Applications for New Awards; Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program, 13702-13707 [2024-03156]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 37 / Friday, February 23, 2024 / Notices
Mr.
Paul D. Clouse, the Designated Federal
Officer (DFO) for the committee, in
writing at the Institute for Water
Resources, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, ATTN: CEIWR–NDC, 7701
Telegraph Road, Casey Building (Room
H221), Alexandria, VA 22315–3868; by
telephone at 202–768–3157; and by
email at Paul.D.Clouse@usace.army.mil.
Alternatively, contact Mr. Steven D.
Riley, an Alternate Designated Federal
Officer (ADFO), in writing at the
Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CEIWR–
NDC, 7701 Telegraph Road, Casey
Building, Alexandria, VA 22315–3868;
by telephone at 703–659–3097; and by
email at Steven.D.Riley@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
committee meeting is being held under
the provisions of chapter 10 of title 5,
United States Code (U.S.C.) (commonly
known as the ‘‘Federal Advisory
Committee Act’’ or ‘‘FACA’’), section
552b of title 5, U.S.C. (commonly
known as the ‘‘Government in the
Sunshine Act’’), and sections 102–3.140
and 102–3.150 of title 41, Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR).
Purpose of the Meeting: The Board is
chartered to provide independent
advice and recommendations to the
Secretary of the Army on construction
and rehabilitation project investments
on the commercial navigation features
of the inland waterways system of the
United States. At this meeting, the
Board will receive briefings and
presentations regarding the investments,
projects, and status of the inland
waterways system of the United States
and conduct discussions and
deliberations on those matters. The
Board is interested in written and verbal
comments from the public relevant to
these purposes.
Agenda: At this meeting the agenda
will include an update on the Users
Board Annual Report for 2023; the
status of the Inland Waterways Trust
Fund (IWTF); Fiscal Year 2024 funding
for Navigation and the 2025 President’s
Budget for Navigation; Recap of the
2023 Low Water event; update on the
2025 Capital Investment Strategy;
update on Demopolis Lock and Dam;
updates of inland waterways
modernization projects for Chickamauga
Lock and the Kentucky Lock Addition
on the Tennessee River, McClellan-Kerr
Arkansas River Navigation System
(MKARNS) Three Rivers, Arkansas, the
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW)
Brazos River Floodgates and Colorado
River Locks, Mississippi River-Illinois
Waterway Navigation and Ecosystem
Sustainability Program (NESP) Lock 25
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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and LaGrange Lock, Monongahela River
Locks and Dams 2, 3 and 4
Replacements, and the Upper Ohio
River Montgomery Lock.
Availability of Materials for the
Meeting. A copy of the agenda or any
updates to the agenda for the April 11,
2024, meeting will be available. The
final version will be available at the
meeting. All materials will be posted to
the website for the meeting.
Public Accessibility to the Meeting:
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended,
and 41 CFR 102–3.140 through 102–3.1
65, and subject to the availability of
space, this meeting is open to the
public. Registration of members of the
public who wish to participate in the
meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the
day of the meeting. Participation is on
a first-to-arrive basis. Any interested
person may participate in the meeting,
file written comments or statements
with the committee, or make verbal
comments during the public meeting, at
the times, and in the manner, permitted
by the committee, as set forth below.
Special Accommodations: Individuals
requiring any special accommodations
related to the public meeting or seeking
additional information about the
procedures, should contact Mr. Paul
Clouse, the committee DFO, or Mr.
Steven Riley, an ADFO, at the email
addresses or telephone numbers listed
in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section, at least five (5)
business days prior to the meeting so
that appropriate arrangements can be
made.
Written Comments or Statements:
Pursuant to 41 CFR 102–3.105(j) and
102–3.140 and section 10(a)(3) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, the
public or interested organizations may
submit written comments or statements
to the Board about its mission and/or
the topics to be addressed in this public
meeting. Written comments or
statements should be submitted to Mr.
Clouse, the committee DFO, or Mr.
Riley, a committee ADFO, via electronic
mail, the preferred mode of submission,
at the addresses listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section
in the following formats: Adobe Acrobat
or Microsoft Word. The comment or
statement must include the author’s
name, title, affiliation, address, and
daytime telephone number. Written
comments or statements being
submitted in response to the agenda set
forth in this notice must be received by
the committee DFO or ADFO at least
five (5) business days prior to the
meeting so that they may be made
available to the Board for its
consideration prior to the meeting.
Written comments or statements
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received after this date may not be
provided to the Board until its next
meeting. Please note that because the
Board operates under the provisions of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended, all written comments will be
treated as public documents and will be
made available for public inspection.
Verbal Comments: Members of the
public will be permitted to make verbal
comments during the public meeting
only at the time and in the manner
allowed herein. If a member of the
public is interested in making a verbal
comment at the open meeting, that
individual must submit a request, with
a brief statement of the subject matter to
be addressed by the comment, at least
three business (3) days in advance to the
committee DFO or ADFO, via electronic
mail, the preferred mode of submission,
at the addresses listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
The committee DFO and ADFO will log
each request to make a comment, in the
order received, and determine whether
the subject matter of each comment is
relevant to the Board’s mission and/or
the topics to be addressed in this public
meeting. A 15-minute period near the
end of the meeting will be available for
verbal public comments. Members of
the public who have requested to make
a verbal comment and whose comments
have been deemed relevant under the
process described above, will be allotted
no more than three (3) minutes during
this period, and will be invited to speak
in the order in which their requests
were received by the DFO and ADFO.
Thomas P. Smith,
Chief, Operations and Regulatory Division,
Directorate of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corp
of Engineers.
[FR Doc. 2024–03730 Filed 2–22–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards;
Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research
Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program
Office of Postsecondary
Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of Education
(Department) is issuing a notice inviting
applications (NIA) for fiscal year (FY)
2024 for the Fulbright-Hays Faculty
Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship
Program, Assistance Listing Number
84.019A. This notice relates to the
approved information collection under
OMB control number 1840–0005.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 37 / Friday, February 23, 2024 / Notices
DATES:
Applications Available: February 23,
2024.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: April 23, 2024.
Preapplication Webinar and
Applicant Resources: The Department
will hold a preapplication meeting via
webinar for prospective applicants.
Detailed information regarding this
webinar will be provided on the
Fulbright-Hays FRA website at https://
www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpsfra/
applicant.html. For additional
information about the Department’s
discretionary grant process, please
review the overview and resources at
www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/about/
grantmaking/. The resources
will be especially helpful for
individuals who are exploring the
Department’s funding opportunities for
the first time.
ADDRESSES: The addresses pertinent to
this competition—including the
addresses for obtaining and submitting
an application—can be found under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Pamela J. Maimer, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone:
(202) 453–6891. Email: FRA@ed.gov.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or
have a speech disability and wish to
access telecommunications relay
services, please dial 7–1–1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The FulbrightHays FRA Fellowship Program provides
grants to colleges and universities to
fund fellowships for faculty members
seeking to improve their area studies
and foreign language skills by
conducting research abroad. 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 and three competitive
preference priorities. In accordance with
34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute
priority and Competitive Preference
Priorities 1 and 2 are from the
regulations for this program (34 CFR
663.21(d)). Competitive Preference
Priority 3 is from the Secretary’s Notice
of Final Supplemental Priorities and
Definitions for Discretionary Grant
Programs, published in the Federal
Register on December 10, 2021 (86 FR
70612) (Supplemental Priorities).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2024, this
priority is an absolute priority. Under 34
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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).
Competitive Preference Priorities: For
FY 2024, the following priorities are
competitive preference priorities. Under
34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an
additional 1 point to an application that
meets Competitive Preference Priority 1;
an additional 2 points to an application
that meets Competitive Preference
Priority 2; and an additional 3 points to
an application that meets Competitive
Preference Priority 3, for a maximum of
6 additional points.
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1—
Focus on Less Commonly Taught
Languages (1 point).
A research project that focuses on any
modern foreign language except French,
German, or Spanish.
Competitive Preference Priority 2—
Thematic Focus on Academic Fields (2
points).
A research project conducted in
modern foreign languages and area
studies with an academic focus on any
of the following academic fields: science
(including climate change), technology,
engineering (including infrastructure
studies), mathematics, computer
science, education (comparative or
international), international
development, political science, public
health (including epidemiology), or
economics.
Competitive Preference Priority 3—
Promoting Equity in Student Access to
Educational Resources and
Opportunities (3 points).
Projects implemented by one or more
of the following entities:
(1) Community colleges (as defined in
this notice).
(2) Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (as defined in this notice).
(3) Tribal College or University (as
defined in this notice).
(4) Minority-serving institutions (as
defined in this notice).
Definitions: The following definitions
are from the Supplemental Priorities.
Community college means ‘‘junior or
community college’’ as defined in
section 312(f) of the Higher Education
Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).
Historically Black Colleges and
Universities means colleges and
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universities that meet the criteria set out
in 34 CFR 608.2.
Minority-serving institution means an
institution that is eligible to receive
assistance under sections 316 through
320 of part A of title III, under part B
of title III, or under title V of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (HEA).
Tribal College or University has the
meaning ascribed it in section 316(b)(3)
of the HEA.
Program Authority: 22 U.S.C.
2452(b)(6).
Note: Projects will be awarded and
must be operated in a manner consistent
with the nondiscrimination
requirements contained in Federal civil
rights laws.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The
Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR
parts 75, 77, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and
99. (b) The Office of Management and
Budget 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 regulations for this program in 34
CFR part 663.21. (e) The Supplemental
Priorities.
Note: The open licensing requirement
in 2 CFR 3474.20 does not apply to this
program.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants
redistributed as fellowships to
individual beneficiaries.
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has requested
$10,311,000 for the Fulbright-Hays
Overseas programs in FY 2024. We
intend to use an estimated $750,000 for
the FRA competition. The actual level of
funding, if any, depends on final
congressional action. However, we are
inviting applications to allow enough
time to complete the grant process if
Congress appropriates funds for this
program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $25,000–
$40,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards:
$30,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 25.
Note: The Department is not bound by
any estimates in this notice.
Project Period: The institutional
project period is 18 months. Faculty
may request funding for a period of no
less than 3 months and no more than 12
months.
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 37 / Friday, February 23, 2024 / Notices
III. Eligibility Information
1. a. Eligible Applicants: Institutions
of higher education (IHEs). Eligible
faculty members at the IHE submit their
individual research narratives and
application forms to their home IHE
representative, who compiles all
research narratives from faculty and
incorporates them into the grant
application package that the institution
submits electronically through the
Department’s G6 system on behalf of all
applicant faculty.
b. Individuals Eligible to Receive a
Fellowship: A faculty member is eligible
to receive a fellowship if the
individual—is a citizen or national of
the United States, or is a permanent
resident of the United States; is
employed by an IHE; has been engaged
in teaching relevant to their foreign
language or area studies specialization
for the two years immediately preceding
the date of the award; proposes research
relevant to their modern foreign
language or area studies specialization,
which is not dissertation research for a
doctoral degree; and possesses sufficient
foreign language skills to carry out the
dissertation research project.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This
program does not require cost sharing or
matching.
b. Administrative Cost Limitation: In
accordance with 34 CFR 663.30(d), the
Secretary awards the institution an
administrative allowance of $100 for
each fellowship listed in the grant
award document.
3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this
competition may not award subgrants to
entities to directly carry out project
activities described in its application.
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IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address to Request Application
Package: Both IHEs and faculty
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.G6.ed.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 TDD or a TTY, call, toll free: 1–
877–576–7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its
website, 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: Assistance Listing
Number 84.019A.
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2. Submission Dates and Times:
Submit applications for grants under the
program electronically using G6.ed.gov.
For information (including dates and
times) about how to submit your
application electronically, please refer
to Other Submission Requirements.
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. 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.
3. Intergovernmental Review: This
program is not subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34
CFR part 79.
4. Funding Restrictions: We reference
regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
5. Recommended Page Limit: The
application narrative is where you, the
applicant, address the selection criteria
that reviewers use to evaluate your
application. We recommend that you (1)
limit the application narrative to no
more than 10 pages and the
bibliography to no more than two pages
and (2) use 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, including titles,
headings, footnotes, quotations,
references, and captions, as well as all
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 recommended page limit does not
apply to the cover sheet; budget section,
including the narrative budget
justification; the assurance and
certifications; or the one-page abstract,
the resumes, the biography, or the
letters of support. However, the
recommended page limit does apply to
all of the application narrative.
6. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI),
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN),
and System for Award Management
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(SAM): To do business with the
Department, you must—
a. Have a UEI number and a TIN;
b. Register both your UEI number and
TIN with SAM, the Government’s
primary registrant database;
c. Provide your UEI 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.
If you are a corporate entity, agency,
institution, or organization, you can
obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue
Service. If you are an individual, you
can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security
Administration. If you need a new TIN,
please allow 2 to 5 weeks for your TIN
to become active.
The SAM registration process can take
approximately seven business days, but
may take upwards of several weeks,
depending on the completeness and
accuracy of the data 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/UEI 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
G6.
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/UEI 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/UEI number and TIN in SAM or
updating your existing SAM account,
please visit https://sam.gov/content/
help.
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.
Submit applications for grants under
the Fulbright-Hays FRA Fellowship
Program, Assistance Listing Number
84.019A, electronically using the G6
system, accessible through the
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 37 / Friday, February 23, 2024 / Notices
Department’s G6 site at: www.G6.ed.gov.
While completing the electronic
application, both the IHE and the
faculty applicant will be entering data
online that will be saved into a
database. Neither the IHE nor the faculty
applicant may email an electronic copy
of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
• The process for submitting
applications electronically under the
Fulbright-Hays FRA Fellowship
Program requires several steps. The
following is a brief overview of the
process; however, all applicants should
review the detailed description of the
application process in the application
package. In summary, the major steps
are:
(1) IHEs must email the name of the
institution and the full name and email
address of the project director to FRA@
ed.gov. We suggest that applicant IHEs
submit this information no later than 2
weeks prior to the application deadline
date to ensure that they obtain access to
G6 well before that date;
(2) Faculty applicants must complete
their individual applications and submit
them to their home IHE project director
using G6;
(3) Persons providing references for
individual faculty applicants must
complete and submit reference forms to
the IHE’s project director, using G6; and
(4) The IHE’s project director must
officially submit the IHE’s application,
including all eligible individual faculty
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applications, reference forms, and other
required forms, using G6.
• The IHE must complete the
electronic submission of the grant
application by 11:59:59 p.m., eastern
time, on the application deadline date.
G6 will not accept an application for
this competition after 11:59:59 p.m.,
eastern time, on the application
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly
recommend that both the IHE and the
faculty applicant begin the application
process early and not wait until close to
the application deadline date to prepare
their applications. The table below
shows the days and times that the G6
website will be available.
G6 HOURS OF OPERATION IN EASTERN TIME
Sunday
Monday
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Unavailable from 03:00
p.m.–11:59 p.m.
Unavailable from
12:00 a.m.–06:00
a.m.
Tuesday
Available 24 hours ...
• Faculty applicants will not receive
additional points because they submit
their applications in electronic format,
nor will we penalize an IHE or faculty
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 upload all application
documents electronically, including the
following forms: the Application for
Federal Assistance (SF 424), the
Department of Education Supplemental
Information for SF 424, Budget
Information—Non-Construction
Programs (ED 524), and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
• Both IHEs and faculty applicants
must upload the narrative sections and
all other attachments to their
application as files in a read-only
flattened Portable Document Format
(PDF), meaning any fillable documents
must be saved and submitted as
nonfillable PDF files. Do not upload any
interactive or fillable PDF files. If you
upload a file type other than a readonly, nonmodifiable PDF (e.g., Word,
Excel, WordPerfect) or submit a
password-protected file, we will be
unable to review that material. Please
note that this will likely result in your
application not being considered for
funding. The Department will not
convert material from other formats to
PDF.
• Prior to submitting your electronic
application, please redact any
personally identifiable information
(SSN, birthdate, etc.). You may wish to
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Wednesday
Unavailable from
09:00 p.m.–11:59
p.m.
Thursday
Unavailable from
12:00 a.m.–06:00
a.m.
print a copy of your application package
for your records.
• After the individual faculty
applicant electronically submits their
application to the IHE, the faculty
applicant will receive an automatic
acknowledgment from the G6 system.
After the person designated to provide
a reference submits the reference
electronically to the Department on
behalf of a faculty applicant, they will
receive an electronic confirmation from
the G6 system. After the applicant IHE
submits its application, including all
eligible individual faculty applications
to the Department, the applicant IHE
will also receive an automated
acknowledgment from G6 that will
include a unique PR/Award number for
the IHE’s application.
• Within 3 working days after
submitting its electronic application, the
applicant IHE must—
(1) Print the SF 424 from G6;
(2) Have the Authorizing
Representative 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) Email the signed SF 424 to FRA@
ed.gov.
• We may request that you provide
hard copies with original signatures for
other forms in the application 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
G6 system is unavailable, we will grant
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Friday
Available 24 hours ...
Saturday
Available 24 hours.
the IHE an extension until 11:59:59
p.m., Eastern 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
G6 system and the IHE has initiated an
electronic application for this
competition; and
(2) G6 is unavailable for 60 minutes
or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m.
and 11:59 p.m., eastern time, on the
application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm
these periods of unavailability before
granting the IHE an extension. To
request a time extension due to G6
unavailability or to confirm our
acknowledgment of G6’s unavailability,
an IHE may contact either (1) the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT or (2) the e-Grants help desk at
1–888–336–8930. If G6 is unavailable
due to technical problems with the
system and the application deadline is
extended, an email will be sent to all
registered users who have initiated a G6
application. The deadline date
extensions described in this section
apply only to the unavailability of the
G6 system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications.
We discourage paper applications, but if
electronic submission is not possible
(e.g., you do not have access to the
internet), (1) you must provide a prior
written notification that you intend to
submit a paper application and (2) your
paper application must be postmarked
by the application deadline date.
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The prior written notification may be
submitted by email or by mail to the
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. If you submit
your notification by email, it must be
received by the Department no later
than 14 calendar days before the
application deadline date. If you mail
your notification to the Department, it
must be postmarked no later than 14
calendar days before the application
deadline date.
If you submit a paper application, you
must have, and include on your
application, a DUNS/UEI number and
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, OFO/G6 Functional
Application Team, Mail Stop 5C231,
Attention: 84.019A, 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 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.
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.
We will not consider applications
postmarked after the application
deadline date.
Note for Mail Delivery of Paper
Applications: If you mail your
application to the Department—
(1) You must indicate on the envelope
and in Item 11 of the SF 424 the ALN,
including suffix letter, if any, of the
competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The G6 Functional Application
Team will notify you of the
Department’s receipt of your grant
application. If you do not receive this
notification within 15 business days
from the application deadline date, you
should contact the person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
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V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection
criteria for this competition are from the
regulations for this program in 34 CFR
663.21 and are as follows:
(a) Quality of proposed project (70
points). The Secretary reviews each
application to determine the quality of
the research project proposed by the
applicant. The Secretary considers—
(1) The statement of the major
hypotheses to be tested or questions to
be examined, and the description and
justification of the research methods to
be used (20 points);
(2) The relationship of the research to
the literature on the topic and to major
theoretical issues in the field, and the
project’s importance in terms of the
concerns of the discipline (10 points);
(3) The preliminary research already
completed or plans for research prior to
going overseas, and the kinds, quality
and availability of data for the research
in the host country or countries (10
points);
(4) The justification for overseas field
research, and preparations to establish
appropriate and sufficient research
contacts and affiliations abroad (10
points);
(5) The applicant’s plans to share the
results of the research in progress with
scholars and officials of the host country
or countries and the American scholarly
community (5 points); and
(6) The objectives of the project
regarding the sponsoring institution’s
plans for developing or strengthening,
or both, curricula in modern foreign
languages and area studies (15 points).
(b) Qualifications of the applicant (30
points). The Secretary reviews each
application to determine the
qualifications of the applicant. In
coordination with any priorities
established under paragraph (d) of this
section, the Secretary considers one or
more of the following—
(1) The overall strength of applicant’s
academic record (teaching, research,
contributions, professional association
activities) (10 points);
(2) The applicant’s excellence as a
teacher or researcher, or both, in his or
her area or areas of specialization (5
points);
(3) The applicant’s proficiency in one
or more of the languages (other than
English) of the host country or countries
of research (5 points);
(4) The extent to which the
applicant’s academic record
demonstrates steps taken to further
improve advanced language proficiency
to overcome any anticipated language
barriers relative to the proposed
research project (5 points); and
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(5) The applicant’s ability to conduct
research in a foreign cultural context, as
evidenced by the applicant’s previous
overseas experience, or documentation
provided by the sponsoring institution,
or both (5 points).
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 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 (34 CFR
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
For FY 2024, faculty 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. Foreign
language and area studies experts on
discrete world area-based panels will
evaluate the faculty applications. Each
panel reviews, scores, and ranks its
assigned applications separately from
the applications assigned to the other
world area panels. At the conclusion of
the panel review process, however, all
faculty applications will be ranked
together from the highest to lowest score
for funding recommendation purposes.
If there are applications on the rank
order slate with the same average score,
the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship
Board’s policy governing veteran’s
preference will be used in the tiebreaker
and selection process. Veteran’s
preference will be used first to
determine which application to
recommend for funding. This means
that in instances where two or more
applications have the same average
score on the rank order slate, and there
are insufficient funds to support all of
the equally ranked applications, the
veteran’s application will be given
preference.
For applications that have tied
average scores but are not subject to the
veteran’s preference, the Department
will use the average score assigned on
the Technical Review Forms for the
‘‘Quality of the proposed project’’
selection criterion. If a tie still exists,
the average score for selection criterion
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(a)(1) under ‘‘Quality of proposed
project’’ (20 points) will be used as the
tiebreaker. A final tiebreaker, should it
become necessary, will use the average
score assigned for the ‘‘Qualifications of
the applicant’’ selection criterion.
3. Risk Assessment and Specific
Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
200.206, before awarding grants under
this competition, the Department
conducts a review of the risks posed by
applicants. Under 2 CFR 200.208, the
Secretary may impose specific
conditions and, under 2 CFR 3474.10, 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.
4. 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 $250,000), under 2
CFR 200.206(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 the System for
Award Management. 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.
5. In General: In accordance with the
Office of Management and Budget’s
guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all
applicable Federal laws, and relevant
Executive guidance, the Department
will review and consider applications
for funding pursuant to this notice
inviting applications in accordance
with—
(a) Selecting recipients most likely to
be successful in delivering results based
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on the program objectives through an
objective process of evaluating Federal
award applications (2 CFR 200.205);
(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain
telecommunication and video
surveillance services or equipment in
alignment with section 889 of the
National Defense Authorization Act of
2019 (Pub. L. 115—232) (2 CFR
200.216);
(c) Providing a preference, to the
extent permitted by law, to maximize
use of goods, products, and materials
produced in the United States (2 CFR
200.322); and
(d) Terminating agreements in whole
or in part to the greatest extent
authorized by law if an award no longer
effectuates the program goals or agency
priorities (2 CFR 200.340).
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application
is successful, we notify the IHE’s U.S.
Representative and U.S. Senators and
send the IHE a Grant Award Notification
(GAN). We may also notify the IHE
informally.
If a faculty application is not
evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify the IHE.
2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy
requirements in the application package
and reference these and other
requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining
the terms and conditions of an award in
the Applicable Regulations section of
this notice and include these and other
specific conditions in the GAN. The
GAN also incorporates your approved
application as part of its 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. 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 Measure: For the
purpose of Department reporting under
34 CFR 75.110, the Department will use
the following performance measure:
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13707
FRA Measure: The percentage of
Fulbright-Hays FRA fellows who
increased their foreign language scores
in speaking, reading, or writing by at
least one proficiency level.
VII. Other Information
Accessible Format: On request to the
program contact person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT,
individuals with disabilities can obtain
this document and a copy of the
application package in an accessible
format. The Department will provide the
requestor with an accessible format that
may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or
text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3
file, braille, large print, audiotape, or
compact disc, or other accessible format.
Electronic Access to This Document:
The official version of this document is
the document published in the Federal
Register. You may access the official
edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations at
www.govinfo.gov. 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 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.
Nasser H. Paydar,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary
Education.
[FR Doc. 2024–03156 Filed 2–22–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Paducah
Office of Environmental
Management, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
AGENCY:
This notice announces a
meeting of the Environmental
Management Site-Specific Advisory
Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The
Federal Advisory Committee Act
requires that public notice of this
meeting be announced in the Federal
Register.
SUMMARY:
Thursday, March 21, 2024; 5:30
p.m.–7 p.m. CDT.
DATES:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 37 (Friday, February 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13702-13707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03156]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research
Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program
AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice
inviting applications (NIA) for fiscal year (FY) 2024 for the
Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program,
Assistance Listing Number 84.019A. This notice relates to the approved
information collection under OMB control number 1840-0005.
[[Page 13703]]
DATES:
Applications Available: February 23, 2024.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 23, 2024.
Preapplication Webinar and Applicant Resources: The Department will
hold a preapplication meeting via webinar for prospective applicants.
Detailed information regarding this webinar will be provided on the
Fulbright-Hays FRA website at https://www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpsfra/applicant.html. For additional information about the Department's
discretionary grant process, please review the overview and resources
at www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/about/grantmaking/. The resources
will be especially helpful for individuals who are exploring the
Department's funding opportunities for the first time.
ADDRESSES: The addresses pertinent to this competition--including the
addresses for obtaining and submitting an application--can be found
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Pamela J. Maimer, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone:
(202) 453-6891. Email: [email protected].
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Fulbright-Hays FRA Fellowship Program
provides grants to colleges and universities to fund fellowships for
faculty members seeking to improve their area studies and foreign
language skills by conducting research abroad. 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 and three
competitive preference priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute priority and Competitive Preference
Priorities 1 and 2 are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR
663.21(d)). Competitive Preference Priority 3 is from the Secretary's
Notice of Final Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for
Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on
December 10, 2021 (86 FR 70612) (Supplemental Priorities).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2024, 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).
Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2024, the following
priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an additional 1 point to an application that
meets Competitive Preference Priority 1; an additional 2 points to an
application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 2; and an
additional 3 points to an application that meets Competitive Preference
Priority 3, for a maximum of 6 additional points.
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1--Focus on Less Commonly Taught
Languages (1 point).
A research project that focuses on any modern foreign language
except French, German, or Spanish.
Competitive Preference Priority 2--Thematic Focus on Academic
Fields (2 points).
A research project conducted in modern foreign languages and area
studies with an academic focus on any of the following academic fields:
science (including climate change), technology, engineering (including
infrastructure studies), mathematics, computer science, education
(comparative or international), international development, political
science, public health (including epidemiology), or economics.
Competitive Preference Priority 3--Promoting Equity in Student
Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities (3 points).
Projects implemented by one or more of the following entities:
(1) Community colleges (as defined in this notice).
(2) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (as defined in
this notice).
(3) Tribal College or University (as defined in this notice).
(4) Minority-serving institutions (as defined in this notice).
Definitions: The following definitions are from the Supplemental
Priorities.
Community college means ``junior or community college'' as defined
in section 312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
(HEA).
Historically Black Colleges and Universities means colleges and
universities that meet the criteria set out in 34 CFR 608.2.
Minority-serving institution means an institution that is eligible
to receive assistance under sections 316 through 320 of part A of title
III, under part B of title III, or under title V of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (HEA).
Tribal College or University has the meaning ascribed it in section
316(b)(3) of the HEA.
Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2452(b)(6).
Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner
consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal
civil rights laws.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97,
98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget 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 regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 663.21.
(e) The Supplemental Priorities.
Note: The open licensing requirement in 2 CFR 3474.20 does not
apply to this program.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants redistributed as fellowships to
individual beneficiaries.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$10,311,000 for the Fulbright-Hays Overseas programs in FY 2024. We
intend to use an estimated $750,000 for the FRA competition. The actual
level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action.
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $25,000-$40,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $30,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 25.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
Project Period: The institutional project period is 18 months.
Faculty may request funding for a period of no less than 3 months and
no more than 12 months.
[[Page 13704]]
III. Eligibility Information
1. a. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Eligible faculty members at the IHE submit their individual research
narratives and application forms to their home IHE representative, who
compiles all research narratives from faculty and incorporates them
into the grant application package that the institution submits
electronically through the Department's G6 system on behalf of all
applicant faculty.
b. Individuals Eligible to Receive a Fellowship: A faculty member
is eligible to receive a fellowship if the individual--is a citizen or
national of the United States, or is a permanent resident of the United
States; is employed by an IHE; has been engaged in teaching relevant to
their foreign language or area studies specialization for the two years
immediately preceding the date of the award; proposes research relevant
to their modern foreign language or area studies specialization, which
is not dissertation research for a doctoral degree; and possesses
sufficient foreign language skills to carry out the dissertation
research project.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
b. Administrative Cost Limitation: In accordance with 34 CFR
663.30(d), the Secretary awards the institution an administrative
allowance of $100 for each fellowship listed in the grant award
document.
3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award
subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities
described in its application.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Both IHEs and faculty
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.G6.ed.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
TDD or a TTY, call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its website, www.EDPubs.gov, or at its
email address, [email protected].
If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to
identify this program as follows: Assistance Listing Number 84.019A.
2. Submission Dates and Times: Submit applications for grants under
the program electronically using G6.ed.gov. For information (including
dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically,
please refer to Other Submission Requirements.
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. 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.
3. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
4. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
5. Recommended Page Limit: The application narrative is where you,
the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to
evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the
application narrative to no more than 10 pages and the bibliography to
no more than two pages and (2) use 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, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all 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 recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet;
budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the
assurance and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes,
the biography, or the letters of support. However, the recommended page
limit does apply to all of the application narrative.
6. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), Taxpayer Identification Number
(TIN), and System for Award Management (SAM): To do business with the
Department, you must--
a. Have a UEI number and a TIN;
b. Register both your UEI number and TIN with SAM, the Government's
primary registrant database;
c. Provide your UEI 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.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a
new TIN, please allow 2 to 5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the
completeness and accuracy of the data 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/UEI 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 G6.
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/UEI 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/UEI number and TIN
in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, please visit https://sam.gov/content/help.
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.
Submit applications for grants under the Fulbright-Hays FRA
Fellowship Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.019A, electronically
using the G6 system, accessible through the
[[Page 13705]]
Department's G6 site at: www.G6.ed.gov. While completing the electronic
application, both the IHE and the faculty applicant will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. Neither the IHE nor the
faculty applicant may email an electronic copy of a grant application
to us.
Please note the following:
The process for submitting applications electronically
under the Fulbright-Hays FRA Fellowship Program requires several steps.
The following is a brief overview of the process; however, all
applicants should review the detailed description of the application
process in the application package. In summary, the major steps are:
(1) IHEs must email the name of the institution and the full name
and email address of the project director to [email protected]. We suggest
that applicant IHEs submit this information no later than 2 weeks prior
to the application deadline date to ensure that they obtain access to
G6 well before that date;
(2) Faculty applicants must complete their individual applications
and submit them to their home IHE project director using G6;
(3) Persons providing references for individual faculty applicants
must complete and submit reference forms to the IHE's project director,
using G6; and
(4) The IHE's project director must officially submit the IHE's
application, including all eligible individual faculty applications,
reference forms, and other required forms, using G6.
The IHE must complete the electronic submission of the
grant application by 11:59:59 p.m., eastern time, on the application
deadline date. G6 will not accept an application for this competition
after 11:59:59 p.m., eastern time, on the application deadline date.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that both the IHE and the faculty
applicant begin the application process early and not wait until close
to the application deadline date to prepare their applications. The
table below shows the days and times that the G6 website will be
available.
G6 Hours of Operation in Eastern Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
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Unavailable from 03:00 p.m.- Unavailable from Available 24 hours Unavailable from Unavailable from Available 24 hours Available 24
11:59 p.m. 12:00 a.m.-06:00 09:00 p.m.-11:59 12:00 a.m.-06:00 hours.
a.m. p.m. a.m.
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Faculty applicants will not receive additional points
because they submit their applications in electronic format, nor will
we penalize an IHE or faculty 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 upload all application documents electronically,
including the following forms: the Application for Federal Assistance
(SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF
424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all
necessary assurances and certifications.
Both IHEs and faculty applicants must upload the narrative
sections and all other attachments to their application as files in a
read-only flattened Portable Document Format (PDF), meaning any
fillable documents must be saved and submitted as nonfillable PDF
files. Do not upload any interactive or fillable PDF files. If you
upload a file type other than a read-only, nonmodifiable PDF (e.g.,
Word, Excel, WordPerfect) or submit a password-protected file, we will
be unable to review that material. Please note that this will likely
result in your application not being considered for funding. The
Department will not convert material from other formats to PDF.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, please
redact any personally identifiable information (SSN, birthdate, etc.).
You may wish to print a copy of your application package for your
records.
After the individual faculty applicant electronically
submits their application to the IHE, the faculty applicant will
receive an automatic acknowledgment from the G6 system. After the
person designated to provide a reference submits the reference
electronically to the Department on behalf of a faculty applicant, they
will receive an electronic confirmation from the G6 system. After the
applicant IHE submits its application, including all eligible
individual faculty applications to the Department, the applicant IHE
will also receive an automated acknowledgment from G6 that will include
a unique PR/Award number for the IHE's application.
Within 3 working days after submitting its electronic
application, the applicant IHE must--
(1) Print the SF 424 from G6;
(2) Have the Authorizing Representative 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) Email the signed SF 424 to [email protected].
We may request that you provide hard copies with original
signatures for other forms in the application 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 G6 system
is unavailable, we will grant the IHE an extension until 11:59:59 p.m.,
Eastern 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 G6 system and the IHE has
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2) G6 is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between the hours of
8:30 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., eastern time, on the application deadline
date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting the IHE an extension. To request a time extension due
to G6 unavailability or to confirm our acknowledgment of G6's
unavailability, an IHE may contact either (1) the person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or (2) the e-Grants help desk at 1-888-
336-8930. If G6 is unavailable due to technical problems with the
system and the application deadline is extended, an email will be sent
to all registered users who have initiated a G6 application. The
deadline date extensions described in this section apply only to the
unavailability of the G6 system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications. We discourage paper
applications, but if electronic submission is not possible (e.g., you
do not have access to the internet), (1) you must provide a prior
written notification that you intend to submit a paper application and
(2) your paper application must be postmarked by the application
deadline date.
[[Page 13706]]
The prior written notification may be submitted by email or by mail
to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. If you
submit your notification by email, it must be received by the
Department no later than 14 calendar days before the application
deadline date. If you mail your notification to the Department, it must
be postmarked no later than 14 calendar days before the application
deadline date.
If you submit a paper application, you must have, and include on
your application, a DUNS/UEI number and 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, OFO/G6 Functional Application Team, Mail Stop 5C231,
Attention: 84.019A, 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 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.
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.
We will not consider applications postmarked after the application
deadline date.
Note for Mail Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail your
application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and in Item 11 of the SF 424
the ALN, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under
which you are submitting your application; and
(2) The G6 Functional Application Team will notify you of the
Department's receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive
this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline
date, you should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are from the regulations for this program in 34 CFR 663.21 and are as
follows:
(a) Quality of proposed project (70 points). The Secretary reviews
each application to determine the quality of the research project
proposed by the applicant. The Secretary considers--
(1) The statement of the major hypotheses to be tested or questions
to be examined, and the description and justification of the research
methods to be used (20 points);
(2) The relationship of the research to the literature on the topic
and to major theoretical issues in the field, and the project's
importance in terms of the concerns of the discipline (10 points);
(3) The preliminary research already completed or plans for
research prior to going overseas, and the kinds, quality and
availability of data for the research in the host country or countries
(10 points);
(4) The justification for overseas field research, and preparations
to establish appropriate and sufficient research contacts and
affiliations abroad (10 points);
(5) The applicant's plans to share the results of the research in
progress with scholars and officials of the host country or countries
and the American scholarly community (5 points); and
(6) The objectives of the project regarding the sponsoring
institution's plans for developing or strengthening, or both, curricula
in modern foreign languages and area studies (15 points).
(b) Qualifications of the applicant (30 points). The Secretary
reviews each application to determine the qualifications of the
applicant. In coordination with any priorities established under
paragraph (d) of this section, the Secretary considers one or more of
the following--
(1) The overall strength of applicant's academic record (teaching,
research, contributions, professional association activities) (10
points);
(2) The applicant's excellence as a teacher or researcher, or both,
in his or her area or areas of specialization (5 points);
(3) The applicant's proficiency in one or more of the languages
(other than English) of the host country or countries of research (5
points);
(4) The extent to which the applicant's academic record
demonstrates steps taken to further improve advanced language
proficiency to overcome any anticipated language barriers relative to
the proposed research project (5 points); and
(5) The applicant's ability to conduct research in a foreign
cultural context, as evidenced by the applicant's previous overseas
experience, or documentation provided by the sponsoring institution, or
both (5 points).
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
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
(34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
For FY 2024, faculty 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. Foreign language and
area studies experts on discrete world area-based panels will evaluate
the faculty applications. Each panel reviews, scores, and ranks its
assigned applications separately from the applications assigned to the
other world area panels. At the conclusion of the panel review process,
however, all faculty applications will be ranked together from the
highest to lowest score for funding recommendation purposes.
If there are applications on the rank order slate with the same
average score, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board's policy
governing veteran's preference will be used in the tiebreaker and
selection process. Veteran's preference will be used first to determine
which application to recommend for funding. This means that in
instances where two or more applications have the same average score on
the rank order slate, and there are insufficient funds to support all
of the equally ranked applications, the veteran's application will be
given preference.
For applications that have tied average scores but are not subject
to the veteran's preference, the Department will use the average score
assigned on the Technical Review Forms for the ``Quality of the
proposed project'' selection criterion. If a tie still exists, the
average score for selection criterion
[[Page 13707]]
(a)(1) under ``Quality of proposed project'' (20 points) will be used
as the tiebreaker. A final tiebreaker, should it become necessary, will
use the average score assigned for the ``Qualifications of the
applicant'' selection criterion.
3. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
200.206, before awarding grants under this competition, the Department
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR
200.208, the Secretary may impose specific conditions and, under 2 CFR
3474.10, 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.
4. 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
$250,000), under 2 CFR 200.206(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 the System for Award Management. 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.
5. In General: In accordance with the Office of Management and
Budget's guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal
laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department will review and
consider applications for funding pursuant to this notice inviting
applications in accordance with--
(a) Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering
results based on the program objectives through an objective process of
evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR 200.205);
(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video
surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the
National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 115--232) (2 CFR
200.216);
(c) Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to
maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United
States (2 CFR 200.322); and
(d) Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest
extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program
goals or agency priorities (2 CFR 200.340).
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify the
IHE's U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send the IHE a Grant
Award Notification (GAN). We may also notify the IHE informally.
If a faculty application is not evaluated or not selected for
funding, we notify the IHE.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of its 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. 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 Measure: For the purpose of Department reporting
under 34 CFR 75.110, the Department will use the following performance
measure:
FRA Measure: The percentage of Fulbright-Hays FRA fellows who
increased their foreign language scores in speaking, reading, or
writing by at least one proficiency level.
VII. Other Information
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities
can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an
accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an
accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text
format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print,
audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. 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 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.
Nasser H. Paydar,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2024-03156 Filed 2-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
