Fire Research Grants ProgramAvailability of Funds

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No. 941257-4357]

RIN 0693-ZA03

Fire Research Grants Program--Availability of Funds

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to inform potential applicants

that the Fire Research Program, National Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST), is continuing its Fire Research Grants Program.

Previous notices of this research grant program were published in the

Federal Register on February 20, 1991 (46 FR 13250, November 19, 1984

(49 FR 45636), May 6, 1986 (51 FR 16730), June 5, 1987 (52 FR 21342)

June 6, 1988 (53 FR 20675), May 31, 1989 (54 FR 23243), July 23, 1990

(FR 90-17041), May 7, 1991 (FR 91-10717), April 22, 1992 (FR 57-14695),

March 17, 1993 (FR DoC. 93-6157), May 11, 1994 (FR DoC 94-11351), and

FR 58-14379.

DATES: Applications will be received through September 30, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must submit one signed original plus two (2)

copies of the proposal along with Standard Form 424 (Rev. 4/92) and

other required forms, as referenced under the provisions of OMB

Circular A-110 to: Building and Fire Research Laboratory, Attention:

Sonya Cherry, Building 226, Room B206, National Institute of Standards

and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Technical questions concerning the NIST Fire Research Grants Program

should be directed to Sonya Cherry at (301) 975-6854. Administrative

questions concerning the NIST Fire Research Grants Program may be

directed to the Grants Office at (301) 975-6329. Written inquiries

should be forwarded to the following address: Grants Office,

Acquisition and Assistance Division, Building 301, Room B129, National

Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number: Measurement

and Engineering Research and Standards; 11.609.

Authority: As authorized by Section 16 of the Act of March 3,

1901, as amended (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 grants

program. This program has been in existence for several years at

approximately $1.5 million per fiscal year. No increase in funds has

taken place. The Fire Research Grants Program is limited to

innovative ideas which [[Page 6073]] are generated by the proposal

writer on what research to be performed and how. All proposals

submitted must be in accordance with the programs and objectives

listed below. Grants awarded under the Fire Research Grants Program

will generally provide financial assistance to a recipient without

substantial NIST involvement in the projects. Cooperative Agreements

awarded for Fire Research Grants Program projects will generally

involve a close working relationship between a group of NIST experts

and the recipient.

Program Description

A. Fire Modeling and Applications: Performs research, develops, and

demonstrates the application of analytical models for the quantitative

prediction of the consequences of fires and the means to assess the

accuracy of those models. This includes: Developing methods to assess

fire hazard and risk; creating advanced, usable models for the

calculation of the effluent from building fires; modeling the ignition

and burning of furniture, contents, and building elements such as

walls; developing methods of evaluating and predicting the performance

of building safety design features; developing a protocol for

determining the accuracy of algorithms and comprehensive models; and

development data bases to facilitate use of fire models.

b. Large Fire Research: Performs research on and develops

techniques to measure, predict the behavior of, and mitigate large fire

events. This includes: Understanding the mechanisms of large fires that

control the gas phase combustion, burning rate, thermal and chemical

emissions, transport processes; developing techniques for computer

simulation; developing field measurement techniques to assess the near

and far field impact of large fires and their plumes; performing

research on the use of combustion for environmental cleanup; predicting

the performance and environmental impact of fire protection measures

and fire fighting systems and techniques; developing and operating the

Fire Research Grants Program large scale experiment facility.

c. Smoke Dynamics Research: Produces scientifically sound

principles, metrology, data, and predictive methods for the formation/

evolution of smoke components in flames for use in understanding and

predicting general fire phenomena. This includes: Research on the

effects of within-flame and post-flame fluid mechanics on the formation

and emission of smoke, including particulates, aerosols, and combustion

gases; understanding the mechanistic pathway for soot from chemical

inception to post-flame agglomerates; developing calculation methods

for the prediction of the yields of CO (and eventually other toxicant)

as a function of fuel type, availability of air, and fire scale.

d. Materials Fire Research: Performs research to understand

fundamentally the mechanisms that control the ignition, flame spread,

and burning rate of materials and the chemical and physical

characteristics that affect these aspects of flammability; develops

methods of measuring and predicting the response of a material to a

fire. This includes: Characterizing the burning rates of charring and

non-charring polymers and composites; delineating and modeling the

enthalpy and mass transfer mechanisms of materials combustion; and

developing computational molecular dynamics and other mechanistic

approaches to understand the relationships between polymer structure

and flammability.

e. Fire Sensing and Extinguishment: Develops understanding,

metrology, and predictive methods to enable high-performance fire

sensing and extinguishment systems; devises new approaches to

minimizing the impact of unwanted fires and the suppression process.

This includes: Research for the identification and in-situ measurements

of the symptoms of pending and nascent fires or explosions, and the

consequences of suppression; devising or adapting monitors for these

variables and creating the intelligence for timely interpretation of

the data; determining mechanisms for deflagration and detonation

suppression by advanced agents and principles for their optimal use;

modeling the extinguishment process; and developing performance

measures for the effectiveness of suppression system design.

Award Period: Proposals will be considered for research projects

from one to three years. When a proposal for a multi-year award is

approved, funding will be provided for only the first year of the

program. There is no definite commitment to fund future years of the

project. The work performed during the year being funded must represent

solid accomplishments if prospective funding is not made available to

the applicant.

Matching Requirements: The Fire Research Grants Program does not

involve the payment of any matching funds and does not directly affect

any state or local government.

Eligibility: Academic institutions, non-Federal agencies, and

independent and industrial laboratories are eligible to apply.

Proposal Review Process: All proposals are assigned to the

appropriate group leader of the five programs listed above for review,

including external peer review, and recommendations on funding. Both

technical value of the proposal and the relationship of the work

proposed to the needs of the specific program are taken into

consideration in the group leader's recommendation to the Deputy

Director. Applicants should allow up to 60 days processing time.

Proposals are evaluated for technical merit by at least three

professionals from NIST, the Building and Fire Research Laboratory, or

technical experts from other interested government agencies; and

experts from the fire research community at large.

Evaluation Criteria:

a. Rationality: 0-20.

b. Qualification of Technical Personnel: 0-20.

c. Resources Availability: 0-20.

d. Technical Merit of Contribution: 0-40.

Selection Procedure: The results of the evaluations are transmitted

to the group leader of the appropriate research unit in the Building

and Fire Research Laboratory who prepares an analysis of comments and

makes a recommendation. The Building and Fire Research Laboratory will

also consider compatibility with programmatic goals and financial

feasibility.

Paperwork Reduction Act: The Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and

LLL mentioned in this notice are subject to the requirements of the

Paperwork Reduction Act and have been approved by the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) under Control Numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044,

0348-0040, and 0348-0046.

Application Kit: An application kit, containing all required

application forms and certifications is available by calling Sonya

Cherry, NIST Fire Research Grants Program (301) 975-6854. An

application kit includes the following:

SF-424 (Rev 4/92)--Application for Federal Assistance

SF-424A (Rev 4/92)--Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs

SF-424B (Rev 4/92)--Assurances--Non-Construction Programs

CD-511 (7/91)--Certification Regarding Debarment, suspension, and Other

Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and Lobbying

CD-512 (7/91)--Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension,

Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusions--Lower Tier Covered Transactions

and Lobbying

SF-LLL--Disclosure of Lobbying Activities [[Page 6074]]

SF-LLL-A--Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Continuation Sheet

Additional Requirements

Past Performance: Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal

awards may result in an application not being considered for funding.

Preaward Activities: Applicants that incur any costs prior to an

award being made do so solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed

by the Government. Applicants are also hereby notified that

notwithstanding any verbal assurance that they may have received, there

is no obligation on the part of DoC to cover preaward costs.

Primary Application Certification: All primary applicants must

submit a completed Form CD-511, ``Certification Regarding Debarment,

Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements and Lobbying,'' and the following explanations are hereby

provided:

1. Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension. Prospective

participants (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 105) are subject to

15 CFR Part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the

related section of the certification form prescribed above applies;

2. Drug-Free Workplace. Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26,

Section 605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F, ``Governmentwide

Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section

of the certification form prescribed above applies;

3. Anti-Lobbying. Persons (as defined at 15 CFR Part 28, Section

105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352,

``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal

contracting and financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of

the certification form prescribed above applies to applications/bids

for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for more than

$100,000, and loans and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the

single family maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever

is greater, and

4. Anti-Lobbying Disclosure. Any applicant that has been paid or

will pay for lobbying using any funds must submit an SF-LLL,

``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' as required under 15 CFR Part

28, Appendix B.

5. Lower Tier Certifications. Recipients shall require applicants/

bidders for subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, or other lower tier

covered transactions at any tier under the award to submit, if

applicable, a completed Form CD-512, ``Certification Regarding

Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier

Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and disclosure form, SF-LLL,

``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form CD-512 is intended for the

use of recipients and should not be transmitted to NIST. SF-LLL

submitted by any tier recipient or subrecipient should be submitted to

NIST in accordance with the instructions contained in the award

document.

Name Check Reviews: All for-profit and nonprofit applicants will be

subject to a name check review process. Name checks are intended to

reveal if any key individuals associated with the applicant have been

convicted of or are presently facing, criminal charges such as fraud,

theft, perjury, or other matters which significantly reflect on the

applicant's management honesty or financial integrity.

False Statements: Applicants are reminded that a false statement on

an application is grounds for denial or termination of funds and

grounds for possible punishment by fine or imprisonment as provided in

18 U.S.C. 1001.

Delinquent Federal Debts: No award of Federal funds shall be made

to an applicant who has an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until

either:

1. The delinquent account is paid in full;

2. A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least one

payment is received or;

3. Other arrangements satisfactory to DoC are made.

No Obligation For Future Funding: If an application is accepted for

funding, DoC has no obligation to provide any additional future funding

in connection with that award. Renewal of an award, increased funding,

or extending the period of performance is at the total discretion of

NIST.

Federal Policies and Procedures: Recipients and subrecipients under

the Fire Research Grants Program are subject to all Federal laws and

Federal and Departmental policies, regulations, and procedures

applicable to Federal financial assistance awards. The Fire Research

Grants Program does not directly affect any state or local government.

Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order

12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products--Applicants are

hereby notified that they are encouraged, to the greatest extent

practicable, to purchase American-made equipment and products with

funding provided under this program in accordance with Congressional

intent as set forth in the resolution contained in Public Law 103-317,

Sections 607 (a) and (b).

Indirect Costs: The total dollar amount of the indirect costs

proposed in an application under this program must not exceed the

indirect cost rate negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal

agency prior to the proposed effective date of the award or 100 percent

of the total proposed direct costs dollar amount in the application,

whichever is less.

Executive Order 12866: This funding notice has been determined to

be ``not significant'' for purposes of E.O. 12866.

Dated: January 26, 1995.

Samuel Kramer,

Associate Director.

[FR Doc. 95-2370 Filed 1-31-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-13-M