[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 213 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62453-62456]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21695]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Business 
and International Education Program; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.153A.

    Dates:
    Applications Available: November 5, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 12, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: February 11, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Business and International Education 
program provides grants to enhance international business education 
programs and to expand the capacity of the business community to engage 
in international economic activities.
    Priorities: This competition includes one competitive preference 
priority and four invitational priorities that are explained in the 
following paragraphs.
    Competitive Preference Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority is from the regulations for this 
program (34 CFR 661.32). For FY 2008, this priority is a competitive 
preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award an 
additional five points to an application that meets this priority.
    This priority is: The establishment of internships overseas to 
enable foreign language students to develop their foreign language 
skills and their knowledge of foreign cultures and societies.
    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2008, these priorities are 
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 
application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:
    Invitational Priority I: Applications from institutions of higher 
education that propose projects that include activities focused on the 
countries in which the following critical languages are spoken: Arabic, 
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian as well as Indic, Iranian, and 
Turkic language families.
    Invitational Priority II: Applications that focus on developing, 
improving and/or disseminating best practices of international business 
training programs, teaching, and curriculum development to increase 
American competitiveness.
    Invitational Priority III: Programs that expand the capacity of the 
business community to engage in international economic activities by 
developing college/business partnerships that provide internships for 
business students or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
(STEM) students who may seek careers in the global marketplace.
    Invitational Priority IV: Programs that prepare STEM or business 
students to work cross-culturally in international settings by 
providing opportunities for them to study foreign languages.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1130-1130b.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
    (b) The regulations in 34 CFR parts 655 and 661.

    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 
$91,541,340 for the International Education and Foreign Language 
Studies Domestic Programs for FY 2008, of which we intend to use an 
estimated $1,680,000 for this competition. 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: $50,000-$90,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $84,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $90,000 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: 20.

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

    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education that have 
entered into agreements with business enterprises, trade organizations, 
or associations that are engaged in international economic activity--or 
a combination or consortium of these enterprises, organizations, or 
associations--for the purposes of pursuing the activities authorized 
under this program.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The matching requirement is described 
in section 613(d) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) 
(20 U.S.C. 1130a). The HEA provides that the applicant's share of the 
total cost of carrying out a program supported by a grant under the 
Business and International Education Program must be no less than 50 
percent of the total cost of the project in each fiscal year. The non-
Federal share of the cost may be provided either in-kind or in cash.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet by downloading the package from 
the program Web site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/iegpsbie/index.html. 
You also can obtain a copy of the application package by contacting Ms. 
Tanyelle Richardson, International Education Programs Service, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6017, Washington, DC 
20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 502-7626 or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS) toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille,

[[Page 62454]]

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 is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the application narrative to 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. 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, captions, and all text in charts, 
tables, and graphs. These items may be single-spaced. Charts, tables, 
figures, and graphs in the application narrative count toward the page 
limit.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10-point (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. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for 
Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the supplemental information 
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. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application 
narrative section (Part III). If you include any attachments or 
appendices not specifically requested, these items will be counted as 
part of the application narrative (Part III) for purposes of the page 
limit requirement. You must include your complete response to the 
selection criteria in the application narrative.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: November 5, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 12, 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 in paper format 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.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII 
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: February 11, 2008.
    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 in 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 Business and International 
Education Program, CFDA Number 84.153A, must be submitted 
electronically using the Governmentwide 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 Business 
and International Education 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 (e.g., search for 84.153 not 84.153A).
    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 date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and 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 and 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 and 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 steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include

[[Page 62455]]

(1) registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (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 submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     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 you typically provide on the 
following forms: Application for Federal 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 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 in this paragraph 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 from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application 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 experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    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 described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed 
under For Further Information Contact in section VII in this notice and 
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with 
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. 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: The extensions to which we refer 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 application 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: Tanyelle Richardson, 
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6017, 
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 
84.153A), 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 
84.153A), 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.
    (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:

[[Page 62456]]

    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (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 84.153A), 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 SF 424 the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification 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. General: For FY 2008, applications are randomly divided into 
seven groupings. International business and outreach experts, organized 
into seven panels of three, will review each application. Each panel 
reviews, scores, and ranks its applications separately from the 
applications assigned to the other panels. However, ultimately, all 
applications, without being divided into groups, will be ranked from 
the highest to the lowest score for funding purposes.
    2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
in 34 CFR 661.31 and are as follows: (a) Need for the project (25 
points); (b) plan of operation (20 points); (c) qualifications of the 
key personnel (10 points); (d) budget and cost effectiveness (15 
points); (e) evaluation plan (25 points); and (f) adequacy of resources 
(5 points).

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 Notice 
(GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    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 in this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in 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 directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. Grantees are required to use the electronic data 
instrument, International Resource Information System (IRIS), to 
complete both the annual and final reports. The Secretary may also 
require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For 
specific requirements on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the objective for the Business and 
International Education Program (BIE) is to meet the nation's security 
and economic needs through the development of a national capacity in 
foreign languages, and area and international studies.
    The Department will use the following measures to evaluate its 
success in meeting this objective.
    BIE Performance Measures: (1) The number of outreach activities 
that are adopted or disseminated within a year, divided by the total 
number of BIE outreach activities conducted in the reporting period. 
(2) Percentage of BIE 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 IRIS will be the source of data for this measure. 
Reporting screens for institutions can be viewed at: http://www.ieps-iris.org/iris/pdfs/BIE.pdf.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tanyelle Richardson, International 
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K. 
Street, NW., Room 6017, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7626 or by e-mail: [email protected]. If you use a TDD, 
call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format 
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to the program contact person listed under For Further 
Information Contact in section VII in this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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: October 31, 2007.
Diane Auer Jones,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E7-21695 Filed 11-2-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P