[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 23, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42788-42792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16840]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education


Overview Information; Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary 
Education, FIPSE-Special Focus Competition: The U.S.-Russia Program: 
Improving Research and Educational Activities in Higher Education; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.116S.

DATES: Applications Available: July 23, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 22, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: To provide grants that demonstrate partnerships 
between Russian and American institutions of higher education (IHEs)

[[Page 42789]]

that contribute to the development and promotion of educational 
opportunities between the two nations, particularly in the areas of 
mutual foreign language learning and advancement of education in 
science, technology, and the humanities. Russian institutions will 
apply to The Russian Ministry of Education and Science for funding 
under a separate but parallel competition.
    Priority: Under this competition, we are particularly interested in 
applications that address the following priority.
    Invitational Priority: For FY 2008, this priority is an 
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 designed to support the formation of educational 
consortia of American and Russian IHEs to encourage mutual socio-
cultural-linguistic cooperation; the coordination of joint development 
of curricula, educational materials, and other types of educational and 
methodological activities; and the conduct of related joint educational 
research. The invitational priority is issued in cooperation with the 
Russian Ministry of Education and Science. These awards support only 
the participation of faculty and students in partnership arrangements 
with American institutions. Applicants must describe the capacity of 
the institution to contribute to and benefit from a collaborative 
project with a Russian institution to advance foreign language and 
cultural understanding as well as educational research and 
opportunities in one of the following three areas:
    (1) Engineering.
    (2) Economics.
    (3) Application of Information Technology (IT) for the Teaching and 
Learning of Foreign Languages.
    Russian institutions eligible to form a consortium with an American 
IHE and to submit a joint proposal have been selected by the Russian 
Federation through the ``Development of Higher Education'' competition 
that has been conducted by the Russian Ministry of Education and 
Science in Russia prior to this competition. As a result of this 
Russian competition, the Russian Federation has identified the 
following Russian institutions in each of the three disciplines 
identified above, as being eligible for participation in this 
competition:
    (1) Engineering--Bauman Moscow State Technical University. POC: 
Gennadiy Petrovich Pavlikhin, Vice-Rector. Tel: 7-499-261-40-55, e-
mail: [email protected].
    (2) Economics--State University of Higher Economics. POC: Boris 
Valeryevich Zhelezov, Head, Department of International Academic 
Mobility. Tel: 7-495-621-32-20, e-mail: [email protected].
    (3) Application of Information Technology (IT) for the Teaching and 
Learning of Foreign Languages--Russian People's Friendship University. 
POC: Nur Serikovich Kirabayev, Vice-Rector. Tel: 7-495-952-52-26, e-
mail: [email protected].
    These Russian institutions, if part of a U.S.-Russian consortium, 
will receive separate but parallel funding from the Russian Ministry of 
Education and Science.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1138-1138d.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $600,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $150,000-$250,000 for the first year of 
the award.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $400,000 for the two-year 
duration of grant.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $270,000 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: 3.

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

    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs or combinations of IHEs and other 
public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following 
address: http://www.Grants.gov. To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, 
fax, or call the following: Education Publications Center, PO Box 1398, 
Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. Fax: (301) 
470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), 
call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: [email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this program or competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.116S.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person listed under 
Alternative Format in Section VIII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit the 
application narrative (Part III) to the equivalent of no more than 20 
pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
     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 cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page

[[Page 42790]]

limit does apply to all of the application narrative section (Part 
III).
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit; or, 
if you apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page 
limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: July 23, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 22, 2008.
    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.
    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 
part 74. We reference additional regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements:
    Applications for grants under this competition 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 U.S.-Russia Program: Improving 
Research and Educational Activities in Higher Education, CFDA Number 
84.116S, 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 U.S.-Russia 
Program: Improving Research and Educational Activities in Higher 
Education at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the 
downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA 
Number. Do not include the CFDA Number's alpha suffix in your search 
(e.g., search for 84.116, not 84.116S).
    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 accept your 
application if it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system--after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does 
not comply with the deadline requirements. 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 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 steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (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

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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 
elsewhere in this notice 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: Krish Mathur, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6155, Washington, DC 
20006-8544. FAX: (202) 502-7877.
    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 84.116S), 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 
84.116S), 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:
    (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 84.116S), 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.


[[Page 42792]]



V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for evaluating the 
applications for this program are from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are 
listed in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 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. 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 (GPRA), the Department will use the following measures to 
assess the performance of the program:
    (a) The percentage of FIPSE grantees reporting project 
dissemination to others.
    (b) The percentage of FIPSE projects reporting institutionalization 
on their home campuses.
    If funded, you will be asked to collect and report data on these 
measures in your project's annual performance report (EDGAR, 34 CFR 
75.590). Applicants are also advised to consider these two measures in 
conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of the 
proposed project because of their importance in the application review 
process. Collection of data on these measures should be part of the 
project evaluation plan, along with any measures of progress on goals 
and objectives that are specific to your project.

VII. Agency Contacts

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Krish Mathur, FIPSE--Fund for the 
Improvement of Postsecondary Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 6155, 
Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7512 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: July 17, 2008.
Sara Martinez Tucker,
Under Secretary of Education.
 [FR Doc. E8-16840 Filed 7-22-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P