[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 209 (Monday, October 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55247-55249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26751]



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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No. 84.116J]


Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education--Special 
Focus Competition (Invitational Priority: Institutional Cooperation and 
Student Mobility Between United States and Member States of European 
Union); Notice Inviting Applications for FY 1996

    Purpose of Program: To provide grants to improve postsecondary 
education opportunities by focusing on problem areas or improvement 
approaches in postsecondary education.
    Supplemental Information: This program is a Special Focus 
Competition pursuant to 34 CFR 630.11(b)(1) to support projects 
addressing a particular problem area or improvement approach in 
postsecondary education. The competition also includes an invitational 
priority to encourage proposals designed to support the formation of 
educational consortia of American and European institutions to 
encourage cooperation in the coordination of curricula, the exchange of 
students, and the opening of educational opportunities on the two 
continents.
    The invitational priority is issued in cooperation with the 
European Union. European institutions in any consortium proposal 
responding to the invitational priority may apply to the Directorate 
General XXII of the European Commission's Task Force on Education, 
Training and Youth for additional funding under a separate European 
competition.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education or 
combinations of such institutions and other public and private 
nonprofit educational institutions and agencies.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 26, 1996.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: March 26, 1996.
    Applications Available: November 1, 1995.
    Available Funds: $1,500,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$175,000 for three years.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $160,000 for three years.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 7.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75 [except as 
noted in 34 CFR 630.4(a)(2)], 77, 79, 80, 82, 85, and 86; and (b) the 
regulations for this program in 34 CFR Part 630.

Priorities

Invitational Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)( and 34 CFR 630.11(b)(1), the Secretary 
is particularly interested in applications that meet the following 
invitational priority. However, an application that meets this 
invitational priority does not receive competitive or absolute 
preference over other applications.
    Invitational Priority: Projects that support consortia of 
institutions of higher education which promote institutional 
cooperation and student mobility between the United States and the 
member states of the European Union.

Selection Criteria

    In evaluating applications for grants under this program 
competition, the Secretary uses the following selection criteria chosen 
from those listed in 34 CFR 630.32.
    (a) Significance for Postsecondary Education. The Secretary reviews 
each proposed project for its significance in improving postsecondary 
education by determining the extent to which it would--
    (1) Achieve the purposes of the program competition by addressing a 
particular problem area or improvement approach in postsecondary 
education;
    (2) Address an important problem or need;
    (3) Represent an improvement upon, or important departure from, 
existing practice;
    (4) Involve learner-centered improvements;
    (5) Achieve far-reaching impact through improvements that will be 
useful in a variety of ways and in a variety of ways and in a variety 
of settings; and
    (6) Increase the cost-effectiveness of services.
    (b) Feasibility. The Secretary reviews each proposed project for 
its feasibility by determining the extent to which--
    (1) The proposed project represents and appropriate response to the 
problem or need addressed;
    (2) the applicant is capable of carrying out the proposed project, 
as evidenced by, for example--
    (i) The applicant's understanding of the problem or need;
    (ii) The quality of the project design, including objectives, 
approaches, and evaluation plan;
    (iii) The adequacy of resources, including money personnel, 
facilities, equipment, and supplies;
    (iv) The qualifications of key personnel who would conduct the 
project; and
    (c) The applicant's relevant prior experience;
    (3) The applicant and any other participating organizations are 
committed to the success of the proposed project, as evidenced by, for 
example--
    (i) Contribution of resources by the applicant and by participating 
organizations;
    (ii) Their prior work in the area; and
    (iii) The potential for continuation of the proposed project beyond 
the period of funding (unless the project would be self-terminating); 
and
    (4) The proposed project demonstrates potential for dissemination 
to or adaptation by other organizations, and shows evidence of interest 
by potential users.
    (c) Appropriateness of funding projects. The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine whether support of the proposed project by the 
Secretary is appropriate in terms of availability of other funding 
sources for the proposed activities.
    In accordance with 34 CFR 630.32 the Secretary announces the 
methods that will be used in applying the selection criteria.
    The Secretary gives equal weight to the selection criteria on 
significance, feasibility, and appropriateness. Within each of these 
criteria, the Secretary gives equal weight to each of the subcriteria 
listed above. In applying the criteria, the Secretary first analyzes an 
application in terms of each individual criterion and subcriterion, the 
secretary then bases the final judgment of an application on an overall 
assessment of the degree to which the applicant addresses all selection 
criteria.
    For Applications or Information Contact: Fund for the Improvement 
of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 600 
Independence Avenue, SW., Room 3100, ROB-3, Washington, DC 20202-5175. 
Telephone: (202) 708-5750 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, to order applications or 
for information. Individuals may request applications by submitting the 
name of the competition, their name, and postal mailing address to the 
e-mail address [email protected]. Individuals may obtain the application 
text from Internet address http://www.ed.gov/prog-info/FIPSE/. 
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard time, Monday through 
Friday.
    Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including 
copies 

[[Page 55249]]
of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can be 
viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board), 
telephone (202) 260-9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server at 
GPOHER.ED.GOV (under Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases). 
However, the official application notice for a discretionary grant 
competition is the notice published in the Federal Register.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135-1135a-3.

    Dated: October 23, 1995.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 95-26751 Filed 10-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M