[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 171 (Friday, September 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53902-53905]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-2070]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education


Overview Information; Technological Innovation and Cooperation 
for Foreign Information Access; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.337A.

DATES: Applications Available: September 14, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 17, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 17, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education, public or 
nonprofit private libraries, or consortia of such institutions or 
libraries may apply.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$1,700,000 for this program for FY 2005. 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: $100,000-$200,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $170,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $200,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum 
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Technological Innovation and 
Cooperation for Foreign Information Access (TICFIA) Program is to 
support projects that will develop innovative techniques or programs 
using new electronic technologies to collect information from foreign 
sources. Grants will be made to access, collect, organize, preserve, 
and widely disseminate information on world regions and countries other 
than the United States that address our Nation's teaching and research 
needs in international education and foreign languages.

    Program Authority:  20 U.S.C. 1126.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
    As there are no program-specific regulations, we encourage each 
potential applicant to read the authorizing statute for the TICFIA 
program in section 606 of title VI, part A, of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1126.

    Note:  The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    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: The Administration has requested 
$1,700,000 for this program for FY 2005. 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 awards funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$200,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $170,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $200,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum 
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education, public or 
nonprofit private libraries, or consortia of such institutions or 
libraries may apply.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The matching requirement is described 
in section 606(d) of the HEA. The statute states that the Federal share 
of the total cost of carrying out a program supported by a grant under 
this program shall not exceed 66\2/3\ percent. The non-Federal share of 
such costs may be provided either in-kind or in cash, and may include 
contributions from private sector corporations or foundations.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Mrs. Susanna Easton, 
International Education Programs

[[Page 53903]]

Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th floor, 
Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 502-7628 or by e-mail: 
[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 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 in this section.
    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 program.
    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. You must limit Part III to 
the equivalent of no more than 40 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. However, you may 
single space 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). 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--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: September 
14, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 17, 2004.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    We are requiring that applications for grants under this program be 
submitted electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System 
(e-Application) available through the Department's e-GRANTS system. For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically through the e-GRANTS system or to request a 
waiver of the electronic submission requirement, please refer to 
Section IV.6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice. Deadline 
for Intergovernmental Review: January 17, 2005.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: We are requiring that 
applications for grants under this program be submitted electronically, 
unless the applicant requests a waiver of this requirement in 
accordance with the instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Technological Innovation and 
Cooperation For Foreign Information Access Program--CFDA Number 84.337A 
must 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.
    Unless a waiver of the electronic submission requirement has been 
requested by the applicant in accordance with the procedures in this 
section, all portions of the application must be submitted 
electronically.
    If you are unable to submit an application through the e-GRANTS 
system, you must submit a written request for a waiver of the 
electronic submission requirement. In your request, you should explain 
the reason or reasons that prevent you from using the Internet to 
submit your application. You should address this request to: Mrs. 
Susanna Easton, International Education Programs Service, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th floor, Washington, DC 
20006-8521. Please submit the request no later than two weeks before 
the application deadline date. Your paper application must be submitted 
in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in 
this notice.
    If, within two weeks of the application deadline date, you are 
unable to submit an application electronically, you must submit a paper 
application in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions 
described in this notice. The paper application must include a written 
request for a waiver documenting the reasons that prevented you from 
using the Internet to submit your application.
    When using e-Application to complete the application, you will be 
entering data online. Do not e-mail an electronic copy of any part of a 
grant application to us. The data that is entered online will be saved 
into a database.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
     You must submit the grant application electronically 
through the Internet using the software provided on the e-Grants Web 
site (http://e-grants.ed.gov) by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. The regular hours of operation of the e-
Grants Web site are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. 
Thursday until midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that 
the system is unavailable on Sundays, and after 7 p.m. on Wednesdays 
for maintenance, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours 
are posted on the e-Grants Web site. 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 the application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you request a waiver and submit the application in paper format 
because you were prevented from submitting the application 
electronically as required.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) and all 
necessary assurances and certifications.
     Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
     After you submit your application to the Department, 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 you submit your electronic 
application, you must 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 applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.

[[Page 53904]]

    3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard copy signature page of the ED 424. 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 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. The applicant's Project Director is a registered user of e-
Application and has 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.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you have requested a waiver of the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your paper application to the Department. The 
original and two copies of the application must be mailed on or before 
the application deadline date to the following address: U.S. Department 
of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.337A), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    1. A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service Postmark;
    2. A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service;
    3. A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier; or
    4. Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the U.S. Secretary of 
Education.
    If you mail the application through the U.S. Postal Service, please 
note that we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    1. A private metered postmark, or
    2. A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service. If 
your application is post marked after the application deadline date, we 
will notify you that we will not consider the application.

    Note: Applicants should note that the U.S. Postal Service does 
not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this 
method, applicants should check with their local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you have requested a waiver of the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver the paper 
application to the Department by hand. The original and two copies of 
your application must be hand-delivered on or before the application 
deadline date to the following address: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.337A), 550 12th 
Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-
4260. The Application Control Center accepts deliveries daily between 8 
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays and 
Federal holidays. A person delivering an application must show 
identification to enter the building.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    1. You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424 (exp. 11/30/2004)) the CFDA number--and suffix 
letter, if any--of the competition under which you are submitting the 
application.
    2. The Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application 
Receipt Acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the notification 
of application receipt within 15 days from the mailing of your 
application, you should call the U.S. Department of Education 
Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program from 
EDGAR (34 CFR 75.210) are as follows: (a) Meeting the purpose of the 
authorizing statute (20 points), (b) need for project (10 points), (c) 
significance (12 points), (d) quality of the project design (12 
points), (e) quality of key personnel (8 points), (f) quality of 
project personnel (6 points), (g) adequacy of resources (12 points), 
(h) quality of the management plan (10 points), (i) quality of the 
project evaluation (10 points).

    Note: Applicants should address these selection criteria only in 
the context of the program requirements in section 606 of the HEA.

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. The applicant is required to use the electronic data 
instrument EELIAS to complete the final report.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Susanna Easton, International 
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street, NW., 6th floor, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7628 or by e-mail: [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

[[Page 53905]]

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: August 31, 2004.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
 [FR Doc. E4-2070 Filed 9-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P