[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32023-32025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13395]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA Nos.: 84.133B-1, 84.133B-5, 84.133B-7]


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

    National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC) Program; Notice 
inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2003.
    Purpose of the Program: The purpose of the RRTC program is to 
improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (the Act), as amended. We intend these 
priorities to improve the rehabilitation services and outcomes for 
individuals with disabilities.
    In order to provide applicants with a 60-day application period and 
to ensure that these grants are awarded before the end of FY 2003, the 
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) is 
inviting applications based on the proposed priorities. NIDRR will 
publish the final priorities after the comment period closes on June 9, 
2003.
    Depending upon the comments that NIDRR receives, the final 
priorities may include revisions to the proposed priorities. It is 
generally the policy of the Department of Education not to solicit 
applications before the publication of a final priority. However, in 
this case, it is essential to solicit applications on the basis of 
these proposed priorities in order to allow applicants sufficient time 
to prepare applications of appropriate quality to be funded. Applicants 
are advised to begin to develop their applications based on the 
proposed priorities. If changes are made in the final priorities, 
applicants will be given an opportunity to revise or resubmit their 
applications.
    Eligible Applicants: Parties eligible to apply for grants under 
this program are States; public or private agencies, including for-
profit agencies; public or private organizations, including for-profit 
organizations; institutions of higher education; and Indian tribes and 
tribal organizations.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 85, 86, and 97, and (b) The program regulations 34 CFR part 350.
    Indirect Cost Rate: An applicant for an RRTC is limited to an 
indirect rate of 15 percent.
    Letter of Intent: The due date for the Letter of Intent has been 
extended to June 18, 2003.

                                                 Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (84.133B)
                                                               [Applications for FY 2003]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       Deadline for          Estimated     Maximum award     Estimated
        CFDA No./program name            Application available        transmittal of         available      amount (per      number of    Project period
                                                                       applications            funds          year) *        awards **       (months)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
84.133B-1 Disability Demographics and  May 29, 2003............  July 28, 2003..........        $750,000        $750,000               1              60
 Statistics.
84.133B-5 Community Integration        May 29, 2003............  July 28, 2003..........       2,400,000         600,000               4              60
 Outcomes.
84.133B-7 Health and Function........  May 29, 2003............  July 28, 2003..........         200,000         600,000               7             60
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Note: We will reject without consideration any application that proposes a budget exceeding the stated maximum award amount in any year (See 34 CFR
  75.104(b)).
** The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.


[[Page 32024]]

Priorities

    This competition focuses on projects designed to meet the 
priorities in the notice of proposed priorities for the programs 
published in the Federal Register on May 9, 2003. (Note: See individual 
priority for Federal Register cite.) Under 34 CFR 75.105 (c)(3) we 
consider only applications that meet one or more of the following 
priorities. A separate application is required for each priority area.
    Absolute Priority 1--Disability Demographics and Statistics Center 
(84.133B-1) (68 FR 25004)
    Absolute Priority 2--Community Integration Outcomes Centers 
(84.133B-5) (68 FR 25019)
    Absolute Priority 3--Health and Function Centers (84.133B-7) (68 FR 
25011)

Selection Criteria

    The selection criteria to evaluate applications under these 
priorities are included in the application package.
    For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), 
PO Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html, or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
these competitions as follows: CFDA number 84.133B-1, 84.133B-5, or 
84.133B-7.

Application Procedures

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for transmitting 
applications differ from those in the 34 CFR 75.102. Under the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally 
offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed 
regulations. However, these amendments make procedural changes only and 
do not establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 
553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined that proposed rulemaking is not 
required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In FY 2003, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to 
expand its pilot project for electronic submission of applications to 
include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary 
grant competitions. The Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers 
(RRTC) program--CFDA 84.133B is one of the programs included 
in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the RRTC program, 
you may submit your application to us in either electronic or paper 
format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application) portion of the Grant Administration 
and Payment System (GAPS). Users of e-Application will be entering data 
on-line while completing their applications. You may not e-mail a soft 
copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in this voluntary 
pilot project by submitting an application electronically, the data you 
enter on-line will be saved into a database. We request your 
participation in e-Application. We shall continue to evaluate its 
success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
    [sbull] Your participation is voluntary.
    [sbull] You will not receive any additional point value because you 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format. When you enter the e-
Application system, you will find information about its hours of 
operation.
    [sbull] You may submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
    [sbull] After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
    [sbull] Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal 
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following 
these steps:
    (1) Print ED 424 from the e-Application system.
    (2) The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form.
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
    (4) Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at 
(202) 260-1349.
    [sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    [sbull] Closing Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability: If 
you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot for the RRTC 
program and you are prevented from submitting your application on the 
closing date because the e-Application system is unavailable, we will 
grant you an extension of one business day in order to transmit your 
application electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. For us to 
grant this extension--
    (1) You must be a registered user of e-Application, and have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    (2)(a) The e-Application system must be unavailable for 60 minutes 
or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system must be unavailable for any period of 
time during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the deadline date. 
The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of 
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this 
extension you must contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in 
this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or (2) the e-GRANTS 
help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the RRTC 
program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included additional information about the e-Application 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic 
Applications) in the application package.
    Pre-Application Meeting: Interested parties are invited to 
participate in a pre-application meeting to discuss the funding 
priorities and to receive information and technical assistance through 
individual consultation about the funding priorities. The pre-
application meeting will be held on June 27, 2003 either in person or 
by conference call at the Department of Education, Office of Special 
Education and Rehabilitative Services, Switzer Building, room 3065, 330 
C Street, SW., Washington, DC between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. NIDRR staff 
will also be available from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on that same day to 
provide information and technical assistance through individual 
consultation about the funding priority. For further information or to 
make arrangements to attend contact Donna Nangle, Switzer Building, 
room 3412, 330 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202. Telephone (202) 
205-5880 or via Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call (202) 205-4475.

[[Page 32025]]

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Public Meetings

    The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities, 
and a sign language interpreter will be available. If you will need an 
auxiliary aid or service other than a sign language interpreter in 
order to participate in the meeting (e.g., other interpreting service 
such as oral, cued speech, or tactile interpreter; assistive listening 
device; or materials in alternate format), notify the contact person 
listed in this notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting 
date. Although we will attempt to meet a request we receive after this 
date, we may not be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid 
or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3412, Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-2645.
    Telephone: (202) 205-5880 or via Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the TDD number at (202) 205-4475.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

Electronic Access to this Document

    You may review 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 the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. 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:  29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(2).

    Dated: May 23, 2003.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and, Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 03-13395 Filed 5-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P