Summary of Program Requirements and Changes:

1. As in previous years, the KCI program strongly encourages all proposals to involve at least two member institutions of the Consortium. This approach is intended to promote collaboration and to build homeland security expertise and capacity within the Consortium. Projects may include more than two Consortium members and may also include non-Kentucky universities, other research institutions and private sector partners. A Consortium member institution must serve as the overall project lead.

2. In the interest of avoiding any action that might discourage a project proposal, no set limit has been placed on the size, cost or duration of a project. A review of KCI project history would indicate that the majority of projects are funded for less than $1 million, many for much less, and none has a life exceeding three years.

3. Although DHS will continue to make final project selection decisions, contracts for those projects selected for award will be issued and managed by NIHS. Contracts will be between NIHS and the lead Consortium member identified in the project proposal. The lead university will be responsible for issuance and management of any sub-agreements necessary to complete the project.

4. NIHS will make payments to universities receiving project awards based on milestones agreed upon at the time of award. Payments will not be made on a time and materials or cost reimbursement basis. NIHS will retain the ability to withhold payments and to cancel contracts to assure compliance with contract terms, project reporting requirements, and performance against established milestones. Project budgets and schedules should be planned accordingly.

5. In addition to the cost of executing the proposed project, budgets should account for travel and related expenses for participation by the project PI and other relevant project personnel in mandatory Project and Program Review Conferences. These conferences will occur in April and November of each year and take place in the Washington, D.C. area. Budgets should also account for travel to Somerset, Kentucky, in February and July of each year for required program and project status meetings.

6. In managing and overseeing projects selected for award, NIHS intends to make heavy use of internet and web based tools. This will include utilization of a secure internet site to promote communication and for posting information and reports in their required forms

7. DHS has recognized the value of the KCI program and its emphasis on commercialization and conversion to use of new technologies. DHS provided NIHS with a funding mechanism that allows for a unique intellectual property ownership and management arrangement. This arrangement will be reflected in the contract agreement between NIHS and those lead universities receiving project awards. The proposed arrangement will allow NIHS to assume the lead role in commercializing the new technologies and to share in any resulting license or royalty stream, but will neither interfere with existing university intellectual property policies nor diminish any financial interest that the research team may otherwise have in the project.

8. Projects will be evaluated and selected by DHS against the following criteria. Offerors are encouraged to consider these criteria in preparing proposals.

• Technical Merit: Projects will be reviewed by a DHS assembled panel of subject matter experts. The team will evaluate the proposed research in terms of its uniqueness, its ability to substantially improve infrastructure protection, its potential for achieving national impact, and its relationship to existing technology and other similar research efforts which may be underway.
• Technical Feasibility: The DHS panel of experts will provide an assessment of the overall feasibility of achieving the goals of the project within the time and budget proposed. Included in this evaluation will be the depth and range of the present state of the technology being proposed, as well as the capabilities of the proposed development team and facilities. Formation of cross-university teams is strongly encouraged as a way to enhance the technical feasibility of the effort.
• Relevance and Integration: Each proposal will be required to identify which of the NIHS technical topic area or areas the project is designed to address. The DHS selection team will evaluate, from a systems perspective, how effectively the proposed research or product could be utilized in addressing a specific CIP problem or issue. Proposals demonstrating a systems understanding of CIP issues and providing a clear concept of operations or description of how the product would be used will be favored. In addition, a business case should be presented that identifies potential customers for the work, an estimate of the size of the market that would be served, competing technologies or research activities, potential for commercialization, and an estimate of final cost of the product, if applicable.
• Commercialization/Conversion to Use Plan: All projects should be designed and planned to ease conversion of the resulting technology, information or product to the marketplace or other practical use. Proposals will be evaluated on the level of thought, pre-planning, and steps taken to demonstrate a path and likelihood of successful commercialization or utilization of the project result in support of community based critical infrastructure protection.
• Project Management and Execution Plan: Consideration will be given to university and PI experience in managing and executing other similar research and development projects. This will extend to arrangements between the lead university and other project partners. The establishment of a realistic plan of execution at a reasonable total cost will influence selection decisions.