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[Federal Register: March 31, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 62)]
[Notices]               
[Page 17846-17850]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31mr11-47]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

 
Objective Merit Review of Discretionary Financial Assistance and 
Other Transaction Authority Applications

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Objective Merit Review Procedure.

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SUMMARY: This Notice establishes the procedure for program offices 
operating under the authority of the Assistant Secretary for Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy in conducting the objective merit 
review of discretionary financial assistance and Other Transaction 
Authority funding applications. The effective date for the Objective 
Merit Review Procedure contained in this notice is March 18, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, 1-877-337-3463.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. Applicability of Notice
III. Objective Merit Review Procedure
IV. Merit Review Advisory Report
V. Application of Program Policy Factors
VI. Selection
VII. Deviations

    I. Introduction--The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) hereby gives notice of the 
procedure for the objective merit review of projects seeking 
discretionary financial assistance. The procedures described in this 
notice implement the objective merit review provisions of the DOE 
Financial Assistance Rules at 10 CFR 600.13. Specifically, this notice 
covers the procedure for applications received competitively and non-
competitively. This notice also provides procedures for establishing 
peer and merit review panels, naming a Federal Merit Review Manager, 
conducting merit reviews, and preparing a Merit Review Advisory Report 
for the Selection Official.
    DOE provides financial assistance, in the form of grants 
cooperative agreements and technology investment agreements. The 
principal purpose of these transactions is the transfer of a thing of 
value, usually money but occasionally property or other items of value, 
to a recipient to accomplish a public purpose identified. DOE funds 
only those programs authorized by Federal statute. Financial assistance 
may be either discretionary or mandatory. Discretionary financial 
assistance means DOE provides funding to a recipient of DOE's choosing; 
DOE has the discretion to select a recipient as well as the size of the 
award. Mandatory financial assistance means DOE must provide the 
assistance to the entities named and the amounts stated by statute.
    These procedures do not cover acquisition. Financial assistance 
differs from an acquisition, which refers to instruments used when the 
principal purpose of the transaction is the acquisition of supplies or 
services for the direct benefit of the Government. The procedures 
pursuant to this notice do not apply to acquisitions, which are covered 
by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).
    II. Applicability of Notice--These procedures apply to the 
evaluation of discretionary financial assistance applications received 
for programs within the DOE EERE.
    (a) Distinction Between Solicited Applications and Unsolicited 
Proposals--Solicited applications constitute direct responses by 
interested organizations or individuals to DOE Funding Opportunity 
Announcements (FOA) in the form of applications for discretionary 
financial assistance awards. Funding opportunities are announced using 
the process set forth in 10 CFR 600.8. When a proposal is submitted 
solely on the proposer's initiative, and the idea, method or approach 
would be ineligible for assistance under a recent, current, or planned 
solicitation, and if, as determined by DOE, a competitive solicitation 
would not be appropriate, the proposal is considered an unsolicited 
proposal. Unsolicited proposals are awarded on a non-competitive basis 
using the criteria set forth in 10 CFR 600.6(c). The two types of 
proposals are treated differently for

[[Page 17847]]

merit review and the processes are described below.
    (b) Renewals--A renewal award adds one or more budget periods to an 
existing award's project period. Applications for renewal awards may be 
submitted competitively (against a FOA that provides for renewal 
applications) or non-competitively.
    (c) Non-competitive Actions--Non-competitive actions are reviewed 
and approved in a manner similar to that of unsolicited proposals using 
the criteria set forth in 10 CFR 600.6(c) and as described in Section 
III(d), herein.
    III. Objective Merit Review Procedure--(a) Definition and Purpose--
A merit review constitutes the process of evaluating applications for 
discretionary financial assistance while using established criteria. 
Reviews shall be thorough, consistent, and independent, and completed 
by individuals knowledgeable in the field or subject matter for which 
support is requested (see Appendix 1 for EERE merit reviewer 
qualification guidelines). The purpose of the merit review is to 
provide advice and recommendations on the scientific and technical 
merits of an application for consideration by the Selection Official. 
The Selection Official has authority to select applications for 
negotiation of a financial assistance award.
    (b) Review Standards--Solicited Applications--1. Initial Compliance 
Review--EERE will review each financial assistance application received 
for conformance with initial review criteria and administrative 
requirements published in the FOA, program rule or notice.
    i. Any application not meeting the initial review criteria will be 
determined to be non-compliant and precluded from further technical 
merit review.
    ii. Any applicant that is determined to be non-compliant will be 
notified in writing, along with the reasons the application will not be 
evaluated further.
    iii. Applications meeting the initial compliance review criteria 
will be reviewed for merit in accordance with the stated evaluation 
criteria in the FOA, program rule or notice.
    2. Merit Review of Solicited Applications--The Merit Review Panel 
(Panel) will conduct an objective merit review for each application 
that passes the initial compliance review, using the criteria published 
in the FOA, program rule, or notice. The criteria to be used in the 
merit review and the other mandatory information specified in 10 CFR 
600.8 must be included in the FOA, program rule or notice. Typically, 
the merit review criteria will be weighted individually to reflect 
their relative importance in the overall merit of the application. The 
Panel will review solicited applications based on information in the 
FOA. The merit review will typically include the following attributes:
    i. Applications that pass the initial compliance review will be 
reviewed by the Federal Merit Review Panel. Peer review panels will 
provide individual evaluations, which may include a score to the 
Federal Merit Review Manager. DOE Federal Merit Review Panel will 
provide a consensus rating (numeric, adjectival, or comparable) for 
each criterion outlined in the FOA, program rule or notice based on the 
strengths and weaknesses of the applications.
    ii. An overall consensus rating will be determined for each 
application by the DOE Federal Merit Review Panel.
    iii. The DOE Federal Merit Review Panel will prepare a Merit Review 
Advisory Report for the Selection Official. The report will discuss the 
peer review, if any. The DOE Federal Merit Review Panel will establish 
a selection range to include applications that were deemed technically 
acceptable. The recommended selection range will be determined at the 
conclusion of the DOE Federal Merit Review Panel meeting. Rationale for 
the range must be included in the Merit Review Advisory Report.
    (c) Review Standards--Unsolicited Proposals--1. Unsolicited 
proposals will receive an initial review to determine if the proposal 
will be eligible under 10 CFR 600.6(c). For an unsolicited proposal to 
be eligible for an award, a proposal must meet one of the following 
criteria:
    i. The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory 
completion of, or is a continuation or renewal of, an activity 
presently being funded by DOE or another Federal agency, and for which 
competition for support would have a significant adverse effect on 
continuity or completion of the activity.
    ii. The activity is being or would be conducted by the applicant 
using its own resources or those donated or provided by third parties; 
however, DOE support of that activity would enhance the public benefits 
to be derived and DOE knows of no other entity which is conducting or 
is planning to conduct such an activity.
    iii. The applicant is a unit of government and the activity to be 
supported is related to performance of a governmental function within 
the subject jurisdiction, thereby precluding DOE provision of support 
to another entity.
    iv. The applicant has exclusive domestic capability to perform the 
activity successfully, based upon unique equipment, proprietary data, 
technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications.
    v. The award implements an agreement between the United States 
Government and a foreign government to fund a foreign applicant.
    vi. Time constraints associated with a public health, safety, 
welfare or national security requirement preclude competition.
    vii. The proposed project was submitted as an unsolicited proposal 
and represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach which 
would not be eligible for financial assistance under a recent, current, 
or planned solicitation, and if, as determined by DOE, a competitive 
solicitation would not be appropriate.
    viii. The responsible program Assistant Secretary, Deputy 
Administrator, or other official of equivalent authority determines 
that a noncompetitive award is in the public interest. This authority 
may not be delegated.
    2. Unsolicited proposals that pass the initial review shall be 
reviewed against the criteria outlined in EERE's Guide for the 
Submission of Unsolicited Proposals by a Merit Review Panel. These 
criteria include:
    i. Unique and innovative methods, approaches or concepts 
demonstrated by the proposal;
    ii. Overall scientific/technical or socioeconomic merit of the 
proposed activity;
    iii. Potential contribution of the effort to the DOE's specific 
mission;
    iv. The proposer's capabilities, related experience, facilities, 
techniques, or unique combinations of these which are integral factors 
for achieving the proposal objectives;
    v. The qualifications, capabilities, and experience of the proposed 
principal investigator, team leader, or key personnel who are critical 
in achieving the proposal objectives;
    vi. The realism of the proposed costs; and
    vii. The availability of funding to support the proposed project, 
and the relative merit of the project compared with others that could 
be supported with the same funds.
    (See http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/usp/USPGuide.pdf).
    3. When the substance of an unsolicited proposal is available to 
the Government without restriction from another source, or closely 
resembles that of a pending competitive solicitation, or does not 
demonstrate an innovative and

[[Page 17848]]

unique method, approach or concept, the unsolicited proposal shall not 
be accepted. See Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), part 15.607(a).
    4. Additional guidance for reviewing noncompetitive proposals, 
including renewal applications, and the template for the review plan 
are provided in Appendix C of the DOE Merit Review Guide for Financial 
Assistance (available at http://www.management.energy.gov/documents/meritrev.pdf). Appendix C of the DOE Merit Review Guide for Financial 
Assistance, rather than Sections IV-VI of this Notice, applies to the 
review of unsolicited proposals.
    (d) The Merit Review Panel--1. The Merit Review Panel can be 
established in many ways. It should always include at least one DOE 
Federal employee. Non-DOE Federal experts may be part of the Merit 
Review Panel as Peer Reviewers, but are not required. The most typical 
arrangements are a peer review panel and a DOE Federal employee; a peer 
review panel and a DOE Federal panel; or only a DOE Federal panel. Peer 
review panels and DOE Federal panels should include at least three 
technically qualified individuals. Merit review that involves a Federal 
review panel is preferred over merit review that involves only one 
Federal reviewer. The names of the Merit Review Panel will not be 
released to the public.
    2. Merit Review Panel Member Selection. The DOE Senior Procurement 
Executive (SPE) has the ultimate responsibility for designating a 
Selection Official. DOE officials, in accordance with the applicable 
designation, may be appointed as the Selection Official. The SPE may 
delegate authority to designate a Selection Official to other DOE 
officials. Examples of officials to whom the authority may be delegated 
include the Deputy Assistant Secretary, the Executive Director of Field 
Operations, Head of Contracting Activity, the Program Managers, or 
other similar positions within DOE. The Selection Official may not be a 
member of the Merit Review Panel. Members of the Merit Review Panel 
must be qualified personnel. Non-DOE Peer Reviewers may include 
qualified personnel from Federal agencies, other Government entities, 
academia, industry, and DOE contractors, including national laboratory 
employees. The Contracting Officer may serve on the Merit Review Panel 
in an ex officio capacity.
    3. Conflicts of Interest. The Federal Merit Review Manager, in 
consultation with Legal Counsel or the Contracting Officer, shall 
review instances of potential conflicts involving members of the Merit 
Review Panel. Merit Review Panel members must act in a manner 
consistent with 5 CFR part 2635 et seq. Merit Review Panel members with 
a conflict of interest shall immediately notify the Federal Merit 
Review Manager of the conflict of interest and comply with any 
mitigation measures required by the Federal Merit Review Manager, 
including excusing themselves from all deliberations involving the 
application for which they have a conflict of interest.
    i. In determining potential conflicts, the Federal Merit Review 
Manager shall give close scrutiny to reviewers who perform any of the 
following:
    a. Have any decision-making role regarding the application or 
provide technical assistance to the applicant in regards to the 
application;
    b. Audit the recipient for the project; or
    c. If included in the review, will give the appearance of a 
conflict of interest.
    ii. Situations that could be perceived as conflicts of interest may 
include:
    a. The application being reviewed was submitted by a reviewer's 
recent student, recent teacher, former employer, close personal friend 
or relative of the reviewer, spouse, or the reviewer's minor children.
    b. The application being reviewed was submitted by a person with 
whom the reviewer has had longstanding differences.
    c. The application being reviewed is similar to projects being 
conducted by the reviewer or by the reviewer's organization.
    iii. When situations arise that present a perceived or actual 
conflict of interest, the Federal Merit Review Manager, with 
consultation from Legal Counsel, may permit reviewers to participate if 
a Conflict of Interest (COI) waiver is granted and an acceptable 
mitigation plan is implemented. The mitigation implemented shall be 
reflected in the Merit Review Advisory Report. However, in no event 
will a waiver be granted to permit a reviewer to evaluate an 
application/proposal for his/her/host or affiliated organization or if 
participation is prohibited by language in the FOA.
    iv. Each member of the Merit Review Panel, including ex-officio 
members, shall sign a Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest 
Certification and Acknowledgement, which requires adherence to the 
following guidelines:
    a. Reviewers shall not discuss the evaluation process with any 
unauthorized personnel.
    b. Reviewers shall not divulge their identities to any applicant.
    c. Reviewers shall not contact applicants.
    d. Reviewers shall not discuss the Panel proceedings outside of the 
Merit Review Panel meeting, even after the selection and award.
    e. Reviewers shall not accept any invitations, gratuities (i.e., 
meals, gifts, favors, etc.), or job offers from any applicant. If a 
reviewer is offered any invitations, gratuities, or job offers by or on 
behalf of any applicant, the reviewer shall immediately report it to 
the Contracting Officer.
    f. Reviewers shall only evaluate information provided by the 
applicants in the applications and only evaluate against the published 
criteria. No additional criteria are to be considered by the Panel.
    g. Typically, reviewers shall initially rate all applications 
independently and without consultation between reviewers.
    h. Reviewers will inform the Federal Merit Review Manager of any 
personal or organizational conflicts of interest arising out of 
applications they are asked to review.
    i. Reviewers may contact the Federal Merit Review Manager to obtain 
clarifications regarding applications.
    For more details see the DOE's Merit Review Guide for Financial 
Assistance at http://www.management.energy.gov/documents/meritrev.pdf.
    4. Authorized Uses of Information. The Merit Review Panel must act 
in a manner consistent with 10 CFR 600.15 when dealing with 
applications containing trade secrets, privileged, confidential 
commercial, and/or financial information.
    5. Federal Merit Review Manager--The Selection Official must 
appoint a person from the EERE headquarters program as Federal Merit 
Review Manager of the Merit Review Panel. The Federal Merit Review 
Manager is responsible for:
    i. Selecting the Merit Review Panel members and obtaining approval 
from the EERE Program Manager;
    ii. Ensuring a comprehensive and robust Evaluation and Selection 
Plan;
    iii. Overseeing the merit review process and all panel meetings, 
ensuring that merit review procedures are followed consistently, as 
well as applicable statutes and regulations including, but not limited 
to, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2;
    iv. Ensuring that Merit Review Panel members understand the 
evaluation criteria and merit review procedures/process;
    v. In the event of multiple Merit Review Panels due to large number 
of

[[Page 17849]]

applications, ensuring consistency among the panels;
    vi. Ensure each application is evaluated by the Merit Review Panel 
in accordance with the Evaluation and Selection Plan;
    vii. Ensuring that reviewers provide sound, well documented 
evaluations;
    viii. Addressing any unexpected or unique circumstances presented 
and maintaining the integrity of the Merit Review process;
    ix. Reviewing and approving the written summary of the evaluation 
and recommendations for the Selection Official via the Merit Review 
Advisory Report;
    x. Performing the merit review duties of a regular Merit Review 
Panel member, if necessary or appropriate;
    xi. Ensuring that the Contracting Officer and Legal Counsel take 
appropriate action to mitigate conflicts of interest of Merit Review 
Panel members as discussed in section III(d)(3) herein;
    xii. Recommending application of the program policy factors, when 
appropriate; ensuring that the Merit Review Advisory Report is prepared 
in conformity with guidance set out in Part IV, herein; and
    xiii. Making a presentation, if requested, to the Selection 
Official and other advisors to the Selection Official in the form of a 
pre-selection briefing.
    6. Co-Federal Merit Review Manager--The Selection Official may 
appoint a person from the program's field staff as Co-Federal Merit 
Review Manager. The Co-Federal Merit Review Manager is responsible for:
    i. Preparing the Evaluation and Selection Plan for Federal Merit 
Review Manager and Selection Official approval;
    ii. Managing merit review logistics, including panel meetings, 
etc.;
    iii. Obtaining signed certificates of confidentiality from all 
Merit Review Panel members to be kept on file at the issuing agency;
    iv. Preparing the written summary of the evaluation and 
recommendations for the Selection Official via the Merit Review 
Advisory Report;
    v. Ensuring that the Merit Review Advisory Report is prepared in 
conformity with guidance set out in Part V, herein;
    vi. Performing the merit review duties of a regular Merit Review 
Panel member, if necessary or appropriate;
    vii. Working with the Federal Merit Review Manager to ensure that 
the technical merit review procedures are followed consistently when 
carrying out the technical merit review. In the event of multiple merit 
review panels due to large number of applications, the Federal Merit 
Review Manager shall ensure consistency among the panels;
    viii. Working with the Contracting Officer and Legal Counsel to 
take appropriate action to mitigate conflicts of interest of Merit 
Review Panel members as discussed in section III(d)(3) herein;
    ix. Assisting the Federal Merit Review Manager with the merit 
review process;
    x. Assuring control and security of applications;
    xi. Preparing the Merit Review Advisory Report for the Selection 
Official;
    xii. Assisting in making a presentation, if requested, to the 
Selection Official and other advisors to the Selection Official in the 
form of a pre-selection briefing;
    xiii. Notifying unsuccessful applicants; and
    xiv. Maintaining all merit review documentation.
    7. Non-DOE Peer Reviewers typically will provide additional 
expertise to the DOE Federal Merit Review Panel. Peer reviewers provide 
specialized expertise and technical input to the DOE Federal Merit 
Review Panel by reviewing applications and providing written and 
sometimes verbal comments and ratings (numeric, adjectival or 
comparable) based on their reviews of applications. Peer Reviewers must 
be fully briefed by the Federal Merit Review Manager regarding the 
review criteria and the peer reviewers must be aware that any criteria 
not specified in the solicitation must not be used to evaluate the 
applications. Peer Reviewers must sign a Confidentiality and Conflict 
of Interest Certification and Acknowledgement, as provided in 10 CFR 
600.13(d). All Peer Reviewers forward their comments and scores as 
required to the Merit Review Panel. At the DOE Federal Merit Review 
Panel's discretion, all or a subset of the Peer Reviewers may be 
invited to present their scores and identified strengths and weaknesses 
so the DOE Federal Merit Review Panel may discuss the Peer Reviewers' 
comments and better understand the Peer Reviewers' scores and comments. 
However, unless specifically allowed by statute, the Peer Reviewers may 
not provide consensus scores or comments to the DOE Federal Merit 
Review Panel. The DOE Federal Merit Review Panel will dismiss all non-
Federal reviewers prior to making any decisions regarding 
recommendations to the Selection Official for award selection or 
establishment of the selection range.
    i. The Merit Review Panel should only task the minimum number of 
Peer Reviewers necessary to effectively review the submitted 
applications; and
    ii. Selection of Peer Reviewers shall be done in accordance with 
the selection of members of the Merit Review Panel, part III(d)(2) 
herein.
    IV. Merit Review Advisory Report--The purpose of the Merit Review 
Advisory Report is to present the findings of the Merit Review Panel 
and recommend applications that merit funding to the Selection 
Official. The Federal Merit Review Manager shall provide the complete 
report for review and obtain concurrence from the Contracting Officer 
and Legal Counsel prior to submitting the report to the Selection 
Official. The report will typically include four sections--one to 
establish the purpose of the report, a second to document the 
compliance review performed, a third to record the merit review process 
used and any deviations from protocol, and a fourth that contains a 
draft Selection Statement for execution by the Selection Official. In 
addition, relevant attachments will be included as referenced below.
    (a) Section 1 shall include the following:
    1. A brief statement as to the purpose of the Merit Review Advisory 
Report; and
    2. A brief summary of the number of applications received and the 
number deemed technically acceptable by the DOE Federal Merit Review 
Panel for selection for negotiation of award.
    (b) Section 2 shall include the following:
    1. A list of applications rejected in the Initial Compliance 
Review, if any; and
    2. A list of the reasons why the application was rejected and not 
comprehensively reviewed.
    (c) Section 3 shall include the following:
    1. The number of members on the DOE Federal Merit Review Panel and 
the number of peer reviewers, their names and a brief discussion of 
their qualifications, a statement that all applications were 
independently reviewed in accordance with the requirements contained 
herein, and a statement that all Panel members, including ex-officio 
members, signed a Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest 
Certification and Acknowledgement;
    2. A discussion of the peer review process for all applications;
    3. Details of the Merit Review Panel meeting and the process 
followed, including a discussion of any deviations, such as issues with 
conflicts of interest;
    4. A discussion of the development of consensus scores for each 
application, the ranking process, the number of

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applications deemed technically acceptable, and any observations or 
findings that impacted the decision regarding the acceptable selection 
range; and
    5. Details of the Panel's process to set the selection range, and a 
reference to the final list of applications deemed technically 
acceptable in the Record of Consensus Scores for All Applications.
    (d) Section 4 shall include the following:
    1. A request for action from the Selection Official regarding 
application of the program policy factors and selection of applications 
for negotiation of award; and
    2. Instructions regarding these actions and subsequent 
communication of his/her decision to the Contracting Officer.
    (e) Attachments to the Merit Review Advisory Report shall include 
the following:
    1. Record of Consensus Strengths and Weaknesses for each 
application;
    2. Record of Consensus Scores for All Applications;
    3. Program Policy Factor Information Sheet; and
    4. Draft Selection Statement for execution by the Selection 
Official.
    (f) For non-competitive applications including renewal 
applications, the report to the Selection official will consist of 
individual review forms and a summary statement consistent with that 
found in Appendix C of the DOE Merit Review Guide for Financial 
Assistance (available at http://www.management.energy.gov/documents/meritrev.pdf). Additionally, a Selection Statement will be prepared to 
document the Selection Official's selection of the project.
    V. Application of program policy factors--Each application deemed 
technically acceptable by the Merit Review Panel may receive a program 
policy review by the Selection Official or personnel designated by the 
Selection Official. The Selection Official may, at his/her discretion, 
consider the program policy factors when making selections.
    VI. Selection--The Selection Official will complete the Selection 
Statement. The Selection Official will document all selections with a 
written narrative, noting which program policy factors, if any, were 
applied in making the selections. The Selection Official shall notify 
the Contracting Officer in the selection statement of the applications 
designated as ``alternate.'' In addition, the Selection Official may 
identify negotiation strategies, if any, in the second page of the 
Selection Statement entitled ``Negotiation Strategy.''
    VII. Deviations--If an EERE program office intends to deviate from 
these procedures for merit review of an application or a class of 
applications but will still follow the rules of 10 CFR 600.13, that 
office must obtain written permission from the Assistant Secretary of 
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Permission to use procedures 
which deviate from 10 CFR 600 must be requested in writing addressed to 
the responsible DOE Contracting Officer in accordance with 10 CFR 
600.4. The Head of Contracting Activity has the authority to approve 
such procedures for a single case deviation, while the Director, 
Procurement and Assistance Management (Senior Procurement Executive) 
has the authority to approve a class deviation. A deviation may be 
authorized only upon written determination that the deviation is 
necessary for any of the reasons set forth in 10 CFR 600.4(b).

Henry Kelly,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 
U.S. Department of Energy.

Appendix 1--Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Reviewer 
Qualification Guidelines--May 28, 2010

    For typical EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), 
examples of reviewer qualifications are identified below. Stronger 
qualifications may be needed for certain FOAs. For example, the 
Energy Innovation Hubs are modeled after Bell Labs, which recruited 
the nation's best and brightest and sought a level of scientific 
quality not possible in all R&D endeavors. The Department plans to 
invest more than $120 million over five years in the Hubs, with a 
possible extension to ten years. Therefore, reviewer selection 
criteria should be consistent with the high quality of science 
expected and the significant level of investment. Reviewer 
qualifications for typical EERE FOAs:
     At least 5 years of experience in a relevant field. 
People with less experience should have some other strong 
credentials, e.g., a PhD with a strong publication or patent record 
specific to the technology being evaluated, a young investigator 
award, or a strong pedigree (e.g., a PhD from a high caliber 
institution or under a recognized leader in the field). If a newly 
minted PhD with a strong pedigree is being considered as a reviewer, 
he/she should have some additional accomplishments such as a seminal 
paper in the field, or an invited talk to a major conference.
     Publications and Patents. This could include having a 
significant number of peer-reviewed publications and/or patents in 
the technology being evaluated. For those who have a lengthy and 
diverse publication history, the timeframe of publications and/or 
patents should reflect that the reviewer's knowledge of the 
technology is relevant and not outdated.
     Other evidence that the person is a recognized expert 
in the field. This could include having managed a public policy 
program that has had a national impact, a record of bringing 
innovations to the market, or holding key patents.
     An advanced degree (Ph.D., Sc.D., D.Eng., M.S., or 
M.B.A.) in a relevant field. Those with a Bachelors degree should 
have more experience and/or a record of accomplishments indicating 
their expertise in the field.
     Relevant awards. This would include being a recipient 
of a National Medal of Science, American Chemical Society National 
Award, Young Investigator Award, R&D 100 Award, or other awards 
specific to a technology (e.g., Fuel Cell Seminar Award).
     Key Society Membership. Member of the National Academy 
of Sciences (NAS) or Engineering (NAE) member, American Physics 
Society Fellow, National Laboratory Fellow.

[FR Doc. 2011-7581 Filed 3-30-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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