FR Doc E9-6440[Federal Register: March 24, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 55)]
[Notices]
[Page 12325-12329]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24mr09-47]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education
Overview Information; Business and International Education
Program Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2009.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.153A.
Dates:
Applications Available: March 24, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 23, 2009.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 22, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Business and International Education
Program provides grants to enhance international business education
programs and to expand the capacity of the business community to engage
in international economic activities.
Priorities: This competition includes one competitive preference
priority and three invitational priorities that are explained in the
following paragraphs.
Competitive Preference Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority is from the regulations for this
program (34 CFR 661.32). For FY 2009, this priority is a competitive
preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an
additional five points to an application that meets this priority.
This priority is:
The establishment of internships overseas to enable foreign
language students to develop their foreign language skills and their
knowledge of foreign cultures and societies.
Invitational Priorities: For FY 2009, these priorities are
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an
application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
These priorities are:
Invitational Priority I:
Applications that focus on any of the following seventy-eight (78)
languages selected from the U.S. Department of Education's list of Less
Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs):
Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (all dialects),
Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara,
Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula), Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla),
Berber (all languages), Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan),
Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin),
Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati,
Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese,
Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish
(Kurmanji), Kurdish (Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian),
Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian
(Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian,
Russian, Serbian, Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik,
Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian,
Urdu, Uyghur/Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
Invitational Priority II:
Applications that focus on one or more of the following:
developing, improving and disseminating best practices of international
business training programs, teaching, and curriculum development to
increase American competitiveness.
Invitational Priority III:
Applications that focus on increasing the numbers of
underrepresented minorities in foreign languages and area and
international studies.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1130-1130b.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR parts
655 and 661.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
Areas of National Need:
In accordance with section 601(c) of the Higher Education Act of
1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1121 (c), the Secretary has consulted
with and received recommendations regarding the national need for
expertise in foreign languages and world regions from the head
officials of a wide range of Federal agencies. These recommendations
have been taken into account in developing the request for applications
for funding during this grant cycle. A list of foreign languages and
world regions identified as areas of national need may be found on the
following Web sites: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/policy.html,
http://www.ed.gov/programs/iegpsbie/legislation.html
Also included on these web sites are the specific recommendations
the Secretary received from Federal agencies.
Program Assurances: Each application must include an assurance
that, where applicable, the activities funded by this grant will
reflect diverse perspectives and a wide range of views on world regions
and international affairs. (20 U.S.C. 1130a(c)).
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: We propose to allocate $2,223,961 for
new awards for this program for FY 2009. The actual level of funding,
if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting
applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if
Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000-$95,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $84,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $95,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 25.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 24 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education that have
entered into agreements with business enterprises,
[[Page 12326]]
trade organizations, or associations that are engaged in international
economic activity--or a combination or consortium of these enterprises,
organizations, or associations--for the purposes of pursuing the
activities authorized under this program.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The matching requirement is described
in section 613(d) of the HEA, (20 U.S.C. 1130a(d)). The HEA provides
that the applicant's share of the total cost of carrying out a program
supported by a grant under the Business and International Education
Program must be no less than 50 percent of the total cost of the
project in each fiscal year. The non-Federal share of the cost may be
provided either in-kind or in cash.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Tanyelle Richardson,
International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education,
1990 K Street, NW., room 6017, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone:
(202) 502-7626 or by e-mail: tanyelle.richardson@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed
in this section.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this program.
Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant,
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your
application. You must limit the application narrative [Part III] to no
more than 40 pages, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an
identifier may be outside of the 1'' margin.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, captions, and all text in charts,
tables, figures, and graphs. These items may be single-spaced. Charts,
tables, figures, and graphs in the application narrative count toward
the page limit.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However, you may use a 10 point
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for
Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the supplemental information
form required by the Department of Education; Part II, the budget
information summary form (ED Form 524); and Part IV, the assurances and
certifications. The page limit also does not apply to a table of
contents. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application
narrative section [Part III]. If you include any attachments or
appendices not specifically requested, these items will be counted as
part of the application narrative [Part III] for purposes of the page
limit requirement. You must include your complete response to the
selection criteria in the application narrative.
We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: March 24, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 23, 2009.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 22, 2009.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this program.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in
this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Business and International
Education Program, CFDA number 84.153A, must be submitted
electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at
www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy
of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and
submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a
grant application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Business
and International Education Program at www.Grants.gov. You must search
for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA
number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search
(e.g., search for 84.153 not 84.153A).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC
[[Page 12327]]
time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in
this section, we will not accept your application if it is received--
that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system--after 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We do not
consider an application that does not comply with the deadline
requirements. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we
will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was
date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you
submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system.
You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to
Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include
(1) registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see
http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf).
You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms:
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications.
You must attach any narrative sections of your application
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file,
we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether
your application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system;
and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Tanyelle Richardson,
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6017,
Washington, DC 20006-8521. FAX: (202) 502-7859.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
[[Page 12328]]
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.153A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.153A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
in 34 CFR 661.31 and are as follows: (a) Need for the project (25
points); (b) plan of operation (20 points); (c) qualifications of the
key personnel (10 points); (d) budget and cost effectiveness (15
points); (e) evaluation plan (25 points); and (f) adequacy of resources
(5 points).
2. General: For FY 2009, applications are randomly divided into
groupings. International business and outreach experts, organized into
panels of three, will review each application. Each panel reviews,
scores, and ranks its applications separately from the applications
assigned to the other panels. However, ultimately, all applications,
without being divided into groups, will be ranked from the highest to
the lowest score for funding purposes.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary
under 34 CFR 75.118. Grantees are required to use the electronic data
instrument, International Resource Information System (IRIS), to
complete both the annual and final reports. The Secretary may also
require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For
specific requirements on reporting, please go to
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The purpose of the Business and
International Education Program (BIE) is to provide funds to
institutions of higher education that enter into agreements with trade
associations or businesses for one or both of the following purposes:
To improve the academic teaching of the business curriculum at
institutions of higher education and to conduct outreach activities
that expand the capacity of the business community to engage in
international economic activities.
The Department will use the following BIE measures to evaluate its
success in meeting this objective:
Performance Measure 1: The number of outreach activities that are
adopted or disseminated within a year, divided by the total number of
BIE outreach activities conducted in the current reporting period.
Performance Measure 2: Percentage of all BIE projects judged to be
successful by the program officer, based on a review of information
provided in annual performance reports.
Efficiency Measure: Cost per high-quality, successfully completed
project.
The Department will use information provided by grantees in their
performance reports submitted via IRIS as the source of data for these
measures. Reporting screens for institutions can be viewed at:
http://www.ieps-iris.org/iris/pdfs/BIE.pdf.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tanyelle Richardson, International
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K
Street, NW., room 6017, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202)
502-7626 or by e-mail: tanyelle.richardson@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
[[Page 12329]]
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated
authority to Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, Forecasting and Policy
Analysis for the Office of Postsecondary Education to perform the
function of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
Dated: March 19, 2009.
Daniel T. Madzelan,
Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. E9-6440 Filed 3-23-09; 8:45 am]
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