Question 1:
Can DOE provide potential applicants with contacts for organizations to approach regarding partnerships for this Funding Opportunity Annoucement?
Answer 1:
The Funding Opportunity Announcement for DE-FOA-0001016 Low Temperature Geothermal Mineral Recovery Program details in Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION subsection G. QUESTIONS REGARDING ELIGIBILITY that “EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant.”
Please reference the Funding Opportunity Announcement for additional details regarding eligibility.
Question 2:
Will DOE provide information as to whether a project has merit and should be submitted in a formal application to this Funding Opportunity Announcement?
Answer 2:
The Funding Opportunity Announcement for DE-FOA-0001016 Low Temperature Geothermal Mineral Recovery Program details in Section III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION subsection G. QUESTIONS REGARDING ELIGIBILITY that “EERE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant.”
Please reference the Funding Opportunity Announcement for additional details regarding eligibility.
Question 5:
If a domestic academic institution applies as a prime recipient can it use the grant for projects that foreign individuals perform and use it to supply funding for foreign individuals, who are students at the academic institute?
Answer 5:
EERE
Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0001016 Low Temperature Geothermal
Mineral Recovery Program details allowable, allocable, and reasonable expenses
by applicants in Section IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION subpart H.
FUNDING RESTRICTIONS part 1. Allowable Costs. Please reference this
section regarding questions about Allowable Expenditures. The academic
institution may use funds for allowable costs, which may include personnel
costs for tasks that foreign individuals perform. Please reference 2 CFR
220 Cost Principles for Educational Institutions for additional guidance.
Question 6:
Is there a typical chemical composition of brines that EERE is interested in for this Funding Opportunity Announcement?
Answer 6:
The
Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0001016 Low Temperature Geothermal
Mineral Recovery Program discusses brines and the intent of the Funding
Opportunity Announcement in Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY subparts A.
DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND and B. TECHNICAL AREAS OF INTEREST. DOE EERE is
interested in the process for extracting minerals from brine solutions but not
the specific chemical composition of brines.
Question 7:
The title of the FOA includes “low temperature” and the description in Section I.A implies that temperatures less than about 150C represent low-temperature geothermal sources. Is there a preference or requirement that the research target brines less than 150C?
Answer 7:
The Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0001016 Low
Temperature Geothermal Mineral Recovery Program describes low temperature as
temperatures below 150C in Section I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY subpart A.
DESCRIPTION/INTRODUCTION. EERE does not have a preference or requirement
for a research target of brines less than 150C.
Question 8:
Are the slides associated with the Webinar for this FOA available to potential applicants?
Answer 8:
The Funding Opportunity Announcement Webinar for DE-FOA-0001016 Low
Temperature Geothermal Mineral Recovery Program is available to view by
visiting the EERE Geothermal Technologies webpage at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/low_temperature_resources.html.
The Presentation Slides are available by clicking the link below the
webinar.
Question 9:
Should cited references be included within the 5 page limit for Concept Papers?
Answer 9:
References cited in the Concept Papers for this Funding
Opportunity Announcement will not apply to the page limit.
Question 10:
What is the cost share requirement for a Government Owned/Government Operated (GOGO) facility submits a proposal for this FOA?
Answer 10:
The
Cost Share Requirement for a GOGO (Government Owned/Government Operated)
applicant is 10%.
Question 12:
Will EERE contact interested parties directly? Will EERE give applicants ideas for application submissions or determine eligibility?
Answer 12:
EERE personnel are prohibited
from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with Applicants regarding the FOA
except through the established question and answer process as described in FOA
Section VII. “Questions/Agency Contacts.” EERE will not make eligibility
determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications
to this FOA must be submitted. The decision whether to submit an application in
response to this FOA lies solely with the applicant. Please read the entire FOA
document for additional details regarding eligibility and application
submission requirements.
Question 13:
If an applicant followed grants.gov and not EERE-eXCHANGE and missed the Concept Paper due date, can the applicant still apply?
Answer 13:
The
grants.gov synopsis is just a summary of the Funding Opportunity Announcement,
as well as the summary statement found in Exchange. The only document
that should be used for a guideline is the actual Funding Opportunity
Announcement. Unfortunately, EERE cannot accept any additional
submissions, as it is past the initial submission date.
Question 14:
When will applicants receive feedback regarding Concept Paper submissions?
Answer 14:
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Applicants
should have received feedback on March 20, 2014. If an applicant has yet
to receive feedback from a concept paper submission, please write GO Mineral
Recovery FOA, MineralRecoveryFOA@go.doe.gov.
Question 15:
1. Should the Budget Justification (EERE 159), Subaward Budget Justification (EERE 159), and Summary Slide be saved and submitted as Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint respectively or as PDFs?
2. The instructions state that the control number must be displayed on the upper right corner of the header on every page. Does that mean headers should be added to the government-provided mandatory forms to which the control number will be added?
3. The instructions state that page numbers must be included in the footer of every page. Does that mean footers should be added to the government-provided mandatory forms to which page numbers will be added?
4. Should each of the files that comprise the Full Application be submitted as stand-alone files or combined into one Full Application file?
Answer 15:
1. The EERE 159 and other forms
provided in excel format can be submitted in either pdf or excel format.
The preferred format is pdf as stated in FOA Section IV.B.
2. The Control Number does not need
to be added in the upper right hand corner to Government-Provided OMB Approved
Forms. Where the form states Award Number, please insert the Control
Number for the applicants proposal.
3. Footers are not required on
Government-Provided OMB Approved Forms.
4. Each document submitted with a proposal should be a
stand-alone file. The maximum file size
that can be uploaded to the EERE Exchange website is 10MB. Files in excess of
10MB cannot be uploaded, and hence cannot be submitted for review. If a file
exceeds 10MB but is still within the maximum page limit specified in the FOA it
must be broken into parts and denoted to that effect.
Question 16:
(1) Can the definition of "Legally Responsible" on pages 8 and 10 be reconciled? (2) In the event that NETL was successful in being selected for award negotiation asa prime applicant with partners willing and able to provide the required cost share, what mechanism(s) would be used to fund the award?
Answer 16:
1.To clarify, even though the
cost-share may be provided by a sub-recipient/project partner(s), the prime
recipient, is responsible for ensuring that it is provided. See also Section
III.E.1, REQUIREMENTS FOR DOE/NNSA FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
CENTERS (FFRDC) LISTED AS THE APPLICANT
2. See Section III.B.4, COST SHARE CONTRIBUTIONS BY FFRDCS AND
GOGOS, of the FOA.
Question 19:
We are not sure about our cost share percentage. Our understanding of the solicitation on pg. 10 is that we qualify for the 10% C/S because: 1. We are a domestic institute of education; and 2. As the prime, we will perform 60% of the work (as measured by Total Project Costs). Will you please confirm our cost share percentage so we can make the budget of cost share accordingly?
Answer 19:
As stated in the FOA,
the recipient cost share requirement for applied R&D projects will be
reduced from 20 % to 10% where:
(1) the Prime
Recipient is a domestic institution of higher education; domestic nonprofit
entity; FFRDC; or U.S. State, local or tribal government; and (2) the Prime
Recipient performs more than 50% of the project work, as measured by the Total
Project Cost.
Applicants who believe
their project qualifies for the reduced recipient cost share requirement must be
able to provide verification that the above requirements are satisfied.
To assist Applicants in calculating proper
cost share amounts, EERE has included a cost share information sheet and sample
cost share calculation as Appendices B and C to the Funding Opportunity
Announcement.
Question 21:
If a U.S. University is the Prime Recipient, can we have a Foreign Entity as a subreciepient, who is not a U.S. Corporation, do work on our project, with their work being done outside of the U.S.
Answer 21:
No. Please see Section
IV.D.11.ii. Performance of Work in the United States of this FOA,
where it states that “All work under EERE funding agreements must be performed
in the United States.”
Please see Section IV.H.3 Performance of Work
in the United States for additional information pertaining to waivers
regarding this requirement and justifications for Performance of Work outside
of the United States. “There may be limited circumstances where it is in the
interest of the project to perform a portion of the work outside the United
States.”