[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 106 (Friday, June 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32238-32242]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4922]


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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 (RERCs)--
RERC for Wheelchair Transportation Safety; Notice Inviting Applications 
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133E-8.

DATES: Applications Available: June 2, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 21, 2006.
    Date of Pre-Application Meeting: June 22, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants: States; public or private agencies, including 
for-profit agencies; public or private organizations, including for-
profit organizations; institutions of higher education (IHEs); and 
Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $900,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $850,000-$900,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $900,000 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: 1.


    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. For FY 2006, the competition for a new award 
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.

[[Page 32239]]

    Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priorities for 
the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers 
program, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2006 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    RERC for Wheelchair Transportation Safety.

    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. (c) The notice of final priorities for the Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers program, published 
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.


II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grant.
    Estimated Available Funds: $900,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $850,000-$900,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $900,000 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: 1.


    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; IHEs; and Indian tribes and tribal 
organizations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You may obtain an 
application package via Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via 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: 
Education Publications Center, 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: 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 competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.133E-8.
    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 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in 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.
    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 strongly 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. Single spacing may be used for 
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 suggested page limit does not apply to Part I, Application for 
Federal Assistance; 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 (either ED 424 or Standard Form 424); budget 
requirements (ED Form 524) and a detailed budget 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: June 2, 
2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 21, 2006.
    Pre-Application Meeting: Interested parties are invited to 
participate in a pre-application meeting to discuss the priority and to 
receive information and technical assistance through individual 
consultation. The pre-application meeting will be held on June 22, 
2006. Interested parties may participate in this meeting either by 
conference call or in person at the U.S. Department of Education, 
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Potomac Center 
Plaza, room 6075, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC between 10 a.m. 
and 12 noon. After the meeting, NIDRR staff also will be available from 
1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on that same day to provide information and 
technical assistance through individual consultation. For further 
information or to make arrangements to attend either in person or by 
conference call, or for an individual consultation, contact Lynn 
Medley, U.S. Department of Education, Potomac Center Plaza, room 6027, 
550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7338 
or by e-mail: [email protected].

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Pre-Application 
Meeting

    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.
    Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For

[[Page 32240]]

information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or by mail or hand delivery, please refer 
to section IV.6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    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: Applications for grants under 
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by 
mail or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications. We have been accepting 
applications electronically through the Department's e-Application 
system since FY 2000. In order to expand on those efforts and comply 
with the President's Management Agenda, we are continuing to 
participate as a partner in the new government wide Grants.gov Apply 
site in FY 2006. The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers 
Program-CFDA Number 84.133E-8 is one of the programs included in this 
project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Grants.gov Apply site at: http://www.Grants.gov. Through this 
site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, 
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You 
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the 
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Program at: http://
www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application 
package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA 
number's alpha suffix in your search.
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering 
your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR 
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the 
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.gov.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     You may submit all documents electronically, including all 
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. If you choose to 
submit your application electronically, you must attach any narrative 
sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich 
text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type 
other than the three file types specified above or submit a password 
protected file, we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a 
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying 
number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability

    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an 
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, 
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For 
Further Information Contact, and provide an explanation of the 
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your 
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with 
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to 
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a 
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.


    Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the 
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system. 
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register 
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date 
and time or if the technical problem you

[[Page 32241]]

experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.


    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you submit your 
application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or 
a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of 
your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the 
Department at the applicable following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133E-
8), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
    By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133E-
8), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, 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 Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, 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 postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.


    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.


    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery. If you submit 
your application in paper format by hand delivery, you (or a courier 
service) must deliver the original and two copies of your application 
by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department 
at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application 
Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133E-8), 550 12th Street, 
SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays and Federal holidays. 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 ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter, 
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant 
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, 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 competition are 
from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and 34 CFR 350.54 and are listed 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 review, a portion of its grantees to 
determine:
     The percentage of newly awarded NIDRR projects that are 
multi-site, collaborative controlled studies of interventions and 
programs.
     The number of accomplishments (e.g., new or improved 
tools, methods, discoveries, standards, interventions, programs, or 
devices) developed or tested with NIDRR funding that have been judged 
by expert panels to be of high quality and to advance the field.
     The percentage of grantee research and development that 
has appropriate study design, meets rigorous standards of scientific 
and/or engineering methods, and builds on and contributes to knowledge 
in the field.
     The average number of publications per award based on 
NIDRR-funded research and development activities in refereed journals.
     The percentage of new grants that include studies funded 
by NIDRR that assess the effectiveness of interventions, programs, and 
devices using rigorous and appropriate methods.
    NIDRR uses information submitted by grantees as part of their 
Annual Performance Reports (APRs) 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.
    Department of Education program performance reports, which include 
information on NIDRR programs, are available on the Department's Web 
site: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/sas/index.html.
    Updates on the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 
(GPRA) indicators, revisions and methods appear on the NIDRR Program 
Review Web site: http://www.neweditions.net/pr/commonfiles/pmconcepts.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 Department's long-term and annual performance goals.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact:  Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 6030, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7462 or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call

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the TDD number at (202) 245-7317 or the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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: 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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: May 23, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 06-4922 Filed 6-1-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P