[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 104 (Friday, May 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30807-30810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12253]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 
Research (NIDRR)--Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) 
Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2004

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133E-1.

    Dates: Applications Available: May 28, 2004.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: June 28, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 27, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: 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.
    Estimated Available Funds: $2,550,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $835,000-$850,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $850,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $850,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal 
Register.

    Note: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs.

    Estimated Number of Awards: 3.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the RERC program is to improve 
the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act 
of 1973, as amended (Act). For FY 2004, the competition for new awards 
focuses on projects designed to meet the priority we describe in the 
Priority section of this notice. We intend this priority to improve 
rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
    Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority for 
this program, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register.
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2004 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    Applicants must select one of the following priority topic areas: 
(a) Universal Design and the Built Environment; (b) Telecommunications 
Access; (c) Telerehabilitation; and (d) Cognitive Technologies. 
Applicants are allowed to submit more than one proposal as long as each 
proposal addresses only one RERC topic area.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(3).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 86, and 97, (b) the regulations for this program in 34 CFR 
part 350, and (c) the notice of final priority for this program, 
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $2,550,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $835,000-$850,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $850,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $850,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal 
Register.

    Note: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs.

    Estimated Number of Awards: 3.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: 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.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You may obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the ED Publications Center 
(ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet use the following address: 
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html.
    To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write or call the following: ED 
Pubs, P.O. 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 
this

[[Page 30808]]

competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.133E-1.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed under section VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Notice of Intent To Apply: Due to the open nature of the RERC 
competition, and to assist with the selection of reviewers for this 
competition, NIDRR is requiring all potential applicants to submit a 
Letter of Intent (LOI). While the submission is mandatory, the content 
of the LOI will not be peer reviewed or otherwise used to rate an 
applicant's application. We will notify only those potential applicants 
who have failed to submit an LOI that meets the requirements listed 
below.
    Each LOI should be limited to a maximum of four pages and include 
the following information: (1) The title of the proposed project, which 
priority topic will be addressed, the name of the company, the name of 
the Project Director or Principal Investigator (PI), and the names of 
partner institutions and entities; (2) a brief statement of the vision, 
goals, and objectives of the proposed project and a description of its 
activities at a sufficient level of detail to allow NIDRR to select 
potential peer reviewers; (3) a list of proposed project staff 
including the Project Director or PI and key personnel; (4) a list of 
individuals whose selection as a peer reviewer might constitute a 
conflict of interest due to involvement in proposal development, 
selection as an advisory board member, co-PI relationships, etc.; and 
(5) contact information for the Project Director or PI. Submission of a 
LOI is a prerequisite for eligibility to submit an application.
    NIDRR will accept a LOI via surface mail, e-mail, or facsimile by 
June 28, 2004. The LOI must be sent to: Surface mail: William Peterson, 
U.S. Department of Education, 550 12th Street, SW., room 6070, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202; or fax (202) 205-8515; or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If a LOI is submitted via e-mail or facsimile, the applicant must 
provide NIDRR with the original signed LOI within seven days after the 
date the e-mail or facsimile is submitted.
    For further information regarding the LOI requirement contact 
William Peterson at (202) 245-7477.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. We recommend that you limit 
Part III to the equivalent of no more than 125 pages, using the 
following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must 
include all of the application narrative in Part III.
    The application package will provide instructions for completing 
all components to be included in the application. Each application must 
include a cover sheet (ED Standard Form 424); budget requirements (ED 
Form 524) and narrative justification; other required forms; an 
abstract, Human Subjects narrative, Part III narrative; resumes of 
staff; and other related materials, if applicable.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: May 28, 
2004. Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: June 28, 2004. Deadline 
for Transmittal of Applications: July 27, 2004. The dates and times for 
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier 
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this 
competition. The application package also specifies the hours of 
operation of the e-Application Web site.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Instructions and requirements for 
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier 
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this 
competition.
    Application Procedures:

    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.

    Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications: We are 
continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic submission of 
applications to include additional formula grant programs and 
additional discretionary grant competitions. The Rehabilitation 
Engineering Research Centers Program competition--CFDA Number 84.133E-1 
is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you are an 
applicant under the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Program 
competition, 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). If you use e-Application, you will 
be entering data online while completing your application. You may not 
e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. If you 
participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an 
application electronically, the data you enter online will be saved 
into a database. We request your participation in e-Application. We 
shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its 
improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     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.
     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.
     You may submit all documents electronically, including the

[[Page 30809]]

Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
     Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
     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).
     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) 
245-6272.
     We may request that you give us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot 
for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Program competition 
and 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. We will grant this extension if--
    1. You are a registered user of e-Application, and you have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system is 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 is unavailable for any period of time 
during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the 
application deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For 
Further Information Contact (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the 
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Program competition at: 
http://e-grants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and 34 CFR 350.54. The specific selection 
criteria to be used for this competition are in the application 
package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.

    Note: NIDRR will provide information by letter to grantees on 
how and when to submit the report.

    4. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its 
research program, NIDRR assesses the quality of its funded projects 
through review of grantee performance and products. Each year, NIDRR 
examines, through expert peer review, a portion of its grantees to 
determine:
     The degree to which the grantees are conducting high-
quality research, as reflected in the appropriateness of study designs, 
the rigor with which accepted standards of scientific and engineering 
methods or both are applied, and the degree to which the research 
builds on and contributes to the level of knowledge in the field;
     The number of new or improved tools, instruments, 
protocols, and technologies developed and published by grantees that 
are deemed to improve the measurement of disability and rehabilitation-
related concepts and to contribute to changes and improvements in 
policy, practice, and outcomes for individuals with disabilities and 
their families;
     The percentage of grantees deemed to be implementing a 
systematic outcomes-oriented dissemination plan, with measurable 
performance goals and targets, that clearly identifies the types of 
products and services to be produced and the target audiences to be 
reached, and describes how dissemination products and strategies will 
be used to meet the needs of end-users, including individuals with 
disabilities and those from diverse backgrounds, and promotes the 
awareness and use of information and findings or both from NIDRR-funded 
projects;
     The percentage of consumer-oriented dissemination products 
and services (based on a subset of products and services nominated by 
grantees to be their ``best'' outputs) that are deemed to be of high-
quality and contributing to advances in knowledge and to changes and 
improvements or both in policy, practices, services, and supports by 
individuals with disabilities and other end-users, including 
practitioners, service providers, and policy makers; and
     The percentage of new studies funded each year that assess 
the effectiveness of interventions or demonstration programs using 
rigorous and appropriate methods.
    NIDRR uses information submitted by grantees as part of their 
Annual Performance Reports (APR) for these reviews. NIDRR also 
determines, using information submitted as part of the APR, the number 
of publications in refereed journals that are based on NIDRR-funded 
research and development activities.
    The Department is program performance reports, which include 
information on NIDRR programs, are available on the Department's Web 
site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/planning.html.
    Updates on the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 
indicators, revisions, and methods appear in the NIDRR Program Review 
Web site: http://www.cessi.net/pr/grc/index.htm.
    Grantees should consult these sites, on a regular basis, to obtain 
details and explanations on how NIDRR programs contribute to the 
advancement of the

[[Page 30810]]

Department's long-term and annual performance goals.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of 
Education, 550 12th Street, SW., room 6046, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7462 or via Internet: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the TDD number at (202) 245-7317 or 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 in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: May 26, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-12253 Filed 5-27-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P