[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 175 (Monday, September 11, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53425-53428]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-15009]



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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education, Overview Information; Graduate 
Assistance in Areas of National Need; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.200A.

    Dates: Applications Available: September 11, 2006. Deadline for 
Transmittal of Applications: November 20, 2006. Deadline for 
Intergovernmental Review: January 19, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: Academic departments of institutions of higher 
education that meet the requirements in 34 CFR 648.2.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$9,725,000 for new awards under this program for FY 2007. 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: $126,672-$750,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $216,111.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 45.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program provides fellowships in areas of 
national need to assist graduate students with excellent academic 
records who demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue the highest 
degree available in their courses of study.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority 
is from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 648.33(a) and Appendix 
to part 648-Academic Areas).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2007, this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Areas of National Need: A project must provide fellowships in one 
or more of the following areas of national need: Biology; General 
Chemistry; Computer and Information Sciences; General Engineering; 
General Mathematics; Nursing; and Physics.
    Within this absolute priority the Secretary is particularly 
interested in applications that address the following invitational 
priority:
    Invitational Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    This priority is:
    Engineering programs that promote the development of alternative 
energy sources to reduce America's dependency on foreign oil. This 
invitational priority is consistent with the President's Advanced 
Energy Initiative.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135.

    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. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 
CFR Part 648.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants, redistributed as fellowships 
to individual fellows.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$9,725,000 for new awards under this program for FY 2007. 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: $126,672-$750,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $216,111.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 45.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Stipend Level: The Secretary will determine the fellowship stipend 
for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need for the academic year 
2007-2008 based on the level of support provided by the graduate 
fellowships of the National Science Foundation as of February 1, 2007. 
However, the Secretary will adjust the amount, as necessary, so as not 
to exceed the fellow's demonstrated level of financial need as 
calculated for purposes of the Federal student financial aid programs 
under Title IV, part F of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
    Institutional Payment: The Secretary will determine the 
institutional payment for the academic year 2007-2008 by adjusting the 
previous academic year institutional payment, which is $12,224 per 
fellow, by the U.S. Department of Labor's Consumer Price Index for the 
2006 calendar year.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Academic departments of institutions of 
higher education that meet the requirements in 34 CFR 648.2.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program involves matching (See 34 
CFR 648.7).
    3. Other: For requirements relating to selecting fellows, see 34 
CFR 648.40.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Gary Thomas, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6016, Washington, DC 
20006-8524. Fax: (202) 502-7859.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 Limits: 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 as follows:
     An application in a single discipline must be limited to 
the equivalent of no more than 40 pages.
     An interdisciplinary application must be limited to the 
equivalent of no more than 60 pages. An interdisciplinary application 
must request funding for a single proposed program of study that 
involves two or more academic disciplines.
     A multi-disciplinary application must be limited to the 
equivalent of no more than 40 pages for each academic discipline 
included in the proposal. A multi-disciplinary application must request 
funding for two or more proposed programs of study that are independent 
and unrelated to one another.
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an 
identifier may be within the 1'' margin.
     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

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may single space all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs. 
Charts, tables, figures, and graphs presented in the application 
narrative count toward the page limit.
     Use not less than a 12-point font. However, you may use a 
10-point font in charts, tables, figures, graphs, footnotes, and 
endnotes.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
     Appendices are limited to the following: Curriculum 
vitae--no more than two pages per faculty member; a course listing; 
letters of support; a bibliography; and one additional optional 
appendix relevant to the support of the proposal, not to exceed five 
pages.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the Budget section; the Assurances and Certifications; the one page 
abstract; or the appendices. However you must include all of the 
application narrative in Part III.
    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 11, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 20, 2006.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, 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.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 19, 2007.
    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 specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR 
648.64. We reference additional regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted electronically, unless you qualify for 
an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in 
this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants 
under the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Competition--
CFDA Number 84.200A must be submitted electronically using 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.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Graduate 
Assistance in Areas of National Need 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:
     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 submission 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/applicants/get_registered.jsp). 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/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.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 qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information typically included on the following forms: Application 
for Federal Education Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education 
Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the 
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have 
replaced the ED 424 (Application

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for Federal Education Assistance). 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 Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: 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 experienced is unrelated to 
the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you 
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax 
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed 
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Gary Thomas, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6016, Washington, DC 
20006-8521. Fax: (202) 502-7859.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail 
(through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), your 
application to the Department. 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: 
84.200A), 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: 
84.200A), 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 
qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you 
(or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the 
Department by hand. You 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: 
84.200A), 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 Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (SF 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

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
in 34 CFR 648.31.
    2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in 
selecting an application for an award are in 34 CFR 648.32.

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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 and in 34 CFR 648.66.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), three measures have been developed for evaluating 
the overall effectiveness of the Graduate Assistance in Areas of 
National Need program: (1) The percentage of fellows in the Graduate 
Assistance in Areas of National Need program who obtain a terminal 
degree in an area of national need, compared to the national average; 
(2) The percentage of fellows in the Graduate Assistance in Areas of 
National Need program from traditionally underrepresented populations 
who obtain a terminal degree in an area of national need; and (3) The 
median duration of time from entering graduate school until degree 
completion compared to comparable doctoral students as identified 
annually in the Survey of Earned Doctorates.
    All grantees will be expected to submit an annual performance 
report documenting their success in addressing these performance 
measures.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For Further Information Contact: Gary Thomas, U.S. Department of 
Education, Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Program, 1990 
K Street, NW., room 6016, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7767 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call 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: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: September 6, 2006.
James F. Manning,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
 [FR Doc. E6-15009 Filed 9-8-06; 8:45 am]
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