[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 236 (Thursday, December 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76693-76695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31076]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3491]


Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; College and 
University Affiliations Program for Algeria; Request for Grant 
Proposals

SUMMARY: The Office of Global Educational Programs of the Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for an 
assistance award program to support the development of programs of 
instruction and faculty training at one or more universities in Algeria 
in business management and entrepreneurship, public administration, or 
another field with significant potential impact on the Algerian 
economy. Accredited, post-secondary educational institutions meeting 
the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to 
pursue institutional or departmental objectives in partnership with 
(an) Algerian institution(s) with support from the College and 
University Affiliations Program. The means for achieving the objectives 
of the applicant and its partner(s) may include mentoring, teaching, 
consultation, research, distance education, internship training, and 
professional outreach to public and private sector managers and 
entrepreneurs.
    Overview and Project Objectives: The project is designed to assist 
one or more Algerian universities to develop a modern curriculum and 
program in business management or public administration to facilitate 
the development of business activity and the quality, efficiency and 
integrity of the private and public sectors in Algeria. While priority 
will be given to competitive proposals in business management, 
proposals in public administration and other fields are also eligible 
if the proposals demonstrate their potential impact on the Algerian 
economy.
    In business management, proposals emphasizing practical strategies 
to assist the faculty to develop a new curriculum in business 
management focusing in accounting, finance, banking, and 
entrepreneurship are particularly encouraged.
    In public administration proposals with potential economic impact 
through assistance with curriculum reform and faculty training in 
fields such as taxation, financial management, land registry/ownership 
and property rights are also eligible. All proposals should explain 
potential impact on the Algerian economy.
    For each project, applicants are encouraged to develop outreach to 
and collaboration with practitioners by including them, together with 
junior and senior instructors, in working groups for faculty 
development and curriculum design and development.
    Bureau policy stipulates that awards to organizations with less 
than four years' experience in conducting international exchanges are 
limited to $60,000. The Bureau anticipates awarding one or two grants 
from a total of $240,000 that is expected to be available to support 
this program. Funds will be awarded for a period up to three years to 
defray the costs of exchanges, to provide educational materials, and to 
increase library holdings and improve Internet connections. Up to 25% 
of the grant total may be used to defray the costs of project 
administration. Indirect administrative costs are not an eligible 
expense for Bureau funding under this competition, but may be presented 
as part of the U.S. institutional contribution.
    The project should pursue these objectives through a strategy that 
coordinates the participation of junior and senior level faculty, 
administrators or graduate students for any appropriate combination of 
teaching, mentoring, internships, in-service training and outreach, for 
exchange visits ranging from one week to an academic year. Visits of 
one semester for participants from Algeria are strongly encouraged and 
program activities must be tied to the goals and objectives of the 
program. Proposals may also include English language training for 
selected participants whose prior knowledge of English needs to be 
activated or refreshed. Visits by representatives of the American 
partner institution to Algeria are not required, but short visits may 
be proposed for eventual implementation should conditions permit. All 
applicants should read the U.S. Department of State Travel Warning for 
Algeria dated March 31, 2000.
    U.S. Institution and Participant Eligibility: In the United States, 
participation in the program is open to accredited two and four-year 
colleges and universities, including graduate schools, as well as to 
other organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 
26 CFR 1.501(c). Applications from consortia or other combinations of 
U.S. colleges and universities are eligible. Secondary U.S. partners 
may include governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as 
non-profit service and professional organizations. The lead U.S. 
university in the consortium or other combination of cooperating 
institutions is responsible for submitting the application. Each 
application must document the lead organization's authority to 
represent all U.S. cooperating partners.
    Participants representing the U.S. institution must be U.S. 
citizens. With the exception of an outside consultant reporting on the 
degree to which project objectives have been achieved, participants who 
are traveling under the Bureau's grant funds must be teachers, advanced 
graduate students, who are teaching or research assistants, or 
administrators from the participating institution(s). Advanced graduate 
students are eligible for Bureau-funded participation in this program 
only if they are working under the direction of an accompanying faculty 
participant.
    Algerian Institution and Participant Eligibility: In Algeria, the 
partner must be a recognized institution of post-secondary education. 
Secondary foreign partners may include relevant governmental and non-
governmental organizations, as well as non-profit service and 
professional organizations concerned with issues in business 
development or public administration training in Algeria.
    Foreign participants must be citizens or permanent residents of 
Algeria and qualified to receive a J-1 visa.
    Budget Guidelines: Applicants may submit a budget of up to 
$240,000. Requests for amounts smaller than the maximum are eligible. 
Budget and budget notes should carefully justify the amounts needed. 
There must be a summary budget as well as a breakdown reflecting the 
program and administrative budgets including unit costs. Cost sharing 
will be considered an important indicator of institutional commitment.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete guidelines 
and formatting instructions.

[[Page 76694]]

    Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau 
of Educational and Cultural Affairs concerning this RFGP should 
reference the above title ``College and University Affiliations Program 
in Algeria'' and reference number ECA/A/S/U-01-13.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the Humphrey Fellowships and 
Institutional Linkages Branch, Office of Global Educational Programs, 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; ECA/A/S/U, Room 349, SA-44; 
U.S. Department of State, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547, 
phone (202) 619-5289, fax: (202) 401-1433, e-mail: 
[email protected] to request a Solicitation Package.
    The Solicitation Package contains detailed award criteria, required 
application forms, and guidelines for preparing proposals, including 
specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget. Please 
specify the above reference number on all inquiries and correspondence.
    Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before 
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP deadline has 
passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants 
until the proposal review process has been completed.
    To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet: The entire 
Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's website at 
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfgps. Please read all information 
before downloading.
    Deadline of Proposals: All proposal copies must be received at the 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. 
time on Friday, March 30, 2001. Faxed documents will not be accepted at 
any time. Documents postmarked by the due date but received on a later 
date will not be accepted. It is the responsibility of each applicant 
to ensure compliance with the deadline.
    Approximate Program Dates: Grants should begin on or about August 
1, 2001.
    Duration: August 1, 2001-August 31, 2004.
    Submissions: The U.S. institutional partner must submit the 
proposal. Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation 
Package. The original and 10 copies of the application should be sent 
to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Ref.: ECA/A/S/U-01-13, Program 
Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20547.
    All copies should include the documents specified under Tabs A 
through E in the ``Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation'' 
(POGI) section of the Solicitation Package. The documents under Tab F 
of the POGI should be submitted with the original application and with 
one of the ten copies.
    Proposals that do not follow RFGP requirements and the guidelines 
appearing in the POGI and PSI may be excluded from consideration due to 
technical ineligibility.
    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. The Bureau will 
transmit these files electronically to the Public Affairs Section of 
the U.S. Embassy in Algiers for its review, with the goal of reducing 
the time it takes to get the Embassy's comments for the Bureau's grants 
review process.
    Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines: Pursuant to the 
Bureau's authorizing legislation, projects 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,'' the Bureau ``shall 
take appropriate steps to provide opportunities for participation in 
such programs to human rights and democracy leaders of such 
countries.'' Public Law 106-113 requires that the governments of the 
countries described above do not have inappropriate influence in the 
selection process. Proposals should reflect advancement of these goals 
in their program contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.
    Review Process: The Bureau 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. All eligible proposals 
will be reviewed by the program office, as well as the Public Diplomacy 
section overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be subject 
to compliance with Federal and Bureau regulations and guidelines and 
forwarded to Bureau grant panels for advisory review. Proposals may 
also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by other 
Department elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of 
the Department of State's Assistant Secretary for Educational and 
Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for assistance awards 
(grants or cooperative agreements) resides with the Bureau's Grants 
Officer.
    Review Criteria: State Department officers in Washington, D.C. and 
overseas will use the criteria below to reach funding recommendations 
and decisions. Technically eligible applications will be competitively 
reviewed according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not 
rank-ordered or weighed.
    1. Quality of the Program Idea: Proposals should exhibit 
originality, substance, precision, and resourcefulness. Proposals 
should exhibit sensitivity to the region, and have reasonable and 
feasible project objectives that are relevant to the needs of an 
Algerian university. Proposals should describe projected benefits to 
the institutions involved as well as to wider communities of educators 
and practitioners in Algeria.
    2. Program Planning: Proposals should include creative, realistic 
and feasible program plans for the development of working groups for 
faculty and curriculum development; a detailed schedule, which should 
include a well-reasoned combination of useful and appropriate 
mentoring, teaching techniques and outreach activities supporting the 
project objectives.
    3. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive 
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity by explaining how issues of 
diversity relate to project objectives and how these issues will be 
addressed during project implementation. Proposals should also outline 
the institutional profile of each participating institution with regard 
to issues of diversity.
    4. Institutional Capacity and Commitment: Proposals should 
demonstrate significant understanding of the needs and capacities of 
the Algerian university as well as the needs and capacity of the U.S. 
institution, and should demonstrate a strong commitment to on-going 
cooperation during and after the period of the grant activity. Relevant 
factors include: the

[[Page 76695]]

match between participating organizations or departments, and 
availability of sufficient number of faculty and/or administrators 
willing and able to participate in project activities. Proposals should 
demonstrate a promise of long-term impact and a plan for follow-on 
activities.
    5. Institutional Record/Ability: Proposals should demonstrate an 
institutional record of administering successful exchange programs, 
including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all 
reporting requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by the 
State Department's contracts officers. The Bureau will consider the 
past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of 
new applicants. Reviewers will also consider the quality of exchange 
participants' academic credentials, skills, commitment and experience 
relative to the goals and activities of the project plan.
    6. Project Evaluation: The proposal should outline a methodology to 
assess progress toward the achievement of project goals. The final 
evaluation should include an external component and observations about 
anticipated long-term impact on the Algerian economy.
    7. Cost-Effectiveness: Administrative and program costs should be 
reasonable and appropriate with cost sharing provided as a reflection 
of commitment to the pursuit of project objectives.

    Authority: 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 U.S. North African 
Economic Partnership.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFGP are binding and may 
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Bureau that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance of the RFGP does not constitute an award commitment 
on the part of the Government.
    The Bureau 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 Bureau procedures.

    Dated: November 29, 2000.
William B. Bader,
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 00-31076 Filed 12-6-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-05-P