Center of Excellence for General Aviation | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this FAA funding opportunity about?

This opportunity is for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish an Air Transportation Center of Excellence (COE) focused specifically on General Aviation (GA). The goal is to create a cost-sharing partnership that brings together universities, industry, and government to concentrate on safety-related general aviation research.

2) What is the main purpose of the General Aviation (GA) COE?

The main purpose is capability-building through a long-term, collaborative consortium. The selected team is expected to develop into a nationally recognized, world-class group that can anticipate and solve both current and emerging challenges facing the U.S. general aviation community, with a strong emphasis on improving safety outcomes.

3) When was the GA COE planned to be established?

The FAA planned for the GA-focused COE to be established in fiscal year (FY) 2012.

4) What kinds of work can the COE support?

The scope is broad and can include basic research through applied research. Supporting activities may include technical analyses, development work, and prototyping. In practical terms, the COE is intended to function as a structured pipeline for generating, testing, and maturing new general aviation technologies and approaches.

5) What topic area does the FAA emphasize for this COE?

The COE is focused on safety-related research for general aviation, intended to support both near-term and long-term needs of the GA sector.

6) How does the FAA describe the long-term expectation for the selected team?

The FAA describes this as a long-term effort over roughly the next decade, with the expectation that the selected team will form a nationally recognized, world-class consortium capable of addressing current and emerging challenges in U.S. general aviation.

7) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to accredited institutions of higher education, including both public/state-controlled and private universities.

8) Can applicants include partners or affiliates?

Yes. The FAA expects applicants to assemble partners and affiliates positioned to participate in the consortium, bringing together universities, industry, and government.

9) What is the selection outcome and what does the FAA execute with the winners?

The competitive selection results in the FAA entering into cooperative agreements with core university members.

10) What funding instruments are identified for this opportunity?

The opportunity identifies cooperative agreements and grants as the primary funding instrument types.

11) What CFDA program is associated with this funding?

Funding is provided primarily through cooperative agreements and grants under CFDA 20.109 (Air Transportation Centers of Excellence).

12) Is cost sharing or matching required?

Yes. The financial structure requires cost sharing or matching. Federal support must be paired with non-federal contributions consistent with the program requirements.

13) What is the award floor and ceiling listed in the opportunity?

The opportunity lists an award floor of $500,000 and an award ceiling of $500,000.

14) How much funding did the FAA say it intends to invest in the early years?

The FAA stated an intention to invest a minimum of $500,000 per year during the first five years of the COE agreement through the Office of Primary Interest, the Aviation Research Division at the William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC).

15) Is there any additional FAA funding mechanism besides grants and cooperative agreements?

Yes. In addition to grant-based "public purpose" funding, the FAA indicated it may award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts to the successful COE team. This would allow the FAA to issue task or delivery orders as needed.

16) How might the IDIQ contracting approach be funded?

The FAA stated that task or delivery orders under an IDIQ could be funded either on a cost-reimbursement basis and/or a fixed-price basis.

17) What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category is listed as science and technology and other research and development.

18) When was the opportunity posted and when was it created?

The opportunity was posted on January 23, 2012, and created on February 28, 2012.

19) What was the application deadline?

The application deadline was extended to March 8, 2012 at 3:00 PM Eastern.

20) When was the opportunity archived?

The archive date listed for the opportunity is April 4, 2012.

21) Who should applicants contact for questions or access issues?

Questions and access issues were directed to the COE Program Office support contact: Nicole Newman, Management and Program Analyst, at 609-485-5907.

22) Where did the FAA point applicants for additional context about Centers of Excellence?

Applicants were pointed to the FAA Centers of Excellence website for additional context.

23) How is this COE related to earlier FAA work?

The COE is intended to strengthen and expand FAA research that began with a 2010 proposal to establish a GA-focused center.

24) What organization within the FAA is identified as the Office of Primary Interest for early investment?

The Office of Primary Interest identified is the Aviation Research Division at the William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC).