Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
Notice of availability of funds.
The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) invites applications for the establishment of a Great Lakes (GL) Cooperative Institute (CI). The Great Lakes are one of the Nation's most important aquatic resources from an economic, geographic, international, ecological, and societal perspective. U.S. support for Great Lakes activities is described in Executive Order 13340. Activities associated with the proposed Cooperative Institute will provide the necessary capabilities to complement NOAA's current and planned activities in the region in support of the 5-year Research Plan and the 20-year Research Vision. The CI will be regional in scope and will consist of a group of research institutions with expertise and capabilities in the NOAA priority areas. This institute will facilitate a long-term collaborative environment between NOAA and the recipients within which broad-based research, prototype development, and education and outreach capabilities that focus on the priorities in the Great Lakes region can be developed and sustained.
Proposals must be received by the OAR no later than 5 p.m., E.T., September 18, 2006. Proposals submitted after that date will not be considered.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online through the Grants.gov Web site (
For a copy of the Federal funding opportunity announcement and/or application kit, access it at Grants.gov, via NOAA's Web site, or by contacting Dr. John Cortinas, 1315 East West Highway, Room 11152, Silver Spring, Md. 20910 telephone 301–713–9397 x 206. Facsimile: (301) 713–3515; e-mail:
A CI is a NOAA-supported, non-federal organization that has established an outstanding research program in one or more areas that are relevant to the NOAA mission. CIs are established at research institutions that also have a strong education program with established graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences. The CI provides significant coordination of resources among all non-government partners and promotes the involvement of students and postdoctoral scientists in NOAA-funded research. The CI provides mutual benefits with value provided by all parties.
NOAA has identified the need to establish a CI to focus on scientific research associated with the Great Lakes region in support of NOAA's Strategic Plan, NOAA's 5-year Research Plan, and NOAA's 20-year Research Vision and a recent regional collaboration strategy in the Great Lakes, as ordered by Executive Order (EO) 13340. The EO has identified eight areas that must be addressed to restore and maintain the Great Lakes: Aquatic Invasions, Habitat/Species, Coastal Health, Sediments, Non-Point Sources, Toxic Pollutants, Indicators, and Sustainable Development. As a partner in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, the CI will also collaborate with NOAA to conduct research that will enable NOAA to develop tools, support the Great Lakes Observing System, and to assist in the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes.
The scope of NOAA's work in the Great Lakes exceeds that of the regional collaboration. NOAA has many congressional mandates
Proposals submitted to the NOAA Cooperative Institute Program must include elements requested in the full Federal Funding Opportunity announcement on the grants.gov portal. Proposals, electronic or paper, should be no more than 75 pages (numbered) in length, excluding budget, investigators vitae, and all appendices. Federally mandated forms are not included within the page count. Facsimile transmissions and electronic mail submission of full proposals will not be accepted.
15 U.S.C. 313, 15 U.S.C. 1540; 15 U.S.C. 2901 et. seq., 16 U.S.C. 753a, 33 U.S.C. 883d, 33 U.S.C. 1442, 49 U.S.C. 44720 (b), 118 Stat. 71 (January 23, 2004).
Proposals will be evaluated using the standard NOAA evaluation criteria. Various questions under each criterion are included to ensure that the applicant includes information that NOAA will consider important during the evaluation, in addition to any other information provided by the applicant.
1.
• Does the proposal include research goals and projects that address the critical issues identified in NOAA's 5-year Research Plan, NOAA's Strategic Plan, and the priorities described in the federal funding opportunity announcement published at
• Is there a demonstrated commitment (in terms of resources and facilities) to enhance existing NOAA and CI resources to foster a long-term collaborative research environment/culture?
• Is there a strong education program with established graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences that also encourage student participation in NOAA-related research studies?
• Will most of the staff at the CI be located near a NOAA facility, particularly the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to enhance collaborations with NOAA?
2.
• Does the project description include a summary of clearly stated goals to be achieved during the five-year period that reflect NOAA's strategic plan and goals?
• Does the CI involve partnerships with other universities or research institutions, including Minority Serving Institutions and universities with strong departments that can contribute to the proposed activities of the CI?
3.
• If the institution(s) and/or principal investigators have received current or recent NOAA funding, is there a demonstrated record of outstanding performance working with NOAA scientists on research projects?
• Is there internationally recognized expertise within the appropriate disciplines needed to conduct the collaborative/interdisciplinary research described in the proposal?
• Is there a well-developed business plan that includes fiscal and human resource management as well as strategic planning and accountability?
• Are there any unique capabilities in a mission-critical area of research for NOAA?
• Has the applicant shown a substantial investment to the NOAA partnership, as demonstrated by the amount of the cost sharing contribution?
4.
5.
An initial administrative review/screening is conducted to determine compliance with requirements/completeness. All proposals will be evaluated and individually ranked in accordance with the assigned weights of the above evaluation criteria by an independent peer panel review. At least three experts, who may be Federal or non-Federal, will be used in this process. If non-Federal experts participate in the review process, each expert will submit an individual review and there will be no consensus opinion. The merit reviewers' ratings are used to produce a rank order of the proposals. The Selection Official selects proposals after considering the peer panel reviews and selection factors listed below. In making the final selections, the Selecting Official will award in rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the selection factors.
The merit review ratings shall provide a rank order to the Selecting Official for final funding recommendations. The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the following factors:
1. Availability of funding.
2. Balance/distribution of funds:
a. Geographically.
b. By type of institutions.
c. By type of partners.
d. By research areas.
e. By project types.
3. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA or other Federal agencies.
4. Program priorities and policy factors.
5. Applicant's prior award performance.
6. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups.
7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a NEPA determination and draft necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to the Grants Officer.
Applicants must comply with all requirements contained in the full
Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under their description of their program activities, applicants are required to provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (
The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the
Because notice and opportunity for comments are not required pursuant to U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601