[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68130-68131]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29087]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.116M]


Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education--Special 
Focus Competition (Invitational Priority: Institutional Cooperation and 
Student Mobility in Postsecondary Education Between the United States 
and Brazil); Notice Inviting Application for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2001.

    Purpose of Program: To provide grants or enter into cooperative 
agreements to improve postsecondary education opportunities by focusing 
on problem areas or improvement approaches in postsecondary education.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education or 
combinations of institutions and other public and private nonprofit 
institutions and agencies.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 30, 2001.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 29, 2001.
    Applications Available: November 17, 2000.
    Available Funds: $300,000 for FY 2001. The estimated amount of 
funds available for awards is based on the Administration's request for 
this program for FY 2001. The actual level of funding, if any, is 
contingent upon final congressional action.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $25,000-$30,000 for FY 2001; $190,000-
$210,000 for four-year duration of grant.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $30,000 for FY 2001; $200,000 for 
four-year duration of grant.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10.
    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
    Project Period: Up to 48 months.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This program is a Special Focus Competition 
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 Brazilian 
institutions to encourage cooperation in the coordination of curricula, 
the exchange of students and the opening of educational opportunities 
between the United States and Brazil. The invitational priority is 
issued in cooperation with Brazil. Brazilian institutions participating 
in any consortium proposal responding to the invitational priority may 
apply, respectively, to the Coordination of Improvement of Personnel of 
Superior Level (CAPES), Brazilian Ministry of Education for additional 
funding under a separate but parallel Brazilian competition.

Priority

Invitational Priority

    We are particularly interested in applications that meet the 
following invitational priority. However, an application that meets 
this invitational priority does not receive a competitive or absolute 
preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
    Invitational Priority: Projects that support consortia of 
institutions of higher education that promote institutional cooperation 
and student mobility between the United States and Brazil.

Methods for Applying Selection Criteria

    The Secretary gives equal weight to the listed criteria. Within 
each of the criteria, the Secretary gives equal weight to each of the 
factors.
    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 75.210.
    (1) The significance of the proposed project, as determined by--
    (a) The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, 
or are alternatives to, existing strategies;
    (b) The likely utility of the products (such as information, 
materials, processes, or techniques) that will result from the proposed 
project, including the potential for their being used in a variety of 
other settings; and
    (c) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely 
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and student achievement.
    (2) The quality of the design of the proposed project, as 
determined by--
    (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable; 
and
    (b) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs.
    (3) The adequacy of resources, as determined by--
    (a) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the 
objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project;
    (b) The potential for continued support of the project after FIPSE/
CAPES funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated 
commitment of appropriate entities to such support; and
    (c) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in 
the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project.
    (4) The quality of the project personnel, as determined by--
    (a) The qualifications, including training and experience, of key 
project personnel; and
    (b) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability.
    For Applications Contact: U.S. Department of Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll 
free): 1-877-433-7827, fax 301-470-1244, e-mail: [email protected]
    You may also contact EDPubs at its website: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.
    If you request an application from EDPubs, be sure to identify the 
US-Brazil Competition as CFDA number 84.116M.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the application materials 
may also be obtained from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary 
Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 
8th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006-8544, telephone 202-502-7500. For 
additional program information call Cindy Fisher at the FIPSE office 
(202-502-7500) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Eastern Time, 
Monday through Friday. You may also request application guidelines by 
submitting the name of the competition (US-Brazil) and your name and 
postal address to [email protected] (e-mail). Applications are also 
available on the FIPSE website at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/FIPSE/Brazil/
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf

[[Page 68131]]

(TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-
877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format, also, by contacting that person. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format 
the standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:
http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html
    To use the PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions 
about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) toll 
free at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-
1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1138-1138d.

    Dated: November 7, 2000.
A. Lee Fritschler,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-29087 Filed 11-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4001-01-P