SCHOOL OF ENERGY RESOURCES Rare Earth Element Research

Transcription

1 School of Energy Resources Energy Innovation Center Dept. 3012, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY (307) June 15, 2015 Request for Proposals SCHOOL OF ENERGY RESOURCES Rare Earth Element Research 1. INTRODUCTION: The School of Energy Resources (SER) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for awards in the area of rare earth elements research (REER). The funds for this research were appropriated by the Wyoming legislature in the 2015 General Session. The legislation specifies that these funds shall only be expended on, applied research to promote processing developments that would improve the possibility that rare earth materials could be processed in Wyoming. 1 All funds deployed through this solicitation will revert on June 30, On May 27, 2015, a stakeholder group comprised of a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives; representatives from Rare Element Resources, a company proposing to mine rare earth elements in Wyoming; a representative from Idaho National Laboratory; and several University of Wyoming (UW) faculty and administrators met to identify research topics of interest to the group that satisfy the charge of the legislation. The research areas of focus are described in Section 4 of this document. 2. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES This program was created to stimulate research and development in the area of rare earth element production and processing in Wyoming. The objectives of this program are to: Focus on technologies that provide economic benefit to the Wyoming rare earth element industry. Focus on technologies to better identify and quantify sources of rare earth elements in Wyoming. Optimize the economic benefit of the resource to the state of Wyoming. 3. ELIGIBILITY: This solicitation is open to: All UW tenure-track faculty and extended-term academic professionals regardless of tenure status. All full-time academic professionals and research scientists. 1 Wyoming Original Senate File No. SF0001, Senate Enrolled Act No. 56, Section 331(f)(ii), 2015 General Session. This program is subject to the affirmative action requirements which are prescribed by the Executive Order (as amended), Section 202; by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended), Section 503; by the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (as amended), Section 402 (38 USC 2012).

2 All full-time post-doctoral research associates provided the proposal includes written endorsement of the project and assurance of the provision of research space from the supervising faculty member. Collaboration with other non-uw entities (industry, national laboratories, other universities ) is encouraged but not required. 4. RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS: Based on the outcomes of the May 27, 2015 stakeholder meeting, the following three research focus areas were identified. Applicants need to address one or more of these focus areas with an emphasis on applied research. Characterization, quantification and production of rare earth element supplies from unconventional sources in sustainable quantities. Such sources might include geothermal and produced waters and waste product streams such as coal fly ash. Identification of novel processes to refine, concentrate, convert and purify conventional, or mined, rare earth deposits known to exist in sustainable quantities within the State of Wyoming. The use and application of rare earth element resources mined and processed within the state of Wyoming in industrial applications and functional products that could seed new industry and manufacturing within the State of Wyoming. 5. PROJECT PERIOD: Projects are expected to start no later than August 1, 2015 and all projects funded under this RFP must be completed by June 15, By legislation, funds deployed through this RFP revert on June 30, No project end date extensions or exceptions will be granted for any reason. 6. AWARD AMOUNTS: The amount of funding allocated to this RFP is subject to available funds. There is no ceiling for an award but given the short duration of the funds, research project budgets are expected to be on the order of $200,000 or less per proposal. All proposals must provide solid justification for how the requested funds will be spent in their entirety by June 15, It is anticipated that 5-6 awards will be granted under this RFP. Funds for successful proposals will become available no later than August 1, No indirect costs will be allowed from this fund. Matching funds are allowed but not required. Please clearly identify the source of any cash or in-kind matching funds applied to your project; e.g., State of Wyoming funds, federal funds (NSF, DOE, etc.) or private funds. 7. PROPOSAL FORMAT: To be considered for review, proposals must include all of the following information itemized below. Incomplete proposals will not be considered. All forms required for proposal submission are attached to this RFP. All proposals shall follow the following format and use the appropriate attached forms as indicated: 1. Cover page use Attachment 1: Rare Earth Element Research Fund Request Form attached to this RFP. 2. Project scope and tasks Maximum of 5 pages (using 11 point Times New Roman font and 1 margins) excluding pages listing budget, budget justification, biographical sketches and references. School of Energy Resources Rare Earth Element Research Fund Page 2

3 a. In 5 pages, clearly identify the research focus area addressed by the proposal. Include: i. Background ii. Significance of the research and potential benefit to the state of Wyoming iii. Current state of research and preliminary results, if applicable iv. Objectives v. Methods vi. Deliverables vii. Project schedule and timeline showing estimated date of completion 3. Bibliographic references, if applicable. 4. Project budget using Attachment 2: Proposed Budget Spreadsheet attached to this RFP. Please note: a. Major equipment purchases greater than $7,500 will not be allowed. b. No indirect costs will be allowed from this fund. 5. Detailed budget justification using Attachment 3: Budget Sheet Justification attached to this RFP. 6. Brief 2-page biographical sketch of the PI and Co-PI. Include publications most closely related to the proposal and up to five other significant publications along with other information. 8. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: A one-page progress report must be submitted to the School of Energy Resources no later than September 15, 2015 for presentation by SER to the Joint Minerals, Business, and Economic Development Committee and the Joint Appropriations Committee no later than October 1, The written progress report should include information on any completed tasks and anticipated work for the remainder of the project period. A final report is required from all awardees no later than June 15, The text of the report should be limited to 10 pages and provide the following: 1. Background of the proposal 2. Specific goals of the work 3. Results of the effort including a list of publications, conference presentations, patents, and partnerships with industry and other collaborators. 4. Potential benefit for the state of Wyoming. 5. Potential for, and costs associated with, future work in the area. 6. Appendices of raw data or other supplemental information (not included in the 10 page limit). It is important to write the final report so that a nonacademic audience can understand the significance and utility of the work. Information about the REER program will be included in the SER annual report to the Wyoming Legislature and on the SER web site; therefore, please clearly reference any proprietary information. 9. EVALUATION CRITERIA: The overriding criterion for proposal evaluation for this program is demonstration of applied research with direct relevance to one or more of the three research focus areas listed in Section 4 of this RFP. It is also critical to show that the proposed work can be completed by June 15, Interdisciplinary proposals are highly encouraged as are proposals which provide for collaboration between established researchers and new members of the faculty. Funding selections will be made by SER in consultation with stakeholder representatives. School of Energy Resources Rare Earth Element Research Fund Page 3

4 10. CONDITIONS OF AWARD: The recipient of an award under this RFP will return any unused funds to SER after the project end date of June 15, An award under this RFP may be revoked in whole or in part should the PI cease to be a University of Wyoming employee during the grant period. All presentations and publications that result from work supported in whole or in part with funds from the REER Program should acknowledge this support by use of the following language: o Funding for this research project was provided by the Wyoming State Legislature. o The state and federal awarding agencies reserve a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use, for state and federal government purposes: The copyright in any work developed under a grant, sub-grant, or contract under a grant or sub-grant, and Any right of copyright to which a grantee, sub-grantee or a contractor purchases ownership with grant support. In cases where funds from the REER Program result in intellectual property that may be copyrightable and/or patentable, an investigator is free to copyright and/or patent the property according to the rules and policies of their employment. However, the condition applies that the Federal government and the State government reserve a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable right to manufacture, produce, publish, copy, or otherwise use and authorize others to use the copyrighted and/or patented property developed with funding provided from the REER Program for purposes of government-sponsored work. 11. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: All REER proposals must be received by June 30, 2015 by 11:59 pm via upload here. Proposal submission is completed by first filling in the application form and then uploading the proposal to the website. All proposals are to be submitted electronically as a single Adobe PDF file. Excel budget sheets and budget justification must be included in this file. Principal investigators will receive an message verifying that the proposal has been successfully submitted. Proposals received after the deadline date and time, as documented according to each proposal s upload and online submission time stamp, will not be considered for funding. There will be no exceptions for late submittals! 12. AWARD NOTIFICATION: Applicants will be notified of the status of their proposal no later than July 31, For additional information, questions or clarification, please contact Diana Hulme, Deputy Director of Research, School of Energy Resources at dhulme@uwyo.edu or or Abby Scott, Assistant Research Scientist, School of Energy Resources at amell@uwyo.edu or School of Energy Resources Rare Earth Element Research Fund Page 4

5 Attachment 1 Rare Earth Elements Research (REER) Fund Request Form DATE: PROPOSAL TITLE: RESEARCH TEAM Principle Investigator(s) Position/Title Department REQUESTED FUNDS Funding Organization Rare Earth Fund Amount Anticipated Start Date Anticipated End Date (no later than June 15, 2016) Other* Total * Matching funds are allowed but not required. Please clearly identify the source of any cash or in-kind matching funds applied to your project; e.g., State of Wyoming funds, federal funds (NSF, DOE, etc), or private funds. PROJECT ABSTRACT: (limit to 300 words or less) School of Energy Resources Rare Earth Element Research Fund Page 5

6 Attachment 2: Proposed Budget Spreadsheet SER REER Budget Sheet (add rows as necessary) Project PI: Project Title: A. Senior Personnel Person-Months Total Senior Personnel: B. Other Personnel Total Other Personnel: Total Personnel (A+B): C. Fringe Benefits Insert Fringe Rate Used Total Fringe Benefits: Total Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits, (A+B)+C Rate CAL ACAD SUMR D. Supplies (Provide Detail on Budget Justification Sheet) Office Lab Field Total Supplies: REER Dollars E. Equipment: Must be less than $7, (Provide Detail on Budget Justification Sheet) Matching Funds Total Equipment: F. Travel (Provide Detail on Budget Justification Sheet) Domestic (Including Canada & US Possessions) Foreign Total Travel: G. Consultant/Subcontracts (Provide Detail on Budget Justification Sheet) Company Name: Total Consultant/Subcontracts: H. Total REER Dollars Requested, Sum of Sections A-G School of Energy Resources Rare Earth Element Research Fund Page 6

7 Attachment 3: Budget Sheet Justification Budget Sheet Justification: Please provide details as directed. Project Title: PI Name: A. Senior Personnel: Describe assigned tasks and time commitment for senior personnel. B. Other Personnel: Describe assigned tasks and time commitment for other personnel. C. Fringe: Please provide rate used to calculate fringe for all personnel. D. Supplies: Provide items included in this category for office, lab, and field supplies and publication costs. E. Equipment: Please list equipment purchases and intended use for equipment. Major equipment purchases greater than $7,500 will not be allowed. F. Travel: Please provide relevance of travel - both domestic and international to the project. Include number of trips, number of people and estimated costs. G. Consultants/Subcontracts: Please list services to be provided, including analytical services, need for the service, and rate of pay. School of Energy Resources Rare Earth Element Research Fund Page 7