FR Doc 04-11680
[Federal Register: May 24, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 100)]
[Notices]
[Page 29641-29644]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24my04-110]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR)--Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC)
Program--Improving Employment Outcomes
ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year
(FY) 2004.
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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133B-1.
Dates: Applications Available: May 24, 2004.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: June 24, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 23, 2004.
Eligible Applicants: States; public or private agencies, including
for-profit agencies; public or private organizations, including for-
profit organizations; institutions of higher education; and Indian
tribes and tribal organizations.
Estimated Available Funds: $2,800,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $600,000-$700,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $700,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $700,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.
Note: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs with
an indirect cost rate of 15 percent.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the RRTC program is to improve
the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973 (Act), as amended. For FY 2004, the competition for new awards
focuses on projects designed to meet the priorities we describe in the
Priorities section of this notice. We intend these priorities to
improve rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with
disabilities.
Priorities: These priorities are from the notice of final
priorities for this program, published elsewhere in this issue of the
Federal Register.
Absolute Priorities: For FY 2004 these priorities are absolute
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications
that meet one or more of these priorities.
These priorities are:
Priority 1--Employment Policy and Individuals with Disabilities;
Priority 2--Employment Service Systems; Priority 3--Workplace Supports
and Job Retention; and Priority 4--Substance Abuse and Employment
Outcomes.
General requirements for all RRTCs funded under one of these
priorities and specific requirements for each priority are in the
notice of final priorities for this program, published elsewhere in
this issue of the Federal Register. Applicants must select and focus
research on one of these priorities. Applicants are allowed to submit
more than one application as long as each application addresses only
one priority.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(2).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 86, and 97(b) the regulations for this program in 34 CFR
part 350, and (c) the notice of final priorities for this program,
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $2,800,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $600,000-$700,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $700,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $700,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.
Note: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs with
an indirect cost rate of 15 percent.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: States; public or private agencies,
including for-profit agencies; public or private organizations,
including for-profit organizations; institutions of higher education;
and Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
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: You may obtain an
application package via Internet or from the ED Publications Center (ED
Pubs). To obtain a copy via Internet use the following address:
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write or call the following: 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 at its Web site:
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
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 Number 84.133B-1.
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 under section VII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
Notice of Intent to Apply: Due to the open nature of the RRTC
competition, and to assist with the selection of reviewers for this
competition, NIDRR is requiring all potential applicants to submit a
Letter of Intent (LOI). While the submission is mandatory, the content
of the LOI will not be peer reviewed or otherwise used to rate an
applicant's application. We will notify only those potential applicants
who have failed to submit an LOI that meets the requirements listed
below.
Each LOI should be limited to a maximum of four pages and include
the following information: (1) The title of the proposed project, which
priority will be addressed, the name of the company, the name of the
Project Director or Principal Investigator (PI), and the names of
partner institutions and entities; (2) a brief statement of the vision,
goals, and objectives of the
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proposed project and a description of its activities at a sufficient
level of detail to allow NIDRR to select potential peer reviewers; (3)
a list of proposed project staff including the Project Director or PI
and key personnel; (4) a list of individuals whose selection as a peer
reviewer might constitute a conflict of interest due to involvement in
proposal development, selection as an advisory board member, co-PI
relationships, etc.; and (5) contact information for the Project
Director or PI. Submission of a LOI is a prerequisite for eligibility
to submit an application.
NIDRR will accept a LOI via surface mail, e-mail, or facsimile by
June 24, 2004. The LOI must be sent to: Surface mail: Roslyn Edson,
U.S. Department of Education, 550 12th Street, SW., room 6029, Potomac
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202; or fax (202) 205-8515; or e-mail:
roslyn.edson@ed.gov.
If a LOI is submitted via e-mail or facsimile, the applicant must
also provide NIDRR with the original signed LOI within seven days after
the date the e-mail or facsimile is submitted.
For further information regarding the LOI requirement contact
Rosyln Edson at (202) 245-7331. 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. We
recommend that you limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 125
pages, using 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).
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II,
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; 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.
The application package will provide instructions for completing
all components to be included in the application. Each application must
include a cover sheet (ED Standard Form 424); budget requirements (ED
Form 524) and narrative justification; other required forms; an
abstract, Human Subjects narrative, Part III narrative; resumes of
staff; and other related materials, if applicable.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: May 24, 2004.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: June 24, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 23, 2004. The dates
and times for the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand
(including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the
application package for this competition. The application package also
specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.
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: Instructions and requirements for
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier
service or commercial carrier) are 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: We are
continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic submission of
applications to include additional formula grant programs and
additional discretionary grant competitions. The Rehabilitation
Research and Training Centers Program--Improving Employment Outcomes
competition--CFDA Number 84.133B-1 is one of the programs included in
the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Rehabilitation
Research and Training Centers Program--Improving Employment Outcomes
competition, 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). If you use e-Application, you will
be entering data online while completing your application. You may not
e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. If you
participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an
application electronically, the data you enter online 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:
Your participation is voluntary.
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.
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.
You may submit all documents electronically, including the
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
Your e-Application must comply with any page limit
requirements described in this notice.
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).
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 from e-Application.
2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this
form.
3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202)
245-6272.
We may request that you give us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot
for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers Program--Improving
Employment Outcomes competition and
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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. We will grant
this extension if--
1. You are a registered user of e-Application, and you have
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
2. (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC,
time, on the application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system is 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.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For
Further Information Contact (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
You may access the electronic grant application for the
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers Program--Improving
Employment Outcomes competition at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
V. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and 34 CFR 350.54. The specific selection
criteria to be used for this competition are 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 directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
Note: NIDRR will provide information by letter to grantees on
how and when to submit the report.
4. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its
research program, NIDRR assesses the quality of its funded projects
through review of grantee performance and products. Each year, NIDRR
examines, through expert peer review, a portion of its grantees to
determine:
The degree to which the grantees are conducting high-
quality research, as reflected in the appropriateness of study designs,
the rigor with which accepted standards of scientific and engineering
methods or both are applied, and the degree to which the research
builds on and contributes to the level of knowledge in the field;
The number of new or improved tools, instruments,
protocols, and technologies developed and published by grantees that
are deemed to improve the measurement of disability and rehabilitation-
related concepts and to contribute to changes and improvements in
policy, practice, and outcomes for individuals with disabilities and
their families;
The percentage of grantees deemed to be implementing a
systematic outcomes-oriented dissemination plan, with measurable
performance goals and targets, that clearly identifies the types of
products and services to be produced and the target audiences to be
reached, and describes how dissemination products and strategies will
be used to meet the needs of end-users, including individuals with
disabilities and those from diverse backgrounds, and promotes the
awareness and use of information and findings or both from NIDRR-funded
projects;
The percentage of consumer-oriented dissemination products
and services (based on a subset of products and services nominated by
grantees to be their ``best'' outputs) that are deemed to be of high-
quality and contributing to advances in knowledge and to changes and
improvements or both in policy, practices, services, and supports by
individuals with disabilities and other end-users, including
practitioners, service providers, and policy makers; and
The percentage of new studies funded each year that assess
the effectiveness of interventions or demonstration programs using
rigorous and appropriate methods.
NIDRR uses information submitted by grantees as part of their
Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for these reviews. NIDRR also
determines, using information submitted as part of the APR, the number
of publications in refereed journals that are based on NIDRR-funded
research and development activities.
Department of Education program performance reports, which include
information on NIDRR programs, are available on the Department of
Education Web site:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/planning.html.
Updates on the GPRA indicators, revisions and methods appear in the
NIDRR Program Review Web site:
http://www.cessi.net/pr/grc/index.htm.
Grantees should consult these sites, on a regular basis, to obtain
details and explanations on how NIDRR programs contribute to the
advancement of the Department's long-term and annual performance goals.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of
Education, 550 12th Street, SW., room 6046, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. 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 or 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.
VIII. Other Information
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://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-
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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.
Dated: May 18, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-11680 Filed 5-21-04; 8:45 am]
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