Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 241 / Monday, December 16, 2024 / Notices 101641 

(f) Prior to energizing and during use 

of the 3M Versaflo TR–800 or the 

CleanSpace EX PAPR within 150 feet of 

pillar workings or longwall faces, 

procedures in accordance with 30 CFR 

75.323 shall be followed. 

(g) Only the 3M TR–830 Battery Pack, 

which meets lithium battery safety 

standard UL 1642 or IEC 62133, in the 

3M Versaflo TR–800 PAPR shall be 

used. Only the CleanSpace EX Power 

Unit, which meets lithium battery safety 

standard UL 1642 or IEC 62133, in the 

CleanSpace EX shall be used. 

(h) If battery packs for the 3M Versaflo 

TR–800 PAPR are provided, all battery 

‘‘change outs’’ shall occur in intake air 

outby the last open crosscut. 

(i) The following maintenance and 

use conditions shall apply to equipment 

containing lithium type batteries: 

(1) Neither the 3M TR–830 Battery 

Pack nor the CleanSpace EX Power Unit 

shall be disassembled or modified by 

anyone other than permitted by the 

manufacturer of the equipment. 

(2) The 3M TR–830 Battery Pack shall 

be charged only in an area free of 

combustible material and in intake air 

outby the last open crosscut. The 3M 

TR–830 Battery Pack shall be charged 

only by a manufacturer’s recommended 

battery charger, such as: 

(i) 3M Battery Charger Kit TR–641N, 

which includes one 3M Charger Cradle 

TR–640 and one 3M Power Supply TR– 

941N; or 

(ii) 3M 4-Station Battery Charger Kit 

TR–644N, which includes four 3M 

Charger Cradles TR–640 and one 3M 4- 

Station Battery Charger Base/Power 

Supply TR–944N. 

(3) The CleanSpace EX internal 

battery, which is contained within the 

power unit assembly, shall be charged 

in areas located outby the last open 

crosscut in intake air, and only the 

manufacturer’s recommended battery 

chargers shall be used, such as the 

CleanSpace EX Battery Charger, Product 

Code PAF–0066. 

(4) Neither the 3M TR–830 Battery 

Pack nor the CleanSpace EX power unit 

which contains the internal battery, 

shall be exposed to water, allowed to get 

wet or immersed in liquid. This does 

not preclude incidental exposure of the 

3M TR–830 Battery Pack or the 

CleanSpace EX power unit assembly. 

(5) Neither the 3M Versaflo TR–800 

PAPR nor the CleanSpace EX PAPR, 

including the internal battery, shall be 

used, charged or stored in locations 

where the manufacturer’s recommended 

temperature limits are exceeded. 

Neither the 3M Versaflo TR–800 PAPR 

or the CleanSpace EX PAPR shall be 

placed in direct sunlight nor stored near 

a source of heat. 

(j) Annual retraining shall be given to 

all miners who will be involved with or 

affected by the use of the 3M Versaflo 

TR–800 or CleanSpace EX PAPRs in 

accordance with 30 CFR 48.8. Training 

of new miners on the requirements of 

the PDO granted by MSHA in 

accordance with 30 CFR 48.5, and 

training of experienced miners on the 

requirements of the PDO granted by 

MSHA in accordance with 30 CFR 48.6 

shall be given. The operator shall keep 

a record of such training and provide 

such record to MSHA upon request. 

(k) The miners at Rockwell Mining 

LLC, Coal Branch No. 2 Mine, are not 

represented by a labor organization and 

there are no representatives of miners at 

the mine. A copy of this petition has 

been posted on the bulletin board at 

Rockwell Mining LLC, Coal Branch No. 

2 Mine, on November 21, 2024. 

The petitioner asserts that the 

alternative method in the petition will 

at all times guarantee no less than the 

same measure of protection afforded to 

the miners by the standard. 

Song-ae Aromie Noe, 

Director, Office of Standards, Regulations, 

and Variances. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29502 Filed 12–13–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4520–43–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Request for Comments on NSF’s 

Proposed Intellectual Property Options 

AGENCY: U.S. National Science 

Foundation. 

ACTION: Request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. National Science 

Foundation (NSF) seeks public 

comments to inform the experimental 

implementation of new intellectual 

property (IP) provisions to be used in 

public-private partnerships, particularly 

those advancing research and 

development, that include co-funding 

by private partners. NSF is committed to 

fostering innovation and promoting the 

translation of research into practical 

applications. To enhance the 

effectiveness of public-private 

partnerships, NSF seeks to implement a 

set of options for IP provisions that 

provide greater flexibility and balance 

the interests of both academia and 

industry. Recent engagements, 

including the 2023 NSF-Industry 

Partnership Summit and subsequent 

listening sessions, have highlighted the 

need for optional IP strategies that can 

adapt to the unique requirements of 

various funded projects. NSF intends to 

incorporate these IP options into 

partnership agreements involving 

industry and/or non-profit organizations 

for funding opportunities whose funded 

awards may result in the generation of 

IP. Through this Request for Comments 

(RFC), NSF invites input from a wide 

range of stakeholders, including 

industry, academia, non-profit 

organizations, other government 

agencies, and other interested parties. 

DATES: Interested persons or 

organizations are invited to submit 

comments on or before 11:59 p.m. (EST) 

on Friday, January 24, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: To respond to this Request 

for Comments, please use the official 

submission form available at: https://

airtable.com/app9KPUhqR2lAb4Zf/ 

pag9d0QhLcOXkGlud/form. 

Respondents only need to provide 

feedback on one or more questions of 

interest or relevance to them. Each 

question is voluntary and optional. The 

response to each question has a 4,000- 

character limit including spaces. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, please direct 

questions to Allen Walker through email 

at NSF-IPOptions-RFC@nsf.gov, phone 

at 703–292–2291, or mail at U.S. 

National Science Foundation, ATTN: 

Allen Walker, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 

Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 2023 

NSF-Industry Partnership Summit and 

subsequent engagements revealed 

differing viewpoints in stakeholders’ 

perspectives regarding NSF’s existing IP 

terms. In response, the Directorate for 

Technology, Innovation and 

Partnerships (TIP) has developed a 

series of IP grant-of-rights options to 

address these concerns. These options 

are informed by the Bayh-Dole Act and 

aim to promote the practical application 

and commercialization of federally 

funded research while preserving 

potential access to the IP for the U.S. 

Government. 

Below is the language for each of the 

three IP grant-of-rights options to be 

used in partnership agreements. These 

IP options can be tailored according to 

the particular research area and the 

specific terms and conditions agreed 

upon between NSF and the partner(s) in 

a particular public-private partnership. 

A. Research License With Commercial 

Option 

The disposition of rights to inventions 

or works of authorship made during 

NSF-funded research is governed by 

Federal law, regulation, and policy, 

including but not limited to, 35 U.S.C. 

200–212 and 37 CFR part 401. Pursuant 

to applicable laws, regulations, and 

policies, the entire right, title, and 


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101642 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 241 / Monday, December 16, 2024 / Notices 

interest of Intellectual Property (IP) that 

directly results from activities funded 

by NSF (‘‘Project IP’’) is retained by the 

entity that created it. While recipients 

are permitted to temporarily withhold 

the publication of data and software 

related to inventions to facilitate patent 

application filings, NSF terms and 

conditions require the subsequent 

prompt publication of all research 

outputs—including results, data, and 

software—generated in the performance 

of the research. 

All partners are entitled to a nonexclusive, royalty-free license for use of 

Project IP for research purposes for a 

period of 18 months from the date of 

disclosure of the Project IP. This license 

shall not extend to any IP other than 

Project IP. This 18-month period is 

structured as follows: 

1. Notice Period: For the first 12 

months after disclosure of the Project IP, 

any partner shall have a right to indicate 

in writing that they are exercising their 

Right of First Negotiation (‘‘ROFN’’) for 

an opportunity to secure an exclusive 

commercial license during the 

Negotiation/Option Period. 

2. Negotiation/Option Period: 

Following the 12-month Notice Period, 

there shall be a 6-month period during 

which partners so exercising their 

ROFN may negotiate for an exclusive 

commercial license. 

If an exclusive commercial license is 

secured by one partner during the 

Negotiation/Option Period, all other 

partners’ rights shall automatically 

become a perpetual, non-exclusive, 

royalty-free license for research 

purposes only. 

If no exclusive commercial license is 

secured by the end of the Negotiation/ 

Option Period, the non-exclusive 

license granted herein shall, for all 

partners, automatically convert into a 

perpetual non-exclusive, royalty-free 

license for research purposes only. 

Pursuant to the Bayh-Dole Act, NSF is 

entitled to a non-exclusive, irrevocable, 

paid-up license throughout the world 

for use of Project IP that directly results 

from activities funded by NSF. 

B. Convertible Commercial License 

The disposition of rights to inventions 

or works of authorship made during 

NSF-funded research is governed by 

Federal law, regulation, and policy, 

including but not limited to, 35 U.S.C. 

200–212 and 37 CFR part 401. Pursuant 

to applicable laws, regulations, and 

policies, the entire right, title, and 

interest of Intellectual Property (IP) that 

directly results from activities funded 

by NSF (‘‘Project IP’’) is retained by the 

entity that created it. While recipients 

are permitted to temporarily withhold 

the publication of data and software 

related to inventions to facilitate patent 

application filings, NSF terms and 

conditions require the subsequent 

prompt publication of all research 

outputs—including results, data, and 

software—generated in the performance 

of the research. 

All partners are entitled to a nonexclusive, royalty-free license for use of 

Project IP for both research and 

commercial purposes for a period of 18 

months from the date of disclosure of 

the Project IP. This license shall not 

extend to any IP other than Project IP. 

This 18-month period is structured as 

follows: 

1. Notice Period: For the first 12 

months after disclosure of the Project IP, 

any partner shall have the have a right 

to indicate in writing that they are 

exercising their Right of First 

Negotiation (‘‘ROFN’’) for an 

opportunity to secure an exclusive 

commercial license during the 

Negotiation/Option Period. 

2. Negotiation/Option Period: 

Following the 12-month Notice Period, 

there shall be a 6-month period during 

which partners so exercising their 

ROFN may negotiate for an exclusive 

commercial license. 

If an exclusive commercial license is 

secured by one partner during the 

Negotiation/Option Period, all other 

partners’ rights shall automatically 

convert into a perpetual non-exclusive, 

royalty-free license for research 

purposes only. 

If no exclusive commercial license is 

secured by the end of the Negotiation/ 

Option Period, the non-exclusive 

license granted herein shall, for all 

partners, automatically convert into a 

perpetual non-exclusive, royalty-free 

license for research purposes only. 

Pursuant to the Bayh-Dole Act, NSF is 

entitled to a non-exclusive, irrevocable, 

paid-up license throughout the world 

for use of Project IP that directly results 

from activities funded by NSF. 

C. Research-Only License 

The disposition of rights to inventions 

or works of authorship made during 

NSF-funded research is governed by 

Federal law, regulation, and policy, 

including but not limited to, 35 U.S.C. 

200–212 and 37 CFR part 401. Pursuant 

to applicable laws, regulations, and 

policies, the entire right, title, and 

interest of Intellectual Property (IP) that 

directly results from activities funded 

by NSF (‘‘Project IP’’) is retained by the 

entity that created it, following 

applicable Federal law. While recipients 

are permitted to temporarily withhold 

the publication of data and software 

related to inventions to facilitate patent 

application filings, NSF terms and 

conditions require the subsequent 

prompt publication of all research 

outputs—including results, data, and 

software—generated in the performance 

of the research. 

All partners are entitled to a nonexclusive, royalty-free license for use of 

Project IP for research purposes. This 

license shall not extend to any 

intellectual property other than Project 

IP. 

Pursuant to the Bayh-Dole Act, NSF is 

entitled to a non-exclusive, irrevocable, 

paid-up license throughout the world 

for use of Project IP that directly results 

from activities funded by NSF. 

Questions for Public Comment 

NSF welcomes comments from the 

public on any issues that are relevant to 

this topic, and is particularly interested 

in answers to the following questions: 

Overall Impact: How do you believe 

these proposed IP options will impact 

innovation, technology transfer, and 

economic growth? 

Balance: Do these options ensure a 

balanced distribution of IP rights 

between academia and industry 

partners? How can the proposed IP 

options be further refined to ensure 

maximum balance in IP arrangements? 

Flexibility: What additional flexibility 

should be incorporated into the IP 

options to accommodate and incentivize 

a range of research initiatives? 

Adoption: What strategies could NSF 

employ to encourage widespread 

adoption of these IP options among 

potential partners? 

Barriers: What potential barriers exist 

to implementing these IP options, and 

how might they be overcome? 

Translation and Incentives: Do the 

proposed IP options effectively promote 

the translation of research into practice 

while incentivizing industry 

participation and ensuring benefits for 

universities and researchers? What 

improvements could be made to 

enhance these aspects? 

Additional Options: Are there other IP 

grant-of-rights options or frameworks 

that NSF should consider to better 

support collaborative research 

initiatives and facilitate research 

impact? 

NSF, at its discretion, will use the 

information submitted in response to 

this RFC to help inform future program 

directions, new initiatives, and potential 

funding opportunities. The information 

provided will be analyzed, may appear 

in reports, and may be shared publicly 

on agency websites. Respondents are 

advised that the government is under no 

obligation to acknowledge receipt of the 

information or provide feedback to 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 241 / Monday, December 16, 2024 / Notices 101643 

respondents with respect to any 

information submitted. No proprietary, 

classified, confidential, or sensitive 

information should be included in your 

response submission. The government 

reserves the right to use any nonproprietary technical information in any 

resultant solicitations, policies, or 

procedures. 

(Authority: Pub L. 117–167.) 

Dated: December 11, 2024. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29523 Filed 12–13–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[NRC–2024–0001] 

Sunshine Act Meetings 

TIME AND DATE: Weeks of December 16, 

23, 30, 2024 and January 6, 13, 20, 2025. 

The schedule for Commission meetings 

is subject to change on short notice. The 

NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can 

be found on the internet at: https://

www.nrc.gov/public-involve/publicmeetings/schedule.html. 

PLACE: The NRC provides reasonable 

accommodation to individuals with 

disabilities where appropriate. If you 

need a reasonable accommodation to 

participate in these public meetings or 

need this meeting notice or the 

transcript or other information from the 

public meetings in another format (e.g., 

braille, large print), please notify Anne 

Silk, NRC Disability Program Specialist, 

at 301–287–0745, by videophone at 

240–428–3217, or by email at 

Anne.Silk@nrc.gov. Determinations on 

requests for reasonable accommodation 

will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

STATUS: Public. 

Members of the public may request to 

receive the information in these notices 

electronically. If you would like to be 

added to the distribution, please contact 

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 

Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 

20555, at 301–415–1969, or by email at 

Betty.Thweatt@nrc.gov or 

Samantha.Miklaszewski@nrc.gov. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 

Week of December 16, 2024 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of December 16, 2024. 

Week of December 23, 2024—Tentative 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of December 23, 2024. 

Week of December 30, 2024—Tentative 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of December 30, 2024. 

Week of January 6, 2025—Tentative 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of January 6, 2025. 

Week of January 13, 2025—Tentative 

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 

9:00 a.m. Strategic Programmatic 

Overview of the Decommissioning 

and Low-Level Waste and Nuclear 

Materials Users Business Lines 

(Public Meeting) (Contact: Araceli 

Billoch Colon: 301–415–3302) 

Additional Information: The meeting 

will be held in the Commissioners’ 

Hearing Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, 

Rockville, Maryland. The public is 

invited to attend the Commission’s 

meeting in person or watch live via 

webcast at the Web address—https://

video.nrc.gov/. 

Week of January 20, 2025—Tentative 

There are no meetings scheduled for 

the week of January 20, 2025. 

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

For more information or to verify the 

status of meetings, contact Wesley Held 

at 301–287–3591 or via email at 

Wesley.Held@nrc.gov. 

The NRC is holding the meetings 

under the authority of the Government 

in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. 

Dated: December 12, 2024. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Wesley W. Held 

Policy Coordinator, Office of the Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29660 Filed 12–12–24; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket No. 99902056; NRC–2024–0146] 

Tennessee Valley Authority; Clinch 

River Nuclear Site; Exemption 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) has issued an 

exemption in response to a request 

dated November 30, 2023, from 

Tennessee Valley Authority for approval 

to conduct certain excavation support 

activities prior to the issuance of a 

construction permit application for the 

Clinch River Nuclear Site. 

DATES: The exemption was issued on 

December 10, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID 

NRC–2024–0146 when contacting the 

NRC about the availability of 

information regarding this document. 

You may obtain publicly available 

information related to this document 

using any of the following methods: 

• Federal Rulemaking website: Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and search 

for Docket ID NRC–2024–0146. Address 

questions about Docket IDs in 

Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 

telephone: 301–415–0624; email: 

Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical 

questions, contact the individual listed 

in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section of this document. 

• NRC’s Agencywide Documents 

Access and Management System 

(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly 

available documents online in the 

ADAMS Public Documents collection at 

https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ 

adams.html. To begin the search, select 

‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For 

problems with ADAMS, please contact 

the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR) 

reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, at 

301–415–4737, or by email to 

PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. The ADAMS 

accession number for each document 

referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) 

is provided the first time that it is 

mentioned in this document. 

• NRC’s PDR: The PDR, where you 

may examine and order copies of 

publicly available documents, is open 

by appointment. To make an 

appointment to visit the PDR, please 

send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov 

or call 1–800–397–4209 or 301–415– 

4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern 

time (ET), Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Allen Fetter, Office of Nuclear Reactor 

Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission, Washington, DC 20555– 

0001, telephone: 301–415–8556; email: 

Allen.Fetter@nrc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of 

the exemption is attached. 

Dated: December 11, 2024. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1