National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--Research Fellowships Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 CFDA No.: 84.133F [OSERS]

FR Doc 03-26208
[Federal Register: October 16, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 200)]
[Notices]
[Page 59594-59595]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16oc03-44]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

[CFDA No.: 84.133F]

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--
Research Fellowships Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Research Fellowships Program
is to build research capacity by providing support to highly qualified
individuals, including those who are individuals with disabilities, to
conduct research about the rehabilitation of individuals with
disabilities. Fellows may conduct original research in an area
authorized by section 204 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
amended. Fellows must address problems encountered by individuals in
their daily lives that are due to the presence of a disabling
condition, problems associated with the provision of rehabilitation
services to individuals with disabilities, and problems connected with
the conduct of disability research.
The program provides two categories of Fellowships: Merit
Fellowships and Distinguished Fellowships.
(a) To be eligible for a Distinguished Fellowship, an individual
must have seven or more years of research experience in subject areas,
methods, or techniques relevant to rehabilitation research and must
have a doctorate, other terminal degree, or comparable academic
qualifications.
(b) To be eligible for a Merit Fellowship, an individual must have
either advanced professional training or independent study experience
in an area that is directly pertinent to disability and rehabilitation.
In the most recent competitions, recipients of a Merit Fellowship had
research experience at the doctoral level.
Applicants are not required to submit a budget with their proposal.
These are one Full Time Equivalent (FTE) awards. The Fellow must work
principally on the fellowship during the year. We define one FTE as
equal to 40 hours per week. The Fellow cannot receive support through
any other Federal Government grants during this period.
Eligible applicants: Only individuals who have advanced
rehabilitation research training and experience in conducting
scientific research related to the solution of rehabilitation problems
of individuals with disabilities are eligible.

Note: Institutions are not eligible to be recipients of
Fellowships.

Applications available: October 16, 2003.
Deadline for transmittal of applications: December 15, 2003.
Estimated available funds: The Administration has requested
$500,000 for this program for FY 2004. 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.
Maximum Award: Merit: $45,000; Distinguished: $55,000.

Note: Applicants must indicate whether they are applying for the
Merit Fellowship: $45,000, or the Distinguished Fellowship: $55,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 10.

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

Project Period: 12 months.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to
the equivalent of no more than 24 pages using the following standards:
[sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
[sbull] 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.
[sbull] Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part IV,
the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must
include all of the application narrative in Part III.
We will reject your application if you apply these standards and
exceed the page limit.

Note: Applicants must place their Social Security Number in
Block 2 on the ED 424 form in place of the D-U-N-S Number.

Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 81, 82, 85,
and 97; and 34 CFR part 356, Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Fellowships.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Note: NIDRR supports the goals of President Bush's New Freedom
Initiative (NFI). The NFI can be accessed on the Internet at the
following site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/freedominitiative/freedominitiative.html.

The Research Fellowships Program is in concert with NIDRR's Long-
Range Plan (Plan). The Plan is comprehensive and integrates many issues
relating to disability and rehabilitation research topics. The Plan can
be accessed on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/index.html.
Selection Criteria: In evaluating an application for a Fellowship
under this competition, we use selection criteria chosen from the
selection criteria in 34 CFR 356.30-32. The selection criteria to be
used for this competition will be provided in the application package
for this competition.
Application Procedures:

Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy.
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

In FY 2004, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to
expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to
include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary
grant competitions. The Research Fellowships Program--CFDA

[[Page 59595]]

84.133F is one of the programs included in the pilot project.
If you are an applicant under the Research Fellowships Program, you may
submit your application to us in either electronic or paper format.
The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant
Application System (e-Application). Users of e-Application will be
entering data on-line while completing their applications. You may not
e-mail a soft copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in
this voluntary pilot project by submitting an application
electronically, the data you enter on-line will be saved into a
database. We request your participation in e-Application. We shall
continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its
improvement.
If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
[sbull] Your participation is voluntary.
[sbull] When you enter the e-Application system, you will find
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
[sbull] You will not receive additional point value because you
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize
you if you submit an application in paper format.
[sbull] You may submit all documents electronically, including the
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) and all necessary
assurances and certifications. The Budget Information--Non-Construction
Programs (ED 524) is not required by the Research Fellowships Program--
CFDA 84.133F.
[sbull] Your e-Application must comply with any page limit
requirements described in this notice.
[sbull] After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
[sbull] Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following
these steps:
1. Print ED 424.
2. The applicant must sign this form under the Research Fellowships
Program--CFDA 84.133F.
3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202)
260-1349.
[sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
[sbull] Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot
for the Research Fellowships Program--CFDA 84.133F and you are
prevented from submitting your application on the application deadline
date because the e-Application system is unavailable, we will grant you
an extension of one business day in order to transmit your application
electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. For us to grant this
extension--
1. You must be a registered user of e-Application, and have
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
2. (a) The e-Application system must be unavailable for 60 minutes
or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system must be unavailable for any period of
time during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the
application deadline date.
The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this
extension or to confirm the Department's acknowledgement of any system
unavailability, you may contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere
in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Research
Fellowships Program--CFDA 84.133F at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs),
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for
the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs via its Web site: http://www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp.

Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA 84.133F.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone:
(202) 205-8207. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Services (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an
alternative format the standard forms included in the application
package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3412, Switzer Building,
Washington, DC 20202-2645. Telephone: (202) 205-5880 or via
Internet: donna.nangle@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 205-4475.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may review this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
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://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(e).

Dated: October 9, 2003.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 03-26208 Filed 10-15-03; 8:45 am]

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