FR Doc 03-31446



[Federal Register: December 22, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 245)]
[Notices]               
[Page 71097-71099]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22de03-37]                         
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Institute of Education Sciences; Overview Information; Small 
Business Innovation Research Program--Phase I Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.305S
    Dates:
    Applications Available: December 22, 2003.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: 8 p.m. Eastern time, 
February 19, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: Each organization submitting an application 
must qualify as a small business concern as defined by the Small 
Business Administration (SBA) at the time of the award. This definition 
is included in the application package.
    Firms with strong research capabilities in educational 
technologies, science, or engineering in any of the priority areas 
listed in the application package are encouraged to participate. 
Consultative or other arrangements between these firms and universities 
or other non-profit organizations are permitted, but the small business 
must serve as the grantee.
    If it appears that an applicant organization does not meet the 
eligibility requirements, we will request an evaluation by the SBA. 
Under circumstances in which eligibility is unclear, we will not make a 
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award until the SBA makes a 
determination.
    Estimated Available Funds: Approximately $3,000,000 for this 
competition for Phase I awards from the Institute of Education Sciences 
(Institute). The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 
Research will announce another Phase I competition later in the fiscal 
year.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $75,000 to $100,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: Approximately $100,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $100,000 for a single budget period of 6 months.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 30 to 35.

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

    Project Period: Up to 6 months for Phase I awards. Full Text of 
Announcement.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to stimulate 
technological innovation, strengthen the role of small business in 
meeting Department of Education research or research and development 
(R/R&D) needs, and increase the commercial application of innovations 
derived from Department-supported research or research and development.
    For FY 2004, applicants must present activities that focus on 
priorities listed in the Priorities section of this application notice.
    Priorities:
    For FY 2004, we have selected two priorities for the SBIR program. 
An application must be limited to one priority listed in this notice. 
Duplicate applications will be returned without review. When an 
application is relevant to more than one priority, the applicant must 
decide which priority is most relevant and submit it under that 
priority only. However, there is no limitation on the number of 
different applications that an applicant may submit under this 
competition, even to the same priority. A firm may submit separate 
applications on different priorities, or different applications on the 
same priority, but each application should respond to only one 
priority.

Priorities

    We invite applications that meet one of the following priorities. 
Awards for each priority will be made for amounts up to $100,000.

Priority 1--Services

    This priority supports research to develop effective business 
consulting services that can better serve the education community at 
both the local and State levels. The Institute's SBIR program invites 
proposals that seek to develop a plan or a business model for the 
provision of such services. More details about this priority can be 
found in the application package.

Priority 2--Products

    This priority supports the development of empirically derived 
educational products in the areas of reading, mathematics, science or 
character/pro-social development at the pre-kindergarten through 
postsecondary levels, including products that support teachers and 
administrators as well as products that are used directly by students. 
More details about this

[[Page 71098]]

priority can be found in the application package.
    Successful applicants will be expected to collect some empirical 
evidence as to the effectiveness of the service or product they are 
proposing, or, at a minimum, to incorporate a plan for measuring its 
efficacy and usefulness.
    Program Authority: The Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000, 
Pub. L. 106-554 (15 U.S.C. 631 and 638) and the Education Sciences 
Reform Act of 2002, Title I of Pub. L. 107-279 (20 U.S.C. 9501 et 
seq.).
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 77, 81, 82, 85, 
86, 97, 98 and 99. In addition 34 CFR part 75 is applicable, except for 
the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 75.105, 
75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217, 75.219, 
75.220, and 75.230.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: Approximately $3,000,000 for Phase I 
awards for this competition from the Institute. The National Institute 
on Disability and Rehabilitation Research will announce another Phase I 
competition later in the fiscal year.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $75,000 to $100,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: Approximately $100,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $100,000 for a single budget period of 6 months.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 30 to 35.

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

    Project Period: Up to 6 months for Phase I awards.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Each organization submitting an application 
must qualify as a small business concern as defined by the SBA at the 
time of the award. This definition is included in the application 
package.
    Firms with strong research capabilities in educational 
technologies, science, or engineering in any of the priority areas 
listed in the application package are encouraged to participate. 
Consultative or other arrangements between these firms and universities 
or other non-profit organizations are permitted, but the small business 
must serve as the grantee.
    If it appears that an applicant organization does not meet the 
eligibility requirements, we will request an evaluation by the SBA. 
Under circumstances in which eligibility is unclear, we will not make 
an SBIR award until the SBA makes a determination.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: The application package 
is available at: 
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ed.gov/programs/edresearch/applicant.html.

    You may address questions regarding this application package to: 
Joe Teresa, U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education 
Sciences, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 608f, Washington, DC 20208. 
Telephone: (202) 219-2046 or by e-mail: joe.teresa@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed in this section. However, the Department is not able to 
reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the 
application package.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with information 
about the forms you must submit, are in the application package for 
this program. The application package is available at: 
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ed.gov/programs/edresearch/applicant.html
.

    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: December 22, 2003.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: 8 p.m. Eastern time, 
February 19, 2004. The date and time for the transmittal of electronic 
applications are in the application package for this program.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    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. Other Submission Requirements: The Government Paperwork 
Elimination Act (GPEA) of 1998, (Pub. L. 105-277) and the Federal 
Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, (Pub. L. 106-
107) encourage us to undertake initiatives to improve our grant 
processes. Enhancing the ability of individuals and entities to conduct 
business with us electronically is a major part of our response to 
these Acts. Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the Internet as our 
chief means of conducting transactions in order to improve services to 
our customers and to simplify and expedite our business processes.
    We are requiring that applications for grants under the Institute's 
FY 2004 SBIR Phase I competition be submitted electronically to the 
following Web site: 
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://ies.constellagroup.com.

    Information on the software to be used will also be available at 
this site.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The evaluation criteria for this competition 
are: Significance--25 points; Quality of the Project Design--50 points; 
Quality of Project Personnel--15 points; and Adequacy of Resources--10 
points.
    More information about the evaluation criteria and about other 
application requirements can be found in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as required 
by the Institute. The report should identify the purpose of the 
research, and include a brief description of the research carried out, 
the research findings or results, and the potential applications of the 
research. You must submit this project summary without restriction on 
publication. The

[[Page 71099]]

project summary may be published by the U.S. Department of Education.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Joe Teresa, U.S. Department of 
Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., 
room 608f, Washington, DC 20208. Telephone: (202) 219-2046 or by e-
mail: joe.teresa@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this 
section.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: 
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.

    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: 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 on GPO Access at:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.



    Dated: December 17, 2003.
Grover J. Whitehurst,
Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 03-31446 Filed 12-19-03; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P