Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview Information; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)--Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards [OSERS]

FR Doc 06-1795
[Federal Register: February 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 38)]
[Notices]
[Page 9892-9896]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27fe06-100]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview
Information; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR)--Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers (SCIMS
Centers); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133N-1.

Dates: Applications Available: February 27, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 21, 2006.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: March 20, 2006.
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: $6,500,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $439,000-$489,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $464,000.

Note: For planning purposes, NIDRR suggests that applicants
allot no more than 15 percent of their budget to the module project.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget

[[Page 9893]]

exceeding $489,000 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 1: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs.

Note 2: SCIMS Centers will be funded at varying amounts up to
the maximum award based on the numbers of subjects eligible for
follow-up in the existing database. Existing centers with
significantly larger numbers of subjects will receive higher funding
within the specified range, as determined by NIDRR after the
applicant is selected for funding.
Applicants should include in their budgets specific estimates of
their costs for follow-up data collection. Funding will be
determined individually for each successful applicant, up to the
maximum allowed, based upon the documented workload associated with
the follow-up data collection, the other costs of the grant, and the
overall budgetary limits of the program.

Estimated Number of Awards: 14.

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 this program is to provide
assistance for demonstration projects that (a) provide comprehensive
rehabilitation services to individuals with spinal cord injuries and
(b) conduct spinal cord research, including clinical research and
analysis of standardized data in collection with other related
projects.
Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priorities for
the SCIMS program and the Disability Rehabilitation Research Projects
(DRRP) program, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal
Register.
Absolute Priority: For FY 2006 this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
SCIMS Centers.
The general and specific requirements for meeting this priority are
in the notice of final priority for this program and the DRRP program,
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

Note: The Department will invite by letter successful applicants
under the SCIMS Centers competition to apply for funding as a lead
center under the SCIMS Multi-Site Research Projects priority
established for the DRRP program and published elsewhere in this
issue of the Federal Register. Under this priority, we anticipate
funding two collaborative, multi-site research projects in SCI
research, with an estimated available funding level of $1.8 million.
In addition, $2.66 million is available to support start-up
activities associated with mounting these collaborative multi-site
research projects.

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 760, 764(a), and 764(b)(4).
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. (c) The notice of final priorities for the SCIMS program and
the DRRP 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: $6,500,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $439,000-$489,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $464,000.

Note: For planning purposes, NIDRR suggests that applicants
allot no more than 15 percent of their budget to the module project.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $489,000 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 1: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs.

Estimated Number of Awards: 14.

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 competition 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 84.133N.
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 For Further Information Contact in 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.
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[sec] x 11[sec], on one side only, with
1[sec] 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).

[[Page 9894]]

The suggested 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, which also includes a detailed
budget for research projects and data collection; 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: February 27, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 21, 2006.
Pre-Application Meeting: Interested parties are invited to
participate in a pre-application meeting to discuss the funding
priority and to receive information and technical assistance through
individual consultation. The pre-application meeting will be held on
March 20, 2006. Interested parties may participate in this meeting
either by conference call or in person at the U.S. Department of
Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Potomac Center Plaza, room 6075, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC
between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. After the meeting, NIDRR staff also will
be available from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on that same day to provide
information and technical assistance through individual consultation.
For further information or to make arrangements to attend either in
person or by conference call, or for an individual consultation,
contact Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, Potomac Center
Plaza, room 6030, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202. Telephone
(202) 245-7462 or by e-mail: donna.nangle@ed.gov.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Pre-Application
Meeting

The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities,
and a sign language interpreter will be available. If you will need an
auxiliary aid or service other than a sign language interpreter in
order to participate in the meeting (e.g., other interpreting service
such as oral, cued speech, or tactile interpreter; assistive listening
device; or materials in alternate format), notify the contact person
listed in this notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting
date. Although we will attempt to meet a request we receive after this
date, we may not be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid
or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.
Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6 Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
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: Applications for grants under
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
We have been accepting applications electronically through the
Department's e-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on
those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are
continuing to participate as a partner in the new government wide
Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2006. Spinal Cord Injury Model System
Centers--CFDA Number 84.133N-1 is one of the programs included in this
project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.grants.gov.
Through this

site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package,
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for Spinal Cord
Injury Model Systems Centers, 84.133N-1 at: http://www.grants.gov. You

must search for the downloadable application package for this program
by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in
your search.
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.

To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering

your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf.
You also must provide on your application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration.
Please note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all

[[Page 9895]]

registration steps to allow you to successfully submit an application
via Grants.gov.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
You may submit all documents electronically, including all
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. If you choose to
submit your application electronically, you must attach any narrative
sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich
text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type
other than the three file types specified above or submit a password
protected file, we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying
number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date,
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system.
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to
the Grants.gov system.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the
original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133N-
1), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260 or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133N-
1), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you 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, or
(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, or
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.

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.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133N-
1), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington,
DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the
Department--in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if any--of the
competition under which you are submitting your application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and 34 CFR 350.54 and are listed in the
application package.
The Secretary is interested in hypothesis-driven research and
development projects. To address this interest it is expected that
applicants will articulate goals, objectives, and expected outcomes for
the proposed research and development activities. It is critical that
proposals describe expected public benefits, especially benefits for
individuals with disabilities, and propose projects that are optimally
designed to demonstrate outcomes that are consistent with the proposed
goals. Applicants are encouraged to include information describing how
they will measure outcomes, including the indicators that will
represent the end-result, the mechanisms that will be used to evaluate
outcomes associated with specific problems or issues, and how the
proposed activities will support new intervention approaches and
strategies, including a discussion of measures of effectiveness.
Submission of this information is voluntary except where

[[Page 9896]]

required by the selection criteria listed 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 percentage of newly awarded NIDRR projects that are
multi-site, collaborative controlled studies of interventions and
programs.
The number of accomplishments (e.g., new or improved
tools, methods, discoveries, standards, interventions, programs, or
devices) developed or tested with NIDRR funding that have been judged
by expert panels to be of high quality and to advance the field.
The percentage of grantee research and development that
has appropriate study design, meets rigorous standards of scientific
and/or engineering methods and builds on and contributes to knowledge
in the field.
The average number of publications per award based on
NIDRR-funded research and development activities in refereed journals.
The percentage of new grants that include studies funded
by NIDRR that assess the effectiveness of interventions, programs, and
devices 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's Web
site: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/sas/index.html.

Updates on the GPRA indicators, revisions and methods appear in the
NIDRR Program Review Web site:
http://www.neweditions.net/pr/commonfiles/pmconcepts.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, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 6030, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7462 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) 245-7317 or the Federal Relay Service
(FRS) 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 1-888-293-6498; 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: February 22, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 06-1795 Filed 2-24-06; 8:45 am]

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