proposed project must be able to be completed within the project period and with the initial award of funds. Applicants should request the entire amount of money needed to complete the project. Recipients should not anticipate additional funding beyond the initial award of funds for a specific project.

E. Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements
You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) under this announcement.

  1. Submission Instructions for Paper Applications

    Three (3) copies of the application must be submitted: 1) an original, signed copy; 2) a single-sided copy on plain white paper for scanning (please label this copy); and 3) another photocopy for administrative purposes. Do not permanently bind or staple any of these copies; please use either binder or paper clips to secure them.

    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-G2007-STAR-E1
    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-G2007-STAR-E1
    1025 F Street, NW (Room 3500)
    Washington, DC 20004
    Phone: (202) 233-0686
  2. Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications

    Please read this entire section before attempting an electronic submission through Grants.gov.

    1. Preparing for Submission. The appropriate electronic application package available through the http://www.grants.gov site must be used for electronic submissions. Note: With the exception of the Budget form (available at https://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/forms), all necessary forms are included in the electronic application package. In order to view the application package, download the PureEdge viewer (click on "Apply for Grants", then see "Apply Step 1"). The application package may be quickly accessed from https://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html using the appropriate FON. Be sure to download the electronic application package for the appropriate FON. Please register for announcement change notification emails.

      The electronic submission of your application package must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and authorized to sign for Federal assistance. For more information, go to http://www.grants.gov and click on "Get Registered". Note that the registration process may take a week or longer to complete. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to designate an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and begin the registration process as soon as possible. Most submission problems can be avoided by communicating with the AOR well before the solicitation closing date and allowing sufficient time for following the guidance provided below.

    2. Acknowledgement of Receipt. 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"). Grants.gov provides acknowledgements of application receipt that include an on-screen notification of successful initial transfer as well as an e-mail notification of successful transfer from Grants.gov to EPA. While it is advisable to retain copies of these Grants.gov acknowledgements to document submission, the only official documentation that the appli

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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.

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Last updated April 28, 2023