nnfedp foa-faq-25jan2012.pdf

National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program (NNFEDP) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How many participants in each of the four programs covered by this cooperative agreement does DHS project in each of the five years of the program?

Nuclear Forensics Undergraduate Scholarship Program: 5 participants/year

Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship Program: 18-22 participants/year

Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program: 6 participants/year

Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program: 5 participants/year

These target numbers are based on the continued availability of funding.

2. With respect to stipends, tuition and fees, housing, travel, etc., does DHS project the same level of participation and grant awards in each of the four programs covered by this cooperative agreement as is currently being experienced?

Yes.

3. What funding does DHS project for each of the four programs covered by this cooperative agreement?

Nuclear Forensics Undergraduate Scholarship Program: Approx. $115K/year

Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship Program: FY12: Approx. $500K; FY13-16: Approx. $1M/year

Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program: Approx. $700K/year

Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program: Approx. $600K/year

These projections are based on the continued availability of funding. Due to the timing of this award (mid-way through the Fiscal Year), the grant amount for FY12 will be less than for FY13-16 (approx. $2M versus $2.5M).

4. To what extent will the grantee be expected to support travel for participants?

Travel support for student and faculty award recipients should be supported by the grantee in cases in which the proposed travel directly advances the program of study and research associated with the award.

5. Who is responsible for collecting on defaulted commitments?

Defaults will be treated as any other debt to the Federal Government. The Department of Homeland Security will make all reasonable attempts to work out an arrangement for repayment to the Government to be completed within one year of the default. The Secretary has authority to extend the repayment period beyond one year, if necessary. If a satisfactory repayment plan cannot be worked out or adhered to, the debt will be turned over to the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Management Service for collection.

6. Who is responsible for monitoring the service requirements upon completion of the fellowship?

The grantee should have a plan in place for monitoring the service requirements of Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship Program graduates. In addition, employment data for post-doctoral fellows should be tracked upon completion of their appointments, as well as the higher education paths of undergraduate scholarship recipients, interns, and summer school participants. University award recipients should be evaluated at the end of their three-year appointments based on progress made toward stated objectives to develop interdisciplinary nuclear forensics programs in partnership with national laboratories.

7. Please clarify what is required by the grantee’s responsibility to “manage the university cost share requirements.”

To ensure university commitment, the Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program requires an annual cost-share agreement of 50 percent matching funds from the school receiving an award. Similarly, partial matching funds (25 percent) are encouraged for Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program recipients. Ensuring these cost-share requirements are met is a part of the grantee’s overall responsibilities for administering the awards associated with these two programs through subcontracts with each university recipient.

8. Please clarify the grantee’s role and responsibility in the security clearance process?

The security clearance process associated with this program is still under development. This process is currently managed by the national laboratory hosting the student, the individual student, and the Department of Homeland Security.

9. How many agencies will be providing funding to this cooperative agreement? Are there participants in this program receiving funding from agencies other than DHS? Will the grantee be provided the data required to comply with the multiple agency funding financial reporting requirements articulated in the solicitation?

In addition to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense (Defense Threat Reduction Agency) may contribute funds to the Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship Program. The grantee will be provided the data required to comply with the multiple agency funding financial reporting requirements articulated in the solicitation.

10. Can quarterly meetings with sponsors be done via teleconferencing?

In accordance with the FOA, quarterly meetings should be held in-person. Request for teleconference meetings will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the DHS Program Officer.

11. Please clarify the requirement to manage university and laboratory relationships.

The grantee will be responsible for working closely with universities and laboratories participating in the program and facilitating the critical linkage between the two. For example, the grantee must effectively facilitate the interaction between universities sending student scholars or fellows to the national laboratories for their research practicums and the points of contact at those laboratories. In addition, the grantee is expected to assist in coordinating at least two meetings each year which bring together a technical/academic/policy cross-section of the nuclear forensics community, with student, faculty, laboratory, and government participants, with the purpose of fostering strong professional relationships and technical collaborations among all of these NNFEDP stakeholders.

12. Please clarify the requirements for review panels. Will there be on-site meeting with the reviewers traveling to a designated location? Will honoraria be paid? Must reviewers be from national labs only? Are postal reviews and/or electronic reviews preferable or acceptable?

Review panels may be conducted in-person or electronically. Reviewers are not currently paid for their participation. To date, reviewers have been from the national laboratories, although other individuals with the requisite expertise could also be considered.

13. If a new grantee is selected, will existing administrative documents, existing Website, application system, etc. be made available on an as required basis? Will the grantee be given the content, or be expected to develop new content.

Yes, existing materials will be made available to the grantee as necessary. A transition period will occur between the time of the award and 31 July 2012 (as stated in the FOA).

14. If DHS envisions comparable levels of participation, will DHS accept, review, and consider budget estimates in excess of the projected annual funding of $2.5M?

No.

15. Please clarify that the closing date for receipt of proposals is 24 February 2012 as established by the grants.gov funding announcement.

The closing date for receipt of proposals, as stated in the FOA, is 23 February 2012.

16. Please clarify DHS’s expectations/requirements for managing the interaction/relationships with other agencies/department stakeholders (DOD, INTEL, DOE, etc.) that will be involved in the National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program?

The grantee should be prepared to keep other participating departments/agencies informed of programmatic progress and status on a regular basis. The grantee’s primary interaction will be through the Department of Homeland Security program office.

17. What is the recommended page limit for the proposal narrative?

The recommended page limit is 25 pages for the narrative.