P3 Award: National Student Design Competition For Sustainability (66.516)
Program
66.516 P3 Award: National Student Design Competition For Sustainability
Federal Agency
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Authorization
Clean Air Act, Sections 103 and 104, as amended, Public Law 95-95, 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.; Clean Water Act, Section 104, as amended, Public Law 95-217, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001, as amended; Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442, as amended, Public Law 93- 523; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Public Law 92-516, Section 20, as amended; Public Laws 94-140 and 95-396, 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.; Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, as amended, Public Law 94-469, 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Section 311, Public Law 95-510, as amended, Public Law 99-499.
Program Number
66.516
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
EPA and its partners offer this competition to respond to the technical needs of the developed and developing world in moving towards the goal of sustainability. The competition is purposely designed to provide flexibility for creativity allowing interdisciplinary teams of students to define a technical challenge to sustainability, to discuss the relationship of the challenge to people, prosperity, and the planet, and to develop a design approach to address the challenge. Challenges from a wide range of categories will be considered. These include, but are not limited to, water quality and quantity, energy production and distribution, green chemistry and engineering, biotechnology, conservation of materials and energy, product design, mobility, information technology, and delivery of resources (i.e., educational, medical, etc.). However, challenges related to population growth and medical care are not included in this competition (other than the delivery or distribution systems of knowledge, goods and supplies). The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its partners are inviting submissions to the 1st Annual P3 Award: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability. P3 is the next step beyond P2--pollution prevention--and highlights the three components of sustainability: People, prosperity and the planet. The P3 Award will be given to the winner of a national, intercollegiate design competition among interdisciplinary student teams for their research, development, and design solutions to the scientific and technical challenges of sustainability.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
The National Center for Environmental Research generally does not accept unsolicited proposals. Awards are made in response to announced competitive requests for applications (RFAs). Funds awarded via grant agreements are available for allowable direct cost expenditures incident to the performance of research plus allocable portions of allowable indirect costs of the institutions, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
For certain competitive funding opportunities, the Agency may limit eligibility to a particular subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's competition policy. This competition is open exclusively to teams of undergraduate and/or graduate students attending US colleges, universities and other post-secondary educational institutions. Applicants (both student team members and faculty advisors) must be citizens of the United States or its territories or be lawfully admitted to the United States. Students must be enrolled in the college, university, or post-secondary educational institution they will be representing at the time the proposal is submitted. See RFA at: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/ for additional eligibility requirements.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Students, faculty and communities served by eligible institutions. Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply.
Credentials/Documentation
EPA may request that students document their affiliation with an eligible institution. The Agency may also request that applicants demonstrate they have appropriate background, academic training, experience in the field, and necessary equipment to carry out projects.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Discussion with the Office of Research and Development National Laboratories/Centers is advisable for research cooperative agreement applications. Contact points are shown in the RFAs. Generally, no preapplication assistance is available for research related to competitive grant applications. However, EPA will specify the nature of the pre-application assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the Requests for Initial Proposals or Requests for Applications. When applicable, an environmental impact assessment is made by the Office of Research and Development as required by the National Environmental Protection Act. The standard application forms as furnished by the EPA and required by OMB Circular No. A-110 must be used for this program. Research funded under this program may be eligible under E.O. 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs, if it affects public health or if an environmental impact statement is required. If applicable, an applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
Application Procedure
Completed applications must be submitted to the: Environmental Protection Agency Peer Review Division (8725F) 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20460 or as shown in the specific solicitation, which is accessible through the EPA/ORD/NCER website at http://www.epa.gov/ncer. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedure
For competitive awards, EPA will review applications, proposals or submissions in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria in the solicitation/announcement of the competitive funding opportunity. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements.
Deadlines
As stated in the RFA.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
As described in 40 CFR Part 30.63.
Renewals
None. A standard grant application should be prepared and submitted as a new grant, which will be reviewed in the same manner as the original application and will compete for available funds.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Although NCER generally does not accept unsolicited research proposals, EPA's Appropriation Act requires that applicants submitting unsolicited research grant proposals share in the cost of conducting research. The amount of the cost share will be based on the mutuality of interest between the Government and the applicant. This requirement cannot be waived by EPA.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Grants are normally funded on a 12-month basis (annual). Total approved project period may not exceed 5 years.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Annual interim progress, and final results, expenditure, equipment and invention reports.
Audits
Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, non-federal entities that expend $300,000 ($500,000 for fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003) or more in a year in Federal awards shall have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-federal entities that expend less than $300,000 ($500,000 for fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003) a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in OMB Circular No. A-133.
Records
The record retention requirements of 40 CFR Part 30 are applicable. Financial records, including all documents to support entries on accounting records and to substantiate charges to each grant, must be kept available to personnel authorized to examine EPA grant accounts. All records must be maintained until three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. If questions still remain, such as those raised as a result of audit, related records should be retained until the matter is completely resolved.
Program Accomplishments
Approximately 50 competitive grant awards will be made. Abstracts of grant awards, and annual interim and final summary results of the research will be available on the NCER homepage: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/results/.
Financial Information
Account Identification
68-0107-0-1-304.
Obligations
FY 03 $0; FY 04 $500,000; and FY 05 est $500,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
New grants will average $10,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
General Grant Regulations and Procedures, Environmental Protection Agency (40 CFR Part 30) and Research and Demonstration Grant Regulations, Environmental Protection Agency (40 CFR Part 40). Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions.
Related Programs
66.509, Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Program.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
Individuals are encouraged to communicate with the appropriate EPA Regional Office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog or the contact listed on the solicitation. The solicitation may be found at: http://www.epa.gov/ncer.
Headquarters Office
For information on grant applications and procedures, contact Environmental Protection Agency, Grants Administration Division, 3903R, Washington, DC 20460. To obtain further information via the Internet for the P3 Award, click on "Funding Opportunities" at http://www.epa.gov/ncer. RFAs will be posted as available.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
See Web Page for previously funded grants: http://www.epa.gov/ncer.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Competitive applications and proposals will be selected in accordance with announced criteria. To be considered for funding, proposals must meet the stated requirements (i.e., received on time, from a qualified education institution, contain all required documentation, etc.). Proposals found to meet those requirements will be evaluated to determine which teams have the most promising approach to and potential for a successful entry in the competition for the P3 Award. The proposals will be scored based on the following criteria: (1) challenge definition; (2) innovation and technical merit; (3) relationship of the challenge to people, prosperity, and the planet; (4) measurable results, evaluation method, and implementation strategy; and (5) integration of competition as an educational tool (i.e., senior capstone design course, curriculum integration, etc.). See the Web page (http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/) for additional information on the evaluative criteria for this RFA.
