Grantee Research Project Results
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Research
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program
CLOSED - FOR REFERENCES PURPOSES ONLY
Environmental Impact And Mitigation Of Oil Spills
This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2011-STAR-F1
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509
Solicitation Opening Date: February 28, 2011
Solicitation Closing Date: June 22, 2011, 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time
Eligibility Contact: James Gentry (gentry.james@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8093
Electronic Submissions: Ron Josephson (josephson.ron@epa.gov); phone: 703-308-0442
Technical Contact: Mitch Lasat (lasat.mitch@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8099
Access Standard STAR Forms (https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms)
View research awarded under previous solicitations (https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.archive/)
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Synopsis of Program:
As part of the federal government’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a $2 million Congressional appropriation for a grant or grants for “a study on the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and the application of dispersants, surface washing agents, bioremediation agents, and other mitigation measures listed in the National Contingency Plan Product List (40 C.F.R. Part 300 Subpart J).” To implement this appropriation through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grant program, EPA is seeking applications proposing to develop a research program, including an effective community outreach program component, to mitigate the impact of oil spills. The research program must address one or more of the following topics: (1) development of cost-effective innovative technologies to mitigate the impact of oil spills; (2) development of effective oil dispersants, surface washing agents, bioremediation agents, and other mitigation measures (“dispersants/agents/measures”) with low environmental impact; and (3) investigation of the effects of oil spills and application of dispersants/agents/measures on the environment. Applicants must also submit a community outreach program plan, the objective of which is to help impacted Gulf Coast communities effectively participate in the study and use its results. To achieve this objective, the applicant should work collaboratively with affected communities to identify significant risks posed by oil spills to human health and the environment, obtain their input in the design of a study to help the communities address these challenges, and provide technical assistance to them so that they can use the results of the study.
Award Information:
The intent of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to fund research pertaining to the development of innovative oil spill mitigation technologies and provide needed technical assistance to Gulf Coast communities impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to enable them to effectively participate in the research project and use the results. Applicants are encouraged to form consortia to perform the work solicited under this RFA. Consortia are defined in section I.F. Special Requirements of this announcement.
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant or Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: Four
Anticipated Funding Amount: Up to $2 million total for all awards
Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $500,000, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 3 years. For each individual award, a minimum of 15 percent and a maximum of 40 percent of total requested funds must be allocated for community outreach activities, including but not limited to training, technology transfer, and technical assistance. Cost-sharing is not required. Proposals with budgets exceeding the total award limits or not adhering to the allocation amounts for the community outreach program will not be considered.
See Section III. for additional eligibility information.
Eligibility Information:
Universities and Colleges (ie public and private institutions of higher education including not for profit research foundations/organizations affiliated with such colleges and universities) located in the U.S. are eligible to apply. See full announcement for more details.
Application Materials:
To apply under this solicitation, use the application package available at Grants.gov (for further submission information see Section IV.E. “Submission Instructions and other Submission Requirements”). The necessary forms for submitting a STAR application will be found on the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) web site, http://epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one week to complete the registration process. This registration, and electronic submission of your application, must be performed by an authorized representative of your organization.
If you do not have the technical capability to utilize the Grants.gov application submission process for this solicitation, call 1-800-490-9194 or send a webmail message to https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/forms/contact-us-about-research-grants at least 15 calendar days before the submission deadline to assure timely receipt of alternate submission instructions. In your message provide the funding opportunity number and title of the program, specify that you are requesting alternate submission instructions, and provide a telephone number, fax number, and an email address, if available. Alternate instructions will be e-mailed whenever possible. Any applications submitted through alternate submission methods must comply with all the provisions of this Request for Applications (RFA), including Section IV, and be received by the solicitation closing date identified above.
Agency Contacts:
Eligibility Contact: James Gentry (gentry.james@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8093
Electronic Submissions: Ron Josephson (josephson.ron@epa.gov); phone: 703-308-0442
Technical Contact: Mitch Lasat (lasat.mitch@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-8099
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
A. Introduction
One of the high-priority research areas identified by the EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) is recovery from oil spills. The EPA’s Oil Spill Research Program has been in existence since 1990, following the Exxon Valdez oil spill and enactment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA-90).
The April 20, 2010 British Petroleum Company PLC Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has revealed an urgent need to further investigate the environmental and human health impacts of oil spills and the mitigation measures taken during the removal process. Particularly, given the economic importance of commercial and recreational fisheries, it is imperative to develop a better understanding of the effect of oil spills on pelagic and coastal ecosystems and to develop technologies to minimize this effect. Congress recognized the need for research into the environmental and human health effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by appropriating $2 million for EPA to conduct a study to enable EPA, the scientific community, the public in general, and impacted Gulf Coast communities in particular, better understand the environmental impact of oil spills on ecosystems and human health and to develop tools, models, methods, and sustainable innovative technologies for environmental remediation and restoration.
EPA is also committed to working collaboratively with impacted Gulf Coast communities to ensure the study is responsive to their needs. The Agency’s commitment includes ensuring that the recipient of funding under this announcement works closely with communities to identify significant risks posed to human health and the environment and to use the study to help communities mitigate these risks by encouraging technology transfer and other outreach activities. By helping impacted communities better understand the technical issues and choices associated with sites affected by oil spills, the outreach effort relating to the study aims to encourage communities to become more actively involved in making decisions about their impacted environment.
The EPA ORD National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), in cooperation with the EPA Oil Research Program, is announcing a funding competition to meet these goals through a balanced interdisciplinary research program.
B. Background
EPA plays a major role in both inland and coastal spills, ensuring that all cleanup activities are truly protective of the environment. In the last two decades, EPA’s research has resulted in new approaches for effective treatment of commercial oil spills including development of bioremediation agents and dispersants, guidance documents for implementing bioremediation, a clearer understanding of the environmental fate, impact and persistence of oil spills, and development of new spill treatment approaches. Specific research areas have included:
- Mitigation of oil spills through chemical, physical, and biological approaches
- Fate and effects of petroleum and biodiesel oils in saltwater and freshwater systems
- Flow characteristics of oil spills
- Characterization of oil spill control agents including dispersants, surface washing agents, and bioremediation agents (www.epa.gov/oilspill/ncp and www.epa.gov/nrmrl/lrpcd/rr/projects/56303.htm. )
EPA is also a member of the Interagency Coordinating Committee for Oil Pollution Research (ICCOPR), a Federal committee mandated to coordinate federally sponsored oil spill research
(http://govpulse.us/entries/2010/04/20/2010-9017/interagency-coordinating-committee-on-oil-pollution-research-iccopr-public-meeting.)
The Deepwater Horizon spill raised new questions about the inherent problems associated with current spill mitigation technologies. For example, as part of the efforts to mitigate the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, chemical dispersants have been deployed in amounts and settings not seen before. In particular, deep water application of chemical dispersants has been utilized for the first time at depths one mile down. While the effectiveness of this approach has been tested and subsurface application has demonstrated potential utility in dispersing the oil, questions have been raised concerning the efficacy and environmental impact of using chemical dispersants. There is a need to better understand the environmental fate of dispersants and chemically-dispersed oil. Coastal impacts from oil need to address effects on sensitive ecosystems and explore innovative ecological restoration methods. One desired approach to developing oil spill mitigation and remediation approaches is by applying green chemistry principles including development of effective dispersants with reduced toxicity and persistence in the environment.
EPA's fiscal year 2010 supplemental appropriations act provides funding to the EPA to support an oil pollution study. It states:
For an additional amount for ‘‘Science and Technology’’ for a study on the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and the application of dispersants, surface washing agents, bioremediation agents, and other mitigation measures listed in the National Contingency Plan Product List (40 C.F.R. Part 300 Subpart J), as appropriate, $2,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That the study shall be performed at the direction of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior: Provided further, That the study may be funded through the provision of grants to universities and colleges through extramural research funding.
Section 12 of Title II of Public Law 111-212, Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010, 124 Stat. 2336 (July 29, 2010)
To address significant knowledge gaps, the EPA Oil Spill research coordination team has consulted with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Interior to identify priorities in three research areas for the Congressionally mandated study on the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil: (1) development of innovative mitigation technologies; (2) development of effective dispersants/agents/measures; and (3) understanding ecosystem impacts. In addition, there is an urgent need to research the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the health and the environment of affected communities, and to empower these communities with an independent understanding of the underlying scientific and technical issues related to oil contamination.
The specific Strategic Goal and Objective from the EPA’s Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are:
Goal 4: Healthy Communities and Ecosystems, Objective 4.4: Enhance Science and Research
The EPA’s Strategic Plan can be found at: http://nepis.epa.gov/Adobe/PDF/P1001IPK.PDF (184 pp, 9.33 M)
C. Authority and Regulations
The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is:
Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, 15 U.S.C. 2609
Clean Water Act, Section 104, 33 U.S.C. 1254
Clean Air Act, Section 103, 42 U.S.C. 7403
Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001, 42 U.S.C. 6981
Section 12 of Title II of Public Law 111-212, Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010
For research with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2)(F).
Note that a project’s focus is to consist of activities within the statue(s) listed above with regard to a study (including necessary research, experiments, investigations and community outreach/participation in the study) into “the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and the application of dispersants, surface washing agents, bioremediation agents, and other mitigation measures listed in the National Contingency Plan Product List (40 C.F.R. Part 300 Subpart J)” as provided for in the Supplemental Appropriation Act, 2010. These activities should relate to the gathering or transferring of information and or advancing the state of knowledge. Proposals should emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem via a well-established method.
Applicable regulations include: 40 CFR Part 30 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations), 40 CFR Part 31 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments) and 40 CFR Part 40 (Research and Demonstration Grants). Applicable OMB Circulars include: OMB Circular A-21 (Cost Principles for Educational Institutions) relocated to 2 CFR Part 220 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_08/2cfr220_08.html), OMB Circular A-87 (Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments) relocated to 2 CFR Part 225 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_10/2cfr225_10.html), OMB Circular A-102 (Grants and Cooperative Agreements With State and Local Governments), OMB Circular A-110 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Non-Profit Organizations) relocated to 2 CFR Part 215 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_08/2cfr215_08.html), and OMB Circular A-122 (Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations) relocated to 2 CFR Part 230 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/2cfr230_07.html).
D. Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
Note to applicant: The term “output” means an environmental activity or effort, and associated work products, related to a specific environmental goal(s), (e.g., testing a new methodology), that will be produced or developed over a period of time under the agreement. The term “outcome” means the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from the above activity(ies) that is related to an environmental, behavioral, or health-related objective.
The overall study must directly relate to the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and address one or more of the following research objectives:
- Technology development, for remediation of the environment impacted by oil spills. Innovative biological, chemical, and physical treatment technologies need to be developed to mitigate accidental releases of oil to aquatic systems including deep sea releases. Approaches to clean up impacted wetlands to promote sustainable ecological systems are needed. For example, the use of organic sorbents, with great oil immobilization capability and low dry weight, to wick oil from anaerobic to aerobic surface zone is necessary.
Technologies capable of separating oil and tar from contaminated sand are also needed for in situ remediation and for remediation of contaminated sediments stored in landfills and lagoons.
Bioremediation can be very effective on sandy marine shorelines, wetlands, and salt marshes and can be employed as an effective long-term remedial solution. However, much of the oil reaching the shoreline is a stable water-in-oil emulsion with properties different from non-emulsified oil that has not undergone similar weathering. Stable water-in-oil emulsions may be less amenable to bioremediation since the lighter fractions of the crude oil have already evaporated leaving heavier fractions such as asphaltenes behind. Consequently, there is a need to better understand the biodegradation of stable water-in-oil emulsions that reflect the conditions in the wetlands and marshes. Bioremediation tends to be slow and is, generally, not suitable for rapid transformation of all oil chemical components. Research is needed to identify microbial populations with high enzymatic activity capable of degrading oil without the generation of toxic intermediate compounds. In addition, new approaches need to be identified to ensure effective delivery of amendments necessary to stimulate microbial activity. Particularly, technologies are needed for improving aerobic conditions for effective bioremediation of oil.
- Dispersants/agents/measures with reduced environmental impact capable of effectively enhancing the dissolution of oil plume are needed. EPA is particularly interested in research proposing to use green chemistry principles to develop more effective dispersants that have short environmental half-lives and low toxicity to marine and freshwater biota. Research is needed to understand the factors that control dispersibility of different types of oils. These factors include temperature; mixing energy; type of oil (weight, viscosity, composition, etc.); salinity; sub-sea conditions (dissolved oxygen, hydrostatic pressure, etc.); water solubility; and chemical composition of dispersants. There is a need to develop surface washing agents capable of removing oil from solid surfaces such as sand and rocks and surface collecting agents to effectively control the thickness of the oil layer.
- Ecosystem impacts caused by oil spills need to be better understood. For example, little is known about the effect of crude oil and dispersed oil on beach filtration and the effect of oil-related reduction of beach pore water flows on oil transport and microbial degradation within the sandy sediment. In addition, it is not clear how sediment clogging impacts the structure and function of indigenous microbial communities. Research is needed to better understand the impacts of the oil spill on sensitive habitats (e.g., wetlands, seagrass beds, beaches) and the biota that inhabit these habitats or are dependent upon them. There is a need to better assess the impact of the oil spill on the functions associated with shoreline and coastal ecosystems including changes in ecosystem function resulting from nutrient enrichment, dissolved oxygen depletion, or disruption of other basic ecosystem processes. Improving the characterization of the complex oil-dispersant/agent/measures interaction and its impact on the assessment and prediction of ecological effects is an area that needs better understanding. In addition, the environmental transformation of oil with particular emphasis on the weathering processes as they influence the toxicity of oil and its impact on the ecosystem should be better characterized.
The outputs of this research may include: (1) identification and characterization of environmentally benign dispersants/agents/measures with enhanced affinity for oil; (2) generation and validation of predictive models of environmental fate, behavior, bioavailability and effects for environmentally relevant oils and dispersants/agents/measures through key environmental pathways (i.e., source – pathway – receptor); (3) development of novel tools/methods for coastal remediation and restoration; and (4) optimization of innovative technologies based on chemical, physical, and biological approaches for effective cleanup of the environment impacted by oil spills.
The anticipated outcomes of this research will be a greater understanding of the environmental exposure, bioavailability, effects and risk to underpin appropriate management responses to oil spills.
E. Community Outreach Plan/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
In addition to addressing the research objectives described above in Section I.D, all applications must include a plan for how the applicant will work with and involve at least 4 Gulf Coast communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in designing and participating in the research project described in Section I.D. The plan must also address how the applicant will work with and involve these communities in disseminating the results of the research project to interested stakeholders. For each individual award, a minimum of 15 percent and a maximum of 40 percent of total requested funds must be allocated for these activities. Successful applicants may, among other things, award subgrants to community based non-profit organizations and/or pay stipends to community members who serve on advisory committees or otherwise actively participate in the research project to meet this requirement.
The objective of the outreach component of the research project is to ensure that communities are involved in designing and participating in the research, and disseminating its results, to enable communities to be better able to understand the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This should include obtaining input from communities to identify areas that should be studied within the research topics described in Section I.D and obtaining community input on how best to disseminate the research results to interested stakeholders. The outreach plan should also discuss how the applicant will work collaboratively with the communities to provide technical assistance to ensure that the communities have the capability to be engaged in the research and understand its results (see section IV.B.6).
Please note that because Congress has specified the type of research studies that EPA must fund with the $2 million fiscal year 2010 supplemental appropriation that will finance the grants awarded under this RFA (those described in I.D), all projects and activities EPA will fund under this announcement, including the community outreach component, must be consistent with one or more of the research areas described in Section I.D (see section IV.B.6).
The outputs of the outreach plan may include the establishment of an effective outreach program to ensure that the successful applicant’s research project responds to the needs of communities impacted by oil spills.
The anticipated outcomes of the outreach will be a greater understanding of the social and economic effects of oil spills on communities and the empowerment of these communities to more actively participate in the decision making process related to the mitigation of the environmental impacts as well as an improved ability to respond to future oil spills.
F. Special Requirements
Agency policy and ethical considerations prevent EPA technical staff and managers from providing applicants with information that may create an unfair competitive advantage. Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise, and/or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs. EPA employees cannot endorse any particular application.
Multiple Investigator applications may be submitted as: (1) a single Lead Principal Investigator (PI) application with Co-PI(s) or (2) a Multiple PI application (with a single Contact PI). If you choose to submit a Multiple PI application, you must follow the specific instructions provided in Sections IV. and V. of this RFA. For further information, please see the EPA Implementation Plan for Policy on Multiple Principal Investigators (http://rbm.nih.gov/toolkit.htm).
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.
Up to a total of $2 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds and quality of applications received. The EPA anticipates funding four awards under this RFA. Each applicant may request, for research and community outreach activities, up to a total of $500,000 including direct and indirect costs. For each individual award, a minimum of 15 percent and a maximum of 40 percent of the total requested funds must be allocated for community outreach as described in Section I.E. The total project period requested in an application submitted for this RFA may not exceed three years.
EPA may award both grants and cooperative agreements 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.
Where appropriate, based on consideration of the nature of the proposed project relative to the EPA’s intramural research program and available resources, the EPA may award cooperative agreements under this announcement. When addressing a research question/problem of common interest, collaborations between EPA scientists and the institution’s principal investigators are permitted under a cooperative agreement. These collaborations may include data and information exchange, providing technical input to experimental design and theoretical development, coordinating extramural research with in-house activities, the refinement of valuation endpoints, and joint authorship of journal articles on these activities. Proposals may not identify EPA cooperators or interactions; specific interactions between EPA’s investigators and those of the prospective recipient for cooperative agreements will be negotiated at the time of award.
A. Eligible Applicants
Universities and Colleges (ie public and private institutions of higher education including not for profit research foundations/organizations affiliated with such colleges and universities) located in the U.S are eligible to apply. Proprietary, for profit educational institutions are not eligible.
Not for profit organizations, state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are not eligible to apply under this RFA. Profit-making firms are not eligible to receive assistance agreements from the EPA under this program.
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 to the extent authorized by law. 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 James Gentry (gentry.james@epa.gov) in NCER, phone: 703-347-8093.
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 submitted through grants.gov or by other authorized alternate means (see Section IV.E. “Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements” for further information) 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, or not adhering to the allocation amounts for the community outreach program, as described herein will be returned without review.
Failure to comply with any of the following requirements will also result in rejection of the application:
- Applicants must submit a community outreach program plan as described in Section I.E that identifies a minimum of four Gulf Coast communities impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
- The overall research study must directly relate to the potential human and environmental risks and impacts of the release of crude oil and address one or more of the research objectives described in Section I.D.
Applications deemed ineligible for funding consideration will be notified within fifteen calendar days of the ineligibility determination.
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Formal instructions for submission through Grants.gov follow in Section E.
A. Internet Address to Request Application Package
Use the application package available at Grants.gov (see Section E. “Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements”). Note: With the exception of the current and pending support form (available at http://epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms), all necessary forms are included in the electronic application package.
An email will be sent by NCER to the Lead/Contact PI 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 Section E. “Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements” for additional information regarding the application receipt acknowledgment.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
The application is made by submitting the materials described below. Applications must contain all information requested and be submitted in the formats described.
- Standard Form 424
The applicant must complete Standard Form 424. 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 SF-424, not simply the proposed first year expenses.) The form must contain the signature of an authorized representative of the applying organization.
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," does not apply to the Office of Research and Development's research and training programs unless EPA has determined that the activities that will be carried out under the applicants' proposal (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.
If EPA determines that Executive Order 12372 applies to an applicant's proposal, the applicant must follow the procedures in 40 CFR Part 29. The applicant must notify their state's single point of contact (SPOC). To determine whether their state participates in this process, and how to comply, applicants should consult http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/. If an applicant is in a State that does not have a SPOC, or the State has not selected research and development grants for intergovernmental review, the applicant must notify directly affected State, area wide, regional and local entities of its proposal.
EPA will notify the successful applicant(s) if Executive Order 12372 applies to its proposal prior to award.
- Key Contacts
The applicant must complete the "Key Contacts" form found in the Grants.gov application package. An "Additional Key Contacts" form is also available at http://epa.govhttps://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 investigators). Do not include information for consultants or other contractors. Please make certain that all contact information is accurate.
For Multiple PI applications: The Additional Key Contacts form must be completed (see Section I.F. for further information). Note: The Contact PI must be affiliated with the institution submitting the application. EPA will direct all communications related to scientific, technical, and budgetary aspects of the project to the Contact PI; however, any information regarding an application will be shared with any PI upon request. The Contact PI is to be listed on the Key Contact Form as the Project Manager/Principal Investigator (the term Project Manager is used on the Grants.gov form, the term Principal Investigator is used on the form located on NCER's web site). For additional PIs, complete the Major Co-Investigator fields and identify PI status next to the name (e.g., "Name: John Smith, Principal Investigator").
- Table of Contents
Provide a list of the major subdivisions of the application indicating the page number on which each section begins.
- 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 and community outreach 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.
- Funding Opportunity Title and Number for this proposal.
- 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, use more commonly understood terminology. Do not use general phrases such as "research on."
- Investigators: For applications with multiple investigators, state whether this is a single Lead PI (with co-PIs) or Multiple PI application (see Section I.F.). For Lead PI applications, list the Lead PI, then the name(s) of each co-PI who will significantly contribute to the project. For Multiple PI applications, list the Contact PI, then the name(s) of each additional PI. Provide a web site URL or an email contact address for additional information.
- 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.
- Project Period and Location: Show the proposed project beginning and ending dates and the geographical location(s) where the work will be conducted.
- Project Cost: Show the total dollars requested from the EPA (include direct and indirect costs for all years).
- Project Summary: Provide three subsections addressing: (1) the objectives of the study (including any hypotheses that will be tested), (2) the experimental and community outreach approach to be used (a description of the proposed project), and (3) the expected results (outputs/outcomes) of the project and how it addresses the research and community outreach 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.
- 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: http://epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms.
- Research Plan, Quality Assurance Statement, Data Plan and References
- Research Plan (15 pages)
Applications should focus on a limited number of research objectives that adequately and clearly demonstrate that they meet the RFA's research 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:
- 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. 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.
- Approach/Activities: Outline the research design, methods, and techniques that you intend to use in meeting the objectives stated above.
- 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.
- General Project Information: Discuss other information relevant to the potential success of the project. This should include facilities, personnel expertise/experience, project schedules with associated milestones and target dates, 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.
- Appendices may be included but must remain within the 15-page limit.
- Quality Assurance Statement (3 pages)
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.
NOTE: If selected for award, applicants will be expected to provide additional quality assurance documentation.
Address each applicable 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. (Not all will apply.)
- 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.)
- 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.
- Address each of the following project elements as applicable:
- 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.)- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Use of existing/secondary data (i.e., data previously collected for other purposes or from other sources):
- Identify the types of secondary data needed to satisfy the project objectives. Specify requirements relating to the type of data, the age of data, geographical representation, temporal representation, and technological representation, as applicable.
- Specify the source(s) of the secondary data and discuss the rationale for selection.
- Establish a plan to identify the sources of the secondary data in all deliverables/products.
- Specify quality requirements and discuss the appropriateness for their intended use. Accuracy, precision, representativeness, completeness, and comparability need to be addressed, if applicable.
- Describe the procedures for determining the quality of the secondary data.
- Describe the plan for data management/integrity.
- 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.
- 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.)- 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.
- Discuss verification techniques to ensure the source code implements the model correctly.
- Discuss validation techniques to determine that the model (assumptions and algorithms) captures the essential phenomena with adequate fidelity.
- Discuss plans for long-term maintenance of the model and associated data.
- 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.)- Describe the overall purpose and anticipated impact of the technology.
- Describe the technical and quality specifications of each technology component or process that is to be designed, fabricated, constructed, and/or operated.
- Discuss the procedure to be used for documenting and controlling design changes.
- 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.
- Discuss the documentation requirements for operating instructions/guides for maintenance and use of the system(s) and/or process(s).
- 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).
- Collection of new/primary data:
- 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.
- Data Plan (2 pages)
Provide 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.
- References: References cited are in addition to other page limits (e.g. research plan, quality assurance statement, data plan)
- Research Plan (15 pages)
- Community Outreach Program Plan and References
- Community Outreach Program Plan (8 pages)
This plan should focus on how the applicant will meet the RFA's objectives and provisions for community outreach as described in Section I.E. Explicitly describe the process to be employed to obtain the input of at least 4 Gulf Coast communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in designing and participating in the research project described in Section I.D and how the applicant will work with and involve these communities in disseminating the results of the research project to interested stakeholders. For each individual award, a minimum of 15 percent and a maximum of 40 percent of total requested funds must be allocated for these activities. Successful applicants may, among other things, award subgrants to community based non-profit organizations and/or pay stipends to community members who serve on advisory committees or otherwise actively participate in the research project to meet this requirement.
Please note that because Congress has specified the type of research studies that EPA must fund with the $2 million fiscal year 2010 supplemental appropriation that will finance the grants awarded under this RFA (those described in I.D), all projects and activities EPA will fund under this announcement, including the community outreach component, must be consistent with one or more of the research areas described in Section I.D.
This description must not exceed eight (8) 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.
In addition to addressing the issues described above and in Section I.E, the community outreach plan should also provide the following information:
- Provide information that explains the objectives of the effort and how the plan addresses the objectives described in Section I.E.
- List the communities you have decided to involve in the community outreach efforts and the approach used to select them.
- Identify and discuss significant human health and environmental risks posed to selected Communities by the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill.
- Discuss how you intend to ensure that the communities can effectively participate in the design and performance of the research project and use and disseminate the results to mitigate significant human health and environmental risks and describe the methods, techniques, and approaches you propose to use to accomplish this including providing technical assistance to the communities.
- Describe the results you expect to achieve through the outreach component (outputs) and the potential benefits of the outreach (outcomes) to the communities and other interested stakeholders.
- Discuss any other information relevant to the objectives of the outreach component and the potential success of the outreach. This should include facilities, personnel expertise/experience, project schedules with associated milestones and target dates, proposed management, interactions with other organizations, 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.
- Appendices may be included but must remain within the eight-page limit.
- References: References cited are in addition to the eight-page limitation for this section.
- Community Outreach Program Plan (8 pages)
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Budget
Prepare a master budget table using "SF-424A Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs" (aka SF-424A), available in the Grants.gov electronic application package and also at http://epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. Only complete "Section B-Budget Categories". Provide the object class budget category (a. - k.) amounts for each budget year under the "Grant Program, Function or Activity" heading. Each column reflects a separate budget year. For example, Column (1) reflects budget year 1. The total budget will be automatically tabulated in column (5).
Also provide separate SF-424As for the research component and the outreach component. Additional SF-424As may be downloaded at http://epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. Attach the additional SF-424As to the Project Narrative (see Section IV.E. "Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements").
If a subaward, s
- Budget
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.