[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 233 (Thursday, December 4, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64252-64255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31787]


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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Regional Scholar Exchange Program With the New Independent States 
and Freedom Support Act Fellowships in Contemporary Issues

ACTION: Notice--request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs, Academic Exchanges Division, 
European Programs Branch of the United States Information Agency's 
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open 
competition for an assistance award. Public and private non-profit 
organizations with at least four years of experience in conducting 
international exchange programs with the New Independent States and 
meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may 
apply to develop and administer the recruitment, selection, 
orientation, placement, monitoring, evaluation, and alumni activities 
for two programs:
    The Regional Scholar Exchange Program with the new Independent 
States: Research fellowships for four months and six months at host 
institutions in the United States for approximately 130 highly 
qualified advanced graduate students pursuing dissertation research and 
university faculty and scholars at the early stages of their careers in 
one of twenty-five designated fields of the social sciences and 
humanities who are citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Georgia, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, 
Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan and for research fellowships for 
four months and six months at host institutions in the New Independent 
States for approximately twenty advanced graduate student pursuing 
dissertation research or special projects

[[Page 64253]]

and university faculty in one of twenty-five designated fields of the 
social sciences and humanities who are citizens of the United States.
    The Freedom Support Act Fellowships in Contemporary Issues: 
Research fellowships for four months at host institutions in the United 
States for approximately 75 highly qualified practitioners in diverse 
professions in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors who are 
citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, 
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, 
Ukraine, and Uzebekistan and who are shaping public policy or otherwise 
contributing to the transformation of their societies in one of five 
designated areas: Sustainable Growth and Economic Development; 
Democratization, Human Rights and the Rule of Law; Political, Military, 
Security, and Public Policy Issues; Strengthening Civil Society; 
Internet, the Communications Revolution, and Intellectual Property 
Rights.
    Interested organizations should read the complete Federal Register 
Announcement and request a Solicitation Package from USIA prior to 
preparing a proposal.

    <bullet> Please note: Programs with Azerbaijan are subject to 
the restrictions of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act of 1992: 
Employees of the Government of Azerbaijan or any of its 
instrumentalities are excluded from participation and no U.S. 
participant overseas may work for the Government of Azerbaijan or 
any of its instrumentalities.

    Both programs are merit-based open competitions that must be 
conducted nationally in the home countries of the applicants. 
Applicants who have participated in a USIA-sponsored academic program 
of more than six weeks after March 1, 1997 are not eligible to receive 
fellowships.
    Each program has separate conditions and requirements which are 
stated in this announcement and detailed in the full Solicitation 
Package. Organizations should apply for an assistance award for both 
programs and should submit a single proposal and a single budget to 
address the administration of both programs. Applicant organizations 
may apply to administer the programs individually, or via a subcontract 
arrangement as long as one organization is designated to be the 
recipient of the grant, or as a consortia in partnership with other 
organizations where each applicant organization submits a separate 
proposal and separate budget that cites the division of labor and 
duties among the members. USIA anticipates awarding one or two 
assistance awards for the administration of the programs cited in this 
announcement. Awards are expected to begin no earlier than May 1, 1998 
and must be completed by October 31, 2000.
    Applicant organizations must demonstrate the ability to administer 
all aspects of both programs, including publicity, advertisement, 
recruitment, selection, placement, orientation, Fellow monitoring and 
support, logistics, financial management, evaluation, and alumni 
tracking and programming.
    Overall grant making authority for the Regional Scholar Exchange 
Program is contained in the mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange 
Act of 1961, Public Law 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 Mutual Educational and Cultural 
Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-256, as amended. Programs shall 
also maintain their scholarly integrity and shall meet the highest 
standards of academic excellence.
    Overall grant making authority for the Freedom Support Act 
Fellowships in Contemporary Issues is made possible through legislation 
sponsored by the U.S. Congress and incorporated in the Foreign 
Relations Authorization Act of FY 1993. The legislation was established 
to assist the economic and democratic development of the New 
Independent States of the former Soviet Union. The funding authority 
for the program cited above is provided through the 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. USIA reserves the 
right to reduce, revise, or increase the proposal budgets in accordance 
with the needs of the programs.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
this RFP should refer to the announcement's title and reference number 
E/AEE-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 Thursday, 
February 12, 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. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure 
that proposals are received by the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Academic Programs, 
Division of Academic Exchanges, European Programs Branch, E/AEE, Room 
246, U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 
20547; telephone number (202) 205-0525; fax: (202) 260-7985; Internet 
address <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2450564141406451574d450a434b52"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="097d7b6c6c6d497c7a6068276e667f">[email protected]</span></a> to request a Solicitation Package containing 
more detailed award criteria. Please request required application 
forms, and standard 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 <a href="http://
www.usia.gov/education/rfps">http://
www.usia.gov/education/rfps</a>. Please read all information before 
downloading.

TO RECEIVE A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA FAX ON DEMAND: The entire 
Solicitations 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 Manager Rhonda E. Boris 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 competition 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 14 copies of the application 
should be sent to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/AEE-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,

[[Page 64254]]

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, socio-economic 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: The Regional Scholar Exchange Program 
empowers outstanding citizens of the NIS and the U.S. who are committed 
to careers in academia to obtain access to the resource materials and 
specialists of the host country in order to conduct research and 
consult with colleagues on specific topics in one of twenty-five 
designated fields of the social sciences and humanities, write 
scholarly articles, dissertations, and books, audit classes, deliver 
occasional lectures, and participate in academic conferences with the 
goal of contributing to the advancement of higher education, 
scholarship, and university teaching in their academic fields in their 
home countries. NIS participants will be expected to begin their 
fellowships in the U.S. as a group at a program orientation in 
Washington, D.C. in late August 1999 and attend a pre-departure 
orientation in their home countries in February 1999. However, in some 
cases where it is necessary, a limited number of NIS participants may 
begin their U.S. programs at other appropriate times during the 
academic year. U.S. participants will be expected to begin their 
fellowships in the NIS at appropriate times in summer and fall 1999 and 
attend a program orientation in their host countries. At the end of 
their fellowships, all participants must return immediately to their 
home countries.
    The Freedom Support Act Fellowships in Contemporary Issues empower 
outstanding citizens of the New Independent States who are 
practitioners in diverse fields to obtain access to the resource 
materials and specialists of the U.S. in order to conduct research and 
policy analysis on specific topics in one of five designated areas, 
write reports, articles, and studies, deliver lectures, and engage 
counterparts in the United States with the goal of framing the terms of 
debate in their fields and playing a more active role in consolidating 
the transition to democracy, free markets, and civil society in their 
home countries. Participants will be expected to begin their 
fellowships in the U.S. as a group at a program orientation in 
Washington, D.C. in March 1999 and attend a pre-departure orientation 
in their home countries in February 1999. At the end of their 
fellowships, all NIS participants must return immediately to their home 
countries.
    Further details about specific program requirements and additional 
information can be found in the Project Objectives, Goals, and 
Implementation (POGI) Statement which are part of the full Solicitation 
Package.

Guidelines

    Visa/Health Insurance/Tax Requirements: Programs must comply with 
J-1 visa regulations. Exchange program regulations require that all J 
visa holders carry health and accident insurance. Please refer to 
program specific guidelines (POGI) in the Solicitation Package for 
further details. Administration of the program must be in compliance 
with reporting and withholding regulations for federal, state, and 
local taxes as applicable. Recipient organizations should demonstrate 
tax regulation adherence in the proposal.

Proposed Budget

    Funding for the FY 1998 Regional Scholar Exchange Program is 
anticipated at $2,000,000. Funding for the FY 1998 Freedom Support Act 
Fellowships in Contemporary Issues is anticipated at $955,000.
    Applicant organizations must submit a comprehensive line item 
budget request for general program costs, participant program costs, 
and administrative costs based on the specific guidance in the 
Solicitation Package. There must be a summary budget as well as a 
break-down reflecting both the administrative budget and the program 
budget and a budget narrative demonstrating how costs were derived. 
Organizations whose proposals include an administrative budget that is 
less than 20% of the grant amount requested from the USIA will be given 
preference.
    Allowable costs for each category include the following:

(1) General Program Costs
(2) Participant Program Costs
(3) U.S. Administrative Costs
(4) NIS Administrative Costs
(5) Start Up for FY 1999 Recruitment

    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 East 
European and NIS Affairs and 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 Educational 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. Quality of the program plan: Proposals should include academic 
rigor, thorough conception of program, demonstration of meeting 
participants' needs, contributions to understanding the partner 
country, specific details of recruitment, selection, placement, 
monitoring, alumni activities, alumni tracking, and relevance to USIA's 
mission.
    2. Program planning and organizational capacity: A detailed work 
plan citing all critical program components and timeline should 
demonstrate the organization's logistical and administrative capacity 
to implement both programs. Proposals must demonstrate how the 
organization

[[Page 64255]]

and its staff will meet both programs' objectives. Proposed personnel 
and organizational resources must be adequate and appropriate to 
implement the program in each country.
    3. Organization's track record: Relevant USIA and outside 
assessments of the organization's experience with academic exchanges 
with the NIS, including responsible fiscal management and full 
compliance with all reporting requirements for past grants as 
determined by USIA's Office of Contracts.
    4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed programs must demonstrate an 
impact on the wider community through the sharing of information and 
the establishment of long-term institutional and individual linkages.
    5. Cost-effectiveness: A key measure of cost-effectiveness is 
USIA's cost per participant. This is the total funds requested from 
USIA divided by the number of participant-months (number of 
participants multiplied by the number of program months). Overhead and 
administrative costs, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept 
as low as possible. All other items should be necessary and 
appropriate.
    6. Cost-sharing: Preference will be given to proposals that seek to 
maximize cost-sharing through other private sector support as well as 
institutional direct funding contributions.
    7. Value of U.S.-partner country relations: The assessment by 
USIA's geographic area office of the need potential impact, and 
significance of the project with the partner country.
    8. Support of diversity and pluralism: Proposals should demonstrate 
substantive support of the Bureau's policy on diversity through the 
recruitment, selection and placement of participants, to the extent 
feasible for organizations.
    9. Follow-on activities: Proposals should provide a plan for alumni 
activities and other follow on programs (without USIA support) which 
ensures that USIA supported programs are not isolated events. Proposals 
should include a plan for alumni tracking that demonstrates the 
willingness to provide data to and coordinate tracking with USIA and 
USIS posts.
    10. Program evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the program's success. A draft survey questionnaire plus a description 
of a methodology to be used to link outcomes to original project 
objectives is required.

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.

Options for Renewals

    Subject to the availability of funding for FY 1999 and FY 2000, and 
the satisfactory performance of grant programs, USIA may invite grantee 
organizations to submit proposals for renewal assistance awards for two 
fiscal year cycles.

Notification

    Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures.

    Dated: December 1, 1997.
Robert L. Earle,
Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 97-31787 Filed 12-3-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M


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