[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51566-51568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21950]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.153A]


Business and International Education Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
    Purpose of Program: The Business and International Education (BIE) 
Program provides grants to institutions of higher education to enhance 
international business education programs and to expand the capacity of 
the business community to engage in international economic activities.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education that enter 
into agreements with trade associations, business enterprises, or trade 
organizations that are engaged in international economic activity.
    Applications Available: August 27, 2003.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 7, 2003.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 7, 2004.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$2,531,000 for the BIE 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-$95,000.
    Estimated average size of awards: $76,697.
    Estimated number of awards: 33.

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

    Project Period: Up to 24 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 40 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; or 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, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; and (b) The regulations for this 
program in 34 CFR parts 655 and 661.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Matching requirement: Under title VI, part 
B, section 613(d) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, a 
BIE Program grantee must provide no less than 50 percent of the total 
cost of the project in each fiscal year. Example: The institution's 
total costs of the proposed project will be $140,000 per year. The 
institution may request a grant in the amount of $70,000 or less. The 
institution must provide the remaining $70,000 in cash or in-kind 
contributions.

Priorities

Invitational Priorities

    We are particularly interested in applications that meet the 
following invitational priorities.

Invitational Priority 1

    Applications from institutions of higher education that propose 
educational projects that include activities that promote an 
understanding of economic education for K-12 educators.

Invitational Priority 2

    Applications from institutions of higher education that propose 
educational projects that include activities focused on the targeted 
world areas of Central and South Asia, the Middle East, Russia, the 
Independent States of the former Soviet Union, and Africa. These 
projects should be integrated into the curricula of the home 
institution or institutions.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets 
the invitational priorities 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.


[[Page 51567]]


    We are requiring that applications for grants for FY 2004 under the 
BIE 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: 
Tanyelle Richardson, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 
Suite 6017, 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 BIE Program--CFDA 84.153 is one of the programs included in the 
pilot project. If you are an applicant under the BIE 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 
requirement 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 all 
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 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: Tanyelle Richardson, U.S. Department 
of Education, International Education and Graduate Programs Service, 
1990 K Street NW., Suite 6066, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: 
(202) 502-7626 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: 20 U.S.C. 1130a-1130b.


[[Page 51568]]


    Dated: August 21, 2003.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 03-21950 Filed 8-26-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P