Title
Extending Industrial Assessment Centers to Underserved Areas
Agencies
United States Department of Energy (DOE)
Description
Extension IACs are intended to provide better national coverage by further expanding the geographic coverage of the IAC program to areas that are unlikely to be adequately serviced because of their distance from the 28 existing IACs. For a list and map of the 28 IACs, visit: https://iac.university. EERE has identified six geographic gaps in national coverage that have been designated as “underserved†and are listed in Section III, Eligibility Information, of this FOA. For this FOA, EERE is only interested in receiving applications from colleges physically located within one of the six underserved areas to provide IAC services in the same underserved area.
Extension IACs will provide training for undergraduate and graduate engineering students in industrial processes, energy assessment procedures, and energy management systems. This training may be provided through coursework, as well as via hands-on activities.
Applicants must describe how they intend to promote the development and national adoption of an accredited B.S. degree in energy engineering or equivalent field; or describe their plans for enhancement of an existing degree program that addresses the entire range of pedagogical content within the context of IAC activities. Eligible minority-serving institutions are encouraged to apply as Extension IACs.
In addition to the services outlined above, DOE is looking for new and innovative ways to accomplish its programmatic goals for manufacturers and encourages applicants to propose creative approaches to deliver services that coincide with AMO priorities. These priorities are projected to include:
• Smart manufacturing – identifying opportunities for productivity improvements through the availability and use of smart communications between machines, manufacturing processes, operators and management;
• Cyber security – assisting small & medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in threat detection and mitigation. According to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), 62 percent of data system breaches impacted smaller organizations and in 2011 the average cost to a small or medium-sized business from a cyber-attack was over $188,000;
• Energy management systems – helping SMEs to continuously improve their energy performance by exploring the entire spectrum of management systems, from foundational to ISO 50001 to Superior Energy Performance (http://energy.gov/isosep); and
• Wastewater and water facilities – supporting the efficiency and productivity of water utility facilities, including facility operations as well as the biological component of wastewater treatment.
Applicants should describe how they intend to reach non-participant SMEs in their currently underserved region. Applicants should clearly state resources to be developed and innovative methods to share industry best practices and lessons learned with the widest possible audience. Applicants are encouraged to partner with academic, government, nonprofit or industry groups to develop and deploy energy and water savings guidance and ‘how to’ resources to this hard to reach community. In addition, some means of tracking the uptake of these soft touch points should be developed.
Applicants must formally partner with one of the 28 existing Industrial Assessment Centers as a mentor IAC. Additional information on the 28 existing IACs can be found at: https://iac.university. Extension IACs should discuss the nature and extent of the proposed collaboration/partnership with the existing IAC.
The existing IACs may partner as a mentor IAC on more than one Application under this FOA.
Applicants will also define how they will maximize the student experience; increase student technical knowledge and business sense; and develop their understanding of key industrial concepts, including industrial supply chains, sustainability issues, and management systems. Students should be encouraged to develop and publish technical papers, online learning materials and assessment-derived replicable best practices and other resources. Applicants should also highlight additional value added experience opportunities for the IAC, including:
• Scholarship or internship opportunities for students;
• Traineeships with National Laboratories or other research institutions;
• Inclusion of other disciplines (e.g., business, marketing, environmental studies etc.) into training and student employee makeup;
• Inclusion of opportunities for students to pursue ISO 50001 auditor certifications or other third-party accreditations and certifications;
• Creation and maintenance of a robust student and alumni social networking system; and
• Other subject matter expert (SME) or DOE supporting functions, as developed by individual applicants.
The Applicant must be physically located in and serve clients primarily within one of the following geographic areas currently designated by the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) as “underserved.â€
o Eastern Great Lakes – Michigan and Northern Ohio
o New York Tri-State Region – New Jersey, New York City, Long Island and Connecticut
o Delmarva – Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
o Upper New England – Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire
o Upper Midwest – Minnesota, Upper Michigan and Wisconsin, North and South Dakota
o Mountain West – New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana
More Information
https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/#FoaId746ba36e-9b68-44a4-b4fc-3b77e4df87a3
Submission Limits
EERE will only consider one Full Application per institution of higher education. For example, EERE will not consider applications from different departments or schools of engineering from the same institution. This limitation does not prohibit an entity from collaborating on other submissions to this FOA (e.g., as a proposed Subrecipient) as long as the entity is not the Prime Applicant for those submissions.
Cost Sharing:
The cost share must be at least 20% of the total allowable costs for projects (i.e., the sum of the Government share, including FFRDC costs if applicable, and the recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project) and must come from non-Federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law.
Deadlines
Internal Notice of Intent |
Jan 19, 2017 |
Notification of Internal Competition |
Jan 20, 2017 |
Internal Pre-proposal |
Jan 27, 2017 |
Results of Internal Competition |
Feb 3, 2017 |
Agency Notice of Intent/Pre-proposal |
Feb 8, 2017 |
Agency Proposal |
Mar 14, 2017
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