62118 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 224 / Thursday, November 20, 1997 / Notices

both the administrative budget and the

program budget. For further

clarification, applicants may provide

separate sub-budgets for each program

component, phase, location, or activity

in order to facilitate USIA decisions on

funding.

Allowable costs for the program

include the following:

(1) U.S.-based administrative costs.

(2) NIS-based administrative costs.

(3) Program costs.

(4) Start up recruitment costs for FY

2000.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidelines

and formatting instructions.

Review Process

USIA will acknowledge receipt of all

proposals and will review them for

technical eligibility. Proposals will be

deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package. Eligible

proposals will be forwarded to panels of

USIA officers for advisory review. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the USIA

Office of and Eastern Europe and NIS

Affairs the USIA post overseas, where

appropriate. Proposals may be reviewed

by the Office of the General Counsel or

by other Agency elements. Funding

decisions are at the discretion of the

USIA Associate Director for Education

and Cultural Affairs. Final technical

authority for assistance awards (grants

or cooperative agreements) resides with

the USIA grants officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below. These criteria

are not rank ordered and all carry equal

weight in the proposal evaluation:

1. Program Development and

Management

Proposals should exhibit originality,

substance, precision, innovation, and

relevance to Agency mission. Objectives

should be reasonable, feasible, and

flexible. Proposals should clearly

demonstrate how the organization will

meet the program’s objectives. A

detailed agenda and relevant work plan

should demonstrate substantive

undertakings and logistical capacity.

Agenda and plan should adhere to the

program overview and guidelines

described above.

2. Multiplier Effect/Impact

Proposed programs should strengthen

long-term mutual understanding,

including maximum sharing of

information and establishment of longterm institutional and individual

linkages. Proposals should also include

creative ways to involve students in

their U.S. communities.

3. Support of Diversity

Proposals should demonstrate the

recipient’s commitment to promoting

the awareness and understanding of

diversity, and should include a strategy

for achieving diverse applicant pools for

both students and host institutions.

4. Institution’s Record/Ability

Proposals should demonstrate an

institutional record of successful

exchange programs, including

responsible fiscal management and full

compliance with all reporting

requirements for past Agency grants as

determined by USIA’s Office of

Contracts. The Agency will consider the

past performance of prior recipients and

the demonstrated potential of new

applicants. Proposed personnel and

institutional resources should be

adequate and appropriate to achieve the

program or project’s goals.

5. Follow-on and Alumni Activities

Proposals should provide a plan for

continued follow-on activity (without

USIA support) which insures that USIA

supported programs are not isolated

events.

6. Project Evaluation

Proposals should include a plan to

evaluate the program’s success, both

during and after the program. USIA

recommends that the proposal include a

draft survey questionnaire or other

technique, plus a description of

methodologies that can be used to link

outcomes to original project objectives.

Award-receiving organizations/

institutions will be expected to submit

intermediate reports after each project

component is concluded or quarterly,

whichever is less frequent.

7. Cost-Effectiveness and Cost Sharing

The overhead and administrative

components of the proposal, including

salaries and honoraria, should be kept

as low as possible. All other items

should be necessary and appropriate.

Proposals should maximize cost sharing

through other private sector support as

well as institutional direct funding

contributions.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any USIA representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Agency that contradicts published

language will not be binding. Issuance

of the RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The Agency reserves the

right to reduce, revise, or increase

proposal budgets in accordance with the

needs of the program and the

availability of funds. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal USIA procedures.

Option for Renewals

Subject to the availability of funding

for FY 2000 and FY 2001, and the

satisfactory performance of grant

programs, USIA may invite grantee

organizations to submit proposals for

renewals of awards.

Dated: November 14, 1997.

Robert L. Earle,

Deputy Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97–30523 Filed 11–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

NIS College and University

Partnerships Program

ACTION: Request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic

Programs of the United States

Information Agency’s Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs

announces an open competition for an

assistance award program. Accredited,

post-secondary educational institutions

meeting the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to

develop a partnership with (a) foreign

institution(s) of higher education from

the New Independent States in specified

fields.

Proposed projects must be eligible in

terms of countries/localities and

disciplines as described in the section

entitled ‘‘Eligibility’’ below.

Participating institutions exchange

faculty and administrators for a

combination of teaching, lecturing,

faculty and curriculum development,

collaborative research, and outreach, for

periods ranging from one week (for

planning visits) to an academic year.

The FY 98 program will also support the

establishment and maintenance of

Internet and/or e-mail communication

facilities as well as interactive distance

learning programs at foreign partner

institutions. Applicants may propose
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 224 / Thursday, November 20, 1997 / Notices 62119

other project activities not listed above

that are consistent with the goals and

activities of the NIS College and

University Partnerships Program.

Please note that USIA’s NIS College

and University Partnership Program

(NISCUPP) is intended exclusively for

college and university partnerships

throughout the NIS in the following

fields: law, business/economics,

education, public administration/public

policy/government/urban and regional

economic development, journalism/

communications. The United States

Agency for International Development

(USAID) and the International Research

and Exchanges Board (IREX) have

issued a request for proposals to

strengthen existing partnerships

between U.S. and Russian

organizations—the Sustaining

Partnerships into the Next Century

(SPAN) program.

In order to effectively distribute

assistance funding and avoid

duplication of efforts, colleges and

universities interested in applying for

partnerships in the fields listed above

should apply for funding under USIA’s

NISCUPP program. Colleges and

universities interested in other fields,

and all other relevant partnerships,

should apply to the SPAN program

administered by USAID and IREX. USIA

and USAID missions will jointly review

proposals from colleges and

universities.

The program awards up to $300,000

for a three-year period to defray the cost

of travel and per diem with an

allowance for educational materials and

some aspects of project administration.

Grants awarded to organizations with

less than four years of experience in

conducting international exchange

programs will be limited to $60,000.

Overall grant-making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Pub. L. 87–256, as amended,

also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act.

The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to enable the

Government of the United States to

increase mutual understanding between

the people of the United States and the

people of other countries * * *; to

strengthen the ties which unite us with

other nations by demonstrating the

educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations * * * and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’ The funding authority for

the program cited above is provided

through the Freedom for Russia and

Emerging Eurasian Democracies and

Open Markets Support Act of 1992

(Freedom Support Act). Programs and

projects must conform with Agency

requirements and guidelines outlined in

the Solicitation Package. USIA projects

and programs are subject to the

availability of funds.

Announcement Title and Number

All communications with USIA

concerning this RFP should refer to the

NIS College and University Partnerships

Program and reference number E/ASU–

98–07.

Deadline for Proposals

All copies must be received at the

U.S. Information Agency by 5 p.m.

Washington, D.C. time on Monday,

February 23, 1998. Faxed documents

will not be accepted at any time.

Documents postmarked by the due date

but received at a later date will not be

accepted.

Approximate program dates: Grants

should begin on or about June 30, 1998.

Duration: June 30, 1998–May 31,

2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Office of Academic Programs; Advising

Teaching, and Specialized Programs

Division; Specialized Programs Unit, (E/

ASU) room 349, U.S. Information

Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone:

(202) 619–4126, fax: (202) 401–1433,

internet: jcebra@usia.gov to request a

Solicitation Package containing more

detailed award criteria; all application

forms; and guidelines for preparing

proposals, including specific criteria for

preparation of the proposal budget.

To Download a Solicitation Package

via Internet: The entire Solicitation

Package may be downloaded from

USIA’s website at http://www.usia.gov/

education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

To Receive a Solicitation Package via

Fax on Demand: The entire Solicitation

Package may be received via the

Bureau’s ‘‘Grants Information Fax on

Demand System’’, which is accessed by

calling 202/401–7616. Please request a

‘‘Catalog’’ of available documents and

order numbers when first entering the

system.

Please specify USIA Program Officer

Jonathan Cebra on all inquiries and

correspondences. Interested applicants

should read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFP deadline has passed, Agency

staff may not discuss this completion in

any way with applicants until the

Bureau proposal review process has

been completed.

Submissions

Applicants must follow all

instructions given in the Solicitation

Package. The original and 10 copies of

the application should be sent to: U.S.

Information Agency, Ref.: E/ASU–98–

07, Office of Grants Management, E/XE,

Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5’’ diskette, formatted for DOS. This

material must be provided in ASCII text

(DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. USIA will

transmit these files electronically to

USIS posts overseas for their review,

with the goal of reducing the time it

takes to get posts’ comments for the

Agency’s grants review process.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy

Guidelines

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing

legislation, programs must maintain a

non-political character and should be

balanced and representative of the

diversity of American political, social,

and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be

interpreted in the broadest sense and

encompass differences including, but

not limited to ethnicity, race, gender,

religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and physical

challenges. Applicants are strongly

encouraged to adhere to the

advancement of this principle both in

program administration and in program

content. Please refer to the review

criteria under the ‘‘Support for

Diversity’’ section for specific

suggestions on incorporating diversity

into the total proposal. Public Law 104–

319 provides that ‘‘in carrying out

programs of educational and cultural

exchange in countries whose people do

not fully enjoy freedom and

democracy’’, USIA ‘‘shall take

appropriate steps to provide

opportunities for participation in such

programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

Proposals should account for

advancement of this goal in their

program contents, to the full extent

deemed feasible.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Guidelines

The NIS College and University

Partnership Program is limited to the

following specific academic disciplines:

(1) Law;

(2) Business/economic/trade;

(3) Education/continuing education/

civic education/educational reform;
62120 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 224 / Thursday, November 20, 1997 / Notices

(4) Government/public policy/public

administration/urban and regional

economic development; and

(5) Journalism/communications.

Proposals must focus on curriculum,

faculty, and staff development in one or

more of these eligible disciplines.

Administrative reform at the foreign

partner should also be a project

component. Proposals in the field of

economic development should focus on

utilizing university resources to conduct

educational outreach which will

promote trade and investment in the

region.

Projects should involve the

development of new academic programs

or the building and/or restructuring of

an existing program or programs, and

should promote higher education’s role

in the transition to market economies

and open democratic systems.

Feasibility studies to plan partnerships

will not be considered.

Whenever feasible, participants

should make their training and

personnel resources, as well as results of

their collaborative research, available to

government, NGOs, and business.

Participating institutions should

exchange faculty and/or staff members

for teaching/lecturing and consulting.

At least once, one U.S. participant

should be in residence at the foreign

partner institution for one semester to

serve in a coordinating role.

U.S. institutions are responsible for

the submission of proposals and should

collaborate with their foreign partners in

planning and preparing proposals. U.S.

and foreign partner institutions are

encouraged to consult about the

proposed project with USIA E/ASU staff

in Washington, D.C. Preference will be

given to proposals which demonstrate

evidence of previous relations with the

foreign partner institution(s).

Guidelines

U.S. Partner and Participant Eligibility

In the U.S., participation in the

program is open to accredited two- and

four-year colleges and universities,

including graduate schools.

Applications from consortia of U.S.

colleges and universities are eligible.

Secondary U.S. partners may include

relevant non-governmental

organizations, non-profit service or

professional organizations. The lead

U.S. institution in the consortium is

responsible for submitting the

application and each application from a

consortium must document the lead

school’s stated authority to represent the

consortium. Participants representing

the U.S. institution who are traveling

under USIA grant funds must be faculty,

staff, or advanced graduate students

from the participating institution(s) and

must be U.S. citizens.

Foreign Partner and Participating

Eligibility

Overseas, participation is open to

recognized, degree-granting institutions

of post-secondary education, which may

include internationally recognized and

established independent research

institutes. Secondary foreign partners

may include relevant governmental and

non-governmental organizations, nonprofit service or professional

organizations. Participants representing

the foreign institutions must be faculty,

staff or advanced students of the partner

institution, and be citizens, nationals, or

permanent residents of the country of

the foreign partner, and be qualified to

hold a valid passport and U.S. J–1 visa.

Foreign partners from the following

countries are eligible:

Armenia.

Azerbaijan—foreign partners must be

independent institutions; state

universities are not eligible.

Belarus—foreign partners must be

independent institutions; state

universities are not eligible.

Georgia.

Kazakstan.

Kyrgyzstan.

Moldova.

Russia—preference will be given to

proposals which: (1) designate partner

institutions outside of Moscow and St.

Petersburg; (2) designate partner

institutions in regions which have been

identified by the U.S.-Russian Joint

Commission on Economic and

Technical Cooperation for Regional

Investment Initiatives. Khabarovsk kraj

and Sakhalin oblast have been

designated for a Regional Investment

Initiative. Samara oblast has also been

designated for a Regional Investment

Initiative.

Tajikistan.

Turkmenistan.

Ukraine.

Uzbekistan.

Partnerships including a secondary

foreign partner from a non-NIS country

in Europe are eligible; however, with

the exception noted below, USIA will

not cover overseas non-NIS partner

institution costs.

In order to promote regional

cooperation, limited funds may be

budgeted for the exchange, as part of

this partnership agreement, of faculty

between NIS institutions and

institutions of higher learning in Central

and Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia,

Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic,

Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the

Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romnai,

Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia,

Slovenia).

Ineligibility

A proposal will be deemed

technically ineligible if:

(1) It does not fully adhere to the

guidelines established herein and in the

Solicitation Package;

(2) It is not received by the deadline;

(3) It is not submitted by the U.S.

partner;

(4) One of the partner institutions is

ineligible;

(5) The academic discipline(s) is/are

not listed as eligible in the RFP, herein;

(6) The amount requested of USIA

exceeds $300,000 for the three-year

project.

Please refer to program-specific

guidelines (POGI) in the Solicitation

Package for further details.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any USIA representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Agency that contradicts published

language will not be binding. Issuance

of the RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The Agency reserves the

right to reduce, revise, or increase

proposal budgets in accordance with the

needs of the program and the

availability of funds. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal USIA procedures.

Dated: November 14, 1997.

John P. Loiello,

Associate Director for Educational and

Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97–30525 Filed 11–19–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M