[Federal Register: January 27, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 17)] [Notices] [Page 4253-4255] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr27ja99-112] [[Page 4253]] _______________________________________________________________________ Part VI Department of Education _______________________________________________________________________ Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)--Special Focus Competition: Higher Education Collaboration Between the United States and the European Community; Notice [[Page 4254]] DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA No. 84.116J] Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)-- Special Focus Competition: Higher Education Collaboration Between the United States and the European Community Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 1999. Purpose of Program: To provide grants or enter into cooperative agreements to improve postsecondary education opportunities by focusing on problem areas or improvement approaches in postsecondary education. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education, combinations of institutions, and other public and private nonprofit educational institutions and agencies. Applications Available: January 27, 1999. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 11, 1999. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 10, 1999. Available Funds: $1,600,000 over three years. Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$175,000 per consortium for up to three years. Awards for the first planning year will be $20,000 per consortium. Estimated Average Size of Awards: $160,000 for up to three years. Estimated Number of Awards: 10. Project Period: Up to 36 months. Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice. Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 85 and 86. Supplemental Information: For FY 1999, the competition includes an invitational priority to encourage proposals designed to support the formation of educational consortia of institutions in the United States and the European Union to encourage cooperation in the coordination of curricula, the exchange of students, and the opening of educational opportunities between the United States and the European Union. The invitational priority is issued in cooperation with the European Union. European institutions participating in any consortium proposal responding to the invitational priority may apply to the European Commission Directorate Generale for Education, Training, and Youth for funding under a separate European competition. Invitational Priority The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet the following invitational priority. However, an application that meets this invitational priority does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)). Invitational Priority: Projects that support consortia of institutions of higher education that promote institutional cooperation and student mobility between the United States and the member states of the European Union. Methods for Applying Selection Criteria The Secretary gives equal weight to the listed criteria. Within each of the criteria, the Secretary gives equal weight to each of the factors. Selection Criteria In evaluating applications for grants under this program competition, the Secretary uses the following selection criteria chosen from those listed in 34 CFR 75.210. 1. The quality of the design of the proposed project, as determined by-- a. The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable; and b. The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population or other identified needs. 2. The significance of the proposed project, as determined by-- a. The extent to which the proposed project involves the development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, or are alternatives to, existing strategies; b. The likely utility of the products (such as information, materials, processes, or techniques) that will result from the proposed project, including the potential for their being used in a variety of other settings; and c. The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in teaching and student achievement. 3. The adequacy of resources, as determined by-- a. The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project; b. The potential for continued support of the project after Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated commitment of appropriate entities to such support; and c. The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project. For Applications or Information Contact: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 7th & D Streets, S.W., Room 3100, ROB-3, Washington, D.C. 20202-5175. You may also request application forms by calling 732-544-2872 (fax on demand), or application guidelines by calling 202-358-3041 (voice mail) or submitting the name of the competition and your name and postal address to FIPSE@ED.GOV (e-mail). Applications are also listed on the FIPSE Web Site . Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday. For additional program information call Beverly Baker at the FIPSE office (202-708-5750) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph. Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the application package. Electronic Access to This Document Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or portable document format (pdf) via the Internet at either of the following sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm http://www.ed.gov/news.html To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing Office at (202) 512-1530 or, toll free, at 1-888-293-6498. Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases. [[Page 4255]] Note: The official version of a document is the document published in the Federal Register. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1138-1138d. Dated: January 22, 1999. David A. Longanecker, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. [FR Doc. 99-1864 Filed 1-26-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P