**Department Of State**

**Request for Proposals: Title VIII Program for Research and Training on
Eastern Europe and Eurasia (Independent States of the Former Soviet
Union)**

**SUMMARY:** The Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and
Research, Office of Outreach, invites organizations with substantial and
wide-reaching experience in administering research and training programs
to serve as intermediaries conducting nationwide competitive programs
for U.S. scholars, students and institutions pertaining to advanced
research and language training on the countries of Eastern Europe and
Eurasia. U.S.-based public and private nonprofit organizations and
educational institutions may submit proposals to carry out Title
VIII-funded programs that 1) support and sustain American expertise on
the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia 2) bring American expertise
to the service of the U.S. Government, and 3) further U.S. foreign
assistance and policy goals. An explicit connection must be made to U.S.
policy, the maintenance of U.S. knowledge and expertise, and national
capability.

This program also works to support outreach and build relationships with
the academic community. Intelligence Community analysts and DOS policy
staff can benefit from engagement with outside elements to explore new
ideas and perspectives and create new knowledge and research. The grants
will be awarded through an open, merit-based competition. Grantee
organizations will then conduct competitions for students, scholars, and
specialists. The purpose of this request for proposals is to inform
potential applicant organizations of programmatic, procedural and
funding information for the fiscal year 2009 Title VIII grants
competition.

We request that applicants read the entire announcement before
addressing inquiries to the Office of Outreach. ***Proposals from
individuals or institutions and organizations to fund their own
projects, i.e., projects that are not national in scope and/or do not
involve open, merit-based recruitment of participants, will not be
considered.***

**AUTHORITY:** Grant making authority for the Program for Research and
Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former
Soviet Union (Title VIII) is contained in the Soviet-Eastern European
Research and Training Act of 1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501-4508, as amended.)

**PURPOSE:** Congress determined that factual knowledge, independently
verified, about the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia is of the
utmost importance for the national security of the United States, the
furtherance of its national interests in the conduct of foreign
relations, and the prudent management of its domestic affairs. It is in
the national interest for the United States Government to provide a
stable source of financial support for the functions described in this
section and to supplement the financial support for that which is
currently being furnished by Federal, State, local, regional, and
private agencies, organizations, and individuals; thereby stabilizing
the conduct of these functions on a national scale, and on a long range
unclassified basis.

The development and maintenance of knowledge about these regions depends
upon the national capability for advanced research by highly trained and
experienced specialists, available for service in and out of Government.
Certain essential functions are necessary to ensure the existence of
that knowledge and the capability to sustain it, including:

A.  graduate training;

B.  advanced research;

C.  public dissemination of research data, methods, and findings;

D.  contact and collaboration among Government and private specialists;
    and

E.  firsthand experience of the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia
    by American

> specialists, including on-site conduct of advanced training and
> research to the extent practicable.

**PROCESS:** Applicants must submit proposals electronically using
Grants.gov.  Thorough instructions on the Grants.gov application process
are available at [http://www.grants.gov](http://www.grants.gov/).  For
questions relating to Grants.gov, please call the Grants.gov Contact
Center at 1-800-518-4726.  For questions about this solicitation,
contact Julie Johnson, Title VIII Analyst at [Email]{.underline}:
johnsonjm@state.gov

**Application Deadline**: All applications must be submitted on or
before **April 17, 2009 11:59 p.m. eastern time.**  Applications
submitted after 11:59 p.m. will be ineligible for consideration. 
**[Begin the application process early]{.underline}**, as this will
allow time to address any technical difficulties that may arise in
advance of the deadline.  Faxed proposals will not be accepted at any
time. Late applications will not be considered. It is the applicant's
responsibility to ensure that proposals are delivered on time.

All applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an
application.  **[Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process;
however, it could take as long as two weeks to have the registration
validated and confirmed.  Please begin the registration process
immediately to ensure that the process is completed well in advance of
the deadline for applications.]{.underline}**  Until that process is
complete, you will not be issued a user password for Grants.gov, which
is required for application submission.  There are four steps that you
must complete before you are able to register: (1) Obtain a Data
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet (if your
organization does not have one already) by calling 1-866-705-5711; (2)
Register with Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (3) Register yourself
as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (4) Be
authorized as an AOR by your organization.  For more information, go to
[www.grants.gov](http://www.grants.gov/).  Please note that your CCR
registration must be annually renewed.  Failure to renew your CCR
registration may prohibit submission of a grant application through
Grants.gov.

**PROGRAM INFORMATION:** The Department of State's Bureau of
Intelligence and Research, Office of Outreach seeks proposals that
outline a plan to conduct a national research program to include
information on how to establish and carry out a program of graduate,
postdoctoral, and teaching fellowships for advanced training in studies
on the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia and related cross-border
studies. This program should:

A.  be in line with the program purpose above;

B.  be conducted on a shared-cost basis by U.S.-based public and private
    nonprofit

> organizations and educational institutions;

C.  discuss the dissemination of information on the program and the
    solicitation of

> applications;

D.  demonstrate and discuss the awarding of such fellowships as the
    respective institution

> determines which applicants will best serve to carry out the purposes
> of this program;

E.  outline the dissemination of research, data, and findings on studies
    on the countries of

> Eastern Europe and Eurasia and related cross-border studies in such a
> manner and to such extent, that will best serve to carry out the
> purposes of this program. This should be done in coordination with The
> Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Office of Outreach.

**Funding should:**

a.  support U.S. participants only;

b.  provide fellowship and research support for American specialists on
    the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia and related cross-border
    fields to conduct advanced

> research with particular emphasis upon the use of data on those states
> and countries;

c.  support seminars, conferences, and other similar workshops designed
    to facilitate

> research collaboration between Government and private specialists on
> the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia and cross-border studies;

d.  support specialized programs in advanced training and research on a
    reciprocal basis in

> the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia designed to facilitate
> access for American
>
> specialists to research institutes, personnel, archives,
> documentation, and other research and training resources located in
> those states and countries;

e.  support training in the languages of the countries of Eastern Europe
    and Eurasia and

> relevant cross-border languages. Such support should include grants to
> individuals to
>
> pursue such training and to summer language institutes operated by
> institutions of
>
> higher education. Preference shall be given for critical language
> studies and, as
>
> appropriate, studies of other languages of the regions/cross-border
> regions;

f.  support other research and training in studies on the countries of
    Eastern Europe and

> Eurasia not otherwise described in this section if tied to the program
> purpose, including
>
> outreach efforts to undergraduate populations in order to promote and
> sustain the field. Per the Title VIII legislation, only graduate level
> and advanced study/research may be funded by this program. Applicants
> may cost-share undergraduate students and include them in outreach
> events.

**Funding should not be used:**

a.  to subsidize journals, newsletters and other periodical
    publications;

b.  for technical research in fields such as mathematics;

c.  for funding foreign participants, scholars, students and
    specialists.

**SCOPE:** The following countries are eligible for funding under this
request for proposals: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia,
Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia,
Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Travel to
certain countries may be subject to restrictions due to unforeseen world
events, Congressional restrictions, U.S. embassy requirements, or
general security concerns.

**Areas of focus:**

a.  The greater Central Asia region is critical in the global war on
    terrorism; therefore, also eligible are proposals that incorporate a
    focus on "Cross-Regional Issues" and include specifically the
    countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and/or
    Uzbekistan, relative to their shared historical, ethnic, linguistic,
    political, economic, and cultural ties with such countries as Iraq,
    Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Korea, China and Turkey. Proposals
    regarding Central Asian Islamic practices are also a priority.
    Energy, environment, trafficking in persons, cyber and economic
    themes are also encouraged.

b.  [Critical Language Support]{.underline}: As part of the National
    Security Language Initiative

> (NSLI), a U.S. government interagency effort to expand dramatically
> the number of
>
> Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. For
> Russian, Title VIII only supports funding for U.S. masters and Ph.D.
> students to participate in intermediate and advanced level Russian
> study.

c.  [Promoting Federal Service for Title VIII Grant
    Recipients]{.underline}: Although the Title VIII

> Program does not require a federal service commitment for individuals
> receiving funding, the Advisory Committee urges grantees to encourage
> individuals receiving Title VIII funding to pursue U.S. Government
> career opportunities, internships, or short-term sabbaticals after
> completing their awards, and to otherwise bring their research to the
> service of the U.S. Government.

**Applicant Pool:** Applicants should also address the need to seek out
diverse and underserved students and scholars, particularly those in
Military Institutions and Historically Black Colleges Universities
(HBCUs).

**Funding Acknowledgement and Information Dissemination**: All
participants must be made aware of the funding source and purpose of
this program. Information on participant study (i.e. papers, themes,
language training) will be captured and reported on by the Bureau for
purposes of academic outreach. Intelligence Community analysts and
policy staff should engage with outside elements to explore new ideas,
perspectives and new knowledge and research. The Department allows
grantee organizations (when working with the participant) to use their
judgment as to when to publically acknowledge the funding source only if
such acknowledgement would hamper research efforts.

**REVIEW:** The program analyst, a grant review panel, and the Title
VIII Advisory Committee will review all eligible proposals. Proposals
also may be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Advisor or by other
Department elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of
the Department of State's Deputy Secretary. Final technical authority
for grants resides with the Department of State's Grants Officers.

There is established within the Department of State the Advisory
Committee for Studies of Eastern Europe and Eurasia which shall be
composed of the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the
Secretary of Education, the Librarian of Congress, the President of the
American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, and the
President of the Association of American Universities. The Secretary of
State shall be the Chairman. Three members of the

Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum. The Secretary of State may
detail personnel of the Department of State to provide technical and
clerical assistance to the Advisory Committee in carrying out its
functions. The Advisory Committee shall recommend grant policies for the

advancement of the objectives of this program. The Advisory Committee
shall give the highest priority to national organizations with an
interest and expertise in conducting research and training concerning
the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia and in disseminating the
results of such research. In making its recommendations, the Advisory
Committee shall emphasize the development of a stable, long-term
research program. In review stage, the following will be the main
criteria and should be addressed on the proposals:

(**1) Overall Quality of the Program Idea:** Proposals should be
responsive to the purpose and guidelines provided in this request for
proposals, and should exhibit originality, substance, precision, and
relevance to the U.S. Department of State and Bureau of Intelligence and
Research Title VIII mission, the legislation supporting the Title VIII
Program and the academic outreach initiatives of the Intelligence
Community.

**(2) Program Plan:** Program objectives should be stated clearly.
Objectives should respond to the purpose of the program and address gaps
in knowledge for particular fields and/or regions. A calendar or
timeline of major program activities should be included.
Responsibilities of partner and sub grantee organizations, if any,
should be described clearly. Applicants should also clearly address how
they will work with the Office of Outreach to engage Intelligence
Community analysts and DOS policy staff (in addition to the reporting
mechanisms and research distribution described in (6) below).

**(3) Institutional Capacity:** Proposed personnel and selection
committees should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program's
goals. These committees should be diverse and contain members familiar
with the world of academia and government policy and expertise needs.
This will ensure the goals of the program are met. The proposal should
reflect the applicant's expertise and knowledge in managing federal
grants and in conducting national competitive award programs. Reviewers
will also consider letters of support, resumes, annual reports, and
other information that directly supports proposals.

**(4) Cost-Effectiveness and Cost Sharing:** Administrative costs in the
proposal budget should be kept to a minimum. All other items should be
necessary and appropriate. Proposals should maximize cost sharing,
including in-kind assistance, through contributions from the applicant,
partner organizations, as well as other private sector support.
"Applicant Cost-Sharing" and "Third Party Cost Sharing" should be
included as separate columns in the budget request. Proposal budgets
that do not provide cost sharing will be deemed less competitive in this
category.

**(5) Evaluation and Monitoring**: Proposals should include a plan to
evaluate and monitor students, scholars and alumni along with overall
program successes and challenges. Methods for linking outcomes to
program objectives and purpose are recommended. Sample reports should be
included. Proposals from national organizations involving language
instruction programs should provide information on programs supported in
the past year, including: **indications of progress achieved by Title
VIII-funded participants** ; criteria for evaluation**,** including
levels of instruction, degrees of intensiveness, facilities, and methods
for measuring language proficiency (including pre-and post-testing);
instructors\' qualifications; and budget information showing estimated
costs per student.

**(6) Reporting:** Recipients will be required to submit annual
financial and programmatic reports per grant to Department of State
program and grant offices. They will also be required to submit
electronic quarterly data reports on Title VIII participants and
products. This section of the proposal should address the recipient's
willingness and ability to submit timely and accurate information and
what mechanisms exist within their organization to do so. Data reports
shall include (but are not limited to):

> a\. information on all products produced under a specific grant, i.e.
> research, language
>
> training, events, etc.;

b\. product identifiers such as theme, country, region and location/host
of study;

c\. artifacts such as papers, summaries, participant reports,
presentations;

d\. and dates of study.

Names and their home organizations should be the only information
identifying the participant. Grantee organizations will be responsible
for contacting participants in order to establish outreach/dissemination
activities. It is strongly suggested that participants applying for
funding through grantee organizations be required to describe their
proposal/work using the Department of State's standard data themes
(these will be provided to selected applicants). Applicant participants
should also clearly note whether or not they are seeking funding or have
been awarded funding from another Title VIII grantee organization (past
or present).

**TECHNICAL FORMAT, BUDGET REQUIREMENTS, AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRONIC
APPLICATIONS:** Applicants must submit proposals using Grants.gov. All
proposal components/elements, (i.e. Executive Summary, Proposal
Narrative, Budget, and all other supporting materials) must be formatted
for printing from Grants.gov on 8 ½" x 11" paper. In addition to
required Grants.gov forms (SF-242) applicants must submit:

1.  one page Executive Summary;

2.  proposal Narrative in Microsoft Word-readable format, **not to
    exceed 20 double-spaces pages in Times New Roman 12 point;**

3.  a proposal budget in Microsoft Excel-readable format that provides a
    complete, detailed budget breakdown, budget notes and budget
    summary;

    a.  Indirect costs may not exceed 10%

    b.  Budgets must break down numbers and types of participants
        (scholars, students, specialists) to be funded

    c.  Cost sharing is strongly encouraged, particularly under
        administrative expenses

4.  resumes, letters of endorsement, and all other attachments, if
    applicable;

5.  and certifications. All organizations submitting a proposal must
    read, sign and retain in their main administrative offices the forms
    and/or certificates required in the application.

NOTE: Proposals submitted through Grants.gov must be submitted in any
combination of the following formats:

\- Microsoft Word

\- Microsoft Excel

\- Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)

\- ASCII Text

\- Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG images)

**It is recommended that applicants merge/consolidate as many of the
files as possible into a single Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat file.
Ensure that all pages are numbered, including proposal narrative, budget
and addenda. Proposals not meeting the basic requirements of this RfP
will be considered non-responsive.**

**PENDING AVAILABLE FUNDS:** Funding for this program is subject to
final Congressional action and the appropriation of FY 2009 funds. In
Fiscal Year 2008, the program was funded at \$4.959 million, which
funded operation expenses and grant awards*.* The number of awards may
vary each year, depending on the level of funding and the quality of the
applications submitted.

The Department legally cannot commit funds that may be appropriated in
subsequent fiscal years. Thus multi-year projects cannot receive assured
funding unless such funding is supplied out of a single year\'s
appropriation. Grant agreements may permit the expenditure from a
particular year\'s grant to be made up to three years after the grant's
effective date.

The terms and conditions published in this Request for Proposals are
binding and may not be modified by any Department representative.
Issuance of the Request for Proposals does not constitute an award
commitment on the part of the U.S. Government. The Department reserves
the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance
with the needs of the program and the availability of funds.

**FURTHER INFORMATION:** For further information or to arrange a
consultation, contact the Title VIII Analyst at johnsonjm@state.gov.

Dated: February 5, 2009