Extending Industrial Assessment Centers to Underserved Areas

Modification No. 0001: Extended the Submission Deadline for Full Applications to 3/16/2017 5:00 PM ET. The Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program is a manufacturing efficiency and workforce development initiative of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) based in the engineering departments of colleges nationwide. IACs conduct assessments and provide site-specific recommendations to small & medium size manufacturers on opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste and save energy. The program also provides engineering students with critical hands-on experience in energy engineering and energy management. Extension IACs are intended to provide better national coverage by further expanding the geographic coverage of the IAC program to areas that are unlikely to be adequately serviced because of their distance from the 28 existing IACs. For a list and map of the 28 IACs, visit: https://iac.university. EERE has identified six geographic gaps in national coverage that have been designated as "underserved" and are listed in Section III, Eligibility Information, of this FOA. For this FOA, EERE is only interested in receiving applications from colleges physically located within one of the six underserved areas to provide IAC services in the same underserved area. The full Funding Opportunity Announcement is posted on the EERE Exchange website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Applications must be submitted through the EERE Exchange website to be considered for award. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE Exchange website. The Users' guide for applying to Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Funding Opportunity Announcements through the Exchange website can be found at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx. Information on where to submit questions regarding the content of the announcement and where to submit questions regarding submission of applications is found in the full FOA posted on the EERE Exchange website. The Exchange system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants. Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the Exchange helpdesk for assistance (EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov).