Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 209 / Friday, October 29, 2010 / Notices 66739 

the platform technologies that will be 

needed to enable a personalized 

approach to safer and more costeffective healthcare. The proposed topic 

specifically aims to address research 

needs for: non-invasively analyzing 

proteins in real-time in live tissues, 

animal models and humans; linking 

genomic, proteomic and other disparate 

datasets with patient-specific data to 

understand disease susceptibility and 

response to treatment; and cost-effective 

high-throughput biopharmaceutical 

manufacturing. The draft white paper 

for the proposed topic of Healthcare can 

be found at http://www.nist.gov/tip/wp/ 

index.cfm. 

Dated: October 20, 2010. 

Harry Hertz, 

Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence 

Program. 

[FR Doc. 2010–27449 Filed 10–28–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

[Docket Number: 101015518–0518–02] 

Technology Innovation Program (TIP) 

Seeks White Papers 

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards 

and Technology (NIST), Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The National Institute of 

Standards and Technology’s (NIST) 

Technology Innovation Program (TIP) 

announces that it is seeking white 

papers from any interested party, 

including academia; Federal, State, and 

local governments; industry; national 

laboratories; professional organizations/ 

societies, and others. White papers will 

be used to identify and select areas of 

critical national need and the associated 

technical challenges to be addressed in 

future TIP competitions. 

DATES: The due dates for submission of 

white papers are November 29, 2010, 

February 15, 2011, May 10, 2011, and 

July 12, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Please submit white papers 

to National Institute of Standards and 

Technology, Technology Innovation 

Program, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 4750, 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899–4750. 

Attention: Critical National Needs Ideas. 

White papers may also be submitted via 

e-mail to tipwhitepaper@nist.gov. 

If you have previously submitted a 

white paper please do not resubmit the 

same white paper. White papers 

previously submitted continue to be 

considered as part of the selection 

process for future competitions. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas Wiggins at 301–975–5416 or by 

e-mail at thomas.wiggins@nist.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background Information: The 

Technology Innovation Program (TIP) at 

the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) was established for 

the purpose of assisting U.S. businesses 

and institutions of higher education or 

other organizations, such as national 

laboratories and nonprofit research 

institutions, to support, promote, and 

accelerate innovation in the United 

States through high-risk, high-reward 

research in areas of critical national 

need. The TIP statutory authority is 

section 3012 of the America Creating 

Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote 

Excellence in Technology, Education, 

and Science (COMPETES) Act, Public 

Law 110–69 (August 9, 2007), codified 

at 15 U.S.C. 278n. The TIP 

implementing regulations are published 

at 15 CFR part 296. 

TIP holds competitions for funding 

based on addressing areas of critical 

national need. TIP identifies and selects 

topics for areas of critical national need 

based on input from within NIST, the 

TIP Advisory Board, the science and 

technology communities, and from the 

public. TIP is interested in receiving 

input on the identification and 

definition of problems that are 

sufficiently large in magnitude that they 

have the potential to inhibit the growth 

and well-being of our nation today. This 

announcement explains the 

requirements and process for interested 

parties to submit white papers to TIP. 

White papers from experts in other 

Federal agencies are valued and 

welcome and will enable TIP to 

complement the efforts of other mission 

agencies and avoid duplication of their 

efforts, thereby leveraging resources to 

benefit the nation. 

The key concepts, enumerated below, 

are the foundation of TIP and should 

form the basis of an effective white 

paper: 

a. An area of critical national need 

means an area that justifies government 

attention because the magnitude of the 

problem is large and the associated 

societal challenges that need to be 

overcome are not being addressed, but 

could be addressed through high-risk, 

high-reward research. 

b. A societal challenge is a problem or 

issue confronted by society that when 

not addressed could negatively affect 

the overall function and quality of life 

of the nation, and as such, justifies 

government action. A societal challenge 

is associated with barriers preventing 

the successful development of solutions 

to the area of critical national need. 

TIP’s mission is to tackle the technical 

issues that can be addressed through 

high-risk, high-reward research. The 

results of the high-risk, high-reward 

research should have the potential for 

transformational results. 

c. A transformational result is a 

potential project outcome that enables 

disruptive changes over and above 

current methods and strategies. 

Transformational results have the 

potential to radically improve our 

understanding of systems and 

technologies, challenging the status quo 

of research approaches and 

applications. 

The white papers are expected to 

contain: A description of an area of 

critical national need and the associated 

societal challenge(s) (what is the 

problem, why is it a problem, and why 

is it challenging); why government 

support is needed and what could 

happen if that support is not provided 

in the proposed time frame; a high-level 

discussion of potential scientific 

advancements and/or technologies that 

are needed to address the societal 

challenges; and an indication of the 

types of entities or groups who might be 

interested in developing proposal 

submissions to fund these scientific 

and/or technology approaches. Do not 

include ideas for specific proposals in 

the white paper (i.e., do not include 

your specific solution to the problem). 

This solicitation for white papers is 

neither a Request for Proposals (RFP) 

nor is it a request for pre-proposals. 

Rather, it is a way to include ideas from 

the public to identify problems that 

justify government support and can be 

addressed by technological innovations 

that are not currently being sufficiently 

supported to meet the challenge. 

White papers must not contain 

proprietary information. Submission of 

a white paper means that the author(s) 

agrees that all the information in the 

white paper can be made available to 

the public. 

Information contained in these white 

papers will be considered and combined 

with information from other resources— 

including the vision of the 

Administration, NIST, other government 

agencies, technical communities, the 

TIP Advisory Board, and other 

stakeholders—to develop the scope of 

future competitions and to shape TIP’s 

collaborative outreach. White papers are 

a valuable resource that adds to TIP’s 

understanding of the significance and 

scope of critical national needs and 

associated societal challenges. The 

white papers submitted could be shared 

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66740 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 209 / Friday, October 29, 2010 / Notices 

with the Administration, NIST, other 

government agencies, technical 

communities, the TIP Advisory Board, 

other stakeholders and the public as 

part of the selection process for future 

competitions. 

For detailed instructions on how to 

prepare and submit white papers, refer 

to A Guide for Preparing and Submitting 

White Papers on Areas of Critical 

National Need. The Guide is available 

on the TIP Web site at http:// 

www.nist.gov/tip/wp/upload/ 

guide_for_white_papers.pdf. 

In this call for white papers, TIP is 

seeking information in all areas of 

critical national need, but also seeks 

information to assist TIP in further 

defining several topic areas under 

development. White papers that address 

any of the following areas may further 

develop the definition and scope of the 

critical national needs suggested by 

these topic areas, and should 

additionally identify and explain 

specific societal challenges within these 

critical national need areas that require 

a technical solution. White papers may 

discuss any critical national need area 

of interest to the submitter, or may 

address any of the following topic areas: 

Civil Infrastructure: Civil 

infrastructure constitutes the basic 

fabric of the world in which we live and 

work. It is the combination of 

fundamental systems that support a 

community, region, or country. The 

civil infrastructure includes systems for 

transportation (airport facilities, roads, 

bridges, rail, waterway locks) and 

systems for water distribution and flood 

control (water distribution systems, 

storm and waste water collection, dams, 

and levees). New construction 

approaches and materials to improve 

the infrastructure and for mitigating the 

expense of repairing or replacing 

existing infrastructure appear to be areas 

with the potential for specific societal 

challenges within this area of critical 

national need. 

Examples could include challenges 

such as: Advanced materials for repair 

and rehabilitation of existing 

infrastructure, advanced inspection and 

monitoring technologies that assist 

public safety officials in determining the 

condition of structures, or areas of 

sustainability of infrastructure 

construction. 

Complex networks and complex 

systems: Society is increasingly 

dependent on complex networks like 

those used for energy delivery, 

telecommunication, transportation, and 

finance over which we have imperfect 

control. No single organization and no 

collection of organizations have the 

ability to effectively control these multiscale, distributed, highly interactive 

networks. Complex network theory will 

also be important in modeling neural 

systems, molecular physiological 

response to disease, and environmental 

systems. The current technical and 

mathematical methodologies that 

underpin our ability to simulate and 

model physical systems are unable to 

predict and control the behavior of 

complex systems. Stability and control 

of these networks can have far reaching 

consequences that affect our quality of 

life. 

Examples could include challenges 

such as: Theoretical advances and/or 

proof-of-concept applications; or 

capabilities that can potentially address 

and advance the use of complex 

network analyses in the following 

areas—sustainable manufacturing 

models, resource management and 

environmental impacts (energy, water, 

agriculture), intelligent transportation 

systems, biological systems, 

communications networks, security 

systems, personalized healthcare, and 

others. 

Energy: From agriculture to 

manufacturing, all endeavors require 

energy as input. Escalating energy 

demands throughout the world can lead 

to national security challenges, 

financially challenge national 

economies, and contribute to 

environmental alterations. Although 

heavily supported projects exist in 

energy research, there remain technical 

roadblocks that affect full deployment of 

new and emerging energy technologies. 

Examples could include challenges 

such as: Technologies for improved 

manufacturing of critical components 

for alternative energy production; 

replacement of fossil-fuel derived fuels 

with non-food, renewably produced 

fuels; or improved technologies for 

stable connections of many power 

sources to the electrical grid. 

Ensuring Future Water Supply: The 

nation’s population and economic 

growth place greater demands on 

freshwater resources. At the same time, 

temporary or permanent drought 

conditions and water access rights affect 

regional freshwater availability. Water 

needs threaten to outstrip available 

freshwater, now and in the future. Water 

quality, both in terms of 

decontamination and disinfection of 

water supplies, is also being pressured 

by emerging contaminants that must 

either be removed from distributed 

water or converted to harmless forms of 

waste. Food contaminations are often 

traced back to water contaminations, 

either in the field or in processing. 

Municipal waste streams and irrigation 

runoff may waste resources that are not 

captured and/or recovered. 

Examples could include challenges 

such as: Means to provide future 

freshwater supplies without undue 

consumption of energy resources; means 

that determine and assure the safety of 

water and food from waterborne 

contamination; or means to 

economically recover resources from 

wastewater streams and lower the 

energy cost of producing freshwater and 

potable water from marginalized water 

resources. 

Healthcare: Healthcare spending per 

capita in the United States is high and 

rising, and currently approved drugs 

work only in a fraction of the 

population. Doctors are unable to select 

optimal drug treatments and dosages 

based on the patient’s unique genetics, 

physiology, and metabolic processes, 

resulting in a trial-and-error component 

to treatment. As a consequence, 

significant expenditures result in drugs 

that are ineffective on subsets of 

patients, and a clear understanding of 

which patients may suffer side effects 

from prescribed medicine is lacking. 

The key to improved patient response 

lies in greater understanding of both 

genetic variability and environmental 

influences on disease mechanisms. 

Examples could include challenges 

such as: Cost effective advanced tools 

and techniques for genomics and 

proteomics research that provide greater 

understanding of complex biological 

systems, biomarker identification, and 

targeted drug and vaccine delivery 

systems; improved and low cost 

diagnostic and therapeutic systems; or 

better methods of integration and 

analysis of biological data, especially 

when combined with environmental 

and patient history data. 

Manufacturing: Manufacturing is a 

vital part of our nation’s economy, 

which now is facing increasing 

challenges to global competitiveness, 

issues relating to the regulation and 

control of environmental resources, and 

other economic pressures. Technical 

advances have at times been able to 

enhance productivity and create other 

efficiencies, but the recent pressures on 

the manufacturing community have 

hindered its ability to focus the 

necessary resources on long term 

solutions that could lead to sustained 

economic growth in this vital sector. 

Examples could include challenges 

such as: Manufacturing systems that 

have shorter innovation cycles, more 

flexibility, and greater ability to rapidly 

reconfigure; technologies to accelerate 

the commoditization of next generation, 

high-performance materials, such as 

nanomaterials, composites, and alloys to 

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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 209 / Friday, October 29, 2010 / Notices 66741 

specification, in a consistent, efficient 

and effective manner; life-cycle 

assessment tools that will enable 

sustainable manufacturing; and better 

automation solutions. 

Nanomaterials/nanotechnology: The 

unique properties of nanomaterials 

provide extraordinary promise. There is 

a need for greater understanding and 

solutions to overcome the barriers 

associated with manufacturing 

nanomaterials and their incorporation 

into products, while maintaining the 

unique functionality of the 

nanomaterials. Although many 

processes are achievable in the 

laboratory, the scale-up to industrial 

production without compromising the 

quality of the produced material can be 

highly problematic. 

Examples could include challenges 

such as: Methods required for 

manufacturing nanomaterials with prespecified functionality and morphology; 

methods for inspection and real-time 

monitoring the processing of 

nanomaterials; or methods for 

incorporation of nanomaterials into 

products without compromising the 

material’s required properties. 

Sustainability: ‘‘Sustainability,’’ was 

defined in April 2007 by the United 

Nations Commission on Sustainable 

Development in their ‘‘Framing 

Sustainable Development, The 

Brundtland Report—20 Years On’’ as, 

‘‘meeting the needs of the present 

generation without compromising the 

ability of future generations to meet 

their needs.’’ TIP is interested in 

technologies that have the potential to 

reduce or eliminate the environmental 

footprint of industrial processes and 

public waste streams. Sustainability is a 

complex and highly interdisciplinary 

endeavor with economic, 

environmental, and societal dimensions. 

In this context, the white papers should 

address elements such as cost 

effectiveness, energy efficiency, 

recyclability, safety, resource use, lifecycle analysis, and ecosystem health. 

Examples could include challenges 

such as: Technologies to develop 

feedstocks from renewable sources; 

technologies to recover resources 

(minerals, materials, energy, water) from 

industry and other/public waste 

streams; low-cost, low-energy separation 

technologies; and replacement of 

hazardous/toxic materials with safer, 

more cost-effective materials and/or 

process technology. 

Dated: October 25, 2010. 

Harry S. Hertz, 

Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence 

Program. 

[FR Doc. 2010–27435 Filed 10–28–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM 

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR 

SEVERELY DISABLED 

Procurement List, Additions and 

Deletions 

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From 

People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled. 

ACTION: Additions to and deletions from 

the Procurement List. 

SUMMARY: This action adds products and 

services to the Procurement List that 

will be furnished by nonprofit agencies 

employing persons who are blind or 

have other severe disabilities, and 

deletes products from the Procurement 

List previously furnished by such 

agencies. 

DATES: Effective Date: 11/29/2010. 

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase 

From People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 

1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, 

Arlington, Virginia, 22202–3259. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barry S. Lineback, Telephone: (703) 

603–7740, Fax: (703) 603–0655, or email CMTEFedReg@AbilityOne.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Additions 

On 6/19/2009 (74 FR 29187–29189) 

and 9/10/2010 (75 FR 55309–55310), the 

Committee for Purchase From People 

Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled 

published notices of proposed additions 

to the Procurement List. 

After consideration of the material 

presented to it concerning capability of 

qualified nonprofit agencies to provide 

the products and services and impact of 

the additions on the current or most 

recent contractors, the Committee has 

determined that the products and 

services listed below are suitable for 

procurement by the Federal Government 

under 41 U.S.C. 46–48c and 41 CFR 51– 

2.4. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification 

I certify that the following action will 

not have a significant impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. 

The major factors considered for this 

certification were: 

1. The action will not result in any 

additional reporting, recordkeeping or 

other compliance requirements for small 

entities other than the small 

organizations that will furnish the 

products and services to the 

Government. 

2. The action will result in 

authorizing small entities to furnish the 

products and services to the 

Government. 

3. There are no known regulatory 

alternatives which would accomplish 

the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in 

connection with the products and 

services proposed for addition to the 

Procurement List. 

End of Certification 

Accordingly, the following products 

and services are added to the 

Procurement List: 

Products 

NSN: 8470–00–NSH–0030—Improved 

Oxygen Harness. 

NSN: 8470–00–NSH–0031—Center Mounted 

Weapon Harness. 

NPA: Employment Source, Inc., Fayetteville, 

NC. 

Contracting Activity: Department of the Army 

Research, Development, & Engineering 

Command, Natick, MA. 

Coverage: C–List for 100% of the requirement 

of the U.S. Army, as aggregated by the 

Department of the Army Research, 

Development, & Engineering Command, 

Natick, MA. 

Drawers, Midweight Cold Weather (Gen III) 

NSN: 8415–01–538–8727—Drawers Size 

Small Regular. 

NSN: 8415–01–538–8730—Drawers Size 

Medium Regular. 

NSN: 8415–01–538–8745—Drawers Size 

Large Regular. 

NSN: 8415–01–538–8747—Drawers Size 

Large Long. 

NSN: 8415–01–538–8750—Drawers Size X 

Large Regular. 

NSN: 8415–01–538–8751—Drawers Size X 

Large Long. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7672—Drawers Size X 

Small Short. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7676—Drawers Size X 

Small Regular. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7717—Drawers Size 

Small Short. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7768—Drawers Size 

Small Long. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7810—Drawers Size 

Medium Long. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7960—Drawers Size X 

Large X Long. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7965—Drawers Size XX 

Large Regular. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7966—Drawers Size XX 

Large Long. 

NSN: 8415–01–545–7968—Drawers Size XX 

Large X Long. 

NPAs: New Horizons Rehabilitation Services, 

Inc., Auburn Hills, MI; Peckham 

Vocational Industries, Inc., Lansing, MI. 

Contracting Activity: Defense Logistics 

Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, PA 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES