- Maine-NIST Form Unique Partnership
- FY 2000 COSSI RFP Released
- $1.8 Million Offered for Fuel Cell Research
- VC Conference Correction
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Maine-NIST Form Unique Partnership
Maine Governor Angus King, Jr. and Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology Gary Bachula signed a letter of partnership last week that links the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) with a variety of organizations in Maine. Bachula heads the Department of Commerce's Technology Administration (TA), which includes NIST.This is the first such partnership between NIST and a state and is anticipated to serve as a pilot for possible expansion to other states if successful.
"I am excited about the prospect of this new teaming arrangement, which should yield positive returns not only to Maine, but to other parts of the country which will benefit from the results of this cooperation. It is a perfect fit for inclusion under the umbrella of the U.S. Innovation Partnership," Bachula said.
Building on several existing relationships Maine has established with NIST, the partnership outlines seven new initiatives to explore for further cooperation, including:
- NIST and TA will offer technical assistance to Maine in designing an infrastructure to maximize the economic impact of its expanding funding for science and technology.
- Businesses in Maine have identified measurement and technical needs as they find ways to apply optical technology in measurement and inspection, production process diagnostics, machine vision, and remote sensing. NIST Physics Laboratory researchers who specialize in optics will provide technical assistance to those companies.
- NIST building researchers will team with experts in the University of Maine's Advanced Engineered Wood Composite Center to explore the commercial and technical feasibility of using wood composite materials in new and existing construction that would enable the state to make the best use of a changing tree stock available in the state.
- NIST will help to plan and fund a study of Maine small businesses' understanding and use of the Baldrige criteria for performance excellence which serves as a guidebook for organizational improvement. The study will identify opportunities for improving the criteria to encourage their use by small businesses.
- Companies in Maine's active composite materials industry will compare notes with NIST Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory experts in composites to consider collaborations that could include transfer of NIST-developed technologies and joint research on measurement test methods for process monitoring and quality control measurements in composites production and new technology areas and markets.
- NIST's Office of Standards Services will work with the state to improve the ability of Maine companies to export to Europe and other global markets. The joint effort will aim to establish mechanisms in Maine for assessing a product's conformity to foreign government requirements.
- Special training will be provided by NIST for Maine's weights and measures officials, and NIST will work with the state on a pilot project for comparing measurements of mass which could serve as a model for the rest of the country.
More information about the new Maine-NIST initiative, including a copy of the letter of partnership can be downloaded from the NIST press section on the Web: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/g99-78.htm
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FY 2000 COSSI RFP Released
The Department of Defense (DoD) has released the program description and request for proposals for the FY 2000 Commercial Operations & Support Savings Initiative (COSSI). COSSI, a joint program of the Army, Navy and Air Force, is designed to develop and test a method for reducing Defense operations and support costs by inserting commercial items into fielded military systems.COSSI funding available for this RFP is anticipated to range between $75-$100 million, dependent on the FY 2000 Defense appropriation. A reserve of 15-20 percent of the total funds available is to be set aside for joint projects - projects with application in more than one service.
Selected proposers will develop, manufacture and deliver prototype "kits" to the military for installation into a fielded DoD system. Each kit will consist of a commercial product, item or a combination of commercial items, that has been adapted, qualification-tested and readied for use in the appropriate military system.
To be considered for funding, projects must demonstrate considerable cost savings for DoD. Proposers must calculate the project's Ranking Index, a ratio of the total net present value of marginal savings divided by the total net present value of marginal investment (discussed in further detail in the Program Solicitation). The minimum acceptable Ranking Index for proposal consideration is 2:1.
All proposals must involve at least one for-profit company. Proposals also must include written support from a "military customer" who has the authority to modify the system and purchase the kits.
The COSSI program consists of two stages. In Stage One, COSSI and the selected proposals will share the costs of developing and testing the kit. Items in the kit must be currently or imminently available on the commercial market. Totally new or unproven concepts for commercial products will not be considered. Proposers must contribute at least 25 percent to the cost of completing Stage One.
Stage Two is the acquisition of successful Stage One products through simplified sole-source procurements. Funds for Stage Two must be identified by the military customer identified in Stage One.
Proposals are due September 15, 1999; a bidders conference will be held in July. The FY 2000 Program Description and additional background information can be found on the COSSI website: http://www.acq.osd.mil/es/dut/
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$1.8 Million Offered for Fuel Cell Research
The Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) of the Department of Energy has released the "Multi-Layer Ceramic Fuel Cell Research" Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to solicit basic and applied research applications to advance the art of high temperature solid state fuel cell design and manufacturing.
The agency anticipates awarding a total of $1.8 million in first-year funding through the solicitation. There is a mandatory 20 percent cost share required for each proposal. The contemplated award instrument is a cost-reimbursement cost sharing contract. The solicitation is open to individuals, educational institutions, large and small businesses or all other organizations.The focus of the BAA is manufacturing processes resulting in lower cost fuel cell stacks or improving cell/stack robustness, life reliability, availability and maintainability. Proposals will not be accepted for building large fuel cell stacks or tube bundles, demonstrations and integrated systems testing.
While the deadline for the BAA is June 7, 2000, the FETC expects to conduct three proposal review cycles. Two will be held during the year and the last will be held immediately following the close of the BAA. The first review cycle will be for proposals received on or before July 31, 1999. The second review process will begin after February 28.
Proposals must make progress toward the ten quantified goals of the FETC Fuel Cell Program, which are enumerated in the solicitation and supporting documents.
Copies of the full "Multi-Layer Ceramic Fuel Cell Research" BAA and other FETC research funding opportunities can be downloaded from the web under the "Solicitations" heading at: http://www.fetc.gov/business/
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VC Conference Correction
In the June 11, 1999 SSTI Weekly Digest, a mistake was made. The Great Midwest Venture Capital Conference has not yet selected any of the 30 presenting companies for the 1999 conference. The deadline for applications is August 27. More information on the registration process can be found at the conference website: www.greatmidwestvcc.comReturn to the top of this page
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