NSF/ONR Partnership in Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security (EPNES)Program SolicitationNSF-02-188DIRECTORATE FOR ENGINEERING OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE(S): February 3, 2003 By 5:00 p.m. proposer’s local time
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SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
GENERAL INFORMATIONProgram Title: NSF/ONR Partnership in Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security (EPNES) Synopsis of Program: The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announce an interdisciplinary solicitation aimed at building new partnerships focused on achieving efficient and secure electric power networks under uncertain demands. The NSF organizations participating in this solicitation include: the Division of Electrical and Communication Systems (ECS) and Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Systems (BES) of the Directorate for Engineering (ENG); the Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES) of the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE); and the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). The ONR organizations in this solicitation include the Department of Engineering, Materials and Physical Sciences (EMPS), and the Division for Ship Hull, Mechanical and Electrical Systems (SHMES). NSF and/or ONR will make awards. Electric power systems are prototypical socio-technical systems, meaning that their technical, social, economic, political, and cultural elements are tightly interwoven and impinge directly and forcefully upon each other. The goal of this solicitation is to build interdisciplinary partnerships, which allow more unified, coherent research to ensure reliable, secure, and efficient electric power networks. In addition, this program will address socio-economic issues, environmental issues, new pedagogy and curricula to prepare a future workforce, and development of integrated tools provided by ONR or a credible utility system. Cognizant Program Officer(s):
Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
AWARD INFORMATION
PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONSA. Proposal Preparation Instructions
B. Budgetary Information
C. Deadline/Target Dates
D. FastLane Requirements
PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION
AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
TABLE OF CONTENTSSUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
I. INTRODUCTIONThere is an urgent need for the development of innovative methods and conceptual frameworks for analysis, planning, and operation of complex, efficient, and secure electric power networks. If this need is to be met and sustained, then there must be appropriate resources developed and available to teach those who will design, develop, and operate those networks. Hence, pedagogy and curricular improvement must be an integrated component of this activity's evolution. The U.S. depends on electric power – power that is provided through networks that may be as small as a ship or as large as a regional power grid. The next generation of high-performance dynamic and adaptive nonlinear networks, of which power systems are an integral application, will be designed and upgraded with interdisciplinary knowledge for achieving improved survivability, security, reliability, reconfigurability and efficiency. The NSF/ONR Partnership in Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security (EPNES) invites proposals to advance electric power networks using systems theory, economics principles, and environmental science. Increasing interest in power engineering education and addressing workforce issues in the deregulated power industry necessitates an interdisciplinary research-based curriculum that prepares engineers, economists, and scientists to plan and operate networks. To accomplish this goal, it must be recognized that these networks are socio-technical systems, meaning that successful functioning depends as much upon social factors as upon technical characteristics. They are a key component of larger efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth on a global scale. The continued security of electric power networks can be compromised not only by technical breakdowns, but also by deliberate sabotage, misguided economic incentives, regulatory difficulties, the shortage of energy production and transmission facilities, and the lack of appropriately trained engineers, scientists and operations personnel. Addressing these issues requires proposals to engage an interdisciplinary approach, involving engineering, technical and social and economic research. EPNES proposals must also integrate pedagogy and curricular improvement as an evolving component of the activity. NSF seeks to fund research activities that ensure electric power in the U.S. will be continuously available, reasonably priced, and have minimal deleterious environmental impacts. It is hoped that a convergence of socio-economic principles with new system theories and computational methods for systems analysis will lead to development of a more efficient, robust, and secure distributed network system. Proposals responding to this solicitation must (1) plan for testing and refining new concepts and principles against benchmark test system problems (as defined in the topical areas, below); and (2) include major connections to market economics, such as global sustainability. Proposals submitted under this program solicitation must incorporate concepts that are general enough to test on standard civilian and/or military grand challenge problems. Navy test beds will be provided by the Navy (see detailed description in topical area E, below). The civilian grand challenge problem should be a realistic test bed such as those provided by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) or a credible utility company. II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONThis solicitation seeks to obtain major advances in the integration of new concepts in control, modeling, component technology, social and economics theories for electrical power networks' efficiency and security. It also encourages development of new interdisciplinary research-based curriculum and pedagogy that will motivate students' learning and increase their retention across affected disciplines. Research should be carried out in interdisciplinary groups with the objective of generating new concepts and approaches stimulated by the interaction of diverse disciplines. Proposals offering incremental advances of existing technologies are discouraged. Proposals should include interdisciplinary research teams of engineers, scientists, social scientists, economists, and environmental experts as appropriate to the work proposed. This solicitation seeks to overcome barriers between intellectual disciplines relevant to power networks by introducing the complexity of the networks from the Navy and from the utility power sectors as benchmarked systems. Each proposal must contain the development of pedagogy and education material for undergraduate and graduate level students including laboratories, workshops, lectures, CD-ROM, etc. Proposals should discuss effective ways in which education, outreach and improvements to increase the workforce and interests are all integrated within the interdisciplinary research programs to achieve the broader impacts of the proposed activities. Five topic areas (A-E) of research and education activities appropriate to this solicitation are listed below. Proposals should address two or more of the listed topics in areas A, B and C. Each proposal must also address the education topic area D, and the benchmark systems topic in Area E. A. Systems and Security
B. Economics, Efficiency and Behavior
C. Environmental Issues
D. New Curricula and Pedagogy
E. Benchmark Test Systems
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATIONThe categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide are eligible to submit proposals under this program announcement/solicitation. IV. AWARD INFORMATIONThe awards made will be up to a total of $300,000 for a small interdisciplinary group and up to a total of $600,000 for a large interdisciplinary group. Due to the nature of the program, all proposals must be interdisciplinary, and multiple co-Principle Investigators are encouraged. The award duration may be up to three years. Both small and large interdisciplinary groups may be from the same institution or from different institutions, and should demonstrate substantial program enhancement resulting from the interaction of diverse disciplines. It is anticipated that the total funds available from NSF and ONR for this program in FY 2003 will be approximately $3.45 million. The anticipated numbers of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds and the quality of proposals. V. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONSA. Proposal Preparation Instructions Full Proposal: Proposals submitted in response to this program announcement/solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF Web Site at: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov. Proposers are reminded to identify the program solicitation number (NSF-02-041) in the program announcement/solicitation block on the Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National Science Foundation. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing. Cost sharing is not required in proposals submitted under this Program Solicitation. Other Budgetary Limitations: Proposers should make provisions in the proposal budget for transportation and lodging to attend an annual workshop in Washington, DC. The workshop will be held for grantees to present their research work. Proposals must be submitted by the following date(s): Full Proposals by 5:00 p.m. proposer’s local time: February 3, 2003 Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this Program Solicitation through the FastLane system. Detailed instructions for proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required certifications within five business days following the electronic submission of the proposal. VI. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATIONA. NSF Proposal Review Process Reviews of proposals submitted to NSF are solicited from peers with expertise in the substantive area of the proposed research or education project. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. NSF invites the proposer to suggest, at the time of submission, the names of appropriate or inappropriate reviewers. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts with the proposer. Special efforts are made to recruit reviewers from non-academic institutions, minority-serving institutions, or adjacent disciplines to that principally addressed in the proposal. The two merit review criteria are listed below. The criteria include considerations that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered and for which he/she is qualified to make judgements. What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity? What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity? NSF staff will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions: Integration of Research and Education Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities Additional Review Criteria
A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Director. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding. B. Review Protocol and Associated Customer Service Standard All proposals are carefully reviewed by at least three other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular field represented by the proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement/solicitation will be reviewed by Mail Review followed by Panel Review. Panel reviews are jointly administered by program officers from NSF and ONR. Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation. In most cases, proposers will be contacted by the Program Officer after his or her recommendation to award or decline funding has been approved by the Division Director. This informal notification is not a guarantee of an eventual award. NSF 's goal is to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months for 70 percent of proposals. The time interval begins on the date of receipt. The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation. In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at its own risk. VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATIONA. Notification of the AwardNotification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program Division administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See section VI.A. for additional information on the review process.) B. Award ConditionsAn NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (NSF-GC-1)* or Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Terms and Conditions;* and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreement awards also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (CA-1). Electronic mail notification is the preferred way to transmit NSF awards to organizations that have electronic mail capabilities and have requested such notification from the Division of Grants and Agreements. *These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Web site at http://www.nsf.gov/home/grants/grants_gac.htm. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (301) 947-2722 or by e-mail from pubs@nsf.gov. More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions is contained in the NSF Grant Policy Manual (GPM) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Web site at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gpm. The GPM is also for sale through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402. The telephone number at GPO for subscription information is (202) 512-1800. The GPM may be ordered through the GPO Web site at http://www.gpo.gov/. For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the PI must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period. Research outcomes will be measured via annual reports and in a workshop for Grantees to present their research work. The workshop will be held in the Washington, DC area. Proposers should make provisions in the proposal budget for transportation and lodging to attend the workshop. Within 90 days after the expiration of an award, the PI also is required to submit a final project report. Approximately 30 days before expiration, NSF will send a notice to remind the PI of the requirement to file the final project report. Failure to provide final technical reports delays NSF review and processing of pending proposals for that PI. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data. NSF has implemented an electronic project reporting system, available through FastLane. This system permits electronic submission and updating of project reports, including information on project participants (individual and organizational), activities and findings, publications, and other specific products and contributions. PIs will not be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system. VIII. CONTACTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONGeneral inquiries regarding NSF/ONR Partnership in Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security should be made to:
For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:
General inquires on EPNES can be directed to one of the NSF staff named as a contact in the solicitation. For questions related to FastLane, contact the FastLane help line at 1-800-673-7188 or via email to fastlane@nsf.gov IX. OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTERESTThe NSF Guide to Programs is a compilation of funding for research and education in science, mathematics, and engineering. The NSF Guide to Programs is available electronically at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?gp. General descriptions of NSF programs, research areas, and eligibility information for proposal submission are provided in each chapter. Many NSF programs offer announcements or solicitations concerning specific proposal requirements. To obtain additional information about these requirements, contact the appropriate NSF program offices. Any changes in NSF's fiscal year programs occurring after press time for the Guide to Programs will be announced in the NSF E-Bulletin, which is updated daily on the NSF web site at http://www.nsf.gov/home/ebulletin, and in individual program announcements/solicitations. Subscribers can also sign up for NSF's Custom News Service (http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/start.htm) to be notified of new funding opportunities that become available. ABOUT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATIONThe National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Awardees are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication. Thus, the Foundation does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation. NSF welcomes proposals from all qualified scientists, engineers and educators. The Foundation strongly encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to compete fully in its programs. In accordance with Federal statutes, regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from NSF (unless otherwise specified in the eligibility requirements for a particular program). Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including student research assistants) to work on NSF-supported projects. See the program announcement/solicitation for further information. The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090, FIRS at 1-800-877-8339. The National Science Foundation is committed to making all of the information we publish easy to understand. If you have a suggestion about how to improve the clarity of this document or other NSF-published materials, please contact us at plainlanguage@nsf.gov. PRIVACY ACT AND PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENTSThe information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to applicant institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies needing information as part of the review process or in order to coordinate programs; and to another Federal agency, court or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 267 (January 5, 1998), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records," 63 Federal Register 268 (January 5, 1998). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award. Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(b), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to an information collection unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding this burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Administrative Services, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA 22230, or to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science Foundation (3145-0058), 725 17th Street, N.W. Room 10235, Washington, D.C. 20503. OMB control number: 3145-0058. |