HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM RISK REDUCTION Office of Research and Development U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Partnership with Research Board American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society, Inc. (AESF) Jointly Announce the Availability of 1998 SMALL GRANTS FOR HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM RISK REDUCTION 1. Opening Date: March 2, 1998; closing date: May 29, 1998. 2. EPA/ORD providing $500K, AESF/RB providing $I OOK. 3. EPA awards = $50K maximum, AESF awards = $25K maximum. 4. Awards can go to profit-making organizations. 5. Leveraged funding is strongly encouraged. 6. Partnering is encouraged -- e.g., an engineering consulting firm or analytical laboratory with one or more vendors and/or metal finishers. 7. Two tracks: (a) evaluation of existing closed-loop and no- or low-emissions hard chrome plating systems and (b) develop and demonstrate low-cost pollution prevention approaches to risk reduction in hard chrome plating. 8. Multi-technology usage to achieve multi-media reductions in risk is desired. 9. All proposals must include an initial state-of-the-art analysis to show how the research will advance the state-of-the-art and commit to conducting a full analysis before doing the field research. 10. All projects must determine the actual reductions in risk (not just emissions) to workers and neighbors as a result of using the tested technologies. The Solicitation and Application Forms Are Available From: http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa/ -- go to "Announcements,, http://www.nmfrc.org/ -- go to "CSI R&D" on left panel E-MAIL: shapiro.paul@epamail.epa.gov, shapiro.paul@epamail.epa.gov.

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