Applications for New Awards; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers, 38859-38864 [2014-16088]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 131 / Wednesday, July 9, 2014 / Notices
addressed to the Director of the
Information Collection Clearance
Division, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue SW, LBJ,
Mailstop L–OM–2–2E319, Room 2E105,
Washington, DC 20202.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
specific questions related to collection
activities, please contact Kashka
Kubdzela, 202–502–7411.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Department of Education (ED), in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general
public and Federal agencies with an
opportunity to comment on proposed,
revised, and continuing collections of
information. This helps the Department
assess the impact of its information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. It also
helps the public understand the
Department’s information collection
requirements and provide the requested
data in the desired format. ED is
soliciting comments on the proposed
information collection request (ICR) that
is described below. The Department of
Education is especially interested in
public comment addressing the
following issues: (1) Is this collection
necessary to the proper functions of the
Department; (2) will this information be
processed and used in a timely manner;
(3) is the estimate of burden accurate;
(4) how might the Department enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (5) how
might the Department minimize the
burden of this collection on the
respondents, including through the use
of information technology. Please note
that written comments received in
response to this notice will be
considered public records.
Title of Collection: 2015 National
Household Education Survey (NHES
2015) Full Scale Data Collection.
OMB Control Number: 1850–0768.
Type of Review: A revision of an
existing information collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals or households.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 198,736.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 32,240.
Abstract: The National Household
Education Surveys Program (NHES) is
conducted by the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES). NHES is
NCESs principal mechanism for
addressing education topics appropriate
for households rather than
establishments. Such topics cover a
wide range of issues, including early
childhood care and education,
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children’s readiness for school, parent
perceptions of school safety and
discipline, before- and after-school
activities of school-age children,
participation in adult education and
training, parent involvement in
education, school choice,
homeschooling, and civic involvement.
The NHES consists of a series of rotating
surveys using a two-stage design in
which a household screener collects
household membership and key
characteristics for sampling and then
appropriate topical survey(s) are mailed
to sample members. Data from the
NHES are used to provide national
cross-sectional estimates on populations
of special interest to education
researchers and policymakers. For
surveys about children, the population
of interest is defined by age or grade in
school, or both, depending on the
particular survey topic and research
questions. For surveys of adults, the
population of interest is those aged 16
to 65 who are not enrolled in grade 12
or below, excluding those on active duty
military service and those who are
institutionalized. The NHES targets
these populations using specific
screening and sampling procedures. The
NHES design also yields estimates for
subgroups of interest for each child and
adult survey. In addition to providing
cross-sectional estimates, the NHES is
designed to produce estimates from
repeated cross sections to measure
changes in key statistics. NHES surveys
were conducted approximately every
other year from 1991 through 2007
using random digit dial (RDD)
methodology; beginning in 2012 NHES
began collecting data by mail to improve
response rates. This submission seeks
clearance to repeat the child topical
surveys conducted in 2012, Parent and
Family Involvement in Education (PFI)
and Early Childhood Program
Participation (ECPP), to begin to
measure changes over time with the
new methodology. It also seeks
clearance to conduct the first adult
topical survey in NHES since 2005, the
Credentials for Work Survey (CWS), and
to pilot an adult topical survey for
NHES:2017, the Training for Work
Survey (TWS). The adult surveys were
developed in conjunction with the
Interagency Working Group on
Expanded Measures of Enrollment and
Attainment (GEMEnA) and the CWS
was pilot tested in the 2014 NHES
Feasibility Study. Data collection
approaches that were most successful at
balancing the need to limit overall bias,
respondent burden, and cost in the
Feasibility Study will be used for the
2015 data collection.
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Dated: July 2, 2014.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection
Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and
Records Management Services, Office of
Management.
[FR Doc. 2014–15935 Filed 7–8–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; National
Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research—
Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Centers
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Overview Information:
National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)—
Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Projects and Centers Program—
Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Centers (RERCs)—Improving the
Accessibility, Usability, and
Performance of Technology for
Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing Notice inviting applications for
new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2014.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.133E–4.
DATES:
Applications Available: July 9, 2014.
Deadline for Letter of Intent to Apply:
August 13, 2014.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: July
30, 2014.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: September 8, 2014.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
the Disability and Rehabilitation
Research Projects and Centers Program
is to plan and conduct research,
demonstration projects, training, and
related activities, including
international activities, to develop
methods, procedures, and rehabilitation
technology that maximize the full
inclusion and integration into society,
employment, independent living, family
support, and economic and social selfsufficiency of individuals with
disabilities, especially individuals with
the most severe disabilities. The
program is also intended to improve the
effectiveness of services authorized
under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
amended (Rehabilitation Act).
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Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Centers
The purpose of NIDRR’s RERCs
program, which is funded through the
Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Projects and Centers Program, is to
improve the effectiveness of services
authorized under the Rehabilitation Act.
It does so by conducting advanced
engineering research, developing and
evaluating innovative technologies,
facilitating service delivery system
changes, stimulating the production and
distribution of new technologies and
equipment in the private sector, and
providing training opportunities. RERCs
seek to solve rehabilitation problems
and remove environmental barriers to
improvements in employment,
community living and participation,
and health and function outcomes of
individuals with disabilities.
The general requirements for RERCs
are set out in subpart D of 34 CFR part
350 (What Rehabilitation Engineering
Research Centers Does the Secretary
Assist?).
Priority: This priority is from the
notice of final priority for this program,
published elsewhere in this issue of the
Federal Register.
Absolute Priority: For FY 2014 and
any subsequent year in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded
applicants from this competition, this
priority is an absolute priority. Under 34
CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only
applications that meet this priority.
This priority is:
Improving the Accessibility, Usability,
and Performance of Technology for
Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing.
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Note: The full text of this priority is
included in the notice of final priority for
this program published elsewhere in this
issue of the Federal Register and in the
application package for this competition.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g)
and 764(b)(3).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The
Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR
parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 86, and
97. (b) The Education Department
debarment and suspension regulations
in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The regulations
for this program in 34 CFR part 350. (d)
The notice of final priority published
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal
Register.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86
apply to institutions of higher education
(IHEs) only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $950,000.
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Maximum Award: $950,000.
We will reject any application that
proposes a budget exceeding $950,000
for a single budget period of 12 months.
The Assistant Secretary for Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount
through a notice published in the
Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: States; public
or private agencies, including for-profit
agencies; public or private
organizations, including for-profit
organizations; IHEs; and Indian tribes
and tribal organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This
competition does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address to Request Application
Package: You can obtain an application
package via the Internet or from the
Education Publications Center (ED
Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet,
use the following address: www.ed.gov/
fund/grant/apply/grantapps/.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write,
fax, or call the following: ED Pubs, U.S.
Department of Education, P.O. Box
22207, Alexandria, VA 22304.
Telephone, toll free: 1–877–433–7827.
FAX: (703) 605–6794. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call,
toll free: 1–877–576–7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web
site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at its
email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application package
from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this
program as follows: CFDA number
84.133E–4.
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 person or team listed
under Accessible Format in section VIII
of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application
Submission: Requirements concerning
the content of an application, together
with the forms you must submit, are in
the application package for this
competition.
Notice of Intent to Apply: Due to the
broad nature of the priority in this
competition, and to assist with the
selection of reviewers for this
competition, NIDRR is requesting all
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potential applicants to submit a letter of
intent (LOI). The submission is not
mandatory and the content of the LOI
will not be peer reviewed or otherwise
used to rate an application.
Each LOI should be limited to a
maximum of four pages and include the
following information:
(1) The title of the proposed project,
the name of the applicant, the name of
the Project Director or Principal
Investigator (PI), and the names of
partner institutions and entities;
(2) A brief statement of the vision,
goals, and objectives of the proposed
project and a description of its activities
at a sufficient level of detail to allow
NIDRR to select potential peer
reviewers;
(3) A list of proposed project staff
including the Project Director or PI and
key personnel;
(4) A list of individuals whose
selection as a peer reviewer might
constitute a conflict of interest due to
involvement in proposal development,
selection as an advisory board member,
co-PI relationships, etc.; and
(5) Contact information for the Project
Director or PI.
Submission of an LOI is not a
prerequisite for eligibility to submit an
application.
Applicants should submit the
optional LOI by mail (either through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial
carrier) or by email to: Patricia Barrett,
U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue, Room 5142, Potomac
Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC
20202, email: patricia.barrett@ed.gov.
The optional LOI should be submitted
no later than August 13, 2014.
For further information regarding the
LOI submission process, contact Patricia
Barrett at (202) 245–6211, or email:
patricia.barrett@ed.gov.
Page Limit: The application narrative
(Part III of the application) is where you,
the applicant, address the selection
criteria that reviewers use to evaluate
your application. We recommend that
you limit Part III to the equivalent of no
more than 100 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. You are not
required to double space titles,
headings, footnotes, references,
captions, or text in charts, tables,
figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or
larger or no smaller than 10 pitch
(characters per inch).
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Use one of the following fonts: Times
New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or
Arial.
The recommended page limit does not
apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II,
the budget section, including the
narrative budget justification; Part IV,
the assurances and certifications; or the
one-page abstract, the resumes, the
bibliography, or the letters of support.
However, the page limit does apply to
all of the application narrative section
(Part III).
Note 1: Please submit an appendix that
lists every collaborating organization and
individual named in the application,
including staff, consultants, contractors, and
advisory board members. We will use this
information to help us screen for conflicts of
interest with our reviewers.
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Note 2: An applicant should consult
NIDRR’s Long-Range Plan for Fiscal Years
2013–2017 (78 FR 20299) (Plan) when
preparing its application. The Plan is
organized around the following research
domains: (1) Community Living and
Participation; (2) Health and Function; and
(3) Employment.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: July 9, 2014.
Deadline for Letter of Intent to Apply:
August 13, 2014.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting:
Interested parties are invited to
participate in a pre-application meeting
and to receive information and technical
assistance through individual
consultation with NIDRR staff. The preapplication meeting will be held on July
30, 2014. Interested parties may
participate in this meeting by
conference call with NIDRR staff from
the Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services between 1:00
p.m. and 3:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time. NIDRR staff also will be available
from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the same day,
by telephone, to provide information
and technical assistance through
individual consultation. For further
information or to make arrangements to
participate in the meeting via
conference call or to arrange for an
individual consultation, contact the
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of
this notice.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: September 8, 2014.
Applications for grants under this
competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov
Apply site (Grants.gov). For information
(including dates and times) about how
to submit your application
electronically, or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery if you qualify for
an exception to the electronic
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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
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 two to five 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
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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/samfaqs.html.
In addition, if you are submitting your
application via Grants.gov, you must (1)
be designated by your organization as an
Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (2) register yourself with
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these
steps are outlined at the following
Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/
web/grants/register.html.
7. Other Submission Requirements:
Applications for grants under this
competition must be submitted
electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in
accordance with the instructions in this
section.
a. Electronic Submission of
Applications.
Applications for grants under the
RERC competition, CFDA Number
84.133E–4, must be submitted
electronically using the
Governmentwide Grants.gov apply site
at www.Grants.gov. Through this site,
you will be able to download a copy of
the application package, complete it
offline, and then upload and submit
your application. You may not email an
electronic copy of a grant application to
us.
We will reject your application if you
submit it in paper format unless, as
described elsewhere in this section, you
qualify for one of the exceptions to the
electronic submission requirement and
submit, no later than two weeks before
the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you
qualify for one of these exceptions.
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Further information regarding
calculation of the date that is two weeks
before the application deadline date is
provided later in this section under
Exception to Electronic Submission
Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant
application for this RERC competition at
www.Grants.gov. You must search for
the downloadable application package
for this competition by the CFDA
number. Do not include the CFDA
number’s alpha suffix in your search
(e.g., search for 84.133, not 84.133E).
Please note the following:
• When you enter the Grants.gov site,
you will find information about
submitting an application electronically
through the site, as well as the hours of
operation.
• Applications received by Grants.gov
are date and time stamped. Your
application must be fully uploaded and
submitted and must be date and time
stamped by the Grants.gov system no
later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date.
Except as otherwise noted in this
section, we will not accept your
application if it is received—that is, date
and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,
DC time, on the application deadline
date. We do not consider an application
that does not comply with the deadline
requirements. When we retrieve your
application from Grants.gov, we will
notify you if we are rejecting your
application because it was date and time
stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date.
• The amount of time it can take to
upload an application will vary
depending on a variety of factors,
including the size of the application and
the speed of your Internet connection.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application
deadline date to begin the submission
process through Grants.gov.
• You should review and follow the
Education Submission Procedures for
submitting an application through
Grants.gov that are included in the
application package for this competition
to ensure that you submit your
application in a timely manner to the
Grants.gov system. You can also find the
Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov under News
and Events on the Department’s G5
system home page at www.G5.gov.
• You will not receive additional
point value because you submit your
application in electronic format, nor
will we penalize you if you qualify for
an exception to the electronic
submission requirement, as described
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elsewhere in this section, and submit
your application in paper format.
• You must submit all documents
electronically, including all information
you typically provide on the following
forms: 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.
• You must upload any narrative
sections and all other attachments to
your application as files in a PDF
(Portable Document) read-only, nonmodifiable format. Do not upload an
interactive or fillable PDF file. If you
upload a file type other than a readonly, non-modifiable PDF or submit a
password-protected file, we will not
review that material. Additional,
detailed information on how to attach
files is in the application instructions.
• Your electronic application must
comply with any page-limit
requirements described in this notice.
• After you electronically submit
your application, you will receive from
Grants.gov an automatic notification of
receipt that contains a Grants.gov
tracking number.
This notification indicates receipt by
Grants.gov only, not receipt by the
Department. Grants.gov will also notify
you automatically by email if your
application met all the Grants.gov
validation requirements or if there were
any errors. You will be given an
opportunity to correct any errors and
resubmit your application, but you must
still meet the deadline for submission of
applications.
Once your application is successfully
validated by Grants.gov, the Department
will retrieve your application from
Grants.gov and send you an email with
a unique PR/Award number for your
application. This second notification
indicates that the Department has
received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award
number (an ED-specified identifying
number unique to your application).
These emails do not mean that your
application is free of any disqualifying
errors. It is your responsibility to ensure
that your submitted application has met
all of the Department’s requirements,
including submitting all attachments to
your application as files in a PDF
(Portable Document) read-only, nonmodifiable format, as described in this
notice and in the application
instructions.
• We may request that you provide us
original signatures on forms at a later
date.
Application Deadline Date Extension
in Case of Technical Issues with the
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Grants.gov System: If you are
experiencing problems submitting your
application through Grants.gov, please
contact the Grants.gov Support Desk,
toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must
obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case
Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from
electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline
date because of technical problems with
the Grants.gov system, we will grant you
an extension until 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, the following
business day to enable you to transmit
your application electronically or by
hand delivery. You also may mail your
application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this
notice.
If you submit an application after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date, please
contact the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in
section VII of this notice and provide an
explanation of the technical problem
you experienced with Grants.gov, along
with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case
Number. We will accept your
application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the
Grants.gov system and that the problem
affected your ability to submit your
application by 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a
determination is made on whether your
application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in
this section apply only to the unavailability
of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov
system. We will not grant you an extension
if you failed to fully register to submit your
application to Grants.gov before the
application deadline date and time or if the
technical problem you experienced is
unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission
Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission
requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are
unable to submit an application through
the Grants.gov system because—
• You do not have access to the
Internet; or
• You do not have the capacity to
upload large documents to the
Grants.gov system;
and
• No later than two weeks before the
application deadline date (14 calendar
days or, if the fourteenth calendar day
before the application deadline date
falls on a Federal holiday, the next
business day following the Federal
holiday), you mail or fax a written
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statement to the Department, explaining
which of the two grounds for an
exception prevents you from using the
Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to
the Department, it must be postmarked
no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date. If you fax
your written statement to the
Department, we must receive the faxed
statement no later than two weeks
before the application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your
statement to: Patricia Barrett, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue SW., room 5142, PCP,
Washington, DC 20202–2700. FAX:
(202) 245–6211.
Your paper application must be
submitted in accordance with the mail
or hand delivery instructions described
in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications
by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the
electronic submission requirement, you
may mail (through the U.S. Postal
Service or a commercial carrier) your
application to the Department. You
must mail the original and two copies
of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the
Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.133E–4), LBJ
Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202–
4260.
You must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service
postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the
date of mailing stamped by the U.S.
Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or
receipt from a commercial carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing
acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S.
Department of Education.
If you mail your application through
the U.S. Postal Service, we do not
accept either of the following as proof
of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by
the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after
the application deadline date, we will
not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not
uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before
relying on this method, you should check
with your local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications
by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the
electronic submission requirement, you
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(or a courier service) may deliver your
paper application to the Department by
hand. You must deliver the original and
two copies of your application by hand,
on or before the application deadline
date, to the Department at the following
address: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.133E–4), 550 12th
Street SW., Room 7039, 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 you mail or hand deliver
your application to the Department—
(1) You must indicate on the envelope
and—if not provided by the Department—in
Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number,
including suffix letter, if any, of the
competition under which you are submitting
your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will
mail to you a notification of receipt of your
grant application. If you do not receive this
notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call
the U.S. Department of Education
Application Control Center at (202) 245–
6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection
criteria for this competition are from 34
CFR 350.54 and are listed in the
application package.
2. 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).
3. 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
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38863
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 your application
is successful, we notify your U.S.
Representative and U.S. Senators and
send you a Grant Award Notification
(GAN); or we may send you an email
containing a link to access an electronic
version of your GAN. We may notify
you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or
not selected for funding, we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy
requirements in the application package
and reference these and other
requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section 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 your approved
application as part of your 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. 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: To evaluate
the overall success of its research
program, NIDRR assesses the quality of
its funded projects through a review of
grantee performance and products. Each
year, NIDRR examines a portion of its
grantees to determine:
• The number of products (e.g., new
or improved tools, methods, discoveries,
standards, interventions, programs, or
devices developed or tested with NIDRR
funding) that have been judged by
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expert panels to be of high quality and
to advance the field.
• The average number of publications
per award based on NIDRR-funded
research and development activities in
refereed journals.
• The percentage of new NIDRR
grants that assess the effectiveness of
interventions, programs, and devices
using rigorous methods.
NIDRR uses information submitted by
grantees as part of their Annual
Performance Reports for these reviews.
5. Continuation Awards: In making a
continuation award, the Secretary may
consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the
extent to which a grantee has made
‘‘substantial progress toward meeting
the objectives in its approved
application.’’ This consideration
includes the review of a grantee’s
progress in meeting the targets and
projected outcomes in its approved
application, and whether the grantee
has expended funds in a manner that is
consistent with its approved application
and budget. In making a continuation
grant, the Secretary also considers
whether the grantee is operating in
compliance with the assurances in its
approved application, including those
applicable to Federal civil rights laws
that prohibit discrimination in programs
or activities receiving Federal financial
assistance from the Department (34 CFR
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Patricia Barrett, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Room 5142, PCP, Washington, DC
20202–2700. Telephone: (202) 245–6211
or by email: patricia.barrett@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the
Federal Relay Service (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) by
contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Room 5037, PCP, Washington, DC
20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245–
7363. If you use a TDD or a TTY, call
the FRS, toll-free, at 1–800–877–8339.
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
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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 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: July 3, 2014.
Michael K. Yudin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2014–16088 Filed 7–8–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; National
Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research—
Rehabilitation Research and Training
Centers
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Overview Information
National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)—
Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Projects and Centers Program—
Rehabilitation Research and Training
Centers—Family Support Notice
inviting applications for new awards for
fiscal year (FY) 2014.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.133B–8.
DATES:
Applications Available: July 9, 2014.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: July
30, 2014.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to
Apply: August 13, 2014.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: September 8, 2014.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
the Disability and Rehabilitation
Research Projects and Centers Program
is to plan and conduct research,
demonstration projects, training, and
related activities, including
international activities, to develop
methods, procedures, and rehabilitation
technology that maximize the full
inclusion and integration into society,
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employment, independent living, family
support, and economic and social selfsufficiency of individuals with
disabilities, especially individuals with
the most severe disabilities, and to
improve the effectiveness of services
authorized under the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation
Act).
Rehabilitation Research and Training
Centers (RRTCs)
The purpose of the RRTCs, which are
funded through the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and
Centers Program, is to achieve the goals
of, and improve the effectiveness of,
services authorized under the
Rehabilitation Act through welldesigned research, training, technical
assistance, and dissemination activities
in important topical areas as specified
by NIDRR. These activities are designed
to benefit rehabilitation service
providers, individuals with disabilities,
family members, policymakers, and
other research stakeholders. Additional
information on the RRTC program can
be found at: https://www2.ed.gov/
programs/rrtc/#types.
Priorities: NIDRR has established two
absolute priorities for the competition
announced in this notice. The General
RRTC Requirements priority, which
applies to all RRTC competitions, is
from the notice of final priorities for the
Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Projects and Centers Program, published
in the Federal Register on February 1,
2008 (73 FR 6132). The Family Support
priority is from the notice of final
priority for the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and
Centers Program, published elsewhere
in this issue of the Federal Register.
Absolute Priorities: For FY 2014 and
any subsequent year in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded
applicants from this competition, these
priorities are absolute priorities. Under
34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only
applications that meet both of these
priorities.
These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1—General RRTC
Requirements.
Note: The full text of the General RRTC
Requirements priority is included in the
notice of final priorities for the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers
Program, published in the Federal Register
on February 1, 2008 (73 FR 6132), and in the
application package for this competition.
Absolute Priority 2—Family Support.
Note: The full text of the Family Support
priority is included in the notice of final
priority published elsewhere in this issue of
the Federal Register and in the application
package for this competition.
E:\FR\FM\09JYN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 131 (Wednesday, July 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38859-38864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16088]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research--Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overview Information:
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
(NIDRR)--Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers
Program--Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs)--Improving
the Accessibility, Usability, and Performance of Technology for
Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Notice inviting
applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2014.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133E-4.
DATES:
Applications Available: July 9, 2014.
Deadline for Letter of Intent to Apply: August 13, 2014.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: July 30, 2014.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 8, 2014.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program is to plan and
conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related
activities, including international activities, to develop methods,
procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full
inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living,
family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals
with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe
disabilities. The program is also intended to improve the effectiveness
of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended
(Rehabilitation Act).
[[Page 38860]]
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers
The purpose of NIDRR's RERCs program, which is funded through the
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is
to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the
Rehabilitation Act. It does so by conducting advanced engineering
research, developing and evaluating innovative technologies,
facilitating service delivery system changes, stimulating the
production and distribution of new technologies and equipment in the
private sector, and providing training opportunities. RERCs seek to
solve rehabilitation problems and remove environmental barriers to
improvements in employment, community living and participation, and
health and function outcomes of individuals with disabilities.
The general requirements for RERCs are set out in subpart D of 34
CFR part 350 (What Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Does the
Secretary Assist?).
Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority for
this program, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal
Register.
Absolute Priority: For FY 2014 and any subsequent year in which we
make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition,
this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we
consider only applications that meet this priority.
This priority is:
Improving the Accessibility, Usability, and Performance of
Technology for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Note: The full text of this priority is included in the notice
of final priority for this program published elsewhere in this issue
of the Federal Register and in the application package for this
competition.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(3).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84,
86, and 97. (b) The Education Department debarment and suspension
regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The regulations for this program in
34 CFR part 350. (d) The notice of final priority published elsewhere
in this issue of the Federal Register.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education (IHEs) only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $950,000.
Maximum Award: $950,000.
We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding
$950,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant
Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change
the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: States; public or private agencies,
including for-profit agencies; public or private organizations,
including for-profit organizations; IHEs; and Indian tribes and tribal
organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following
address: www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/. To obtain a
copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following: ED Pubs, U.S.
Department of Education, P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304.
Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (703) 605-6794. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY),
call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at
its email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to
identify this program as follows: CFDA number 84.133E-4.
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 person or team listed under
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
Notice of Intent to Apply: Due to the broad nature of the priority
in this competition, and to assist with the selection of reviewers for
this competition, NIDRR is requesting all potential applicants to
submit a letter of intent (LOI). The submission is not mandatory and
the content of the LOI will not be peer reviewed or otherwise used to
rate an application.
Each LOI should be limited to a maximum of four pages and include
the following information:
(1) The title of the proposed project, the name of the applicant,
the name of the Project Director or Principal Investigator (PI), and
the names of partner institutions and entities;
(2) A brief statement of the vision, goals, and objectives of the
proposed project and a description of its activities at a sufficient
level of detail to allow NIDRR to select potential peer reviewers;
(3) A list of proposed project staff including the Project Director
or PI and key personnel;
(4) A list of individuals whose selection as a peer reviewer might
constitute a conflict of interest due to involvement in proposal
development, selection as an advisory board member, co-PI
relationships, etc.; and
(5) Contact information for the Project Director or PI.
Submission of an LOI is not a prerequisite for eligibility to
submit an application.
Applicants should submit the optional LOI by mail (either through
the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) or by email to:
Patricia Barrett, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
Room 5142, Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202, email:
patricia.barrett@ed.gov. The optional LOI should be submitted no later
than August 13, 2014.
For further information regarding the LOI submission process,
contact Patricia Barrett at (202) 245-6211, or email:
patricia.barrett@ed.gov.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. We recommend that you limit
Part III to the equivalent of no more than 100 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. You are not required to double space
titles, headings, footnotes, references, captions, or text in charts,
tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10
pitch (characters per inch).
[[Page 38861]]
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier
New, or Arial.
The recommended page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover
sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget
justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-
page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of
support. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application
narrative section (Part III).
Note 1: Please submit an appendix that lists every
collaborating organization and individual named in the application,
including staff, consultants, contractors, and advisory board
members. We will use this information to help us screen for
conflicts of interest with our reviewers.
Note 2: An applicant should consult NIDRR's Long-Range Plan for
Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (78 FR 20299) (Plan) when preparing its
application. The Plan is organized around the following research
domains: (1) Community Living and Participation; (2) Health and
Function; and (3) Employment.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: July 9, 2014.
Deadline for Letter of Intent to Apply: August 13, 2014.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: Interested parties are invited to
participate in a pre-application meeting and to receive information and
technical assistance through individual consultation with NIDRR staff.
The pre-application meeting will be held on July 30, 2014. Interested
parties may participate in this meeting by conference call with NIDRR
staff from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., Washington, DC time. NIDRR staff also
will be available from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the same day, by telephone, to provide information and technical
assistance through individual consultation. For further information or
to make arrangements to participate in the meeting via conference call
or to arrange for an individual consultation, contact the person listed
under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 8, 2014.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV.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 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 two to five 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.
In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov,
you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the RERC competition, CFDA Number
84.133E-4, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide
Grants.gov apply site at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be
able to download a copy of the application package, complete it
offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not email
an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions.
[[Page 38862]]
Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks
before the application deadline date is provided later in this section
under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for this RERC
competition at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable
application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not
include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for
84.133, not 84.133E).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5
system home page at www.G5.gov.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms: 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.
You 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. Additional, detailed information on how to attach
files is in the application instructions.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt
by the Department. Grants.gov will also notify you automatically by
email if your application met all the Grants.gov validation
requirements or if there were any errors. You will be given an
opportunity to correct any errors and resubmit your application, but
you must still meet the deadline for submission of applications.
Once your application is successfully validated by Grants.gov, the
Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you
an email with a unique PR/Award number for your application. This
second notification indicates that the Department has received your
application and has assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-
specified identifying number unique to your application).
These emails do not mean that your application is free of any
disqualifying errors. It is your responsibility to ensure that your
submitted application has met all of the Department's requirements,
including submitting all attachments to your application as files in a
PDF (Portable Document) read-only, non-modifiable format, as described
in this notice and in the application instructions.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether
your application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system;
and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written
[[Page 38863]]
statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an
exception prevents you from using the Internet to submit your
application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Patricia Barrett, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 5142, PCP,
Washington, DC 20202-2700. FAX: (202) 245-6211.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.133E-4), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.133E-4), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, 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 you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are from 34 CFR 350.54 and are listed in the application package.
2. 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).
3. 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 your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to
access an electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally,
also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section 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 your approved application as part of your 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. 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: To evaluate the overall success of its
research program, NIDRR assesses the quality of its funded projects
through a review of grantee performance and products. Each year, NIDRR
examines a portion of its grantees to determine:
The number of products (e.g., new or improved tools,
methods, discoveries, standards, interventions, programs, or devices
developed or tested with NIDRR funding) that have been judged by
[[Page 38864]]
expert panels to be of high quality and to advance the field.
The average number of publications per award based on
NIDRR-funded research and development activities in refereed journals.
The percentage of new NIDRR grants that assess the
effectiveness of interventions, programs, and devices using rigorous
methods.
NIDRR uses information submitted by grantees as part of their
Annual Performance Reports for these reviews.
5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award, the
Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the extent to which a
grantee has made ``substantial progress toward meeting the objectives
in its approved application.'' This consideration includes the review
of a grantee's progress in meeting the targets and projected outcomes
in its approved application, and whether the grantee has expended funds
in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and
budget. In making a continuation grant, the Secretary also considers
whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in
its approved application, including those applicable to Federal civil
rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities
receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Barrett, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5142, PCP, Washington, DC
20202-2700. Telephone: (202) 245-6211 or by email:
patricia.barrett@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the Federal Relay Service (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) by contacting
the Grants and Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5037, PCP, Washington, DC 20202-2550.
Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS,
toll-free, at 1-800-877-8339.
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 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: July 3, 2014.
Michael K. Yudin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-16088 Filed 7-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
