The intent of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to award a five year cooperative agreement to a consortium of accredited U. S. Colleges and Universities to allow them to receive and administer faculty and student research fellowship and scholarship funding awarded by the U. S. Department
credit:
of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA),Office of Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development (NA-22).
The envisioned cooperative agreement will be awarded to a consortium made up of Universities which will include the participation of the National Laboratories as either a team/consortium member or as a subcontractor.
Individual consortium-member universities shall make specific contributions and shall receive specified portions of the funding.
The consortium includes student and early career research fellowships and has a long-term vision to build expertise in nonproliferation and nuclear security.
Research results should be incorporated readily into university curricula.
Students, faculty, and researchers must be able to work unencumbered while moving across what are now organizational and bureaucratic boundaries of the academic and governmental facilities engaged in the consortium, while properly protecting critical information and materials.
The consortium should establish reciprocal arrangements between the home academic institution and other degree-granting institu tions as well as relationships with appropriate National Laboratories.
The consortium will be embodied as, The Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC).
Section 313 of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (H.R.
1105, P.L.
111-8) included the creation of the Integrated University Program (IUP).
As one of the three participants in this program, NA-22 proposes to establish a program in nuclear science and engineering, including nuclear security, to provide an effective source of innovation and highly trained engineers and scientists.
The program addresses the pressing shortfalls in trained professionals capable of supporting crucial nuclear nonproliferation missions such as nuclear forensics and international safeguards.
The mission of NA-22 is to lead the NNSA investment in the research and development of new technologies in support of the Nation's nuclear nonproliferation goals.
To meet this mission, NA-22 sponsors research and development across all disciplines of nuclear science and security.
The role of universities for nuclear security research and development is to develop some of the most challenging aspects of new technology and methods in alignment with the priorities outlined in road-mapping exercises.
Once these basic aspects have been proven at the university level, the National Laboratories can fulfill their unique role of performing mission-specific research and development that makes progress on capabilities until they are either adopted by operational enterprises or transitioned into private industry for commercialization.
Transparently and effectively linking these University and National Laboratory roles represents the core of how we propose to meet our objectives.
In accordance with 10 CFR 60 0. 6(b), eligibility for award is restricted to universities as authorized in Section 313 of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 200 9. The university selected for award will be the lead organization and will be held responsible for managing the entire scope, schedule and cost of the project, to include all reporting.
Another restriction imposed in accordance with 10 CFR 60 0. 6(b) is end-users who are directly supported under the NSSC program shall be restricted to U. S. citizens.
For the purpose of this program an end-user is any individual whose services and/or position is supported by direct funding under this program.