FR Doc E9-28758[Federal Register: December 1, 2009 (Volume 229, Number 74)]
[Notices]
[Page 62767-62770]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01de09-54]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS);
Overview Information; National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)--Research Fellowships Program
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2010.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133F-1.
DATES: Applications Available: December 1, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 1, 2010.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Research Fellowships Program
is to build research capacity by providing support to enable highly
qualified individuals, including those who are individuals with
disabilities, to conduct research on the rehabilitation of individuals
with disabilities.
Note: This program is in concert with NIDRR's Final Long-Range
Plan for FY 2005-2009 (Plan). The Plan is comprehensive and
integrates many issues relating to disability and rehabilitation
research topics. The Plan, which was published in the Federal
Register on February 15, 2006 (71 FR 8165), can be accessed on the
Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/policy.html.
Through the implementation of the Plan, NIDRR seeks to: (1) Improve
the quality and utility of disability and rehabilitation research; (2)
foster an exchange of expertise, information, and training to
facilitate the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the unique
needs of traditionally underserved populations; (3) determine the best
strategies and programs to improve rehabilitation outcomes for
underserved populations; (4) identify research gaps; (5) identify
mechanisms of integrating research and practice; and (6) disseminate
findings.
Priorities: This competition contains one absolute priority and one
invitational priority. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii),
these priorities are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR
356.10).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2010, this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
Research Fellowships Program
Fellows must conduct original research in an area authorized by
section 204 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the Act).
Section 204 authorizes research designed to maximize the full inclusion
and integration of individuals with disabilities, especially
individuals with the most severe disabilities, into society, by
fostering improvements in the areas of employment, independent living,
family, support, and economic and social self-sufficiency, and to
improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Act.
Within this absolute priority, we are particularly interested in
applications that address the following invitational priority.
Invitational Priority: For FY 2010, this priority is an
invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
This priority is:
For FY 2010, the Secretary is particularly interested in
applications from qualified individuals with disabilities.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(e).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR 75.60 and 75.61, and parts
77, 82, 84, 85, and 97. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR
part 356. (c) The regulations in 34 CFR 350.51 and 350.52.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$110,741,000 for the NIDRR program for FY 2010, of which we intend to
use an estimated $505,000 for the Research Fellowships Program. 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.
Maximum Awards: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $65,000 for Merit Fellowships and $75,000 for
Distinguished Fellowships for a single budget period of 12 months.
(These Fellowships are described in the Eligible Applicant section of
this notice.) The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice
published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: Seven total, including both Merit
Fellowships and Distinguished Fellowships.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Maximum Project Period: We will reject any application that
proposes a project period exceeding 12 months. The Assistant Secretary
for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change the
maximum project period through a notice published in the Federal
Register.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible individuals must have training and
experience that indicate a potential for engaging in scientific
research related to the solution of rehabilitation problems of
individuals with disabilities. The program provides two categories of
Research Fellowships: Merit Fellowships and Distinguished Fellowships.
(a) To be eligible for a Merit Fellowship, an individual must have
either advanced professional training or independent study experience
in an area that is directly pertinent to disability and rehabilitation.
In the most recent competitions for this program,
[[Page 62768]]
Merit Fellowship recipients had research experience at the doctoral
level.
(b) To be eligible for a Distinguished Fellowship, an individual
must have seven or more years of research experience in subject areas,
methods, or techniques relevant to rehabilitation research and must
have a doctorate, other terminal degree, or comparable academic
qualifications.
Note: Institutions are not eligible to be recipients of Research
Fellowships.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following
address: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following:
Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398.
Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. Fax: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.ed.gov/pubs/
edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this program as follows: CFDA Number 84.133F-1.
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 person or team listed under
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
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 competition.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
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 the equivalent of no more than 24
double-spaced 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.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative. Single spacing may be used for
titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as
well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for
Federal Assistance; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the
one-page abstract, the eligibility statement, the curriculum vitae, the
bibliography, the letters of recommendation, or the information on the
protection of human subjects. However, the page limit does apply to all
of the application narrative section (Part III).
We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit or if
you apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: December 1, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 1, 2010.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application system (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. 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 in 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
in 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.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
5. Funding Restrictions: Applicants are not required to submit a
budget with their proposal. The Merit Fellowships and Distinguished
Fellowships awards are one Full Time Equivalent (FTE) awards. The
Fellow must work principally on the fellowship during the term of the
fellowship award. We define one FTE as equal to 40 hours per week. No
Fellow is allowed to be a direct recipient of Federal government grant
funds in addition to those provided by the Merit or Distinguished
Fellowship grant (during the duration of the Fellowship award
performance period). Fellows may, subject to compliance with their
institution's policy on additional employment, work on a Federal grant
that has been awarded to the Fellow's institution.
We reference additional 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 Research Fellowships Program--
CFDA Number 84.133F-1 must be submitted electronically using e-
Application, accessible through the Department's e-Grants Web site at:
http://e-grants.ed.gov.
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.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this
program after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
[[Page 62769]]
the application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the
application process.
The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m.
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
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: the
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.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number
(an identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting
your application on the application deadline date because e-Application
is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by
hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2)(a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date; or
(b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is unavailable due
to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users
who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this
section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.
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 e-Application because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
e-Application; 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: Marlene Spencer, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 6026, Potomac
Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2700. Fax: (202) 245-7643.
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.
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 84.133F-1), 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,
[[Page 62770]]
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 84.133F-1), 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 grant
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
from 34 CFR 356.30 through 356.32 and are listed in the application
package.
2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in
selecting an application for an award are as follows:
The Secretary is interested in outcomes-oriented research projects
that use rigorous scientific methodologies. To address this interest
applicants are encouraged to articulate goals, objectives, and expected
outcomes for the proposed research activities. Proposals should
describe how results and planned outputs are expected to contribute to
advances in knowledge or improvements in policy and practice.
Applicants should propose projects that are optimally designed to be
consistent with these goals. Submission of the information identified
under this paragraph is not required by law or regulation, but is
desired.
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. In accordance with 34 CFR 356.51, the final report
must contain at a minimum an analysis of the significance of the
project and an assessment of the degree to which the objectives of the
project have been achieved. The Secretary may also require more
frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific
requirements on reporting, please go to
www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its
research program, NIDRR assesses the quality of its funded projects
through review of grantee performance and products. Each year, NIDRR
examines a portion of its grantees to determine the extent to which
grantees are conducting high-quality research and related activities
that lead to high quality products. Performance measures for the
Research Fellowships program include--
The percentage of NIDRR-supported fellows, post-doctoral
trainees, and doctoral students who publish results of NIDRR-sponsored
research in refereed journals;
The percentage of grantee research and development that
has appropriate study design, meets rigorous standards of scientific
and/or engineering methods, and builds on and contributes to knowledge
in the field; and
The number of publications per award based on NIDRR-funded
research and development activities in refereed journals.
NIDRR evaluates the overall success of individual research and
development grants through review of grantee performance and products.
NIDRR uses information submitted by grantees as part of their final
performance report for these reviews. Approved final performance report
guidelines require grantees to submit information regarding research
methods, results, outputs, and outcomes.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marlene Spencer, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 6026, PCP, Washington, DC
20202-2700. Telephone: (202) 245-7532 or by e-mail:
marlene.spencer@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service (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) by
contacting the Grants and Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC
20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS,
toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
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: 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:
www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: November 25, 2009.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E9-28758 Filed 11-30-09; 8:45 am]
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