59260 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 193 / Wednesday, October 4, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

Request for Proposals (RFP): Special

Research Grants Program, Potato

Research

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Request for Proposals

and Request for Input.

SUMMARY: The Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service (CSREES) announces the

availability of grant funds and requests

proposals for the Special Research

Grants Program, Potato Research for

fiscal year (FY) 2001. Subject to the

availability of funds, the amount

available for support of this program in

FY 2001 is anticipated to be between

approximately $1,330,000 and

$1,425,000, subject to the enactment of

the appropriations act that provides

funds to CSREES.

This notice sets out the objectives for

these projects, the eligibility criteria for

projects and applicants, the application

procedures, and the set of instructions

needed to apply for a Potato Research

Project grant.

CSREES also is soliciting comments

regarding this request for proposals from

any interested party. These comments

will be considered in the development

of the next request for proposals for this

program. Such comments will be used

in meeting the requirements of section

103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research,

Extension, and Education Reform Act of

1998 (AREERA).

DATES: All proposals must be received at

USDA on or before January 22, 2001.

Proposals not received on or before this

date will not be considered for funding.

User comments are requested within

six months from the issuance of the

request for proposals (RFP). Comments

received after that date will be

considered to the extent practicable (see

Part VII. G.).

ADDRESSES: Proposals should be

submitted to the following mailing

address: Special Research Grants

Program, Potato Research; c/o Proposal

Services Unit; Office of Extramural

Programs; Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service; U.S.

Department of Agriculture; STOP 2245;

1400 Independence Ave., S.W.;

Washington D.C. 20250–2245.

The address for hand-delivered

proposals or proposals submitted using

an express mail or overnight courier

service is: Special Research Grants

Program, Potato Research; c/o Proposal

Services Unit; Office of Extramural

Programs; Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service; U.S.

Department of Agriculture; First Floor,

Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, S.W.;

Washington D.C. 20024. Telephone:

(202) 401–5048.

Written user comments should be

submitted by mail to: Policy and

Program Liaison Staff; Office of

Extramural Programs; USDA–CSREES;

STOP 2299; 1400 Independence

Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20250–

2299; or via e-mail to: RFPOEP@reeusda.gov. (This e-mail address

is intended only for receiving

stakeholder input comments regarding

this RFP, and not for requesting

information or forms.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

James Parochetti; Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture;

STOP 2220; 1400 Independence

Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20250–

2220; telephone: (202) 401–4354; e-mail:

jparochetti@reeusda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

Part I—General Information

A. Legislative Authority

B. Definitions

C. Eligibility

Part II—Program Description

A. Purpose of the Program

B. Available Funds and Award Limitations

C. Applicant Peer Review Requirements

Part III—Content of a Proposal

A. Application for Funding (Form

CSREES–661)

B. Table of Contents

C. Objectives

D. Progress Report

E. Procedures

F. Justification

G. Cooperation and Institutional Units

Involved

H. Literature Review

I. Current Work

J. Facilities and Equipment

K. Project Timetable

L. Personnel Support

M. Collaborative and/or Subcontractual

Arrangements

N. Budget (Form CSREES–55)

O. Budget Narrative

P. Current and Pending Support (Form

CSREES–663)

Q. Assurance Statement(s) (Form CSREES–

662)

R. Peer Review Certification

S. Other Certifications

T. Compliance with the National

Environmental Policy Act

U. Additions to Project Description

Part IV—How to Obtain Application

Materials

Part V—Submission of a Proposal

A. What to Submit

B. Where and When to Submit

C. Acknowledgment of Proposals

Part VI—CSREES Selection Process and

Evaluation Criteria

A. Selection Process

B. Evaluation Criteria

Part VII—Supplementary Information

A. Access to CSREES Scientific Peer

Review Information

B. Grant Awards

C. Use of Funds; Changes

D. Other Federal Statutes and Regulations

that Apply

E. Confidential Aspects of Proposals and

Awards

F. Regulatory Information

G. Stakeholder Input

Part I—General Information

A. Legislative Authority

The authority for this program is

contained in subsection (c)(1)(B) of

section 2 of the Competitive, Special,

and Facilities Research Grant Act, of

Pub. L. No. 89–106, as amended (7

U.S.C. 450i(c)(1)(B)). Only section

3400.1, Applicability of regulations,

Subpart C, Peer and Merit Review

Arranged by Grantees, and Subpart D,

Annual Reports, of the administrative

regulations at 7 CFR part 3400 for the

Special Grants Programs awarded under

the authority of section 2(c) of this Act

(7 U.S.C. 450i(c)) apply to grants

solicited and awarded under subsection

(c)(1)(B).

In accordance with the statutory

authority, grants awarded under this

program will be for the purpose of

facilitating or expanding ongoing StateFederal food and agricultural research

programs that—(i) promote excellence

in research on a regional and national

level; (ii) promote the development of

regional research centers; (iii) promote

the research partnership between the

Department of Agriculture, colleges and

universities, research foundations, and

State agricultural experiment stations

for regional research efforts; and (iv)

facilitate coordination and cooperation

of research among States through

regional research grants.

B. Definitions

For the purpose of awarding grants

under this program, the following

definitions are applicable:

(1) Administrator means the

Administrator of the Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service (CSREES) and any other officer

or employee of the Department to whom

the authority involved is delegated.

(2) Authorized departmental officer

(ADO) means the Secretary or any

employee of the Department who has

the authority to issue or modify grant

instruments on behalf of the Secretary.

(3) Authorized organizational

representative (AOR) means the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 193 / Wednesday, October 4, 2000 / Notices 59261

president, director, or chief executive

officer or other designated official of the

applicant organization who has the

authority to commit the resources of the

organization.

(4) Budget period means the interval

of time (usually 12 months) into which

the project period is divided for

budgetary and reporting purposes.

(5) Department or USDA means the

United States Department of

Agriculture.

(6) Grantee means the entity

designated in the grant award document

as the responsible legal entity to which

a grant is awarded.

(7) Peer review panel means an

assembled group of experts or

consultants qualified by training and

experience in particular scientific or

technical fields to give expert advice on

the scientific and technical merit of

grant applications in those fields.

(8) Principal Investigator/Project

Director means the single individual

designated in the grant application and

approved by the Secretary who is

responsible for the direction and

management of the project. Note that a

proposal may have multiple secondary

co-principal investigators/project

directors but only one principal

investigator/project director.

(9) Prior approval means written

approval evidencing prior consent by an

ADO as defined in (2) above.

(10) Project means the particular

activity within the scope of the program

supported by a grant award.

(11) Project period means the total

length of time that is approved by the

Administrator for conducting the

research project, as stated in the award

document, during which Federal

sponsorship begins and ends.

(12) Scientific peer review means an

evaluation of a proposed project for

technical quality and relevance to

regional or national goals performed by

experts with the scientific knowledge

and technical skills to conduct the

proposed research work. Peer reviewers

may be selected from an applicant

organization or from outside the

organization, but shall not include

principals, collaborators or others

involved in the preparation of the

application under review.

(13) Secretary means the Secretary of

Agriculture and any other officer or

employee of the Department to whom

the authority involved is delegated.

C. Eligibility

Proposals may be submitted by State

agricultural experiment stations, landgrant colleges and universities, research

foundations established by land-grant

colleges and universities, colleges and

universities receiving funds under the

Act of October 10, 1962, as amended (16

U.S.C. 582a et seq.), and accredited

schools or colleges of veterinary

medicine. The proposals must be

directly related to potato varietal

development/testing. Although an

applicant may be eligible based on its

status as one of these entities, other

factors may exclude an applicant from

receiving Federal assistance under this

program (e.g., debarment or suspension,

a determination of non-responsibility

based on submitted organizational

management information, etc.).

Part II—Program Description

A. Purpose of the Program

Proposals are invited for competitive

grant awards under the Special Research

Grants Program, Potato Research for FY

2001. The purpose of this grant program

is to support potato research that

focuses on varietal development/testing.

As used herein, varietal development/

testing is research using traditional and

biotechnological genetics to develop

improved potato variety(ies). Aspects of

evaluation, screening and testing must

support or complement the

development of improved varieties. This

program is administered by CSREES of

USDA.

B. Available Funds and Award

Limitations

Funds will be awarded on a

competitive basis to support regional

research projects that are composed of

potato research that focuses on varietal

development/testing. For purposes of

this program, regional research means

research having application beyond the

immediate State in which the awardee

resides and performs the project. The

amount of funds available in FY 2001

for support of this program is

anticipated to be between

approximately $1,330,000 and

$1,425,000 subject to the enactment of

the appropriations act that provides

funds to CSREES. Each proposal

submitted in FY 2001 shall request

funding for a period not to exceed one

year. Funding for additional years will

depend upon the availability of funds

and progress toward objectives. FY 2001

awardees would need to recompete in

future years for additional funding.

Under this program, the Secretary

may extend grant awards for the support

of research projects for up to three years

to further the program.

C. Applicant Peer Review Requirements

Subsection (c)(5)(A) of the

Competitive, Special, and Facilities

Research Grant Act, as amended (7

U.S.C. 450i(c)(5)(A)) requires applicants

to conduct a scientific peer review of a

proposed research project in accordance

with regulations promulgated by the

Secretary prior to the Secretary making

a grant award under this authority.

Regulations implementing this

requirement are set forth in 7 CFR

3400.20 and 3400.21. The regulations

impose the following requirements for

scientific peer review by applicants of

proposed research projects:

1. Credible and independent. Review

arranged by the grantee must provide for

a credible and independent assessment

of the proposed project. A credible

review is one that provides an appraisal

of technical quality and relevance

sufficient for an organizational

representative to make an informed

judgment as to whether the proposal is

appropriate for submission for Federal

support. To provide for an independent

review, such review may include USDA

employees, but should not be conducted

solely by USDA employees.

2. Notice of completion and retention

of records. A notice of completion of the

review shall be conveyed in writing to

CSREES either as part of the submitted

proposal or prior to the issuance of an

award, at the option of CSREES (see Part

III. R.). The written notice constitutes

certification by the applicant that a

review in compliance with these

regulations has occurred. Applicants are

not required to submit results of the

review to CSREES; however, proper

documentation of the review process

and results should be retained by the

applicant.

3. Renewal and supplemental grants.

Review by the grantee is not

automatically required for renewal or

supplemental grants as defined in 7 CFR

3400.6. A subsequent grant award will

require a new review if, according to

CSREES, either the funded project has

changed significantly, other scientific

discoveries have affected the project, or

the need for the project has changed.

Note that a new review is necessary

when applying for another standard or

continuation grant after expiration of

the grant term.

Part III—Content of a Proposal

All proposals must contain the

following forms and narrative

information to assist CSREES personnel

during the review and award processes:

A. Application for Funding (Form

CSREES–661)

Each copy of each grant proposal

must contain an Application for

Funding (Form CSREES–661). One copy

of the application, preferably the

original, must contain the pen-and-ink

59262 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 193 / Wednesday, October 4, 2000 / Notices

signature(s) of the proposing principal

investigator(s)/project director(s) and

the AOR who possesses the necessary

authority to commit the organization’s

time and other relevant resources to the

project. Any proposed principal

investigator or co-principal investigator

whose signature does not appear on

Form CSREES–661 will not be listed on

any resulting grant award. Complete

both signature blocks located at the

bottom of the Application for Funding

form.

Form CSREES–661 serves as a source

document for the CSREES grant

database; it is therefore important that it

be completed accurately. The following

items are highlighted as having a high

potential for errors or

misinterpretations:

1. Title of Project (Block 6). The title

of the project must be brief (80-character

maximum), yet represent the major

thrust of the effort being proposed.

Project titles are read by a variety of

nonscientific people; therefore, highly

technical words or phraseology should

be avoided where possible. In addition,

introductory phrases such as

‘‘investigation of’’ or ‘‘research on’’

should not be used.

2. Program to Which You Are

Applying (Block 7). ‘‘Special Research

Grants Program, Potato Research’’

should be inserted in this block. You

may ignore the reference to a Federal

Register announcement.

3. Program Area and Number (Block

8). The name of the program area,

‘‘Potato Research,’’ should be inserted in

this block. You should ignore references

to the program number and the Federal

Register announcement.

4. Type of Request (Block 13). If the

project being proposed is a renewal of

a grant that has been supported under

the same program at any time during the

previous five fiscal years, it is important

that you show the latest grant number

assigned to the project by CSREES.

5. Principal Investigator(s)/Project

Director(s) (Block 15). The designation

of excessive numbers of co-principal

investigators creates problems during

final review and award processes.

Listing multiple co-principal

investigators, beyond those required for

genuine collaboration, is therefore

discouraged.

6. Type of Performing Organization

(Block 18). A check should be placed in

the box beside the type of organization

which actually will carry out the effort.

For example, if the proposal is being

submitted by an 1862 land-grant

institution but the work will be

performed in a department, laboratory,

or other organizational unit of an

agricultural experiment station, box

‘‘03’’ should be checked. If portions of

the effort are to be performed in several

departments, check the box that applies

to the individual listed as PI/PD #1 in

Block 15.a.

7. Other Possible Sponsors (Block 22).

List the names or acronyms of all other

public or private sponsors including

other agencies within USDA and other

programs funded by CSREES to whom

your application has been or might be

sent. In the event you decide to send

your application to another organization

or agency at a later date, you must

inform the identified CSREES program

manager as soon as practicable.

Submitting your proposal to other

potential sponsors will not prejudice its

review by CSREES; however, duplicate

support for the same project will not be

provided.

B. Table of Contents

For consistency and ease of locating

information, each proposal submitted

should contain a Table of Contents.

C. Objectives

Clear, concise, complete, and logically

arranged statement(s) of the specific

aims of the proposed effort must be

included in all proposals. For renewal

applications, a restatement of the

objectives outlined in the active grant

also should be provided.

D. Progress Report

If the proposal is a renewal of an

existing project supported under the

same program, include a clearly

identified summary progress report

describing the results to date. The

progress report should contain the

following information:

1. A comparison of actual

accomplishments with the goals

established for the active grant;

2. The reasons for slippage if

established goals were not met; and

3. Other pertinent information,

including, when appropriate, cost

analysis and explanation of cost

overruns or unexpectedly high unit

costs.

E. Procedures

The procedures or methodology to be

applied to the proposed effort should be

explicitly stated. This section should

include but not necessarily be limited

to:

1. A description of the proposed

investigations and/or experiments in the

sequence in which it is planned to carry

them out;

2. Techniques to be employed,

including their feasibility;

3. Kinds of results expected;

4. Means by which data will be

analyzed or interpreted;

5. Pitfalls which might be

encountered; and

6. Limitations to proposed

procedures.

F. Justification

This section should include in-depth

information on the following, when

applicable:

1. Estimates of the magnitude of the

problem and its relevance to ongoing

State-Federal food and agricultural

research programs;

2. Importance of starting the work

during the current fiscal year; and

3. Reasons for having the work

performed by the proposing institution.

G. Cooperation and Institutional Units

Involved

Cooperative and multi-state

applications are encouraged. Identify

each institutional unit contributing to

the project. Identify each State in a

multiple-state proposal and designate

the lead State. When appropriate, the

project should be coordinated with the

efforts of other State and/or national

programs. Clearly define the roles and

responsibilities of each institutional

unit of the project team, if applicable.

H. Literature Review

A summary of pertinent publications

with emphasis on their relationship to

the effort being proposed should be

provided and should include all

important and recent publications from

other institutions, as well as those from

the applicant institution. The citations

themselves should be accurate,

complete, and written in an acceptable

journal format.

I. Current Work

Current unpublished institutional

activities to date in the program area

under which the proposal is being

submitted should be described.

J. Facilities and Equipment

All facilities which are available for

use or assignment to the project during

the requested period of support should

be reported and described briefly. Any

potentially hazardous materials,

procedures, situations, or activities,

whether or not directly related to a

particular phase of the effort, must be

explained fully, along with an outline of

precautions to be exercised. Examples

include work with toxic chemicals and

experiments that may put human

subjects or animals at risk.

All items of major instrumentation

available for use or assignment to the

proposed project also should be

itemized. In addition, items of

nonexpendable equipment needed to

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 193 / Wednesday, October 4, 2000 / Notices 59263

conduct and bring the project to a

successful conclusion should be listed,

including dollar amounts and, if funds

are requested for their acquisition,

justified.

K. Project Timetable

The proposal should outline all

important phases as a function of time,

year by year, for the entire project,

including periods beyond the grant

funding period.

L. Personnel Support

All senior personnel who are

expected to be involved in the effort

must be clearly identified. For each

person, the following should be

included:

1. An estimate of the time

commitment involved;

2. Vitae of the principal

investigator(s), senior associate(s), and

other professional personnel. This

section should include vitae of all key

persons who are expected to work on

the project, whether or not CSREES

funds are sought for their support. Each

vita should be limited to two (2) pages

each in length, excluding publications

listings; and

3. A chronological listing of the most

representative publications during the

past five years. This listing must be

provided for each professional project

member for whom a vita appears.

Authors should be listed in the same

order as they appear on each paper

cited, along with the title and complete

reference as these usually appear in

journals.

M. Collaborative and/or Subcontractual

Arrangements

If it will be necessary to enter into

formal consulting or collaborative

arrangements with other individuals or

organizations, such arrangements

should be fully explained and justified.

For purposes of proposal development,

informal day-to-day contacts between

key project personnel and outside

experts are not considered to be

collaborative arrangements and thus do

not need to be detailed.

All anticipated subcontractual

arrangements should be explained and

justified in this section. A proposed

statement of work, a budget, and a

budget narrative for each arrangement

involving the transfer of substantive

programmatic work or the providing of

financial assistance to a third party must

be provided. Agreements between

departments or other units of your own

institution and minor arrangements

with entities outside of your institution

(e.g., requests for outside laboratory

analyses) are excluded from this

requirement.

If you expect to enter into

subcontractual arrangements, please

note that the provisions contained in 7

CFR Part 3019, USDA Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Agreements with Institutions of

Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other

Non-Profit Organizations, and the

general provisions contained in 7 CFR

3015.205, which is part of the USDA

Uniform Federal Assistance

Regulations, flow down to

subrecipients. In addition, required

clauses from 7 CFR Part 3019 sections

3019.40–3019.48 (Procurement

Standards) and Appendix A (Contract

Provisions) should be included in final

contractual documents, and it is

necessary for the subawardee to make a

certification relating to debarment/

suspension. This latter requirement is

explained further under subsection S. of

this part.

N. Budget (Form CSREES–55)

Each proposal must contain a detailed

budget (Form CSREES–55) for up to 12

months of support. Funds may be

requested under any of the categories

listed on the budget form, provided that

the item or service for which support is

sought is allowable under the enabling

legislation and the applicable Federal

cost principles and can be identified as

necessary and reasonable for the

successful conduct of the project.

The following guidelines should be

used in developing your proposal

budget:

1. Salaries and Wages. Salaries and

wages are allowable charges and may be

requested for personnel who will be

working on the project in proportion to

the time such personnel will devote to

the project. If salary funds are requested,

the number of Senior and Other

Personnel and the number of CSREES

Funded Work Months must be shown in

the spaces provided. Grant funds may

not be used to augment the total salary

or rate of salary of project personnel or

to reimburse them for time in addition

to a regular full-time salary covering the

same general period of employment.

Salary funds requested must be

consistent with the normal policies of

the institution and with OMB Circular

No. A–21, Cost Principles for

Educational Institutions. Administrative

and Clerical salaries are normally

classified as indirect costs. (See Item 9.

below.) However, if requested under

A.2.e., they must be fully justified.

Note: In accordance with section 1473 of

the National Agricultural Research,

Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977,

as amended, 7 U.S.C. 3319, tuition remission

is not an allowable cost under section

2(c)(1)(B) projects, and no funds will be

approved for this purpose.

2. Fringe Benefits. Funds may be

requested for fringe benefit costs if the

usual accounting practices of your

institution provide that institutional

contributions to employee benefits

(social security, retirement, etc.) be

treated as direct costs. Fringe benefit

costs may be included only for those

personnel whose salaries are charged as

a direct cost to the project. See OMB

Circular No. A–21, Cost Principles for

Educational Institutions, for further

guidance in this area.

3. Nonexpendable Equipment.

Nonexpendable equipment means

tangible nonexpendable personal

property including exempt property

charged directly to the award having a

useful life of more than one year and an

acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per

unit. However, consistent with recipient

policy, lower limits may be established.

As such, items of necessary

instrumentation or other nonexpendable

equipment should be listed individually

by description and estimated cost. This

applies to revised budgets as well, as the

equipment item(s) and amount(s) may

change.

Note: For projects awarded under the

authority of section 2(c)(1)(B), no funds will

be awarded for the renovation or

refurbishment of research spaces; the

purchase or installation of fixed equipment

in such spaces; or for the planning, repair,

rehabilitation, acquisition, or construction of

a building or facility.

4. Materials and Supplies. The types

of expendable materials and supplies

which are required to carry out the

project should be indicated in general

terms with estimated costs.

5. Travel. The type and extent of

travel and its relationship to project

objectives should be specified. Funds

may be requested for field work or for

travel to professional meetings. In the

budget narrative, for both domestic and

foreign travel, provide the purpose, the

destination, method of travel, number of

persons traveling, number of days, and

estimated cost for each trip. If details of

each trip are not known at the time of

proposal submission, provide the basis

for determining the amount requested.

Travel and subsistence should be in

accordance with organizational policy.

Irrespective of the organizational policy,

allowances for airfare will not normally

exceed round trip jet economy air

accommodations. Please note that 7 CFR

3015.205 is applicable to air travel.

6. Publication Costs/Page Charges.

Anticipated costs of preparing and

publishing results of the research being

proposed (including page charges,

59264 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 193 / Wednesday, October 4, 2000 / Notices

necessary illustrations, and the cost of a

reasonable number of coverless reprints)

may be estimated and charged against

the grant.

7. Computer (ADPE) Costs.

Reimbursement for the costs of using

specialized facilities (such as a

university- or department-controlled

computer mainframe or data processing

center) may be requested if such

services are required for completion of

the work.

8. All Other Direct Costs. Anticipated

direct project charges not included in

other budget categories must be

itemized with estimated costs and

justified on a separate sheet of paper

attached to Form CSREES–55. This

applies to revised budgets as well, as the

item(s) and dollar amount(s) may

change. Examples may include space

rental at remote locations,

subcontractual costs, charges for

consulting services, telephone,

facsimile, e-mail, shipping costs, and

fees for necessary laboratory analyses.

You are encouraged to consult the

‘‘Instructions for Completing Form

CSREES–55, Budget,’’ of the

Application Kit for detailed guidance

relating to this budget category.

9. Indirect Costs. Pursuant to Section

1473 of the National Agriculture

Research, Extension, and Teaching

Policy Act of 1977, as amended, 7

U.S.C. 3319, indirect costs are not

allowable costs under section 2(c)(1)(B)

projects, and no funds will be approved

for this purpose. Further, costs that are

a part of an institution’s indirect cost

pool (e.g., administrative or clerical

salaries) may not be reclassified as

direct costs for the purpose of making

them allowable.

10. Cost-sharing. Cost-sharing is not

required nor will it be a factor in the

awarding of any grant.

O. Budget Narrative

All budget categories for which

support is requested, must be

individually listed (with costs) and

justified on a separate sheet of paper

and placed immediately behind the

Budget Form.

P. Current and Pending Support (Form

CSREES–663)

All proposals must contain Form

CSREES–663 listing this proposal and

any other current or pending support to

which key project personnel have

committed or are expected to commit

portions of their time, whether or not

salary support for the person(s) involved

is included in the budget for each

project. This proposal should be

identified in the pending section of this

form.

Q. Assurance Statement(s) (Form

CSREES–662)

A number of situations encountered

in the conduct of projects require

special assurance, supporting

documentation, etc., before funding can

be approved for the project. In addition

to any other situation that may exist

with regard to a particular project, it is

expected that some applications

submitted in response to these

guidelines will include the following:

1. Recombinant DNA or RNA

Research. As stated in 7 CFR

3015.205(b)(3), all key personnel

identified in the proposal and all

signatory officials of the proposing

organization are required to comply

with the guidelines established by the

National Institutes of Health entitled,

‘‘Guidelines for Research Involving

Recombinant DNA Molecules,’’ as

revised. If your project proposes to use

recombinant DNA or RNA techniques,

the application must so indicate by

checking the ‘‘yes’’ box in Block 19 of

Form CSREES–661 (Application for

Funding) and by completing Section A

of Form CSREES–662 (Assurance

Statement(s)). For applicable proposals

recommended for funding, Institutional

Biosafety Committee approval is

required before CSREES funds will be

released.

2. Animal Care. Responsibility for the

humane care and treatment of live

vertebrate animals used in any grant

project supported with funds provided

by CSREES rests with the performing

organization. Where a project involves

the use of living vertebrate animals for

experimental purposes, all key project

personnel and all signatory officials of

the proposing organization are required

to comply with the applicable

provisions of the Animal Welfare Act of

1966, as amended (7 U.S.C. 2131 et

seq.), and the regulations promulgated

thereunder by the Secretary in 9 CFR

Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 pertaining to the care,

handling, and treatment of these

animals. If your project will involve

these animals or activities, you must

check the ‘‘yes’’ box in Block 20 of Form

CSREES–661 and complete Section B of

Form CSREES–662. In the event a

project involving the use of live

vertebrate animals results in a grant

award, funds will be released only after

the Institutional Animal Care and Use

Committee has approved the project.

3. Protection of Human Subjects.

Responsibility for safeguarding the

rights and welfare of human subjects

used in any grant project supported

with funds provided by CSREES rests

with the performing organization.

Guidance on this issue is contained in

the National Research Act, Pub. L. No.

93–348, as amended, and implementing

regulations established by the

Department under 7 CFR Part 1c. If you

propose to use human subjects for

experimental purposes in your project,

you should check the ‘‘yes’’ box in

Block 21 of Form CSREES–661 and

complete Section C of Form CSREES–

662. In the event a project involving

human subjects results in a grant award,

funds will be released only after the

appropriate Institutional Review Board

has approved the project.

R. Peer Review Certification

By signing the Application for

Funding form, the AOR of the applicant

institution is providing the required

certification that the full proposal has

received a credible and independent

peer review arranged by the institution

(see Part II. C.).

S. Other Certifications

Note that by signing the Application

for Funding form the applicant is

providing the required certifications set

forth in 7 CFR Part 3017, regarding

Debarment and Suspension and DrugFree Workplace, and 7 CFR Part 3018,

regarding Lobbying. The certification

forms are included in this application

package for informational purposes

only. These forms should not be

submitted with your proposal since by

signing the Form CSREES–661 your

organization is providing the required

certifications.

If the project will involve a

subcontractor or consultant, the

subcontractor/consultant should submit

a Form AD–1048 to the grantee

organization for retention in their

records. This form should not be

submitted to USDA.

T. Compliance With the National

Environmental Policy Act

As outlined in 7 CFR Part 3407

(CSREES’s regulations implementing the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C.

4321 et seq.)), environmental data or

documentation for the proposed project

is to be provided to CSREES in order to

assist CSREES in carrying out its

responsibilities under NEPA. These

responsibilities include determining

whether the project requires an

Environmental Assessment (EA) or an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

or whether it can be excluded from this

requirement on the basis of several

categorical exclusions listed in 7 CFR

3407.6. To assist CSREES in this

determination, the applicant should

review the categories defined for

exclusion to ascertain whether the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 193 / Wednesday, October 4, 2000 / Notices 59265

proposed project may fall within one of

the exclusions.

Form CSREES–1234, NEPA

Exclusions Form (copy in Application

Kit), indicating the applicant’s opinion

of whether or not the project falls within

one or more categorical exclusions,

along with supporting documentation,

must be included in the proposal. The

information submitted in association

with NEPA compliance should be

identified in the Table of Contents as

‘‘NEPA Considerations’’ and Form

CSREES–1234 and supporting

documentation should be placed after

the Form CSREES–661, Application for

Funding, in the proposal.

Even though the applicant considers

that a proposed project may fall within

a categorical exclusion, CSREES may

determine that an EA or an EIS is

necessary for an activity if substantial

controversy on environmental grounds

exists or if other extraordinary

conditions or circumstances are present

that may cause such activity to have a

significant environmental effect.

U. Additions to Project Description

Each project description is expected

to be complete in itself. However, in

those instances in which the inclusion

of additional information is necessary,

the number of copies submitted should

match the number of copies of the

application requested in Part V.A.

below. Each set of such materials must

be identified with the title of the project

and the name(s) of the principal

investigator(s)/project director(s) as they

appear on the ‘‘Application for

Funding.’’ Examples of additional

materials include photographs that do

not reproduce well, reprints, and other

pertinent materials which are deemed to

be unsuitable for inclusion in the body

of the proposal.

Part IV—How To Obtain Application

Materials

Copies of this request for proposals

and the Application Kit may be

obtained by writing to the address or

calling the telephone number which

follows: Proposal Services Unit, Office

of Extramural Programs; Cooperative

State Research, Education, and

Extension Service; U.S. Department of

Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400

Independence Ave., S.W.; Washington

D.C. 20250–2245; Telephone: (202) 401–

5048. When contacting the Proposal

Services Unit, please indicate that you

are requesting forms for the Special

Research Grants Program, Potato

Research.

These materials may also be requested

via Internet by sending a message which

states that you want a copy of the

application materials for the FY 2001

Special Research Grants Program, Potato

Research with your name, mailing

address (not e-mail) and phone number

to psb@reeusda.gov. The materials will

then be mailed to you (not e-mailed) as

quickly as possible.

Part V—Submission of a Proposal

A. What To Submit

An original and 18 copies of each

grant proposal must be submitted.

Proposals should contain all requested

information when submitted. Each

proposal should be typed on 81⁄2′′ × 11′′

white paper, single-spaced, and on one

side of the page only. Please note that

the text of the proposal should be

prepared using no type smaller than 12

point font size and one-inch margins. It

would be helpful if the name of the

submitting institution were typed at the

top of each page for easy identification

in the event the proposal becomes

disassembled while being reviewed.

Staple each copy of the proposal in the

upper left-hand corner. Please do not

bind copies of the proposal.

B. Where and When To Submit

Proposals must be received on or

before January 22, 2001, and submitted

to the following mailing address:

Special Research Grants Program, Potato

Research; c/o Proposal Services Unit;

Office of Extramural Programs;

Cooperative State Research, Education,

and Extension Service; U.S. Department

of Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400

Independence Ave., S.W.; Washington,

D.C. 20250–2245; Telephone: (202) 401–

5048.

Note: Hand-delivered proposals or those

delivered by overnight express service

should be brought to the following address:

Special Research Grants Program, Potato

Research; c/o Proposal Services Unit, Office

of Extramural Programs; CSREES/USDA;

First Floor, Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street,

S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20024. The telephone

number is (202) 401–5048.

C. Acknowledgment of Proposals

The receipt of all proposals will be

acknowledged via e-mail. Therefore, it

is important to include your e-mail

address on Form CSREES–712 when

applicable. This acknowledgment will

contain a proposal identification

number. Once your proposal has been

assigned a proposal number, please cite

that number in future correspondence.

Part VI—CSREES Selection Process and

Evaluation Criteria

A. Selection Process

Applicants should submit fully

developed proposals that meet all the

requirements set forth in this request for

proposals.

Each proposal will be evaluated in a

two-part process. First, each proposal

will be screened to ensure that it meets

the requirements as set forth in this

request for proposals. Second, proposals

that meet these requirements will be

technically evaluated by a scientific

peer review panel.

The individual panel members will be

selected from among those persons

recognized as specialists who are

uniquely qualified by training and

experience in their respective fields to

render expert advice on the merit of the

proposals being reviewed. The

individual views of the panel members

will be used to determine which

proposals should be recommended to

the Administrator (or his designee) for

final funding decisions.

There is no commitment by CSREES

to fund any particular proposal or to

make a specific number of awards. Care

will be taken to avoid actual and

potential conflicts of interest among

reviewers. Evaluations will be

confidential to CSREES staff members,

peer reviewers, and the proposed

principal investigator(s), to the extent

permitted by law.

B. Evaluation Criteria

1. Overall scientific and technical

quality of the proposal—10 points.

2. Scientific and technical quality of

the approach—10 points.

3. Relevance and importance of

proposed research to solution of specific

areas of inquiry, and application of

expected results for States beyond the

State in which the grantee resides and

will perform the work—30 points.

4. Feasibility of attaining objectives;

adequacy of professional training and

experience, facilities and equipment;

the cooperation and involvement of

multiple institutions or states—50

points.

Part VII—Supplementary Information

A. Access to CSREES Scientific Peer

Review Information

After final decisions have been

announced, CSREES will, upon request,

inform the principal investigator of the

reasons for its decision on a proposal.

B. Grant Awards

1. General: Within the limit of funds

available for such purpose, the awarding

official of CSREES shall make grants to

those responsible, eligible applicants

whose proposals are judged most

meritorious in the announced program

area and procedures set forth in this

request for proposals. The date specified

59266 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 193 / Wednesday, October 4, 2000 / Notices

by the Administrator as the effective

date of the grant shall be no later than

September 30 of the fiscal year for

which a grant is awarded. It should be

noted that the project need not be

initiated on the grant effective date, but

as soon thereafter as practicable so that

project goals may be attained within the

funded project period. All funds granted

by CSREES under this request for

proposals shall be expended solely for

the purpose for which the funds are

granted in accordance with the

approved application and budget, the

terms and conditions of the award, the

applicable Federal cost principles, and

the Department’s assistance regulations

(Parts 3015 and 3019 of 7 CFR).

2. Organizational Management

Information: Specific management

information relating to an applicant

shall be submitted on a one-time basis

as part of the responsibility

determination prior to the award of a

grant if such information has not been

provided previously under this or

another program for which the

sponsoring agency, CSREES, is

responsible. Copies of forms

recommended for use in fulfilling the

requirements contained in this section

will be provided by CSREES as part of

the pre-award process.

3. Grant Award Document: The grant

award document shall include at a

minimum the following:

a. Legal name and address of

performing organization or institution to

whom the Administrator has awarded a

grant under this program;

b. Title of Project;

c. Name(s) and address(es) of

principal investigator(s) chosen to direct

and control approved activities;

d. Grant identification number

assigned by the Department;

e. Project period, specifying the

amount of time the Department intends

to support the project without requiring

recompetition for funds;

f. Total amount of Departmental

financial assistance approved by the

Administrator during the project period;

g. Legal authority(ies) under which

the grant is awarded;

h. Approved budget plan for

categorizing project funds to accomplish

the stated purpose of the grant award;

and

i. Other information or provisions

deemed necessary by CSREES to carry

out its respective granting activities or

to accomplish the purpose of a

particular grant.

4. Notice of Grant Award: The notice

of grant award, in the form of a letter,

will be prepared and will provide

pertinent instructions or information to

the grantee that is not included in the

grant award document.

5. CSREES will award standard grants

to carry out this program. A standard

grant is a funding mechanism whereby

CSREES agrees to support a specified

level of effort for a predetermined time

period without any guarantee of

additional support at a future date.

C. Use of Funds; Changes

Unless otherwise stipulated in the

terms and conditions of the grant award,

the following provisions apply:

1. Delegation of Fiscal Responsibility:

The grantee may not in whole or in part

delegate or transfer to another person,

institution, or organization the

responsibility for use or expenditure of

grant funds.

2. Changes in Project Plans:

a. The permissible changes by the

grantee, principal investigator(s), or

other key project personnel in the

approved research project grant shall be

limited to changes in methodology,

techniques, or other aspects of the

project to expedite achievement of the

project’s approved goals. If the grantee

and/or the principal investigator(s) are

uncertain as to whether a change

complies with this provision, the

question must be referred to the ADO

for a final determination.

b. Changes in approved goals, or

objectives, shall be requested by the

grantee and approved in writing by the

ADO prior to effecting such changes. In

no event shall requests for such changes

be approved which are outside the

scope of the original approved project.

c. Changes in approved project

leadership or the replacement or

reassignment of other key project

personnel shall be requested by the

grantee and approved in writing by the

awarding official of CSREES prior to

effecting such changes.

D. Other Federal Statutes and

Regulations That Apply

Several other Federal statutes and

regulations apply to grant proposals

considered for review and to project

grants awarded under this program.

These include but are not limited to:

7 CFR Part 1, Subpart A—USDA

implementation of the Freedom of

Information Act.

7 CFR Part 3—USDA implementation

of OMB Circular No. A–129 regarding

debt collection.

7 CFR Part 15, Subpart A—USDA

implementation of Title VI of the Civil

Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

7 CFR Part 3015—Uniform Federal

Assistance Regulations, implementing

OMB directives (i.e., Circular Nos. A–21

and A–122) and incorporating

provisions of 31 U.S.C. 6301–6308

(formerly the Federal Grant and

Cooperative Agreement Act of 1977,

Pub. L. No. 95–224), as well as general

policy requirements applicable to

recipients of Departmental financial

assistance.

7 CFR Part 3017—USDA

implementation of Governmentwide

Debarment and Suspension

(Nonprocurement) and

Governmentwide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants).

7 CFR Part 3018—USDA

implementation of Restrictions on

Lobbying. Imposes prohibitions and

requirements for disclosure and

certification related to lobbying on

recipients of Federal contracts, grants,

cooperative agreements, and loans.

7 CFR Part 3019—USDA

implementation of OMB Circular A–

110, Uniform Administrative

Requirements for Grants and Other

Agreements With Institutions of Higher

Education, Hospitals, and Other

Nonprofit Organizations.

7 CFR Part 3052—USDA

implementation of OMB Circular No. A–

133, Audits of States, Local

Governments, and Nonprofit

Organizations.

7 CFR Part 3407—CSREES procedures

to implement the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended.

29 U.S.C. 794, section 504 of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and 7 CFR

Part 15d (USDA implementation of

statute)—prohibiting discrimination

based upon disability in Federally

assisted programs.

35 U.S.C. 200 et seq.—Bayh-Dole Act,

controlling allocation of rights to

inventions made by employees of small

business firms and domestic nonprofit

organizations, including universities, in

Federally assisted programs

(implementing regulations are contained

in 37 CFR Part 401).

E. Confidential Aspects of Proposals

and Awards

When a proposal results in a grant, it

becomes a part of the record of

CSREES’s transactions, available to the

public upon specific request.

Information that the Secretary

determines to be of a privileged nature

will be held in confidence to the extent

permitted by law. Therefore, any

information that the applicant wishes to

have considered as privileged should be

clearly marked as such and sent in a

separate statement, two copies of which

should accompany the proposal.

The original copy of a proposal that

does not result in a grant will be

retained by CSREES for a period of one

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 193 / Wednesday, October 4, 2000 / Notices 59267

year. Other copies will be destroyed.

Such a proposal will be released only

with the consent of the applicant or to

the extent required by law. A proposal

may be withdrawn at any time prior to

the final action thereon.

F. Regulatory Information

For the reasons set forth in the final

Rule-related Notice to 7 CFR part 3015,

subpart V (48 FR 29115, June 24, 1983),

this program is excluded from the scope

of the Executive Order 12372 which

requires intergovernmental consultation

with State and local officials. Under the

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, as amended (44 U.S.C.

chapter 35), the collection of

information requirements contained in

this Notice have been approved under

OMB Document No. 0524–0022.

G. Stakeholder Input

CSREES is soliciting comments

regarding this request for proposals from

any interested party. In your comments,

please include the name of the program

and the fiscal year of the request for

proposals to which you are responding.

These comments will be considered in

the development of the next request for

proposals for the program. Such

comments will be used in meeting the

requirements of section 103(c)(2) of

AREERA, 7 U.S.C. 7613(c). Comments

should be submitted as provided in the

ADDRESSES and DATES portions of this

Notice.

Done at Washington, D.C., this 22nd day of

September, 2000.

Charles W. Laughlin,

Administrator, Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service.

[FR Doc. 00–25365 Filed 10–3–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–22–P