fy 15 biomass-final version-to post.pdf

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Golden Field Office, Bioenergy Technologies Office

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Fiscal Year 2015 BIOMASS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

INITIATIVE (BRDI)

Funding Opportunity Announcement Number: USDA-NIFA-9008-004957 CFDA Number: 10.312

Issue Date: 02/26/2015

Concept Paper Due Date: 03/27/2015, 5:00 PM Eastern Time

Full Application Due Date: 7/27/2015, 5:00 PM Eastern Time

REGISTRATION AND APPLICATION SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Registration Requirements: Allow at least 21 days to complete registrations.

To submit an application under this announcement, complete the following registrations:

A. Obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

B. Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov. Designating an Electronic Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password called an MPIN are important steps in SAM registration. Please update your SAM registration annually.

C. Register in Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/.

The Applicant User Guide is at http://www.grants.gov/documents/19/18243/GrantsgovApplicantUserGuide.pdf/ae502877-0fcc- 4214-811a-9565b21e7b14

Where to Download the Application Package:

Download the Application Package for this announcement at http://www.grants.gov/. Click on the “Apply for Grants” link; then, click on the “Download a Grant Application Package” link and follow the instructions. Insert the announcement number to download the Application Package.

Where to Submit the Application Package:

APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH GRANTS.GOV TO BE CONSIDERED

FOR AWARD. Follow instructions in the User’s Guide for application submissions. Applicants are responsible for verifying successful transmission, prior to the application due date and time.

Where to Ask Questions About the Funding Opportunity Announcement Content:

Questions about the Funding Opportunity Announcement should be submitted to BRDI@nifa.usda.gov.

Where to Submit Questions About the Registrations or Systems:

DUNS & Bradstreet: govt@dnb.com

System for Award Management (SAM): www.sam.gov

For SAM Customer Service, contact:

Federal Service Desk URL: www.fsd.gov By Phone (8am - 8pm, Eastern Time):

US Calls: 866-606-8220 International Calls: 334-206-7828

DSN: 866-606-8220

Grants.gov: support@grants.gov By phone: 1-800-518-4726 (7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eastern) http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/documents/19/18243/GrantsgovApplicantUserGuide.pdf/ae502877-0fcc-4214-811a-9565b21e7b14 http://www.grants.gov/documents/19/18243/GrantsgovApplicantUserGuide.pdf/ae502877-0fcc-4214-811a-9565b21e7b14 http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:BRDI@nifa.usda.gov mailto:govt@dnb.com http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.fsd.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov

Table of Contents Number Subject Page

SECTION I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A.Description B.Legislated Program Objectives C.Approach D. Project Description

SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION

A. Type of Award Instrument B. Estimated Funding C. Maximum and Minimum Award Size D. Expected Number of Awards E. Anticipated Award Size F. Period of Performance G. Type of Application

SECTION III - ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A.Eligible Applicants B.Cost Sharing C.Centers of Excellence D.Other Eligibility Requirements E.Multiple Principal Investigators F.Multiple Submissions

SECTION IV – APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Address to Request Concept Paper/Full Application Forms B. Concept Papers C. Content and Form of Concept Paper D. Content and Form of Full Applications E. Post-Selection F. Submission Dates and Times G. Intergovernmental Review H. Funding Restrictions I. Submission and Registration Requirements

SECTION V –CONCEPT PAPER REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Criteria B. Anticipated Notice of Encouragement or Discouragement

SECTION VI –FULL APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

SECTION VI - AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Notice of Selection B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

SECTION VII - QUESTIONS/AGENCY CONTACTS

A. Questions

SECTION VIII - OTHER INFORMATION

A. Amendments B. Government Right to Reject or Negotiate C. Commitment of Public Funds D. Proprietary Application Information E. Evaluation and Administration by Non-Federal Personnel F. Intellectual Property Developed under this Program H. Notice Regarding Eligible/Ineligible Activities I. Notice of Right to Conduct a Review of Financial Capability J. Notice of Potential Disclosure under Freedom of Information Act

K. Stakeholder Input Appendix A – Definitions Appendix B – Personally Identifiable Information Appendix C – Cost Share Information

SECTION I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Description This section of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) contains information on the Department of Energy (DOE) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programmatic objectives, administrative roles, and areas of interest addressed by this FOA.

Section 9001(a) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA) (Pub. L. 110-246), re-authorized the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) financial assistance program by amending section 9008 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA), as amended, (Pub. L. 107-171) (7 U.S.C. 8108). Collaboration between DOE and USDA on BRDI is directed under section 9008(e)(1) of FSRIA, as amended. Additionally, DOE provides funds guided by certain administrative provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Section 9008(e)(3) of FSRIA provides direction and guidance on the technical areas as described in BRDI. The technical areas are: (A) Feedstocks development, (B) Biofuels and biobased products development, and (C) Biofuels development analysis. These areas are described further below.

For fiscal year (FY) 2015, the BRDI FOA requires that funded projects address only one of the three legislatively mandated technical areas identified above. Applicants can only apply for one technical area. Applications that address more than one of the three technical areas will not be reviewed. See Section II for details on Expected Number of Awards.

For FY 2015 DOE-Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) anticipates funding one

(1) to six (6) awards, and USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) anticipates funding from three (3) to fourteen (14) awards. Anticipated award size ranges from $500,000 to $2 million per award. All DOE-EERE funding is subject to the availability of annual Congressional appropriations.

B. Legislated Program Objectives

Both DOE and USDA have been given responsibility to support the development of a biomass-based industry in the United States. The objectives of this responsibility are specified in Section 9008(e) of FSRIA, as amended, which requires the development of:

(A) technologies and processes necessary for abundant commercial production of biofuels at prices competitive with fossil fuels;

(B) high-value biobased products –

(i) to enhance the economic viability of biofuels and biopower;

(ii) to serve as substitutes for petroleum-based feedstocks and products; and

(iii) to enhance the value of coproducts produced using the technologies and processes; and

(C) a diversity of economically and environmentally sustainable domestic sources of renewable biomass for conversion to biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products.

DOE and USDA both support Federal initiatives and Agency programmatic goals pertaining to the development of a biomass-based industry; however, DOE and USDA support for these goals should not be construed by applicants as BRDI priorities for the peer review process. BRDI applications will be evaluated using the criteria in Section V.A. of this FOA. These initiatives and programmatic goals include the following:

• The Twenty-in-Ten Plan, established in the Clean Air Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 7545), as amended by section 202 of the Energy Independence and Security Act 2007 (EISA 2007), requiring 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022 under the Renewable Fuel Standard;

• The Advanced Energy Initiative of 2006, calling for cost competitive cellulosic ethanol by 2012;

• USDA-NIFA’s vision of agriculture and natural resource-based energy that enhance stewardship of our environment, sustainable and secure renewable energy resources, and vibrant and energy-efficient rural communities;

• DOE-EERE’s strategic goals of reducing dependence on imported oil and enabling a domestic bioindustry;

• USDA’s Biopreferred Program that creates a market pull for new products and technologies (http://www.biopreferred.gov/); and

• DOE-EERE’s Biomass Program Multi-Year Program Plan (http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/downloads/bioenergy-technologies-office-multi-year-program-plan-july-2014-update);

• USDA’s Strategic Goal 1.3 “Contribute to the expansion of the bioeconomy by supporting development, production, and consumption of renewable energy and biobased products” and;

• USDA NIFA’s Strategic Goal 1.4 “Contribute to the U.S. energy independence and enhance other agricultural systems through the development of regional systems for the sustainable production of optimal biomass for the production of bioenergy and value-added biobased industrial products.

Background resource material, including the complete text of the BRDI legislation, can be found at the following websites:

• Section 9008 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA), as amended, (Pub. L. 107-171) (7 U.S.C. 8108).

• Roadmap for Biomass Technologies in the United States prepared by the Biomass Technical

Advisory Committee. http://www.biomassboard.gov/pdfs/final_biomass_roadmap_2002kw.pdf

• National Biofuels Action Plan, developed by the Biomass Research and Development Board.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pdfs/nbap.pdf

C. Approach

Collaboration between DOE and USDA on BRDI is directed under Section 9008(e)(1) of FSRIA, as amended, (7 U.S.C. 8108(e)(1)). Applicants should be aware that DOE is administering the Concept Paper process (i.e., DOE will receive the Concept Papers and convene the Merit Review Committee meeting to evaluate the quality of the Concept Papers). Based on the results of the review, DOE and USDA will jointly identify projects that will be encouraged or discouraged to submit Full Applications. USDA will administer the Full Application process (i.e., USDA will receive the Full Applications, and convene the USDA Scientific Peer Review to evaluate the quality of the Full Applications). The result of the USDA Scientific Peer Review http://www.biopreferred.gov/ http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/downloads/bioenergy-technologies-office-multi-year-program-plan-july-2014-update http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/downloads/bioenergy-technologies-office-multi-year-program-plan-july-2014-update http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t05t08+4835+0++%28%29%20%20AND%20%28%287%29%20ADJ%20USC%29%3ACITE%20AND%20%28USC%20w%2F10%20%288108%29%29%3ACITE%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20 http://www.biomassboard.gov/pdfs/final_biomass_roadmap_2002kw.pdf http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pdfs/nbap.pdf will be a ranked list of Full Applications, starting with the project that is most qualified and ending with the project that is least qualified. DOE and USDA will then apply any special or program policy factors to projects at the top of the list and will select projects for funding.

Additional information regarding administration of this FOA is included in Sections III through

VII.

D. Project Description

Concept Papers are being solicited that address only one of the three technical topic areas described below and on the following pages. Applications that address more than one of the three technical areas will not be reviewed.

A. Feedstocks Development – Research, development, and demonstration activities regarding feedstocks and feedstock logistics (including harvest, handling, transport, preprocessing, and storage) relevant to production of raw materials for conversion to biofuels and biobased products. The BRDI program is designed to support near-term commercial systems. Projects should emphasize development and optimization of existing feedstocks that will be available for testing and demonstration during the life of the project. Proposals that include breeding or genetic improvement of feedstocks should reconcile this work with the Program’s emphasis on near-term impacts.

The lack of logistics systems capable of handling and delivering a sufficiently high tonnage of feedstocks year-round to support the rapid escalation of cellulosic biofuels production has been identified as a significant barrier to the expansion of a sustainable domestic biofuels industry.

Feedstocks or combinations of feedstocks that will be considered include: agricultural residues, energy crops (switchgrass, miscanthus, energycane, sorghum, poplar, willow, etc.), forest resources (forest thinnings, wood chips, wood wastes, small diameter trees, etc.), urban wood wastes, oilseed crops, algae, animal waste, other waste streams that are byproducts of alternative energy processes. Additional information on acceptable feedstocks may be found in the definitions for “Advanced Biofuel” and “Renewable Biomass” which are presented in Appendix A – Definitions. Projects should include the use or development of the following:

• Dedicated biofuel or industrial product crops with desired features, including enhanced productivity, broader site range, low requirements for chemical inputs, and enhanced processing characteristics;

• Advanced crop production methods and management technologies and systems to achieve optimal yields while conserving soil and water resources;

• Innovative equipment designs and systems for harvest, handling, preprocessing, transport, and storage that will be compatible with the biomass conversion technology;

• Innovative uses of alternative waste streams that decrease the cost, environmental impacts, greenhouse gas footprint or complexity of renewable energy systems for small commercial applications;

• Compatibility of the selected feedstock with potential conversion systems;

• Strategies for integrating feedstock production into existing managed land; and

• Generation of data that can contribute to a best management practices database.

B. Biofuels and Biobased Products Development - Research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities to support:

(i) Development of diverse cost-effective technologies for the use of cellulosic biomass in the production of biofuels, bioenergy, and biobased products; and

(ii) Product diversification through technologies relevant to the production of a range of biobased products (including chemicals, animal feeds, and cogeneration power) that potentially can increase the feasibility of fuel production in a biorefinery.

The DOE-EERE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has been focused on developing, demonstrating, and deploying cellulosic ethanol to enable its goal of making cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol. Over the last two decades, research and development have led to significant progress in the biochemical processes used to convert cellulosic biomass to ethanol. First-generation technology for cellulosic ethanol production is now in the demonstration phase. In addition to cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel, USDA-NIFA and DOE- EERE will support other advanced biofuels and/or biobased products, such as biobutanol, hydrocarbons, and Fischer-Tropsch gasoline and diesel, which are still in the early stages of investigation in terms of production technologies, cost-effectiveness, and performance characteristics. Additional information on acceptable biofuels and biobased products may be found in the definitions for “Advanced Biofuel” and “Biobased Product” which are presented in Appendix A – Definitions.

For FY 2015, DOE-EERE and USDA-NIFA have identified areas of particular interest for BRDI. These areas of interest will not be given a priority over applications that address other technologies and are not intended to deter submission of applications that address other technologies. Research, development, and demonstration projects of particular interest include, but are not limited to, technologies that would address:

• Small scale biomass densification (e.g. gasification, pyrolysis, pellets) R,D&D to address issues of local and regional production of biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks;

• Research and development of local-scale woody biomass-to-energy conversion with a major thrust focusing on the simultaneous generation of electricity and useful heat;

• Conversion, via biological, thermal, catalytic or chemical means, of acceptable feedstocks into advanced biofuels and/or biobased products including intermediate and end-use products;

• Improvement of chemical and physical biomass separation that reduces capital expenses, operating costs, and energy inputs;

• Improvement of the production and performance or commercial viability of biobased products and co-products;

• Improvement of the potential for developing rural based processing and manufacturing of biofuels and/or biobased products;

• Demonstration of commercial relevance of the technology, its expected marketability, and its potential commercial viability for processing and manufacturing biobased products; and,

• Demonstration of biobased products to evaluate functional and environmental performance and to facilitate amending or developing industry standards and specifications.

Areas of particular interest for Biochemical, Thermochemical, and Chemical conversions, based on known barriers to successful commercialization, include, but are not limited to, research, development, and demonstration of technologies that would address:

Biochemical Conversion:

• Pretreatment technologies

• Hydrolysis and saccharification technologies that enhance advanced biofuels production

• Fermentation technologies for advanced biofuels

• Advanced bioprocessing technologies

Thermochemical Conversion:

• Gasification

• Pyrolysis

Chemical Conversion:

• Tolerance to inhibitory compounds

• Exothermic reactions for waste heat

• Reduction of cellulosic components at mild conditions with recycle of reactants

• Selective dehydrations without side reactions

• Catalyst development for cleaving C-O and C-C bonds

• Cleavage of C-N bonds while preserving molecular structure

C. Biofuels and Biobased Products Development Analysis – The intent of this section is to apply systems evaluation methods that can be used to optimize system performance and market potential and to quantify the project’s impact on sustainability; therefore, successful applications will consider the life-cycle (cradle-to-grave) impacts including environmental, social, and economic implications that are attributable to the project.

Successful projects should include these sustainability data in engineering process models and be used over the life of the project to improve the system and quantify sustainability impacts. As appropriate, the proposed project should include additional aspects of the following:

A. Strategic guidance – The development of analysis that provides strategic guidance for the application of renewable biomass technologies to improve sustainability and environmental quality, cost effectiveness, security, and rural economic development.

B. Energy and Environmental Impact – Development of systematic evaluations of the impact of expanded biofuel production on the environment (including forest land) and on the food supply for humans and animals, including the improvement and development of tools for life cycle analysis of current and potential biofuels.

C. Assessment of Federal land – Assessments of the potential of Federal land resources to increase the production of feedstocks for biofuels and biobased products, consistent with the integrity of soil and water resources and with other environmental considerations.

The proposed project should consider the full life-cycle of the technology, which can be characterized by the following stages and, where appropriate, should generate geographically specific social, economic, and environmental data that can be made publicly available to be used in local, state, regional, and national analytical tools and models. The tools and models should utilize primary data generated by the project’s efforts.

• Biomass feedstock development and cultivation;

• Feedstock harvesting and preparation;

• Feedstock logistics (handling, storage, and transportation);

• Waste stream logistics (handling, storage, and transportation);

• Biomass pre-processing (as appropriate);

• Biomass conversion;

• Production of biofuels/bioenergy/biobased products;

• Product logistics and distribution;

• Product consumption; and

• End of useful life.

E. Notice of NEPA Applicability

Environmental Review and Approval: Federal agencies are responsible for conducting the environmental review process required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related environmental statutes, regulations, permits, and approvals. NEPA applies to all Federal grant programs and requires Federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions. While NEPA compliance is a Federal agency responsibility and the ultimate decisions remain with the Federal agency, Applicants will be required to assist in the timely and effective completion of the NEPA process in the manner most pertinent to the applicant’s proposed project.

If a project is selected for negotiation of award by DOE, and the recipient moves forward with activities that are not authorized for Federal funding by the DOE Contracting Officer in advance of the NEPA determination, the recipient is doing so at risk of not receiving Federal funding and such costs may not be recognized as allowable cost match. DOE does not guarantee or assume any obligation to reimburse any costs incurred prior to receiving written authorization from the DOE Contracting Officer.

SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION

During the Concept Paper and Full Application phase, Full Applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be considered for funding by either DOE-EERE or USDA-NIFA; however, Applicants may not request to be funded by a particular organization and must prepare their Concept Paper in accordance with this FOA.

A. Type of Award Instrument

Grants

• USDA anticipates awarding grants and DOE anticipates awarding Cooperative Agreements under this funding opportunity announcement. All DOE-EERE funding is subject to the availability of annual Congressional appropriations.

Cooperative Agreements

• DOE-EERE generally uses Cooperative Agreements to provide financial and other support to

Prime Recipients.

• Through Cooperative Agreements, EERE provides financial or other support to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by Federal statute. Under Cooperative Agreements, the Government and Prime Recipients share responsibility for the direction of projects.

EERE has substantial involvement in work performed under awards made following this FOA.

EERE does not limit its involvement to the administrative requirements of the award. Instead, EERE has substantial involvement in the direction and redirection of the technical aspects of the project as a whole. Substantial involvement includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. EERE shares responsibility with the recipient for the management, control, direction, and performance of the project.

2. EERE may intervene in the conduct or performance of work under this Award for programmatic reasons. Intervention includes the interruption or modification of the conduct or performance of project activities.

3. EERE may redirect or discontinue funding the project based on the outcome of EERE’s evaluation of the Project at that the Go/No Go decision point.

4. EERE participates in major project decision-making processes.

B. Estimated Funding

• All DOE-EERE funding is subject to the availability of annual Congressional appropriations.

BRDI funding made available to USDA-NIFA is mandatory through FY 2017 pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 8108 (h)(1).

• All figures below should be treated as estimates.

Anticipated Federal Funding: Up to $8.7 million FY 2014 & 15 USDA-NIFA Federal Funding Amount:

FY 2015 DOE-EERE Federal Funding Amount*:

$5.7 million

Up to $3 million

* DOE-EERE reserves the right to fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the Full Applications submitted in response to this announcement and will award the number of financial instruments that serves the public purpose and is in the best interests of the Government. All DOE-EERE funding is subject to the availability of annual Congressional appropriations.

C. Maximum and Minimum Award Size The proposed Federal funding must fall between the ceiling and floor stated below. Applications and Concept Papers that include proposed Federal funding outside the stated ceiling and floor will not be reviewed or considered for award. The ceiling and floor amounts are Federal funding amounts only.

• Ceiling (i.e., the maximum amount for an individual award made under this announcement):

$2,000,000 (total, not per year)

• Floor (i.e., the minimum amount for an individual award made under this announcement):

$500,000 (total, not per year)

All DOE-EERE funding is subject to the availability of annual Congressional appropriations.

D. Expected Number of Awards

• Based on the award size and estimated total funding available, DOE-EERE anticipates making approximately 1 to 6 awards in FY 2015 under this announcement, subject to the availability of annual Congressional appropriations.

• Based on the award size and estimated total funding available, USDA-NIFA anticipates making approximately 3 to 14 awards in FY 2015 under this announcement.

E. Anticipated Award Size

Average Award Size

• The average award size for this program in FY 2012 was $ 6.5 million. DOE and USDA expect the average award size to be smaller under this announcement. All DOE-EERE funding is subject to the availability of annual Congressional appropriations.

F. Period of Performance

Number of Years

• DOE-EERE and USDA-NIFA anticipate making awards with project periods of up to 3

(three) years.

G. Type of Application

New Applications Only

• DOE-EERE and USDA-NIFA will accept only new applications under this announcement

(i.e., applications for renewals of existing DOE-EERE/USDA-NIFA funded projects will not be considered).

H. Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)

• Anticipated TRL at Commencement of Project: 2-4

• Anticipated TRL at Completion of Project: 4-6

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) are a type of measurement system used to assess the maturity level of a particular technology. Each technology project is evaluated against the parameters for each technology level and is then assigned a TRL rating based on the projects progress. There are nine technology readiness levels. TRL 1 is the lowest and TRL 9 is the highest.

Source: NASA SCaN Program

SECTION III - ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

All entities listed under Section 9008(e)(5) of FSRIA, as amended (7 U.S.C. 8108(e)(5)), are eligible to apply. Eligible entities are:

(A) An institution of higher education;

(B) A National Laboratory;

(C) A Federal research agency;

(D) A State research agency;

(E) A private sector entity;

(F) A nonprofit organization; or

(G) A consortium of 2 or more entities described in (A) through (F) above.

Applicants are encouraged to form consortia so that a range of capabilities is available to address all aspects of the three technical areas. Institutions of higher education include colleges and universities beyond the secondary education level. Private sector entities include companies, corporations, farms, ranches, cooperatives, and others that compete in the marketplace. DOE specific restrictions on consortia, explained below, do not apply to USDA awards.

Foreign entities are not eligible to participate as Prime recipients, sub-recipients or other teaming arrangement.

If an application proposes a consortium, DOE will require that the consortium structure consist of a Consortium Lead Organization (with associated Director and other key personnel) and technical partners who will conduct the technical scope of work described by the consortium in collaboration with the Lead Organization. All participants must be clearly identified. The Consortium Lead should be focused on the coordination and management of the overall technical effort in addition to the strategy, approach, and expected outcomes. The Consortium Lead must describe how it will effectively maintain cohesiveness in a group of organizations having different corporate or operating cultures. DOE will expect this information to be included in the full application. It is anticipated that the award(s) will be made to the Lead Organization within the selected consortium, with the technical partners as sub-recipients to the Lead Organization.

DOE does not anticipate making awards to a joint venture or other special entity formed specifically for the purpose of carrying out a project under this FOA. See Criteria 4 “Extent the roles and responsibilities of key personnel for details on NIFA.

B. Cost Sharing

Cost Share: 20% and 50% Recipient cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for research and development (R&D) projects, and 50% of the total allowable costs for demonstration and commercial application projects, and must come from non-Federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. The sum of the Government share, including Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractor costs if applicable, and the recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project. (See Section 9008(e)(6)(B) of FSRIA (7 U.S.C. 8108(e)(6)(B)) for the applicable USDA-NIFA cost sharing requirements and 10 CFR

Part 600 for the applicable DOE-EERE cost sharing requirements. See Appendix C. for examples). These percentages are currently required by both USDA and DOE. Recipients of DOE-EERE awards will be required to meet their cost share requirement on an invoice basis.

• To ensure proper cost share determinations for Concept Papers, Applicants will be required to identify whether the Full Application is proposing a research and development, demonstration or deployment, or commercial-scale project. See Appendix A for relevant definitions.

C. Centers of Excellence

Pursuant to Section 7214 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79), beginning in Fiscal Year 2015, for applicable competitive research and extension programs, NIFA will be recognizing and providing priority in the receipt of funding to applications from “centers of excellence” that have been established for purposes of carrying out research, extension, and education activities relating to the food and agricultural sciences. In July of 2014, NIFA held listening sessions and accepted written comments from stakeholders to inform NIFA’s implementation of the centers of excellence provision. Information from the webinars and a summary of the input gathered are available on NIFA’s website at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/about/offices/legis/cntr_ex_webinar_documents.html

A center of excellence is composed of 1 or more of the following entities that provide financial or in-kind support to the center of excellence. Therefore, an eligible applicant who wishes to be considered as a center of excellence must be one of the following entities that provides financial or in-kind support to the Center being proposed, as described in the grant application.

(A) State agricultural experiment stations;

(B) colleges and universities;

(C) university research foundations;

(D) other research institutions and organizations;

(E) Federal agencies;

(F) national laboratories;

(G) private organizations, foundations, or corporations;

(H) individuals; or

(I) any group consisting of 2 or more of the entities described in (A) through (H).

See Section IV, D. of this FOA for additional requirements that eligible applicants must meet to be considered a center of excellence.

D. Other Eligibility Requirements

• DOE National Laboratory Contractors and Other Federally Funded Research and

Development Center (FFRDC) Contractors.

http://www.nifa.usda.gov/about/offices/legis/cntr_ex_webinar_documents.html

A DOE National Laboratory Contractor is eligible to apply for funding under this announcement if its cognizant Contracting Officer provides written authorization and this authorization is submitted with the application. If a DOE National Laboratory Contractor is selected for award, the proposed work will be authorized under the DOE work authorization process and performed under the laboratory’s Management and Operating (M&O) contract.

The following wording is acceptable for the authorization:

“Authorization is granted for the _____________ Laboratory to participate in the proposed project. The work proposed for the laboratory is consistent with or complementary to the missions of the laboratory, will not adversely impact execution of the DOE assigned programs at the laboratory, and will not place the laboratory in direct competition with the domestic private sector.”

FFRDC contractors may be proposed as team members on another entity’s application, subject to the following guidelines:

Authorization for non-DOE FFRDCs. The Federal agency sponsoring the FFRDC contractor must authorize in writing the use of the FFRDC contractor on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The use of a FFRDC contractor must be consistent with the contractor’s authority under its award.

Authorization for DOE FFRDCs. The cognizant Contracting Officer for the FFRDC must authorize in writing the use of a DOE FFRDC contractor on the proposed project and this authorization must be submitted with the application. The following wording is acceptable for this authorization:

“Authorization is granted for the _____________ Laboratory to participate in the proposed project. The work proposed for the laboratory is consistent with or complementary to the missions of the laboratory, will not adversely impact execution of the DOE assigned programs at the laboratory, and will not place the laboratory in direct competition with the domestic private sector.”

Value/Funding. The value of, and funding for, the FFRDC contractor portion of the work will not normally be included in the award to a successful applicant. Usually, DOE will fund a DOE FFRDC contractor through the DOE field work proposal system and other FFRDC contractors through an interagency agreement with the sponsoring agency.

Cost Share. The applicant’s cost share requirement will be based on the total cost of the project, including the applicant’s and the FFRDC contractor’s portions of the effort.

• FFRDC Contractor Effort: The FFRDC contractor effort, in aggregate, may be up to

100% of the total estimated cost of the project, including the applicant’s and the FFRDC contractor’s portions of the effort.

Responsibility. The applicant, if successful, will be the responsible authority regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues, including but not limited to, disputes and claims arising out of any agreement between the applicant and the FFRDC contractor.

E. Multiple Principal Investigators

The assignment and use of multiple Principal Investigators (PIs) for projects submitted to this FOA is allowed. Additionally, PIs may collaborate on multiple projects, although a PI can be the lead/primary PI on only one Concept Paper and Full Application (see Section III.E. below). The applicant must indicate in the Concept Paper if the project will include multiple PIs. The decision to use multiple PIs for a project is the sole responsibility of the Applicant. If multiple PIs will be designated, the Applicant must identify in the application the Lead /Primary PI. Each PI’s roles and administrative, technical, and scientific responsibilities for the project should be described in the concept paper(see Section IV.C.3.a.).

F. Multiple Submissions

Eligible entities may submit multiple Concept Papers and Full Applications under this FOA;

however, each Concept Paper/Full Application must describe a unique project. Because of the broad and comprehensive nature of this competition, the PI can be the lead/primary PI on only one Full Application. If more than one Full Application is submitted with the same lead/primary PI, only the last submitted Full Application with the listed PI will be considered for review.

To be considered for substantive evaluation, an applicant submission must meet the Compliance criteria set forth below. Concept Papers and Full Applications must meet all Compliance criteria listed below or they will be considered noncompliant. DOE- EERE and USDA- NIFA will not review or consider noncompliant submissions, including Concept Papers and Full Applications that were: submitted through means other than mentioned above; submitted after the applicable deadline; and/or submitted incomplete. DOE-EERE and USDA-NIFA will not extend the submission deadline for Applicants that fail to submit required information due to server/connection congestion.

i. COMPLIANCE CRITERIA

1. Concept Papers

Concept Papers are deemed compliant if:

• The Applicant successfully submitted all required documents and e-mailed them to BRDI@nifa.usda.gov by the deadline stated in this FOA.

2. Full Applications

Full Applications are deemed compliant if:

• The Applicant submitted a compliant and responsive Concept Paper;

• The Full Application complies with the content and form requirements in Section IV.D of the FOA; and,

• The Applicant entered successfully uploaded all required documents and clicked the “Submit” button in Grants.gov by the deadline stated in the FOA.

b. RESPONSIVENESS CRITERIA

USDA-NIFA performs a preliminary technical review of Full Applications. Any application deemed nonresponsive to the technical criterion will not be reviewed or considered.

mailto:BRDI@nifa.usda.gov

SECTION IV – APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Address to Request Concept Paper/Full Application Forms

Concept Paper and Full Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov. To access these materials, go to http://www.grants.gov, select “Apply for Grants,” and then select “Download Application Package.” Enter the CFDA and/or the funding opportunity number located on the cover of this announcement and then follow the prompts to download the application package. (Also see Section I of this Part below.)

B. Concept Papers

A Concept Paper is required. You must complete the Concept Paper document and submit electronically to USDA NIFA at BRDI@nifa.usda.gov. Files must be in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) unless otherwise specified in this announcement.

As described in Section I.D – Project Description, all proposed projects submitted under this FOA must address one of the three technical areas and only one of the three technical areas. Concept Papers and Full Applications that do not address one of these three technical areas, or address more than one of the three technical areas, will not be reviewed.

C. Content and Form of Concept Paper

To be eligible to submit a Full Application, Applicants must submit a Concept Paper by the specified due date and time. Each Concept Paper must be limited to a single concept or technology. Unrelated concepts and technologies should not be consolidated into a single Concept Paper.

1. CONCEPT PAPER CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

The Concept Paper must conform to the following content requirements:

SECTION PAGE

LIMIT

DESCRIPTION

Technology Description

2 pages maximum

Applicants are required to describe succinctly:

• The proposed technology, including its basic operating principles and how it is unique and innovative;

• The proposed technology’s target level of performance (Applicants should provide technical data or other support to show how the proposed target could be met);

http://www.grants.gov/ http://to/

• The current state-of-the-art in the relevant field and application, including key shortcomings, limitations, and challenges;

• How the proposed technology will overcome the shortcomings, limitations, and challenges in the relevant field and application;

• The potential impact that the proposed project would have on the relevant field and application;

• The key technical risks/issues associated with the proposed technology development plan; and

• The impact that Federal funding would have on the proposed project.

Addendum 1 page maximum

Applicants may provide graphs, charts, or other data to supplement their Technology Description.

Applicants are required to describe succinctly the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the proposed Project Team, (see Criteria 4 for NIFA’s evaluation) including:

• Whether the Principal Investigator (PI) and Project Team have the skill and expertise needed to successfully execute the project plan;

• Whether the Applicant has prior experience which demonstrates an ability to perform tasks of similar risk and complexity;

• Whether the Applicant has worked together with its teaming partners on prior projects or programs;

and

• Whether the Applicant has adequate access to equipment and facilities necessary to accomplish the effort and/or clearly explain how it intends to obtain access to the necessary equipment and facilities.

Non-compliant Concept Papers will not be reviewed or considered (see Section III & IV. of the

FOA).

An independent assessment of each Concept Paper will be made based on the criteria in Section V.A.1 of this FOA. A subset of Applicants will be encouraged to submit Full Applications. Other Applicants will be discouraged from submitting a Full Application. An applicant who receives a “discouraged” notification may still submit a Full Application. However, by discouraging the submission of a Full Application, USDA-NIFA and DOE-EERE intend to convey their lack of programmatic interest in the proposed project in an effort to save the Applicant the time and expense of preparing an application that is unlikely to be selected for award negotiations.

In order to provide Applicants with feedback on their Concept Papers, general comments provided from reviewers on an Applicant’s Concept Paper will be included in the encourage/discourage notification sent to Applicants at the close of that phase.

D. Content and Form of Full Applications

Applicants must submit a Full Application by the specified due date and time to be considered for funding under this RFA.

Applicants will have approximately 30 days from receipt of the Concept Paper Encourage/Discourage notification to prepare and submit a Full Application. Regardless of the date the Applicant receives the Encourage/Discourage notification, the submission deadline for the Full Application remains the date and time stated on the RFA cover page.

Non-compliant Full Applications will not be reviewed or considered (see Section III of the

RFA).

Each Full Application should be limited to a single concept or technology. Unrelated concepts and technologies should not be consolidated in a single Full Application.

Minimum requirements for Full Applications are included below. All Applicants are encouraged to review this information to make themselves aware of the expected content of a Full Application.

These are:

• Content and Form of Application Submission

• Full Application Review Requirements

• General Award Administration Information

• Use of Funds; Changes

Content and Form of Application Submission For USDA-NIFA, this program will be listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) under 10.312. When it is made available on Grants.gov, the announcement for full applications will be associated with this CFDA number. Only electronic applications may be submitted via Grants.gov to USDA-NIFA in response to this RFA. When the announcement for full applications is made available, invited Applicants will be able to download and submit the following required forms via Grants.gov:

• SF 424 R&R Cover Sheet

• SF 424 R&R Project/Performance Site Location(s)

• R & R Other Project Information Form

• R & R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded)

• R & R Personal Data

• SF 424 (R & R) Budget Fed & Non-Fed

• Supplemental Information Form

General requirements of the submission will include:

Project Summary/Abstract.

The project summary must contain a summary of the proposed activity suitable for dissemination to the public. It must include:

• Name of Applicant Organization – enter the single entity that will be the primary recipient.

• Collaborating and/or Partner Organizations – if more than one organization or entity is participating in the project, list the other organizations here.

• Contact PI/Project Director – the PI who will serve as the single point of contact for the project. See Section III.D.

• Other Principal Investigator(s) – if multiple PIs are included in the project, list the other PIs here.

• Project Title – enter the project title.

• City, state, and zip code where the project will be managed – use the location that best describes where the project will be managed/coordinated.

• Federal Funds Requested – enter the dollar amount being requested.

• Cost Share Provided – enter the dollar amount being contributed by the applicant(s).

(Please Note: USDA does not consider the cost share provided during the peer review process).

• Total Project Cost – enter the total project cost. This should be the sum of the Federal Funds and the Cost Share.

• Which Technical Area does this project address?

• TA 1 – Feedstocks Development: List the Proposed Feedstock(s) and Advanced Crop

Production Method – this refers to Technical Area 1. Please provide a list of proposed feedstock(s) and method(s) that will be used by the project.

• TA 2 – Biofuels and Biobased Products development: List the Proposed Conversion Technology(s) – this refers to Technical Area 2. Please provide a list of technologies that will be used by the project.

• TA 3 – Biofuels Development Analysis: State the Proposed Sustainability Approach – this refers to Technical Area 3. Please state very briefly.

• Provide an Abstract.

Project Narrative Requirements The Project Narrative portion of the full application shall not exceed 20 pages of written text regardless of whether it is single or double spaced including charts, graphs, maps, photographs, and other pictorial presentations. This maximum (20 pages) has been established to ensure fair and equitable competition.

The Project Narrative must include all of the following:

1. Title Page. Cover page should include the name and type of organization, the FOA title, the project title (Note this page does not count against the narrative’s specified page limit.)

2. Table of Contents. Table of contents should include page numbers corresponding to the elements outlined in these guidelines. (Note the table of contents does not count against the narrative’s specified page limit.)

3. Project Objectives. This section should provide a clear, concise statement of the specific objectives/aims of the proposed project.

4. Merit Review Criterion Discussion. This section should be formatted to address each merit review criterion and sub-criterion listed below. Provide sufficient information so that reviewers will be able to evaluate the application in accordance with these merit review criteria (this information is repeated in Part V.B.) DOE and USDA will evaluate and consider only those applications that address separately each merit review criterion and sub-criterion below:

5. Relevance and Outcomes/Impacts. This section should explain the relevance of the effort to the objectives in Part I., B. and the expected outcomes and impacts. Outcomes are observed changes in knowledge, adoption of new and more efficient technologies, change of practice, or behaviors. Impacts are the measurable results of outcomes such as increased biofuel production, improved cost effectiveness, or adoption of new feedstocks and advanced manufacturing technologies.

6. Project Timetable. This section should outline as a function of time, year by year, all of the important activities or phases of the project, including any activities planned beyond the project period. Successful Applicants must use this project timetable to report progress.

7. Evaluation Phase. This section must include a plan and quantifiable measures to be used to assess the success of the project.

8. Center of Excellence Justification

In addition to meeting the other requirements detailed in Section IV, D., of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) eligible applicants who wish to be considered as centers of excellence must provide a brief justification statement, as part of their Project Narratives and within the page limits provided, describing how they meet the standards of a center of excellence, based on the following criteria:

(A) the ability of the center of excellence to ensure coordination and cost effectiveness by reducing unnecessarily duplicative efforts regarding research, teaching, and extension in the implementation of the proposed research and/or extension activity outlined in this application;

(B) in addition to any applicable matching requirements, the ability of the center of excellence to leverage available resources by using public-private partnerships among agricultural industry groups, institutions of higher education, and the Federal Government in the implementation of the proposed research and/or extension activity outlined in this application. Resources leveraged should be commensurate with the size of the award;

(C) the planned scope and capability of the center of excellence to implement teaching initiatives to increase awareness and effectively disseminate solutions to target audiences through extension activities in the implementation of…