[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 154 (Monday, August 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47553-47555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-20434]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.021A]


Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 
(FY) 2004.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Purpose of Program: The Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) 
Program supports overseas projects in training, research, and 
curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies for 
groups of teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a common endeavor. 
Projects may include short-term seminars, curriculum development, or 
group research or study. This competition will not support advanced 
overseas intensive language projects.
    Eligible Applicants: (1) Institutions of higher education, (2) 
State departments of education, (3) nonprofit private educational 
organizations, and (4) consortia of these entities.
    Applications Available: August 18, 2003.
    Deadline for Transmittal of applications: October 14, 2003.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$2,715,000 for GPA Program new awards for FY 2004. The actual level of 
funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are 
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant 
process, if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000--$80,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $68,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 40.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.


    Project Period: Up to 12 months.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the narrative to the equivalent of no more 
than 35 pages, using the following standards:
    [sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    [sbull] Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. However, you may 
single space all text in charts, tables, figures and graphs.
    [sbull] Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However you may use a 10-point 
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances 
and certifications; the one-page abstract or the appendices. However, 
you must include your complete response to the selection criteria in 
the application narrative.
    We will reject your application if--
    [sbull] You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
    [sbull] You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; and (b) The regulations for this program in 
34 CFR part 664.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

Priorities

    Absolute Priority: This competition focuses on projects designed to 
meet the

[[Page 47554]]

priority in the regulations for this program (34 CFR 664.32(a)(2)).
    Specific geographic regions of the world: A group project funded 
under this priority must focus on one or more of the following 
geographic regions of the world: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, 
Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere (Central and 
South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean), East Central Europe and 
Eurasia, and the Near East.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet 
the priority.
    Competitive Priority: Within the absolute priority specified in 
this application notice we will focus on projects that meet the 
following competitive priority.
    Short-term seminars that develop and improve foreign language and 
area studies at elementary and secondary schools.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), 664.30(b), and 664.31(g) we award up 
to five (5) points to an application, depending upon how well the 
application meets the priority.
    Invitational Priority: Within the absolute priority specified in 
this application notice, we are particularly interested in applications 
that meet the following invitational priority.
    Group study projects that provide opportunities for nationally 
recruited undergraduate students to study in a foreign country for 
either a semester or a full academic year.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets 
the invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over 
other applications.

Application Procedures

    The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) of 1998, (Pub. L. 
105-277) and the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement 
Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-107) encourage us to undertake initiatives to 
improve our grant processes. Enhancing the ability of individuals and 
entities to conduct business with us electronically is a major part of 
our response to these Acts. Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the 
Internet as our chief means of conducting transactions in order to 
improve services to our customers and to simplify and expedite our 
business processes.

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (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.


    We are requiring that applications for grants for FY 2004 under the 
GPA Program be submitted electronically using e-Application available 
through the Department's e-GRANTS system. The e-GRANTS system is 
accessible through its portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    An applicant who is unable to submit an application through the e-
GRANTS system may submit a written request for a waiver of the 
electronic submission requirement. In the request, the applicant should 
explain the reason or reasons that prevent the applicant from using the 
Internet to submit the application. The request should be addressed to: 
Dr. Lungching Chiao, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 
Suite 6066, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Please submit your request no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    If, within two weeks of the application deadline date, an applicant 
is unable to submit an application electronically, the applicant must 
submit a paper application by the application deadline date in 
accordance with the transmittal instructions in the application 
package. The paper application must include a written request for a 
waiver documenting the reasons that prevented the applicant from using 
the Internet to submit the application.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In FY 2004, the Department is continuing to expand its pilot 
project of electronic submission of applications to include additional 
formula grant programs and additional discretionary grant competitions. 
The GPA Program--CFDA 84.021A is one of the programs included in the 
pilot project. If you are an applicant under the GPA Program, you must 
submit your application to us in electronic format or receive a waiver.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application). 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. The data you enter on-
line will be saved into a database. We request your participation in e-
Application. We shall continue to evaluate the success of e-Application 
and solicit suggestions for its improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
    [sbull] When you enter the e-Application system, you will find 
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that 
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
    [sbull] You will not receive 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.
    [sbull] You must submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
    [sbull] Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
    [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 Education 
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following 
these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    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 
other forms at a later date.
    [sbull] Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from submitting your application 
on the application deadline 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 application deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system must be unavailable for any period of 
time

[[Page 47555]]

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 application 
deadline date.
    The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of 
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this 
extension or to confirm the Department's acknowledgement of any system 
availability, 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 GPA Program 
at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lungching Chiao, U.S. Department of 
Education, International Education and Graduate Programs Service, 1990 
K Street, NW., Suite 6066, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7624 or via Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting that person. However, 
the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative 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 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.
    You may also view this document in PDF at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/offices/HEP/iegps/.


    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: 22 U.S.C. 2452.

    Dated: August 6, 2003.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 03-20434 Filed 8-8-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P