Pipeline Safety Research Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP)

The CAAP initiative is intended to spur innovation by enabling an academic research focus on high-risk and high pay-off solutions for the many pipeline safety challenges. It will potentially deliver solutions that can be "hand-offs" to PHMSA's core r

The goal of CAAP is to encourage academic research and university student involvement that spurs innovation and provides solutions to pipeline safety challenges facing the Nation's pipeline infrastructure

Applicants must be non-profit institutions of higher education located in the United States or a U.S. territory or possession.

Solutions from academic research agreements to non-profit institutions of higher education will benefit the American public who have interest in safety, innovation, efficiency, and accelerating movement of goods/product of energy.

Awards will be made in the form of cooperative agreements, which will play a role in finding the solutions to national, regional and local pipeline operational safety and environmental challenges. Some of these challenges involve having the best technology to efficiently and effectively meet or exceed Federal and State regulatory requirements. Other challenges are in keeping critical industry consensus standards fresh with the latest knowledge and know-how so that people, property and the environment are protected.

The announcement will be posted to www.Grants.gov and eligible applications must be submitted within 60 days. Recipients will have between 24 and 36 months from the date of award (typical length of projects) to spend the money awarded. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Agreements will facilitate academic research funding that can reasonably be spent within the project period of performance (estimated at 24 and 36 months). Funding will be provided by Electronic Fund Transfer.

PHMSA developed evaluation criteria to rate and select competing applications. Submission of an application is not a guarantee of award. PHMSA may, at its discretion, award a grant based on an application in its entirety, award only portions of a grant based on its application, or not award a grant at all. Applications will be evaluated against the following evaluation criteria: 1. The extent to which the applicant's proposal meets the research topic area needs; 2. The extent to which the applicant's proposed research topic solution can be readily implemented; 3. The extent to which the applicant's proposal identifies research partnership(s) and subject matter expert involvement, as well as how involved the identified partner(s) will be in the project; 4. The extent to which the applicant's proposal clearly establishes work scope, tasks, milestones, and estimated project costs that align with project goals and objectives, as well as whether any potential risks have been identified and mitigated; and 5. The extent to which the applicant's proposed plan involves students and defines their specific tasks and commitment to the project. In addition, PHMSA expects the proposed results of the projects to be factual, unbiased, verifiable, and repeatable to the extent practicable. Applicants should also be aware that a cooperative agreement will not convey any authority to recipients to secure information or cooperation from pipeline operators.

PHMSA will conduct an initial administrative review of each application to determine if it is complete and meets the minimum eligibility requirements. A team composed of PHMSA program staff representatives and, potentially, industry experts will then conduct a technical review to evaluate and rate each application against the evaluation criteria and to evaluate the acceptability of the proposed budget. Cooperative agreements will be awarded to applicants having the highest merit until the available funding is exhausted. PHMSA intends to solicit applications under this program on a yearly basis during the second quarter of the calendar year, with applications due during the second quarter.

Applications are normally due within 60 days after the announcement is posted to www.Grants.gov.

No-cost extensions of up to 90 days may be authorized by the Agreement Officer in order to complete final reports.