Financial Assistance Notice

[Tom Worlton]

Subject: US Energy Research financial Assistance Program
(This is probably only of interest to US scientists)

Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 96-02;
Enhanced Research Capabilities at DOE User Facilities 
  
The Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) of the Office of 
Energy Research (ER), U.S. Department of Energy, hereby
announces its interest in receiving grant applications for new
capabilities or for upgrading existing research capabilities for
innovative fundamental research at DOE-supported synchrotron
light sources and neutron sources, and the Combustion Research
Facility. Such instrumentation should employ state-of-the-art
technology so that the photon and neutron beams are utilized
more effectively. Applications for the development of new
capabilities, as well as upgrading of existing capabilities are
encouraged. 
  
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief 
preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice
96-02, should be received by DOE by 4:30 p.m.  E.S.T.,
December 29, 1995. A response discussing the potential
program relevance of a formal application generally will be
communicated to the applicant within 30 days of receipt. The
deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 p.m., E.S.T.,
February 8, 1996, in order to be accepted for merit review and
to permit timely consideration for award in fiscal year 1996.   
 
All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 96-02, 
should be sent to Dr. William T. Oosterhuis, Office of Basic
Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences, ER-13, U.S.
Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown,
Maryland 20874-1290. 
  
As part of the President's Science Facilities Utilization
Enhancement to make more efficient use of the National User
Facilities listed below, the instrumentation (such as optics,
detectors, and data collection electronics) needed to increase the
experimental throughput at these powerful sources has to be at
the state-of-the-art. At some user facilities, there is a distinct
need to upgrade the instrumentation to increase the resolution, to
detect more photons or neutrons per unit time, and increase the
quality of the data so that more and better experiments can be
carried out. At other user facilities, there is a need to put more
beamlines on the experimental floor to make more experiments
possible while the facility is operating. The National User
Facilities supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences are
the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), High Flux Beam
Reactor (HFBR), Combustion Research Facility (CRF), High
Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), Intense Pulsed Neutron Source
(IPNS), Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL),
Advanced Light Source (ALS), Advanced Photon Source (APS),
and Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center (LANSCE). These
facilities have the capabilities of extreme flux, or brightness, to
make certain experiments possible which would otherwise be
impossible. The interest is in exploiting these capabilities to the
maximum extent possible. 
  
The Department's intention for this program is to support
fundamental research which will include the upgrade and/or
development of new instrumentation to optimize the use of these
National User Facilities operated by the Department. The ability
to conduct innovative fundamental research should be
emphasized in each application. Applicants are encouraged to
collaborate with industry and to incorporate cost sharing and
consortia wherever feasible. The extent of the collaboration and
cost sharing will be factors, along with the principal criterion of
the scientific merit of the application, in the selection process by
the Department. 
  
Grant applications are encouraged from all disciplines (including
solid state physics, materials chemistry, metals and ceramics, 
chemical sciences, structural biology, geosciences, and
environmental sciences) for energy-relevant research which
make use of the DOE-supported user facilities. Instrumentation
appropriate for consideration would include, but not be limited
to, the following: beamline optics and transport guides,
monochromators of much greater resolution, more efficient
detectors to reduce the background noise, electronics and data
processing equipment to enable investigators to carry out new or
more difficult experiments and/or more experiments in the same
amount of time. 
  
The brief preapplication, in accordance with 10 CFR
600.10(d)(2), should consist of two to three pages of narrative
describing the research objectives and methods of
accomplishment. The preapplications will be reviewed relative
to the scope and research needs of the DOE's fundamental
research programs at these facilities. Telephone and FAX
numbers are required parts of the preapplication, and electronic
mail addresses are desirable. 
  
It is anticipated that approximately $ 5,000,000 will be available
for grant awards during FY 1996 which will enable innovative
fundamental research through major enhancements
in instrumentation or capabilities at these user facilities,
contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds. The
number of awards and the range of funding will depend on the
number of applications received and selected for award.

Tom Worlton
(at the request of Bruce Brown)
Intense Pulsed Neutron Source
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