NIST NOFO on the Standardization of Excellence.pdf

NIST Standardization Center of Excellence

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST Standardization Center of Excellence, 2024-NIST-SCOE-01

Funding Opportunity Description:

NIST’s Standards Coordination Office is seeking applications from eligible applicants for activities to establish and maintain a Standardization Center of Excellence (SCoE) to support U.S. engagement in international standardization for critical and emerging technologies (CETs) that are essential to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. The scope of this institutional award, as described in the Department of Commerce Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual, Chapter 6.A.2 (20 April 2021), encompasses all critical areas of standardization such as pre-standardization engagement, measurement standards, reference standards, documentary standards, conformity assessment, and management systems.

Announcement Type:

Initial

Funding Instrument:

Cooperative Agreement

Assistance Listing (CFDA Number):

11.609: Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards

Award Project Period: Program performance period of up to five (5) years.

Goals & Objectives:

The goal of the program is to create and maintain a Standardization Center of Excellence (SCoE) to support U.S. engagement in international standardization for critical and emerging technologies (CETs) that are essential to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.

Topic Areas:

The SCoE will focus on four broad areas: 1) pre-standardization engagement; 2) workforce capacity building; 3) a collaborative pilot program with NIST in CETs; and

4) creating an information and data sharing hub.

Eligible Applicants:

Eligibility for the program listed in this NOFO is open to all nongovernmental organizations (including, but not limited to academic institutions, trade associations, and professional societies), located in the United States or its territories. Eligible applicants include contractors that operate Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) where the applicant is permitted to receive federal financial assistance award funds. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S.

organizations are not eligible to apply.

https://sam.gov/fal/fa83700a6e664f4b8ec079891e9cb5ca/view

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

Funding Amount:

In Fiscal year 2024 (FY24), NIST anticipates funding one (1) award up to $6,000,000 for the first two (2) years of the award, and then up to $3,000,000 per year for up to three (3) years, for a total of five (5) years, subject to availability of appropriated funds and satisfactory annual performance review. After (5) five years, upon independent review and evaluation of the program and the recipient, NIST may provide to the recipient additional multi-year funding with performance periods of up to five (5) years. The award of additional performance periods will be on a non-competitive basis as an institutional award.

Cost Sharing/Matching Requirements:

Non-federal cost share is not required for awards issued pursuant to this NOFO but is encouraged.

Estimated Number (can give a range) and Type of Award(s):

One (1) Cooperative Agreement award.

Submission Dates and Times:

Full Applications must be received at Grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, August 7, 2024. Applications received after this deadline will not be reviewed or considered.

Applicants should be aware, and factor in their application submission planning, that the Grants.gov system closes periodically for routine maintenance. Applicants should visit Grants.gov for information on any scheduled closures.

NIST expects to complete its review and selection by September 2024. NIST expects the earliest start date for awards under this NOFO to be January 1, 2025.

How to Apply:

Applications must be submitted using Grants.gov. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Review & Selection Process Summary:

This NOFO is for a group competition. An initial administrative review will be conducted to determine if the application meets the eligibility requirements and is complete and responsive to the NOFO. Then, at least three (3) independent and objective reviewers will evaluate and score each eligible, complete, and responsive application based on the evaluation criteria outlined in Section V.1. of this NOFO.

Applicants may be invited to participate with reviewers in a telephone or virtual conference or a site visit conducted by the same reviewers at the applicant’s location. If there is a telephone or virtual conference or site visit, reviewers will be given an opportunity to revise their scores based on the evaluation criteria outlined in Section V.1. of this NOFO as a result of the information obtained. Scoring revisions will be made by reviewers on an individual basis. Based on the numerical average of the reviewers’ scores, a rank order will be prepared and provided to the http://www.grants.gov/

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

Selecting Official for further consideration. The Selecting Official will make final award recommendations to the NIST Grants Officer. Final approval of the selected application and the issuance of an award will be made by the NIST Grants Officer.

The complete review and selection process is included in Section V.3 of this NOFO.

Addition Information: On April 22, 2024, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published updates to the OMB Guidance for Grants and Agreements located in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), now called the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance. This updated OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance (2 CFR) is effective for all awards issued by DOC/NIST on October 1st, 2024, or later. Applicants can find these recent revisions to 2 CFR here:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-federal-financial-assistance.

Agency Contacts:

Programmatic and Technical Questions:

Mary Jo DiBernardo Standards Coordination Office sco@nist.gov

Grant Rules and Regulations:

Michael Teske Michael.teske@nist.gov https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-federal-financial-assistance https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-for-federal-financial-assistance mailto:sco@nist.gov mailto:Michael.teske@nist.gov

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

Table of Contents I. Program Description

II.Federal Award Information

III.Eligibility Information

IV.Application and Submission Information

V.Application Review Information

VI.Federal Award Administration Information

VII.Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

VIII.Other Information

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Program Description

The statutory authority for the Standardization Center of Excellence is 15 USC § 272(b)(4) and 42 USC §§ 18951(b) and (c).

1. Background Information

The overall objective of this funding opportunity is to establish an institutional award, as described in the Department of Commerce Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual, Chapter 6.A.2 (20 April 2021).

The national interest in CETs and associated areas of standardization demands an increased level of coordination and effort and will require the rapid development of new ways for public- and private-sector stakeholders to work together to advance U.S. national security and economic competitiveness. An effective SCoE will facilitate U.S. ability to meet these challenges by focusing on all aspects of standardization for critical and emerging technologies.

Congress authorized NIST to:

(1) support private sector-driven engagement and ensure effective Federal engagement in the development and use of international technical standards;

(2) support capacity building via:

(a) education and workforce development efforts to promote U.S.

participation in international standards organizations, and

(b) engagement by more U.S. stakeholders in international technical standards development.

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

See § 10245 of Title II, Division B, Subtitle C of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act, enacted along with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, Pub. L. 117-167, (hereinafter CHIPS Act).

The statute also authorized support for capacity building with a focus on:

(1) removing and preventing barriers to private sector participation in standards development;

(2) improving communications between public and private sectors on standards; and

(3) enhancing U.S. and like-minded nations’ representation and influence in international standards governance and leadership.

The four objectives and eight lines of effort identified in the United States

Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technologies

(USG NSSCET)1 also align with the objectives of this SCoE.

CET areas of current priority to NIST include, but are not limited to, the following:

biotechnology, quantum technology, artificial intelligence, next generation communications, and semiconductors and microelectronics.

Each CET area poses a unique set of standardization challenges as well as the need for tailored approaches to address those challenges considering the area’s level of “standardization readiness.” A framework to assess standardization readiness must consider technology maturity, market need, and stakeholder commitment. Applicants interested in learning more about standardization readiness levels and information regarding the USG NSSCET should refer to www.standards.gov.

2. Program Requirements and Priorities

This NOFO solicits competitive applications from eligible nongovernmental organizations (see Section III.1. of this NOFO) to establish and maintain a SCoE to support the growth of U.S. engagement in international standardization for CETs that are essential to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.

The SCoE will focus on four broad areas:

A. Pre-Standardization Engagement. This includes:

(1) purposeful convening to produce seed documents to lay the foundation for standardization;

(2) convening of underrepresented groups, such as small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to understand their needs and provide the

1 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/US-Gov-National-Standards-Strategy-2023.pdf.

https://www.govinfo.gov/link/plaw/117/public/167 http://www.standards.gov/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/US-Gov-National-Standards-Strategy-2023.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

U.S. standards community a sense of their input (e.g., by relaying them to U.S. Technical Advisory Groups (TAG) and equivalent entities to broaden U.S. input into standardization); and

(3) information sharing (e.g., via briefing documents describing current standardization activities in a focused format).

B. Workforce Capacity Building. This includes experiential learning workshops, simulation exercises, and boot camps to facilitate engagement of early- to mid-career professionals, and appropriately tailored workshops for decision-making executives, in international standardization by providing an orientation to the international standardization system ecosystem.

C. Collaborative Pilot Program in CETs. In collaboration with NIST, drive the acceleration of standardization readiness in selected CETs via NIST-industry engagement and collaboration in pre-standardization and metrology efforts.

D. Information and Data Sharing Hub. Develop and implement tools and information resources to enable the U.S. private sector to engage and influence international standardization more efficiently and effectively. These efforts may include purposeful convening opportunities (e.g., workshops), experiential learning, assessments/studies, standardization landscapes and roadmaps, mentorships, timely information about standards activities/ballots, and other tools and resources to support both engagement in standards development and use of standards information to provide competitive products to the global marketplace. These tools and resources will be developed so that they can be tailored, customized, or scaled to meet specific needs or priorities of a particular CET. Also, it is expected that the tools and resources be made available to stakeholders via a well-designed, user-friendly information and data sharing hub. It is anticipated that any outputs that will be developed as a result of this award will be open access. In the event that any intellectual property (other than data) will be developed under this award, it is anticipated that the recipient will develop an intellectual property (IP) management plan, consistent with Section C.03., Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions for Financial Assistance Awards, “Intellectual Property Rights,” and authorities referenced therein, which addresses ownership and licensing of all IP created or acquired under the award and pre-existing IP used under the award by any of the award participants, including subrecipients, contractors, and/or unfunded collaborators, who participate in the project. It is expected that the recipient will obtain the concurrence of each award participant to the recipient’s IP management plan. “Given the objective under this NOFO of providing information, data, documents, and tools, NIST may require the recipient to either license its intangible property (for example, copyright for a data architecture or data management tool) openly (as CC-BY, for example), place it in the public domain, or transfer copyright to NIST. Research supported by

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 the center shall comply with NIST’s public access and data management and sharing policy.” See Section VI.2.b. of this NOFO for a link to the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions.

The SCoE must complement and leverage the work of the private sector, academia, NIST, and other government agencies through meaningful and impactful collaboration and partnerships. The scope of the SCoE includes, but is not limited to, the following aspects of standardization engagement and workforce capacity building:

• Awareness and promotion of standardization opportunities;

• Fostering opportunities to inform the development of newly proposed standards;

• Enhancement of U.S. stakeholder understanding of international standards governance;

• Exploration of standardization landscapes and/or development of standardization roadmaps;

• Establishment of relationships with standardization leaders and facilitation of their input into international standards;

• Fostering exploration of future standardization areas; and

• Other mechanisms to incentivize the engagement of the private sector in international standardization.

Applications must address the following:

• Outcome-focused objectives to be accomplished with the federal funding;

• Programmatic activities to be supported to achieve these objectives;

• Measurements and reporting on progress toward achieving objectives, specifically the extent to which international standardization engagement and workforce capacity building has occurred;

• Approach(es) to broad outreach to engage stakeholders in specific CET areas and to build meaningful and impactful collaborations and partnerships;

• Approach(es) to identify key interested parties in a broad array of CET areas;

• Approach(es) for prioritization, development, and implementation of tools and information resources;

• Approach(es) to tailoring, customization, and scaling of tools and resources to meet the needs for different CET areas;

• Approach(es) to the development, documentation, and dissemination of standardization landscapes, roadmaps, and other outputs after they are developed to stakeholders;

• Approach(es) for the SCoE to collaborate with NIST to drive the acceleration of standardization readiness in selected CETs via NIST-industry engagement and collaborative pre-standardization and metrology efforts;

and

• Extent (amount and duration) to which non-federal funding is being

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 leveraged to advance the scope of this funding opportunity.

II. Federal Award Information

1. Funding Instrument.

The funding instrument that will be used is a Cooperative Agreement. Where cooperative agreements are used, the nature of NIST’s “substantial involvement” will generally include collaboration with the recipient organization in developing and implementing the approved scope of work, consistent with the definition of cooperative agreement in 2 CFR § 200.1.

2. Multi-Year Funding Policy. When a proposal for a multi-year award is approved, funding will usually be provided for only the first year of the program. If a program is selected for funding, NIST has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with that award. Continuation of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the sole discretion of NIST. Continued funding will be contingent upon satisfactory performance, continued relevance to the mission and priorities of NIST and the Standards Coordination Office, and the availability of funds.

Under this NOFO, NIST may also provide additional multi-year institutional funding and extend the original period of performance for up to an additional five (5) years. The amount of additional funding will be based on funding availability at that time. The additional period of performance will be commensurate with available funds. A revised Project Narrative and Budget Narrative will be requested from the recipient and must be approved by NIST before proceeding. NIST cannot guarantee that the additional funding and period of performance will be authorized. Factors that include the availability of funding, strategic priorities, NIST’s assessment of the quality of the management of the award (for example, timeliness and quality of progress reports), and NIST’s assessment of the progress of the work funded under the award will be considered.

3. Funding Availability.

In Fiscal year 2024 (FY24), NIST anticipates funding one (1) award up to $6,000,000 for the first two (2) years of the award, and then up to $3,000,000 per year for up to three (3) years, for a total of five (5) years, subject to availability of appropriated funds and satisfactory annual performance review.

After (5) five years, upon independent review and evaluation of the program and the recipient, NIST may provide to the recipient additional multi-year funding with performance periods of up to five (5) years. The award of additional performance periods will be on a non-competitive basis as an institutional award.

4. Indirect (F&A) Costs.

NIST will reimburse applicants for proposed indirect (F&A) costs in https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR2a6a0087862fd2c/section-200.1

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 accordance with 2 CFR § 200.414. Applicants proposing indirect (F&A) costs must follow the application requirements.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants. Eligibility for the program listed in this NOFO is open to all nongovernmental organizations (including, but not limited to academic institutions, trade associations, and professional societies), located in the United States or its territories. Eligible applicants include contractors that operate Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) where the applicant is permitted to receive federal financial assistance award funds. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Cost sharing or matching funds is not required for awards issued pursuant to this NOFO but is encouraged. Non-federal cost share included in an award issued pursuant to this program will become a binding legal commitment of the award recipient in accordance with the definition of “voluntary committed cost sharing” in 2 C.F.R. 200.1.

Non-federal cost sharing is that portion of the program costs not borne by the Federal Government. The applicant’s share of expenses may include cash, services, and third-party in-kind contributions, as described at 2 CFR §

200.306. The source and detailed rationale of the cost share, including cash, full- and part-time personnel, and in-kind contributions, must be documented in the Budget Narrative and Justification submitted with the application and will be considered as part of the review under the evaluation criterion found in Section V.1 of this NOFO. As with the Federal share, any proposed costs included as non-Federal cost sharing must be an allowable/eligible cost under this program and under the Federal cost principles set forth in 2 CFR part 200, Subpart E.

Non-federal cost sharing incorporated into the budget of an approved financial assistance award is subject to audit in the same general manner as Federal award funds. See 2 CFR part 200, Subpart F.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

The application package is available at Grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number 2024-NIST-SCOE-01.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRd93f2a98b1f6455/section-200.414 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.306 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.306

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

a. Required Forms and Documents. The Application must contain the following:

(1) SF-424 (R&R), Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424

(R&R) must be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant organization.

For SF-424 (R&R), Items 5, 14, and 19, use the Zip Code + 4 format (##### - ####) when addresses are called for.

SF-424 (R&R), Item 18. If the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form (item (5) below) is applicable, attach it to field 18.

The list of certifications and assurances referenced in Item 17 of the SF-424 (R&R) is contained in the Federal Financial Assistance Certifications and Representations (Certs and Reps) as part of the SAM.gov entity registration.

Instructions for filling in the SF-424 (R&R) can be found on Grants.gov, as well as at the NIST Grants Management Division grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family

(2) Research & Related Budget (Total Fed + Non-Fed). The budget should reflect anticipated expenses for the full term of the program, considering all potential cost increases, including cost of living adjustments.

The budget should be detailed in these categories:

A. Senior/Key Personnel;

B. Other Personnel;

C. Equipment Description;

D. Travel;

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs;

F. Other Direct Costs;

G. Direct Costs (automatically generated);

H. Indirect Costs;

I. Total Direct and Indirect Costs (automatically generated);

J. Total Costs and Fee (automatically generated); and K. Budget Narrative and Justification document (item (8) below) should be attached to field L.

A separate detailed R&R Budget must be completed for each budget period during the proposed award (e.g., annual basis). To add additional budget periods (e.g., year 2), click “Add Period” embedded at the end of the form. Information regarding the Research & Related Budget (Total Fed + Non-Fed) is available in the R&R Family Section http://www.grants.gov/ https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grants.gov%2Fforms%2Fforms-repository%2Fr-r-family&data=05%7C02%7Cmisty.roosa%40nist.gov%7Ceb5327e26aa349dc244508dc6e8c0161%7C2ab5d82fd8fa4797a93e054655c61dec%7C0%7C0%7C638506794794186975%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GNfDnkdpZwz4sUxQn%2FJC5hIaSd9yNUW1j6%2F1dA%2FHWY4%3D&reserved=0 https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 of Grants.gov, as well as at the NIST Grants Management Division grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family.

(3) CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying. Enter “2024-NIST- SCOE-01” in the Award Number field. Enter the title of the application, or an abbreviation of that title, in the Program Name field.

(4) Research and Related Other Project Information. Answer the highlighted questions and use this form to attach the Program

Narrative (item (6) below); Resume(s) or CV(s) (item (7) below); the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (item (9) below); the Letters of Commitment (item (11) below); the Data Management Plan (item (12) below); and the Current and Pending Support Form (item (13 below).

Instructions for completing the Research and Related Other Program Information form can be found in grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family by scrolling down to Research And Related Other Project Information and clicking the Instructions link, as well as in the NIST Grants Management Division grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family.

Please note that the Project Summary/Abstract is not relevant to this competition. However, Grants.gov requires an attachment to field 7 of the Research and Related Other Project Information form to successfully pass through Grants.gov. Please attach a document to field 7 stating, “A Project Summary/Abstract is not relevant to this competition”.

(5) SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable).

(6) Program Narrative. The Program Narrative is a word-processed document of no more than twenty (20) pages (single-spaced between lines), which is responsive to the program description and the evaluation criteria.

The page limit includes: Cover Page; Table of Contents (if included);

Executive Summary; and Program Narrative with all required information, including figures, graphs, tables, images, and pictures).

The Program Narrative must contain the following information:

a. Executive Summary. An executive summary of the proposed approach, consistent with the evaluation criteria. The executive summary should include information indicating how each evaluation criterion and its sub-factors are addressed. A table can https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grants.gov%2Fforms%2Fforms-repository%2Fr-r-family&data=05%7C02%7Cmisty.roosa%40nist.gov%7Ceb5327e26aa349dc244508dc6e8c0161%7C2ab5d82fd8fa4797a93e054655c61dec%7C0%7C0%7C638506794794186975%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GNfDnkdpZwz4sUxQn%2FJC5hIaSd9yNUW1j6%2F1dA%2FHWY4%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grants.gov%2Fforms%2Fforms-repository%2Fr-r-family&data=05%7C02%7Cmisty.roosa%40nist.gov%7Ceb5327e26aa349dc244508dc6e8c0161%7C2ab5d82fd8fa4797a93e054655c61dec%7C0%7C0%7C638506794794186975%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GNfDnkdpZwz4sUxQn%2FJC5hIaSd9yNUW1j6%2F1dA%2FHWY4%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grants.gov%2Fforms%2Fforms-repository%2Fr-r-family&data=05%7C02%7Cmisty.roosa%40nist.gov%7Ceb5327e26aa349dc244508dc6e8c0161%7C2ab5d82fd8fa4797a93e054655c61dec%7C0%7C0%7C638506794794186975%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GNfDnkdpZwz4sUxQn%2FJC5hIaSd9yNUW1j6%2F1dA%2FHWY4%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grants.gov%2Fforms%2Fforms-repository%2Fr-r-family&data=05%7C02%7Cmisty.roosa%40nist.gov%7Ceb5327e26aa349dc244508dc6e8c0161%7C2ab5d82fd8fa4797a93e054655c61dec%7C0%7C0%7C638506794794186975%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GNfDnkdpZwz4sUxQn%2FJC5hIaSd9yNUW1j6%2F1dA%2FHWY4%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grants.gov%2Fforms%2Fforms-repository%2Fr-r-family&data=05%7C02%7Cmisty.roosa%40nist.gov%7Ceb5327e26aa349dc244508dc6e8c0161%7C2ab5d82fd8fa4797a93e054655c61dec%7C0%7C0%7C638506794794186975%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GNfDnkdpZwz4sUxQn%2FJC5hIaSd9yNUW1j6%2F1dA%2FHWY4%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grants.gov%2Fforms%2Fforms-repository%2Fr-r-family&data=05%7C02%7Cmisty.roosa%40nist.gov%7Ceb5327e26aa349dc244508dc6e8c0161%7C2ab5d82fd8fa4797a93e054655c61dec%7C0%7C0%7C638506794794186975%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GNfDnkdpZwz4sUxQn%2FJC5hIaSd9yNUW1j6%2F1dA%2FHWY4%3D&reserved=0

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 be helpful in providing this information. The executive summary should not exceed two (2) pages.

b. Program Approach and Program Execution Plan. A detailed discussion of the applicant’s approach in planning for and in executing the proposed program consistent with the requirements and priorities of this program (see Section I. of this NOFO). This section should provide a description of the proposed program plan and execution strategy sufficient to permit evaluation of the proposal, in accordance with details included in the proposal Evaluation Criteria (see Section V.1. of this NOFO). This section should also specifically provide descriptions of how the applicant will develop and maintain a Standardization Center of Excellence;

and describe their pathway to becoming self-sufficient to support continuing development of tools and information resources to support engagement in international standardization and workforce capacity building.

c. Statement of Work. A complete statement of work covering all aspects of the program, including a schedule of measurable events and milestones as well as measurable performance objectives that can be used to determine the success of the program. This section should address the V.1.a.ii.1. of the evaluation criterion.

d. Program Impacts and Evaluation: A detailed discussion of the:

(i) anticipated impacts of the proposed program; (ii) methodology for identifying and evaluating program outcomes; and (iii) methodology to measure and report the extent to which international standardization engagement and workforce capacity building with federal funding pursuant to this effort has occurred.

This section should address the V.1.a.ii.2. of the evaluation criterion.

e. Qualifications. A description of the qualifications of the key personnel, the time commitments of the key personnel, and how the program staff qualifications will enable them to complete the program work. This section should address the Staff and Institution Capability to Perform the Work evaluation criterion (see Section V.1.b. of this NOFO).

f. Dissemination and Communications Plan. A description of the applicant’s approach to broadly disseminate the results of the program to the public. The plan should include an approach to broadly disseminate tools and information resources regarding the

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

SCoE and to solicit participation in SCoE activities through meaningful and impactful collaborations and partnerships. The Dissemination Plan should include annual reporting that is released to the public documenting the performance and accomplishments of the SCoE as required in Section V.1.ii.3. and VI.3. of this NOFO.

(7) Resume(s) of Key Personnel. Resumes for all key personnel assigned to the program must be provided. Resumes are limited to two

(2) pages per individual. Additional pages beyond the two pages per resume will not be considered during the evaluation of the application.

Resumes are not included in the page count of the Program Narrative.

See Section V.1.b. of this NOFO.

(8) Budget Narrative and Justification. There is no set format for the

Budget Narrative and Justification, however, the written justification should include the necessity and the basis for the cost, as described below. When cost share is included in the budget, the written justification must also identify the Federal and non-Federal portion of each cost, to include indirect costs, as applicable. (see Cost Sharing section of this NOFO for match requirements and Section V.1.c. of this NOFO). Proposed funding levels must be consistent with the program scope, and only allowable costs should be included in the budget.

Information on cost allowability is available in the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, which apply to awards in this program.

The Budget Narrative does not count against the twenty (20) page limit of the Program Narrative.

This section will be evaluated in accordance with the Budget Narrative evaluation criteria. It will also be reviewed to determine if all costs are reasonable, allocable, and allowable under 2 C.F.R. Part 200 Subpart E, Cost Principles.

Information needed for each category is as follows (categories not listed are automatically generated by the form or are not relevant to this competition):

A. Senior/Key Personnel – At a minimum, the budget justification for all personnel should include the following: name; job title;

commitment of effort on the proposed program in terms of average number of hours per week or percentage of time; salary rate; total direct charges on the proposed program per person; and https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 description of the role of the individual on the proposed program and the work to be performed.

B. Fringe Benefits – Fringe benefits should be identified separately from salaries and wages and based on rates determined by organizational policy. The items included in the fringe benefit rate (e.g., health insurance, parking, etc.) should not be charged under another cost category.

C. Equipment Description – Equipment is defined as an item of property that has an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more (unless the organization has established lower levels) and an expected service life of more than one year. The budget justification should list each piece of equipment, the cost, and a description of how it will be used and why it is necessary to the successful completion of the proposed program. Please note that any general use equipment (computers, etc.) charged directly to the award should be allocated to the award according to expected usage on the program. Any items that do not meet the threshold for equipment can be included under the Materials and Supplies line item in Section G, Other Direct Costs.

D. Travel– For all travel costs, required by the recipient to complete the program, including attendance at any relevant conferences, the budget justification for travel should include the following:

destination; names or number of people traveling; dates and/or duration; mode of transportation; lodging and subsistence rates;

and description of how the travel is directly related to the proposed program. For travel that is yet to be determined, please provide best estimates based on prior experience. If a destination is not known, an approximate amount may be used with the assumptions given for the location of the meeting.

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs – Participant support costs are stipends; subsistence allowances; travel; and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees, who are not employees of your organization, for conferences or training programs. The budget justification should indicate the names or number of participants or trainees, a description and calculation of costs per person, a description and date of the event, and a description of why the cost is necessary for the successful completion of the proposed program.

F. Contractual (i.e., Contracts or Subawards) – Each contract or subaward should be treated as a separate item. Identify the cost

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 and describe the services to be provided and the necessity of the subaward or contract to the successful performance of the proposed program. Contracts are for obtaining goods and services for the non-Federal entity’s own use and creates a procurement relationship with the contractor. A subaward is for the purpose of carrying out a portion of a Federal award.

G. Other Direct Costs – For costs that do not easily fit into the other cost categories, please list the cost and the breakdown of the total costs by quantity or unit of cost. Include the necessity of the cost for the completion of the proposed program. Only allowable costs can be charged to the award. Under this category, include materials and supplies, which are defined as all tangible personal property other than that described as equipment. Provide a list of each supply, and the breakdown of the total costs by quantity or unit of cost. Include the necessity of the cost for the completion of the proposed program. Under this category, provide a description of information technology and other technology needed to establish, implement, and maintain the efforts of the SCoE.

H. Indirect Costs – Commonly referred to as Facilities & Administrative Costs, Indirect Costs are defined as costs incurred by the applicant organization that cannot otherwise be directly assigned or attributed to a specific program. For more details, see Section IV.2.b.(9) of this NOFO.

(9) Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. If indirect costs are included in the proposed budget, provide a copy of the approved negotiated agreement if this rate was negotiated with a cognizant Federal audit agency. If the rate was not established by a cognizant Federal audit agencies provide a statement to this effect. If the successful applicant includes indirect costs in the budget and has not established an indirect cost rate with a cognizant Federal audit agency, the applicant will be required to obtain such a rate in accordance with Section B.06 of the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions, dated November 12, 2020.

Alternatively, in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f), applicants that do not have a current negotiated (including provisional) indirect cost rate (except for those non-Federal entities described in appendix VII, paragraph D.1.b. of 2 CFR Part 200) may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs (MTDC). Applicants proposing a 10 percent de minimis rate pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f) should note this election as part of the budget portion of the application. Please be aware that Foreign applicants will be limited to https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/DOC%20Standard%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20-%2012%20November%202020%20PDF_0.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/DOC%20Standard%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20-%2012%20November%202020%20PDF_0.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=dd7e460e397e25e8c7f2d685f71d953c&mc=true&node=ap2.1.200_1521.vii&rgn=div9 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=dd7e460e397e25e8c7f2d685f71d953c&mc=true&node=ap2.1.200_1521.vii&rgn=div9

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 use of the de minimis rate and will not have the opportunity to negotiate an indirect cost rate with NIST.

(10) Subaward Budget Form. The Research & Related Subaward Budget

Attachment Form is required if sub-recipients and contractors are included in the application budget. Instructions for completing subaward budget forms are available by visiting the R & R Family section of the Grants.gov Forms Repository and scrolling down to the R & R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form and selecting “Instructions.”

(11) Letters of Commitment. Letters of Commitment must be submitted by all funded and unfunded entities that will have an active role in executing the activities outlined in the Program Narrative. Letters of Commitment must address the level of participation, qualifications of the personnel who will be actively involved, and how successful completion of this program would positively impact the United States engagement and leadership in international standardization for CETs.

Letters of Commitment must also specify any voluntary committed cost-share, including the specific services and/or products to be used in the program. Letters of Commitment must be signed by an individual with authority to legally bind the organization to its commitment. Letters of Commitment do not count against the page limit of the Program Narrative and should not exceed two (2) pages per letter.

(12) Data Management Plan. Consistent with NIST Policy 5700.002, Managing Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research, and NIST Order 5701.003, Managing Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research”, applicants must include a Data Management Plan (DMP).

All applications for activities that will generate scientific data using NIST funding are required to adhere to a DMP or explain why data sharing and/or preservation are not within the scope of the program.

For the purposes of the DMP, NIST adopted the definition of “research data” at 2 C.F.R. § 200.315(e)(3).

The DMP must include, at a minimum, a summary of proposed activities that are expected to generate data; a summary of the types of data expected to be generated by the identified activities; a plan for storage and maintenance of the data expected to be generated by the identified activities, including after the end of the award’s period of performance; and a plan describing whether and how data generated

2 https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2018/06/19/final_p_5700.pdf 3 https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2019/11/08/final_o_5701_ver_2.pdf https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/r-r-family https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2018/06/19/final_p_5700.pdf https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2019/11/08/final_o_5701_ver_2.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024 by the identified activities will be reviewed and made available to the public.

A template for the DMP, an example DMP, and the rubric against which the DMP will be evaluated for sufficiency is available at:

Information for Applicants and Awardees. An applicant is not required to use the template as long as the DMP contains the required information.

If an application stands a reasonable chance of being funded and the DMP is determined during the review process to be insufficient, the program office may contact the applicant to resolve deficiencies in the DMP. If an award is issued prior to the deficiencies being fully rectified, the award will include a Specific Award Condition (SAC) stating that no research activities shall be initiated, or costs incurred for those activities under the award until the NIST Grants Officer amends the award to indicate the SAC has been satisfied.

Reasonable costs for data preservation and access may be included in the application.

(13) Current and Pending Support Form. Any application that includes investigators, researchers, and key personnel must identify all sources of current and potential funding, including this proposal. Any current program support (e.g., Federal, state, local, public, or private foundations, etc.) must be listed on this form. The proposed program and all other programs or activities requiring a portion of time of the Principal Investigator (PI), co-PI, and key personnel must be included, even if no salary support is received. The total award amount for the entire award period covered, including indirect costs, must be shown as well as the number of person-months per year to be devoted to the program, regardless of the source of support. Similar information must be provided for all proposals already submitted or that are being submitted concurrently to other potential funders.

Applicants must complete the Current and Pending Support Form, using multiple forms as necessary to account for all activity for each individual identified in the PI, co-PI, and key personnel roles. A separate form should be used for each identified individual.

Applicants must download the Current and Pending Support Form from the NIST website at https://www.nist.gov/oaam/grants-management-division/current-and-pending-support and reference the guidance provided as it contains information to assist with accurately completing the form.

https://www.nist.gov/open/information-awardees https://www.nist.gov/oaam/grants-management-division/current-and-pending-support https://www.nist.gov/oaam/grants-management-division/current-and-pending-support

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

b. Attachment of Required Documents

Items IV.2.a.(1) through IV.2.a.(4) above are part of the standard application package in Grants.gov and can be completed through the download application process.

Item IV.2.a.(5), the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form, is an optional application form which is part of the standard application package in Grants.gov. If item IV.2.a.(5), the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form is applicable to this proposal, attach it to field 18 of the SF- 424 (R&R), Application for Federal Assistance.

Item IV.2.a.(6), the Program Narrative, should be attached to field 8 (Program Narrative) of the Research and Related Other Program Information form by clicking on “Add Attachment”.

Item IV.2.a.(8), the Budget Narrative and Justification, should be attached to field L (Budget Justification) of the Research and Related Budget (Total Fed + Total Non-Fed) form by clicking on “Add Attachment”.

Items IV.2.a.(7), Resume(s) or CV(s), IV.2.a.(9); the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, IV.2.a.(11); Letters of Commitment, if applicable to the submission, IV.2.a.(12); the Data Management Plan; and IV.2.a.(13), the Current and Pending Support Form, must be completed and attached by clicking on “Add Attachments” found in item 12 (Other Attachments) of the Research and Related Other Program Information form.

Item IV.2.a.(10), the Subaward Budget Form(s), if applicable to the submission, should be attached to the Research & Related Subaward Budget (Total Fed + Non-Fed) Attachment(s) Form in the application package.

Following these directions will create zip files which permit transmittal of the documents electronically via Grants.gov.

Applicants should carefully follow specific Grants.gov instructions at www.Grants.gov to ensure the attachments will be accepted by the Grants.gov system. A receipt from Grants.gov indicates only that an application was transferred to a system. It does not provide details concerning whether all attachments (or how many attachments) transferred successfully. Applicants will receive a series of e-mail messages over a period of up to two business days before learning whether a Federal agency’s electronic system has received its application.

Applicants are strongly advised to use Grants.gov’s “Download Submitted Forms and Applications” option to check that their application’s required attachments were contained in their submission.

https://www.grants.gov/applicants/grant-applications/how-to-apply-for-grants https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/Applicants/CheckApplicationStatus/DownloadSubmittedFormsAndApplications.htm https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/Applicants/CheckApplicationStatus/DownloadSubmittedFormsAndApplications.htm

After submitting the application, check the status of your application here:

CHECK APPLICATION STATUS. If any, or all, of the required attachments are absent from the submission, follow the attachment directions found above, resubmit the application, and check again for the presence of the required attachments.

If the directions found on the Grants.gov Online Help page are not effective, please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk immediately. If calling from within the United States or from a U.S. territory, please call 800-518- 4726. If calling from a place outside the United States or a U.S. territory, please call 606-545-5035. E-mails should be addressed to support@grants.gov. Assistance from the Grants.gov Help Desk will be available around the clock every day, with the exception of Federal holidays. Help Desk service will resume at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time the day after Federal holidays.

Applicants can track their submission in the Grants.gov system by following the procedures at the Grants.gov Track My Application page. It can take up to two business days for an application to fully move through the Grants.gov system to NIST.

NIST uses the Tracking Numbers assigned by Grants.gov and does not issue Agency Tracking Numbers.

c. Application Format

(1) Paper, Email, and Facsimile (fax) Submissions. Will not be accepted.

(2) Figures, Graphs, Images, and Pictures. Should be of a size that is easily readable or viewable and may be displayed in landscape orientation. Any figures, graphs, images, or pictures will count toward the page limits for the Program Narrative.

(3) Font. Easy to read font (12-point minimum). Smaller type may be used in figures and tables but must be clearly legible.

(4) Page Limit. The Program Narrative is limited to twenty (20) pages single-spaced, noting the limit of two (2) pages for the Executive Summary.

(5) Page Limit Exclusions:

SF-424 (R&R), Application for Federal Assistance;

Research & Related Budget (Total Fed + Non-Fed);

https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/index.htm#t=Applicants%2FCheckApplicationStatus%2FCheckApplicationStatus.htm https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/index.htm#t=GetStarted%2FGetStarted.htm mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/applicants/grant-applications/track-my-application

Notice of Funding Opportunity July 1, 2024

CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying;

Research and Related Other Program Information;

SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities;

Resume(s) or CV(s);

Budget Narrative and Justification;

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement;

Subaward Budget Form;

Letters of Commitment;

Data Management Plan;

Current…