Applications for New Awards; Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship Program, 4317-4322 [2017-00747]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4317-4322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00747]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


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

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Overview Information:

    Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) 
Fellowship Program Notice inviting applications for new awards for 
fiscal year (FY) 2017.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.022A.

DATES: Applications Available: January 13, 2017.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 14, 2017.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program 
provides opportunities to doctoral candidates to engage in full-time 
dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area 
studies. The program is designed to contribute to the development and 
improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies 
in the United States.
    Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority, two 
competitive preference priorities, and one invitational priority. In 
accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute and competitive 
preference priorities are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 
662.21(d)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2017, this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Specific Geographic Regions of the World.
    A research project that focuses on one or more of the following 
geographic areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific 
Islands, South Asia, the Near East, Central and Eastern Europe and 
Eurasia, and the Western Hemisphere (excluding the United States and 
its territories). Please note that applications that propose projects 
focused on the following countries are not eligible: Andorra, Austria, 
Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, 
Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, 
Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United 
Kingdom, or Vatican City.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: Within this absolute priority, 
we give competitive preference to applications that address one or both 
of the following priorities.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), for FY 2017, we award an additional 
three points to an application that meets Competitive Preference 
Priority 1 and two points for an application that meets Competitive 
Preference Priority 2 (up to 5 additional points possible).
    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1: Focus on Priority Languages (3 
points).
    A research project that makes use of any of the 78 priority 
languages selected from the U.S. Department of Education's list of Less 
Commonly Taught Languages, as follows:
    Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (all dialects), 
Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, 
Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula), Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), 
Berber (all languages), Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), 
Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), 
Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, 
Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, 
Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish 
(Kurmanji), Kurdish (Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), 
Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian 
(Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, 
Russian, Serbian, Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, 
Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, 
Urdu, Uyghur/Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2: Thematic Focus on Academic 
Fields (2 points).
    A research project conducted in the field of economics, 
engineering, international development, mathematics, political science, 
public health, science, comparative or international education, or 
technology.
    Invitational Priority: For FY 2017, this priority is an 
invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an 
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    This priority is:
    Applications from Minority-Serving Institutions. For purposes of 
this invitational priority, Minority-Serving Institution means an 
institution that is eligible to receive assistance under part A of 
title III, under part B of title III, or under title V of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as amended.
    Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2452(b)(6).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 81, 82, 84, 
86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on 
Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 
180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 
part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost 
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 
200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 
part 3474. (d) The

[[Page 4318]]

regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 662.

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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants redistributed as fellowships to 
individual beneficiaries.
    Estimated Available Funds: $3,477,151.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $15,000 to $60,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $33,461.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 98.

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

    Project Period: The institutional project period is 18 months, 
beginning October 1, 2017. Students may request funding for a period of 
no less than six months and no more than 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs. As part of the application process, 
students submit individual applications to the IHE. The IHE then 
officially submits all eligible individual student applications with 
its grant application to the Department.

    Note: As part of its FY 2017 budget request, the Administration 
proposed to continue to allow funds to be used to support the 
applications of individuals who plan both to utilize their language 
skills in world areas vital to United States national security and 
to apply their language skills and knowledge of these countries in 
the fields of government, international development, and the 
professions. Therefore, students planning to apply their language 
skills in such fields and those planning teaching careers are 
eligible to apply to IHEs for funds from this program.

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Both IHEs and student 
applicants can obtain an application package via the Internet or from 
the Education Publications Center (ED PUBS). To obtain a copy via the 
Internet, use the following address: www.G5.gov. 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 84.022A.
    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 listed under For Further 
Information Contact in section VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content and form of an application, together with the 
forms the applicant must submit, are in the application package for 
this program. Page Limit: The application narrative is where the 
student applicant addresses the selection criteria that reviewers use 
to evaluate the application. The student applicant must limit the 
application narrative to no more than 10 pages and the bibliography to 
no more than two pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, both sides, and portrait orientation.

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

     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative. However, student applicants may 
single space all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, titles, 
headings, footnotes, endnotes, quotations, bibliography, and captions.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger, or no 
smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch). Student applicants may use 
a 10-point font in charts, tables, figures, graphs, footnotes, and 
endnotes. However, these items are considered part of the narrative and 
counted within the 10-page limit.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limits only apply to the application narrative and 
bibliography. The page limits do not apply to the Application for 
Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424), the supplemental information 
form required by the Department of Education, or the assurances and 
certification. However, student applicants must include their complete 
responses to the selection criteria in the application narrative.
    We will reject a student applicant's application if the application 
exceeds the page limits.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: January 13, 2017.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 14, 2017.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using G5, the Department's grant management system, 
accessible through the Department's G5 site. For information (including 
dates and times) about how to submit an IHE's application 
electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if an IHE 
qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, 
please refer to Other Submission Requirements in section IV 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), 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.

[[Page 4319]]

    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet at the 
following Web site: https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. 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 you enter into the SAM database. 
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, it may be 24 to 48 
hours before you can submit an application through G5.

    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: www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
    7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted electronically unless an IHE qualifies 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship 
Program, CFDA number 84.022A, must be submitted electronically using 
the G5 system, accessible through the Department's G5 site at: 
www.G5.gov. While completing the electronic application, both the IHE 
and the student applicant will be entering data online that will be 
saved into a database. Neither the IHE nor the student applicant may 
email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    We will reject an application if an IHE submits it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, the IHE qualifies for 
one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and 
submits, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, 
a written statement to the Department that the IHE qualifies for one of 
these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date 
that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided 
later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission 
Requirement.
    Please note the following:
     The process for submitting applications electronically 
under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program has several parts. The 
following is a brief summary of the process; however, all applicants 
should review and follow the detailed description of the application 
process that is contained in the application package. In summary, the 
major steps are:
    (1) IHEs must email the following information to ddra@ed.gov: Name 
of university and full name and email address of potential project 
director. We recommend that applicant IHEs submit this information as 
soon as possible to ensure that they obtain access to G5 well before 
the application deadline date. We suggest that IHEs send this 
information no later than two weeks prior to the closing date in order 
to facilitate timely submission of their applications;
    (2) Students must complete their individual applications and submit 
them to their IHE's project director using G5;
    (3) Persons providing references for individual students must 
complete and submit reference forms for the students and submit them to 
the IHE's project director using G5; and
    (4) The IHE's project director must officially submit the IHE's 
application, which must include all eligible individual student 
applications, reference forms, and other required forms, using G5.
     The IHE must complete the electronic submission of the 
grant application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. G5 will not accept an application for this 
competition after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that both the IHE and 
the student applicant not wait until the application deadline date to 
begin the application process.
     The hours of operation of the G5 Web site are 6:00 a.m. 
Monday until 9:00 p.m., Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 3:00 
p.m., Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of 
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 3:00 p.m. on Sundays and 
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. 
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are 
posted on the G5 Web site.
     Student applicants will not receive additional point value 
because the student submits his or her application in electronic 
format, nor will we penalize the IHE or student applicant if the 
applicant qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submits an 
application in paper format.
     IHEs must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information typically provided on the following forms: The 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
     Both IHEs and student applicants must upload any narrative 
sections and all other attachments to their application as files in a 
read-only, non-modifiable Portable Document Format (PDF). Do not upload 
an interactive or fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other 
than a read-only, non-modifiable PDF (e.g., Word, Excel, WordPerfect, 
etc.) or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that 
material. Please note that this could result in your application not 
being considered for funding because the material in question--for 
example, the application narrative--is critical to a meaningful review 
of your proposal. For that reason it is important to allow yourself 
adequate time to upload all material as PDF files. The Department will 
not convert material from other formats to PDF.
     Student transcripts must be submitted electronically 
through the G5 system.
     Both the IHE's and the student applicant's electronic 
applications must comply with any page limit requirements described in 
this notice.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After the individual student applicant electronically 
submits his or her application to the student's IHE, the student will 
receive an automatic

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acknowledgment. After a person submits a reference electronically, he 
or she will receive an online confirmation. After the applicant IHE 
submits its application, including all eligible individual student 
applications, to the Department, the applicant IHE will receive an 
automatic acknowledgment that will include a unique PR/Award number for 
the IHE's application.
     Within three working days after submitting its electronic 
application--
    (1) Print SF 424 from G5;
    (2) The applicant IHE's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form;
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right-hand corner of the 
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424; and
    (4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at 
(202) 245-6272.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If an IHE is prevented from electronically submitting 
its application on the application deadline date because the G5 system 
is unavailable, we will grant the IHE an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable the IHE to 
transmit its application electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. 
We will grant this extension if--
    (1) The IHE is a registered user of the G5 system and the IHE has 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    (2)(a) G5 is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between the hours 
of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date; or
    (b) G5 is unavailable for any period of time between 3:30 p.m. and 
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting the IHE an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, an IHE may 
contact either (1) the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT in section VII of this notice or (2) the e-Grants help desk at 
1-888-336-8930. If G5 is unavailable due to technical problems with the 
system and, therefore, the application deadline is extended, an email 
will be sent to all registered users who have initiated a G5 
application. Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the 
unavailability of the G5 system.
    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: An IHE qualifies 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may 
submit its application in paper format, if the IHE is unable to submit 
an application through G5 because--
     The IHE or a student applicant does not have access to the 
Internet; or
     The IHE or a student applicant does not have the capacity 
to upload large documents to G5; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), the IHE mails or faxes a written 
statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an 
exception prevents the IHE from using the Internet to submit its 
application. If an IHE mails a written statement to the Department, it 
must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application 
deadline date. If an IHE faxes its written statement to the Department, 
we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax this statement to: Mariam Ouhamou, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW., Room 3E207, Washington, 
DC 20202-4260. Telephone: (202) 453-6764 or by email: ddra@ed.gov.
    The IHE's paper application must be submitted in accordance with 
the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, the IHE may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) its application to the Department. The IHE must 
mail the original and two copies of the application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.022A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The IHE must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the 
following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If the IHE mails its application through the U.S. Postal Service, 
we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

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

    We will not consider applications postmarked after the application 
deadline date.
    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, the IHE (or a courier service) may deliver its paper 
application to the Department by hand. The IHE must deliver the 
original and two copies of the application, by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.022A), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260. The Application Control Center 
accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications:  If an IHE 
mails or hand delivers its application to the Department--
    (1) The IHE must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided 
by the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, 
including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which the 
IHE is submitting its application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a notification of 
receipt of the IHE's grant application. If the IHE does not receive 
this grant notification within 15 business days from the application 
deadline date, the IHE should call the U.S. Department of Education 
Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. General: For FY 2017, student applications are divided into 
seven categories based on the world area focus of their research 
projects, as described in the absolute priority listed in this notice. 
Language and area studies experts in discrete world area-based panels 
will review the student applications. Each panel reviews, scores, and 
ranks its applications separately from the applications assigned to the 
other world area panels. However, all fellowship applications will be 
ranked together from the highest to lowest score for funding purposes.
    2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are from the

[[Page 4321]]

regulations for this program in 34 CFR 662.21 and are listed in the 
application package.
    3. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants 
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, 
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past 
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as 
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and 
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider 
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or 
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
    In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 
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).
    Under 34 CFR 662.22(b), no applicant may receive grants from the 
Fulbright U.S. Student Program (FUSP) and the Fulbright-Hays DDRA 
Fellowship Program concurrently. Once a candidate has accepted an award 
from FUSP and FUSP has expended funds on the student, the student is 
then ineligible for a grant under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship 
Program. A student applying for a grant under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA 
Fellowship Program must indicate on the application if the student has 
currently applied for a FUSP grant. If, at any point, the candidate 
accepts a FUSP award prior to being notified of the candidate's status 
with the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program, the candidate should 
immediately notify the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If, after 
consultation with FUSP, we determine that FUSP has expended funds on 
the student (e.g., the candidate has attended the pre-departure 
orientation or was issued grant funds), the candidate will be deemed 
ineligible for an award under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship 
Program at that time.
    4. Risk Assessment and Special Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 
200.205, before awarding grants under this program the Department 
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 
3474.10, the Secretary may impose special conditions and, in 
appropriate circumstances, high-risk 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 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not 
responsible.
    5. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this 
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project 
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently 
$150,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your 
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal 
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make 
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that 
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as 
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System 
(FAPIIS)), accessible through SAM. You may review and comment on any 
information about yourself that a Federal agency previously entered and 
that is currently in FAPIIS.
    Please note that, if the total value of your currently active 
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the 
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2 
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity 
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2 
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal 
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If a student application is successful, we notify 
the IHE's U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send the IHE a 
Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send the IHE an email 
containing a link to access an electronic version of the GAN. We may 
notify the IHE informally, also.
    If a student application is not evaluated or not selected for 
funding, we notify the IHE.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates the approved application as part of the binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: (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 multiyear award, you must submit an annual 
performance report that provides the most current performance and 
financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 
CFR 75.118. Grantees are required to use the electronic data instrument 
International Resource Information System (IRIS) to complete the final 
report. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, 
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the objective for the Fulbright-Hays DDRA 
Fellowship Program is to provide grants to colleges and universities to 
fund individual doctoral students to conduct research in other 
countries in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of 6 
to 12 months.
    The Department will use the following measures to evaluate its 
success in meeting this objective:
    DDRA GPRA Measure 1: The percentage of DDRA fellows who increased 
their foreign language scores in speaking, reading, and/or writing by 
at least one proficiency level.
    DDRA GPRA Measure 2: The percentage of DDRA fellows who complete 
their degree in their program of study within four years of receipt of 
the fellowship.
    DDRA GPRA Measure 3: The percentage of DDRA fellows who found 
employment that utilized their language and area studies skills within 
eight years of receiving their award.
    DDRA GPRA Measure 4: Efficiency Measure--The cost per DDRA fellow 
who found employment that utilized their language and area studies 
skills within eight years.
    The information provided by grantees in their performance report 
submitted via IRIS will be the source of data for this measure. 
Reporting screens for institutions and fellows may be viewed at: https://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/DDRA_director.pdf; https://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/DDRA_fellow.pdf.

[[Page 4322]]

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Mariam Ouhamou, International and 
Foreign Language Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Ave. SW., Room 3E207, Washington, DC 20202-4260. Telephone: (202) 453-
6764 or by email: ddra@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this program as follows: CFDA number 84.022A.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to 
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
in section VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or 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: January 10, 2017.
Mohamed Abdel-Kader,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Languages.
[FR Doc. 2017-00747 Filed 1-12-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P