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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
[1,"All questions pertaining to this funding opportunity announcement should be emailed to OptimaFOA@ee.doe.gov. "]
[2,"All questions pertaining to EERE Exchange should be emailed to EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov. Include FOA name and number in subject line."]
[3,"All questions and answers pertaining to this FOA will be posted on EERE Exchange within this spreadsheet."]
[4,"DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. "]
[5,"All questions should be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[6,"Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
[7,"Questions are assigned a topic area by DOE when reviewed."]
[]
["TIPS"]
[1,"Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
[2,"Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

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["ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG"]
["DE-FOA-0001461 - Fuel Engine Co-Optimization"]
["Question #","Date Submitted","Topic","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2016-08-01","Eligibility","Does the PI have to be US citizen or permanent residence?","The PI is not required to be a US citizen or permanent resident. However, please see section IV.B.iii of the FOA, titled “Foreign National Access to DOE Sites,” which states: “If the Prime Recipient or Subrecipients, contractors or vendors under the award, anticipate utilizing a foreign national person in the performance of an award, the Prime Recipient is responsible for providing to the Contracting Officer specific information of the foreign national(s) to satisfy compliance with all of the requirements for access approval.” In addition, if the proposed project involves export controlled information, the Prime Recipient, Subrecipients, contractors or vendors, as applicable, must assure compliance with all export control requirements.  "]
[2,"2016-08-01","Technical Topics","Whether does a research on gas turbine or micro gas turbine technology meet the goal of this funding announcement?","DOE is seeking applications that explicitly support the Co-Optima initiative, which targets the light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles market. See FOA Sections 1.A Description/Background, 1.B Topic Areas/Technical Areas of Interest and 1.C Applications Specifically NOT of Interest for more information. The FOA is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA.  EERE cannot predetermine the suitability or viability of a proposal in advance of the merit review process.  It is up to prospective applicants to review the requirements of the FOA and assess the merits of their proposed project to determine whether to submit an application. "]
[3,"2016-08-02","Webinar","How do I access the webinar on August 8? I did not see that information in the FOA. ","UPDATED ANSWER: The Informational Webinar that was to be held on August 8, 2016 at 2:00 PM ET has been rescheduled for August 17, 2016 at 1 pm ET"]
[4,"2016-08-03","Eligibility","Regarding the restriction of funding to only universities and nonprofit research institutions that operate as a division under the U.S. Institutions of Higher Education, I was hoping you could clarify what is meant by that second category. Specifically, is there a list of nonprofits that operate under divisions of institutes of higher education?","Many U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) operate distinct non-profit research institutions, which are treated as divisions of the IHE. DOE does not have a list of nonprofits that operate under divisions of institutes of higher education."]
[5,"2016-08-05","Registration Requirements","This particular FOA is not listed, despite the link provided on the Grants.gov page (for additional info.).","The full text of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) can be obtained at the DOE EERE Funding Opportunity eXCHANGE website at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/default.aspx.   To find this information, click on the FOA number (DE-FOA-0001461), and the full text of the FOA will be available under “FOA DOCUMENTS”.  "]
[6,"2016-08-06","Labs/FFRDCs","On page 8 of the FOA it says\n“A National Laboratory expert researcher with relevant expertise will be assigned to assist coordination and provide technical assistance to each award.” I guess this will happen after the award is granted. Is there a way to find out more about the ongoing work so we can propose a better more cooperative plan?\n","In FOA Section 1.A \"Description/Background\", a DOE web link is provided that provides additional information about DOE's Co-Optima initiative and the National Laboratory Consortium Project. In addition, the Informational Webinar (rescheduled for August 17, 2016) will provide a high level overview of the National Laboratory Project. The National Laboratories may choose to provide additional information about their ongoing work through a separate, public webinar. "]
[7,"2016-08-07","Labs/FFRDCs","Please provide more detailed information about ongoing DOE National Laboratory Project, so that applicants can write concept papers and proposals that will complement rather than duplicate efforts at the National Labs.\n\n","The FOA does not restrict the communications that proposed applicants may have with the National Laboratory staff. However, in order to ensure that all potential applicants have access to the same information, National Laboratory personnel can discuss the ongoing DOE National Laboratory Project but will not advise on research proposed under this FOA.\n\n"]
[8,"2016-08-07","Labs/FFRDCs","Please define the roles that scientists at the National Labs are allowed to have in proposed research.\n","In FOA Section 1.A, \"Description/Background\" a description of expectations for interacting with the National Laboratories is provided. National Laboratory staff are excluded from direct participation  in this FOA as either prime- or sub-awardees. As noted in the FOA, a National Laboratory expert researcher with relevant expertise will be assigned after selections are made to assist coordination and provide technical assistance to each award. "]
[9,"2016-08-07","Labs/FFRDCs","Please clarify the extent to which scientists at the National Labs are allowed to communicate with prospective applicants.","The FOA does not restrict the communications that proposed applicants may have with the National Laboratory staff. However, in order to ensure that all potential applicants have access to the same information, National Laboratory personnel can discuss the ongoing DOE National Laboratory Project but will not advise on research proposed under this FOA"]
[10,"2016-08-08","Labs/FFRDCs","What is the appropriate way to identify national laboratory collaborators on concept papers?  For instance, can they be listed as unfunded collaborators in the project team description, etc.?","See Answer 8 (above)."]
[11,"2016-08-08","Labs/FFRDCs","National labs are working on experiments that can help my model.\n\n1) Can I contact them and ask to be part of my proposal? Or I need to find experimentalists other ways?\n\n2) Can I submit a proposal that is mainly modeling and leverage the collaborations with experimentalists at national labs?\n","See Answers 8 and 9 (above).      "]
[12,"2016-08-08","Eligibility","Are Prime- and Sub-recipients able to contract third party service providers to perform and assist in technology development activities under this FOA?","There is no restriction on commercial service providers (aka vendors or contractors).  See 2 CFR 200’s procurement requirements for competition."]
[13,"2016-08-09","Other","Would it be beneficial to create a team of 3 universities to address 3 different sub-topics even though the sub-topics are not inextricably linked? Or, per the limiting to \"a single concept or technology\" statement, would it be better to submit a smaller proposal with less partners - but with a set of tasks that are more intertwined?","In FOA Section 1.A, \"Description/Background\", the FOA states: \"Applicants are strongly encouraged to partner with other eligible entities in order to address multiple sub-topics.\" A single Concept Paper can address one or more of the six sub-topics listed in Section 1.B. Section IV.C. The FOA has been modified (See FOA Modification 000001) to indicate that the \"Concept Papers should clearly delineate the sub topic(s) being addressed.\""]
[14,"2016-08-09","Eligibility","Can a PI be the lead on 1 proposal and a SUB-Recipient on another ?","Yes, a PI can be involved with multiple applications."]
[15,"2016-08-10","Application Content/Format","From the FOA, it appears that there should not be any mention of budget, or cost-share details, in the concept paper.  Is this correct?","Yes, please refer to Section IV.C of the FOA for the specific Concept Paper requirements."]
[16,"2016-08-10","Eligibility","The solicitation is written suggesting the work is focused only on ground vehicles.  But is there any reason why aircraft piston engines could not be considered under the same goals?","The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) posted at EERE eXCHANGE is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA.  We cannot predetermine the suitability or viability of a proposal in advance of the merit review process.  It is up to prospective applicants to review the requirements of the FOA and assess the merits of their proposed project to determine whether to submit an application.  See FOA Sections 1.B Topic Areas/Technical Areas of Interest and 1.C Applications Specifically NOT of Interest for more information. "]
[17,"2016-08-10","Due Dates","Please advise if the Informational Webinar (set for August 8, but postponed) has been rescheduled, and/or if the due date for Concept Papers has been extended.","The Informational Webinar has been rescheduled for August 17, 2016 at 1 pm ET and the Submission Deadline for Concept Papers has been changed to August 29, 2016 (See FOA Modification 000001). "]
[18,"2016-08-11","Application Content/Format","We are preparing a concept paper application but see there is a tab to enter “Funds and Costs” and required to enter the Federal & Non-Federal(Cost Share) amounts. Do we need to identify our costs during the Concept Paper stage? We did not see this requirement in the FOA Section IV.C .","No (see Answer 15). The only requirements for the Concept Paper are listed in the FOA, Section IV.C."]
[19,"2016-08-11","Application Content/Format","We have already submitted a concept paper to this FOA. Q&A updated on 8/11 indicates that the  answers to a few questions related to the content of concept papers are still pending. Will there be a need to resubmit the Concept Paper in case the requirements change?","No, there is no need to resubmit a Concept Paper if it has already been submitted. If you would like to revise your Concept Paper, please refer to Section IV.A of the FOA, which states \"Once the Concept Paper [...] is submitted in EERE Exchange, applicants may revise or update that submission until the expiration of the applicable deadline.\" The Q&A process will continue throughout the open application period and applicants are encouraged to check back in and review the Q&A up to the required submission dates."]
[20,"2016-08-12","Application Content/Format","Is there a concept letter template we should be using in response to the university co-optima FOA?","Please refer to Section IV.C. of the FOA \"Content and Form of the Concept Paper\" for the specific Concept Paper requirements.  "]
[21,"2016-08-12","Labs/FFRDCs","Who do I list in the team members section? Only people who are included in the budget? \nIf I identified people at National Lab who are interested in collaborating on my project, should I list them in \"team members\"? \nWhat about the addendum section? Is this section only for funded people? For example I have people from industries who are interested in collaborating on my project, and they could provide useful data. They will not be part of the budget, but should I list them in \"Team members\" or \"Addendum\"?\n","All key personnel should be included in the addendum. For the Concept Paper Cover Page, only organizations who will be actively working on the project should be listed. Please also see Answer 8 (above)."]
[22,"2016-08-12","Eligibility","Can one of the consultants in my project be from outside US? Can he/she receive funding?","The FOA does not restrict foreign entities from participating as consultants; however, as set forth in Section IV.K.iii of the FOA, all work under EERE funding agreements must be performed in the United States, absent an approved waiver. Also, the applicant/recipient would be responsible for ensuring any applicable export control requirements are met."]
[23,"2016-08-13","Labs/FFRDCs","I wonder if we can use facilities and setup at national laboratory for this proposal, especially if it is aligned with the research currently going on in such national labs.","National Laboratories are not eligible to receive funding under this FOA, see Section III.A of the FOA for eligibility information. Please also see Answer 8 (above)."]
[24,"2016-08-13","Eligibility","I wonder if  the Prime Recipient is allowed to have  a subcontractor  which is  a for-profit organization? Also, I wonder if other government agencies (i.e., Air Force or Army) can act as a collaborator/contributor ?","See Section III.A of the FOA and Answer 12 (above)."]
[25,"2016-08-15","Webinar","I will be visiting the DOE the day of the university informational webinar (8/17/16).  Is attending in person an option?","No, the webinar is being presented remotely and no accommodations have been made to have guests attend in person."]
[26,"2016-08-16","Other","Are small projects preferred over more comprehensive projects? In other words do you prefer 3 small ideas or 1 bigger idea that links all the 3 projects?","A single Concept Paper can address one or more of the six sub-topics listed in Section 1.B.  If the ideas are related, it is appropriate to submit as a single application.  Project concepts should not be arbitrarily aggregated into larger projects merely for the sake of making larger projects, but should be combined if that strengthens the project as a whole . "]
[27,"2016-08-17","Webinar","Will a digital download of the Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines FOA: Informational Webinar be available?","Yes, the informational webinar was recorded and will be available on EERE Exchange shortly. You are encouraged to check its posting status daily."]
[28,"2016-08-17","Other","If two institutions of higher education plan to submit one full proposal in response to DE-FOA-0001461 (with one lead and one subaward collaborating on two sub-topic areas of interest), may they submit two separate concept papers on two different sub-topic areas, or should they submit one joint concept paper addressing both sub-topics?","One concept paper should ideally correspond to one application. Also see Answer 26 (above). "]
[29,"2016-08-17","Registration Requirements","Do Sub-recipients need to register with the EERE Exchange, or only Prime Recipients?","Subrecipients do not register in EERE Exchange, only Prime Applicants are required to register."]
[30,"2016-08-17","Technical Topics","What does 'downselect metrics' mean? (asked during the informational webinar)","In the context of the ongoing National Laboratory project, potential fuel molecules to be further investigated will be 'downselected' as additional criteria are finalized. Currently, no ACI fuel candidates have been downselected, but this information is expected to be published when it becomes available. In FOA Section 1.A \"Description/Background\", a DOE web link is provided that provides additional information about DOE's Co-Optima initiative and the National Laboratory Consortium Project."]
[31,"2016-08-17","Other","Should we submit separate concept papers if the applicants (or universities) are partnering together on multiple sub-topics but there will be different PIs and team members? (asked during informational webinar)","See Answer 28 (above)."]
[32,"2016-08-17","Application Content/Format","Q&A question 15 notes that no budget information is needed. However, such information must be inserted electronically to proceed with submission. Please clarify. (asked during informational webinar)","The concept paper submission does not require a detailed budget component, however, as part of completing an application in EERE Exchange (to obtain a control number) initial budget estimates are requested for data purposes only. These estimates are not fixed and can be changed during the open application period. As noted in Section IV.D the full application submission requires budget information as part of the SF424 Application as well as a detailed Budget Justification (EERE 335). Applicants are reminded to verify all submissions contain accurate, up to date information, including your EERE Exchange profile and control number at the time of full application submission."]
[33,"2016-08-17","Application Content/Format","p. 17 of the FOA does not specify an abstract requirement of the CP (concept paper). The CP electronic form, however, notes that an abstract must be provided. Please clarify. (asked during informational webinar)","The concept paper submission does not require a detailed abstract, however, as part of completing an application in EERE Exchange (to obtain a control number) a brief abstract is requested for data purposes only. The abstract can be changed throughout the open application period. As noted in Section IV.D the full application submission requires both a Summary for Public Release and a Summary Slide."]
[34,"2016-08-17","Other","We are planning to team with another University on at least two of the sub-topics.  The PIs will be different on each sub-topic and the team members composed from several different departments within both Universities.  \n\nShould we submit separate concept papers for each sub-topic, or combine both into a single concept paper?  And if we are to submit a single concept paper including two sub-topics are we allowed to double the page limits for the technology and addendum sections?    \n","As stated in FOA Section 1.A: \"Applicants are strongly encouraged to partner with other eligible entities in order to address multiple sub-topics.\" If the intent is to submit multiple applications, seperate concept papers should be submitted. If the concepts are integrally related and the intent is to submit a single application, a single concept paper should be submitted. Also see Answers 26 and 28 (above). Concept Papers that address more than one sub-topic area must remain within the required page limits, see Section IV.C of the FOA."]
[35,"2016-08-20","Eligibility","I have asked this question before and I am sorry to say that still it is not clear. The question here is that whether for-profit companies can, in any shape or form, be involved in this project ?  For example, as  \"subcontractors\" ?  How about if  no money is exchanged between a university and a company and  this for-profit company is  donating equipment and personnel (with no charges to the university).  Is this type of  relationship  acceptable under this FOA? \n\nThere are two terms used in the PDF file: \"Sub-recipient\" and \"teaming partners\".   What is the precise definition of the \"sub-recipients\"? For example,  if  one of my \"teaming partner\" is a for-profit company then are we as a university eligible to apply for this FOA?  Are the terms  \"sub-recipient\" and \"teaming partner\"  referring to the same thing? \n","For-profit entities may participate in the project so long as the FOA eligibility requirements are met; i.e., that they are not applicants or subrecipients.  Your use of the term “subcontractor” is unclear and is not a category recognized under DOE’s financial assistance regulations (2 CFR Parts 200 and 910).  As described under the contractual tab of the Budget Justification (EERE 335):  \"A subrecipient is a legal entity to which a subaward is made, who has performance measured against whether the objectives of the Federal program are met, is responsible for programmatic decision making, must adhere to applicable Federal program compliance requirements, and uses the Federal funds to carry out a program of the organization. A vendor is a legal entity contracted to provide goods and services within normal business operations, provides similar goods or services to many different purchasers, operates in a competitive environment, provides goods or services that are ancillary to the operation of the Federal program, and is not subject to compliance requirements of the Federal program. All characteristics may not be present and judgment must be used to determine subrecipient vs. vendor status.\" In addition, see Answer 12 (above).\n\nIn submitting its application, each applicant must determine whether anticipated for-profit involvement meets those requirements. Until DOE reviews an applicant’s proposed teams and their members’ planned involvement, a more specific response to your question is not possible.\n"]
[36,"2016-08-21","Labs/FFRDCs","Can I use the facilities at the national laboratory if there is no money exchanged and the specific national lab permits us to use its facility because  the work is aligned with their activities  as well as the FOA ?","There are no specific restrictions from using facilities at the National Laboratories, however, the costs associated with such use are restricted. See Answers 12 and 35 (above) for additional guidance."]
[37,"2016-08-22","Webinar","Can you send me slides for Optima webinar? Or perhaps I can download them from your website?","The webinar recording (youtube link) as well as the webinar slides (pdf) have been posted to EERE Exchange."]
[38,"2016-08-22","Eligibility","We are interested in collaborating with [Company X, name removed], who operates in the biofuels area. We confirmed that [Company X] is a non-profit research institution, but we do not know if it operates as a division under the US Institutions of Higher Education. Would you be able to help us confirm if [Company X]  is eligible to participate as a sub-recipient?\n\nIf not, would [Company X] be able to participate as a vendor of biofuel blends that can measure the physical properties of them?\n","DOE will not advise on a specific entity's eligibility, but in general, [Company X] would only be able to participate as a sub-recipient if they meet the eligibility requirements in Section III of the FOA. The eligibility restriction does not apply to vendors. Please see Answers 12 and 35 (above)."]
[39,"2016-08-22","Application Content/Format","I have a question regarding the addition of artwork in the concept paper. In the FOA it states that any artwork must be included in the 3 page limit of the technology description. From the webinar, it states that “The Concept Paper can also include graphs, charts, or other data (limited to 1 pages)”. Does this mean that there can be an additional page for artwork?","Please refer to Section IV.C of the FOA for the specific Concept Paper requirements. The 1 page addendum was intended for qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the proposed project team, but can include graphs, charts or other data to support the Technology Description (3 pages)."]
[40,"2016-08-24","Application Content/Format","Please clarify whether the figure and charts can be included as a \"extra\" one-page or all needs to be within 3 pages of technology description.  ","see Answer 39 (above)"]
[41,"2016-08-25","Application Content/Format","I intend to submit a concept paper to DOE FOA 0001461. While there is information in the FOA, I need your help regarding the actual format of the cover page. Does the one attached to this email correspond?","See FOA Section IV.C.i \"Concept Paper Content Requirements: The cover page should include the project title, the specific\nSub‐Topic Area(s) being addressed, both the technical and\nbusiness points of contact, names of all team member\norganizations, and any statements regarding confidentiality.\" 1 page limit."]
[42,"2016-08-29","Application Content/Format","In section II.A.i., are the budget numbers listed ($7M total, awards of $300k to $3M) totals for the three years or per year? ","These numbers refer to the entire project period (3 years)."]
[43,{"$f":"B45","v":"2016-08-29"},"Application Content/Format","In section IV.D.ii., the instructions for the Technical Volume suggest \"attaching letters of support from partners/end users as an appendix\" -- should/can these letters be from DOE lab personnel that we anticipate interacting with?  ","Applicants may submit letters of support from whoever they deem appropriate, adhering to the guidelines set forth in the FOA. "]
[44,"2016-09-11","Application Content/Format","In the 24th page of the announcement, it seems that there is a section where we can include support letters from partners. We actually have four partners in DOE labs that we will be actively partnering work with and I believe a couple of them are already funded through the Co-Optima program. \n\nWould it be ok to ask/include support letters from DOE partners who are already in the Co-Optima program to accurate reflect our collaborations?\n","Yes; however note Q&A 8 and 9 above. "]
[45,"2016-09-12","Application Content/Format","At this stage of the process (after Concept Papers are due, before the Full Application is due), is it possible to do the following:                                                                                                                             1. include a new team member\n2. increase the budget due to the new person.\n","Yes, you can add team members and revise the budget after you submit your concept paper, before the full application is due. "]
[46,"2016-09-12","Cost Share","Is additional cost-share encouraged? ","Program Policy Factors regarding, but not limited, to cost share  can be found in FOA Section V.C.i. "]
[47,"2016-09-12","Due Dates","We will like to confirm the deadline for submission.","UPDATED: See the table on the first page of the FOA document. Please ensure to review DE-FOA-1461, Modification 000002 for the updated (from the Base FOA Document) and current FOA schedule. The due date has been updated to 10/17 for the full application. "]
[48,"2016-09-14","Due Dates","Regarding DE-FOA-0001461, the current due date for the full proposal is listed as October 16, 2016. Given that this day is a Sunday, does the due date automatically move to Monday, October 17, 2016? ","UPDATED: Please see the above Q&A, number 47. The due date and time are shown on the first page of the FOA document. The due date was updated to 10/17 on 9/23."]
[49,"2016-09-15","Application Content/Format","Please let me know what we should be using for a start date when the negotiations are March, 2017.  ","March 1, 2017 (however this is a tentative start date, condtional upon length of award negotations) "]
[50,"2016-09-16","Application Content/Format","I can’t find the Summary Slide Template on your website. I’m preparing a proposal for DE-FOA-0001461. The FOA says to use the summary slide template for the summary slide, but there’s no link to it in the FOA required application documents online, and I can’t find it in a search. Can you please send me the template?","A standardized template is not available.  For the requirments of the Summary Slide, please see FOA Section IV.D.vii. "]
[51,"2016-09-15","Eligibility","On the Special Cost Share Waiver for Domestic Institutions of Higher Education, what verification do you need to show that the above requirements are satisfied?","If the applicant is clearly a domestic institution of higher education (discernible from the applicant’s name for example), no further verification is required for the special cost share waiver."]
[52,"2016-09-17","Application Content/Format","Could you please update the FAQ to address whether or not there is, or will be, a template posted for the full proposal that is due on 10/16? ","A template is not available for the full application.  See FOA Section IV.D for the content and form of the full application. Templates are available on the EERE Exchange Website for the following documents required within the full application: Application for Federal Assistance (SF424), Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL), Budget Justification (EERE 335) and the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO). "]
[53,"2016-09-21","Due Dates","The due-date is specified as October 16, 2016 which is a Sunday.  Q&A # 47 addressed this issue, and the response was to refer to the Table on the front page of the FOA.  However, it seems that express mail cannot be delivered to DOE on a Sunday and, thus, express mail services could not provide proof of delivery with a date stamp that shows the 16th; delivery stamps  would strictly have to be the 17th which would make submitted proposals formerly out of compliance.  Please clarify. ","Modification 000002 has been released, updating the full application deadline to 10/17. Please see FOA Section IV.A.  Specifically, \"All submissions must conform to the [...] form and content requirements, including maximum page lengths (described below) and must be submitted via EERE Exchange at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/, unless specifically stated otherwise. EERE will not review or consider submissions submitted through means other than EERE Exchange, submissions submitted after the applicable deadline, and incomplete submissions.\""]
[54,"2016-09-21","Technical Topics","A review criteria includes the \"Degree to which the interaction with the on‐going National Laboratory Project has been described, including sharing of data expected to be produced under an award\".  This implies that PIs should include and mention specific lab personnel in the full proposal.  However, the FOA also states that \"A National Laboratory expert researcher ...will be assigned ...to each award.\" Will this person named by DOE be the same as identified by the PIs in the full proposal? ","Specific National Lab personnel do not need to be mentioned in the full application. In the full application, applicants should identify general ties on how their work would connect with that of the National Labs. Applicants may choose to highlight previous successful collaborations with the National Labs (if applicable) as evidence of ability to collaborate with the Labs.  Assignment of the National Lab expert researcher will not be completed until after selections are made."]
[55,"2016-09-21","Technical Topics","Our work is mainly focused on chemical kinetics (experiments and modeling of target fuels), i.e. fundamental research. Does it suffice to address the commercialization section of the proposal by discussing what we think is the most feasible path to the market? Is it enough to point to the COOPTIMA vision and how our work fits into that ambitious framework?","See section IV.D.ii of the FOA for details regarding the commercialization plan.  EERE cannot predetermine the suitability or viability of specific proposal content in advance of the merit review process.   "]
[56,"2016-09-21","Application Content/Format","2. A question about the 20-page limit for the technical volume: Does this include the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO)? I ask because the SOPO is supposed to consist of about 40% of the technical volume but is also requested as a separate document (as in p. 19 and p.22). \na. Does it mean that the SOPO will appear twice – once as part of the technical volume and secondly as the separate SOPO?\nb. If the SOPO appears only once, does it mean that the technical volume is limited to 20 pages, excluding the SOPO?\n","See FOA Section IV. D. The SOPO is part of the full application, with a 3 page limit. The Technical Volume is a separate document. See FOA Section IV.D.ii. \"Technical Volume\" for the requirements of the Technical Volume, specifically the \"Workplan and Market Transformation Plan\" part of the table. The Technical Volume needs to include a summary of project objectives, but that is different than the SOPO."]
[57,"2016-09-22","Eligibility","My PI wants to know if his proposal can be a collaborative proposal, like the NSF collaborative proposal mechanism, with other universities submitting simultaneously but with him as the lead researcher on the project. The NSF collaborative proposal mechanism precludes the need for subawards and provides for budgets to be distributed directly to each university involved. ","EERE does not fund subawards separately. See Q&A number 59 below."]
[58,"2016-09-23","Cost Share","I plan to commit a portion of my academic year salary and benefits, plus indirect costs on those amounts, for part of the cost sharing commitment.  I am writing to request approval to use such indirect cost amounts as cost share toward the project’s total costs.","See section III.B.iii of the FOA for cost share types and allowability. Additionally, applicants are encouraged to refer to 2 CFR 200.306 as amended by 2 CFR\n910.130 & 10 CFR 603.525‐555 for additional guidance on cost sharing. Cost share pre-approval is not provided for full applications.  If selected for negotiations towards an award, cost share eligibility will be negotiated at that time."]
[59,"2016-09-26","Application Content/Format","It would be helpful for DOE to provide a process for how to proceed with budgets for collaborative efforts in which there are multiple academic institutions involved. The way it works with NSF collaborative university proposals is that only one proposal is evaluated: the one prepared by the lead PI.  However, there will be several cover pages that originate with PIs at other universities and these are also submitted with the proposal contents from the lead PI attached.  These collaborative proposals will have the same title and content but a different control number.  At the evaluation stage, those other collaborative documents are grouped/lumped with the lead proposal (since the text is the same) and reviewers evaluate only the one proposal from the lead PI, since the contents are identical.   If a project is approved, the collaborators get their budgets directly from the agency and not through the lead PI's organization.   This saves budget funds. ","Section IV.D of the FOA details requirements for the full application. The Budget Justification (EERE 335) is required and should include all estimated project costs (including cost share) for all participants in the proposed project. EERE does not fund partners separately, the prime recipient is responsible for managing subaward agreements with its partners."]
[60,"2016-09-26","Application Content/Format","We want to collaborate with a scientist at a national laboratory  on our full proposal.  Can we put a letter in the proposal from him indicating his interest in our approach? Should he be listed as a PI (though with no funds to him), collaborator, or just mentioned with a commitment letter?","See Answer 54, above."]
[61,"2016-09-27","Technical Topics","After attending the latest webinar on 9/14, I recall that a slide listed the 20 candidate molecules considered so far. Would it be possible to get this list? The reason I am asking is because our proposal would be made a lot more specific if we knew what the candidate fuel blends will be. Does this align with the VTO scope, or should the proposal be written fuel-neutral until we have more information about candidate molecules from DOE?","A transcript of the 9/14 webinar is posted online: http://energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/co-optimization-fuels-engines. As stated in the FOA, projects selected for award are expected to work in close collaboration with the DOE National Laboratory Project consortium for insight on target fuel candidates. See also Answer 57."]
[62,"2016-09-30","Other","Can you please post what the specific dates are for the beginning and end of each fiscal year for this project?","The government fiscal year begins 10/1 and ends 9/30. Project start and end dates will not necessarily align with the fiscal year and are subject to negotiations with DOE."]
[63,"2016-10-03","Application Content/Format","Question 44 asks whether DOE partners can write letters reflecting their current collaborations.  Your answer was YES.  But when we asked our DOE collaborators with whom we have papers in print they said they were told they could NOT.  This creates an unfair situation where some will get letters and others NOT.  We need a clear statement on this.\n","Applicants can request letters of support from whomever they deem appropriate, but National Lab personnel will use their discretion in deciding whether or not to submit a letter of support. Letters of support are not required and will not confer a specific advantage. As noted in answer 54 (above), applicants should identify general ties on how their work would connect with that of the National Labs. Applicants may choose to highlight previous successful collaborations with the National Labs (if applicable) as evidence of ability to collaborate with the Labs."]
[64,"2016-10-03","Cost Share","Page 10 of the FOA for DE-FOA-0001461 for the waiver from 20% to 10% of required cost-share states:\n\nSpecifically, recipient cost share requirement for applied research and development activities projects is reduced from 20% to\n10% where:\n1. The Prime Recipient is a domestic institution of higher education.\n2. The Prime Recipient performs more than 50% of the project work, as\nmeasured by the Total Project Cost.\n\nDoes this mean the Prime Recipient must meet both of these requirements or only one? We have a group of university partners who will perform in approximately equal shares of the total project costs.  This means that the Prime Recipient is only doing approximately 33% of the work but 100% of the work is being done by Institutions of Higher Ed.\n\nSo under this scenario, does this project and all its recipients qualify for the waiver and 10% required cost-share?  \n\n","If collaborators are domestic institutions of higher education and (collectively) perform more than 50% of the project work, as measured by the Total Project Cost, the cost share waiver would apply.  See Answer 51 above."]
[65,"2016-10-04","Cost Share","In the FOA it states that \"Special Cost Share Waiver for Domestic Institutions of Higher Education\" is required. Does this mean as a university, we only need to provide 10% cost share instead of 20%. Do we need to get any approval or provide any additional documents? ","An eligible entity will only be required to contribute 10% of the total project cost as cost share. See answers 51 and 64 above. "]
[66,"2016-10-04","Other","The answer provided to question 63 is:\nSee Answer 54\n\nwhich is\n\nIf the applicant is clearly a domestic institution of higher education (discernible from the applicant’s name for example), no further verification is required for the special cost share waiver.\n\nThis statement does not appear to answer question 63.\n","The Q&A numbers refer to the number typed in column A, not the row numbers. The pertinent questions here are Question # 60 (on row 63) and Answer #54 (on row 57). "]
[67,"2016-10-04","Application Content/Format","In simple terms, can a lab person be listed as a PI on the cover page of the proposal [presumably the answer will be a simple 'yes' or 'no']\n\nIf the answer is 'no' what title should s/he have? 'Collaborator', for example or does DOE have a preference for (or care) how to list the role of the lab person?  And while a lab person may not need to be mentioned, can s/he be mentioned?","No, a Principal Investigator is typically an individual who is directly tied to project work through project costs. Under this FOA, National Labs (including personnel) are not eligible to receive funding and therefore cannot be a Principal Investigator. See answer 54 above."]
[68,"2016-10-05","Application Content/Format","For the SOPO, there is both a 3 page limit (including milestone summary table) and a requirement of at least one milestone per quarter. Examples for milestone summaries run several pages each and are relatively detailed. I want to confirm that there are no typographic errors that force applicants to adhere to space constraints that preclude giving comparable detail.","See FOA Section IV.D.iii \"The SOPO, including the Milestone Table, must not exceed 3 pages.\"  Milestone Tables are often one page in length. The SOPO is meant to provide a summary of the project.  Also see FOA Section IV.D.ii, \"Technical Volume\", where specific project details are required. If an application is selected for negotiations towards an award, they will be able to work with DOE to revise their SOPO. "]
[69,"2016-10-05","Application Content/Format","Is it safe to assume that the Award number on the title page is the FOA, i.e. DE-FOA-0001461, with modification 002, and not the control number applicants were issued?","The application package while under review will be referenced by the Control Number. Should an applicant be selected for negotiations with DOE a contractual award number will be provided by DOE."]
[70,"2016-10-05","Application Content/Format","Within examples, the EERE 303 form [SOPO] provided under 'required application documents' contains protected cells that cannot be deleted (Recipient Name / Project Title of Example 1 on page 8). Are applicants allowed to re-create a new document to avoid having two non-removable cells counting towards the page limit? ","Yes, applicants can recreate the milstone summary table as needed, however, it should be embedded back into the SOPO document. Please note that these cells do have the functionality to be removed in most Microsoft program versions. "]
[71,"2016-10-05","Cost Share","If the project is primarily applied research and development, but has basic research elements as well, would this fall under this special cost share waiver?","The 10% cost share reduction does not apply to basic research activities.  It is the Applicant’s responsibility to determine, identify and distinguish which activities in its Full Application meet the requirements for the cost share waiver. "]
[72,"2016-10-06","Due Dates","The submission deadline is shown as a Sunday (Oct 16) at 5pm. Is that correct?","No, see Modification 000002 for the updated (from the Base FOA Document) and current FOA schedule. The due date has been updated to 10/17 for the full application."]
[73,"2016-10-06","Application Content/Format","I was unsure from the FOA whether the technical volume page limitation included references or not. Could you please clarify whether they count towards the page limit?","The page limits apply to all information required in the technical evaluation. Reviewers will be advised not to review items included in pages over the limit. "]
[74,"2016-10-07","Cost Share","Regarding Special Cost Share Waiver for Domestic Institutions of Higher Education: In the instance where the collaborators (more than 2 collaborators) on a proposal are all domestic institutions of higher education and the proposed work is split evenly among them (one does not have a majority of Total Project Cost), the special cost share waiver (10%) would be valid, correct?\n","See answer 64 above. "]
[75,"2016-10-11","Application Content/Format","The SF-LLL Lobbying Activities Form is listed as a required document.  We do not participate in lobbying activities.  Are we stil required to submit this form?","Yes, but applicants who do not particiapte in lobbying activities can mark \"N/A\" on the form they submit. "]
[76,"2016-10-09","Application Content/Format","The page limit given in the FOA for the SOPO is 3 pages. Is this really the desired page limit? If so it will not be possible to provide an SOPO that meets the descriptions on content required in the EERE303 SOPO document. ","See answer 70 above. "]
[77,"2016-10-13","Due Dates","The current modification for DE-FOA-0001461 says the due date is 10/17, but the online EERE submission system still says 10/16. Will this be fixed or do we risk being locked out of the submission on 10/17?","The EERE Submission System has been updated to allow submissions until 10/17/2016, 5:00 ET."]
[78,"2016-10-13","Application Content/Format","The list of “Required Application Documents” does not include a statement of current and pending grants of the PIs. The FOA does not mention this either.\n1)  Is a “Current and Pending” document required?\n2)  If yes, please specify the format to be used.\n","See FOA Section IV.D. for a complete list of required documents.  A \"Current and Pending\" Document is not required. "]
[79,"2016-10-13","Other","My application is eligible for a reduced cost share, however, I could not find where that question was listed on the  EERE eXCHANGE application page.\n","The EERE eXCHANGE System has been updated to allow applicants to mark their Reduced Cost Share Eligibility Acknowledgement. "]
[80,"2016-10-14","Due Dates","I just noticed that the proposal submission deadline on EERE Exchange is 10/16 at 5.00 PM ET (Sunday). The second modification of the Co-Optima FOA shows 10/17 at 5.00 PM ET (Monday). Could you please clarify the actual submission deadline? ","See question 77 above. The due date is Monday, 10/17/2016 at 5:00 PM ET."]
[81,"2016-10-17","Other","The General tab asks for the Lead Organization’s percentage of effort. The Team Members tab asks for the organizations that we’ve teamed up with. Do the words “Team Members” refer to individuals rather than organizations?","It refers to the organizations, not the number of cumulative individuals within organizations."]
[82,"2016-10-17","Application Content/Format","I am working on the SF424 for DE-FOA-0001461 and the instructions do not indicate if this form needs manually signed and scanned back or if I can use a digital signature.  ","Either forms of signature are acceptable. "]

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["Due Dates"]
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