Applications for New Awards; Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program, 28690-28695 [2014-11520]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 96 (Monday, May 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28690-28695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11520]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation 
Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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Overview Information

    Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) 
Fellowship Program.
    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 
2014.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.022A.


DATES: 
    Applications Available: May 19, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 24, 2014.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program 
provides opportunities to doctoral candidates to engage in full-time 
dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area 
studies. The program is designed to contribute to the development and 
improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies 
in the United States.
    Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority, three 
competitive preference priorities, and one invitational priority, which 
are described in the following paragraphs. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute and competitive preference priorities 
are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 662.21(d)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2014, 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, Switzerland, United 
Kingdom, or Vatican City.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: Within this absolute priority, 
we give competitive preference to applications that address one or more 
of the following priorities.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34 CFR 662.21(d)(2), for FY 2014, 
we award an additional three points to an application that meets 
Competitive Preference Priority 1; two points for an application that 
meets Competitive Preference Priority 2; and five points for an 
application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 3 (up to 10 
additional points possible).
    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1 (3 points): A research project 
that focuses on one or more of the following geographic areas: sub-
Saharan Africa (Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo 
Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, C[ocirc]te 
d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial 
Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-
Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, 
Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of 
the Congo, R[eacute]union, Rwanda, S[atilde]o Tom[eacute] and 
Pr[iacute]ncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South 
Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, 
Zimbabwe), Southeast Asia (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, 
Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam), and 
South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, 
Pakistan, Sri Lanka).
    Competitive Preference Priority 2 (2 points): A research project 
that focuses on any of the 78 priority languages selected from the U.S. 
Department of Education's list of Less Commonly Taught Languages 
(LCTLs), as follows:
    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,

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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 3 (5 points): A research project in 
the field of economics, engineering, international development, global 
education, mathematics, political science, public health, science, or 
technology proposed by an applicant who will use advanced language 
proficiency in one of the 78 LCTLs listed in Competitive Preference 
Priority 2 of this notice in his or her research.
    Invitational Priority: We encourage applications from Minority-
Serving Institutions (MSIs) as well as other institutions that promote 
the participation of students from minority backgrounds in research 
abroad projects in foreign languages and international studies. For 
purposes of this invitational priority, Minority-Serving Institution 
means an institution that is eligible to receive assistance under Part 
A of Title III, under Part B of Title III, or under Title V of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).

    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, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education Department suspension and 
debarment regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The regulations for this 
program in 34 CFR part 662.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education (IHEs) only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants redistributed as fellowships to 
individual beneficiaries.

    Note: As part of its FY 2014 budget request, the Administration 
proposed to continue to allow funds to be used to support the 
applications of individuals who plan both to utilize their language 
skills in world areas vital to United States national security and 
to apply their language skills and knowledge of these countries in 
the fields of government, international development, and the 
professions. Therefore, students planning to apply their language 
skills in such fields and those planning teaching careers are 
eligible to apply for this program.

    Estimated Available Funds: $2,889,223.
    Estimated Range of Fellowship Awards: $15,000 to $60,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Fellowship Awards: $34,818.
    Estimated Number of Fellowship Awards: 86.

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

    Project Period: The institutional project period is 18 months, 
beginning October 1, 2014. Students may request funding for a period of 
no less than six months and no more than 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs. As part of the application process, 
students submit individual applications to the IHE. The IHE then 
officially submits all eligible individual student 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 student 
applicants can obtain an application package via the Internet at 
www.G5.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), 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 compact disc) 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 the 
applicant must submit, are in the application package for this program.
    Page Limits: The application narrative is where the student 
applicant addresses the selection criteria that reviewers use to 
evaluate the application. The student applicant must limit the 
application narrative to no more than 10 pages and the bibliography to 
no more than two pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side 
only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, both sides, and 
portrait orientation.

    Note: For purposes of determining compliance with the page 
limits, each page on which there are words will be counted as one 
full page.

     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative. However, student 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). Student 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, or the assurances and 
certification. However, student applicants must include their complete 
responses to the selection criteria in the application narrative.
    We will reject a student applicant's application if the application 
exceeds the page limits.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: May 19, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 24, 2014.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using G5, the Department's grant management system, 
accessible through the Department's G5 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, 
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

[[Page 28692]]

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 System for Award Management: To do business with the 
Department of Education, you must--
    a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a 
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
    b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award 
Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the 
Government's primary registrant database;
    c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
    d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information 
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you 
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 
can be created within one-to-two business days.
    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 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
    The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business 
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the 
completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by 
an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal 
financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, 
please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number 
and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

    Note: Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to 
allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in 
Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through 
Grants.gov.

    If you are currently registered with SAM, 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 registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
    Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further 
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in 
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov 
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
    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 Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship 
Program, CFDA number 84.022A, must be submitted electronically using 
the G5 system, accessible through the Department's G5 site: www.G5.gov. 
You may not email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    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 
student applicant will be entering data online that will be saved into 
a database. Neither the IHE nor the student applicant may email an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     The process for submitting applications electronically 
under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA 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 steps are:
    (1) IHEs must email the following information to ddra@ed.gov: Name 
of university and full name and email address of potential project 
director. We recommend that applicant IHEs submit this information as 
soon as possible to ensure that they obtain access to G5 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) Students must complete their individual applications and submit 
them to their IHE's project director using G5;
    (3) Persons providing references for individual students must 
complete and submit reference forms for the students and submit them to 
the IHE's project director using G5; and
    (4) The IHE's project director must officially submit the IHE's 
application, which must include all eligible individual student 
applications, reference forms, and other required forms, using G5.
     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. G5 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 student applicant not wait until the application deadline date to 
begin the application process.
     The hours of operation of the G5 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 G5 Web site.
     Student applicants will not receive additional point value 
because the student submits his or her application in electronic 
format, nor will we penalize the IHE or student applicant if the 
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 typically provided on the following forms: The 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for

[[Page 28693]]

SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all 
necessary assurances and certifications. Both IHEs and student 
applicants must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments 
to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document) read-only, 
non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or fillable PDF 
file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, non-modifiable 
PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that 
material.
     Student transcripts must be submitted electronically 
through the G5 system.
     Both the IHE's and the student applicant's electronic 
applications must comply with any page limit requirements described in 
this notice.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After the individual student applicant electronically 
submits his or her application to the student's IHE, the student will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment. In addition, the applicant IHE's 
project director will receive a copy of this acknowledgment by email. 
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 student 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 fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to 
the Application Control Center after following these steps:
    (1) Print SF 424 from G5.
    (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 System 
Unavailability: If an IHE is prevented from electronically submitting 
its application on the application deadline date because the G5 system 
is unavailable, we will grant the IHE an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, the following 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 the G5 system and the IHE has 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    (2)(a) The G5 system 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) G5 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 acknowledgment 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 G5 help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If G5 is unavailable due to 
technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application 
deadline is extended, an email will be sent to all registered users who 
have initiated a G5 Application. Extensions referred to in this section 
apply only to the unavailability of the G5 system.
    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 G5 because--
     The IHE or a student applicant does not have access to the 
Internet; or
     The IHE or a student applicant does not have the capacity 
to upload large documents to G5; 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: Pamela J. Maimer, Ph.D., 
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 6100, Washington, 
DC 20006-6078. 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 84.022A), 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 84.022A), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00:00 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

[[Page 28694]]

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 
this grant notification 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 2014, student applications are divided into 
seven categories based on the world area focus of their research 
projects, as described in the absolute priority listed in this notice. 
Language and area studies experts in discrete world area-based panels 
will review the student 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 662.21 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 (15 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 in the United States 
and overseas or plans for such 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 and a copy of the dissertation with scholars and officials of 
the host country or countries (5 points); and
    (6) The guidance and supervision of the dissertation advisor or 
committee at all stages of the project, including guidance in 
developing the project, understanding research conditions abroad, and 
acquainting the applicant with research in the field (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 graduate academic 
record (10 points);
    (2) The extent to which the applicant's academic record 
demonstrates strength in area studies relevant to the proposed project 
(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 references or 
previous overseas experience, or both (5 points).
    3. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants 
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, 
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past 
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as 
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and 
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider 
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or 
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
    In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal 
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or 
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department 
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
    4. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary 
may impose special conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is 
not financially stable, has a history of unsatisfactory performance, 
has a financial or other management system that does not meet the 
standards in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable, has not fulfilled 
the conditions of a prior grant, or is otherwise not responsible.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If a student application is successful, we notify 
the IHE's U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send the IHE a 
Grant Award Notification (GAN); or, we may send you an email containing 
a link to access an electronic version of the GAN. We may notify the 
IHE informally, also.
    If a student 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 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 its approved application as part of the binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, 
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and 
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply 
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
    (b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final 
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the 
Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual 
performance report that provides the most current performance and 
financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 
CFR 75.118. Grantees are required to use the electronic data instrument 
International Resource Information System (IRIS) to complete the final 
report. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, 
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993, the objective for the Fulbright-Hays DDRA 
Fellowship Program is to provide grants to colleges and universities to 
fund individual doctoral students to conduct research in other 
countries in modern foreign

[[Page 28695]]

languages and area studies for periods of six to 12 months.
    The Department will use the following DDRA measures to evaluate its 
success in meeting this objective:
    DDRA GPRA Measure 1: The percentage of DDRA fellows who increased 
their foreign language scores in speaking, reading, and/or writing by 
at least one proficiency level.
    DDRA GPRA Measure 2: The percentage of DDRA fellows who complete 
their degree in their program of study within four years of receipt of 
the fellowship.
    DDRA GPRA Measure 3: The percentage of DDRA fellows who found 
employment that utilized their language and area studies skills within 
eight years of receiving their award.
    DDRA GPRA Measure 4: Efficiency Measure--The cost per DDRA fellow 
who found employment that utilized their language and area studies 
skills within eight years.
    The information provided by grantees in their performance report 
submitted via IRIS will be the source of data for this measure. 
Reporting screens for institutions and fellows may be viewed at: https://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/DDRA_director.pdf. https://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/DDRA_fellows.pdf.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela J. Maimer, Ph.D., International 
and Foreign Language Education, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street NW., Room 6100, Washington, DC 20006-6078. Telephone: (202) 502-
7704 or by email: ddra@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD or a TTY, 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 compact disc) on request to 
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
in Section VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site 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). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for free at the 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: May 14, 2014.
Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Senior Director, Policy Coordination, Development, and Accreditation 
Service, delegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of 
the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2014-11520 Filed 5-16-14; 8:45 am]
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