National Imagery & Mapping Agency, PCS/D-88, 4600 Sangamore Rd. Bethesda, MD 20816-5003

A -- UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT DUE 011397 POC Brian Wolfe, Contracting Officer 301-227-2295, FAX 301-227-2218/5573 I. INTRODUCTION. The National Imagery and Mapping Agency announces a Fiscal Year 1997 competition for the University Research Initiative (URI). The URI is a National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) initiative to enhance universities' capabilities to perform research and related education in science and engineering areas critical to national defense. The NURI supports research teams whose efforts intersect more than one traditional science and engineering discipline. Multidisciplinary team effort can accelerate research progress in areas particularly suited to this approach and also can help to hasten the transition of research findings to practical application. By supporting team efforts, NURI complements other DoD programs that support university research principally through single-investigator awards. II. GENERAL INFORMATION. Through this NURI competition, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency expects to make awards in seven specific research topics, subject to the availability of appropriations.All awards will be based on merit competition. The agency expects that typically each award will be: for a basic period of three years (funded incrementally or as options) with two additional years possible as options to bring the total award to a possible five-year award, subject to the availability of appropriations; and on average, about $150-$200 thousand per year, with the size of each award dependent upon the topic. Given these award sizes, NURI can provide more funding for critical research infrastructure elements than traditional, single-investigator awards (that typically total about $100,000 per year). Therefore, to support the proposed research, a NURI proposal may request proportionately more funding than a single-investigator proposal for training graduate students and for acquiring or refurbishing equipment needed to conduct the proposed research. III. AREAS OF INTEREST -- GENERAL. Seven research topics are identified in Section VIII. These descriptions are intended to provide proposers witha frame of reference for these seven NIMA research topics. Innovative ideas that address these concerns are encouraged. Proposers are urged to consider carefully the research issues posed, and, as appropriate, to contact the research topic chiefs to discuss potential efforts of mutual concern. Inquiries are welcome. Note, however, proposals must be directed only to the single address shown in Section V below. IV. CONDITIONS -- GENERAL. This NURI competition is specifically for the seven research topics identified in Section VIII. Full details of the requirements for each these topics, including identified appendices, can be found on NIMA's website at http://164.214.2.57/nima/. Potential proposers are advised to read this announcement carefully. It explains the agencies' research needs upon which the seven topics are based and the terms and conditions of this NURI competition. Proposals may be submitted only by U. S. institutions of higher education, other than federal government, with degree-granting programs in science and/or engineering, or by consortia led by such institutions ("universities"). Organizations ineligible to submit NURI proposals can still participate in NURI research, as discussed below. Proposals from consortia of universities may be warranted, because research in the seven multidisciplinary topics may require forming teams with strengths in multiple science and engineering fields. Consortia proposals must name one principal investigator as the responsible technical point-of-contact. Similarly, one institution will be the primary awardee for purposes of award execution. The relationship among the institutions and their respective roles, as well as the apportionment (i.e., sub-award) of funds among institutions, must be described in both the proposal text and budget. Proposals are encouraged from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (as determined by the Secretary of Education to meet requirements of 34 CFR Section 608.2) and from Minority Institutions (as defined by 10 U.S.C. 2323(a)(1)(c)), either individually or as members of proposing consortia. The NIMA expects that NURI programs will promote application of defense research, primarily for defense purposes but also for commercial purposes. Therefore, a factor for evaluating proposals in this competition is the quality of the proposer's planned interactions with research and development organizations that transition research findings to application, particularly industrial organizations, DoD laboratories, and other organizations that perform research and development for defense applications. Examples of interactions that can be proposed are collaboration in the performance of the proposed research, exchange of scientific and engineering personnel, and exchanges of technical information. To facilitate such interactions, sub-awards of NURI funds to industrial organizations are permitted. However, consistent with the principal goals of the University Research Initiative, it is anticipated that award funds will remain vested substantially with the university(ies). Cost sharing by industrial participants is encouraged as a preferred means to achieve university-industry interactions. When a modest amount of additional funding for a DoD laboratory/ organization or a Federally Funded Research and Development Center is necessary to make the proposed interactions possible, such funds may be requested via a separate proposal from that organization. This supplemental proposal should be attached to the primary NURI proposal; it is not subject to or part of the 50-page limit of the primary proposal; and if approved it would be funded by additional agency (non-URI) funds beyond the URI funds available for this competition. Non-academic not-for-profit organizations and non-DoD federal organizations may participate in the academic institution's proposed effort. However, they may not receive funds awarded through this FY97 NURI competition. Each proposed interaction will be evaluated in the context of the entire proposal. The evaluation will be based on the likelihood that the proposed interaction(s) will positively impact research outcomes and transition to application. V. REQUIREMENTS FOR WHITE PAPERS AND PROPOSALS. The proposal submission process is in two stages. First, white papers are sought from prospective proposers. Based on the evaluation of those white papers, selected proposers will be invited to submit more detailed proposals. The intent of a request for white papers is to minimize the labor and costs associated with the production of detailed proposals. All interested proposers, therefore, are encouraged to submit white papers. However, all proposals submitted under the terms and conditions cited herein will be reviewed, regardless of the disposition (or lack of) white papers. 1. White papers. White papers should be no longer than five typed pages and should outline: (a) proposed objectives and approach; (b) expected outcomes; (c) credentials of key project members; (d) costs, in summary and broken down by year. Ten copies of white papers shouldbe submitted. White papers must be received by the appropriate agencies at the addresses shown for each topic in Section VIII by 4:00 p.m. local time on Monday, 13 January 1997. White papers submitted in whole or in part by electronic media (e.g., computer disk or tape, facsimile machine, electronic mail) will not be accepted. White papers will be evaluated against criteria 1, 2, 3, and 8 in Section VI. Letters to encourage or discourage submission of proposals will be sent directly to the proposed Principal Investigators by about Wednesday, 29 January 1997. Further, NIMA responses may be transmitted via facsimile to expedite communications, so white paper respondents should be sure to include 'fax' numbers in the packages. 2. Proposals. a. General. Institutionally approved, signed, completed proposals must be received by the agency at the address shown below by 4:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, 18 February 1997. Proposals submitted in whole or in part by electronic media (e.g., computer disk or type, facsimile machine, electronic mail) will not be accepted. Proposals received after the deadline will be treated according to Federal Acquisition Regulation part 52.215-10, Sections (a)(1) through (a)(5) (see Appendix A). Proposals will be evaluated against criteria (1) through (8) in Section VI. Acknowledgment of receipt of a NURI proposal will be done via the tear-out receipt at Appendix B; receipts will be mailed by about 21 February 1997. Letters announcing whether or not a proposal is being recommended for an award will be mailed by about 1 April 1997 directly to the Principal Investigator, with a copy to the university business office. Awards are planned to be in place by about 15 May 1997; this should be cited as the proposed start date for the budget. b. Submission. A proposal signed by appropriate university officials and marked "Original", along with 10 copies of the signed original, should be submitted directly to the address listed below. To be eligible for consideration, all copies of the proposal should bear Appendix C as a cover page. Further, to assure prompt acknowledgment of receipt, please detach the receipt in Appendix B, address it to the Principal Investigator or other university official, affix proper postage, and clip to the original proposal (please don't tape or staple the receipt). The cover page and blank receipt may be reproduced to accommodate multiple FY97 NURI submissions from the same institution. Each proposal should be typed and no longer than 50 pages, all-inclusive (including, for example, vitae, cover and signature pages, and budget). The technical portion (see Section C.3) should be limited to no more than 30 of the 50 pages. Proposals shorter than 50 pages are heartily encouraged. Separate attachments, such as institutional brochures or reprints, that cause the proposal to exceed 50 pages can render the entire proposal ineligible. Address for submission of proposals: NATIONAL IMAGERY AND MAPPING AGENCY, FY97 NURI/PCE (D-88), ATTN: Brian Wolfe, 4600 Sangamore Road, Bethesda, MD 20816 c. Content. The proposal must be signed, complete, and self-contained to qualify for review. The National Imagery and Mapping Agency is concerned with research in critical areas of science and engineering, with science and engineering education, and with the availability of equipment required to meet its research objectives. For this reason, proposals must adequately describe the technical objectives and approaches, support of students, and expenditures for equipment, all of which will be evaluated by scientific reviewers per Section VI. Proposals should include: l. Cover page: To be eligible for review, proposals should have Appendix C as a cover page, to be included on the original proposal and each of the 10 copies. 2. Abstract: Provide an abstract no longer than one page. 3. Text: The technical portion of the proposal should be limited to 30 pages and should: a. Describe in detail the research to be undertaken. State the objectives and approach and the relationship to state-of-knowledge in the field and to similar work in progress. Include appropriate literature citations. Discuss the nature of expected results. b. Describe the facilities available for accomplishment of research objectives. Describe the equipment planned for acquisition under this program and its application to objectives. (When possible, equipment should be purchased very early in the research award period.) c. Describe plans for the research training of students in science and/or engineering. d. Describe in detail proposed sub-awards or relevant collaborations (planned or in place) with industry, government organizations, or other appropriate institutions. Particularly describe how collaborations are expected to facilitate the transition of research results to application. If sub-awards are proposed, make clear the division of research activities and provide detailed budgets for the proposed sub-awards. Descriptions of industrial collaborations should explain how the proposed research will impact the industrial partner's research and/or product development activities. e. Identify other parties to whom the proposal has been/will be sent. 4. Personnel: Describe the qualifications of the principal investigator and other key researchers involved in the project. Include curriculum vitae. For consortia or collaborations, one individual should be the designated principal investigator for purposes of technical responsibility and contact. 5. Cost: The financial portion of the proposal, beginning on a new page, should contain cost estimates sufficiently detailed for meaningful evaluation, including cost details for proposed sub-awards. For budget purposes, use an award start date of 15 May 1997. The budget must include the total cost of the project, as well as a breakdown of the amount(s) by source(s) of funding (e.g., funds requested from NIMA, non-federal funds to be provided as cost sharing). The costs should be broken down for each year of the program and shown by two distinct totals: a total for the basic three years and a total for the two years of options. Elements should include: a. Time being charged to the project, for whom (principal investigator, graduate students, etc.), and the commensurate salaries and benefits. Allowable charges for graduate students include salary, appropriate research costs, and tuition. Allowable charges for undergraduate students include salary and research training costs, but not tuition. b. Overhead rates; c. Estimate of material and operating costs; d. Costs of equipment, based on most recent quotations and broken down in sufficient detail for evaluation (equipment costs should be budgeted primarily during the first year); e. Travel costs and time, and the relevance to stated objectives; f. Publication and report costs; g. Sub-award costs and type (the portion of work to be sub-awarded and rationale); note that the sub-award of funds among all university and industry performers responding as one consortium must be described carefully in both the text and the cost section. Also, while collaborations with industry are very strongly encouraged, award funds are expected to be vested substantially with the academic institution(s); h. Consultant fees (indicating daily or hourly rate) and travel expenses and the nature and relevance of such costs; i. Communications costs not included in overhead; j. Other direct costs; k. Year-by-year costs and a total for the initial three years and a total for two years of options. 6. Certifications: Proposals should have Appendix D, "Certifications," clipped to the original proposal or to the forwarding letter. The Certifications do not count against the 50-page limit, nor are multiple copies required. VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS. Criteria (1), (2), (3) and (8) will be used to evaluate white papers. All eight criteria will be used to evaluate final proposals. The primary evaluation criteria, of equal weight, are: (1) Scientific and technical merits of the proposed research; and(2) Relevance and potential contributions of the research to defense missions; Other evaluation criteria,of lesser importance than (l) and (2) but equal to each other, are: (3) The qualifications of the principal investigator and other key research personnel; (4) The adequacy of current or planned facilities and equipment to accomplish the research objectives; (5) The potential for strengthening the institution's infrastructure, for example, by acquiring or refurbishing equipment key to meeting NIMA research objectives; (6) The impact of plans to train students in science and/or engineering; (7) The impact of interactions with other organizations engaged in related research and development, in particular industrial organizations, DoD laboratories and other organizations that perform research and development for defense applications; and (8) The realism and reasonableness of cost, including proposed cost sharing.Process. Proposals will undergo a multi-stage review. First, technical evaluation teams will review proposals using the criteria in this Section and as explained in Section V. Findings of the evaluation teams will be reviewed by senior NIMA managers. VII. AWARDS. Awards will be made at funding levels commensurate with the research and in response to agency missions, but on average about $150-$200 thousand per year. Further, awards generally will be made for three years (through increments or options) with options for two additional years. Negotiations may result in funding levels less than originally proposed. Letters announcing whether or not a proposal is being recommended for an award will be mailed directly to principal investigators by about 1 April 1997. Awards are expected to be in place by 15 May 1997. VIII. SPECIFIC RESEARCH TOPICS FOR FY97 NURI. The following seven topics represent NIMA research topics particularly suited for NURI investment. An award for any topic will be made only if a sufficiently meritorious proposal is received. NIMA reserves the right to allocate available funds among topics based on the quality of the responses and NIMA priorities. None, one or more than one award may be made for an individual topic. Topic titles are listed below: (1) INTELLIGENT AGENTS FOR GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION DISCOVERY AND RETRIEVAL; (2) "ADVANCED VIRTUAL EXPERTS" -- KNOWLEDGE BASED AND EXPERT SYSTEMS; (3) LIKE-FEATURE DETECTION; (4) COGNITIVE WORKLOAD -- KEY INFORMATION NEEDS IN HIGH-STRESS DECISION ENVIRONMENTS; (5) UNCERTAINTY IN GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION REPRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DECISION SUPPORT; (6) COGNITIVE ASPECTS OF GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION; (7) FORMAL MODELS OF SPATIAL OBJECTS The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. No request for proposal (RFP) or other solicitation will be made. Technical questions may be submitted in writing to the address identified above, or to the e-mail addresses identified in the full description of each topic found on the NIMA's website under Business Opportunities at http://164.214.2.57/nima/. All remaining questions should be directed in writing to Mr. Brian Wolfe at the address identified above, and he can be reached at (301) 227-2295, fax (301) 227-2218, or e-mail wolfeb@nim.mil. (0359)

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