[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 18 (Monday, January 29, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3993-3996]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-354]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; American 
Overseas Research Centers Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.274A.
    Dates: Applications Available: January 29, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 15, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 14, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: Any American overseas research center that is 
a consortium of United States institutions of higher education that (1) 
Receives more than 50 percent of their funding from public or private 
United States sources; (2) has a permanent presence in the country in 
which the center is located; and (3) is an organization described in 
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which is exempt 
from taxation under section 501(a) of the Code.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$1,150,000 for the American Overseas Research Centers Program for FY 
2007, which we intend to use for new awards. 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: $42,000-$130,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $82,143.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 14.

    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 American Overseas Research Centers (AORC) 
Program provides grants to any American overseas research center that 
is a consortium of United States institutions of higher education to 
enable the center to promote postgraduate research, exchanges, and area 
studies. AORC grants may be used to pay all or a portion of the cost of 
establishing or operating a center or program, including the cost of 
operation and maintenance of overseas facilities; the cost of 
organizing and managing conferences; the cost of teaching and research 
materials; the cost of acquisition, maintenance, and preservation of 
library collections; the cost of bringing visiting scholars and faculty 
to the center to teach or to conduct research; the cost of faculty and 
staff stipends and salaries; the cost of faculty, staff, and student 
travel; and the cost of publication and dissemination of material for 
the scholarly and general public.
    Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(i), we are 
particularly interested in applications that meet the following 
invitational priorities.
    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2007 these priorities are 
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 
application that meets these priorities a competitive or absolute 
preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:
    Invitational Priority 1: Projects that propose to establish new or 
to maintain existing overseas immersion language study programs to 
enhance advanced language training to students, faculty, and 
postgraduate researchers.
    Invitational Priority 2: Applications that propose to establish new 
or to maintain existing centers in countries where the following 
critical languages are spoken: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and 
Russian, as well as the Indic, Iranian, and Turkic language families.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1128a.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

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


    Note: The AORC Program does not have program specific 
regulations; therefore, applicants are directed to the authorizing 
statute, section 609 of part A, title VI of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1128a.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$1,150,000 for the American Overseas Research Centers Program for FY 
2007, which we intend to use for new awards. 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: $42,000-$130,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $82,143.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 14.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Any American overseas research center that 
is a consortium of United States institutions of higher education that 
(1) Receives more than 50 percent of their funding from public or 
private United States sources; (2) has a permanent presence in the 
country in which the center is located; and (3) is an organization 
described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 
which is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Code.
    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: Cheryl E. Gibbs, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 6083, Washington, DC 
20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 502-7634 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 a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer

[[Page 3994]]

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 and instructions for this 
program. Page Limit: The program narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses 
the selection criteria to the equivalent of no more than 25 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. Page numbers and an 
identifier may be outside of the 1'' margin.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. Charts, tables, 
figures, and graphs in the application narrative may be single spaced 
and will count toward the page limit.
     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.
     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 be rejected.
     The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application 
for Federal Assistance (SF-424); the supplemental information form 
required by the Department of Education; Part II, the budget 
information summary form (ED Form 524); and Part IV, the assurances and 
certifications. The page limit also does not apply to a table of 
contents. If you include any attachments or appendices not specifically 
requested, these items will be counted as part of the program narrative 
(Part III) for purposes of the page limit requirement. You must include 
your complete response to the selection criteria in the program 
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: January 29, 
2007. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 15, 2007.
    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.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 14, 2007.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to the 
requirements of 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 the 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 American Overseas Research Centers Program--CFDA Number 
84.274A 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 American 
Overseas 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:
     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 program 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 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

[[Page 3995]]

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 Application for Federal 
Assistance (SF 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. 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 either of the persons 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: Cheryl E. Gibbs, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Suite 6083, Washington, DC 
20006-8521. Fax: (202) 502-7860.
    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 84.274A), 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 
84.274A), 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 84.274A), 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 11 of the Application for Federal Assistance 
(SF 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if any--of the 
competition under which you are submitting your application.

[[Page 3996]]

    (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 program are 
from 34 CFR 75.209(a) and 75.210, and are as follows--
    Meets the purposes of the authorizing statute (20 points); Need for 
project (15 points); Significance (10 points); Quality of the project 
design (15 points); Quality of project services (10 points); Quality of 
project personnel (10 points); Adequacy of resources (10 points); and 
Quality of the project evaluation (10 points). Additional information 
regarding these criteria is in the application package for this 
competition.

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. Grantees are required to use the electronic data 
instrument Evaluation of Exchange, Language, International, and Area 
Studies (EELIAS) to complete the final report.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the following measures will be used by the 
Department in assessing the performance of the American Overseas 
Research Centers Program:
    (1) The percent of projects judged to be successful by the program 
officer, based on a review of information provided in annual 
performance reports. The information provided by grantees in their 
performance reports submitted via EELIAS will be the source of data for 
this measure.
    (2) The percentage of scholars who indicated they were ``highly 
satisfied'' with the services the Center provided.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl E. Gibbs, International 
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street, NW., suite 6083, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7634 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: 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: January 24, 2007.
James F. Manning,
Delegated the Authority of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 
Education.
[FR Doc. 07-354 Filed 1-26-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P