21st Annual P3 RFA FINAL.pdf

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Science Advisor, Policy and Engagement Office of Research and Development People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Program

21st ANNUAL P3 AWARDS: A NATIONAL STUDENT

DESIGN COMPETITION FOCUSING ON PEOPLE,

PROSPERITY, AND THE PLANET

This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.

Funding Opportunity Numbers:

EPA-G2024-P3-Q1 – Clean and Healthy Air EPA-G2024-P3-Q2 – Clean and Safe Water EPA-G2024-P3-Q3 – Safeguard and Revitalize Communities EPA-G2024-P3-Q4 – Ensure Safety of Chemicals

Assistance Listing Number: 66.516

Solicitation Opening Date: December 22, 2023 Solicitation Closing Date: February 21, 2024: 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time

Table of Contents

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction

B. Background C. Authority and Regulations D. Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes E. References F. Special Requirements G. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

II. AWARD INFORMATION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing C. Other

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Grants.gov Submittal Requirements and Limited Exception Procedures B. Application Package Information

C. Content and Form of Application Submission D. Submission Dates and Times E. Funding Restrictions F. Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Peer Review B. Relevancy Review C. Past Performance History Review D. Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS) Review E. Evaluation of the Scientific Data Management Plan F. Evaluation of the Quality Assurance Statement G. Funding Decisions

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

For Updates and Additional Information see https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities.

View research awarded under previous solicitations at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas.

A. Introduction

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks applications proposing to take a holistic approach, grounded in research and innovation, to develop and demonstrate solutions to real world challenges. The People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Program highlights the use of scientific principles in creating innovative technology-based projects that achieve the mutual goals of improved quality of life, economic prosperity, and environmental protection. P3 encourages interdisciplinary collaborations across academic departments and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines to devise innovative solutions to environmental and public health challenges in the U.S., including those in small, rural, Tribal and/or underserved communities.

P3 supports STEM education through hands-on experience and training that brings their classroom learning to life, while also allowing student teams to create tangible changes in their communities. To the extent practicable, applicants should describe the STEM education ecosystem in their project. A STEM education ecosystem consists of partners united by a collective vision of supporting participation in STEM through the creation of accessible, inclusive STEM learning opportunities spanning all education stages and career pathways. A STEM education ecosystem continuously evaluates its activities and adapts as needed, plans for the long-term, and communicates its work to build broad support and advance best-practices.

https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-grant-areas

One of the EPA’s strategic priorities to further Executive Order 14008- Tackling Climate Change at Home and Abroad, and Executive Order 13895- Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities, is to address communities adversely and disproportionately affected by environmental, climate and human health harms and risks, including affected underserved communities. As defined by Executive Order, the term “underserved communities” refers to “populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life.” In the context of this grant opportunity, the EPA is sharing its policy priorities, in part, to reaffirm its interest in expanding the environmental conversation, including expanding who participates in such research and what the subjects of such research may be.

The P3 program is emphasizing the use of innovation in projects submitted to this announcement. The program challenges and empowers interdisciplinary student teams to transform their classroom learning into hands-on experience by designing and demonstrating tangible solutions to real-world environmental issues in their communities.

Proposed projects should support P3’s four strategic principles:

Principle 1: Engage, educate, and empower the next generation of scientists, engineers, and the greater academic and external communities to improve the quality of people’s lives, provide economic benefits, and protect the environment – the P3 approach.

Principle 2: Support the development of innovative technologies that will contribute to improved social, environmental, and economic well-being, especially in communities with the greatest needs.

Principle 3: Support the demonstration of proposed P3-developed technologies to prove their effectiveness and value.

Principle 4: Foster the development of strategies to disseminate technologies in target communities and elsewhere.

The P3 Program is intended to address domestic U.S. environmental needs. For this reason, P3 projects should primarily focus on research in the U.S. and the benefits of the research should primarily accrue to the U.S. Applications that do not meet these requirements may not be evaluated as highly during the relevancy review, and therefore may not be recommended for an award.

EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the Nation faces. At the same time, EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/

For purposes of this solicitation, the following are considered MSIs:

1. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1061(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Historically Black Colleges and Universities;

2. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059c(b)(3) and (d)(1)). A list of these schools can be found at American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities;

3. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1101a(a)(5)). A list of these schools can be found at Hispanic-Serving Institutions;

4. Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; (AANAPISIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059g(b)(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; and

5. Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act of 2008, 20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6). A list of these schools can be found at Predominately Black Institutions.

B. Background

Since 2004, the P3 Program has funded colleges and universities across the country to develop innovative research projects. Cumulatively, these projects promote a shift towards more sustainable products, processes, and systems with the aim of improving quality of life, promoting economic prosperity, and protecting the planet. P3 strives to continue this charge. Examples of previously funded P3 projects can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/P3.

The P3 Program believes solutions to environmental challenges are best accomplished when students from differing academic departments collaborate. P3 encourages diverse, interdisciplinary teams representing a broad set of perspectives and ideas. Each student team must include a faculty advisor that will serve as the Principal Investigator throughout the P3 competition and grant award process. The faculty advisor must be a professor at the participating academic institution. Current graduate students are not eligible to act as a faculty advisor. Teams may be composed of undergraduates, graduate students, or both. A P3 team should not be composed of only one student and a faculty advisor.

It is expected that in the spring of 2026 teams will present their projects at the P3 National Student Design Expo. EPA will provide more information about the Expo after awards have been made.

C. Authority and Regulations

The authorities for this RFA and resulting awards are contained in the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1, Section 1442; the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1254, Section 104(b)(3); the https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/ https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XVkOWKMDORm53pvU0L8EPsrJC94&msa=0&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=3&source=embed&ll=40.58644586187277%2C-148.28228249999984 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wlIi3j7gtlNq_w-0NKAb2bF2VmY&ie=UTF&msa=0&ll=37.35160769312532%2C-96.17229800000001&z=4 https://www.epa.gov/P3 https://www.epa.gov/P3/learn-about-national-student-design-expo https://www.epa.gov/P3/learn-about-national-student-design-expo

Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2609, Section 10, as amended by P.L. 106-74; the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, 7 U.S.C. 136r, Section 20, as amended by P.L. 106-74; the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7403, Section 103(b)(3); and the Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6981, Section 8001.

For research with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102(2)(I).

Note that a project’s focus is to consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA’s financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control or pesticide control depending on which statute(s) is listed above. Further note applications dealing with any aspect of or related to hydraulic fracking will not be funded by EPA through the P3 program.

Additional applicable regulations include: 2 CFR Part 200, 2 CFR Part 1500, and 40 CFR Part 40 (Research and Demonstration Grants).

D. Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes Note to applicant: The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work products related to an environmental goal or objective, that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. The term “outcome” means the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective.

The activities to be funded under this solicitation support EPA’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan (https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan). Awards made under this solicitation will support the Strategic Plan’s goals and objectives listed below.

EPA-G2023-P3-Q1 - Clean and Healthy Air Goal 4: Ensure Clean and Healthy Air for All Communities,

• Objective 4.1: Improve Air Quality and Reduce Localized Pollution and Health Impacts

• Objective 4.2: Reduce Exposure to Radiation and Improve Indoor Air

EPA-G2023-P3-Q2 - Clean and Safe Water Goal 5: Ensure Clean and Safe Water for All Communities,

• Objective 5.1: Ensure Safe Drinking Water and Reliable Water Infrastructure

• Objective 5.2: Protect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds

EPA-G2023-P3-Q3 - Safeguard and Revitalize Communities Goal 6: Safeguard and Revitalize Communities,

• Objective 6.1: Clean Up and Restore Land for Productive Uses and Healthy Communities https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

• Objective 6.2: Reduce Waste and Prevent Environmental Contamination

EPA-G2023-P3-Q4 - Ensure Safety of Chemicals Goal 7: Ensure Safety of Chemicals for People and the Environment,

• Objective 7.1: Ensure Chemical and Pesticide Safety

• Objective 7.2: Promote Pollution Prevention

All applications should support one of the applicable goals and objectives identified above. The P3 Program supports these priorities and goal(s)/objectives(s) by funding interdisciplinary, faculty-led student teams that use the best available scientific knowledge and research to design and demonstrate innovative solutions that address environmental problems important to the public, including small, rural, Tribal, and underserved communities.

The P3 Program is committed to using science and innovation to protect public health and the environment. This is accomplished in part by supporting the development and demonstration of emerging technologies. The proposed awards will develop innovative methods and technologies that should contribute to improved social, environmental, and economic well-being; demonstrate P3 developed technologies to prove their effectiveness and value; and foster the development of strategies that can assist with the dissemination of the technologies in target communities and elsewhere. P3 projects are expected to contribute to improved, social, environmental, and economic well-being, especially in communities with the greatest needs. P3 projects should engage and educate the next generation of scientists, engineers, and the greater academic and external communities in understanding and using the P3 principles to tackle real world environmental issues. The award outcomes should align and address the program’s tenets to improve quality of life, promote economic prosperity, and protect the planet.

EPA also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements). Applicants should include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the goal(s) and objective(s) described above.

Specific Research Areas of Interest Applicants should address one and only one of the research areas listed below in their application. Note that each application must be submitted using a single Funding Opportunity Number (FON). All applications should clearly articulate how the proposed project/design will result in pollution prevention and/or control. The link to pollution prevention should be direct, such as, reduction in air emissions from a more efficient engine design. Applications should also consider the lifecycle environmental impacts of the project, including (if applicable) materials management, minimizing pollution, minimizing toxicity of materials, efficient use of water and energy and minimizing the impacts of disposal.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements

Funding Opportunity Numbers and Research Areas (NOTE: EPA encourages applicants to address Climate Change and Environmental Justice1 as applicable under each of the following research areas.)

Clean and Healthy Air (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2024-P3-Q1) EPA supports research that advances the science and provides the information critical to improving the Nation’s air quality. EPA seeks projects that support research and demonstration of innovative and cost-effective solutions for improving air quality. Examples of relevant topic areas include, but are not limited to, assessment of human and ecosystem exposures and effects associated with air pollutants on individual, community, regional, and national scales;

development and evaluation of approaches to prevent and reduce air pollution, particularly sustainable, cost-effective, and innovative multipollutant and sector-based approaches; and human exposure and environmental modeling, monitoring, metrics, and information needed to inform air quality decision making at the state, Tribal and local level.

Clean and Safe Water (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2024-P3-Q2) EPA supports research that advances the science and innovative tools and information needed to protect and restore the Nation’s watersheds, aquatic ecosystems, and water infrastructure to provide clean, adequate, and equitable supplies of water for optimum human health and ecosystem functions. Examples of relevant topic areas include, but are not limited to, research on assessing the distribution, composition, remediation and health impacts of known and emerging chemical and biological contaminants in drinking water; and innovative approaches or tools for managing ambient water quality to protect human health and aquatic life.

Safeguard and Revitalize Communities (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2024-P3- Q3) EPA supports research that advances the science and innovative technologies needed to remediate and restore the Nation’s most challenging and complex contaminated sites; to reduce the burden of contamination from the storage and management of waste while advancing the Agency’s vision for a future paradigm that fundamentally disrupts the creation and flow of waste; and to revitalize affected communities from increased exposure to contaminants resulting from natural disasters and extreme events. Examples of relevant topic areas include, but are not limited to, innovative methods and technologies to characterize and to remove contaminants from environmental media (e.g., soil, water, air); research to build community resilience to

1 Environmental justice (EJ) is the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, income, Tribal affiliation or disability, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the adverse environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental, and commercial operations or policies. Meaningful involvement means people have an opportunity to participate in decisions about activities that may affect their environment and/or health; the public's contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision; community concerns will be considered in the decision-making process; and decision makers will seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected.

potential pollution resulting from natural disasters and extreme events; and development of innovative solutions to waste management, as well as techniques and technologies that allow for the beneficial reuse of products and materials.

Ensure Safety of Chemicals (Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2024-P3-Q4) EPA supports research for evaluating and predicting impacts from chemical use and disposal and providing states and industries with information, tools, and methods to make better informed and more timely decisions about the thousands of chemicals in the U.S. EPA seeks projects that support research and demonstration of innovative and cost-effective solutions to chemical safety challenges, including reducing chemical risks. Examples of relevant topic areas include, but are not limited to, development of technologies and approaches that aid the collection and management of chemical data/information (including strategies to reduce or replace animal testing) and tools to assess their feasibility; and development of information technology and software tools to mine ever-expanding data sources for information on chemical exposures and toxicities.

It is recognized that some applications may be appropriate for more than one FON/research area, but the applicant should identify a single FON/research area for application submission purposes. The FON/research area is used to determine the appropriate peer review panel to evaluate the technical merit of the project. For examples of appropriate research, applicants should review the research area descriptions under the “Specific Research Areas of Interest” section above.

Expected Outputs and Outcomes Research outputs expected from the research funded under this RFA may include innovative, inherently benign, integrated, and interdisciplinary designs that will advance the scientific, technical, and policy knowledge necessary to enhance the human condition in communities – including those in small, rural, Tribal and/or underserved communities. Examples of these research outputs include innovative technologies and new methods that address knowledge, software, and data gaps. These outputs can be presented in publications, at the P3 Expo, and conferences.

The desired outcomes of the research conducted under this program address P3’s four strategic principles listed in Section I.A. P3-supported technologies should also embody the P3 approach which aims to simultaneously: (1) maintain or improve human health and well-being; (2) advance economic competitiveness; and (3) protect and preserve the environment by effectively and efficiently using water, materials, and energy and minimizing the generation or emission of pollution or minimizing the use of toxic substances. The outputs and outcomes of the research efforts conducted via the individual P3 grants contribute directly to accomplishing the P3 Strategic Principles presented in Section I.A of this solicitation.

Innovation and Sustainability To the maximum extent practicable, research applications should embody innovation and sustainability. Innovation occurs at the intersection of invention and insight (Lemelson-MIT, 2004; Nunes, 2004) and is the complex process of introducing novel ideas into use or practice

(Council on Competitiveness). Innovation for the purposes of this RFA is defined as the process of developing new or novel technology-based projects (methods, devices, creative solutions, or concepts) that contribute to improved social, environmental, and economic well-being.

Innovative research can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses. Research applications should include a discussion on how the proposed research is innovative (see Section IV.C.5.iii.a). The goal of sustainability, derived from the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), is to “create and maintain conditions, under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.” By incorporating these concepts, P3 supports science-based projects developed by interdisciplinary student teams at U.S. colleges and universities. Research applications should include a discussion on how the proposed research will seek sustainable solutions that protect the environment and strengthen our communities (see Section IV.C.5.iii.a). Reviewers will draw from all of the above-mentioned innovation and sustainability definitions in the review/evaluation process of research applications (see Section V.A).

Application Considerations Please note the following Agency considerations for P3 research applications:

• All applications should clearly articulate how the proposed project/design and its demonstration will result in pollution prevention and/or control or describe how the proposed project/design proposes research within the scope of the statutes described in Section I.C. above. (The National Environmental Policy Act is a secondary supporting statute for projects with an international component and cannot be the sole supporting statute for a proposed project).

• The P3 Program is intended to address domestic U.S. needs. For this reason, P3 projects should primarily perform their research in the U.S. and the benefits of the research should primarily accrue to the U.S. Applications that do not meet these requirements may not be evaluated as highly during the relevancy review, and therefore may not be recommended for an award.

• Generally, an application to this solicitation should address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control or pesticide control. Applications should not focus on fixing an environmental problem via a well-established method, but instead highlight their innovative research aspects.

• A “demonstration” can encompass the first instance of the application of control, prevention, and innovative techniques, but must involve new or experimental technologies, methodologies, and approaches with the results widely disseminated for others benefit.

E. References

Lemelson-MIT Program and the National Science Foundation. (2004). Invention: Enhancing Inventiveness of Quality of Life, Competitiveness and Sustainability. Report of the Committee for the Study of Invention.

https://lemelson.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2020-04/Invention%20Assembly%20Full%20Report.pdf https://lemelson.mit.edu/sites/default/files/2020-04/Invention%20Assembly%20Full%20Report.pdf

Nunes, S. (2004). Extending the innovation ecosystem. Proceedings. IEEE International Conference on e-Commerce Technology, CEC 2004, San Diego, CA, USA, pp. 3-3, doi:

10.1109/ICECT.2004.1319709.

F. Special Requirements

It is EPA Policy to ensure that the results of EPA-funded extramural scientific research are accessible to the public to the greatest extent feasible consistent with applicable law; policies and Orders; the Agency’s mission; resource constraints; and U.S. national, homeland and economic security. This entails maximizing, at no charge, access by the public to peer-reviewed, scientific research journal publications or associated author manuscripts, and their underlying digital research data, created in whole or in part with EPA funds, while protecting personal privacy;

recognizing proprietary interests, confidential business information, and intellectual property rights; and avoiding significant negative impact on intellectual property rights, innovation, and U.S. competitiveness.

Applications submitted under this announcement should include a Scientific Data Management Plan (SDMP) that addresses public access to EPA-funded scientific research data. See the SDMP clause in Section IV for details on the content of an SDMP. Applicants will also be asked to provide past performance information on whether journal publications or associated author manuscripts, and the associated underlying scientific research data and metadata, under prior assistance agreements were made publicly accessible. These items will be evaluated prior to award.

Reasonable, necessary, and allocable costs for data management and public access may be included in extramural research applications and detailed in the budget justification described in Section IV.

Agency policy and ethical considerations prevent EPA technical staff and managers from providing applicants with information that may create an unfair competitive advantage.

Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise, and/or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs. EPA employees cannot endorse any specific application.

This solicitation provides the opportunity for the submission of applications for projects that may involve human subjects research. All applications should include a Human Subjects Research Statement (HSRS; described in Section IV.C.5.iii.c of this solicitation). If the project involves human subjects research, it will be subject to an additional level of review prior to funding decisions being made as described in Sections V.D and V.G of this solicitation.

P3 Award projects will not accommodate a multiple principal investigator (PI) application. P3 Award projects should be submitted as a single lead PI application.

A P3 project may involve intellectual property (IP). If that is the case, P3 teams are encouraged to ensure that their institution’s technology transfer office reviews any IP-related materials https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1319709 before making them public. This is to ensure that any concerns related to patent filings or adjustments to IP strategies, if needed, can be addressed prior to any public display.

These awards may involve the collection of “Geospatial Information,” which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.

G. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to sections III, IV, V, and VI of this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses. These provisions are important for applying to this solicitation and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please contact the EPA point of contact listed in this solicitation (usually in Section VII) to obtain the provisions.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

It is anticipated that a total of approximately $1.2 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 16 awards under this RFA. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $75,000 per award, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. The total project period requested in an application submitted for this RFA may not exceed 2 years.

To increase the number of grants awarded to institutions who have not traditionally received awards, EPA intends to use approximately 50% of the total amount of funding available under this announcement for grants to “new awardees.” See definition of “new awardees” in Section V.G. This percentage is only an estimate and is subject to change based on funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. See Section V.G. Funding Decisions for additional information.

The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards, or make fewer awards than anticipated, under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months after the original selection decisions.

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund an application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the application, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and therefore maintains the https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses integrity of the competition and selection process. Awards may be fully or incrementally funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations.

EPA intends to award only grants under this announcement. Under a grant, EPA scientists and engineers will not be substantially involved in the execution of the research. However, EPA encourages interaction between its own laboratory scientists and grant Principal Investigators after the award of an EPA grant for the sole purpose of exchanging information in research areas of common interest that may add value to their respective research activities. This interaction must be incidental rather than substantial to achieving the goals of the research under a grant.

Interaction that is “incidental” does not involve resource commitments by EPA.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Note: Additional provisions that apply to this section can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses.

A. Eligible Applicants

Public and private institutions of higher education (limited to degree-granting institutions of higher education) located in the U.S. (includes eligible institutions of higher education located in U.S. territories and possessions) are eligible to apply to be the recipient of a grant to support teams of undergraduate, graduate students, or both. Profit-making firms and individuals are not eligible to receive assistance agreements from the EPA under this program.

The students on the teams supported by the institution receiving the grant must be enrolled in the college, university, or post-secondary educational institution they will be representing at the time the application is submitted. Institutions are allowed to submit more than one application where each application represents a unique design concept and student team. For the purposes of grant administration, the team's faculty advisor will be designated the Principal Investigator throughout the P3 grant award and competition process.

Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR § 200.1, the term nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note that 2 CFR § 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR § 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, Tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR § 200.1 are not eligible to apply. State, local and federally recognized Indian Tribal governments are not eligible to submit applications under this program. Under this competition, eligible nonprofit organizations are limited to research institutes and foundations that are part of or affiliated with a U.S. institution of higher education.

For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status; such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or Tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611.

Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations/institutions are not eligible to apply.

National laboratories funded by Federal Agencies (Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers, “FFRDCs”) may not apply. FFRDC employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. They may participate in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant, but may not direct projects on behalf of the applicant organization. An award recipient may provide funds through its assistance agreement from the EPA to an FFRDC for research personnel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses directly related to the research.

Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on an assistance agreement. Federal employees may not receive salaries or augment their Agency’s appropriations through awards made under this program unless authorized by law to receive such funding.

The applicant institution may enter into an agreement with a Federal Agency to purchase or utilize unique supplies or services unavailable in the private sector to the extent authorized by law. Examples are purchase of satellite data, chemical reference standards, analyses, or use of instrumentation or other facilities not available elsewhere. A written justification for federal involvement must be included in the application. In addition, an appropriate form of assurance that documents the commitment, such as a letter of intent from the Federal Agency involved, should be included.

If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding.

Potential applicants who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact Ron Josephson in the Office of Research and Development (ORD), phone: 202-564-7823, email:

josephson.ron@epa.gov.

B. Cost sharing

Cost sharing is not required.

mailto:josephson.ron@epa.gov

C. Other

All applications will be reviewed for eligibility and must meet the eligibility requirements described in Sections III.A., B., and C. to be considered eligible. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

a. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this solicitation or else they will be rejected. However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the application, or parts thereof, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed. Applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in application format, including selecting a legible font type and size for use in the application.

b. In addition, initial applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this solicitation (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV of this solicitation. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this solicitation to ensure that their application is timely submitted. Please note that applicants experiencing technical issues with submitting through Grants.gov should follow the instructions provided in Section IV, which include both the requirement to contact Grants.gov and email a full application to EPA prior to the deadline.

c. Applications submitted outside of Grants.gov will be deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was due to EPA mishandling or technical problems associated with Grants.gov or SAM.gov. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a submission outside of Grants.gov.

If an applicant submits more than one application under this announcement, each application must be submitted separately, and the scope of work proposed in each application must be significantly different from the other application(s) in order for them to all be deemed eligible. If applications are submitted with scopes of work that do not significantly differ, then EPA will only accept the most recently submitted application and all other applications will be deemed ineligible.

Also, applications exceeding the funding limits or project period described herein will be rejected without review. See Section II. Further, applications that fail to demonstrate a public purpose of support or stimulation (e.g., by proposing research which primarily benefits a Federal program or provides a service for a Federal agency) will not be funded.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Note: Additional provisions that apply to this section can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses.

https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

Formal instructions for submission through Grants.gov are in Section F.

A. Grants.gov Submittal Requirements and Limited Exception Procedures

Applicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If your organization has no access to the internet or access is very limited, you may request an exception for the remainder of this calendar year by following the procedures outlined here. Please note that your request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods. Issues with submissions with respect to this opportunity only are addressed in section F. Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements below.

B. Application Package Information

Use the application package available at Grants.gov (see Section IV.F. “Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements”). Note: With the exception of the current and pending support form (available at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms), all necessary forms are included in the electronic application package. Make sure to include the current and pending support form in your Grants.gov submission.

C. Content and Form of Application Submission

The application is made by submitting the materials described below. Applications must contain all information requested.

1. Standard Form 424

The applicant must complete Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance.

Instructions for completion of the SF-424 are included with the form. However, note that EPA requires that the entire requested dollar amount appear on the SF-424, not simply the proposed first year expenses. The form must contain the signature of an authorized representative of the applying organization. Please note the form will be automatically signed by the authorized organization representative when the “Sign & Submit” button is clicked in the Grants.gov Workspace.

2. Key Contacts, EPA Form 5700-54

The applicant must complete the “Key Contacts” form found in the Grants.gov application package. An “Additional Key Contacts” form is also available at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/research-funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. The Key Contacts form should also be completed for major subawards (i.e., principal investigators). Do not include information for consultants or other contractors. Please make certain that all contact information is accurate.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/grants/exceptions-grantsgov-submission-requirement

3. EPA Form 4700-4, Preaward Compliance Review Report for All Applicants and Recipients Requesting EPA Financial Assistance (For tips on completing the form see:

https://www.epa.gov/grants/tips-completing-epa-form-4700-4.)

4. SF-424A Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs

Prepare a master budget table using Standard Form 424A, Budget Information for Non- Construction Programs, available in the Grants.gov electronic application package. Only complete “Section B-Budget Categories”. Provide the object class budget category (a. - k.)

amounts for each budget year under the “Grant Program, Function or Activity” heading. Each column reflects a separate budget year. For example, Column (1) reflects budget year 1. The total budget will be automatically tabulated in column (5).

Applicants may not use subawards to transfer or delegate their responsibility for successful completion of their EPA assistance agreement. Note: Prior to naming a contractor (including consultants) or subrecipient in your application as a “partner”, please carefully review Section IV.d, “Contracts and Subawards”, of EPA’s Announcement Clauses that are incorporated by reference in this announcement (See Section I.G). EPA expects recipients of funding to comply with competitive procurement contracting requirements as well as EPA’s rule on Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in EPA Programs in 40 CFR Part 33. The Agency does not accept justifications for sole source contracts for services or products available in the commercial marketplace based on a contractor’s role in preparing an application.

Please note that cost sharing is not required.

5. Project Narrative, submitted using Project Narrative Attachment Form and prepared as described below:

i) Table of Contents

Provide a list of the major subdivisions of the application indicating the page number on which each section begins.

ii) Abstract (2 pages)

The abstract is a very important document in the review process. Therefore, it is critical that the abstract accurately describes the research being proposed and conveys all the essential elements of the research. Also, the abstracts of applications that receive funding will be posted on EPA’s P3 website.

The abstract must include the information described below (a-k). Examples of abstracts for current grants may be found on EPA’s P3 Grants website.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/tips-completing-epa-form-4700-4 https://www.epa.gov/P3 https://www.epa.gov/P3

a. Funding Opportunity Title and Number for this application. The funding opportunity number and its associated research area are listed at the beginning of this announcement, in Section I.D. above, and in Section IV.C.5.viii.b below.

Please note: Include the Funding Opportunity Number to which the application is being submitted in the upper right side of the “header” of the Abstract page. Applicants should select one research area to be the focus of their project (see Section I.D). Each application must be submitted using a single FON.

b. Project Title: Use the exact title of your project as it appears in the application. The title must be brief yet represent the major thrust of the project. Because the title will be used by those not familiar with the project, use more commonly understood terminology. Do not use general phrases such as “research on.”

c. Principal Investigator (PI): This person will serve as the faculty advisor for the P3 student team. List the name of the PI and then the names and affiliations of any co-investigators/advisors who will significantly contribute to the project. Provide a web site URL or an email contact address for each investigator. Consider including people from departments and disciplines that will help make a successful project (e.g., from business, social science, and educational schools and departments).

d. Institution(s): In the same order as the list of investigators, list the name, city and state of each participating university or other applicant institution. The institution applying for assistance must be clearly identified.

e. Student Team: If student investigators are known at the time of application submittal, list them, indicate whether each student is an undergraduate or graduate student, and indicate the expertise they will contribute to the P3 team. If student investigators are not yet known, provide a brief explanation of how and when the P3 student team will be formed and the areas of expertise to be recruited for the team. Include in the team, students from academic departments and disciplines that will help make a successful project (e.g., from business, social science, and educational schools or departments).

f. Student Represented Departments and Institutions: List the departments and institutions that will be represented by the students participating on the team.

g. Project Period and Location: Show the proposed project beginning and ending dates and the performance site(s)/geographical location(s) where the work will be conducted.

h. Project Cost: Show the total funding requested from the EPA (include direct and indirect costs for all years – This cannot exceed $75,000).

i. Project Summary:

Objective: Identify the EPA Strategic Plan goal/objective from Section I.D. being addressed.