[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 224 (Thursday, November 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62118-62120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30525]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


NIS College and University Partnerships Program

ACTION: 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 program. 
Accredited, post-secondary educational institutions meeting the 
provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to 
develop a partnership with (a) foreign institution(s) of higher 
education from the New Independent States in specified fields.
    Proposed projects must be eligible in terms of countries/localities 
and disciplines as described in the section entitled ``Eligibility'' 
below.
    Participating institutions exchange faculty and administrators for 
a combination of teaching, lecturing, faculty and curriculum 
development, collaborative research, and outreach, for periods ranging 
from one week (for planning visits) to an academic year. The FY 98 
program will also support the establishment and maintenance of Internet 
and/or e-mail communication facilities as well as interactive distance 
learning programs at foreign partner institutions. Applicants may 
propose

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other project activities not listed above that are consistent with the 
goals and activities of the NIS College and University Partnerships 
Program.
    Please note that USIA's NIS College and University Partnership 
Program (NISCUPP) is intended exclusively for college and university 
partnerships throughout the NIS in the following fields: law, business/
economics, education, public administration/public policy/government/
urban and regional economic development, journalism/communications. The 
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the 
International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) have issued a request 
for proposals to strengthen existing partnerships between U.S. and 
Russian organizations--the Sustaining Partnerships into the Next 
Century (SPAN) program.
    In order to effectively distribute assistance funding and avoid 
duplication of efforts, colleges and universities interested in 
applying for partnerships in the fields listed above should apply for 
funding under USIA's NISCUPP program. Colleges and universities 
interested in other fields, and all other relevant partnerships, should 
apply to the SPAN program administered by USAID and IREX. USIA and 
USAID missions will jointly review proposals from colleges and 
universities.
    The program awards up to $300,000 for a three-year period to defray 
the cost of travel and per diem with an allowance for educational 
materials and some aspects of project administration. Grants awarded to 
organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting 
international exchange programs will be limited to $60,000.
    Overall grant-making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Pub. L. 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 Freedom for Russia and 
Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992 
(Freedom Support Act). 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 Title and Number

    All communications with USIA concerning this RFP should refer to 
the NIS College and University Partnerships Program and reference 
number E/ASU-98-07.

Deadline for Proposals

    All copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency by 5 
p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Monday, February 23, 1998. Faxed 
documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked by the 
due date but received at a later date will not be accepted.
    Approximate program dates: Grants should begin on or about June 30, 
1998.
    Duration: June 30, 1998-May 31, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Academic Programs; Advising 
Teaching, and Specialized Programs Division; Specialized Programs Unit, 
(E/ASU) room 349, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone: (202) 619-4126, fax: (202) 401-1433, 
internet: [email protected] to request a Solicitation Package containing 
more detailed award criteria; all application forms; and 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/education/rfps. Please read all information 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 request a ``Catalog'' of available documents and order 
numbers when first entering the system.
    Please specify USIA Program Officer Jonathan Cebra 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 completion 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 10 copies of the application should be sent 
to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/ASU-98-07, 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, Freedom and Democracy 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. Public 
Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and 
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom 
and democracy'', USIA ``shall take appropriate steps to provide 
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and 
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should account for 
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent 
deemed feasible.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Guidelines

    The NIS College and University Partnership Program is limited to 
the following specific academic disciplines:
    (1) Law;
    (2) Business/economic/trade;
    (3) Education/continuing education/civic education/educational 
reform;

[[Page 62120]]

    (4) Government/public policy/public administration/urban and 
regional economic development; and
    (5) Journalism/communications.
    Proposals must focus on curriculum, faculty, and staff development 
in one or more of these eligible disciplines. Administrative reform at 
the foreign partner should also be a project component. Proposals in 
the field of economic development should focus on utilizing university 
resources to conduct educational outreach which will promote trade and 
investment in the region.
    Projects should involve the development of new academic programs or 
the building and/or restructuring of an existing program or programs, 
and should promote higher education's role in the transition to market 
economies and open democratic systems. Feasibility studies to plan 
partnerships will not be considered.
    Whenever feasible, participants should make their training and 
personnel resources, as well as results of their collaborative 
research, available to government, NGOs, and business.
    Participating institutions should exchange faculty and/or staff 
members for teaching/lecturing and consulting. At least once, one U.S. 
participant should be in residence at the foreign partner institution 
for one semester to serve in a coordinating role.
    U.S. institutions are responsible for the submission of proposals 
and should collaborate with their foreign partners in planning and 
preparing proposals. U.S. and foreign partner institutions are 
encouraged to consult about the proposed project with USIA E/ASU staff 
in Washington, D.C. Preference will be given to proposals which 
demonstrate evidence of previous relations with the foreign partner 
institution(s).

Guidelines

U.S. Partner and Participant Eligibility

    In the U.S., participation in the program is open to accredited 
two- and four-year colleges and universities, including graduate 
schools. Applications from consortia of U.S. colleges and universities 
are eligible. Secondary U.S. partners may include relevant non-
governmental organizations, non-profit service or professional 
organizations. The lead U.S. institution in the consortium is 
responsible for submitting the application and each application from a 
consortium must document the lead school's stated authority to 
represent the consortium. Participants representing the U.S. 
institution who are traveling under USIA grant funds must be faculty, 
staff, or advanced graduate students from the participating 
institution(s) and must be U.S. citizens.

Foreign Partner and Participating Eligibility

    Overseas, participation is open to recognized, degree-granting 
institutions of post-secondary education, which may include 
internationally recognized and established independent research 
institutes. Secondary foreign partners may include relevant 
governmental and non-governmental organizations, non-profit service or 
professional organizations. Participants representing the foreign 
institutions must be faculty, staff or advanced students of the partner 
institution, and be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the 
country of the foreign partner, and be qualified to hold a valid 
passport and U.S. J-1 visa.
    Foreign partners from the following countries are eligible:
    Armenia.
    Azerbaijan--foreign partners must be independent institutions; 
state universities are not eligible.
    Belarus--foreign partners must be independent institutions; state 
universities are not eligible.
    Georgia.
    Kazakstan.
    Kyrgyzstan.
    Moldova.
    Russia--preference will be given to proposals which: (1) designate 
partner institutions outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg; (2) 
designate partner institutions in regions which have been identified by 
the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation 
for Regional Investment Initiatives. Khabarovsk kraj and Sakhalin 
oblast have been designated for a Regional Investment Initiative. 
Samara oblast has also been designated for a Regional Investment 
Initiative.
    Tajikistan.
    Turkmenistan.
    Ukraine.
    Uzbekistan.
    Partnerships including a secondary foreign partner from a non-NIS 
country in Europe are eligible; however, with the exception noted 
below, USIA will not cover overseas non-NIS partner institution costs.
    In order to promote regional cooperation, limited funds may be 
budgeted for the exchange, as part of this partnership agreement, of 
faculty between NIS institutions and institutions of higher learning in 
Central and Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech 
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romnai, Serbia and Montenegro, 
Slovakia, Slovenia).
Ineligibility
    A proposal will be deemed technically ineligible if:
    (1) It does not fully adhere to the guidelines established herein 
and in the Solicitation Package;
    (2) It is not received by the deadline;
    (3) It is not submitted by the U.S. partner;
    (4) One of the partner institutions is ineligible;
    (5) The academic discipline(s) is/are not listed as eligible in the 
RFP, herein;
    (6) The amount requested of USIA exceeds $300,000 for the three-
year project.
    Please refer to program-specific guidelines (POGI) in the 
Solicitation Package for further details.

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: November 14, 1997.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 97-30525 Filed 11-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M