Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Business and International Education Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, CFDA Number 84.153A [OPE]

[Federal Register: October 11, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 196)]
[Notices]
[Page 59749-59753]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Business
and International Education Program; Notice Inviting Applications for
New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.153A.

DATES: Applications Available: October 11, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 21, 2006.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 22, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education that enter
into agreements with business enterprises, trade organizations or
associations that are engaged in international economic activity--or a
combination or consortium of these enterprises, organizations, or
associations--for the purposes of pursuing the activities authorized
under this program.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$2,195,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2007. The actual
level

[[Page 59750]]

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.
Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000--$110,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $84,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $110,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 26.

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

Project Period: Up to 24 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The Business and International Education
program provides grants to enhance international business education
programs and to expand the capacity of the business community to engage
in international economic activities.
Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2007 this priority is a
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34
CFR 661.32 we award up to an additional five (5) points to an
application, depending on how well the application meets this priority.
In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority is from the
regulations for this program (34 CFR 661.32).
This priority is:
Innovation and improvement of international education curricula to
serve the needs of the business community, including the development of
new programs for nontraditional, mid-career, or part-time students.
Invitational Priorities: For FY 2007 these priorities are
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an
application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
These priorities are:
Invitational Priority I:
Applications from institutions of higher education that propose
educational projects that include activities focused on the targeted
world areas of the Middle East, East Asia, South Asia, Russia, and
Africa. These projects should be integrated into the curricula of the
home institution or institutions.
Invitational Priority II:
Applications that focus on developing, improving and/or
disseminating best practices of international business training
programs, teaching, and curriculum development to increase American
competitiveness.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1130-1130b.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR parts
655 and 661.

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: The Administration has requested
$2,195,000 for this program for FY 2007. 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.
Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000-$110,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $84,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $110,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 26.

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

Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education that enter
into agreements with business enterprises, trade organizations or
associations that are engaged in international economic activity--or a
combination or consortium of these enterprises, organizations, or
associations--for the purposes of pursuing the activities authorized
under this program.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The matching requirement is described
in section 613(d) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20
U.S.C. 1130a) (HEA). The HEA provides that the applicant's share of the
total cost of carrying out a program supported by a grant under this
program must be no less than 50 percent of the total cost of the
project in each fiscal year. The non-Federal share of the cost may be
provided either in-kind or in cash.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Ms. Tanyelle Richardson,
International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education,
1990 K Street, NW., room 6017, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone:
(202) 502-7626 or by e-mail:
tanyelle.richardson@ed.gov
or visit http://www.ed.gov/HEP/iegps
to download an application.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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.
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 program.
Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant,
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your
application. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses
the selection criteria to the equivalent of no more than 40 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. However, you may
single space 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). However, you may use a 10-point
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman, Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances
and certifications; the one-page abstract; or the appendices. However,
you must include your complete response to the selection criteria in
the application narrative.

[[Page 59751]]

We will reject your application if--
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: October 11, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 21, 2006.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer
to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 22, 2007.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this program.
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 program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in
this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants
under the Business and International Education program must be
submitted electronically using 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.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Business
and International Education program at:
http://www.grants.gov. You

must search for the downloadable application package for this
competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha
suffix in your search.
Please note the following:
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 submission 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 program 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 the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). 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/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf
). You must

also 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.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information typically included on the Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. 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 acknowledgement 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 Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: 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

[[Page 59752]]

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.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system;
and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Ms. Tanyelle Richardson,
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6th Floor,
Washington, DC 20006-8521. FAX: (202) 502-7691.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail
(through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your
application to the Department. 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: 84.153A, 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: 84.153A, 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
qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you
(or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the
Department by hand. You 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: 84.153A, 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 11 of the Application for Federal Assistance (SF
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 program are in
34 CFR 661.31 and are as follows: (a) Need for the project (25 points);
(b) plan of operation (20 points); (c) qualifications of the key
personnel (10 points); (d) budget and cost effectiveness (15 points);
(e) evaluation plan (25 points); and (f) adequacy of resources (5
points).

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. The applicant is required to use the electronic data
instrument Evaluation of Exchange, Language, International and

[[Page 59753]]

Areas Studies (EELIAS) system to complete the final report.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the objective for the BIE program is to
meet the nation's security and economic needs through the development
of a national capacity in foreign languages, and area and international
studies.
The Department will use the following measures to evaluate its
success in meeting this objective.
BIE Performance Measures: (1) The number of outreach activities
that are adopted or further disseminated within a year, divided by the
total number of BIE outreach activities conducted in the current year.
(2) Percentage of projects judged to be successful by the program
officer, based on a review of information provided in annual
performance reports.
If funded, information from your final performance report submitted
via the electronic Evaluation of Exchange, Language, International, and
Area Studies system will be used to record and evaluate the performance
of your project.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Ms. Tanyelle Richardson,
International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education,
1990 K Street, NW., room 6017, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone:
(202) 502-7626 or by e-mail:
tanyelle.richardson@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call 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: October 5, 2006.
James F. Manning,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-16827 Filed 10-10-06; 8:45 am]

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