Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad Fellowship Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, 60740-60744 [2010-24718]

Download as PDF 60740 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 190 / Friday, October 1, 2010 / Notices Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202–3259. ADDRESSES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO SUBMIT COMMENTS CONTACT: Barry S. Lineback, Telephone: (703) 603–7740, Fax: (703) 603–0655, or e-mail CMTEFedReg@AbilityOne.gov. This notice is published pursuant to 41 U.S.C. 47(a)(2) and 41 CFR 51–2.3. Its purpose is to provide interested persons an opportunity to submit comments on the proposed actions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additions Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification I certify that the following action will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. The major factors considered for this certification were: 1. If approved, the action will not result in any additional reporting, recordkeeping or other compliance requirements for small entities other than the small organizations that will provide the services to the Government. 2. If approved, the action will result in authorizing small entities to provide the services to the Government. 3. There are no known regulatory alternatives which would accomplish the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in connection with the services proposed for addition to the Procurement List. Comments on this certification are invited. Commenters should identify the statement(s) underlying the certification on which they are providing additional information. End of Certification The following services are proposed for addition to Procurement List for production by the nonprofit agencies listed: emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES Barry S. Lineback, Director, Business Operations. [FR Doc. 2010–24698 Filed 9–30–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6353–01–P If the Committee approves the proposed additions, the entities of the Federal Government identified in this notice will be required to procure the services listed below from nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities. Services Service Type/Location: Custodial, National Weather Service, 728 & 732 Woodlane Rd., Mt. Holly, NJ. NPA: Occupational Training Center of Burlington County, Mt. Holly, NJ. Contracting Activity: Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Norfolk, VA. Service Type/Location: Food Service VerDate Mar<15>2010 Attendant, Pease Air National Guard Base, Newington, NH. NPA: CW Resources, Inc., New Britain, CT. Contracting Activity: Dept. of the Army, XRA W7NN USPFO Activity NH ARNG, Concord, NH. Food Service Attendant services being considered for addition to the Procurement List are described in the Statement of Work, provided by the Contracting Activity, as food preparation, service of food, cashiering and housekeeping services and waste management. The facility provides two meals each weekend under military management and operation. 17:34 Sep 30, 2010 Jkt 220001 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Record of Decision for the Base Closure and Realignment Beddown and Flight Operations of Remotely Piloted Aircraft at Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB), ND Notice of Availability (NOA) of a Record of Decision (ROD). ACTION: On September 17, 2010, the United States Air Force signed the ROD for the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC 2005) directed Beddown and Flight Operations of Remotely Piloted Aircraft at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. The ROD states the Air Force decision to implement the mitigated preferred alternative (Alternative C—Southern Restricted Area Creation, Ground-Based Improvements and Personnel Changes— Airspace Scenario 2). The decision was based on matters discussed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the BRAC Beddown and Flight Operations of Remotely Piloted Aircraft at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, inputs from the public and regulatory agencies, and other relevant factors. The Final EIS was made available to the public on July 23, 2010 through a NOA in the Federal Register (Volume 75, Number 141, Page 43161) with a wait period that ended on August 23, 2010. The ROD documents only the decision of the Air Force with respect to the proposed Air Force actions analyzed in the Final EIS. Authority: This NOA is published pursuant to the regulations (40 CFR 1506.6) implementing the provisions of the NEPA of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.) and the Air Force’s Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP) (32 CFR 989.21(b) and 989.24(b)(7)) SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Mr. Doug Allbright, HQ AMC/A7PI, 507 Symington Drive, Scott AFB, IL. 62225 Phone (618) 229–0841, e-mail: earl.allbright@scott.af.mil. 20762, AnthonyM.mitchell@pentagon.af.mil. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bao-Anh Trinh, Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer. [FR Doc. 2010–24628 Filed 9–30–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001–10–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad Fellowship Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.019A. Dates: Applications Available: October 1, 2010. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 16, 2010. Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description Purpose of Program: The FulbrightHays Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program provides opportunities to faculty members of institutions of higher education (IHEs) to engage in research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority and two competitive preference priorities, which are explained in the following paragraphs. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute priority and the competitive preference priorities are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 663.21(d)). Absolute Priority: For FY 2011, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority. This priority is: A research project that focuses on one or more of the following geographic areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, South Asia, the Near East, Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and the Western Hemisphere (excluding the United States and its territories). Please note that applications that propose projects focused on the following countries are not eligible: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, E:\FR\FM\01OCN1.SGM 01OCN1 emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 190 / Friday, October 1, 2010 / Notices Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City. Within this absolute priority, we give competitive preference to applications that address the following priorities. For FY 2011, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34 CFR 663.21(d), we award an additional five (5) points to an application for each competitive preference priority it meets (up to 10 additional points). These priorities are: Competitive Preference Priority 1: A research project that focuses on any of the seventy-eight (78) languages selected from the U.S. Department of Education’s list of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs): Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (all dialects), Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula), Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), Berber (all languages), Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Kurdish (Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur/Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu. Competitive Preference Priority 2: Research projects that are proposed by applicants using advanced language proficiency in one of the 78 languages selected from the U.S. Department of Education’s list of LCTLs, which are also listed in Competitive Preference Priority 1, in their research and focus on one of the following fields or topics: Environmental Science, Economics, Public Health, Education, or Political Science. Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2452(b)(6). Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 663. Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only. VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:34 Sep 30, 2010 Jkt 220001 II. Award Information Type of Award: Discretionary grants redistributed as fellowships to individual beneficiaries. Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested $15,576,000 for the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Overseas Programs, of which we propose to allocate $1,700,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2011. 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 Fellowship Awards: $25,000–$115,000. Estimated Average Size of Fellowship Awards: $77,000. Estimated Number of Fellowship Awards: 22. Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice. Project Period: The institutional project period is 18 months beginning July 1, 2011. Faculty may request funding for a period of no less than three months and no more than twelve months. III. Eligibility Information 1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs. As part of the application process, faculty members submit individual applications to the IHE. The IHE then officially submits all eligible individual faculty applications with its grant application to the Department. 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: Both IHEs and faculty applicants can obtain an application package via the Internet at https://egrants.ed.gov/egWelcome.asp or by contacting Carla White, International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6000, Washington, DC 20006–8521. Telephone: (202) 502–7700 or by e-mail: carla.white@ed.gov. 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 accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed in this section. PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 60741 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 the faculty applicant addresses the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate the application. The faculty applicant must limit the application narrative to no more than 10 pages and the bibliography to no more than 2 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. However, faculty applicants may single space all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, titles, headings, footnotes, endnotes, quotations, bibliography, and captions. • Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch). Faculty applicants may use a 10 point font in charts, tables, figures, graphs, footnotes, and endnotes. However, these items are considered part of the narrative and counted within the 10 page limit. • Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. The page limits only apply to the application narrative and bibliography. The page limits do not apply to the Application for Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the supplemental information form required by the Department of Education; and the assurances and certification. However, faculty applicants must include their complete responses to the selection criteria in the application narrative. We will reject a faculty applicant’s application if the faculty applicant exceeds the page limits. 3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: October 1, 2010. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 16, 2010. Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-Application) accessible through the Department’s eGrants site. For information (including dates and times) about how to submit an IHE’s application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, E:\FR\FM\01OCN1.SGM 01OCN1 emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES 60742 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 190 / Friday, October 1, 2010 / Notices please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission Requirements of 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 of 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 not subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. 5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice. 6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the Department of Education, (1) you must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN); (2) you must register both of those numbers with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR), the Government’s primary registrant database; and (3) you must provide those same numbers on your application. You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number can be created within one business day. If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a new TIN, please allow two to five weeks for your TIN to become active. The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take three or more business days to complete. 7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically unless an IHE qualifies for an exception to this requirement in VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:34 Sep 30, 2010 Jkt 220001 accordance with the instructions in this section. a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants under the FRA Fellowship Program—CFDA Number 84.019A must be submitted electronically using e-Application, accessible through the Department’s e-Grants Web site at: https:// e-grants.ed.gov. We will reject an application if an IHE submits it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, the IHE qualifies for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submits, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that the IHE qualifies 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. While completing the electronic application, both the IHE and the faculty applicant will be entering data online that will be saved into a database. Neither the IHE nor the faculty applicant may e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. Please note the following: • The process for submitting applications electronically under the FRA Fellowship Program has several parts. The following is a brief summary of the process; however, all applicants should review and follow the detailed description of the application process that is contained in the application package. In summary, the major parts are as follows: (1) IHEs must e-mail the following information to cynthia.dudzinski@ed.gov: Name of university, and full name and e-mail address of potential project director. We recommend that applicant IHEs submit this information as soon as possible to ensure that applicant IHEs obtain access to the e-Application system well before the application deadline date. We suggest that applicant IHEs send this information no later than two weeks prior to the closing date, in order to facilitate timely submission of their applications; (2) Faculty must complete their individual applications and submit them to their IHE’s project director using e-Application; (3) Persons providing references for individual faculty must complete reference forms for the faculty and submit them to the IHE’s project director using e-Application; and (4) The IHE’s project director must officially submit the IHE’s application, which must include all eligible individual faculty applications, PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 reference forms, and other required forms, using e-Application. Unless an IHE applicant qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement in accordance with the procedures in this section, all portions of the application must be submitted electronically. • The IHE must complete the electronic submission of the grant application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this competition after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that both the IHE and the faculty applicant not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process. • The hours of operation of the eGrants Web site are 6:00 a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site. • Faculty applicants will not receive additional point value because the faculty applicant submits his or her application in electronic format, nor will we penalize the IHE or faculty applicant if the IHE or the faculty applicant qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submits an application in paper format. • IHEs must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms: the Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Both IHEs and faculty applicants must attach any narrative sections of the application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If an IHE or a faculty applicant uploads a file type other than the three file types specified in this paragraph or submits a password protected file, we will not review that material. • Both the IHE and the faculty applicant’s electronic applications must comply with any page limit requirements described in this notice. E:\FR\FM\01OCN1.SGM 01OCN1 emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 190 / Friday, October 1, 2010 / Notices • Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may wish to print a copy of it for your records. • After the individual faculty applicant electronically submits his or her application to the faculty’s IHE, the faculty member will receive an automatic acknowledgment. In addition, the applicant IHE’s project director will receive a copy of this acknowledgment by e-mail. After a person submits a reference electronically, he or she will receive an online confirmation. After the applicant IHE submits its application, including all eligible individual faculty applications, to the Department, the applicant IHE will receive an automatic acknowledgment, which will include a PR/Award Number (an identifying number unique to the IHE’s application). • Within three working days after submitting the IHE’s electronic application, the IHE must follow these steps: (1) Print SF 424 from e-Application. (2) The applicant IHE’s Authorizing Representative must sign this form. (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the SF 424. (4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 245–6272. • We may request that you provide us original signatures on other forms at a later date. Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application Unavailability: If an IHE is prevented from electronically submitting its application on the application deadline date because e-Application is unavailable, we will grant the IHE an extension of one business day to enable the IHE to transmit its application electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if— (1) The IHE is a registered user of eApplication and the IHE has initiated an electronic application for this competition; and (2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date; or (b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability before granting the IHE an extension. To request this extension or to confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, an IHE may contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:34 Sep 30, 2010 Jkt 220001 (see section VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-Grants help desk at 1–888–336–8930. If e-Application is unavailable due to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application. Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: An IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit its application in paper format if the IHE is unable to submit an application through e-Application because–– • The IHE or a faculty applicant does not have access to the Internet; or • The IHE or a faculty applicant does not have the capacity to upload large documents to e-Application; 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), the IHE mails or faxes a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevents the IHE from using the Internet to submit its application. If an IHE mails a written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If an IHE faxes its 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 this statement to: Cynthia Dudzinski, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6007, Washington, DC 20006–8521. FAX: (202) 502–7860. The IHE’s 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 an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, the IHE may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) its application to the Department. The IHE must mail the original and two copies of the application, 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 84.019A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202–4260. The IHE must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following: INFORMATION CONTACT PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 60743 (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 the IHE mails its 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 the IHE’s application is postmarked after the application deadline date, we will not consider its application. Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, the IHE should check with its local post office. c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery. If an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, the IHE (or a courier service) may deliver its paper application to the Department by hand. The IHE must deliver the original and two copies of the 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 84.019A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays. Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If an IHE mails or hand delivers its application to the Department— (1) The IHE 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 the IHE is submitting its application; and (2) The Application Control Center will mail a notification of receipt of the IHE’s grant application. If the IHE does not receive the grant application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the application deadline date, the IHE should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245– 6288. V. Application Review Information 1. General: For FY 2011, faculty applications are divided into seven categories based on the world area focus of their research projects, as described E:\FR\FM\01OCN1.SGM 01OCN1 emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES 60744 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 190 / Friday, October 1, 2010 / Notices in the absolute priority listed in this notice. Language and area studies experts in discrete world area-based panels will review the faculty applications. Each panel reviews, scores, and ranks its applications separately from the applications assigned to the other world area panels. However, all fellowship applications will be ranked together from the highest to lowest score for funding purposes. 2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 663.21 and are listed in the following paragraphs. The maximum score for all of the criteria, including the competitive preference priorities, is 110 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses. Quality of proposed project (60 points): The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the research project proposed by the applicant. The Secretary considers— (1) The statement of the major hypotheses to be tested or questions to be examined, and the description and justification of the research methods to be used (10 points); (2) The relationship of the research to the literature on the topic and to major theoretical issues in the field, and the project’s originality and importance in terms of the concerns of the discipline (10 points); (3) The preliminary research already completed or plans for research prior to going overseas, and the kinds, quality and availability of data for the research in the host country or countries (10 points); (4) The justification for overseas field research and preparations to establish appropriate and sufficient research contacts and affiliations abroad (10 points); (5) The applicant’s plans to share the results of the research in progress with scholars and officials of the host country or countries and the American scholarly community (10 points); and (6) The objectives of the project regarding the sponsoring institution’s plans for developing or strengthening, or both, curricula in modern foreign languages and area studies (10 points). Qualifications of the applicant (40 points): The Secretary reviews each application to determine the qualifications of the applicant. The Secretary considers— (1) The overall strength of the applicant’s academic record (teaching, research, contributions, professional association activities) (10 points); (2) The applicant’s excellence as a teacher or researcher, or both, in his or her area or areas of specialization (10 points); VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:34 Sep 30, 2010 Jkt 220001 (3) The applicant’s proficiency in one or more of the languages (other than English and the applicant’s native language) of the country or countries of research, and the specific measures to be taken to overcome any anticipated language barriers (15 points); and (4) The applicant’s ability to conduct research in a foreign cultural context, as evidenced by the applicant’s previous overseas experience, or documentation provided by the sponsoring institution, or both (5 points). VI. Award Administration Information 1. Award Notices: If a faculty application is successful, we notify the IHE’s U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send the IHE a Grant Award Notification (GAN). We may notify the IHE informally, also. If a faculty application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify the IHE. 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 the approved application as part of the binding commitments under the grant. 3. Reporting: At the end of the project period, the IHE must submit a final performance report, including the final reports of all of the IHE’s fellows, and financial information, as directed by the Secretary. The IHE and fellows are required to use the International Resource Information System (IRIS) electronic reporting system to complete the final report. 4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the objective for the FRA Fellowship Program is to provide grants to IHEs to fund faculty to maintain and improve their area studies and language skills by conducting research abroad for periods of three to twelve months. The Department will use the following FRA Fellowship Program measures to evaluate its success in meeting this objective: Performance Measure 1: The average language competency score of FRA Fellowship Program recipients at the end of their period of research minus their average language competency score at the beginning of the period. Performance Measure 2: Percentage of all FRA Fellowship Program projects PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 judged to be successful by the program officer, based on a review of information provided in annual performance reports. Efficiency Measure: Cost per FRA Fellowship Program grantee increasing language competency by at least one level in at least one area. The information provided by grantees in their performance report submitted via IRIS will be the source of data for this measure. Reporting screens for IHEs and fellows may be viewed at: https:// www.ieps-iris.org/iris/pdfs/ FRA_fellow.pdf. https://www.iepsiris.org/iris/pdfs/FRA_director.pdf. VII. Agency Contact FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Dudzinski, International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6007, Washington, DC 20006–8521. Telephone: (202) 502–7589 or by e-mail: cynthia.dudzinski@ed.gov. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. VIII. Other Information Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an accessible 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 of 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: https://www.ed.gov/news/ fedregister. To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. 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: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ index.html. Delegation of Authority: The Assistance Secretary of Postsecondary Education has delegated the authority to Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis for the Office of Postsecondary Education to perform the functions of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. Dated: September 28, 2010. Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis. [FR Doc. 2010–24718 Filed 9–30–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P E:\FR\FM\01OCN1.SGM 01OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 190 (Friday, October 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60740-60744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24718]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; 
Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad Fellowship Program; Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.019A.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: October 1, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 16, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad 
(FRA) Fellowship Program provides opportunities to faculty members of 
institutions of higher education (IHEs) to engage in research abroad in 
modern foreign languages and area studies.
    Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority and two 
competitive preference priorities, which are explained in the following 
paragraphs. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute 
priority and the competitive preference priorities are from the 
regulations for this program (34 CFR 663.21(d)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2011, this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    A research project that focuses on one or more of the following 
geographic areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific 
Islands, South Asia, the Near East, Central and Eastern Europe and 
Eurasia, and the Western Hemisphere (excluding the United States and 
its territories). Please note that applications that propose projects 
focused on the following countries are not eligible: Andorra, Austria, 
Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, 
Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, 
Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden,

[[Page 60741]]

Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City.
    Within this absolute priority, we give competitive preference to 
applications that address the following priorities. For FY 2011, these 
priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34 CFR 663.21(d), we award an additional five (5) 
points to an application for each competitive preference priority it 
meets (up to 10 additional points).
    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1: A research project that focuses 
on any of the seventy-eight (78) languages selected from the U.S. 
Department of Education's list of Less Commonly Taught Languages 
(LCTLs):
    Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (all dialects), 
Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, 
Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula), Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), 
Berber (all languages), Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), 
Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), 
Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, 
Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, 
Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish 
(Kurmanji), Kurdish (Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), 
Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian 
(Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, 
Russian, Serbian, Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, 
Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, 
Urdu, Uyghur/Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2: Research projects that are 
proposed by applicants using advanced language proficiency in one of 
the 78 languages selected from the U.S. Department of Education's list 
of LCTLs, which are also listed in Competitive Preference Priority 1, 
in their research and focus on one of the following fields or topics: 
Environmental Science, Economics, Public Health, Education, or 
Political Science.
    Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2452(b)(6).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 81, 82, 
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 
CFR part 663.

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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants redistributed as fellowships to 
individual beneficiaries.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$15,576,000 for the International Education and Foreign Language 
Studies Overseas Programs, of which we propose to allocate $1,700,000 
for new awards for this program for FY 2011. 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 Fellowship Awards: $25,000-$115,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Fellowship Awards: $77,000.
    Estimated Number of Fellowship Awards: 22.

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

    Project Period: The institutional project period is 18 months 
beginning July 1, 2011. Faculty may request funding for a period of no 
less than three months and no more than twelve months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs. As part of the application process, 
faculty members submit individual applications to the IHE. The IHE then 
officially submits all eligible individual faculty applications with 
its grant application to the Department.
    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: Both IHEs and faculty 
applicants can obtain an application package via the Internet at https://e-grants.ed.gov/egWelcome.asp or by contacting Carla White, 
International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 
1990 K Street, NW., Room 6000, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: 
(202) 502-7700 or by e-mail: carla.white@ed.gov.
    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 accessible format (e.g., braille, 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 the faculty 
applicant addresses the selection criteria that reviewers use to 
evaluate the application. The faculty applicant must limit the 
application narrative to no more than 10 pages and the bibliography to 
no more than 2 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. However, faculty applicants may 
single space all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, titles, 
headings, footnotes, endnotes, quotations, bibliography, and captions.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). Faculty applicants may use a 10 
point font in charts, tables, figures, graphs, footnotes, and endnotes. 
However, these items are considered part of the narrative and counted 
within the 10 page limit.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limits only apply to the application narrative and 
bibliography. The page limits do not apply to the Application for 
Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the supplemental information 
form required by the Department of Education; and the assurances and 
certification. However, faculty applicants must include their complete 
responses to the selection criteria in the application narrative.
    We will reject a faculty applicant's application if the faculty 
applicant exceeds the page limits.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: October 1, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 16, 2010.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit an IHE's 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement,

[[Page 60742]]

please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission Requirements of 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 
of 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 not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification 
Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the 
Department of Education, (1) you must have a Data Universal Numbering 
System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN); (2) 
you must register both of those numbers with the Central Contractor 
Registry (CCR), the Government's primary registrant database; and (3) 
you must provide those same numbers on your application.
    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 
can be created within one business day.
    If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or 
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. 
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal 
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a 
new TIN, please allow two to five weeks for your TIN to become active.
    The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to 
complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not 
need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN 
associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will 
need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take 
three or more business days to complete.
    7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted electronically unless an IHE qualifies 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the FRA Fellowship Program--CFDA 
Number 84.019A must be submitted electronically using e-Application, 
accessible through the Department's e-Grants Web site at: https://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We will reject an application if an IHE submits it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, the IHE qualifies for 
one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and 
submits, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, 
a written statement to the Department that the IHE qualifies 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.
    While completing the electronic application, both the IHE and the 
faculty applicant will be entering data online that will be saved into 
a database. Neither the IHE nor the faculty applicant may e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     The process for submitting applications electronically 
under the FRA Fellowship Program has several parts. The following is a 
brief summary of the process; however, all applicants should review and 
follow the detailed description of the application process that is 
contained in the application package. In summary, the major parts are 
as follows: (1) IHEs must e-mail the following information to 
cynthia.dudzinski@ed.gov: Name of university, and full name and e-mail 
address of potential project director. We recommend that applicant IHEs 
submit this information as soon as possible to ensure that applicant 
IHEs obtain access to the e-Application system well before the 
application deadline date. We suggest that applicant IHEs send this 
information no later than two weeks prior to the closing date, in order 
to facilitate timely submission of their applications; (2) Faculty must 
complete their individual applications and submit them to their IHE's 
project director using e-Application; (3) Persons providing references 
for individual faculty must complete reference forms for the faculty 
and submit them to the IHE's project director using e-Application; and 
(4) The IHE's project director must officially submit the IHE's 
application, which must include all eligible individual faculty 
applications, reference forms, and other required forms, using e-
Application. Unless an IHE applicant qualifies for an exception to the 
electronic submission requirement in accordance with the procedures in 
this section, all portions of the application must be submitted 
electronically.
     The IHE must complete the electronic submission of the 
grant application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application 
for this competition after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that both 
the IHE and the faculty applicant not wait until the application 
deadline date to begin the application process.
     The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00 
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of 
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and 
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. 
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are 
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     Faculty applicants will not receive additional point value 
because the faculty applicant submits his or her application in 
electronic format, nor will we penalize the IHE or faculty applicant if 
the IHE or the faculty applicant qualifies for an exception to the 
electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this 
section, and submits an application in paper format.
     IHEs must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: the 
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. Both IHEs and faculty applicants must attach any 
narrative sections of the application as files in a .DOC (document), 
.RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If an IHE or a 
faculty applicant uploads a file type other than the three file types 
specified in this paragraph or submits a password protected file, we 
will not review that material.
     Both the IHE and the faculty applicant's electronic 
applications must comply with any page limit requirements described in 
this notice.

[[Page 60743]]

     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After the individual faculty applicant electronically 
submits his or her application to the faculty's IHE, the faculty member 
will receive an automatic acknowledgment. In addition, the applicant 
IHE's project director will receive a copy of this acknowledgment by e-
mail. After a person submits a reference electronically, he or she will 
receive an online confirmation. After the applicant IHE submits its 
application, including all eligible individual faculty applications, to 
the Department, the applicant IHE will receive an automatic 
acknowledgment, which will include a PR/Award Number (an identifying 
number unique to the IHE's application).
     Within three working days after submitting the IHE's 
electronic application, the IHE must follow these steps:
    (1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
    (2) The applicant IHE's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form.
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
    (4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at 
(202) 245-6272.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application 
Unavailability: If an IHE is prevented from electronically submitting 
its application on the application deadline date because e-Application 
is unavailable, we will grant the IHE an extension of one business day 
to enable the IHE to transmit its application electronically, by mail, 
or by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    (1) The IHE is a registered user of e-Application and the IHE has 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    (2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between 
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date; or
    (b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between 
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting the IHE an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, an IHE may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see section VII. Agency Contact) or (2) 
the e-Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is 
unavailable due to technical problems with the system and, therefore, 
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all 
registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions 
referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of e-
Application.
    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: An IHE qualifies 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may 
submit its application in paper format if the IHE is unable to submit 
an application through e-Application because--
     The IHE or a faculty applicant does not have access to the 
Internet; or
     The IHE or a faculty applicant does not have the capacity 
to upload large documents to e-Application; 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), the IHE mails or faxes a written 
statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an 
exception prevents the IHE from using the Internet to submit its 
application. If an IHE mails a written statement to the Department, it 
must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application 
deadline date. If an IHE faxes its 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 this statement to: Cynthia Dudzinski, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6007, Washington, DC 
20006-8521. FAX: (202) 502-7860.
    The IHE's 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 an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, the IHE may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) its application to the Department. The IHE must 
mail the original and two copies of the application, 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 84.019A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The IHE 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 the IHE mails its 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 the IHE's application is postmarked after the application 
deadline date, we will not consider its application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, the IHE should check with 
its local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, the IHE (or a courier service) may deliver its paper 
application to the Department by hand. The IHE must deliver the 
original and two copies of the 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 84.019A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If an IHE 
mails or hand delivers its application to the Department--
    (1) The IHE 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 the 
IHE is submitting its application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a notification of 
receipt of the IHE's grant application. If the IHE does not receive 
the grant application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days 
from the application deadline date, the IHE should call the U.S. 
Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-
6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. General: For FY 2011, faculty applications are divided into 
seven categories based on the world area focus of their research 
projects, as described

[[Page 60744]]

in the absolute priority listed in this notice. Language and area 
studies experts in discrete world area-based panels will review the 
faculty applications. Each panel reviews, scores, and ranks its 
applications separately from the applications assigned to the other 
world area panels. However, all fellowship applications will be ranked 
together from the highest to lowest score for funding purposes.
    2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are from 34 CFR 663.21 and are listed in the following paragraphs. The 
maximum score for all of the criteria, including the competitive 
preference priorities, is 110 points. The maximum score for each 
criterion is indicated in parentheses.
    Quality of proposed project (60 points): The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the research project proposed 
by the applicant. The Secretary considers--
    (1) The statement of the major hypotheses to be tested or questions 
to be examined, and the description and justification of the research 
methods to be used (10 points);
    (2) The relationship of the research to the literature on the topic 
and to major theoretical issues in the field, and the project's 
originality and importance in terms of the concerns of the discipline 
(10 points);
    (3) The preliminary research already completed or plans for 
research prior to going overseas, and the kinds, quality and 
availability of data for the research in the host country or countries 
(10 points);
    (4) The justification for overseas field research and preparations 
to establish appropriate and sufficient research contacts and 
affiliations abroad (10 points);
    (5) The applicant's plans to share the results of the research in 
progress with scholars and officials of the host country or countries 
and the American scholarly community (10 points); and
    (6) The objectives of the project regarding the sponsoring 
institution's plans for developing or strengthening, or both, curricula 
in modern foreign languages and area studies (10 points).
    Qualifications of the applicant (40 points): The Secretary reviews 
each application to determine the qualifications of the applicant. The 
Secretary considers--
    (1) The overall strength of the applicant's academic record 
(teaching, research, contributions, professional association 
activities) (10 points);
    (2) The applicant's excellence as a teacher or researcher, or both, 
in his or her area or areas of specialization (10 points);
    (3) The applicant's proficiency in one or more of the languages 
(other than English and the applicant's native language) of the country 
or countries of research, and the specific measures to be taken to 
overcome any anticipated language barriers (15 points); and
    (4) The applicant's ability to conduct research in a foreign 
cultural context, as evidenced by the applicant's previous overseas 
experience, or documentation provided by the sponsoring institution, or 
both (5 points).

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If a faculty application is successful, we notify 
the IHE's U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send the IHE a 
Grant Award Notification (GAN). We may notify the IHE informally, also.
    If a faculty application is not evaluated or not selected for 
funding, we notify the IHE.
    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 the approved application as part of the binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of the project period, the IHE must submit 
a final performance report, including the final reports of all of the 
IHE's fellows, and financial information, as directed by the Secretary. 
The IHE and fellows are required to use the International Resource 
Information System (IRIS) electronic reporting system to complete the 
final report.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993, the objective for the FRA Fellowship Program is to 
provide grants to IHEs to fund faculty to maintain and improve their 
area studies and language skills by conducting research abroad for 
periods of three to twelve months.
    The Department will use the following FRA Fellowship Program 
measures to evaluate its success in meeting this objective:
    Performance Measure 1: The average language competency score of FRA 
Fellowship Program recipients at the end of their period of research 
minus their average language competency score at the beginning of the 
period.
    Performance Measure 2: Percentage of all FRA Fellowship Program 
projects judged to be successful by the program officer, based on a 
review of information provided in annual performance reports.
    Efficiency Measure: Cost per FRA Fellowship Program grantee 
increasing language competency by at least one level in at least one 
area.
    The information provided by grantees in their performance report 
submitted via IRIS will be the source of data for this measure. 
Reporting screens for IHEs and fellows may be viewed at: https://www.ieps-iris.org/iris/pdfs/FRA_fellow.pdf. https://www.ieps-iris.org/iris/pdfs/FRA_director.pdf.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Dudzinski, International 
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street, NW., room 6007, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7589 or by e-mail: cynthia.dudzinski@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible 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 of 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: https://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To 
use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
this site.

    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: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/.

    Delegation of Authority: The Assistance Secretary of Postsecondary 
Education has delegated the authority to Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, 
Forecasting and Policy Analysis for the Office of Postsecondary 
Education to perform the functions of the Assistant Secretary for 
Postsecondary Education.

    Dated: September 28, 2010.
Daniel T. Madzelan,
Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2010-24718 Filed 9-30-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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