NIST Announces Premium Power RFP

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Advanced Technology Program is soliciting proposals under its focused program competition 98-03, Premium Power, and announces public meetings (Proposers’ Conferences) for all interested parties. The Request For Proposals was released 16 December 1997 in the Commerce Business Daily.

A total estimated US$82 million in first year funding is available for new awards for all of the fiscal year 1998 ATP competitions (approximately eight to 10). The actual number of proposals funded under each competition will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the amount of funding requested in the highest ranked proposals. Funding beyond the first year is contingent on the approval of future Congressional appropriations and satisfactory project performance.

The goal of this Premium Power program is to promote U.S. economic growth by supporting sustained, high-risk research and development (not product development), to accelerate progress in power technologies critical to changes occurring in information systems, telecommunications, and distributed electric power. Technologies within scope: advanced rechargeable batteries, photovoltaic (PV) arrays, fuel cells, ultracapacitors, and flywheels. These power technologies should be especially enabling to the convergence in digital, broadband, multimedia communications and computing; to mobile electronics; to dispersed fiber or wireless low earth orbit satellite based transmission networks; and to distributed electric power, especially that needed by power quality sensitive industries.

The program targets significant innovations in performance, cost effectiveness, and electric quality of portable and distributed power systems through advances in materials, processing, device structures, and systems integration. Proposals within scope include those that address solid-state fuel cells (among other things) suited to residential, commercial, or small portable uses. Technologies outside the scope are high power density technologies for electric or hybrid vehicle applications; liquid electrolyte fuel cells; technologies best suited to central utility applications over 250-kW capacity; and proposals that solely emphasize power conditioning electronics. Business goals: (1) strengthen U.S. industry in advanced rechargeable energy storage production; (2) achieve a 10-fold cost reduction of space photovoltaic arrays; and (3) reduce cost of manufacturing a kilowatt of distributed, integrated fuel cell capacity to US$1,500.

Abbreviated proposals (pre-proposals) are allowed but are optional for this program. Pre-proposals are intended to provide intermediate feedback as to whether the proposer is on track in formulating and articulating some of the key information required for a successful project proposal. Responses to pre-proposals will have no effect on review of full proposals.

Pre-proposals under 98-03 are due no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, 27 February 1998, at the address shown below. Written feedback can be expected from ATP within two weeks of receipt. No other form of pre-proposal debriefing will be provided.

The due date for submission of 98-03 full proposals is 3 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, 8 April 1998. Should NIST be closed on the specified due date, ATP proposals will be due at 3 p.m. Eastern time on the next business day that the NIST facility is open. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered. Send pre-proposals and full proposals to: Advanced Technology Program; National Institute of Standards and Technology; Administration Building 101, Rm. A407; Quince Orchard and Clopper Roads; Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001, U.S.A.

Mark envelope Focused Program 98-03. Pre-proposals or full proposals submitted by facsimile or electronic mail will not be accepted.

The ATP Proposal Preparation Kit dated December 1997 (containing proposal cover sheets, other required forms, background material, and instructions for submission of proposals) and the 98-03 program booklet (containing a paper describing the focused program scope) may be requested by phone: +1.800.ATP.FUND; fax: +1.301.926.9524 or +1.301.590.3053; eMail: atp@nist.gov; or letter at the above address. The Kit is also available on the ATP World Wide Web site: http://www.atp.nist.gov/ under Publications.

Public meetings (Proposers’ Conferences) for potential proposers and other interested parties will be held on the following four dates and nine U.S. locations:

These meetings will provide general information regarding the ATP, tips on preparing good proposals, and an opportunity for audience questions. The format and content of each of the public meetings will be the same except at the 28 January 1998 meeting which will include an afternoon session to answer specific questions on the scope, technical, and business goals of this 98-03 focused program. Multiple locations for these meetings are for public convenience. Attendance is not required. No registration fee will be charged. To register for a meeting or for further information, contact ATP as noted above.

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