2024 US Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies Incubator (HAB-CTI)

Description

The United States Harmful Algal Bloom Control Technologies Incubator (US HAB-CTI) is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, and Mote Marine Laboratory.

The US HAB-CTI is soliciting proposals to research innovative Harmful Algal Bloom control tools and technologies to assess their real-world feasibility. It is anticipated that the tools and technologies still be in the initial stages (Tier 1 or 2) of research and so the Scope of Work should largely be conducted in small scale lab testing, tanks, mesocosms, or raceways. The tools and/or technologies should demonstrate potential to be scalable, environmentally acceptable, and cost-effective.

A detailed description of the funding opportunity and review process can be found here.
 

Funding Availability

Applicants should submit proposals not to exceed 12 months in duration and a $200,000 budget. This year of funding for this request for proposals is estimated at ~$1 million. It is anticipated to be awarded in $50,000 to $200,000 amounts to 5-7 organizations for support not to exceed 12 month project period. The expected 2024 funding cycle is September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2025

Proposal Deadline

• Letter of Intent (LOI) accepted through February 5, 2024 (11:59PM EDT) - Emailed reviews were sent out February 16, 2024
• Full proposals must be submitted by April 15, 2024 (11:59PM EDT).

Process

Awards will be funded incrementally, on a quarterly basis. Invoices will be submitted by Principal Investigators of funded research projects on a quarterly basis and submitted to the Director of US HAB-CTI to be reviewed and approved. Approved invoices will be submitted to and paid for by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology.

During the implementation phase of research projects funded under this announcement, US HAB-CTI Program Managers will review quarterly progress reports for each continuing award, and will discuss research progress and expected timelines for the remaining award period with the Principal Investigators. Program Managers will consider the length of time remaining for each project, the amount of funds available, the tasks completed, the pace of research, and any delayed progress relative to that originally proposed.

Eligibility Information

Eligible applicants for this competition are institutions of higher education, other non-profits, state, local, Indian Tribal Governments, for-profit organizations, U.S. Territories and Federal agencies that possess the statutory authority to receive transfers of funds. The US HAB-CTI supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages applications involving women and minority individuals and groups. In addition, US HABCTI is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. The US HAB-CTI encourages applications involving any of the above institutions to apply. No cost sharing or matching is required.

Please note that:

(1) PIs should be employees of an eligible entity listed above and applications should be submitted through that entity. Non-Federal researchers should comply with their institutional requirements for application submission.

(2) Non-NOAA Federal applicants will be required to submit certifications or documentation showing that they have specific legal authority to accept funds for this type of research.

(3) Foreign researchers may apply but are subject to certain terms and conditions.

Requirements

Proposal Requirements
Proposals will be accepted until April 15, 2024 (11:59PM EDT). A Letter of Intent (LOI) was required and you should have received a response to your LOI, if not please email USHABCTI@umces.edu. The final decision to submit a proposal is made by the applicant.

Each application must substantially comply with the following elements to be forwarded for merit review. The elements are as follows:

1. Standard Form 424. The applicant must submit the Standard Form, SF424A, "Application for Federal Assistance" to indicate the total amount of funding proposed for the project period.Budget cannot exceed a total of $200,000 which include direct and indirect costs. Applicant institutions do not have to be members of an eligible NOAA approved CESU, but they must adhere to the relevant CESU guidelines and use the established CESU indirect cost rate: 17.5% applied to Modified Total Direct Costs. A 10% de minimis indirect cost rate may be used by any non-federal entity that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement. This rate would be charged against modified total direct costs.Cost share is not allowed under this program. Funding is not intended for large capital infrastructure/lab items rather for salaries, travel, facility use, specific project related equipment, and supplies.
2. Budget Narrative (no page limitation). The application must include a detailed budget narrative and justification to support all proposed budget categories for the project period. The budget narrative should follow the guidance for NOAA grants September 2023. Personnel costs should be broken out by named PI and number of months and percentage of time requested per PI. Any unnamed personnel (graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, technicians) should be identified by their job title, and their personnel costs explained similar to PI personnel costs above. The contribution of any personnel to the project goals should be explained. Travel costs should be broken out by number of people traveling, destination and purpose of travel, and projected costs per person. Cost-sharing and/or funding matching is not required.  Funding is not intended for capital infrastructure/lab items rather for salaries/fringe/indirect, travel, facility use fees, specific project related equipment, and supplies. 
3. Project Narrative (max 5 pages). Must Include: Brief Project Abstract, Project Significance, Objectives, Scientific Testing/Methodologies, Timeline, Roles and qualification of all team members, Facilities being used, history of the mitigation tool/technology including previous/existing uses, research, and regulatory approvals, if any. References cited do not count towards page limit.
4. Resume/CVs (max 3 pages per principal investigator). Please use the NSF format found here: Documents Required for Senior Personnel - Funding at NSF 

In addition to the required elements, applicants may provide the following:

1. Letters of Support or Collaboration (no limitation)

Please use the following text guidelines for the project narrative:

• Arial6 (not Arial Narrow), Courier New, or Palatino Linotype at a font size of 10 points or larger, OR Times New Roman at a font size of 11 points or larger
• A font size of less than 10 points may be used for mathematical formulas or equations, figures, tables, or diagram captions and when using a Symbol font to insert Greek letters or special characters. Other fonts not specified above, such as Cambria Math, may be used for mathematical formulas, equations, or when inserting Greek letters or special characters. PIs are cautioned, however, that the text must still be readable.
• Paper size must be no larger than standard letter paper size (8 ½ by 11") with 1-inch margins

US HAB-CTI Document Checklist:

• Project Narrative (Required and max of 5 pages)
• SF-424A Budget (Required)
• Budget Narrative (Required)
• CVs/Resumes for Prinicpal Investigators (Required and max of 3 pages per investigator) 
• Letters of Support and Collaboration (Optional)

Reporting
Awardees will be required to submit financial and performance (technical) progress reports electronically due on the 5th of every quarter of the one year award period. Final Technical and Financial Reports are due at the end of the project and no later than twelve months into the award period. Instructions for submitting financial and progress reports will be provided by UMCES-IMET as part of the award terms and conditions. The acceptability of the Reports will be at the sole descretion of US HAB-CTI program.