66874 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices

disclosed under APO in accordance

with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely

written notification of the return or

destruction of APO materials or

conversion to judicial protective order is

hereby requested. Failure to comply

with the regulations and terms of an

APO is a sanctionable violation.

This determination is issued and

published in accordance with 19 CFR

351.213(d)(4) and sections 751(a)(1) and

777(i)(1) of the Tariff Act.

Dated: December 19, 2001.

Barbara E. Tillman,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import

Administration, Group III.

[FR Doc. 01–31837 Filed 12–26–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

Notice of Determination with Respect

to Modification of Tariff Rate Quotas

on the Import of Certain Worsted Wool

Fabrics

AGENCY: International Trade

Administration, Department of

Commerce.

ACTION: The Department has

recommended that no modification be

made to the 2002 tariff rate quotas.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce

has determined that the 2002 limitation

on the quantity of imports of worsted

wool fabrics that may be imported

under the tariff rate quotas established

by Title V of the Trade and

Development Act of 2000 should not be

modified.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sergio Botero, Office of Textiles and

Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce,

(202) 482–4058.

BACKGROUND:

Title V of the Trade and Development

Act of 2000 (The Act) creates two tariff

rate quotas, providing for temporary

reductions in the import duties on two

categories of worsted wool fabrics

suitable for use in making suits, suittype jackets, or trousers. For worsted

wool fabric with average fiber diameters

greater than 18.5 microns (Harmonized

Tariff Schedule of the United States

(HTS) heading 9902.51.11), the

reduction in duty is limited to 2,500,000

square meters per year. For worsted

wool fabric with average fiber diameters

of 18.5 microns or less (HTS heading

9902.51.12), the reduction is limited to

1,500,000 square meters per year. Both

these limitations may be modified by

the President, not to exceed 1,000,000

square meters per year for each tariff

rate quota.

The Act requires annual consideration

of requests by U.S. apparel

manufacturers for modification of the

limitation on the quantity of fabric that

may be imported under the tariff rate

quotas, and grants the President the

authority to proclaim modifications to

the limitations. In determining whether

to modify the limitations, specified U.S.

market conditions with respect to

worsted wool fabric and worsted wool

apparel must be considered.

In Presidential Proclamation 7383, of

December 1, 2000, the President

authorized the Secretary of Commerce

to determine whether the limitations on

the quantity of imports of worsted wool

fabrics under the tariff rate quotas

should be modified and to recommend

to the President that appropriate

modifications be made.

On January 22, 2001 the Department

published regulations establishing

procedures for considering requests for

modification of the limitations. 66 FR

6459, 15 C.F.R. 340. These procedures

include an annual solicitation in the

Federal Register of requests to modify

the limitations, notice in the Federal

Register of any such request(s) and a

solicitation of public comments on such

request(s).

The regulations provide that not more

than 30 days following the close of the

comment period, the Department will

determine whether the limitations on

the quantity of imports under the tariff

rate quotas should be modified and

recommend to the President that

appropriate modifications be made.

On September 14, 2001 the

Department published a notice of

solicitation of requests for modification

of the 2002 tariff rate quotas on the

import of certain worsted wool fabric.

The Department received four such

requests, from Hartmarx Corporation

and Hickey-Freeman, on behalf of

themselves and the Tailored Clothing

Association; Hartz & Company, Inc.;

Hugo Boss; and Tom James Company.

These requests were for the maximum

increase (1,000,000 square meters) in

each of the two tariff rate quota

limitations (HTS 9902.51.11 and HTS

9902.51.12). On October 24, 2001, the

Department solicited comments on the

request for a period of 20 days. The

Department received comments from

seven companies/trade associations.

Three of the respondents, the American

Apparel and Footwear Association,

Corbin Ltd., and Hardwick Clothes,

supported the request for modification,

and four of the respondents, Burlington

Industries, the Northern Textile

Association, Victor Forstmann, Inc., and

the Warren Corporation, opposed the

request for modification.

After reviewing the request, the

comments received, and other

information obtained, including a report

prepared by the U.S. International Trade

Commission, and after considering the

specific market conditions set forth in

the Act, the Department determined that

the 2002 limitation on the quantity of

imports of worsted wool fabrics that

may be imported subject to the tariff rate

quotas established by Title V of the

Trade and Development Act of 2000

should not be modified. Accordingly,

the Department has recommended to the

President that no modification be made

to the tariff rate quotas.

Dated: December 19, 2001.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for

Textiles, Apparel and Consumer Goods

Industries

[FR Doc.01–31701 Filed 12–26–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DR–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and

Technology

[Docket No. 011204291–1291–01]

RIN 0693–ZA47

Small Grants Programs; Availability of

Funds

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards

and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The National Institute of

Standards and Technology (NIST)

announces that the following programs

are soliciting applications for financial

assistance for FY 2002: (1) The Precision

Measurement Grants Program; (2) the

2002 Summer Undergraduate Research

Fellowship (SURF) in the areas of

Electronics and Electrical Engineering,

Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical

Science and Technology, Physics,

Materials Science and Engineering,

Building and Fire Research, and

Information Technology; (3) the

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

(EEEL) Grants Program; (4) the

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory

(MEL) Grants Program; (5) the Chemical

Science and Technology Laboratory

Grants Program; (6) the Physics

Laboratory Grants Program; (7) the

Materials Science and Engineering

Grants Program; and (8) the Fire

Research Grants Program.

The Precision Measurement Grants

Program is seeking proposals for

significant, primarily experimental,

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices 66875

research in the field of fundamental

measurement or the determination of

fundamental constants.

The programs ‘‘SURFing the

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Laboratory,’’ ‘‘SURFing the

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory,’’

‘‘SURFing the Chemical Science and

Technology Laboratory,’’ ‘‘SURFing the

Physics Laboratory,’’ ‘‘SURFing the

Materials Science and Engineering

Laboratory,’’ ‘‘SURFing the Building

and Fire Research Laboratory,’’ and

‘‘SURFing the Information Technology

Laboratory;,’’ will provide an

opportunity for the NIST Electronics

and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

(EEEL), Manufacturing Engineering

Laboratory (MEL), Chemical Science

and Technology Laboratory (CSTL)

Physics Laboratory (PL), Materials

Science and Engineering Laboratory

(MSEL), Building and Fire Research

Laboratory (BRFL), and Information

Technology Laboratory (ITL), and the

National Science Foundation (NSF) to

join in a partnership to encourage

outstanding undergraduate students to

pursue careers in science and

engineering.

The EEEL program will provide

research opportunities with

internationally known NIST scientists

in the fields of semiconductors

(including mainstream silicon, power

devices, and compound

semiconductors), fundamental electrical

measurements, electronic

instrumentation, electrical systems, and

electronic information. The MEL

program will provide research

opportunities with internationally

known NIST scientists in the fields of

intelligent systems, manufacturing

petrology, precision engineering, and

manufacturing systems integration. The

CSTL program will provide research

opportunities with internationally

known NIST scientists in the fields of

chemical characterization of materials,

process metrology, chemical and

biochemical sensing, nanotechnology,

healthcare measurements,

environmental measurements,

microelectronics, physical property

data, chemical and biochemical data,

bio-molecules and materials, DNA

technologies, and international

measurement standards. The PL

program will involve students in worldclass atomic, molecular, optical (AMO)

and radiation physics research with

internationally known physicists in the

NIST Physics Laboratory. The MSEL

program will provide research

opportunities with internationally

known NIST scientists in the fields of

ceramics, solid state chemistry,

metallurgy, polymers, neutron

condensed matter science, and materials

reliability. The BFRL program will

provide research opportunities with

internationally known NIST scientists

in the fields of building materials

(concrete, coating), structure

(earthquake), building environment

(indoor air quality, thermal machinery),

and fire science and engineering. The

ITL program will provide research

opportunities with internationally

known NIST scientists in the fields of

networking, software quality, security,

information access, convergent systems,

mathematical science, and statistics.

The NIST Program Directors will work

with physics, chemistry, materials

science, manufacturing engineering,

intelligent systems, automated

production, precision engineering,

information technology, building

materials, constructed structures, and

other science-related department chairs

and directors of multi-disciplinary

academic organizations to identify

outstanding undergraduates (including

graduating seniors) who would benefit

from off-campus summer research in an

honors academy environment.

The Electronics and Electrical

Engineering (EEEL) Grants Program

provides grants and cooperative

agreements for the development of

fundamental electrical metrology and of

metrology supporting industry and

government agencies in the board areas

of semiconductors, electronic

instrumentation, radio-frequency

technology, optelectronics, magnetics,

video, electronic commerce as applied

to electronic products and devices, the

transmission and distribution of

electrical power, national electrical

standards (fundamental, generally

quantum based physical standards), and

law enforcement standards.

The Manufacturing Engineering

Laboratory (MEL) Grants Program will

provide grants and cooperative

agreements in the following fields of

research: Dimensional Metrology for

Manufacturing, Mechanical Metrology

for Manufacturing, Intelligent Systems,

and Information Systems Integration for

Applications in Manufacturing.

The Chemical Science and

Technology Laboratory (CSTL) Grants

Program will provide grants and

cooperative agreements in the following

fields of research: Biotechnology,

Process Measurements, Surface and

Microanalysis Science, Physical and

Chemical Properties, and Analytical

Chemistry.

The Physics Laboratory (PL) Grants

Program will provide grants and

cooperative agreements in the following

fields of research: Electron and Optical

Physics, Atomic Physics, Optical

Technology, Ionizing Radiation, and

Time and Frequency.

The Materials Science and

Engineering Laboratory (MSEL) Grants

Program will provide grants and

cooperative agreements in the following

fields of research: Ceramics, Metallurgy,

Polymer Sciences, Neutron Scattering

Research and Spectroscopy.

The Fire Research Grants Program

will provide funding for innovative

ideas in the fire research area generated

by the proposal writer, who chooses the

topic and approach, consistent with the

program description and objectives of

this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Precision Measurement Grants Program

Dates: Applicants for the Precision

Measurement Grants Program must

submit an abbreviated proposal for

preliminary screening. Based on the

merit of the abbreviated proposal,

applicants will be advised whether a

full proposal should be submitted. The

abbreviated proposals must be received

at the address listed below no later than

the close of business February 1, 2002.

Proposals received after this deadline

will be returned with no further

consideration. The finalists will be

notified of their status by March 22,

2002, and will be requested to submit

full proposals to NIST by close of

business on May 10, 2002. NIST expects

to issue awards on or before September

30, 2002.

Addresses: For the Precision

Measurement Grants Program,

applicants are requested to direct

technical questions and submit an

abbreviated proposal (original and two

(2) signed copies), with a description of

their proposed work of no more than

five (5) double spaced pages to: Dr. Peter

J. Mohr, Manager, NIST Precision

Measurement Grants Program, National

Institute of Standards and Technology,

Bldg. 225, Rm. B161, 100 Bureau Drive,

Stop 8401, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–

8401, Tel: (301) 975–3217, E-mail:

mohr@nist.gov, Web site: http://

physics.nist.gov/pmg.

Although applicants are not required

to submit more than three copies of the

proposal, the normal review process for

the Precision Measurement Grants

Program utilizes ten (10) copies.

Applicants are encouraged to submit

sufficient proposal copies for the full

review process if they wish all

reviewers to receive color, unusually

sized (not 8.5′′ x 11′′), or otherwise

unusual materials submitted as part of

the proposal. Only three copies of the

Federally required forms are needed.

Authority: The authority for the

Precision Measurement Grants Program

66876 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices

is as follows: As authorized by 15 U.S.C.

272(b) and (c), NIST conducts directly,

and supports through grants and

cooperative agreements, a basic and

applied research program in the general

area of fundamental measurement and

the determination of fundamental

constants of nature.

Program Description and Objectives:

The program description and objectives

for the Precision Measurement Grants

Program are as follows: As part of its

research program, since 1970 NIST has

awarded Precision Measurement Grants

to U.S. universities and colleges so that

faculty may conduct significant,

primarily experimental research in the

field of fundamental measurement or

the determination of fundamental

constants. NIST sponsors these grants

and cooperative agreements primarily to

encourage basic, measurement-related

research in U.S. universities and

colleges and to foster contacts between

NIST scientists and those faculty

members of U.S. academic institutions

who are actively engaged in such work.

The Precision Measurement Grants are

also intended to make it possible for

researchers to pursue new, fundamental

measurement ideas for which other

sources of support may be difficult to

find. There is some latitude in research

topics that will be considered under the

Precision Measurement Grants Program.

The key requirement is that the

proposed project support NIST’s

ongoing work in the field of basic

measurement science, which includes:

1. Experimental and theoretical

studies of fundamental physical

phenomena which test the basic laws of

physics or which may lead to new or

improved fundamental measurement

methods and standards.

2. The determination of important

fundamental physical constants.

Although proposals for either

experimental or theoretical research will

be considered, the former will be given

preference because of the more

immediate applicability of experimental

work to metrology. Proposals from

workers at the assistant and associate

professor level who have some record of

accomplishment are especially

encouraged in view of the comparative

difficulty researchers have in obtaining

funds at the early stages of their careers.

Typical projects which have been

funded through the NIST Prevision

Measurement Grants Program include:

(1) Development of an atom

interferometer gyroscope for tests for

general relativity, M. Kasevich, Stanford

University.

(2) Spectroscopy of francium:

Towards a precise parity

nonconservation measurement in a laser

trap, Luis A. Orozco, State University of

New York at Stony Brook.

(3) Measurement of Newton’s constant

G using a new method, J.H. Gundlach,

University of Washington.

(4) Measurement of the polarization of

the cosmic microwave background, S.T.

Staggs, Princeton University.

(5) Combining the quantum Hall and

AC Josephson effects for electric current

metrology, E.A. Gwinn, University of

California, Santa Barbara.

(6) A test of CPT symmetry using a

new K–3He self-compensating

magnetometer, M.V. Romalis, University

of Washington.

Eligibility: Eligible applicants are

institutions of higher education, other

non-profits, commercial organizations,

international organizations, state, local

and Indian tribal governments and

Federal agencies with appropriate legal

authority. Applications from nonFederal and Federal applicants will be

competed against each other. Proposals

selected for funding from non-Federal

applicants will be funded through a

project grant or cooperative agreement

under the terms of this notice. Proposals

selected for funding from non-NIST

Federal agencies will be funded through

an interagency transfer. Please Note:

Before non-NIST Federal applicants

may be funded, they must demonstrate

that they have legal authority to receive

funds from another federal agency in

excess of their appropriation. As this

announcement is not proposing to

procure goods or services from

applicants, the Economy Act (31 U.S.C.

1535) is not an appropriate legal basis.

Funding Availability: For the

Precision Measurement Grants Program,

the annual budget is approximately

$300,000. Two new grants in the

amount of $50,000 per year will be

awarded; the remaining $200,000 will

fund continuing grants. Applicants must

propose multi-year projects, not to

exceed three (3) years. The scope of

work must be clearly severable into

annual increments of meaningful work

that represent solid accomplishments in

case continued funding is not made

available to the applicant.

Proposal Review Process: For the

Precision Measurement Grants Program,

to simplify the proposal writing and

evaluation process, the following

section procedure will be used:

Applicants will initially submit

abbreviated proposals, containing a

description of the proposed project,

including sufficient information to

address the evaluation criteria, with a

total length of no more than five (5)

double spaced pages, to the mailing

address given above in the ADDRESSES

section. These proposals will be

screened to determine whether they

address the requirements outlined in

this notice. Proposals that do not meet

those requirements will not be

considered further. Eight independent,

objective individuals, at least half of

whom are NIST employees, and who are

knowledgeable about the scientific areas

that the program addresses will conduct

a technical review of each proposal,

based on the evaluation criteria

described in the Evaluation Criteria

section for this program. The proposals

will then be ranked based on the

average of the reviewers’ rankings. If

non-Federal reviewers are used, the

reviewers may discuss the proposals

with each other, but ranks will be

determined on an individual basis, not

a consensus.

The program’s selecting official will

then select approximately four to eight

finalists. In selecting finalists, the

program’s selecting official will take

into consideration the results of the

reviewers’ evaluations, including rank,

and relevance to the program objectives

described above.

Finalists will then be asked to submit

full proposals containing a description

of the proposed project, including

sufficient information to address the

evaluation criteria, with a total length of

no more than ten (10) double spaced

pages in addition to the federally

mandated forms and certifications, to

the mailing address given above in the

ADDRESSES section. The same

independent reviewers will then

evaluate the detailed proposals based on

the same evaluation criteria, and the

proposals will be ranked as previously

described. In selecting proposals that

will be recommended for funding, the

program’s selecting official will take

into consideration the results of the

reviewers’ evaluations, including rank,

and relevance to the program objectives

described in the Program Description

and Objectives section for this program.

Two proposals will be selected for

funding by the end of fiscal year 2002.

The final approval of selected

applications and award of grants or

cooperative agreements will be made by

the NIST Grants Officer based on

compliance with applicant requirements

as published in this notice, compliance

with applicable legal and regulatory

requirements, and whether the

recommended applicants appear to be

responsible.

Applicants may be asked to modify

objectives, work plans, or budgets and

provide supplemental information

required by the agency prior to award.

The decision of the Grants Officer is

final.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices 66877

Evaluation Criteria: The evaluation

criteria to be used in evaluating the

abbreviated application proposals and

full proposals are:

1. The importance of the proposed

research—Does it have the potential of

answering some currently pressing

question or of opening up a whole new

area of activity?

2. The relationship of the proposed

research to NIST’s ongoing work—Will

it support one of NIST’s current efforts

to develop a new or improved

fundamental measurement method or

physical standard, test the basis laws of

physics, or provide an improved value

for fundamental constant?

3. The feasibility of the research and

the potential impact of the grant—Is it

likely that significant progress can be

made in a three year time period with

the funds and personnel available and

that the funding will enable work that

would otherwise not be done with

existing or potential funding?

4. The qualifications of the

applicant—Does the educational and

employment background and the quality

of the research, based on recent

publications, of the applicant indicate

that there is a high probability that the

proposed research will be carried out

successfully?

Each of these factors in given equal

weight in the evaluation process.

Award Period: For the Precision

Measurement Grants Program, NIST is

now accepting applications for two

grants in the amount of $50,000 per year

to be awarded for the initial period of

September 30, 2002 through September

29, 2003. Each award may be continued

for up to two additional years; however,

future or continued funding will be at

the discretion of NIST based on

satisfactory performance, continuing

relevance to program objectives, and

availability of funds.

Matching Requirements: The

Precision Measurement Grants Program

does not require any matching funds.

Application Kit: For the Precision

Measurement Grants Program, an

application kit, containing all required

applications forms and certifications

will be provided to the finalists by Ms.

Bonnie Whipp, (301) 975–4750.

EEEL, MEL, CSTL, PL, MSEL, BFRL,

and ITL SURF Programs

Dates: The EEEL, MEL, CSTL, PL,

MSEL, BRFL, and ITL SURF Programs

proposals must be received no later than

the close of business February 15, 2002.

Addresses: For the PL, MSEL, MEL,

ITL, BFRL, EEEL, and CSTL SURF

Programs, applicant institutions must

submit one signed original and two (2)

copies of the proposal to: Attn.: Ms.

Anita Sweigert, National Institute of

Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau

Drive, Stop 8400, Gaithersburg, MD

20899–8400, Tel: (301) 975–4200, email: anita.sweigert@nist.gov, Web site:

http://www.surf.nist.gov.

Technical questions for the EEEL,

MEL, CSTL, PL, MSEL, BFRL, and ITL

SURF Programs should be directed to

the following contact persons: for the

EEEL SURF Program, Dr. David Newell,

Tel: (301) 975–4228, e-mail:

david.newell@nist.gov; for the MEL

SURF Program, Ms. Lisa Jean Fronczek,

Tel: (301) 975–6633, e-mail:

lfronczek@nist.gov; for the CSTL SURF

Program, Michael S. Epstein, Tel: (301)

975–8306, e-mail:

michael.epstein@nist.gov; for the PL

SURF Program, Dr. Marc Desrosiers, Tel:

(301) 975–5639; e-mail:

marc.desrosiers@nist.gov; for the MSEL

SURF Program, Dr. Terrell A. Vanderah,

Tel: (301) 975–5785, e-mail:

terrell.vanderah@nist.gov; for the BFRL

SURF Program, Dr. Chris White, Tel:

(301) 975–6016 e-mail: cwhite@nist.gov,

or Dr. Clarissa Ferraris, Tel: (301) 975–

6711, e-mail: clarissa@nist.gov; and for

the ITL SURF Program, Dr. Larry

Reeker, Tel: (301) 975–5147, e-mail:

larry.reeker@nist.gov.

Authority: The authority for the EEEL,

MEL, CSTL, PL, MSEL, BFRL and ITL

SURF Programs is as follows: 15 U.S.C.

278g–1 authorizes NIST to fund

financial assistance awards to students

at institutions of higher learning within

the United States. These students must

show promise as present or future

contributors to the missions of NIST.

Cooperative agreements are awarded to

assure continued growth and progress of

science and engineering in the United

States, including the encouragement of

women and minority students to

continue their professional

development.

Program Description and Objectives:

The program description and objectives

for the EEEL, MEL, CSTL, PL, MSEL,

BFRL, and ITL SURF Programs are as

follows: To build a mutually beneficial

relationship between the student, the

institution of higher learning, and NIST.

This is the tenth year of the PL SURF

Program, partially funded by the NSF

Physics Division as a Research

Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

site. This is the fifth year of the MSEL

SURF Program funded by the NSF

Division of Materials Research (DMR) as

a REU site. This is the fourth year of the

MEL SURF Program and the second year

of the BFRL SURF Program, both funded

by the NSF Division of Engineering

Education and Centers (EEC) as REU

sites. This is the second year of the ITL

SURF Program funded by the NSF

Division of Experimental and Integrative

Activities in the Directorate for

Computer and Information Science and

Engineering (CISE) as a REU site.

NIST is one of the nation’s premiere

research institutions for the physical

and engineering sciences and, as the

lead Federal agency for technology

transfer, it provides a strong interface

between government, industry and

academia. NIST embodies a special

science culture, developed from a large

and well-equipped research staff that

enthusiastically blends programs that

address the immediate needs of industry

with longer-term research that

anticipates future needs. This occurs in

few other places and enables the

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Laboratory, Physics Laboratory,

Materials Science and Engineering

Laboratory, Building and Fire

Laboratory, and Information Technology

Laboratory to offer unique research and

training opportunities for

undergraduates, providing them a

research-rich environment and exposure

to state of the art equipment.

NIST’s EEEL strives to be the world’s

best source of fundamental and

industrial-reference measurement

methods and physical standards for

electrotechnology. To be a world-class

resource for semiconductor

measurements, data, models, and

standards focused on enhancing U.S.

technological competitiveness in the

world market, research is conducted in

semiconductor materials, processing,

devices, and integrated circuits to

provide, through both experimental and

theoretical work, the necessary basis for

understanding measurement-related

requirements in semiconductor

technology. To provide the world’s most

technically advanced and

fundamentally sound basis for all

electrical measurements in the United

States, the EEEL’s research projects

include maintaining and disseminating

the national electrical standards,

developing the measurement methods

and services needed to support

electrical materials, components,

instruments, and systems used for the

generation, transmission, and

application of conducted electrical

power, and related activities in support

of the electronics industry including

research on video technology and

electronic product data exchange.

NIST’s MEL conducts theoretical and

experimental research in length, mass,

force, vibration, acoustics, and

ultrasonics, as well as intelligent

machines, precision control of machine

tools, information technology for the

integration of all elements of a product’s

life cycle. Much of this applied research

66878 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices

is devoted to overcoming barriers to the

next technological revolution, in which

manufacturing facilities are spread

across the globe. MEL’s research and

development leads to standards, test

methods and data that are crucial to

industry’s success in exploiting

advanced manufacturing technology.

Critical components of manufacturing at

any level are measurement and

measurement-related standards, not just

of products, but increasingly of

information about products and

processes. Thus, MEL programs enhance

both physical and information-based

measurements and standards. Research

projects can be theoretical or

experimental, and will range in focus

from intelligent machine control,

characterizing a manufacturing process

or improving product data exchange, to

the accurate measurement of an

artifact’s dimensions.

NIST’s CSTL strives to be a worldclass research laboratory that is

recognized by the Nation as the primary

source for the chemical, biochemical,

and chemical engineering

measurements, data, models, and

reference standards that are required to

enhance U.S. industrial competitiveness

in the world market. CSTL is the

primary reference laboratory for

chemical measurements, entrusted with

developing, maintaining, advancing,

and enabling the chemical measurement

system for the United States of America,

thereby enhancing industry’s

productivity and competitiveness,

establishing comparability of

measurements to facilitate equity of

global trade, and improving public

health, safety, and environmental

quality. CSTL’s activities include:

Chemical Characterization of Materials,

Process Metrology, Chemical and

Biochemical Sensing, Nanotechnology,

Healthcare Measurements,

Environmental Measurements,

Microelectronics, Physical Property

Data, Chemical and Biochemical Data,

Bio-Molecules and Materials, DNA

Technologies, and International

Measurement Standards.

Attending to the long-term needs of

many U.S. high-technology industries,

NIST’s Physics Laboratory conducts

basic research in the areas of quantum,

electron, optical, atomic, molecular, and

radiation physics. To achieve these

goals, PL staff develop and utilize

highly specialized equipment, such as

polarized electron microscopes,

scanning tunneling microscopes, lasers,

and x-ray and synchrotron radiation

sources. Research projects can be

theoretical or experimental and will

range in focus from computer modeling

of fundamental processes through

trapping atoms and choreographing

molecular collisions, to standards for

radiation therapy.

NIST’s MSEL conducts basic research

in the electronic, magnetic, optical,

superconducting, mechanical, thermal,

chemical, and structural properties of

metals, ceramics, polymers, and

composites. Much of this applied

research is devoted to overcoming

barriers to the next technological

revolution, in which individual atoms

and molecules will serve as the

fundamental building blocks of devices.

Preparation of unique materials by

atomic level tailoring of multi-layers,

perfect single crystals, and

nanocomposites are just some of the

future technologies being developed and

explored in NIST’s MSEL. To achieve

these goals, staff develop and utilize

highly specialized equipment, such as

high resolution electron microscopes,

atomic force microscopes, neutron

scattering instruments, x-ray diffraction

sources, lasers, magnetometers, plasma

furnaces, melt spinners, molecular beam

epitaxy systems, and thermal spray

systems. Research projects can be

theoretical or experimental and will

range in focus from the structural,

chemical, and morphological

characterization of advanced materials

made in the NIST laboratories to the

accurate measurement of the unique

properties possessed by these special

materials.

NIST’s BFRL provides technical

leadership and participants in

developing the measurement and

standards infrastructure related to

materials critical to U.S. industry,

academia, government, and the public.

Building and Fire Research programs at

NIST cover a full range of materials

issues from design to processing to

performance. Separate research

initiatives address concrete, coating,

earthquake resistance of structures, fire

science and engineering, the theory and

modeling of materials, and materials

reliability. Through laboratoryorganized consortia and one-on-one

collaborations, BFRL’s scientists and

engineers work closely with industrial

researchers, manufacturers of hightechnology products, and the major

users of advanced materials.

NIST’s ITL responds to industry and

user needs for objective, neutral tests for

information technology. These are

enabling tools that help companies

produce the next generation of products

and services, and that help industries

and individuals use these complex

products and services. ITL works with

industry, research and government

organizations to develop and

demonstrate tests, test methods,

reference data, proof of concept

implementations and other

infrastrutural technologies. Program

activities include: high performance

computing and communications

systems; emerging network

technologies; access to, exchange, and

retrieval of complex information;

computational and statistical methods;

information security; and testing tools

and methods to improve the quality of

software.

SURF students will have the

opportunity to work one-on-one with

our nation’s top scientists and

engineers. It is anticipated that

successful SURF students will move

from a position of reliance on guidance

from their research advisors to one of

research independence during the

twelve-week period. One goal of this

partnership is to provide opportunities

for our nation’s next generation of

scientists and engineers to engage in

world-class scientific research at NIST,

especially in ground-breaking areas of

emerging technologies. This carriers

with it the hope of motivating

individuals to pursue a Ph.D. in

physics, chemistry, materials science,

engineering, mathematics, or computer

science, and to consider research

careers. SURFing the Electronics and

Electrical Engineering Laboratory,

SURFing the Manufacturing Engineering

Laboratory, SURFing the Chemical

Science and Technology Laboratory,

SURFing the Physics Laboratory,

SURFing the Materials Science and

Engineering Laboratory, SURFing the

Building and Fire Research Laboratory,

and SURFing the Information

Technology Laboratory will help to

forge partnerships with NSF and with

post-secondary institutions that

demonstrate strong, hands-on

undergraduate science curricula

especially those with a demonstrated

commitment to the education of women,

minorities, and students with

disabilities.

Eligibility: The EEEL, MEL, CSTL, PL,

MSEL, BFRL, and ITL, SURF Programs

are open to colleges and universities in

the United States and it territories with

degree granting programs in materials

science, chemistry, engineering,

computer science, mathematics, or

physics. Participating students must be

U.S. citizens or permanent U.S.

residents.

Funding Availability: For the EEEL

SURF Program, the NIST EEEL

anticipates receiving funding as a NSF

REU Program at the level of $50,000 per

year. For the MEL SURF Program, the

NIST MEL anticipates receiving funding

as a NSF REU Program at the level of

$52,000 per year. For the CSTL SURF

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices 66879

Program, the NIST CSTL will commit

approximately $50,000 to support these

cooperative agreements and will pursue

funding as a NSF REU Program at the

level of $50,000 per year.

For the PL SURF Program, the NIST

PL will commit approximately $50,000

to support these cooperative

agreements. The NIST PL’s REU

Program is anticipating renewal of

funding by the NSF at the level of

$85,000 per year. The anticipated direct

costs for subsidence, travel, lodging, and

conference attendance for twenty-two

students is about $135,000.

For the MSEL SURF Program, the

NIST MSEL anticipates receiving

funding as a NSF REU Program at the

level of $70,000 per year. It is

anticipated that this funding will

provide for the costs of subsistence,

travel and lodging, and the conference

attendance of ten students.

For the BFRL SURF Program, the

NIST BFRL anticipates receiving

funding as a NSF REU Program at the

level of $50,000 per year. For the ITL

SURF Program, the NIST ITL anticipates

receiving second year funding as a NSF

REU Program at the level of $50,000 per

year. It is anticipated that the funding

for the EEEL, MEL, CSTL, BFRL, and

ITL SURF Programs will provide for the

costs of subsistence, travel and lodging,

and the conference attendance of eight

students for each program.

The actual number of awards made

under this announcement will depend

on the actual costs. For all SURF

Programs described in this notice, it is

expected that individual awards to

institutions will range from

approximately $3,000 to $70,000. NIST

is negotiating with NSF to determine

whether NIST may contract directly

with apartment complexes for student

housing, or whether funding for student

housing will be included in cooperative

agreements awarded as a result of this

notice. Selected applicants will be

informed prior to award whether

housing will be provided via the

cooperative agreement or provided

separately by NIST.

Proposal Review Process: The EEEL,

MEL, CSTL, PL, MSEL, BFRL, and ITL

SURF Programs conduct an initial

screening of all proposals received by

the deadline for substantially

incomplete or non-responsive

applications, which will not be

considered for funding. All substantially

complete proposals will be reviewed

and ranked by a panel of three NIST

scientists appointed by the Program

Directors on the basis of the evaluation

criteria. Proposals should include the

following:

(A) Student Information:

(1) Student application information

cover sheet;

(2) Official transcript for each student

nominated for participation (students

must have a recommended G.P.A. of 3.0

or better, out of a possible 4.0);

(3) A personal statement from each

student and statement of commitment to

participate in the 2002 SURF program,

including a description of the student’s

prioritized research interests;

(4) A resume for each student; and

(5) Two letters of recommendation for

each student.

(B) Information About the Applicant

Institution:

(1) Description of the institution’s

education and research philosophy,

faculty interests, on-campus research

program(s) and opportunities, and

overlapping research interests of NIST

and the institution; and

(2) A statement addressing issues of

academic credit and cost sharing.

In recommending applications for

funding, the program’s selecting official

will take into consideration the results

of the panel’s evaluations, including

rank, the program objectives of the NIST

laboratories as described above, and the

relevance to the goals of the SURF

Program. The final approval of selected

applications and award of cooperative

agreements will be made by the NIST

Grants Officer based on compliance

with application requirements as

published in this notice, compliance

with applicable legal and regulatory

requirements, and whether the

recommended applicants appear to be

responsible. Applicants may be asked to

modify objectives, work plans, or

budgets and provide supplemental

information required by the agency

prior to award. The decision of the

Grants Officer is final.

Evaluation Criteria: for the EEEL,

MEL, CSTL, PL, MSEL, BFRL, and ITL

SURF Programs, the evaluation criteria

are:

Evaluation of Student’s Academic Ability

and Commitment to Program Goals (70%):

Includes, but is not limited to, evaluation of

the following: completed course work;

expressed research interest; prior research

experience; grade point average in courses

relevant to program; career plans; honors and

activities.

Evaluation of Applicant Institution’s

Commitment to Program Goals (30%):

Includes, but is not limited to, evaluation of

the following: institution’s focus on AMO

physics, chemistry, materials science,

manufacturing research and all of its

components, including but not limited to

engineering, computer science, physics,

electrical engineering, and mathematics;

overlap between research interests of the

institution and NIST; emphasis on

undergraduate hands-on research;

undergraduate participation in research

conferences/programs; on-campus research

facilities; past participation by students/

institution in such programs; and

commitment to educate women, minorities,

and persons with disabilities.

Award Period: For the EEEL, MEL,

CSTL, PL, MSEL, BFRL, and ITL SURF

Programs, these programs are

anticipated to run between May 28

through August 16, 2002; adjustments

may be made to accommodate specific

academic schedules (e.g., a limited

number of 9-week cooperative

agreements).

Matching Requirements: The EEEL,

MEL, PL, MSEL, BFRL, and ITL SURF

Programs encourage, but do not require,

cost sharing. In the spirit of a true

partnership, successful applicant

institutions will be encouraged to

contribute some partial support to the

program. A suggested level of

participation would be direct coverage

of (partially or entirely) student travel

(one round trip common carrier) or

lodging costs (approximately $2,200);

total coverage of indirect costs and/or

fringe benefits (NIST will authorize

funds for indirect costs or fringe

benefits); a stated intent to support the

participating student(s) at a research

conference; and/or award of academic

credit for the student research. The level

of cost sharing will not be considered in

the award decision. Less than ten

percent of the associated student

subsistence, travel and lodging has been

provided in cost sharing by the

participating institutions in previous

years.

Application Kit: for EEEL, MEL,

CSTL, PL, MSEL, BFRL, and ITL SURF

Programs, an application kit, containing

all required forms and certifications,

may be obtained by contacting Ms.

Anita Sweigert, (301) 975–4200;

websites for each program’s application

kit may b4 accessed through the

following website: http://

www.surf.nist.gov.

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

(EEEL) Grants Program

Dates: The Electronics and Electrical

Engineering Grants Program proposals

must be received no later than the close

of business September 30, 2002.

Proposals received after June 30, 2002

will continue to be processed and

considered for funding but may be

funded in the next fiscal year, subject to

the availability of funds.

Addresses: For the Electronics and

Electrical Engineering Grants Program,

submit one signed original and two

copies of the proposal package to:

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Laboratory, Attn.: D.J. Hamilton,

66880 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices

National Institute of Standards and

Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop

8100, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8100,

Tel.: (301) 975–2227, Fax: (301) 975–

4091.

Authority: As authorized by 15 U.S.C.

272(b) and (c), the NIST Electronics and

Electrical Engineering Laboratory

conducts a basic and applied research

program directly and through grants and

cooperative agreements to eligible

recipients.

Program Description and Objectives:

The Electronics and Electrical

Engineering Grants Program solicits

proposals in support of the broad

program objectives identified below.

The Electronics and Electrical

Engineering Grants Program supports

the formal mission of the associated

Laboratory: The Electronics and

Electrical Engineering Laboratory

promotes U.S. Economic growth by

providing measurement capability of

high impact focused primarily on the

critical needs of the U.S. electronics and

electrical industries, and their

customers and suppliers.

More specifically, the Electronics and

Electrical Engineering Grants Program

solicits proposals to support specific

programs in the areas of metrology for

semiconductors (including mainstream

silicon, power devices, and compound

semiconductors), superconductors

(including cryoelectronics and bulk

superconductors), electronic

instrumentation, radio-frequency

technology (including microwave and

millimeter-wave, antennas, and

electromagnetic compatibility/

interference), optoelectronics, magnetics

(including bulk magnetic materials and

magnetic data storage), video (including

flat-panel displays), electronic

commerce as applied to electronic

products and devices, the transmission

and distribution of electrical power,

national electrical standards

(fundamental, generally quantum-based

physical standards), and law

enforcement (clothing, communication

systems, emergency equipment,

investigative aids, protective equipment,

security systems, vehicles, speedmeasuring equipment, weapons, and

analytical techniques and standard

reference materials used by the public

safety community).

For details on these various activities,

please see the Electronics and Electrical

Engineering Laboratory Web site at

http://www.eeel.nist.gov. Note that

documents describing the current

programs for the five technical divisions

and two offices are available through the

home page.

Technical contacts for these areas are:

Semiconductors

Semiconductor Electronics Division—

Division Chief: Dr. David G. Seiler;

(301) 975–2054; david.seiler@nist.gov

Office of Microelectronics Programs—

Director: Dr. Stephen Knight; (301)

975–4400; stephen.knight@nist.gov

Superconductors (bulk); Magnetics

Laboratory Acting Deputy Director: Dr.

Alan H. Cookson; (301) 975–2220;

alan.cookson@nist.gov

Supercondutors (cryoelectronics);

National electrical standards (Josephson

array development)

Electromagnetic Technology Division—

Division Chief: Dr. Richard E. Harris;

(303) 497–3678;

richard.harris@boulder.nist.gov

Electronic instrumentation; Video;

Electronic commerce; National

electrical standards (other than

Josephson array development)

Electricity Division—Division Chief: Dr.

Bruce F. Field; (301) 975–2400;

bruce.field@nist.gov

Radio-frequency technology

Radio-Frequency Technology Division—

Division Chief: Dr. Dennis S. Friday;

(303) 497–3132;

Friday@boulder.nist.gov

Optoelectronics

Optoelectronics Division: Office of

Optoelectronics Programs—Division

Chief and Office Director: Dr. Gordon

W. Day; (303) 497–5432;

gwday@boulder.nist.gov

Law Enforcement

Office of Law Enforcement Standards—

Director: Dr. Kathleen Higgins; (301)

975–2757; kathleen.higgins@nist.gov

Eligibility: The Electronics and

Electrical Engineering Grants Program is

open to institutions of higher education;

hospitals; non-profit organizations;

commercial organizations; state, local,

and Indian tribal governments; foreign

governments; organizations under the

jurisdiction of foreign governments; and

international organizations.

Funding Availability: Over the past

three years, the Electronics and

Electrical Engineering laboratory funded

a total of approximately $1,000,000 in

grants and cooperative agreements. The

amount available each year fluctuates

considerably based on programmatic

needs. Individual awards are expected

to range between $5,000 and $150,000.

Proposal Review Process: For the

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Grants Program, proposals will be

distributed to the appropriate Division

Chief or Office Director based on

technical area by one or more technical

professionals familiar with the programs

of the Electronics and Electrical

Engineering Laboratory. The Divisions

and Offices will score proposals based

on the evaluation criteria described in

the Evaluation Criteria section below.

Reviews will be conducted on a

monthly basis during the first quarter,

and quarterly thereafter, and all

proposals received during the month or

quarter will be ranked based on the

reviewers’ scores. Based on the

reviewers’ scores, recommendations of

the division Chiefs and Office Directors,

the availability of funding, and

relevance to the objectives of the

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Grants Program, as described above, the

Laboratory Director will provide

recommendations for funding to the

NIST Grants Officer. The final approval

of selected applications and award of

financial assistance will be made by the

NIST Grants Officer based on

compliance with application

requirements as published in this

notice, compliance with applicable legal

and regulatory requirements, and

whether the recommended applicants

appear to be responsible. Applicants

may be asked to modify objectives, work

plans, or budgets and provide

supplemental information required by

the agency prior to award. The decision

of the Grants Officer is final. Applicants

should allow up to 90 days processing

time.

Evaluation Criteria: The Divisions and

Offices will score proposals based on

the following criteria and weights:

Proposal addresses specific program

objectives as described in this notice (25%)

Proposal provides evidence of applicant’s

expertise in relevant technical area (20%)

Proposal offers innovative approach (20%)

Proposal provides adequate rationale for

budget (15%)

Award Period: For the Electronics and

Electrical Engineering Grants

Program, proposals will be considered

for research projects from one to three

years. When a proposal for a multiyear award is approved, funding will

generally be provided for only the

first year of the program. If an

application is selected for funding,

NIST has no obligation to provide any

additional funding in connection with

that award. Continuation of an award

to increase funding or extend the

period of performance is at the total

discretion of NIST. Funding for each

subsequent year of a multi-year

proposal will be contingent upon

satisfactory progress, continued

relevance to the mission of the

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Grants Program, and the availability

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices 66881

of funds. The multi-year awards must

have scopes of work that can be easily

separated into annual increments of

meaningful work the represent solid

accomplishments if prospective

funding is not made available to the

applicant, (i.e., the scopes of work for

each funding period must produce

identifiable and meaningful results in

and of themselves).

Matching Requirements: The

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Grants Program does not require any

matching funds.

Application Kit: An application kit,

containing all required application

forms and certifications is available by

contacting: D.J. Hamilton, (301) 975–

2227.

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory

(MEL) Grants Program

Dates: The MEL Grants Program

proposals must be received no later than

the close of business September 30,

2002. Proposals received after June 30,

2002 will continue to be processed and

considered for funding but may be

funded in the next fiscal year, subject to

the availability of funds. Each applicant

must submit one signed original and

two copies of each proposal along with

a Grant Application, (Standard Form

424 REV. 7/97 and other required

forms).

Addresses: For the MEL Grants

Program, submit one signed original and

two copies of the proposal, clearly

marked to identify the field of research,

to: Manufacturing Engineering

Laboratory, Attn: Mrs. Barbara Horner,

National Institute of Standards and

Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop

8200, Building 220, Room B322,

Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899–8200,

Tel: (301) 975–4345, E-mail:

barbara.horner@nist.gov.

Authority: As authorized under 15

U.S.C. 272(b) and (c), the MEL conducts

a basic and applied research program

directly and through grants and

cooperative agreements to eligible

recipients.

Program Description and Objectives:

All proposals submitted must be in

accordance with the program objectives

listed below. The appropriate Program

Manager for each field of research may

be contacted for clarification of the

program objectives.

I. Precision Engineering Division,

821—The primary objective is to

support laboratory programs in the areas

of Engineering Metrology, Large-Scale

Metrology, Nanometer-Scale Metrology,

and Surface Metrology. The contact

person for this division is: Dr. Dennis

Swyt, and he may be reached at (301)

975–3463; dennis.swyt@nist.gov.

II. Manufacturing Metrology Division,

822—The primary objective is to

support laboratory programs in

Mechanical Metrology; Advanced

Optics Metrology; Predictive Process

Engineering; and Metrology and Smart

Sensor Systems for Manufacturing

Equipment. The contact person for this

division is: Dr. E. Clayton Teague, and

he may be reached at (301) 975–6600;

clayton.teague@nist.gov.

III. Intelligent Systems Division,

823—The primary objective is to

support laboratory programs in

Intelligent Open Architecture Control of

Manufacturing Systems, Intelligent

Controls of Mobility Systems, and

Intelligent Systems. The contract person

for this division is: Dr. John M. Evans,

and he may be reached at (301) 975–

3418; j.evans@nist.gov.

IV. Manufacturing Systems

Integration Division, 826—The primary

objective is to pursue semantics- and

ontology-based systems integration

technology and standards through

support of laboratory programs in

Manufacturing Enterprise Integration;

Manufacturing Simulation and

Visualization; Product Engineering; and

Meso-Micro-Nano-Manufacturing. The

contact person for this division is: Dr.

Steven R. Ray, and he may be reached

at (301) 975–3508; steven.ray@nist.gov.

Eligibility: The MEL Grants Program is

be open to institutions of higher

education; hospitals; non-profit

organizations; commercial

organizations; state, local, and Indian

tribal governments; foreign

governments; organizations under the

jurisdiction of foreign governments; and

international organizations.

Funding Availability: In fiscal year

2002, the Mel Grants Program

anticipates funding of approximately

$750,000, including new awards and

continuing projects. Individual awards

are expected to range from

approximately $25,000 to $300,000.

Proposal Review Process: Responsive

proposals will be reviewed in a two-step

process. First, at least three

independent, objective individuals

knowledgeable about the particular

scientific area described in the section

above that the proposal addresses will

conduct a technical review of proposals,

based on the evaluation criteria

described below. Reviews will be

conducted no less than once per quarter,

and all proposals since the last review

session will be ranked based on the

reviewers’ scores. Second, the Division

Chief or Laboratory Director will make

application selections. In making

application selections, the Division

Chief or Laboratory Director will take

into consideration the results of the

reviewers’ evaluations, the

compatibility of the applicant’s proposal

with the program objectives of the

particular division that the proposal

addresses, the availability of funds, and

relevance to the objectives of the MEL

Grants Program. These objectives are

described above in the Program

Objectives. The final approval of

selected applications and award of

financial assistance will be made by the

NIST Grants Officer based on

compliance with application

requirements as published in this

notice, compliance with applicable legal

and regulatory requirements, and

whether the recommended applicants

appear to be responsible, Applicants

may be asked to modify objectives, work

plans, or budgets and provide

supplemental information required by

the agency prior to award. The decision

of the Grants Officer is final.

Evaluation Criteria: For the MEL

Grants Program, the evaluation criteria

the technical reviewers will use in

evaluating the proposals are as follows:

1. Rationality. Reviewers will

consider the coherence of the

applicant’s approach and the extent to

which the proposal effectively addresses

scientific and technical issues.

2. Technical Merit of Contribution.

Reviewers will consider the potential

technical effectiveness of the proposal

and the value it would contribute to the

field of manufacturing engineering and

metrology research.

3. Qualifications of Technical

Personnel. Reviewers will consider the

professional accomplishments, skills,

and training of the proposed personnel

to perform the work in the project.

4. Resources Availability. Reviewers

will consider the extent to which the

proposer has access to the necessary

NIST or other facilities and overall to

accomplish project objectives.

Each of these factors will be given

equal weight in the evaluation process.

Award Period: For the MEL Grants

Program, proposals will be considered

for research projects from one to three

years. When a proposal for a multi-year

award is approved, funding will

generally be provided for only the first

year of the program. If an application is

selected for funding, NIST has no

obligation to provide any additional

funding in connection with that award.

Continuation of an award to increase

funding or extend the period of

performance is at the total discretion of

NIST. Funding for each subsequent year

of a multi-year proposal will be

contingent upon satisfactory progress,

continued relevance to the mission of

the MEL program, and the availability of

fundings. The multi-year awards must

66882 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices

have scopes of work that can be easily

separated into annual increments of

meaningful work that represent solid

accomplishments if prospective funding

is not made available to the applicant,

(i.e., the scopes of work for each funding

period must produce identifiable and

meaningful results in and of

themselves).

Matching Requirements: The MEL

Grants Program does not require any

matching funds.

Application Kit: An application kit,

containing all required application

forms and certifications is available by

electronic mail to: Mrs. Barbara Horner,

barbara.horner@nist.gov. Alternatively,

Mrs. Horner can be contacted at (301)

975–4345.

Chemical Science and Technology

Laboratory Grants Program

Dates: The Chemical Science and

Technology Laboratory Grants Program

proposals must be received no later than

the close of business September 30,

2002. Proposals received after June 30,

2002 will continue to be processed and

considered for funding but may be

funded in the next fiscal year, subject to

the availability of funds.

Addresses: For the Chemical Science

and Technology Laboratory Grant

Program applicants are requested to

submit one signed original and two

copies of the proposal clearly marked to

identify the field of research to: Attn.

Dr. William F. Koch, National Institute

of Standards and Technology, 100

Bureau Drive, Stop 8300, Gaithersburg,

MD. 20899–8300, Tel (301) 975–8301, EMail: william.koch@nist.gov.

Authority: As authorized under 15

U.S.C. 272 (b) and (c), the Chemical

Science and Technology Laboratory

conducts a basic and applied research

program directly and through grants and

cooperative agreements to eligible

recipients.

Program Description and Objectives:

All proposals submitted to the Chemical

Science and Technology Laboratory

Grants Program must be in accordance

with the program objectives listed

below. The appropriate Program

Manager for each field of research may

be contacted for clarification of the

program objectives.

I. Biotechnology Division, 831—The

primary objective is to advance the

commercialization of biotechnology by

developing the scientific/engineering

technical base, reliable measurements,

standards, data and models to enable

U.S. industry to quickly and

economically produce biochemical

products with appropriate quality

control. The contact person for this

division is: Dr. Gary L. Gilliland, and he

may be reached at (301) 975–2629.

II. Process Measurements Division,

836—The primary objective is to

develop and provide measurement

standards and services, measurement

techniques, recommended practices,

sensing technology, instrumentation,

and mathematical models required for

analysis, control, and optimization of

industrial processes. The Division’s

research seeks fundamental

understanding of, and generates key

data pertinent to, chemical process

technology. These efforts include the

development and validation of datapredictive computational tools and

correlation’s, computer simulations of

processing operations, and provision of

requisite chemical, physical, and

engineering data. The contact person for

this division is: Dr. James R. Whetstone,

and he may be reached at (301) 975–

2609.

III. Surface and Microanalysis Science

Division, 837—The primary objective is

to promote U.S. economic growth,

safety, health, and environmental

quality by working with industry, other

government agencies, and standards

organizations to develop and apply key

technologies, measurements, and

standard for spatially and temporally

resolved chemical characterization. The

contact person for this division is: Dr.

Richard R. Cavanagh, and he may be

reached at (301) 975–2368.

IV. Physical and Chemical Properties

Division, 838—The primary objective is

to be the Nation’s reference laboratory

for measurements, standards, data, and

models for, the thermophysical and

thermochemical properties of gases,

liquids, and solids—both pure materials

and mixtures. The rates and

mechanisms of chemical reactions in

the gas and liquid phases, fluid-based

processes and systems, including

separations, low-temperature

refrigeration, and low-temperature heat

transfer and flow. The contact person

for this division is: Dr. Mickey Haynes,

and he may be reached at (303) 497–

3247.

V. Analytical Chemistry Division,

839—The primary objective is to serve

as the Nation’s reference laboratory for

chemical measurements and standards

to enhance U.S. industry’s productivity

and competitiveness, assure equity in

trade, and provide quality assurance for

chemical measures used for assessing

and improving public health, safety, and

environment. The contact person for

this division is: Dr. Willie E. May, and

he may be reached at (301) 975–3108.

Eligibility: The Chemical Science and

Technology Laboratory Grants Program

is open to institutions of higher

education; hospitals; non-profit

organizations; commercial

organizations; state, local, and Indian

trial governments; foreign governments;

organizations under the jurisdiction of

foreign governments; and international

organizations.

Funding Availability: In fiscal year

2002, the Chemical Science and

Technology Laboratory anticipates

funding of approximately $1,000,000.

Individual awards are expected to range

from approximately $5,000 to $100,000.

No funds have been set aside

specifically for support of the CSTL

Grants Program. The availability of

funds depends upon actual

authorization of funds and other costs

expected to be incurred by incurred by

individual divisions within the

laboratory. Where funds are identified

as available for grants, those funds will

be award to highly ranked proposals as

determined by the process described in

this notice.

Proposal Review Process: For the

Chemical Science and Technology

Laboratory Grants Program, proposals

will be reviewed in two-step process.

First, at least three independent,

objective individuals knowledgeable

about the particular scientific area

described in the section above that the

proposal addresses will conduct a

technical review of each proposal, based

on the evaluation criteria described

below. Reviews will be conducted on a

monthly basis, and all proposals

received during the month will be

ranked based on the reviewers’ scores.

Second, the Division Chief will make

application selections. In making

application selections, the Division

Chief will take into consideration the

results of the reviews’ evaluations, the

compatibility of the applicant’s proposal

with the program objectives of the

particular division or center that the

proposal addresses, the availability of

funds, and relevance to the objectives of

the Chemical Science and Technology

Laboratory Grants Program. These

objectives are described above in the

‘‘Program Objectives’’ section. The final

approval of selected applications and

award of financial assistance will be

made by the NIST Grants Officer based

on compliance with application

requirements as published in this

notice, compliance with applicable legal

and regulatory requirements, and

whether the recommended applicants

appear to be responsible. Applicants

may be asked to modify objectives, work

plans, or budgets and provide

supplemental information required by

the agency prior to award. The decisions

of the Grants Officer are final.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices 66883

Evaluation Criteria: For the Chemical

Science and Technology Laboratory

Grants Program, the evaluation criteria

the technical reviewers will use in

evaluating the proposals are as follows:

1. Rationality. Reviewers will

consider the coherence of the

applicant’s approach and the extent to

which the proposal effectively addresses

scientific and technical issues.

2. Qualifications of Technical

Personnel. Reviewers will consider the

professional accomplishments,

skills,and training of the proposed

personnel to perform the work in the

project.

3. Resources Availability. Reviewers

will consider the extent to which the

proposer has access to the necessary

NIST or other facilities and overall

support to accomplish project

objectives.

4. Technical Merit of Contribution.

Reviewers will consider the potential

technical effectiveness of the proposal

and the value it would contribute to the

field of Chemistry.

Each of these factors will be given

equal weight in the evaluation process.

Award Period: For the Chemical

Science and Technology Laboratory

Grant Program, proposals will be

considered for research projects from

one to three years. When a proposal for

a multi-year award is approved, funding

will generally be provided for only the

first year of the program. If an

application is selected for funding, NIST

has no obligation to provide any

additional funding in connection with

that award. Continuation of an award to

increase funding or extend the period of

performance is at the total discretion of

NIST. Funding for each subsequent year

of a multi-year proposal will be

contingent upon satisfactory progress

continued relevance to the mission of

the Chemical Science and Technology

Laboratory program, and the availability

of funds. The multi-year awards must

have scopes of work that can be easily

separated into annual increments of

meaningful work that represent solid

accomplishments if prospective funding

is not made available to the applicant,

(i.e. the scopes of work for each funding

period must produce identifiable and

meaning results in and of themselves).

Matching Requirements: The

Chemical Science and Technology

Laboratory Grants Program does not

require any matching funds.

Contact: For information on the

Chemical Science and Technology

Laboratory Grants Program, please

contact Dr. William Koch, (301) 975–

8301.

Application Kit: For the CSTL Grants

Program, an application kit, containing

all required application forms and

certifications is available by contacting

Mr. Neil Alderoty, (301) 975–8303.

Physics Laboratory Grants Program

Dates: The Physics Laboratory Grants

Program proposals must be received no

later than the close of business

September 30, 2002. Proposals received

after June 30, 2002 will continue to be

processed and considered for funding

but may be funded in the next fiscal

year, subject to the availability of funds.

Addresses: For the Physics Laboratory

Grant Program applicants are requested

to submit one signed original and two

copies of the proposal clearly marked to

identify the field of research to: Attn.:

Ms. Anita Sweigert, National Institute of

Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau

Drive, Stop 8400, Gaithersburg, MD

20899–8400, Tel (301) 975–4200, EMail: anita.sweigert@nist.gov.

Authority: As authorized under 15

U.S.C. 272(b) and (c), the Physics

Laboratory conducts a basic and applied

research program directly and through

grants and cooperative agreements to

eligible recipients.

Program Description and Objectives:

All proposals submitted to the Physics

Laboratory Grants Program must be in

accordance with the program objectives

listed below. The appropriate Program

Manager for each field of research may

be contacted for clarification of the

program objectives.

1. Electron and Optical Physics

Division, 841—The primary objective is

to supplement division activities in

characterization of nanometer-scale

electronic and magnetic structures,

characterization of EUV optical

components to support semiconductor

lithography and ultraviolet radiometric

metrology. The contact person for this

division is: Dr. Charles W. Clark and he

may be reached at (301) 975–3709.

II. Atomic Division, 842—The

primary objective is to support division

programs aimed at determining basic

atomic properties and developing new

metrology techniques in atomic

spectroscopy, quantum processes,

plasma radiation, laser cooling and

trapping and quantum metrology. The

contact person for this division is: Dr.

Wolfgang L. Wiese and he may be

reached at (301) 975–3200.

III. Optical Technology Division,

844—The primary objective is to

develop, improve and maintain national

standards for radiation thermometry,

spectroradiometry, photometry, and

spectrophotometry as well as conduct

basic theoretical and experimental

research on the photophysical and

photochemical properties of materials,

in radiometric and spectroscopic

technique’s and instrumentation, and in

the application of optical technologies.

The contact person for this division is:

Dr. Albert C. Parr and he may be

reached at (301) 975–2316.

IV. Ionizing Radiation Division, 846—

The primary objective is to provide

primary standards and measurement

methods and technology to support the

Division’s work in meeting national

needs in radiation interactions and

dosimetry, neutron interactions,

dosimetry and radioactivity including

both theoretical/experimental and

applied research programs. The contact

person for this division is: Dr. Bert M.

Coursey and he may be reached at (301)

975–5584.

V. Time and Frequency Division,

847—The primary objective is to

supplement division basic and applied

research programs in area of phase noise

measurements, network

synchronization, ion storage, atomic

standards and optical frequency

measurements in support of future

standards, dissemination services, and

measurement methods. The contact

person for this division is: Dr. Donald B.

Sullivan and he may be reached at (303)

497–3772.

Eligibility: The Physics Laboratory

Grants Program is open to institutions of

higher education; hospitals; non-profit

organizations; commercial

organizations; state, local, and Indian

tribal governments; foreign

governments; organizations under the

jurisdiction of foreign governments: and

international organizations.

Funding availability: In fiscal year

2002, the Physics Laboratory anticipates

funding of approximately $1,400,000,

including new awards and continuing

projects. Funding availability will be

apportioned by quarter. Individual

awards are expected to range from

approximately $5,000 to $250,000.

Proposal Review Process: For the

Physics Laboratory Grants Program,

responsive proposals will be considered

as follows: First, at least three

independent, objective individuals

knowledgeable about the particular

scientific area described in the section

above that the proposal addresses will

conduct a technical review of each

proposal, based on the evaluation

criteria described below. Reviews will

be conducted on a monthly basis, and

all proposals received during the month

will be ranked on the reviewers’ scores.

If non-Federal reviewers are used,

reviewers may discuss the proposals

with each other, but scores will be

determined on an individual basis, not

as a consensus.

Next, the Division Chief will make

final application selections, taking into

66884 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices

consideration the results of the

reviewers’ evaluations, including rank;

the compilation of a slate that, when

taken as a whole, is likely to best further

the program goals described above; and

the availability of funds.

The final approval of selected

applications and awards of financial

assistance will be made by the NIST

Grants Officer based on compliance

with application requirements as

published in this notice, compliance

with applicable legal and regulatory

requirements, and whether the

recommended applicants appear to be

responsible.

Applicants may be asked to modify

objectives, work plans, or budgets and

provide supplemental information

required by the agency prior to award.

The decisions of the Grants Officer are

final.

Evaluation Criteria: For the Physics

Laboratory Grants Program, the

evaluation criteria the technical

reviewers will use in evaluating the

proposals are as follows:

1. Rationality: Reviewers will

consider the coherence of the

applicants’s approach and the extent to

which the proposal effectively addresses

scientific and technical issues.

2. Qualifications of Technical

Personnel. Reviewers will consider the

professional accomplishments, skills,

and training of the proposed personnel

to perform the work in the project.

3. Resources Availability. Reviewers

will consider the extent to which the

proposer has access to the necessary

NIST or other facilities and overall

support to accomplish, project

objectives.

4. Technical Merit of Contribution.

Reviewers will consider the potential

technical effectiveness of the proposal

and the value it would contribute to the

field of physics.

Each of these factors will be given

equal weight in the evaluation process.

Award Period: For the Physics

Laboratory Grant Program, proposals

will be considered for research projects

from one to three years. When a

proposal for a multi-year project is

approved, funding will generally be

provided for only the first year of the

program. If an application is selected for

funding. NIST has no obligation to

provide any additional funding in

connection with that award.

Continuation of an award to increase

funding or extend the period of

performance is at the total discretion of

NIST. Funding for each subsequent year

of a multi-year proposal will be

contingent upon satisfactory progress,

continued relevance to the mission of

the Physics Laboratory program, and the

availability of funds. The multi-year

awards must have scopes of work that

can be easily separated into annual

increments of meaningful work that

represent solid accomplishments if

prospective funding is not made

available to the applicant, (i.e., the

scopes of work for each funding period

must produce identifiable and

meaningful results in and of

themselves).

Matching Requirements: The physics

Laboratory Grants Program does not

require any matching funds.

Application Kit: For the Physics

Laboratory Grants Program, an

application kit, containing all required

application forms and certifications is

available by contacting Ms. Anita

Sweigert, (301) 975–4201.

MSEL Grants Program

Dates: The MSEL Grants Program

proposals must be received no later than

the close of business September 30,

2002. Proposals received after June 30,

2002 will continue to be processed and

considered for funding but may be

funded in the next fiscal year, subject to

the availability of funds. Each

application must submit one signed

original and two copies of each proposal

along with a Grant Application,

(Standard Form 424 REV. 7/97 and

other required forms).

Addresses: For the MSEL Grants

Program, submit one signed original and

two copies of the proposal, clearly

marked to identify the field of research,

to: Materials Science and Engineering

Laboratory, Attn: Ms. Marlene Taylor,

National Institute of Standards and

Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop

8501, Building 223, Room A305,

Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899–8501,

Tel: (301) 975–5653, E-mail:

marlene.taylor@nist.gov.

Authority: The authority for the MSEL

Grants Program is as follows: As

authorized under 15 U.S.C. 272 (b) and

(c), the MSEL conducts a basic and

applied research directly and through

grants and cooperative agreements to

eligible recipients.

Program Description and Objectives:

All proposals submitted to the MSEL

Grants Program must be in accordance

with the program objectives listed

below. The appropriate Program

Manager for each field of research may

be contacted for clarification of the

program objectives.

I. Ceramics Division, 852–The

primary objective is to supplement

division activities in the area of ceramic

processing, tribology, composites,

machining, interfacial chemistry, and

microstructural analysis. The contact

person for this division is: Dr. Ronald

Munro and he may be reached at (301)

975–6127 or by e-mail at

ronald.munro@nist.gov.

II. Polymers Division, 854—The

primary objective is to support division

programs in electronics materials,

biomaterials, multiphase materials and

processing characterization through

participation in research on metrology,

synthesis, processing and

characterization of structure,

mechanical, thermal and electrical

properties. The contact person for this

division is: Dr. Bruno Fanconi and he

may be reached at (301) 975–6769 or by

e-mail at bruno.fanconi@nist.gov.

III. Metallurgy Division, 855—The

primary objective is to develop

techniques to predict, measure and

control transformation, phases,

microstructure and kinetic processes as

well as mechanical, physical and

chemical properties in metals and their

alloys. The contact person for this

division is: Dr. Richard J. Fields and he

may be reached at (301) 975–5712 or by

e-mail at richard.fields@nist.gov.

IV. NIST Center for Neutron Research,

856—The primary objective is to

develop high resolution cold and

thermal neutron scattering research

approaches and related physics,

chemistry, macromolecular and

materials applications. The contact

person for this division is: Dr. John J.

Rush and he may be reached at (301)

975–6231 or by e-mail at

john.rush@nist.gov.

Eligibility: The MSEL Grants Program

is open to institutions of higher

education; hospitals; non-profit

organizations; commercial

organizations; state, local, and Indian

tribal governments; foreign

governments; organizations under the

jurisdiction of foreign governments; and

international organizations.

Funding Availability: In fiscal year

2002, the MSEL Grants Program

anticipates funding of approximately

$2,500,000, including new awards and

continuing projects. Most grants and

cooperative agreements are expected to

be in the $25,000 to $100,000 per year

range.

Proposal Review Process: For the

MSEL Grants Program proposals will be

reviewed in a two-step process. First, at

least three independent, objective

individuals knowledgeable about the

particular scientific area described in

the section above that the proposal

addresses will conduct a technical

review of proposals, as they are received

on a rolling basis, based on the

evaluation criteria. Second, the Division

Chief or Center Director will make

application selections. In making

applications selections, the Division

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices 66885

Chief or Center Director will take into

consideration the results of the

reviewer’s evaluations, the

compatibility of the applicant’s proposal

with the program objectives of the

particular division or center that the

proposal addresses, the availability of

funds, and relevance to the objectives of

the MSEL Grants Program. These

objectives are described above in the

‘‘Program Objectives’’ section. The final

approval of selected applications and

award of financial assistance will be

made by the NIST Grants Officer based

on compliance with application

requirements as published in this

notice, compliance with applicable legal

and regulatory requirements, and

whether the recommended applicants

appear to be responsible. Applicants

may be asked to modify objectives, work

plans, or budgets and provide

supplemental information required by

the agency prior to award. The decision

of the Grants Officer is final.

Evaluation Criteria: For the MSEL

Grants Program, the evaluation criteria

the technical reviewers will use in

evaluating the proposals are as follows:

1. Rationality. Reviewers will

consider the coherence of the

applicant’s approach and the extent to

which the proposal effectively addresses

scientific and technical issues.

2. Qualifications of Technical

Personnel. Reviewer will consider the

professional accomplishments, skills,

and training of the proposed personnel

to perform the work in the project.

3. Resources Availability. Reviewers

will consider the extent to which the

proposer has access to the necessary

NIST or other facilities and overall

support to accomplish project

objectives.

4. Technical Merit of Contribution.

Reviewers will consider the potential

technical effectiveness of the proposal

and the value it would contribute to the

field of materials science and

engineering and neutron research.

Each of these factors will be given

equal weight in the evaluation process.

Award Period: For the MSEL Grants

Program, proposals will be considered

for research projects from one to three

years. When a proposal for a multi-year

award is approved, funding will

generally be provided for only the first

year of the program. If an application is

selected for funding, NIST has no

obligation to provide any additional

funding in connection with the award.

Continuation of an award to increase

funding or extend the period of

performance is at the total discretion of

NIST. Funding for each subsequent year

of a multi-year proposal will be

contingent upon satisfactory progress,

continued relevance to the mission of

the MSEL program, and the availability

of funds. The multi-year awards must

have scopes of work that can be easily

separated into annual increments of

meaningful work and represent solid

accomplishment if prospective funding

is not made available to the applicant,

(i.e., the scopes of work for each funding

period must produce identifiable and

meaningful results in and of

themselves).

Matching Requirements: The MSEL

Grants Program does not require any

matching funds.

Application Kit: For the MSEL Grants

Program, an application kit, containing

all required application forms and

certifications is available by contacting

Ms. Marlene Taylor, (301) 975–5653.

Fire Research Grants Program

Dates: The Fire Research Grants

Program proposals must be received no

later than the close of business

September 30, 2002. Proposals received

after June 30, 2002 will continue to be

processed and considered for funding

but may be funded in the next fiscal

year, subject to the availability of funds.

Addresses: For the Fire Research

Grants Program submit one signed

original and two copies of the proposal

to: Building and Fire Research

Laboratory (BFRL), Attn.: Ms. Wanda

Duffin, National Institute of Standards

and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop

8660, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899–

8660, Tel: (301) 975–6863, E-mail:

wanda.duffin@nist.gov, Web site: http:/

/www.bfrl.nist.gov.

Authority: As authorized by 15 U.S.C.

278f, the NIST Building and Fire

Research Laboratory conducts directly

and through grants and cooperative

agreements, a basic and applied fire

research program.

Program Description and Objectives:

The program description and objectives

for the Fire Research Grants Program are

as follows:

A. Analysis and Prediction: The

objectives are to develop understanding

and predictive methods for dynamic fire

phenomena to advance fire science and

engineering practice and to perform

research to understand the heat and

mass transfer processes occurring in

fires in order to improve predictions of

the growth, spread, suppression, and

emissions transport form fires of all

scales. Experiments and metrology are

developed and used to develop,

support, and verify advanced computer

simulations of fire phenomena, fire

hazards, fire protection, and fire

fighting. The contact person for this

group is: Dr. Anthony Hamins, and he

may be reached at (301) 975–6598.

B. Fire Metrology: The objective is to

apply measurement science in the

development and quantification of new

and existing measurement methods for

studying fire growth, fire-induced flows,

flame radiation, smoke formation and

dynamics, species production, heat

transfer, fire suppression, and fire

suppression, and fire detection. The

contact person for this group is: Dr.

George Mulholland, and he may be

reached at (301) 975–6695.

C. Fire Fighting Technology: The

objectives are to conduct research that

enables advances in fire fighter safety,

fire ground operations, and effectiveness

of the fire service; develop and apply

measurements, modeling and

technology, and improve the

understanding of the behavior,

prevention and control of fires to

enhance: Fire fighting operations and

equipment, fire suppression, fire

investigations, and disaster response;

and provide input, including

experimental data, fire modeling and

test protocols, to advance the

effectiveness of fire safety standards and

codes. The contact person for this group

is Mr. Nelson Bryner, and he may be

reached at (301) 975–6868.

D. Integrated Performance

Assessment: The objective is to produce

tools utilizing enhanced data and

prediction methods to quantify fire

events for fire and hazard and risk

assessment; for fire fighting operations

and training; for fire investigations; and

for performance evaluations of fire

protection systems in buildings,

transportation systems, and vehicles in

response to fire. Stakeholders include

architects and design engineers;

manufacturers of building materials,

products, and furnishings; code

developers, enforcers, and regulatory

authorities; and those exposed to direct

risk such as building owners, occupants,

the fire service, and the general public.

The contact person for this group is: Dr.

Kathy Notarianni, and she can be

reached at (301) 975–6883.

E. Materials and Products: The

objective is to perform research enabling

the confident development by industry

of new, less-flammable materials and

products. This capability is based on

understanding fundamentally the

mechanisms that control the ignition,

flame spread and burning rate of

materials, as well as and the chemical

and physical characteristics that affect

these aspects of flammability. This

includes: developing methods of

measuring the response of a material to

fire conditions that enable assured

prediction of the full-scale performance

of the final product; developing

computational molecular dynamics and

66886 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices

other mechanistic approaches to

understand flame retardant mechanisms

and the effects of polymer chemical

structure on flammability;

characterizing the burning rates of

charring and non-charring polymers and

composites; and delineating and

modeling the enthalpy and mass

transfer mechanisms of materials

combustion. The contact person for this

group is Dr. Jefferey Gilman, and he can

be reached at (301) 975–6573.

Eligibility: The Fire Research Grants

Program is open to institutions of higher

education; hospitals; non-profit

organizations; commercial

organizations; state, local, and Indian

tribal governments; foreign

governments; organizations under the

jurisdiction of foreign governments; and

international organizations.

Funding Availability: For the Fire

Research Grants Program, the annual

budget is approximately $1.0 million.

Because of commitments for the support

of multi-year projects, only a portion of

the budget is available to initiate new

programs in any one year. Most grants

and cooperative agreements are in the

$10,000 to $100,000 per year range.

Proposal Review Process: Responsive

proposals will be assigned, as received

on a rolling basis, to the appropriate

group leader of the five programs listed

above in the program description and

objectives. Proposals are evaluated for

technical merit based on the evaluation

criteria by at least three reviewers

chosen from NIST professionals,

technical experts from other interested

government agencies, and experts from

the fire research community at large.

When non-Federal reviewers are used,

reviewers may discuss the proposals

with each other, but scores will be

determined on an individual basis, not

as a consensus. Group leaders will make

funding recommendations to the

Division Chief based on the technical

evaluation score and the relationship of

the work proposed to the objectives of

the program.

In making application selections, the

Division Chief will take into

consideration the results of the

evaluations, the scores of the reviewers,

the group leader’s recommendation, the

availability of funds, and relevance to

the objectives of the Fire Research

Grants Program, as described in the

Program Description and Objectives

section for this program.

The final approval of selected

applications and award of financial

assistance will be made by the NIST

Grants Officer based on compliance

with application requirements as

published in this notice, compliance

with applicable legal and regulatory

requirements, and whether the

recommended applicants appear to be

responsible. Applicants may be asked to

modify objectives, work plans, or

budgets and provide supplemental

information required by the agency

prior to award. The award decision of

the Grants Officer is final. Applicants

should allow up to 90 days processing

time.

Evaluation Criteria: For the Fire

Research Grants Program, the technical

evaluation criteria are as follows:

a. Technical quality of the research.

Reviewers will assess the rationality,

innovation and imagination of the

proposal and the fit to NIST’s in-house

fire research program. (0–35 points).

b. Potential impact of the results.

Reviewers will assess the potential

impact and the technical application of

the results to our in-house programs and

the fire safety community. (0–25 points)

c. Staff and institution capability to

do the work. Reviewers will evaluate the

quality of the facilities and experience

of the staff to assess the likelihood of

achieving the objective of the proposal.

(0–20 points)

d. Match of budget to proposed work.

Reviewers will assess the budget against

the proposed work to ascertain the

reasonableness of the request. (0–20

points)

Award Period: For the Fire Research

Grants Program, proposals will be

considered for research projects from

one to three years. When a proposal for

a multi-year project is approved,

funding will initially be provided for

only the first year of the program. If an

application is selected for funding, DoC

has no obligation to provide any

additional future funding in connection

with that award. Funding for each

subsequent year of a multi-year proposal

will be contingent on satisfactory

progress, continuing relevance to the

mission of the NIST Fire Research

Program, and the availability of funds.

Matching Requirements: The Fire

Research Grants Program does not

require any matching funds.

Application Kit: For the Fire Research

Grants Program, an application kit,

containing all required application

forms and certifications is available by

contacting Ms. Wanda Duffin, (301)

975–6863, web site: http://

www.bfrl.nist.gov.

Additional Information: The

Department of Commerce Pre-Award

Notification Requirements for Grants

and Cooperative Agreements contained

in the Federal Register notice of

October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917) are

applicable to this solicitation. In

addition, the following information is

applicable to all programs described

above.

Funding Availability: For all Financial

Assistance programs listed above,

awards are contingent on the

availability of funds.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Name and Number: Measurement and

Engineering Research and Standards—

11.609.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All

grants related administration questions

concerning these programs should be

directed to the NIST Grants and

Agreements Management Division at

(301) 975–6328.

Where websites are referenced within

this notice, those without websites may

contact the appropriate Program official

to obtain information.

Initial Screening of All Applications

All applications received in response

to this announcement will be reviewed

to determine whether or not they are

complete and responsive. Incomplete or

non-responsive applications will not be

reviewed for technical merit. The

Program will retain one copy of each

non-responsive application for three

years for recordkeeping purposes. The

remaining copies will be destroyed.

Fees and/or Profit

It is not the intent of NIST to pay fee

or profit for any of the financial

assistance awards that may be issued

pursuant to this announcement.

Automated Standardized Application

for Payment System (ASAP)

During FY 2002 and becoming

mandatory in FY 2003, the Department

of Commerce will begin using the

Department of Treasury’s ASAP. NIST

began using the ASAP system in July

2001 and continues to establish new

accounts in ASAP. Awards made

pursuant to this announcement may

contain the ASAP payment clause. In

order to receive payments for services

under these awards, recipients will be

required to register with the Department

of Treasury and indicate whether or not

they will use the on-line voice response

method of withdrawing funds from their

ASAP established accounts. More

information regarding ASAP can be

found on-line at http://

www.fms.treas.gov/asap/index.html.

Paperwork Reduction Act

The standard forms in the application

kit involve a collection of information

subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A,

424B, SF–LLL, and CD–346 have been

approved by OMB under the respective

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 248 / Thursday, December 27, 2001 / Notices 66887

Control Numbers 0348–0043, 0348–

0044, 0348–0040, 0348–0046, and 0605–

0001.

Notwithstanding any other provision

of the law, no person is required to

respond to, nor shall any person be

subject to a penalty for failure to comply

with, a collection subject to the

requirements of the Paperwork

Reduction Act, unless that collection of

information displays a currently valid

OMB Control Number.

Research Projects Involving Human

Subjects, Human Tissue, Data or

Recordings Involving Human Subjects

Any proposal that includes research

involving human subjects, human

tissue, data or recordings involving

human subjects must meet the

requirements of the Common Rule for

the Protection of Human Subjects,

codified for the Department of

Commerce at 15 CFR part 27. In

addition, any proposal that includes

research on these topics must be in

compliance with any statutory

requirements imposed upon the

Department of Health and Human

Services (DHHS) and other federal

agencies regarding these topics, all

regulatory policies and guidance

adopted by DHHS, FDA, and other

federal agencies on these topics, and all

Presidential statements of policy on

these topics.

On December 3, 2000, the U.S.

Department of Health and Human

Services (DHHS) introduced a new

Federalwide Assurance of Protection of

Human Subjects (FWA). The FWA

covers all of an institution’s Federallysupported human subjects research, and

eliminates the need for other types of

Assurance documents. The Office of

Human Research Protections (OHRP)

has suspended processing of multiple

project assurance (MPA) renewals. All

existing MPAs will remain in force until

further notice. For information about

FWAs, please see the OHRP website at

http://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/

irbasur.htm.

In accordance with the DHHS charge,

NISH will continue to accept the

submission of human subjects protocols

that have been approved by Institutional

Review Boards (IRBs) possessing a

current, valid MPA from DHHS. NIST

also will accept the submission of

human subjects protocols that have been

approved by IRBs possessing a current,

valid FWA or MPA from DHHS. NIST

will not issue a single project assurance

(SPA) for any IRB reviewing any human

subjects protocol proposed to NIST.

On August 9, 2001, the President

announced his decision to allow Federal

funds to be used for research on existing

human embryonic stem cell lines as

long as prior to his announcement (1)

The derivation process (which

commences with the removal of the

inner cell mass from the blastocyst) had

already been initiated and (2) the

embryo from the which the stem cell

line was derived no longer had the

possibility of development as a human

being. NIST will follow guidance issued

by the National Institutes of Health at

http://escr.nih.gov/ for funding such

research.

Research Projects Involving Vertebrate

Animals

Any proposal that includes research

involving vertebrate animals must be in

compliance with the National Research

Council’s ‘‘Guide for the Care and Use

of Laboratory Animals’’ which can be

obtained from National Academy Press,

2101 Constitution Ave, NW.,

Washington, DC 20055. In addition,

such proposals must meet the

requirements of the Animal Welfare Act

(7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.), 9 CFR parts 1,

2, and 3, and if appropriate, 21 CFR part

58. These regulations do not apply to

proposed research using pre-existing

images of animals or to research plans

that do not include live animals that are

being cared for, euthanased, or used by

the project participants to accomplish

research goals, teaching, or testing.

These regulations also do not apply to

obtaining animal materials from

commercial processors of animal

products or to animal cell lines or

tissues from tissue banks.

Matching Funds

Although many of the programs

described in this notice do not require

cost share, if it is determined that your

proposal falls within the authority of 19

U.S.C. 2543–45 cost share will be

required as follows:

Pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 2543–45,

financial assistance shall not exceed 75

percent of such program or activity,

when the primary purpose of such

program or activity is—

(1) To increase the awareness of

proposed and adopted standards-related

activities;

(2) To facilitate international trade

through the appropriate international

and domestic standards-related

activities;

(3) To provide adequate United States

representation in international

standards-related activities; and

(4) To encourage United States

exports through increase awareness of

foreign standards-related activities that

may affect United States exports.

Type of Funding Instrument

The funding instrument will be a

grant or cooperative agreement,

depending on the nature of the

proposed work. A grant will be used

unless NIST is ‘‘substantially involved’’

in the project, in which case a

cooperative agreement will be used. A

common example of substantial

involvement is collaboration between

NIST scientist and recipient scientists or

technicians. Further examples are listed

in section 5.03.d of Department of

Commerce Administrative Order 203–

26, which can be found at http://

www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/daos/203–

26.htm. NIST will make decisions

regarding the use of a cooperative

agreement on a case-by-case basis.

Funding for contractual arrangements

for services and products for delivery to

NIST is not available under this

announcement.

Indirect Costs

For the EEEL, MEL, CSTL, Physics,

MSEL, BFRL, and ITL SURF Programs,

no Federal funds will be authorized for

Indirect Costs (IDC) nor fringe benefits;

however, an applicant may provide for

IDC and/or fringe benefits under his/her

portion of Cost Sharing.

Classification

This funding notice was determined

to be ‘‘not significant’’ for purposes of

Executive Order 12866.

It has been determined that this notice

does not contain policies with

Federalism implications as that term is

defined in Executive Order 13132.

Applications under these programs

are not subject to Executive Order

12372, ‘‘Intergovernmental Review of

Federal Programs.’’

Because notice and comment are not

required under 5 U.S.C. 553, or any

other law, for notices relating to public

property, loans, grants, benefits or

contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)), a Regulatory

Flexibility Analysis is not required and

has not been prepared for this notice, 5

U.S.C. 601 et seq.

Dated: December 18, 2001.

Karen H. Brown,

Deputy Director, NIST.

[FR Doc. 01–31573 Filed 12–26–01; 8:45 am]

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