[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 51 (Friday, March 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13844-13847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-5190]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration

[Docket No.: 080305376-8378-01]


Solicitation of Applications for the National Technical 
Assistance, Training, Research and Evaluation Program: Economic 
Development Research Projects

AGENCY: Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for applications.

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SUMMARY: The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is soliciting 
applications for FY 2008 National Technical Assistance, Training, 
Research and Evaluation program (NTA Program) funding. Through this 
notice, EDA solicits applications for funding that address one or more 
of the following three research projects: (1) Regional innovation 
systems; (2) urban economic development policy; and (3) global economic 
development strategy. EDA's mission is to lead the federal economic 
development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, 
preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide 
economy. Through its NTA Program, EDA works towards fulfilling its 
mission by funding research and technical assistance projects to 
promote competitiveness and innovation in rural and urban regions 
throughout the United States and its territories. By working in 
conjunction with its research partners, EDA will help States, local 
governments, and community-based organizations to achieve their highest 
economic potential.

DATES: To be considered timely, a completed application, regardless of 
the format in which it is submitted, must be either: (1) Received by 
the EDA representative listed below under ``Paper Submissions'' no 
later than May 9, 2008 at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT); (2) 
transmitted and time-stamped at www.grants.gov no later than May 9, 
2008 at 5 p.m. EDT; or (3) electronically transmitted to the e-mail 
address of the Program Officer given below under ``Electronic 
Submissions'' no later than May 9, 2008 at 5 p.m. EDT. Any application 
received or transmitted, as the case may be, after 5 p.m. EDT on May 9, 
2008 will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for 
funding. Please see the instructions below under ``Application 
Submission Requirements'' for information regarding format options for 
submitting completed applications. By June 9, 2008, EDA expects to 
notify the applicants selected for investment assistance under this 
notice. The selected applicants should expect to receive funding for 
their projects within thirty days of EDA's notification of selection.
    Applicants choosing to submit completed applications electronically 
in whole or in part through www.grants.gov should follow the 
instructions set out below under ``Electronic Access'' and in section 
IV. of the complete Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) announcement for 
this request for applications.
    Application Submission Requirements: Applicants are advised to 
carefully read the instructions contained in section IV. of the 
complete FFO announcement for this request for applications. For a copy 
of the FFO

[[Page 13845]]

announcement, please see the websites listed below under ``Electronic 
Access.''
    Applications may be submitted in two formats: (i) In paper format 
at the addresses provided below; or (ii) electronically in accordance 
with the procedures provided on www.grants.gov or submitted via e-mail 
to the address provided below in ``Electronic Submissions.'' EDA will 
not accept facsimile transmissions of applications. The content of the 
application is the same for paper submissions as it is for electronic 
submissions. A complete application must contain all the items listed 
in the ``Application Checklist,'' which can be found in section IV.C.2. 
of the complete FFO announcement.
    You may obtain paper application packages by contacting the 
designated point of contact listed below under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.'' Applicants applying electronically through www.grants.gov 
may access the application package by following the instructions 
provided on www.grants.gov. Additionally, the following application 
forms may be accessed and downloaded as follows: (i) Form ED-900A, 
Application for Investment Assistance, at http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/Application.xml; (ii) Standard Forms (SF) at http://www.grants.gov or at http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/Application.xml; and (iii) Department of Commerce (CD) forms at http://www.doc.gov/forms.
    Paper Submissions: Full or partial paper (hardcopy) applications 
submitted under the NTA program may be hand-delivered or mailed to: FY 
2008 Economic Development Research Projects Competition, William P. 
Kittredge, Ph.D., Program Officer, Economic Development Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 7009, 
Washington, DC 20230.
    Applicants are advised that, due to mail security measures, EDA's 
receipt of mail sent via the United States Postal Service may be 
substantially delayed or suspended in delivery. Applicants may wish to 
use a guaranteed overnight delivery service.
    Electronic Submissions: Applicants have two options for submitting 
electronically: through www.grants.gov or via e-mail. Applicants may 
submit applications electronically in whole or in part in accordance 
with the instructions provided at www.grants.gov and in section IV.B. 
of the applicable FFO announcement. EDA strongly encourages that 
applicants not wait until the application closing date to begin the 
application process through www.grants.gov. Applicants also may submit 
full or partial paper applications by e-mail. Completed applications 
may be e-mailed to William P. Kittredge, Ph.D., Program Officer, at 
[email protected]. The preferred file format for electronic 
attachments (e.g., the project narrative and additional exhibits to 
Form ED-900A and Form ED-900A's program-specific component) is portable 
document format (PDF); however, EDA will accept electronic files in 
Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Lotus or Excel formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on the NTA 
Program or to obtain paper application packages for this notice, please 
contact William P. Kittredge, Ph.D., Program Officer, via e-mail at 
[email protected] (preferred) or by telephone at (202) 482-5442.
    For additional information regarding electronic submissions, please 
access the following link for assistance in navigating www.grants.gov 
and for a list of useful resources: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp. If you do not find an answer to your question 
under Frequently Asked Questions, try consulting the Applicant's User 
Guide. If you still cannot find an answer to your question, contact 
www.grants.gov via e-mail at [email protected] or telephone at 1-800-
518-4726. The hours of operation for www.grants.gov are Monday-Friday, 
7 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT (except for Federal holidays).
    Additional information about EDA and its NTA Program may be 
obtained from EDA's Internet Web site at http://www.eda.gov. The 
complete FFO announcement for this request for applications is 
available at www.grants.gov and at http://www.eda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background Information: EDA is soliciting applications for FY 2008 
NTA Program funding. Through this notice, EDA solicits applications for 
funding that address one or more of the following three research 
projects: (1) Regional innovation systems; (2) urban economic 
development policy; and (3) global economic development strategy. EDA's 
intent is to create practitioner-accessible tools that can be used to 
bring the best current thinking to bear on specific problems. As 
described in the complete FFO announcement, deliverables for each of 
the three projects vary. For the first research project on regional 
innovation systems, there are four deliverables: (1) A comparative 
analysis; (2) a practitioner-accessible report; (3) a practical asset 
mapping guide; and (4) production of a practitioner-accessible report 
or equivalent document that presents findings in a visually appealing 
format. For the second research project on urban economic development 
policy, there are three deliverables: (1) creation of a classification 
and analytical methodology; (2) implementation of the methodology using 
a statistically significant sample of economic regions; and (3) 
production of a practitioner-accessible report or equivalent document 
that presents findings in a visually appealing format. For the third 
research project on global economic development strategy, there are 
five deliverables: (1) Development of an analytical method; (2) 
application of the method to a statistically significant sample of U.S. 
metropolitan regions; (3) identification of best practices throughout 
the sampled regions; (4) production of a report describing research 
findings; and (5) production of a practitioner-accessible report or 
equivalent document that presents findings in a visually appealing 
format. Please see the FFO for this request for applications for more 
detailed information on each report and the required deliverables.
    Any information disseminated to the public under this request for 
applications is subject to the Information Quality Act (Pub. L. 106-
554). Applicants are required to comply with the Information Quality 
Guidelines issued by EDA pursuant to the Information Quality Act, which 
are designed to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility 
and integrity of information disseminated by EDA. These guidelines are 
available on EDA's Web site at http://www.eda.gov.
    Electronic Access: The complete FFO announcement for the FY 2008 
Economic Development Research Projects competition is available at 
www.grants.gov and at http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/FFON.xml.
    Funding Availability: EDA may use funds appropriated under the FY 
2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 110-161, 121 Stat. 1844 
(2007)) to make awards under the NTA Program authorized by the Public 
Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended (42 U.S.C. 3121 
et seq.) (PWEDA). Approximately $1,500,000 is available, and shall 
remain available until expended, for funding awards under the NTA 
Program in FY 2008, including $470,000 in FY 2008 appropriations for 
economic development research. The FFO announcement for this request 
for applications is the second of two FFO announcements under the NTA

[[Page 13846]]

Program. Based on recent past awards for projects similar to the 
projects solicited under this competitive solicitation, the range of 
funding awards has been from $100,000 to $350,000 for each project. EDA 
anticipates that the regional innovation systems project described 
above will be closer to the upper range ($350,000), and the urban 
economic development policy and global economic development strategy 
projects will be closer to the lower range ($100,000-$175,000).
    Statutory Authority: The authority for the NTA Program is PWEDA. 
The specific authority for the Economic Development Research Projects 
Program is section 207 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3147), which authorizes EDA 
to make grants for grants for training, research, and technical 
assistance. EDA's regulations at 13 CFR parts 300-302 and subpart A of 
13 CFR part 306 set forth the general and specific regulatory 
requirements applicable to the NTA Program.
    EDA's regulations are codified at 13 CFR chapter III. The 
regulations and PWEDA are accessible on EDA's Internet Web site at 
http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/Lawsreg.xml.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 11.303, 
Economic Development--Technical Assistance; 11.312, Economic 
Development--Research and Evaluation.
    Applicant Eligibility: Pursuant to PWEDA, eligible applicants for 
and recipients of EDA investment assistance include a District 
Organization; an Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; a 
State; a city or other political subdivision of a State, including a 
special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic 
or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political 
subdivisions; an institution of higher education or a consortium of 
institutions of higher education; and a public or private non-profit 
organization or association. Although for-profit, private-sector 
entities generally do not qualify for investment assistance under 
PWEDA, under its NTA Program, EDA may make an award to a for-profit 
organization to carry out specific research or for other purposes set 
forth in 13 CFR 306.1. See also 42 U.S.C. 3147.
    Project Period: Typically, EDA gives a recipient one year from the 
award date to complete the scope of work, which consists of research 
and associated research activities, composing the resulting report, and 
presenting the report to EDA senior management. A typical research 
project period begins with an initial meeting between the recipient and 
EDA staff to ensure that all parties agree with the project terms. 
After the initial meeting, the recipient generally submits a final work 
plan to EDA staff for review and approval. Throughout the project 
period there will be regular contact between EDA staff and the 
recipient for updates on project progress. Also, interim progress 
reports are required throughout the project period. The schedule of 
interim progress reports will be determined subsequent to award.
    Typically, the recipient submits a draft research report to EDA at 
least 90 days before the end of the project period for EDA's review. If 
the draft research report is approved, EDA will approve publication of 
a final research report, and the recipient will brief EDA senior 
management on research methods and report results.
    Cost Sharing Requirement: Generally, the amount of the EDA grant 
may not exceed fifty percent of the total cost of the project. Projects 
may receive an additional amount that shall not exceed thirty percent, 
as determined by EDA, based on the relative needs of the region in 
which the project will be located. See section 204(a) of PWEDA (42 
U.S.C. 3144) and 13 CFR 301.4(b)(1). The Assistant Secretary of 
Commerce for Economic Development has the discretion to establish a 
maximum EDA investment rate of up to one-hundred percent where the 
project (i) merits and is not otherwise feasible without an increase to 
the EDA investment rate; or (ii) will be of no or only incidental 
benefit to the recipient. See section 204(c)(3) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 
3144) and 13 CFR 301.4(b)(4).
    EDA will consider the nature of the contribution (cash or in-kind), 
the amount of any matching share funds, and fairly assess any in-kind 
contributions in evaluating the cost to the Government and the 
feasibility of the project budget (see the ``Evaluation Criteria'' 
section below). While cash contributions are preferred, in-kind 
contributions, fairly evaluated by EDA, may provide the non-federal 
share of the total project cost. See section 204(b) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 
3144) and section III.B. of the FFO announcement for this request for 
applications. In-kind contributions, which may include assumptions of 
debt and contributions of space, equipment, and services, are eligible 
to be included as part of the non-federal share of eligible project 
costs if they meet applicable federal cost principles and uniform 
administrative requirements. Funds from other federal financial 
assistance awards are considered matching share funds only if 
authorized by statute, which may be determined by EDA's reasonable 
interpretation of the statute. See 13 CFR 300.3. The applicant must 
show that the matching share is committed to the project for the entire 
project period, will be available as needed, and is not conditioned or 
encumbered in any way that precludes its use consistent with the 
requirements of EDA investment assistance. See 13 CFR 301.5.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under the NTA Program are 
not subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Federal Programs.''
    Evaluation and Selection Procedures: To apply for an award under 
this request for applications, an eligible applicant must submit a 
completed application package to EDA before the closing date and time 
specified in the ``Dates'' section of this notice, and in the manner 
provided in section IV. of the applicable FFO announcement. Any 
application received or transmitted, as the case may be, after 5 p.m. 
EDT on May 9, 2008 will not be considered for funding. Applications 
that do not include all items required or that exceed the page 
limitations set forth in section IV.C. of the FFO announcement will be 
considered non-responsive and will not be considered by the review 
panel. By June 9, 2008, EDA expects to notify the applicants selected 
for investment assistance under this notice. Unsuccessful applicants 
will be notified by postal mail that their applications were not 
selected for funding. Applications that meet all the requirements will 
be evaluated by a review panel comprised of at least three EDA staff 
members, all of whom will be full-time Federal employees.
    Evaluation Criteria: The review panel will evaluate the 
applications and rate and rank them using the following criteria of 
approximate equal weight:
    (1) Conformance with EDA's statutory and regulatory requirements, 
including the extent to which the proposed project satisfies the award 
requirements set out below and as provided in 13 CFR 306.2:
     Strengthens the capacity of local, State, or national 
organizations and institutions to undertake and promote effective 
economic development programs targeted to regions of distress;
     Benefits distressed regions; and
     Demonstrates innovative approaches to stimulate economic 
development in distressed regions.
    (2) The degree to which an EDA investment will have strong 
organizational leadership, relevant project management experience, and 
a significant commitment of human resources talent to ensure the 
project's

[[Page 13847]]

successful execution (see 13 CFR 301.8(b)).
    (3) The ability of the applicant to implement the proposed project 
successfully (see 13 CFR 301.8).
    (4) The feasibility of the budget presented.
    (5) The cost to the Federal Government.
    Also, the addition of research and project data to an existing 
website or the design of a companion website designed to disseminate 
research results and provide links to data encapsulated in the report 
free of charge is preferred.
    Selection Factors: The Assistant Secretary, as the Selecting 
Official, expects to fund the highest ranking applications, as 
recommended by the review panel, submitted under this request for 
applications. However, if EDA does not receive satisfactory 
applications, the Assistant Secretary may not make any selection. 
Depending on the quality of the applications received, the Assistant 
Secretary may select more than one application for one research project 
and make no selection for another research project. Also, he may select 
an application out of rank order for the following reasons: (1) A 
determination that the selected application better meets the overall 
objectives of sections 2 and 207 of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. 3121 and 3147); 
(2) the applicant's performance under previous awards; or (3) the 
availability of funding.

The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements

    Administrative and national policy requirements for all Department 
of Commerce awards are contained in the Department of Commerce Pre-
Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements, 
published in the Federal Register on February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696). 
This notice may be accessed through the Federal Register Internet Web 
site at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/retrieve.html, making sure the 
radial button for the correct Federal Register volume is selected 
(here, 2008 Federal Register, Vol. 73), entering the Federal Register 
page number provided in the previous sentence (7696), and clicking the 
``Submit'' button.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This request for applications contains collections of information 
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the use of Form ED-
900A (Application for Investment Assistance) under control number 0610-
0094. Form ED-900A's program-specific component (National Technical 
Assistance, Training, and Research and Evaluation Program Requirements) 
also is approved under OMB control number 0610-0094, and incorporates 
Forms SF-424A (Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs, OMB 
control number 0348-0044) and SF-424B (Assurances--Non-Construction 
Programs, OMB control number 0348-0040). OMB has approved the use of 
Form SF-424 (Application for Financial Assistance) under control number 
4040-0004. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is 
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty 
for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the PRA unless the collection of information displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review.''

Executive Order 13132

    It has been determined that this notice does not contain ``policies 
that have Federalism implications,'' as that phrase is defined in 
Executive Order 13132, ``Federalism.''

Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Prior notice and an opportunity for public comments are not 
required by the Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules 
concerning grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). 
Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required pursuant to 
5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable. 
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been prepared.

    Dated: March 10, 2008.
Benjamin Erulkar,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and 
Chief Operating Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-5190 Filed 3-13-08; 8:45 am]
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