Office of Postsecondary Education; International Research and Studies Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2003

Purpose of Program: The International Research and Studies Program provides grants to conduct research and studies to improve and strengthen instruction in modern foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields.

For FY 2003, the competition focuses on projects designed to meet the priorities we describe in the Priorities section of this notice.

Eligible Applicants: Public and private agencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals.

Applications Available: September 25, 2002.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 4, 2002.

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested $5,200,000 for this program for FY 2003. 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: $55,000—$155,000 per year.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $109,818 per year.

Estimated Number of Awards: 26.

Note:

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

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

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 narrative to the equivalent of no more than 30 pages, using the following standards:

• A “page” is 8.5″ × 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. However, you may single space 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). However you may use a 10-point font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract or the appendices. However, you must include all of the application narrative in Section C.

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.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; (b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 655; and (c) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 660.

Priorities

Absolute Priority

This competition focuses on projects designed to meet a priority in the regulations for this program (34 CFR 660.34(a)(2)).

Materials development: Projects to develop instructional materials for the languages or regions of the Near or Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Inner Asia, the Far East, Africa or Latin America.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet the priority.

Invitational Priorities

Within the absolute priority specified in this application notice, we are particularly interested in applications that meet the following invitational priorities.

Invitational Priority 1

The development of specialized materials for use in teaching the languages of the Islamic nations of the Middle East and Central Asia.

Invitational Priority 2

The development of specialized materials for use in teaching the languages of South Asia.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets one or more of the invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

Note:

Some of the procedures in these instructions for transmitting applications differ from those in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) 34 CFR 75.102. Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

In FY 2003, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary grant competitions. The International Research and Studies Program—CFDA 84.017A is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the International Research and Studies Program, you may submit your application to us in either electronic or paper format.

The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your participation in the pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for improvement.

If you participate in this e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the following:

• Your participation is voluntary.
• You will not receive any additional point value or penalty because you submit a grant application in electronic or paper format.
• You can submit all documents, except transcripts, electronically, including the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.
• Within three working days of submitting your electronic application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following these steps:

1. Print ED 424 from the e-APPLICATION system.

2. Make sure that the institution's Authorizing Representative signs this form.

3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying number unique to your application).

4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of ED 424.

5. Fax ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 260-1349.

• We may request that you give us original signatures on all other forms at a later date.

Note:

Please note that due to the Department's end of the fiscal year close out activities, the e-APPLICATION system will be unavailable on October 1. It will become available for users again on Wednesday, October 2.

You may access the electronic grant application for the International Research and Studies Program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

We have included additional information about the e-APPLICATION pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic Applications) in the application package.

FOR APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

The application for this program is available at: www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/HEP/iegps/irs.html. Jose L. Martinez, U.S. Department of Education, International Education and Graduate Programs Service, 1990 K Street NW., Suite 6000, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 502-7635, or via Internet: jose.martinez@ed.gov.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) 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 under FOR APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet the following site: www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have any 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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1125.