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
Indoor Air and Climate Change
This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Number:
EPA-G2014-STAR-A1: INDOOR AIR AND CLIMATE CHANGE
EPA-G2014-STAR-A2: Early Career Projects: INDOOR AIR AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509
Solicitation Opening Date: October 23, 2013
Solicitation Closing Date: January 23, 2014, 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time
Eligibility Contact: Ron Josephson (josephson.ron@epa.gov); phone: 703-308-0442
Electronic Submissions: Todd Peterson (peterson.todd@epa.gov); phone: 703-308-7224
Technical Contact: Vito Ilacqua, PhD (ilacqua.vito@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-0261
Access Standard STAR Forms (Forms and Standard Instructions Download Page)
View research awarded under previous solicitations (Funding Opportunities: Archive Page)
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 research to improve understanding of the effects of climate change on indoor air quality and the resulting health effects. EPA is interested in supporting research that will explore the anticipated effects of climate change on indoor air quality directly through a variety of mechanisms, and indirectly through adaptations in building use and design.
This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. Human subjects research supported by the EPA is governed by EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 (Protection of Human Subjects). This includes the Common Rule at subpart A and prohibitions and additional protections for pregnant women and fetuses, nursing women, and children at subparts B, C, and D. Research meeting the regulatory definition of intentional exposure research found in subpart B is prohibited by that subpart in pregnant women, nursing women, and children. Research meeting the regulatory definition of observational research found in subparts C and D is subject to the additional protections found in those subparts for pregnant women and fetuses (subpart C) and children (subpart D). All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS, as described in Section IV.B.5.c), and if the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.C and V.D of this solicitation.
Guidance and training for investigators conducting EPA-funded research involving human subjects may be obtained here:
Ethics, Regulations, and Policies
Human Subjects Research at the Environmental Protection Agency: Ethical Standards and Regulatory Requirements
In addition to regular awards, this solicitation includes the opportunity for early career projects. The purpose of the early career award is to fund research projects smaller in scope and budget by early career PIs. Please see Section III of this Request for Applications (RFA) for details on the early career eligibility criteria.
Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant or Cooperative agreement
Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately 3 regular awardsand 3 early career awards.
Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $4.5 million total for all awards
Potential Funding per Award: Up to a total of $1,000,000 for regular awards, and $500,000 for early career awards, 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.
Special eligibility criteria apply to the early career project portion of this RFA. 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, Forms and Standard Instructions Download Page
If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one month to complete the registration process. Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a DUNS number and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. 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, send a webmail message 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 emailed 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: Ron Josephson (josephson.ron@epa.gov); phone: 703-308-0442
Electronic Submissions: Todd Peterson (peterson.todd@epa.gov); phone: 703-308-7224
Technical Contact: Vito Ilacqua, PhD (ilacqua.vito@epa.gov); phone: 703-347-0261
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
A. Introduction
One of the high-priority research areas identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) involves the interaction between issues of air quality, climate, and energy, which can impact human health and the environment. To advance its statutory mission, and recognizing the continuity between indoor and outdoor air quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), announces an extramural funding competition supporting research to improve understanding of the effects of climate change on indoor air quality and the resulting health effects. EPA is interested in supporting research that will explore the anticipated effects of climate change on indoor air quality directly through a variety of mechanisms, and indirectly through adaptations in building use and design.
This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. Human subjects research supported by the EPA is governed by EPA Regulation 40 CFR Part 26 (Protection of Human Subjects). This includes the Common Rule at subpart A and prohibitions and additional protections for pregnant women and fetuses, nursing women, and children at subparts B, C, and D. Research meeting the regulatory definition of intentional exposure research found in subpart B is prohibited by that subpart in pregnant women, nursing women, and children. Research meeting the regulatory definition of observational research found in subparts C and D is subject to the additional protections found in those subparts for pregnant women and fetuses (subpart C) and children (subpart D). All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS, as described in Section IV.B.5.c), and if the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.C and V.D of this solicitation.
Guidance and training for investigators conducting EPA-funded research involving human subjects may be obtained here:
Ethics, Regulations, and Policies
Human Subjects Research at the Environmental Protection Agency: Ethical Standards and Regulatory Requirements
In addition to regular awards, this solicitation includes the opportunity for early career projects. The purpose of the early career award is to fund research projects smaller in scope and budget by early career PIs. Please see Section III of this RFA for details on the early career eligibility criteria.
B. Background
The influence of indoor air quality on health is quite established, since most people in developed countries spend the vast majority of their time (approximately 90%) in indoor environments (Klepeis, 2001), and experience their exposures there. The connection between climate change and indoor air quality, on the other hand, may not be immediately obvious, as one of the primary goals of buildings is to shelter their occupants from undesirable variations in the surrounding environment. Further consideration, however, readily provides reasons to expect that indoor environments be affected by a changing climate. While buildings can be thought of as chemical and physical reactors that modify the characteristics of outdoor air to meet human preferences, they do not completely shelter their occupants from changes in outdoor air quality. Some of the modifications imposed by unpleasant outdoor conditions also require trade-offs in other parameters (e.g. optimal temperature vs. humidity), or additional energy demands. In fact, the increasing need for energy to maintain acceptable indoor air quality creates additional risks in case of failure of building systems (heating, ventilation, air conditioning). As climate changes are projected to increase power outages, for example, occupants of buildings incapable of adequate natural ventilation would be at risk of acute exposures to indoor air pollutants (IOM, 2011). Furthermore, by design (e.g. ASHRAE, 2007), buildings are intended to interact with air under the assumption of a static climate; their specifications are appropriate for the climatic conditions prevailing at the beginning of their useful lifetime, but not necessarily throughout a time period spanning several decades, during which important climatic changes may occur (IPCC, 2007). Finally, it is possible that strategies adopted in response to a changing climate might result in different, unintended exposures.
In 2010, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies released a report (available at Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health 
) that concluded climate change may worsen existing indoor environmental problems and introduce new ones. The same report identified a research gap at the intersection of indoor air quality, climate change and environmental health, despite the considerable literature available in each of these areas. Taking indoor humidity as a basic example, it has long been known how indoor relative humidity is associated with health effects (Bornehag et al, 2001), influencing parameters such as infectious disease transmission (Huq, 1976) and levels of some allergens (Arlian, 1992). There are also reasonable models predicting trends in mean outdoor humidity levels, at least for some regions (Seager et al, 2007). Yet, it is not clear how a changing climate, along with any energy-efficiency adaptation responses, will affect relative humidity indoors and, potentially, public health.
A changing climate could affect the indoor environment in a number of different ways, apart from affecting relative humidity, and there have been attempts to categorize them systematically (deWilde and Coley, 2012). To understand the potential effects of climate change on health through indoor environments, it is helpful to consider a few examples of the different mechanisms that have already been identified, at least qualitatively, in the available literature. The significance of these mechanisms for exposure and health, however, is not always clear (IOM, 2011) and quantitative research is needed to discriminate the more important mechanisms from those of negligible impact. The following lists are not comprehensive and additional mechanisms may emerge as a result of further research.
Climate change has the potential to affect human health in indoor environments directly, e.g. through:
- Changes in temperature extremes leading to direct health effects (Anderson and Bell, 2011) or an increase in heating/air conditioning activity (Scott and Huang, 2007); this, in turn, could increase energy demand and initiate a positive feedback loop, as well as alter outdoor air quality.
- Changes in infiltration and ventilation due to changes in temperature difference and wind patterns, leading to changes in indoor exposure to outdoor air pollutants (Larsen & Heiselberg, 2008).
- Changes in outdoor allergen levels (Blando et al., 2012; Bielory et al., 2012) resulting in changes in indoor allergen levels, with selective effects mediated by buildings.
- Increases in indoor ozone concentrations reflecting higher outdoor ozone concentrations (Jacob and Winner, 2009).
- Increases in extreme precipitation events, floods, and higher sea levels (USGCRP 2009), leading to damage to building integrity, emissions from building material degradation, dampness, and mold exposures (IOM, 2004; Jaakkola and Knight, 2008; Borhehag et al. 2004).
While the above changes may be experienced without deliberate action by building occupants, indoor exposures and health effects may also occur as a result of active adaptations, involving building design and retrofit, or changes in time-activity patterns. Examples could include:
- Changes in pesticide use (Boxall et al. 2009) and ventilation patterns in response to changes in seasonal survival and geographic distribution of disease vectors and indoor pests (Gubler e al, 2001, Chew et al, 2009). These changes may lead to increased body burden for a variety of agents, and correspondingly diverse associated health effects.
- Changes in VOC exposures resulting from increased thermal insulation (Brabauskas et al, 2012), potentially associated to health endpoints that remain poorly explored.
- Changes in exposure to bioaerosols and VOCs resulting from decreased ventilation (Offerman, 2010) and increased relative humidity (IOM, 2004), manifesting in respiratory, neurological, or other morbidity.
- Increases in radon exposure resulting from reduced ventilation when combustion-free (e.g. heat-pumps) or high-efficiency combustion equipment is installed in basements (IOM, 2011).
- Changes in the proportion of time spent outdoors vs. indoors, for some age groups, or in the physical intensity of activities.
Although some of these changes may be small in aggregate for the general population, they could represent much larger and more significant exposures for specific subpopulations. This variability within the general population remains largely uncharacterized (IOM, 2011), and poses significant challenges to the development of guidelines for adaptations that would be broadly applicable to protect public health. For instance, an increase in the frequency and severity of heat episodes represents a greater threat for those without residential air conditioning, whether because of cost or because they live in regions that have not historically had much use for it. In general, indicators of socioeconomic deprivation predict vulnerability to heat stress (Reid et al., 2009, Uejio et al., 2011). This apparently intuitive association, however, is not necessarily generalizable to other relevant stressors, making predictions of vulnerability more complex than socioeconomic analysis. For instance, people in lower-income housing often experience lower wintertime exposure to dust mite allergens as a result of low humidity in overheated indoor apartments (Olmedo et al. 2011, Chew et al. 1999); conversely, people residing in (generally more expensive) waterfront property may encounter more intense moisture management and material degradation issues as a result of increased stresses on their buildings (Herrington, 2003).
The responses of people adapting to a changing climate add another layer of complexity to the analysis of impacts of climate change on health in indoor environments. Faced with increased temperature extremes, a predictable response is to reduce the cost of maintaining acceptable indoor conditions, by making buildings more energy efficient. Weatherization guidelines have been developed (e.g. DOE, 2010; US EPA, 2011) that emphasize energy efficiency by reducing unwanted radiative and convective losses. With buildings consuming more than 40% of all energy use in the US, 55% of it just for heating and cooling, (CAEF, 2010) this emphasis is certainly appropriate in the context of climate change mitigation and energy sustainability. As a result of this approach, however, decreases in ventilation rates and increases in pressurization are expected in many buildings, based on actual measurements (IOM, 2011). Although general recommendations are offered to maintain ventilation at levels compatible with comfort, as suggested by industry best practices (ASHRAE, 2010), it is not known how well these may be adhered to in actual implementation. In fact, even without considering weatherization interventions, ventilation levels below recommended thresholds are prevalent (Offerman, 2010). Therefore, weatherization guidelines remain largely untested in their application in the general population, from the perspective of potential unintended effects on human health (IOM, 2011; Hemsath et al. 2012).
The need for health-driven assessment of weatherization guidelines is made more acute by the paucity of empirical studies evaluating the relationship between ventilation and health outcomes (Fisk et al. 2012; Wargocki et al., 2002). Clarifying this relationship could provide the necessary link for empirical models that could more easily and cost-effectively assess the health impact of many building modifications adopted in response to a changing climate. What is known from the few available studies about the health-ventilation relationship is often confined to associations in workplace environments and limited to outcome measures of productivity or self-reported symptoms. The available limited evidence, however, suggests that ventilation below some thresholds is associated with higher respiratory infection rates and other symptoms, such as asthma, allergy, and inflammation (Sundell et al. 2011, Sun et al. 2011). These suggestions may not apply outside colder climates. In fact, for hot and humid environments, empirical research on the association between health and ventilation is especially lacking; a similar deficiency applies to research in buildings other than offices (Sundell et al. 2011). In addition, current ventilation guidelines are based on the assumption of better air quality outdoors than indoors. Where such environmental assumptions do not apply, there may be a need to develop alternative recommendations based on health.
The limited characterization of competing health risks of indoor and outdoor generated pollutants; the lack of broad understanding about the relationship between ventilation and health; and, finally, the unknown degree of actual compliance with suggested ventilation guidelines are all factors that make yet another theoretical analysis less valuable to advance the state of the knowledge than a systematic empirical approach. More general epidemiological analyses of the relationship between ventilation and broader outcomes of health, in particular, would provide critical support to assess and refine weatherization guidelines before they are implemented in a majority of buildings in response to a changing climate.
The specific Strategic Goal and Objective from the EPA’s Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are:
Goal 1: Taking Action on Climate Change and Improving Air Quality, Objective 1.1: Address Climate Change, and Objective 1.2: Improve Air Quality
More information can be found in EPA’s FY 2011-2015 Strategic Plan
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).
Note that a project’s focus is to consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA’s financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed 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 depending on which statute(s) is listed above. 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.
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, OMB Circular A-87 (Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments) relocated to 2 CFR Part 225, and OMB Circular A-122 (Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations) relocated to 2 CFR Part 230.
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 activit(ies) that is related to an environmental or health-related objective.
Proposals should address the following research area connecting climate change, indoor environments, and health:
- Exploration of the relationship linking health effects to combinations of building and climate characteristics. A priority is the evaluation of existing guidelines for building system design or for weatherization to adapt buildings to a changing climate, against empirical evidence of health effects related to ventilation, or at least against ventilation models and findings. Intentional and unintended changes to the indoor environment (e.g. temperature, humidity, ventilation, materials, radiative balance, rate of material degradation), with emphasis on actionable thresholds, that affect biocontaminants or emissions from building materials are especially of interest, if they can be related to changes in exposure or health of occupants.
In addition, if appropriate, applicants may choose to address one or both of the following optional research areas:
- Characterization of behavioral modifications and changes in population time-activity patterns in response to changing climate conditions that would result in altered exposures to existing or anticipated agents, in both indoor and outdoor environments. Changes in the use of buildings are especially of interest, such as patterns of use of natural (e.g. windows) vs. mechanical ventilation, or use of air conditioning. Other examples of modifications of particular interest include, but are not limited to, changes in time spent outdoors vs. indoors, changes in intensity of activity, and changes in residential use of pesticides. The exploration of non-traditional data sources (e.g mobile phone geolocation, social media) is encouraged, in addition to existing time-activity databases.
- Extension of existing building ventilation models to consider multiple building types and newer, more energy efficient designs (e.g. LEED, Net Zero), or evaluation of existing models of building ventilation using independent data sets. In either case, it is crucial to understand how these models would perform when buildings operate under future climate scenarios that differ from their design tolerance. The evaluation of such models should address regional climatic variability and advance the understanding of indoor exposures to indoor and outdoor air pollution.
It is important that proposed research in any of the above areas be developed with explicit consideration of populations at risk (vulnerable or susceptible). In this context, these can be broadly defined as groups or individuals who are likely to experience the higher range of expected exposures (e.g. because of location, behavior, or socio-economic status), or who might be less able to implement adaptations (e.g. re-location, weatherization, energy use), or who might display more sensitive biological responses to exposures (e.g. because of age, genotype, disease status).
In consideration of the expected regional heterogeneity in both the climatic changes and the building characteristics and use, research goals should incorporate the characterization of variability in terms of either geographic location or of present/future climatic zone.
The simple development or improvement of ventilation or exposure models without consideration for variable climate scenarios or health implications is not considered adequately innovative or responsive for this solicitation.
Interdisciplinary studies integrating atmospheric and health scientists with architects and architectural engineers are strongly encouraged, as the findings are more likely to take into account real world exposure contexts and building design trends.
Expected outputs include reports, presentations, and articles in peer-reviewed journals summarizing data and analyses of value to local and regional planners and health officials. These could take the form, for example, of epidemiological studies assessing the association of health effects with specific combinations of building and climate characteristics; thorough evaluations of the health implications of specific weatherization guidelines under a range of climate scenarios; updated recommended exposure factors for indoor and outdoor air pollutants; or performance analyses of new or existing building ventilation models under conditions different from those considered at building design. Expected outcomes of this research solicitation include an improved understanding of the health effects of climate change mediated by indoor environments and a better understanding of the effects of indoor air quality on health, potentially leading to empirically-tested guidelines for adaptation to climate change and healthier building system designs.
To the extent practicable, research proposals must embody sustainability. The concept of sustainability is based on language in the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). This definition is reiterated in Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environment, Energy, and Economic Performance, stating that the goal of sustainability is to, “create and maintain conditions, under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.” Research proposals must include a discussion on how the proposed research will seek sustainable solutions that protect the environment and strengthen our communities (see Section IV.B.5.a). ORD will draw from the above-mentioned sustainability definition in the review/evaluation process of recommending research proposals (see Section V.A).
In this context, sustainability analysis might involve, for instance, considerations of building energy use, of resilience to weather disaster scenarios, or of competing individual vs. public health goals in building ventilation.
E. References
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc, ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, Atlanta, GA, 2007
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc, Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction, and Commissioning, Atlanta, GA, 2010
Anderson, G. B., & Bell, M. L. Heat waves in the United States: mortality risk during heat waves and effect modification by heat wave characteristics in 43 US communities. Environmental Health Perspectives, 119(2), 210 (2011).
Arlian, Larry G. "Water balance and humidity requirements of house dust mites." Experimental and Applied Acarology 16.(1): 15-35 (1992)
Babrauskas V, Lucas D, Eisenberg D, Singla V, Dedeo M, & Blum A, Flame retardants in building insulation: a case for re-evaluating building codes, Building Research & Information, 40(6):738 (2012).
Bielory, Leonard, Kevin Lyons, and Robert Goldberg. "Climate Change and Allergic Disease." Current allergy and asthma reports 1-10 (2012).
Blando, J.; Bielory, L.; Nguyen, V.; Diaz, R.; Jeng, H.A. Anthropogenic Climate Change and Allergic Diseases. Atmosphere, 3, 200-212 (2012).
Bornehag, Carl-Gustaf, et al. "Dampness in buildings and health." Indoor air 11.2 72-86 (2001):.
Bornehag, C‐G., Jan Sundell, and T. Sigsgaard. "Dampness in buildings and health (DBH): Report from an ongoing epidemiological investigation on the association between indoor environmental factors and health effects among children in Sweden." Indoor Air 14.s7 59-66 (2004).
Boxall, Alistair BA, et al. "Impacts of climate change on indirect human exposure to pathogens and chemicals from agriculture." Environmental Health Perspectives 117.4 508 (2009).
(CAEF) Committee on America's Energy Future. America's Energy Future: Technology and Transformation. National Academy Press, 2010.
Chew GL, Higgins KM, Gold DR, Muilenberg ML, Burge HA. Monthly measurements of indoor allergens and the influence of housing type in a northeastern US city. Allergy 54:1058–1066 (1999)
Chew, G. L., Reardon, A. M., Correa, J. C., Young, M., Acosta, L., Mellins, R., ... & Perzanowski, M. S. Mite sensitization among Latina women in New York, where dust‐mite allergen levels are typically low. Indoor air, 19(3), 193-197 (2009).
Christopher K. Uejio, Olga V. Wilhelmi, Jay S. Golden, David M. Mills, Sam P. Gulino, Jason P. Samenow, Intra-urban societal vulnerability to extreme heat: The role of heat exposure and the built environment, socioeconomics, and neighborhood stability, Health and Place, 17(2):498-507
de Wilde, Pieter, and David Coley. "The implications of a changing climate for buildings." Building and Environment (2012).
DOE, Workforce Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades, Available at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/building_america/ns/eemtg032011_plenlary5_workforce_guidelines.pdf (accessed 1 February 2012), 2010
Fisk, William J., Douglas Black, and Gregory Brunner. "Changing ventilation rates in US offices: Implications for health, work performance, energy, and associated economics." Building and Environment 47 368-372 (2012)
Gubler, D. J., Reiter, P., Ebi, K. L., Yap, W., Nasci, R., & Patz, J. A. Climate variability and change in the United States: potential impacts on vector-and rodent-borne diseases. Environmental health perspectives, 109(Suppl 2), 223 (2001).
Hemsath, Timothy L., et al. "A review of possible health concerns associated with zero net energy homes." Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 1-12. (2012)
Herrington, T.O.. Manual for Coastal Hazard Mitigation, NJSG-03-0511, New Jersey Sea Grant College Program, 2003
Huq, Farida. "Effect of temperature and relative humidity on variola virus in crusts." Bulletin of the World Health Organization 54.6 710 (1976).
Institute of Medicine, Committee on Damp Indoor Spaces. Damp indoor spaces and health. National Academy Press, 2004.
Institute Of Medicine. Climate Change, the Indoor Environment, and Health. National Academy Press, 2011.
IPCC: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. 2007
Jaakkola, Jouni JK, and Trudy L. Knight. "The role of exposure to phthalates from polyvinyl chloride products in the development of asthma and allergies: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Environmental health perspectives 116.7,845 (2008).
Jacob, Daniel and Winner, Darrell, Effect of climate change on air quality, Atmospheric Environment, 43:51-63 (2009
Klepeis, Neil E., et al. "The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): a resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants." Journal of exposure analysis and environmental epidemiology 11.3 231-252 (2001).
Larsen, Tine S., and Per Heiselberg. "Single-sided natural ventilation driven by wind pressure and temperature difference." Energy and Buildings 40.6 1031-1040 (2008).
Offermann, Francis J. "IAQ Applications in Airtight Homes." ASHRAE Journal 52.11 58 (2010).
Olmedo, Omar, et al. "Neighborhood differences in exposure and sensitization to cockroach, mouse, dust mite, cat, and dog allergens in New York City." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 128.2 284-292 (2011).
Reid, Colleen E., O’Neill, Marie S., Gronlund, Carina J., Brines, Shannon J., Brown, Daniel G., Diez-Roux, Ana V., Mapping community determinants of heat vulnerability, Environmental Health Perspectives,117 (11):1730-1736 (2009)
Scott, Michael J., and Y. Joe Huang. "Effects of climate change on energy use in the United States." Effects of Climate Change on Energy Production and Use in the United States 8-44 (2007).
Seager, Richard, et al. "Model projections of an imminent transition to a more arid climate in southwestern North America." Science 316.5828 1181-1184 (2007).
Sun, Y., Wang, Z., Zhang, Y.and Sundell, J.In China, students in crowded dormitories with a low ventilation rate have more common colds: evidence for airborne transmission, PLoS ONE, 6, e27140 (2011)
Sundell, J., Levin, H., Nazaroff, W.W., Cain, W.S., Fisk, W.J., Grimsrud, D.T., Gyntelberg, F., Li, Y., Persily, A.K., Pickering, A.C., Samet, J.M., Spengler, J.D., Taylor, S.T. and Weschler, C.J.Ventilation rates and health: multidisciplinary review of the scientific literature, Indoor Air, 21, 191–204 (2011).
Uejio, C. K., Wilhelmi, O. V., Golden, J. S., Mills, D. M., Gulino, S. P., & Samenow, J. P. Intra-urban societal vulnerability to extreme heat: The role of heat exposure and the built environment, socioeconomics, and neighborhood stability. Health & Place, 17(2), 498-507 (2011).
US EPA Healthy Indoor Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades, Available at: https://www.epa.gov/iaq/pdfs/epa_retrofit_protocols.pdf (accessed 1 February 2012) 2011.
Wargocki, Pawel, et al. "Ventilation and health in non‐industrial indoor environments: report from a European Multidisciplinary Scientific Consensus Meeting (EUROVEN)." Indoor Air 12.2 113-128 (2002).
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 (Research Business Models Working Group).
Please note: Early career projects will not accommodate a Multiple PI application. Early career projects shall be submitted as a single Lead PI application. Special eligibility criteria apply to the early career portion of this RFA. Please see Section III of this RFA for details on the early career eligibility criteria. The application must include an early career verification (see “Early Career Verification” in Section IV.B.5.e).
This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. There are many scientific and ethical considerations that must be addressed in such studies by the study sponsor and research team, including, but not limited to, those related to recruitment, retention, participant compensation, third-party issues, researcher-participant interactions, researcher-community interactions, communications, interventions, and education. All such research must comply with the requirements of 40 CFR Part 26, and any human observational exposure studies must also adhere to the principles set forth in the Scientific and Ethical Approaches for Observational Exposure Studies (SEAOES) (EPA/600/R-08/062) (PDF) (133 pp, 1.21 MB) document. SEAOES, which was published by researchers in EPA and which discusses the principles for the ethical conduct of human research studies, serves as a resource for applicants interested in applying under this solicitation. References to “SEAOES Principles” in this solicitation refers, in general, to the issues of interest in conducting human subjects research studies that maintain the highest scientific and ethical standards and safety during the conduct of these studies. All applications must include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS; described in Section IV.B.5.c) and if the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.C and V.D of this solicitation.
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 shall include a plan (see “Data Plan” in section IV.B.5.d) to make available to the NCER project officer all data generated (first produced under the award) from observations, analyses, or model development 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.
These awards may involve the collection of “Geospatial Information,” which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.
The application should describe how the expected results will be disseminated, identifying the audiences outside the research community that might benefit most directly from the result of the research (e.g. state and local agencies responsible for building code regulations, organizations of professionals involved in the design or retrofit of energy efficient buildings), and the means (other than scientific publications) proposed to reach such audiences (See Section IV.B.5.a.).
It is anticipated that a total of approximately $4.5 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 3 regular and 3 early career awards under this RFA. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $1,000,000 for regular and $500,000 for early career awards, 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 to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months after the original selection decisions.
In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund proposals/applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund a proposal/application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposal/application, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.
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
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, located at 2 CFR Part 230. However, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c) (4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible to apply.
Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations/institutions 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 to the extent authorized by law. Examples are purchase of satellite data, 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.
The early career projects will support research performed by PIs with outstanding promise at the Assistant Professor or equivalent level. Principal investigators from applicant institutions applying for the early career portion of the RFA must meet the following additional eligibility requirements:
- Hold a doctoral degree in a field related to the research being solicited by the closing date of the RFA;
- Be untenured at the closing date of the RFA;
- By the award date, be employed in a tenure-track position (or tenure-track-equivalent position) as an assistant professor (or equivalent title) at an institution in the U.S., its territories, or possessions. Note: For a position to be considered a tenure-track-equivalent position, it must meet all of the following requirements: (1) the employing department or organization does not offer tenure; (2) the appointment is a continuing appointment; (3) the appointment has substantial educational responsibilities; and (4) the proposed project relates to the employee's career goals and job responsibilities as well as to the goals of the department/organization.
Senior researchers may collaborate in a supporting role for early career projects. Early career applications should not propose significant resources for senior researchers and may not list senior researchers as co-PIs. The application must include an early career verification (see “Early Career Verification” in Section IV.B.5.e).
Potential applicants who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact Ron Josephson (josephson.ron@epa.gov) in NCER, phone: 703-308-0442.
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 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 deemed ineligible for funding consideration will be notified within fifteen calendar days of the ineligibility determination.
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to confidential business information, contracts and subawards under grants, and proposal assistance and communications, can be found at Fiscal Year 2010 Competitive Grant Awards
These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.
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 Forms and Standard Instructions Download Page), 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.
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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 SF424, 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 Dun and Bradstreet
.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 Intergovernmental Review (SPOC List). 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.
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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 Forms and Standard Instructions Download Page. 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 comm
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.