*Purpose of Program:*                     To provide grants or enter into cooperative agreements to improve postsecondary education opportunities by focusing on problem areas or improvement approaches in postsecondary education.                 

*Eligible Applicants:*                     Institutions of higher education or combinations of                     Start Printed Page 3226                    institutions and other public and private nonprofit educational institutions and agencies.                 

*Deadline For Transmittal of Applications:*                     March 17, 2000                   

*Deadline For Intergovernmental Review:*                     May 26, 2000                   

*Applications Available:*                     January 14, 2000                 

*Available Funds:*                     $600,000 in fiscal year 2000; $1,800,000 over three years.                 

*Estimated Range Of Awards:*                     $160,000-$175,000 total for up to three years.                 

*Estimated Average Size of Awards:*                     $50,000 in fiscal year 2000; $160,000 total for up to three years.                 

*Estimated Number Of Awards:*                     10-12                 

# **Note:**

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

*Project Period:*                     Up to 36 months.                 

*Applicable Regulations:*                     The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.                 

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

 Under the Special Focus Competition, we will award grants or enter into cooperative agreements that focus on problem areas or improvement approaches in postsecondary education. We have included an invitational priority to encourage proposals designed to support the formation of educational consortia of institutions in the U.S. and the European Union to encourage cooperation in the coordination of curricula, the exchange of students and the opening of educational opportunities between the U.S. and the European Union. The invitational priority is issued in cooperation with the European Union. European institutions participating in any consortium proposal responding to the invitational priority may apply to the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture for additional funding under a separate European competition. 

## Priority 

### *Invitational Priority*

The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet the following invitational priority. However, an application that meets this invitational priority does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)). 

*Invitational Priority:*                     Projects that support consortia of institutions of higher education that promote institutional cooperation and student mobility between the United States and the member states of the European Union.                 

## Methods for Applying Selection Criteria 

The Secretary gives equal weight to the listed criteria. Within each of the criteria, the Secretary gives equal weight to each of the factors. 

## Selection Criteria 

In evaluating applications for grants under this program competition, the Secretary uses the following selection criteria chosen from those listed in 34 CFR 75.210. 

1. The quality of the design of the proposed project, as determined by— 

a. The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable; and 

b. The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population or other identified needs. 

2. The significance of the proposed project, as determined by— 

a. The extent to which the proposed project involves the development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, or are alternatives to, existing strategies; 

b. The likely utility of the products (such as information, materials, processes, or techniques) that will result from the proposed project, including the potential for their being used in a variety of other settings; and 

c. The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in teaching and student achievement. 

3. The adequacy of resources, as determined by— 

a. The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project; 

b. The potential for continued support of the project after Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated commitment of appropriate entities to such support; and 

c. The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project. 

**FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION CONTACT:**                     U.S. Department of Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398, tel 877-433-7827, fax 301-470-1244, e-mail: edpubs@inet.ed.gov; web: http://www.ed.gov/​pubs/​edpubs.html.                 

Identify the US/EC competition as CFDA number 84.116J. Copies of the application materials may also be obtained from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, 8th floor, Washington, D.C. 20006-8544, telephone 202-502-7500. You may request application forms from FIPSE by submitting the name of the competition (US/EC) and your name and postal address to FIPSE@ed.gov. Applications are available on the FIPSE web site at http://www.ed.gov/​FIPSE.

Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339. For additional program information call Cindy Fischer at the FIPSE office (202-502-7500) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday. 

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph. 

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the application package. 

## *Electronic Access to This Document*

                    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the                     **Federal Register**                    , in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the following sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/​fedreg.htm; http://www.ed.gov/​news.html To use the PDF. you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in Washington, DC at (202) 512-1530.                 

# Note:

                         The official version of a 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.access.gpo.gov/​nara/​index.html

**Program Authority:**20 U.S.C. 1135-1135a-3.                 

Dated: January 13, 2000. 

A. Lee Fritschler, 

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

[FR Doc. 00-1286 Filed 1-14-00; 8:46 am] 

BILLIING CODE 4001-01-P