PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Research Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP) 2016

Section 1.01 Statement of Purpose
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), through the U.S. DOT, hereby requests applications from non-profit institutions of higher education to obtain funding to research innovative solutions to pipeline corrosion and other known pipeline integrity challenges.

Section 1.02 Program Authority
The authority for PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Research and Development Program comes from the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 (P. L. 107-355). Further, the authority to enter into cooperative agreements under the CAAP initiative is codified at 49 U.S.C. 60117(k).

Section 1.03 Background
Section 1.03-1 Background on Pipelines and PHMSA’s Pipeline R&D Program
The intent of the CAAP program is to award approximately five (5) research agreements per year to non-profit institutions of higher education in the U.S. or U.S. territories or possessions with a total federal amount not to exceed $300,000 per award. The research to be conducted under the agreements will seek a wide set of solutions for corrosion and other pipeline integrity challenges. PHMSA anticipates the period of performance of each award to be no less than 24 months, while not exceeding 36 months.

The pipeline infrastructure in the United States (U.S.) is the primary means of transporting natural gas and the majority of hazardous liquids from production basins and ports to areas of consumption. The importance of energy pipelines to the U.S. economy, our standard of living, and potential for safety and environmental impacts requires that these assets be safely maintained and appropriately expanded to sustain demand.

Research must play a larger role in finding the solutions to national, regional and local pipeline operational safety and environmental challenges. Some of these challenges involve operators having the best technology to efficiently and effectively meet or exceed federal and state regulatory requirements on the safety and integrity of pipelines. Other challenges include keeping critical industry consensus standards fresh with the latest knowledge so that people, property and the environment are protected.

PHMSA’s core pipeline research program involves all stakeholders in a time-tested process for generating success. Since 2002, this program has been focused on the near-term with demonstrating and deploying technology development and commercialization. Additional information on the existing Pipeline Safety Research and Development (R&D) Program is available at: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/rd/index.htm.

This research enterprise continues to have a tangible impact toward developing technology, strengthening consensus standards and creating and promoting general knowledge to decision makers. More performance details are available at PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Research website http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/rd/performance.htm.

Section 1.03-2 Background on the CAAP Initiative
PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety R&D Program was congressionally mandated by the Pipeline Safety Improvement act of 2002, which tasked DOT and other designated federal agencies to “carry out a program of research, development, demonstration and standardization to ensure the integrity of pipeline facilities.” Specifically, the program’s mission is to sponsor research and development projects focused on providing near-term solutions that will improve the safety, reduce the environmental impact, and enhance the reliability of the Nation’s pipeline transportation system. The goals and objectives of the CAAP initiative, as discussed below, directly support both the mission and the congressional mandate of PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety R&D Program.

The CAAP initiative is intended to spur innovation by enabling academic research focused on high-risk and high pay-off solutions for the many pipeline safety challenges. It will potentially deliver solutions that can be “handed-off” to PHMSA’s core research program for demonstration and deployment. The goal is to validate proof of concept of a thesis or theory all the way to commercial implementation into the market.

The pipeline industry and federal/state regulators are experiencing low numbers of applicants to entry level positions that are technically focused. Consequently, another goal of the CAAP program is to expose and engage graduate and PhD research students to participate in subject matter task(s) that are common to pipeline safety challenges and to illustrate how their engineering or technical disciplines are highly needed in the field. The ultimate benefit would be to cultivate new talent in all aspects of the pipeline industry, similar to how programs at other Federal Agencies and non-profit organizations have encouraged talent to consider a career in a certain field.

The CAAP program intends to award approximately five (5) research agreements per year to non-profit institutions of higher education in the U.S. or U.S. territories or possessions with a total federal amount not to exceed $300,000 per award. The research to be conducted under the agreements will include a wide set of solutions for corrosion and other pipeline integrity challenges. PHMSA anticipates the period of performance of each award to be at least 24 months, while not exceeding 36 months

See FOA for full details.