Continuation of Fire Research Grants Program; Availability of Funds

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No. 960227052-6355-02]

RIN 0693-ZA06

Continuation of 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, is continuing its Fire Research Grants Program.

DATES: Proposals must be received no later than the close of business

September 30, 1997.

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

copies of the proposal along with the Application for Federal

Assistance, Standard Form 424, (Rev. 4-92), as referenced under the

provisions of OMB Circular A-110 to:

Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL), Attention: Sonya Parham,

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 Parham, (301) 975-6854. Administrative

questions concerning the NIST Fire Research Grants Program may be

directed to the NIST Grants Office at (301) 975-6329. Additional

information can be found in the Extramural Fire Research Program:

Program Announcement and Preparation Guide. Copies may be downloaded

from the BFRL web site (http://www.bfrl.nist.gov) or obtained from

Sonya Parham at the above address.

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 program.

The annual budget for the Fire Research Grants Program is

approximately $1.4 million. Because of commitments for the support

of multi-year programs, 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. The Fire

Research Program is limited to innovative ideas generated by the

proposal writer, who chooses the topic and approach. The issuance of

awards is contingent upon the availability of funding.

All grants proposals submitted must be in accordance with the

programs and objectives listed below.

Program Objectives

A. Fire Modeling and Applications

To perform research, develop, and demonstrate 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: develop methods to assess fire hazard and risk; create

advanced, usable models for the calculation of the effluent from

building fires; model the ignition and burning of furniture, contents,

and building elements such as walls; develop methods of evaluating and

predicting the performance of building safety design features; develop

a protocol for determining the accuracy of algorithms and comprehensive

models; develop data bases to facilitate use of fire models, and

develop methodologies to acquire, model, and display fire information.

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B. Large Fire Research

To perform research on and develop techniques to measure, predict

the behavior of, and mitigate large fire events. This includes:

understanding the mechanisms of large fires that control gas phase

combustion, burning rate, thermal and chemical emissions, transport

processes; 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; and developing and operating

the Fire Research Program large-scale experimental facility.

C. Advanced Fire Measurements

Produces the scientific basis and robust measurement methods for

characterizing fires and their effluents at full- and reduced-scales.

This includes discrete point, volume-integrated, and time- and

space-resolved measurements for such properties as temperature, smoke

density, chemical species and flow velocity. Laboratory and

computational research is also performed to understand the underpinning

fire phenomena to ensure the soundness of the developed measurement

techniques.

D. Materials Fire Research

Performs research to enable 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 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 other mechanistic approaches to understand flame

retardant mechanisms and the effect of polymer chemical structure on

flammability; characterizing the burning rates of charring and non-

charring polymers and composites; delineating and modeling the enthalpy

and mass transfer mechanisms of materials combustion.

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

insitu measurement of the symptoms of pending and nascent fires and the

consequences of suppression; devising or adapting monitors for these

variables and the intelligence for timely interpretation of the data;

developing methods to characterize the performance of new approaches to

fire detection and suppression; determining mechanisms for deflagration

and detonation suppression by advanced agents and principles for their

optimal use; and modeling the extinguishment process.

Award Period

Proposals will be considered for research projects from one to

three years. When a proposal for a multi-year grant 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. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the

period of performance is at the total discretion of DoC. Funding for

each subsequent year of a multi-year proposal will be contingent on

satisfactory progress, fit to the NIST Fire Research Program, and the

availability of funds.

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 and research organizations.

Proposal Review Process

All proposals are assigned to the appropriate group leader of the

five programs listed above. 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 Division Chief. Applicants should allow up to 90

days processing time. Proposals are evaluated for technical merit 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.

Evaluation Criteria

a. Technical quality of the research: 0-35.

b. Potential impact of the results: 0-25.

c. Staff and institution capability to do the work: 0-20.

d. Match of budget to proposed work: 0-20.

Selection Procedure

The results of these 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, considers

overall program balance and objective, and makes a recommendation to

the Division Chief.

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.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to

respond nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to

comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of

the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information

displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

Application Kit

An application kit, containing all required application forms and

certifications is available by calling Sonya Parham, 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)--Assurance-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

Additional Requirements

Past Performance

Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result in

an application not being considered for funding.

[[Page 3499]]

Preaward Activities

Applicants who incur any costs prior to an award being made do so

solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the Government.

Notwithstanding any verbal assurance that may have been provided, there

is no obligation on the part of NIST 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 605) are subject to

15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F., ``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 non-profit 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 may be grounds for

denial or termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by

fine or imprisonment.

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 & Procedures

Recipients and subrecipients under the Fire Research Grants Program

are subject to all applicable Federal laws and Federal and Departmental

policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial

assistance awards. The Fire Research Grant 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.

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 cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is

less.

Executive Order Statement

This funding notice was determined to be ``not significant'' for

purposes of E.O. 12866.

Dated: January 16, 1997.

Elaine Bunten-Mines,

Director, Program Office.

[FR Doc. 97-1653 Filed 1-22-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-13-M