[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3028-3029]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-711]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

Workshop/Seminar Grants in the People's Republic of China

ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the United States 
Information Agency's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs announces 
an open competition for an assistance award. Educational institutions 
and law associations meeting the provisions as described in IRS 
regulation 501 (c) may apply to develop workshop/seminars in ``American 
Corporations'' and ``American Law'' in the People's Republic of China 
Support is offered for Workshops and Seminars. There will be two 
separate workshops and/or seminars. This is a request for proposals 
from educational institutions and professional associations only.
    Overall grant making authority for this program is continued in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended, 
Public Law 87-256, as amended, also known as the 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 * * *; 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 and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and 
programs are subject to the availability of funds.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
the announcement should refer to the above title and reference number 
E/AEF-95-07.

DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, February 10, 1995. Faxed 
documents will not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on 
February 10, 1995 but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
William Shine, Room 208, E/AEF, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 
20547, FAX: 202-401-1728, or E-Mail: WSHINE@ USIA.GOV to request a 
Solicitation Package, which includes more detailed award criteria; all 
application forms; and guidelines for preparing proposals, including 
specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget. Requests via 
Fax are encouraged. Interested applicants should read the complete 
Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to the Office 
of Academic Programs or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP 
deadline has passed, the Office of Academic Programs may not discuss 
this competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau proposal 
process has been completed.

ADDRESSES: The original and 12 complete copies of the application, 
including required forms, should be addressed as follows: U.S. 
Information Agency, Ref: E/AEF-95-07, Office of Grants Management, E/
XE, Room 336, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20547.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Bureau's 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. ``Diversity'' should be 
interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass differences including 
but not limited to race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-
economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly 
encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle.
    Overview: The overall purpose of this RFP is to provide 
opportunities for U.S. educational institutions and law associations to 
conduct scholarly workshops/seminars in the People's Republic of China 
in the theory and practice of the American Corporation and of American 
Law and thereby give the opportunity for Chinese institutions to offer 
their members access to recent information and perspectives in these 
fields as well as to allow for the substantive exchange of ideas. The 
focus of the proposals should be on the academic study of the American 
Corporation and the Rule of Law in American Society respectively. An 
approach combining theoretical sessions and sessions emphasizing the 
implementation of theory in practice is requested.
    Workshops/seminars should take place in one Chinese city. American 
organizations are encouraged, however, to propose programs that would 
include participants from a variety of Chinese institutions from across 
the People's Republic of China. A workshop on American judicial 
process, for example, could include law professors, law students, as 
well as legal and judicial officials. Applicants should specify the 
workshop length and venue, the intended audience, the audience's level 
of sophistication, e.g., faculty, graduate students, researchers, 
government officials, and whether there would be any co-sponsor.

A. Workshop/Seminar in American Corporations

    Such a program is intended to outline the legal foundation, 
organization and structure, management principles and status of the 
corporation in the United States; and the sociology of corporate life 
and the place of the corporation in American society. The project seeks 
to satisfy two goals. The first is to satisfy the need of the Chinese 
universities to get a better understanding of how an American 
corporation works in a market economy as they examine models for 
China's economic development. The second goal is to promote 
understanding of American life and society by looking at the American 
corporation from a sociological and cultural point of view. The venue 
will be People's University in Beijing. The American institution will 
be required to coordinate its program with the Foreign Affairs Office 
of People's University.

B. Seminar/Workshop in American Law

    Grant funding under this category is intended to enhance and expand 
the scope of American legal studies programs in the People's Republic 
of China. Proposals with a particular emphasis upon the rule of law in 
American Society and its relevance to China are encouraged. Familiarity 
with the functioning of Chinese civil law is a preference factor. 
Intense, scholarly 3-4 week summer programs are preferred. Individual 
participants on the American side must be citizens of the U.S. Both 
projects that have been previously conducted and new projects are 
eligible. [[Page 3029]] 
    Duration: Applications will be accepted for projects from at least 
21 days to no more than 30 days duration. Programs should be completed 
by September 30, 1995.
    Guidelines: Preference will be given to organizations with 
demonstrated expertise in the proposed workshop/seminar fields.
    Previous experience with conducting scholarly seminars in the 
People's Republic of China and/or current working relations with 
Chinese educational institutions will be considered a plus. A 
substantive history of organizing subject-specific programs led by 
acknowledged experts in the field who also have considerable teaching 
experience is highly advantageous. Proposals should present a very 
clearly designed program plan that shows specific objectives and that 
demonstrates the likelihood of substantive follow-through. Be specific 
as to what issues the workshop/seminar will address and who the 
intended audience is. In the context of the intended audience(s), 
please describe clearly the proposed approach, e.g., didactic, 
participatory, etc., and resource materials to be used.

Proposed Budget

    Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on 
the specific guidance in the Solicitation Package. Project awards to 
U.S. institutions can be made in a range of amounts but will not exceed 
$75,000. The Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise or increase 
budgets. For organizations with less than four years of experience in 
international exchange activities, total grants will be limited to a 
maximum of $60,000 from USIA, and total proposed budgets should not 
exceed this amount.
    Please Note: Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the 
entire program. There must be a summary budget as well as a breakdown 
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. For 
better understanding or further clarification, applicants may provide a 
separate sub-budget for each program component, phase, location, or 
activity in order to facilitate USIA decisions on funding.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

Review Process

    USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them 
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they 
do not fully adhere to the guidelines established herein and in the 
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be 
reviewed by the Agency's Office of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the 
USIS section of the American Embassy in Beijing, and the Agency 
contracts offices. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Agency's 
Office of General Counsel or other Agency elements. Funding decisions 
are at the discretion of the USIA Associate Director for Educational 
and Cultural Affairs.
    Final technical authority for grant awards resides with USIA's 
contracting officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank 
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
    1. Quality of Program Idea: Proposals should exhibit originality, 
substance, precision, and relevance to Agency mission.
    2. Program Planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should 
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda 
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described 
above.
    3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be 
reasonable, feasible and flexible. Proposals should clearly demonstrate 
how the institution will meet the program's objectives and plan.
    4. Multiplier Effect/impact: Proposed program should strengthen 
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of 
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual 
linkages.
    5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the 
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of 
diversity.
    6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional 
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or 
project's goals.
    7. Institution's Record/ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including 
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting 
requirements for past Agency grants as determined by USIA's Office of 
Contracts. The agency will consider the past performance of prior 
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
    8. 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.
    9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the program's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. USIA recommends that the proposal include a draft survey 
questionnaire or other technique plus description of a methodology to 
use to link outcomes to original project objectives. Award-receiving 
organizations/institutions will be expected to submit intermediate 
reports after each project component is concluded or quarterly, 
whichever is less frequent.
    10. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administration components 
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as 
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
    11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding 
contributions.
    12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects 
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area office 
and overseas offices of program need, potential impact, and 
significance in the partner country.

Notice

    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 the RFP 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 will be notified of the results of the review 
process on or about May 12, 1995. Awards made will be subject to 
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: January 5, 1995.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-711 Filed 1-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M