Applications for New Awards; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-Research Fellowships Program (also known as the Mary E. Switzer Research Fellowships), 43734-43739 [2014-17708]
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(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
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.,
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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 5075, 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 23, 2014.
Melody Musgrove,
Director, Office of Special Education
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014–17720 Filed 7–25–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; National
Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research—Research
Fellowships Program (also known as
the Mary E. Switzer Research
Fellowships)
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Overview Information:
National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)—
Research Fellowships Program (also
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known as the Mary E. Switzer Research
Fellowships)
Notice inviting applications for new
awards for fiscal year (FY) 2014.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133F–2.
DATES:
Applications Available: July 28, 2014.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to
Apply: August 18, 2014.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting:
August 7, 2014.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: September 2, 2014.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
the Research Fellowships Program is to
build research capacity by providing
support to experienced, highly qualified
individuals, including those who are
individuals with disabilities, to perform
research on the rehabilitation of
individuals with disabilities.
Fellows must conduct original
research in an area authorized by
section 204 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, as amended (the Act). Section 204
of the Act authorizes research,
demonstration projects, training, and
related activities, the purposes of which
are 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 significant disabilities,
and to improve the effectiveness of
services authorized under the Act.
Priority: NIDRR has established one
absolute priority for the competition
announced in this notice. The Research
Fellowships Program permits two types
of fellowships, Distinguished and Merit.
At this time, NIDRR is choosing to fund
a Distinguished Fellowship. The
absolute 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, the priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we
consider only applications that meet
this priority.
The priority is:
Distinguished Residential Disability
and Rehabilitation Policy Fellowship
(also known as the Mary E. Switzer
Research Fellowships).
Note: The full text of the priority is
included in the notice of final priority
for the Research Fellowships Program
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published elsewhere in this issue of the
Federal Register and in the application
package for this competition.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(e).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The
Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in
34 CFR 75.60 and 75.61, and parts 77,
81, 82, 84, 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 356. (d) The regulations in 34 CFR
350.51 and 350.52.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $125,000.
Maximum Award: $125,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: 12 months. We will
reject any application that proposes a
project period other than 12 months.
The Assistant Secretary for the Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services may change the maximum
project period through a notice
published in the Federal Register.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible
individuals must: (1) Satisfy the
requirements of 34 CFR 75.60 and 75.61
and (2) have training and experience
that indicate a potential for engaging in
scientific research related to the
solution of rehabilitation problems of
individuals with disabilities.
To be eligible for a Distinguished
Fellowship, an individual must have
seven or more years of research
experience in subject areas, methods, or
techniques relevant to rehabilitation
research and must have a doctorate,
other terminal degree, or comparable
academic qualifications.
Note: Institutions are not eligible to be
recipients of research fellowships.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This
program does not require cost sharing or
matching.
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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
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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 from ED
Pubs, be sure to identify this
competition as follows: CFDA number
84.133F–2.
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.
Page Limit: The application narrative
is where you, the applicant, address the
selection criteria that reviewers use to
evaluate your application. You must
limit the application narrative to the
equivalent of no more than 24 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).
• Use one of the following fonts:
Times New Roman, Courier, Courier
New, or Arial.
The page limit for the application
narrative does not apply to the
documents you upload to the Grants.gov
Apply site under the other two
headings: ED Project Abstract and Other
Attachments. The ED Project Abstract
Form should contain only your onepage abstract. The Other Attachments
Form should contain all other
attachments, including your
bibliography, eligibility statement,
resume/curriculum vitae, and letters of
recommendation/support. Information
regarding the protection of human
subjects, if applicable, should be
included under the Other Attachments
Form or in the place provided on the
SF–424 Supplemental Form. You do not
need to upload a table of contents for
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your application, as this will be
automatically generated by Grants.gov.
We will reject your application if you
exceed the page limit.
In concert with the balance principle
described in NIDRR’s Long-Range Plan
for Fiscal Years 2013–2017 (78 FR
20299), applicants for the Distinguished
Fellowship should specify in their
abstract and application narrative which
of NIDRR’s major domains of individual
well-being their research will focus on:
(a) Community living and participation,
(b) employment, or (c) health and
function. Although applicants may
propose projects that address more than
one domain, they should identify in
their proposal the primary domain
addressed in their proposed research.
Note: Please submit an appendix that lists
every collaborating organization and
individual named in the application,
including the mentor, staff, consultants,
contractors, and advisory board members. We
will use this information to help us screen for
conflicts of interest with our reviewers.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: July 28, 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
August 7, 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.
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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: Applicants
are not required to submit a budget with
their proposal.
The Distinguished Fellowship award
is a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) award.
A fellow must work principally on the
fellowship during the term of the
fellowship award. We define ‘‘FTE’’ as
equal to 40 hours per week. A fellow is
not allowed to be a direct recipient of
Federal government grant funds in
addition to those provided by the
Distinguished Fellowship grant (during
the duration of the fellowship award
performance period). A fellow may,
subject to compliance with his or her
institution’s policy on additional
employment, work on a Federal grant
that has been awarded to the fellow’s
institution. A Distinguished Fellow may
be allowed to dedicate additional hours
beyond the fellow’s FTE requirement for
the fellowship to other work during the
fellowship grant performance period, if
this is in keeping with the guidelines
offered by the home institutions. In
other words, NIDRR defers to the
guidelines of the fellow’s home
institution regarding the admissibility of
work in excess of the one FTE dedicated
to the fellowship. NIDRR strongly
recommends that any additional hours
be limited to .25 FTE (or 10 hours per
week), but requires that additional
hours not exceed .5 FTE (or 20 hours
per week).
To satisfy the requirement that
fellows devote one FTE to the
fellowship work, applicants must
include in their Eligibility Statement a
plan for how they will fulfill the
obligation to work on the fellowship
during the term of the fellowship award.
We will reject your application if you
fail to include such a plan in your
Eligibility Statement.
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We reference regulations outlining
funding restrictions in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
6. Requirements for Registering for
Grants.gov and Submitting Your
Application: All individuals applying
for a research fellowship must register at
www.Grants.gov prior to submitting
their application. To register with
Grants.gov you must know the Funding
Opportunity Number (FON) of the grant
opportunity you are applying for. You
can obtain this number by searching
Grants.gov using the CFDA number,
84.133. This search will lead you to
available NIDRR solicitations and
identify the FON for each. You will use
the FON to register in Grants.gov. Once
you register with Grants.gov, to facilitate
the safe and secure transfer of your
application to the Department, you will
be asked to create a profile with your
username and password, which will be
used to identify you within the system,
and create an electronic signature.
Details on registering with Grants.gov as
an individual are outlined in the
following Grants.gov tutorial: www.
grants.gov/assets/IndividualRegistration
Overview.html.
To register with Grants.gov, you do
not have to provide a Data Universal
Numbering System Number, a Taxpayer
Identification Number, or your Social
Security Number (SSN). You also do not
have to complete a Central Contractor
Registry or System for Award
Management registration in order to
access Grants.gov or submit your
application.
However, your SSN is required to
complete your application for a research
fellowship.
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
Research Fellowships Program
competition, CFDA number 84.133F–2,
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
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submit, no later than two weeks before
the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you
qualify for one of these exceptions.
Further information regarding
calculation of the date that is two weeks
before the application deadline date is
provided later in this section under
Exception to Electronic Submission
Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant
application for the Research
Fellowships Program 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 84.133F).
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.
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• 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—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.) The
Department then will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send a
second notification to you by email.
This second notification indicates that
the Department has received your
application and has assigned your
application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified identifying number unique to
your application).
• We may request that you provide us
original signatures on forms at a later
date.
Application Deadline Date Extension
in Case of Technical Issues with the
Grants.gov System: If you are
experiencing problems submitting your
application through Grants.gov, please
contact the Grants.gov Support Desk,
toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must
obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case
Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from
electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline
date because of technical problems with
the Grants.gov system, we will grant you
an extension until 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, the following
business day to enable you to transmit
your application electronically or by
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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
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,
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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 84.133F–2), 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 84.133F–2), 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.
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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 program 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
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1. Selection Criteria: The selection
criteria for this competition are from 34
CFR 356.30 through 356.32 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
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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 extent to
which grantees are conducting highquality research and related activities
that lead to high-quality products.
Performance measures for the Research
Fellowships Program include—
• The number of NIDRR-supported
fellows, post-doctoral trainees, and
doctoral students who publish results of
NIDRR-sponsored research in refereed
journals;
• The percentage of grantee research
and development that has appropriate
study design, meets rigorous standards
of scientific or engineering methods,
and builds on and contributes to
knowledge in the field; and
• The average number of publications
per award based on NIDRR-funded
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research and development activities in
refereed journals.
NIDRR evaluates the overall success
of individual research and development
grants through a review of grantee
performance and products. For these
reviews, NIDRR uses information
submitted by grantees as part of their
final performance report. Approved
final performance report guidelines
require grantees to submit information
regarding research methods, results,
outputs, and outcomes. Because grants
made under the Research Fellowships
Program are limited to a maximum of 12
months, they are not eligible for
continuation awards.
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 5075, 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.
E:\FR\FM\28JYN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 144 / Monday, July 28, 2014 / Notices
Dated: July 23, 2014.
Melody Musgrove,
Director, Office of Special Education
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014–17708 Filed 7–25–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Notice Inviting Publishers To Submit
Tests for a Determination of Suitability
for Use in the National Reporting
System for Adult Education
Office of Career, Technical, and
Adult Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Deadline for transmittal of
applications: October 1, 2014.
SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education (1)
invites publishers to submit tests for
review and approval for use in the
National Reporting System for Adult
Education (NRS); and (2) announces the
date by which publishers must submit
these tests.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle Meier, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
room 11162, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202–7240.
Telephone: (202) 245–7890 or by email:
Michelle.Meier@ed.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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Department’s regulations for Measuring
Educational Gain in the National
Reporting System for Adult Education,
34 CFR part 462 (NRS regulations),
include the procedures for determining
the suitability of tests for use in the
NRS.
Criteria the Secretary uses: In order
for the Secretary to consider a test
suitable for use in the NRS, the test
must meet the criteria and requirements
established in § 462.13.
Submission Requirements:
(a) In preparing your application, you
must comply with the requirements in
§ 462.11.
(b) In accordance with § 462.10, the
deadline for transmittal of applications
is October 1.
(c) Whether you submit your
application by mail (through the U.S.
Postal Service or a commercial carrier)
or deliver your application by hand or
by courier service, you must mail or
deliver three copies of your application,
on or before the deadline date, to the
following address: NRS Assessment
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DATES:
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Review, c/o American Institutes for
Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street
NW., Washington, DC 20007.
(d) If you submit your application by
mail or commercial carrier, 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 Education.
(e) 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.
(f) 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.
(g) If you submit your application by
hand delivery, you (or a courier service)
must deliver three copies of the
application by hand, on or before
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date.
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or compact disc) on
request to the contact person listed in
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 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.
PO 00000
Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9212.
Frm 00034
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43739
Dated: July 23, 2014.
Johan E. Uvin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Career,
Technical, and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 2014–17796 Filed 7–25–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Committee on Foreign
Medical Education and Accreditation
Office of Postsecondary
Education, U.S. Department of
Education, National Committee on
Foreign Medical Education and
Accreditation.
ACTION: The purpose of this notice is to
announce the upcoming meeting of the
National Committee on Foreign Medical
Education and Accreditation
(NCFMEA). Parts of this meeting will be
open to the public, and the public is
invited to attend those portions.
AGENCY:
Meeting Date and Place: The public
meeting will be held on Thursday,
September 4, 2014, from 8:00 a.m. until
approximately 12:30 p.m., at the U.S.
Department of Education, Eighth Floor
Conference Center, Office of
Postsecondary Education, 1990 K Street
NW., Washington, DC 20006. The
Committee will meet in Executive
Session in the afternoon from 1:30 p.m.
until approximately 5:30 p.m. This
session will not be open to the public.
Function: The NCFMEA was
established by the Secretary of
Education under Section 102 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended. The NCFMEA’s
responsibilities are to:
• Upon request of a foreign country,
evaluate the standards of accreditation
applied to medical schools in that
country; and,
• Determine the comparability of
those standards to standards for
accreditation applied to United States
medical schools.
Comparability of the applicable
accreditation standards is an eligibility
requirement for foreign medical schools
to participate in the William D. Ford
Federal Direct Student Loan Program,
20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.
Meeting Agenda: The NCFMEA will
review the standards of accreditation
applied to medical schools by several
foreign countries to determine whether
those standards are comparable to the
standards of accreditation applied to
medical schools in the United States
and/or reports previously requested of
countries by the NCFMEA. Discussion
of the standards of accreditation will be
held in sessions open to the public.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43734-43739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-17708]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research--Research Fellowships Program (also known as
the Mary E. Switzer Research Fellowships)
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overview Information:
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
(NIDRR)--Research Fellowships Program (also known as the Mary E.
Switzer Research Fellowships)
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2014.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133F-2.
DATES:
Applications Available: July 28, 2014.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: August 18, 2014.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: August 7, 2014.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 2, 2014.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Research Fellowships Program
is to build research capacity by providing support to experienced,
highly qualified individuals, including those who are individuals with
disabilities, to perform research on the rehabilitation of individuals
with disabilities.
Fellows must conduct original research in an area authorized by
section 204 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the Act).
Section 204 of the Act authorizes research, demonstration projects,
training, and related activities, the purposes of which are 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
significant disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services
authorized under the Act.
Priority: NIDRR has established one absolute priority for the
competition announced in this notice. The Research Fellowships Program
permits two types of fellowships, Distinguished and Merit. At this
time, NIDRR is choosing to fund a Distinguished Fellowship. The
absolute 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, the
priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we
consider only applications that meet this priority.
The priority is:
Distinguished Residential Disability and Rehabilitation Policy
Fellowship (also known as the Mary E. Switzer Research Fellowships).
Note: The full text of the priority is included in the notice of
final priority for the Research Fellowships Program
[[Page 43735]]
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register and in the
application package for this competition.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(e).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR 75.60 and 75.61, and parts
77, 81, 82, 84, 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 356. (d) The regulations in 34 CFR 350.51 and
350.52.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $125,000.
Maximum Award: $125,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: 12 months. We will reject any application that
proposes a project period other than 12 months. The Assistant Secretary
for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may
change the maximum project period through a notice published in the
Federal Register.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible individuals must: (1) Satisfy the
requirements of 34 CFR 75.60 and 75.61 and (2) have training and
experience that indicate a potential for engaging in scientific
research related to the solution of rehabilitation problems of
individuals with disabilities.
To be eligible for a Distinguished Fellowship, an individual must
have seven or more years of research experience in subject areas,
methods, or techniques relevant to rehabilitation research and must
have a doctorate, other terminal degree, or comparable academic
qualifications.
Note: Institutions are not eligible to be recipients of research
fellowships.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following
address: 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 from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.133F-2.
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.
Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant,
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your
application. You must limit the application narrative to the equivalent
of no more than 24 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).
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial.
The page limit for the application narrative does not apply to the
documents you upload to the Grants.gov Apply site under the other two
headings: ED Project Abstract and Other Attachments. The ED Project
Abstract Form should contain only your one-page abstract. The Other
Attachments Form should contain all other attachments, including your
bibliography, eligibility statement, resume/curriculum vitae, and
letters of recommendation/support. Information regarding the protection
of human subjects, if applicable, should be included under the Other
Attachments Form or in the place provided on the SF-424 Supplemental
Form. You do not need to upload a table of contents for your
application, as this will be automatically generated by Grants.gov.
We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
In concert with the balance principle described in NIDRR's Long-
Range Plan for Fiscal Years 2013-2017 (78 FR 20299), applicants for the
Distinguished Fellowship should specify in their abstract and
application narrative which of NIDRR's major domains of individual
well-being their research will focus on: (a) Community living and
participation, (b) employment, or (c) health and function. Although
applicants may propose projects that address more than one domain, they
should identify in their proposal the primary domain addressed in their
proposed research.
Note: Please submit an appendix that lists every collaborating
organization and individual named in the application, including the
mentor, staff, consultants, contractors, and advisory board members.
We will use this information to help us screen for conflicts of
interest with our reviewers.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: July 28, 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 August 7, 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.
[[Page 43736]]
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: Applicants are not required to submit a
budget with their proposal.
The Distinguished Fellowship award is a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)
award. A fellow must work principally on the fellowship during the term
of the fellowship award. We define ``FTE'' as equal to 40 hours per
week. A fellow is not allowed to be a direct recipient of Federal
government grant funds in addition to those provided by the
Distinguished Fellowship grant (during the duration of the fellowship
award performance period). A fellow may, subject to compliance with his
or her institution's policy on additional employment, work on a Federal
grant that has been awarded to the fellow's institution. A
Distinguished Fellow may be allowed to dedicate additional hours beyond
the fellow's FTE requirement for the fellowship to other work during
the fellowship grant performance period, if this is in keeping with the
guidelines offered by the home institutions. In other words, NIDRR
defers to the guidelines of the fellow's home institution regarding the
admissibility of work in excess of the one FTE dedicated to the
fellowship. NIDRR strongly recommends that any additional hours be
limited to .25 FTE (or 10 hours per week), but requires that additional
hours not exceed .5 FTE (or 20 hours per week).
To satisfy the requirement that fellows devote one FTE to the
fellowship work, applicants must include in their Eligibility Statement
a plan for how they will fulfill the obligation to work on the
fellowship during the term of the fellowship award. We will reject your
application if you fail to include such a plan in your Eligibility
Statement.
We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the
Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Requirements for Registering for Grants.gov and Submitting Your
Application: All individuals applying for a research fellowship must
register at www.Grants.gov prior to submitting their application. To
register with Grants.gov you must know the Funding Opportunity Number
(FON) of the grant opportunity you are applying for. You can obtain
this number by searching Grants.gov using the CFDA number, 84.133. This
search will lead you to available NIDRR solicitations and identify the
FON for each. You will use the FON to register in Grants.gov. Once you
register with Grants.gov, to facilitate the safe and secure transfer of
your application to the Department, you will be asked to create a
profile with your username and password, which will be used to identify
you within the system, and create an electronic signature. Details on
registering with Grants.gov as an individual are outlined in the
following Grants.gov tutorial: www.grants.gov/assets/IndividualRegistrationOverview.html.
To register with Grants.gov, you do not have to provide a Data
Universal Numbering System Number, a Taxpayer Identification Number, or
your Social Security Number (SSN). You also do not have to complete a
Central Contractor Registry or System for Award Management registration
in order to access Grants.gov or submit your application.
However, your SSN is required to complete your application for a
research fellowship.
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 Research Fellowships Program
competition, CFDA number 84.133F-2, 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. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Research
Fellowships Program 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 84.133F).
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.
[[Page 43737]]
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.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by email. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 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 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 84.133F-2), 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 84.133F-2), 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.
[[Page 43738]]
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 program 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 356.30 through 356.32 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 extent to which
grantees are conducting high-quality research and related activities
that lead to high-quality products. Performance measures for the
Research Fellowships Program include--
The number of NIDRR-supported fellows, post-doctoral
trainees, and doctoral students who publish results of NIDRR-sponsored
research in refereed journals;
The percentage of grantee research and development that
has appropriate study design, meets rigorous standards of scientific or
engineering methods, and builds on and contributes to knowledge in the
field; and
The average number of publications per award based on
NIDRR-funded research and development activities in refereed journals.
NIDRR evaluates the overall success of individual research and
development grants through a review of grantee performance and
products. For these reviews, NIDRR uses information submitted by
grantees as part of their final performance report. Approved final
performance report guidelines require grantees to submit information
regarding research methods, results, outputs, and outcomes. Because
grants made under the Research Fellowships Program are limited to a
maximum of 12 months, they are not eligible for continuation awards.
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 5075, 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.
[[Page 43739]]
Dated: July 23, 2014.
Melody Musgrove,
Director, Office of Special Education Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014-17708 Filed 7-25-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
