[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4570-4572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2302]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Foreign Language and Area Studies--U.S. Students and Scholars; 
Request for Proposals

ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the United States 
Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 
announces an open competition for an assistance award. Public and 
private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in 
IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to develop and administer 
programs in cooperation with USIA that will assist U.S. citizens who 
are graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in North African, 
Middle Eastern and South Asian studies. Activities permitted under this 
program include foreign language training, foreign area studies and 
foreign area research for periods ranging from two to twenty-four 
months abroad.
    Overall grant-making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, 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 the 
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 the other countries of the world.''
    The funding authority for the program cited above is provided 
through the Near and Middle East Research and Training Act (Public Law 
102-138, Section 228 as amended by Public Law 103-236, Section 233).
    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.
    For the purpose of this program, the geographic area refers to the 
region

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consisting of countries and peoples covered by the Bureau of Near 
Eastern and South Asian Affairs of the U.S. Department of State as of 
October, 1991, and Turkey.
    Current eligible locales for overseas research are: Mauritania, 
Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Syria, 
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, 
Qatar, Yemen, Pakistan, Indian, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
    Individual NMERTA grantees are required to provide proof of 
insurance to the grant-making organizations before fellowshipo funds 
can be released. Health and accident, MEDEVAC and repatriation 
insurance is strongly recommended.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number 
E/AEN-97-01.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, March 28, 
1997. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked March 28, 1997 but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline. Grants should begin no earlier than September 1, 
1997 and no later than September 31, 1997 and end no later than 24 
months thereafter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Patricia Spann or John Sedlins in the 
Academic Exchange Program Division, North Africa, Middle East and South 
Asia branch, E/AEN, Room 212, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, 
S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone number (202) 619-5368, fax 
number (202) 205-2466, Internet address [email protected] or 
[email protected] to request a Solicitation Package containing more 
detailed award criteria, required application forms, and standard 
guidelines for preparing proposals, including specific criteria for 
preparation of the proposal budget.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA INTERNET: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's website at http://
www.usia.gov./ or from the Internet Gopher at gopher://gopher.usia.gov. 
Under the heading ``International Exchanges/Training,'' select 
``Request for Proposals (RFPs).'' Please read ``About the Following 
RFPs'' before downloading.

TO RECEIVE A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA FAX ON DEMAND: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be received via the Bureau's Grants 
Information Fax on Demand System,'' which is accessed by calling 202/
401-7616. Please reuqest a ``Catalog'' of available documents and order 
numbers when first entering the system.
    Please specify USIA Program Assistant Patricia Spann on all 
inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read the 
complete Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or 
submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed, Agency staff 
may not discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the 
Bureau proposal review process has been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the 
Solicitation Package. The original and 7 copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/AEN-97-01, Office 
of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, 
D.C. 20547.
    Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and 
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette, 
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS) 
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit 
these files electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review, 
with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get posts' comments for 
the Agency's grants review process.

Diversity Guidelines

    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 
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic 
status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to 
adhere to the advancement of this principle both in program 
administration and in program content. Please refer to the review 
criteria under the Support for Diversity section for specific 
suggestions on incorporating diversity into the total proposal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview:

    Pursuant to the Agency's authorizing legislation, (the Fulbright-
Hays Act, Public Law 87-256), programs must maintain a non-political 
character and should be balanced and representative of the diversity of 
American political, social and cultural life.
    Support is offered in two categories. Organizations may address one 
or both categories, but must submit a separate proposal for each 
category. Special emphasis will be given to the social sciences and 
humanities.
    Category A--Pre-doctoral students. Organizations that are awarded 
funding shall solicit and receive applications from U.S.-citizen, 
graduate students nationwide who seek to conduct overseas study and 
research in the eligible locales listed above. Eligible fields of study 
and research shall be open to students of all disciplines with a new or 
established interest in topics requiring study or research in the 
geographic area(s). Eligibility shall be restricted to applicants who 
have a baccalaureate degree and who are already enrolled in graduate-
level academic programs.
    Category B--Postdoctoral scholars. Organizations that are awarded 
funding shall solicit and receive applications from U.S.-citizen, 
postdoctoral scholars nationwide who seek to conduct overseas study and 
research in the eligible locales listed above. Eligible fields of study 
and research shall be open to scholars of all disciplines with a new or 
established interest in topics requiring study or research in the 
geographic area(s). Eligibility shall be restricted to applicants who 
have a Ph.D. and who have college or university teaching experience.
    In preparing a proposal, organizations should address the subjects 
of program design and scheduling, as well as program administration. At 
a minimum, a successful proposal should clearly cover publicity, 
selection process, orientation for participants, and logistical and 
scheduling measures. A basic plan for post-program follow-up and 
evaluation should also be included. In keeping with the Government 
Performance and Results Act of 1993, proposals should emphasize how 
grantee organizations will measure the effectiveness, economy and 
efficiency of their program responsibilities. Cost-sharing will be used 
in the review process as one such measure. The proposal must be 
typewritten, double-spaced and may not exceed twenty (20) pages 
including budget attachments.
    Proposed budget: Awards will not exceed $200,000. Awards to 
eligible organizations with less than four years of experience in 
conducting international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive, line-item budget based on 
the specific guidance in the

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Solicitation Package for the entire program. There must be a summary 
budget as well as a break-down reflecting both the administrative 
budget and the program budget. For better understanding or further 
clarification, applicants must provide separate sub-budgets for each 
program component, phase, location, or activity in order to facilitate 
USIA decisions on funding.
    Budget guidelines apply to proposals submitted in both Category A 
and B described above.
    Allowable costs for the program include the following:

(1) round-trip international travel via an American flag carrier;
(2) domestic travel;
(3) maintenance and per diem;
(4) academic program costs (e.g. book allowance);
(5) orientation costs;
(6) cultural enrichment costs (e.g. admissions, tickets, etc.);
(7) U.S.-based administration costs (e.g. advertisement, recruitment 
and selection costs).

    Please refer to the Solicitation Package (the Proposal Submission 
Instructions or PSI) for complete budget guidelines for formatting 
instructions.
    Administrative costs are not to exceed 20 percent of the requested 
budget. Cost-sharing is strongly encouraged.

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 stated herein and in the 
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the USIA Office of Academic Programs, as well as by the 
USIA Office of North African, Near Eastern, and South Asian Affairs and 
the USIA post(s) overseas, where appropriate. Proposals may be reviewed 
by the Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency elements. 
Funding decisions are at the discretion of the USIA Associate Director 
for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for 
assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the 
USIA grants 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 the 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 programs should strengthen 
mutual understandings, including maximum sharing of information and 
establishment of long-term institutional and individual linkages.
    5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity. Achievable and relevant 
features should be cited in both program administration (selection of 
participants, program venue and program evaluation) and program content 
(orientation and wrap-up sessions, program meetings, resource materials 
and follow-on activities).
    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 ensures that 
USIA-supported programs are not isolated events.
    9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. A draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus 
description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original 
project objectives is recommended. Successful applicants 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 administrative 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 desk and 
overseas officers of program need, potential impact, and significance 
in the partner country(ies).

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. The Agency reserves the right to reduce, 
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of 
the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject 
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

Notification

    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures.

    Dated: January 24, 1997.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 97-2302 Filed 1-29-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M