[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 115 (Thursday, June 16, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-14691]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 16, 1994]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
 

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Exchanges With the Baltic 
Countries, the New Independent States, and Central and Eastern Europe

ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals (RFP).

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SUMMARY: The United States Information Agency (USIA) invites 
applications from U.S. educational, cultural, and other not-for-profit 
organizations to conduct exchanges of college students with Albania, 
Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, 
Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzia, Latvia, Lithuania, 
Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, the Republic of Slovakia, Romania, the 
Russian Federation, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and 
Uzbekistan. These exchanges represent part of the activities of the 
Presidents' University Student Exchange (the 1000-1000 Student 
Exchange) and the Samantha Smith Memorial Exchange Program and are 
subject to the availability of funding. Interested applicants are urged 
to read the complete Federal Register announcement before addressing 
inquiries to the Office of Academic Programs, Academic Exchanges 
Division, European Branch or submitting their proposals. After the RFP 
deadline, the European Branch may not discuss this competition in any 
way with applicants until the final decisions are made.
    Support is offered for three categories of exchange programs:
    Category A: The Presidents' University Student Exchange Program 
(the 1000-1000 Student Exchange) with Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, 
Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the 
Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan;
    Category B: The Samantha Smith Memorial Exchange with Armenia, 
Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzia, Latvia, 
Lithuania, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 
Ukraine, and Uzbekistan; and,
    Category C: The Samantha Smith Memorial Exchange with Albania, 
Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, the 
Republic of Slovakia, Romania, and Slovenia.

    *Please note: Programs with Azerbaijan are subject to the 
restrictions of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act of 1992: 
Employees of the Government of Azerbaijan or any of its 
instrumentalities are excluded from participation and no U.S. 
participant overseas may work for the Government of Azerbaijan or 
any of its instrumentalities. In addition, the Government of 
Azerbaijan and/or its instrumentalities will have no control in the 
actual selection of participants.

    Each category has separate conditions and requirements, which are 
stated in this announcement. Organizations may compete in one, two or 
three of the categories, but must submit a separate proposal and budget 
for each category. If an institution submits proposals in more than one 
category which appear to be identical or nearly identical in content, 
the Agency reserves the right to consider only one of the proposals.
    Organizations applying under any or all categories must follow the 
requirements stipulated in this RFP, the application guidelines, and 
any additional material specific to a given category. Failure to do so 
may result in a proposal being deemed technically ineligible. Programs 
and projects must conform with all Agency requirements and guidelines, 
and are subject to final review by a USIA grants officer. Proposals 
must be for study programs for which academic credit is given. While 
programs may include internships, the focus of projects should be 
classroom work or research. Programs designed specifically for foreign 
participants to teach their native language or area studies in American 
institutions are ineligible for support.
    Eligible Applicants: Applications under Categories A, B or C for 
substantive academic exchanges will be accepted from accredited, 
degree-granting U.S. universities or colleges, including two-year 
community colleges, university systems, and not-for-profit 
organizations engaged in international educational exchange programs.

DATES: Deadline for proposals: September 28, 1994. All copies of 
proposals for Categories A, B and C must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on September 28, 1994. 
Faxed documents will not be accepted nor will documents postmarked on 
September 28, 1994, but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each grant applicant to ensure that its proposals are 
received by the appropriate deadline. No funds may be expended until 
the grant agreement is signed with USIA's Office of Contracts.
    Announcement Number: E/AEE-95-01. Applications submitted under this 
RFP must indicate the appropriate program name, category, and the 
above-referenced number. This announcement number must also appear in 
any correspondence concerning this application.

ADDRESSES: The original and nine (9) complete copies of the 
application, including required forms, should be addressed as follows:

U.S. Information Agency,
Reference:-------------------------------------------------------------
(Program Title)

Category---------------------------------------------------------------
(A, B or C)

Announcement number: E/AEE-95-01, Office of Grants Management, E/XE 
Room 336, 301 4th Street SW., Washington, DC 20547.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Effie Wingate or Mr. Ted Kniker, 
U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street SW., European Branch, Academic 
Exchanges Division, E/AEE Room 246, Washington, DC 20547; telephone 
(202) 205-0525. To request detailed application packages, which include 
award criteria additional to this announcement, all necessary forms, 
formats, guidelines for preparing proposals, and for other technical 
information please call (202) 619-5341. The application package will be 
mailed to you via regular mail. USIA will not fax the application 
packet or send it via express mail, nor will USIA staff accept requests 
to send application packets via express carriers using non-USIA account 
numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Overall authority for these exchanges is 
contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, 
as amended, Public Law 87-256 (Fulbright-Hays Act). The purpose of the 
Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase 
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people 
of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchanges; to 
strengthen the ties which unite us with other nations by demonstrating 
the educational and cultural interests, developments, and achievements 
of the people of the United States and other nations * * * and thus to 
assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic, and peaceful 
relations between the United States and other countries of the world.'' 
Programs shall also ``maintain their scholarly integrity and shall meet 
the highest standards of academic excellence or artistic achievement.'' 
Pursuant to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs authorizing 
legislation, programs must maintain a non-political character and 
should be balanced and representative of the diversity of American 
political, social and cultural life. It should be noted that a greater 
emphasis is being placed on promoting diversity in Bureau programs. 
Diversity should be interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass 
differences including but not limited to ethnicity, gender, religion, 
geographic location, socio-economic status, and physical challenges. 
Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this 
principle throughout the proposed program and within their own 
operations.

Application Notice (All Categories)

    Please be advised: Proposals submitted by the same institution 
under Categories A, B, and C for this or previous years' competitions 
may not be duplicative or identical. If an organization submits more 
than one proposal, each proposal must sponsor different students and 
employ separate budgets. If organizations have been funded under 
previous competitions, the new proposal(s) may not be identically 
written to previous submissions, but should include the most recent 
program information. Proposals not adhering to these restrictions will 
be deemed technically ineligible and will not be reviewed for funding. 
Organizations applying for exchanges with the New Independent States 
are encouraged to submit only under one category, A or B.

General Requirements (All Categories)

(1) Institutional Commitment

    Proposals must include documentation of institutional support for 
the proposed program in the form of signed letters of endorsement from 
the U.S. and foreign institutions' directors, or in the form of a 
signed agreement by the same persons. Letters of endorsement must 
describe each institution's or organization's commitment and make 
specific reference to the proposed program and each institution's 
activities in support of that program. Documentation of support from 
governmental ministries or academies will be acceptable when 
appropriate, replacing individual documentation from each foreign 
educational institution involved. Applicants must submit this 
documentation as part of the completed application. Applying 
institutions are expected to make their own arrangements with the 
appropriate foreign institutions.

(2) Orientation Programs

    Participating students should be provided with a substantive and 
comprehensive orientation to the country where they will be studying, 
and proposals should describe these programs, including cost, in 
detail.

(3) Visas

    All foreign participants must be sponsored under an Exchange 
Visitor Program on a J visa. Programs must comply with J visa 
regulations and should reference this adherence in the proposal 
narrative. Applicants should demonstrate tax regulation adherence in 
the proposal narrative and budget notes.

(4) Taxes

    Administration of the grant awards must be in compliance with 
reporting and withholding regulations for federal, state, or local 
taxes as applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate tax 
regulation adherence in the proposal narrative and budget.

(5) Participant Tracking

    Proposals should provide a plan showing how organizations will 
track participants after their return to their home countries upon 
completion of the program. Organizations should chart the progress of 
the program's alumni in their academic and professional careers and 
establish a system for distributing periodic updates of such 
information among both current participants and alumni of the program.

(6) Budget

    All organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget, the 
details and format of which are contained in the application package. 
The Agency reserves the right to increase, decrease or revise proposal 
budgets in accordance with the needs of the program. Grant-funded items 
of expenditure may include, but are not limited to, the following 
categories:
Program Costs
--Round trip travel to and from their home city to international point 
of departure (if applicable);
--International Travel (via American flag carrier);
--Domestic travel to and from host institution;
--Excursionary travel and lodging for cultural enrichment (not to 
exceed $200.00 per participant);
--Maintenance and per diem;
--Academic program costs (e.g. tuition, book allowance);
--ESL training (if necessary);
--Travel and maintenance costs for accompanying faculty or resident 
directors; for no more than one program supervisor per ten students;
--Participant recruitment costs;
--Orientation costs (speaker honoraria are not to exceed $150 per day 
per speaker);
--Cultural enrichment expenses (admissions, tickets, etc., limited to 
$150 per participant);
--Medical insurance for participants (participants are covered by the 
Agency's self-insurance policy when USIA is funding over fifty percent 
of the total cost of the projects);
--Withholding for taxes; and
--Visa fees.
Administrative Costs--Not To Exceed 20% of the Requested Budget
--Salaries and benefits;
--Communications (e.g. fax, telephone, postage);
--Office Supplies;
--Administration of tax withholding and reporting as required by 
Federal, State and local authorities and in accordance with relevant 
tax treaties; recipient organization should demonstrate tax regulation 
adherence in the proposal narrative and budget;
--Other Direct Costs;
--All Indirect Costs.

    Please note: It is required that requested administrative funds, 
including indirect costs and administrative expenses for 
orientation, not exceed 20 percent of the total amount requested 
from USIA; administrative expenses should be cost-shared.

    Applications should demonstrate substantial cost-sharing (dollar 
and in-kind) in both program and administrative expenses, including 
tuition waivers and overseas partner contributions. (See the 
accompanying guidelines for complete cost-sharing and auditing 
requirements.)

Additional Criteria for Category A

President's University Student Exchange Program (the 1000-1000 Student 
Exchange) With the Baltic Countries and the New Independent States

    Grant funding under this category is intended to enhance and expand 
the scope of U.S. academic exchanges with undergraduate and graduate 
students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Russian 
Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. For 
accident year 1995-96 the intention is to exchange 1,000 students in 
each direction. Priority will be given to applications from 
international exchange organizations and consortia of universities that 
have a demonstrated ability to exchange students from multiple 
countries in the former USSR. Preference will then be given to 
applications from single institutions for programs outside the Russian 
Federation. For projects in the Russian Federation, preference will be 
given to applications involving multiple foreign partner institutions, 
especially outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Both existing and new 
projects are eligible.

(1) Awards

    Project awards to U.S. organizations will be made in a wide range 
of amounts. The Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise or increase 
proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program. For 
organizations with less than four years of experience in international 
exchange activities, grants will be limited to a maximum of $60,000, 
and proposed budgets should not exceed this amount.

(2) Participants

    Participants must be citizens either of the U.S. or of the host 
country. Undergraduate students are defined as students who have not 
received their baccalaureates prior to participation in this program. 
Graduate students for this program should be studying at the equivalent 
of the Master's degree level. Doctoral candidates are not eligible. 
Students in all academic fields are eligible; students of agricultural 
are especially encouraged to apply (please note special conditions for 
agricultural programs below). Projects that include graduate students 
must delineate between the number of graduate and undergraduate 
participants, separately describe the academic programs, and include 
for each a separate line item in the budget. All projects must include 
undergraduate students. It is important that the selection process 
ensure equal opportunities for both male and female students.

(3) Language Qualifications

    Students should have sufficient fluency in the institutional 
language of the host country to be able to pursue university study in 
that language and to be able to converse with the citizens of the 
country without the aid of interpreters. Generally, the equivalent of 
two years of college-level study is considered the minimum.

(4) Duration

    Applications will be accepted for projects with durations of at 
least eight weeks to no more than one year, including programs lasting 
an academic quarter, trimester, or semester. Exchanges of less than 
eight weeks duration or more than one year will be considered 
technically ineligible. Although grant awards may begin earlier, the 
actual exchange of participants may not begin before February 1, 1995, 
and must be completed by December 31, 1996. Programs for exchanges in 
subsequent academic years will be considered technically eligible.

(5) Preference Factors

    a. Preference will be given to proposals in which incoming students 
study in the U.S. for a full academic year.
    b. Preference will be given to programs that reflect wide 
geographic distributions in recruitment of participants.
    c. Preference will be given to programs that recruit foreign and 
U.S. participants through merit-based, open competition.

(6) Reciprocity

    Proposals should be reciprocal, but not necessarily equal in 
numbers. In cases where political or practical circumstances do not 
allow for the placement of U.S. students, one-way programs will be 
considered. The proposal should provide detailed information on the 
activities in both the U.S. and the partner country.

(7) Internships

    While programs may include internships, the focus of projects 
should be classroom work or research. If internships are included in 
the exchange experience, students should have completed at least one 
semester of classroom work. The duration of the internship should not 
exceed the duration of the classroom work. Institutions are encouraged 
to grant academic credit for the internship experience.

(8) Special Allowances for Agriculture Programs

    In order to give added encouragement to the participation of 
students of agriculture as provided for in the bilateral agreement, 
language standards may be modified for participating students of 
agriculture. Programs including agriculture students need not exchange 
agriculture students in both directions.

Additional Criteria for Categories B and C

Category B: Samantha Smith Memorial Exchange With the Baltic Countries 
and the New Independent States

    Grant funding is intended to enhance and expand the scope of 
academic exchanges with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Russian 
Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan for 
undergraduate students under the age of 26. Participants must be 
citizens either of the U.S. or of the host country. Programs designed 
specifically for foreign participants to teach their native language or 
area studies in American institutions are ineligible for support.

Priority for Category B

    For FY 1995 priority will be given to applications from community 
colleges, two-year colleges, non-profit organizations working 
specifically with community colleges and/or two-year colleges, and 
institutions that have not received funding under this program in 
previous competitions.

Category C: Samantha Smith Memorial Exchange With Central and Eastern 
Europe

    Grant funding under this category is intended to enhance and expand 
the scope of academic exchanges with Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the 
Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, the Republic of Slovakia, 
Romania, and Slovenia for undergraduate students under the age of 26. 
Participants must be citizens either of the U.S. or of the partner 
country. Programs designed specifically for foreign participants to 
teach their native language or area of studies in American institutions 
are ineligible for support.

(1) Language Qualification

    It is desirable, but not required, that exchange students have 
sufficient fluency in the language of the country to be visited for the 
pursuit of university study in the language and to converse with 
citizens of the country without the aid of interpreters. Generally, the 
equivalent of two years of college-level language study is considered 
the minimum. The two-year language minimum will be waived for community 
colleges, two-year colleges, and non-profit organizations working 
specifically with community colleges and/or two-year colleges in order 
to encourage their participation.

(2) Duration

    Applications will be accepted for projects with duration of at 
least eight weeks including programs lasting one academic quarter, 
trimester, semester or a full year. Projects of less than eight weeks 
duration will be considered technically ineligible. Grants generally 
will be made for exchanges occurring within a 12-month period, but 
requests for two-year programs will be considered. Proposals for two-
year programs should submit one budget that covers the entire two-year 
period. The total award (one-or two-year) may not exceed $80,000.

(3) Reciprocity

    It is desirable, but not required, that programs are reciprocal and 
the number of U.S. and foreign participants be nearly equal. The 
proposal should provide detailed information on the activities in both 
the U.S. and the partner country.

(4) Awards

    Project awards will be made in a wide range of amounts up to 
$80,000. The Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise or increase 
proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program. For 
organizations with less than four years of experience in international 
exchange activities, grants will be limited to a maximum of $60,000 and 
proposed budgets should not exceed this amount. All organizations must 
submit a comprehensive line item budget, the details and format of 
which are contained in the application packet.

(5) Preference Factors

    a. Preference will be given to programs in which U.S. participants 
will have had a minimum of two years of relevant language study.
    b. Preference will be given to proposals in which incoming students 
study in the U.S. for a full academic year.
    c. Preference will be given to reciprocal exchanges.

Review Process (All Categories)

    USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them 
for technical eligibility.

    Please note: Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they do not 
fully adhere to the guidelines established herein and in the 
Application Package, including the Guidelines for Preparing 
Proposals.

Eligible Proposals

    Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of USIA officers for 
advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be reviewed by the 
appropriate geographic area office, and the budget and contracts 
office. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the Associate 
Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical 
authority for grant awards resides with USIA's grants officer.

Review Criteria (All Categories)

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the following criteria:

a. Quality of Program Plan

    Academic rigor, thorough conception of project, demonstration of 
meeting student needs, contributions to understanding the partner 
country, proposed follow-up, and qualifications of program staff and 
participants.

b. Feasibility of the Program Plan

    Capacity of the organization to conduct the exchange. Proposals 
should clearly demonstrate how the institution will meet the program 
objectives and plan.

c. Track Record

    Revelant Agency and outside assessments of the organization's 
experience with international exchanges; for organizations that have 
not worked with USIA before, the demonstrated potential to achieve 
program goals will be evaluated.

d. Multiplier Effect/Impact

    The impact of the exchange activity on the wider community and on 
the development of continuing ties, as well as the contribution of the 
proposed activity in promoting mutual understanding.

e. Value of U.S.--Partner Country Relations

    The assessment by USIA's geographic area office of the need, 
potential impact, and significance of the project with the partner 
country.

f. Cost-Effectiveness

    Greatest return on each grant dollar. A key measure of cost-
effectiveness is the unit cost to the Agency. This is the total request 
of USIA monies divided by the number of exchangees (people moved). The 
Agency also reviews the ratio of cost-sharing exhibited. Cost-sharing 
through other financial support as well as institutional direct and in 
kind funding contributions is strongly encouraged.

g. Diversity and Pluralism (for Student Programs)

    Preference will be given to proposals that demonstrate efforts to 
provide for the participation of students with a variety of major 
disciplines, from diverse regions, and of different socio-economic and 
ethnic backgrounds, to the extent feasible for the applicant 
institutions.

h. Adherence of Proposed Activities

    To the criteria and conditions described above.

i. Institutional Commitment

    Demonstrated by financial and other support to the program, 
including the provision for adequate and appropriate personnel and 
institutional resources to achieve the program goals.

j. Follow-on Activities

    Proposals should provide a plan for continued follow-on activity 
(without USIA support) which insures that USIA-supported programs are 
not isolated events.

k. Evaluation Plan

    Proposals should provide a plan for evaluation by the grantee 
institution to determine the success of the project.

1. Geographic Diversity

    The Agency will seek to achieve maximum geographic diversity in 
selection and placement of participants through its award of grants.

Application Disclaimer (All Categories)

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of this request for proposals does not constitute an 
award commitment on the part of the government. Final award cannot be 
made until funds have been fully appropriated by Congress, allocated 
and committed through internal USIA procedures.

Notification

    All applicants for Categories A, B, and C will be notified in 
writing of the results of the review process on or about February 1, 
1995. All funded proposals will be subject to periodic reporting and 
evaluation requirements.

Options for Renewal (All Categories)

    Subject to the availability of funding for FY 1995 and the 
satisfactory performance of grant programs, USIA may invite grantee 
organizations to submit proposals for renewals of awards.

    Dated: June 11, 1994.
Barry Fulton,
Deputy Associate Director, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-14691 Filed 6-15-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M