19790 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 76 /Tuesday, April 21, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development

Administration

[Docket No. 980331082–8082–01]

RIN 0610–ZA06

Research and Evaluation, National

Technical Assistance—Request for

Grant Proposals

AGENCY: Economic Development

Administration (EDA), Department of

Commerce (DoC).

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

SUMMARY: A total of $340,000,000 is

available to EDA for all of its programs

for FY 1998 (See Notice of Funding

availability for FY 1998 at 63 FR 10116),

of which approximately $1,600,000 is or

will be available for National Technical

Assistance and for Research and

Evaluation. EDA is soliciting proposals

for the specific projects described

herein: (1) Development and

dissemination of cutting-edge and

innovative techniques in economic

development; (2) evaluation of

technology transfer and

commercialization efforts; (3) evaluation

of the impact of EDA revolving loan

fund investments; (4) development of

information on effective Indian

economic development projects and

practices.

These projects will be funded if

acceptable proposals are received.

Remaining funding, if any, may be used

to fund additional projects. The average

funding level for a Research and

Evaluation grant is $171,000 and for a

National Technical Assistance grant is

$176,000. Additional funding may or

may not be available. EDA issues this

Notice describing the conditions under

which eligible applications for these

National Technical Assistance under 13

CFR Part 307, Subpart C, and Research

and Evaluation under 13 CFR Part 307,

Subpart D, projects will be accepted and

selected for funding.

DATES: Prospective applicants are

advised that EDA will conduct a preproposal conference on May 7, 1998, at

10:00 a.m. EDT in the Department of

Commerce, Herbert C. Hoover Building,

14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, DC 20230, Room 1414, at

which time questions on the National

Technical Assistance and Research and

Evaluation projects can be answered.

Prospective applicants are encouraged

to provide written questions (See

ADDRESSES section below) by May 4,

1998. Prospective applicants unable to

attend the pre-proposal conference may

participate by teleconference.

Teleconference information may be

obtained by calling (202) 482–4085

between 9:00–4:00 EDT on May 6, 1998.

Initial proposals for funding under

this program will be accepted through

May 28, 1998. Initial proposals received

after 5:00 p.m. EDT in Room 7005, on

May 28, 1998, will not be considered for

funding.

By June 16, 1998, EDA will advise

successful proponents to submit full

applications (containing complete

proposals as part of the application),

OMB Control Number 0610–0094.

Completed applications must be

submitted to EDA by July 7, 1998. EDA

will make these awards no later than

September 30, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send initial proposals to

John J. McNamee, Director, Research

and National Technical Assistance

Division, Economic Development

Administration, Room 7005, U.S.

Department of Commerce, Washington,

DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John

J. McNamee, (202) 482–4085.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

A. Authority

The Public Works and Economic

Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA),

(Pub. L. 89–136, 42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.),

as amended at § 3151 authorizes EDA to

provide technical assistance which

would be useful in reducing or

preventing excessive unemployment or

underemployment, and enhancing the

potential for economic growth in

distressed areas (42 U.S.C. 3151 (a)); and

a program of research to assist in the

formulation and implementation of

national, state, and local programs to

raise income levels and other solutions

to the problems of unemployment,

underemployment, underdevelopment

and chronic depression in distressed

areas and regions (42 U.S.C. 3151

(c)(B)). Pub. L. 105–119, makes funds

available for these programs.

B. Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance

11.303 Economic Development—

Technical Assistance Program; 11.312

Economic Development—Research and

Evaluation Program.

C. Program Descriptions

For descriptions of these programs see

PWEDA and EDA’s regulations at 13

CFR Chapter III.

D. Briefings and Workshops

Unless otherwise noted, each of the

proposals requested below includes a

requirement that the applicant conduct

a total of up to seven briefings and/or

training workshops for individuals and

organizations interested in the results of

the project. These will take place when

the project is completed in all other

respects and the results known.

Potential applicants should be aware

that the completion dates set forth

below are for completion of the project

and submission of the final written

report. Briefings/workshops will take

place no later than one year after

completion of the project and

submission of the final report, at seven

locations and on seven dates at EDA’s

discretion. The locations include one in

Washington, DC and one in each of

EDA’s six regions.

E. Additional Information and

Requirements

Applicants should be aware that if

they incur any costs prior to an award

being made, they do so solely at their

own risk of not being reimbursed by the

Government. Notwithstanding any

verbal or written assurance that may

have been received, there is no

obligation on the part of EDA to cover

pre-award costs.

The total dollar amount of the indirect

costs proposed in an application under

this program must not exceed either the

indirect cost rate negotiated and

approved by a cognizant Federal agency

prior to the proposed effective date of

the award, or 100 percent of the total

proposed direct costs dollar amount in

the application, whichever is less.

If an application is selected for

funding, EDA has no obligation to

provide any additional future funding in

connection with an award. Renewal of

an award to increase funding or extend

the period of performance is at the sole

discretion of EDA.

Unless otherwise noted below,

eligibility, program objectives and

descriptions, application procedures,

selection procedures, evaluation

criteria, and other requirements for this

program are set forth in PWEDA and

EDA’s regulations at 13 CFR Chapter III,

and EDA’s Notice of Availability of

Funds for FY 1998 at 63 FR 10116.

No award of Federal funds will be

made to an applicant who has an

outstanding delinquent federal debt

until either: (1) the delinquent account

is paid in full; (2) a negotiated

repayment schedule is established and

at least one payment is received; or (3)

other arrangements satisfactory to the

Department of Commerce are made.

Unsatisfactory performance under

prior Federal awards may result in an

application not being considered for

funding.
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 76 /Tuesday, April 21, 1998 / Notices 19791

Applicants should be aware that a

false statement on the application is

grounds for denial of the application or

termination of the grant award and

grounds for possible punishment by a

fine or imprisonment as provided in 18

U.S.C. 1001.

Applicants are hereby notified that

any equipment or products authorized

to be purchased with funding provided

under this program must be Americanmade to the maximum extent feasible.

Notwithstanding any other provisions

of law, no person is required to respond

to, nor shall a person be subject to a

penalty for failure to comply with a

collection of information subject to the

requirements of the Paperwork

Reduction Act (PRA) unless that

collection of information displays a

currently valid Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) control number. This

notice involves a collection of

information requirement subject to the

provisions of the PRA and has been

approved by OMB under Control

Number 0610–0094.

II. How to Apply

A. Eligible Applicants

• National Technical Assistance—See

13 CFR 307.12. Eligible applicants are as

follows: public or private nonprofit

organizations including nonprofit

national, state, area, district, or local

organizations; accredited educational

institutions or nonprofit entities

representing them; public sector

organizations; Native American

organizations, including American

Indian tribes; local governments and

state agencies. Technical Assistance

grant funds may not be awarded to

private individuals or for-profit

organizations.

• Research and Evaluation—See 13

CFR 307.17. Eligible applicants are as

follows: private individuals,

partnerships, corporations, associations,

colleges and universities, and other

suitable organizations with expertise

relevant to economic development

research.

B. Proposal Submission Procedures

The initial proposals submitted by

potential applicants may not exceed ten

pages in length and should be

accompanied by a proposed budget,

resumes/qualifications of key staff, and

proposed time line. EDA will not accept

proposals submitted by fax. Proposals

must be received in Room 7005 at the

address and by the submission deadline

indicated above, in order to be

considered.

III. Areas of Special Emphasis

A. National Technical Assistance

Program

• Cutting-Edge and Innovative

Practices in Economic Development.

EDA invites proposals to examine

successful cutting-edge and innovative

techniques in economic development

that could be replicated in, adapted to,

or serve as models for local economic

development efforts; to develop a

system for disseminating this

information to the broadest possible

audience through reports, brochures,

Internet access/Web pages, etc.; to

document in final hard copy and

electronic report(s) the results of the

research; and to facilitate making the

results of EDA-funded research—

already completed or currently

underway—available on the Internet.

The target audience is the economic

development professional at the local

level.

Background: A recent evaluation of

the federal role in economic

development noted that the evidence of

the past decade shows states and

localities do not have adequate

incentive to invest in evaluation or in

sharing their learning with peers in

other localities or states. Word about

cutting-edge and innovative economic

development ideas and practices that

work well does spread to other localities

and states. However, the pace at which

that information sharing takes place can

be significantly accelerated and the

quality of the information developed

and shared can be significantly

improved. The purpose of this grant is

to develop and/or accelerate

dissemination of cutting-edge and

innovative practices in economic

development.

One part of this goal will be achieved

by systematically gathering and

assessing exemplary practices,

developing case studies, and facilitating

dissemination of the results rapidly,

particularly through use of the Internet.

Case studies of interest, in addition to

ones of general economic development,

include ones in the following areas:

trade and export development,

technology transfer and

commercialization, technology

deployment in distressed areas,

sustainable development and

brownfields redevelopment, and

projects that result from or demonstrate

the positive value of regional

cooperation. Exemplary practices in

economic development through

technology transfer or

commercialization are the subject of a

separate proposal, below. The

exemplary practices selected need not

be limited to EDA-funded projects, but

they should, when possible, serve as

examples of what EDA can and might

fund. Since the purpose for collecting

and disseminating the information is to

highlight recent developments, projects

selected for review should be limited to

ones completed no earlier than 1994.

Each case study should provide

sufficient information about the project

to be of maximum use to practitioners.

A second part of this goal is achieved

by disseminating the results of major

EDA-funded studies. EDA studies

funded in the past two years have

already produced (or shortly will

produce) significant new information on

such issues as the impact of incubator

investments, the role of cluster-based

economic development as a regional

strategy, an assessment of state and

regional business incentives, etc. This

information has been or will be made

available in written report form. It

should also be made available on the

Internet, in order to be readily

accessible and available to the greatest

number of economic development

practitioners.

Scope of Work: The successful

applicant will (1) survey a broad range

of economic development practitioners

and organizations at the local, state, and

federal levels to gather information on a

variety of cutting-edge and innovative

practices in rural and urban economic

development; (2) convene a panel of

practitioners to evaluate the cases; (3) in

a final report, describe the context,

design, implementation, and results of—

including lessons learned from—each

exemplary practice, and provide the

rationale for selecting it; (4) review

selected governmental and nongovernmental economic development

Web sites for effectiveness of

information dissemination to

practitioners, identify deficiencies, and

recommend appropriate design and

technical specifications and provide

technical assistance so that selected

EDA-funded studies that were

completed since FY 96 or will be

completed in FY 98 and the cuttingedge and innovative practices studies

that will be developed under this grant

can be readily accessed by practitioners;

(5) recommend ‘‘hot links’’ to other

appropriate economic development Web

sites; (6) recommend other information

dissemination vehicles, such as targeted

brochures to disseminate the

information to the broadest possible

audience in the economic development

community; and (7) conduct briefings

and/or training workshops as set forth

in Section I.D. above.

Cost: If properly justified, the

Assistant Secretary may consider a
19792 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 76 /Tuesday, April 21, 1998 / Notices

waiver of the required 25 percent local

share of the total project cost.

Timing: The project should be

completed and the final report

submitted by March 31, 1999.

• Evaluation of Technology Transfer

and Commercialization Efforts.

EDA invites proposals to evaluate the

state of technology transfer and

commercialization projects, report on

best practices in the field, and present

models for developing and

implementing such types of projects at

the local level, including in distressed

areas.

Background: Technology represents

50 percent of the nation’s economic

growth and is the most important

enabling industry. There has been

extensive Federal and state funding for

technology transfer and

commercialization projects. Growing

technology-based enterprises, however,

poses unique challenges. One of the

purposes of this proposal is to

determine what the key ingredients of a

successful technology transfer and

commercialization project are. A second

is to identify the appropriate tools and

models for technology transfer and

commercialization in varying economic

situations, including in economically

distressed communities. What are the

characteristics, structures and practices

that drive technology transfer and

commercialization to successful

outcomes? How effective are they (or

could they be)?

Information about the process of

development and implementation of

technology transfer and

commercialization projects, and the

kinds of projects that have been

successful, is not readily available to

economic development practitioners.

There is a need to educate public and

private sector leaders, especially those

in economically distressed areas, about

the economic benefits of science- and

technology-based jobs and the potential

coupling of those jobs with unemployed

or underemployed workers. When

considering technology transfer and

commercialization projects, local

leaders and economic development

professionals need to know what kinds

of projects have worked in various

settings, such as urban or rural

economies, the major elements of

successful development and

implementation, appropriate partners,

etc.

Scope of Work: The successful

applicant will (1) survey economic

development practitioners and

technology transfer and

commercialization projects and

specialists to identify technology

projects in diverse settings for

evaluation, including those that are

appropriate examples for distressed area

economic development; (2) visit a

variety of such projects to determine the

major elements involved in the project

development and implementation

process; (3) determine what the goals of

successful projects were and whether

the chosen strategies and practices were

successful in achieving those goals; (4)

define what the measures of success for

technology commercialization at the

local level are (job creation,

diversification of the local economy,

creation of high quality, better-paying

jobs, international competitiveness,

etc.); (5) determine what the most

pressing problems are which local

communities and entrepreneurs face in

technology transfer and

commercialization; (6) identify models

for adoption or adaptation in

economically distressed areas; (7)

convene a panel of practitioners to

review the identified development and

implementation process and identify

exemplary practices; (8) in a final

report, describe the development and

implementation process and exemplary

practices in technology transfer and

commercialization projects, as well as

models for their implementation in

distressed areas; and (9) conduct

briefings and/or training workshops as

set forth in Section I.D. above.

Cost: If properly justified, the

Assistant Secretary may consider a

waiver of the required 25 percent local

share of the total project cost.

Timing: The project should be

completed and the final report

submitted by June 30, 1999.

B. Research and Evaluation Program

• Impact of EDA Revolving Loan

Fund (RLF) Investments:

EDA invites proposals to evaluate the

extent to which EDA RLF grants achieve

structural economic adjustment in the

target community and the length of time

required to do so.

Background: EDA’s Economic

Adjustment Program, which was

established in 1974, helps communities

design and implement strategies for

facilitating adjustment to economic

changes that are causing or threaten to

cause serious structural damage to the

underlying economic base. Such

changes may occur suddenly or over

time, and result from industrial or

corporate restructuring, reductions in

defense expenditures, natural disasters,

depletion of natural resources, or new

Federal laws or requirements. EDA

grants provide such communities with

the critical resources necessary to

organize and carry out an adjustment

strategy tailored to their particular

economic problems and opportunities.

EDA economic adjustment assistance

may fund strategic planning, technical

assistance, construction of critical

infrastructure or establishment of a

revolving loan fund (RLF). This research

effort is limited to an evaluation of RLFs

as an economic adjustment tool.

Each EDA RLF grantee must prepare

a strategy which identifies the approach

it will use in providing RLF financing,

as part of the broader business

development strategy designed to

support achieving the goals and

objectives of the community’s economic

adjustment process. The strategy

incorporates the particular

opportunities identified for stimulating

business investment and productivity,

and defines the types of RLF

investments believed to be most

effective in supporting the objectives of

the adjustment program. All RLF

investments must be consistent with the

strategy.

The fundamental impact of an EDA

RLF economic adjustment grant should

be the economic adjustment of the target

area. Much of that impact will occur a

considerable time after the grant is

made. The proposed research should

determine the extent to which target

communities have begun (or achieved)

structural economic adjustment, factors

that affect the length of time needed to

achieve full adjustment, and the

contribution that the RLF funding made

(or did not make) in stimulating/

enabling positive structural economic

change within a community.

Scope of Work: The successful

applicant will develop a methodology

for determining and evaluating the

economic impact of RLF investments in

achieving structural economic

adjustment. In doing so, it will examine

such issues as whether the RLF strategy

was the appropriate one, i.e., was the

underlying adjustment strategy rational,

realistic, and responsive to the

structural dislocation; was the

community committed to following the

strategy; and were the loans made

consistent with the strategy, i.e.,

whether the potential categories of

borrowers identified in the strategy were

in fact targeted for loans, and whether

initial and subsequent loans were made

in a timely manner. The applicant will

examine briefly the distinctions among

EDA-funded RLFs and those funded by

other federal agencies such as HUD,

USDA, SBA, etc. The applicant will

make the evaluation using a sample

group of RLF projects. The sample

should be stratified to include RLF

grants funded under EDA’s (a) regular

Economic Adjustment Program, (b)

Defense Adjustment Program, and (c)
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 76 /Tuesday, April 21, 1998 / Notices 19793

other special initiatives, including

disaster relief. EDA expects the

methodology to consider the core

performance measures that are currently

applied to RLF grants, as well as other

relevant measures suggested by the

above-described analysis. It should

determine whether these measures in

fact demonstrate the value of an RLF

strategy in achieving structural

economic adjustment. The research

should also evaluate whether failure to

achieve structural economic adjustment

correlates with failure to implement the

RLF economic adjustment strategy, or

whether the strategy itself was an

appropriate one. The final report must

fully document the methodology used

for the project, as well as revisions

suggested by testing the methodology on

the actual projects. The results must be

presented in briefings and/or training

workshops as set forth in Section I.D.

above.

Cost: No local match is required for

this project.

Timing: This project should be

completed and the final report

submitted by September 30, 1999.

• American Indian Economic

development.

EDA invites proposals to develop and

disseminate information on effective

economic development projects and

practices in Indian economic

development.

Background: Economic development

on American Indian reservations

presents a unique set of circumstances

and opportunities, as well as challenges.

Successful projects do occur within the

context of those unique circumstances.

The factors that contribute to their

success, however, often remain

unknown outside a particular

reservation or tribe. This project will

examine reservation economic

development to identify a wide variety

of successful economic development

projects, determine the principal factors

that contributed to their success,

document the results in case studies,

and disseminate the results both

through the case studies and

conferences. EDA has partnered with a

number of tribes in developing and

implementing economic development

projects. This project will also examine

EDA’s effectiveness in doing so.

Scope of Work: The successful

applicant will:

1. Compile approximately 20

examples of practices in Indian

economic development that are viewed

as successful by the local tribal

communities. These examples should be

drawn from across the country and from

across the range of reservation settings.

For example, the examples could

address telecommunications and

technology, workforce development,

tourism, manufacturing, and

microenterprise, among others.

2. Define the unique characteristics of

each successful project, and describe the

major elements of the process for

developing and implementing such

projects.

3. Study EDA’s historic role in

reservation economic development,

evaluate the success of that role, and

identify the ways in which EDA has

been most effective.

4. Within the context of the above

examples of effective EDA involvement

in reservation development, assemble

several examples of how partnerships

were effective, and outside resources, as

well as tribal resources, were leveraged

effectively.

5. Consider the option of creating a

small panel of experts that could further

focus the issues.

6. At completion of the project, hold

two conferences targeted to economic

development practitioners on Indian

reservations to disseminate the project

results. These conferences will be held

at locations agreed to by EDA and take

the place of the conferences set forth in

Section I.D. above.

Cost: No local match is required for

this project.

Timing: This project should be

completed and the final report

submitted by September 30, 1999.

IV. Selection Process and Evaluation

Criteria

Proposals will receive initial reviews

by EDA to assure that they meet all

requirements of this announcement,

including eligibility and relevance to

the specified project as described

herein. If a proposal is selected, EDA

will provide the proponent with an

Application form, and EDA will carry

out its selection process and evaluation

criteria as described in 13 CFR Chapter

III, Part 304 and Sections 307.13,

307.14, 307.18, and 307.19.

From the full proposals and

application, EDA will select the

applicants it deems most qualified and

cost effective. EDA anticipates that more

full proposals and applications will be

invited than will eventually be funded.

Dated: April 16, 1998.

Phillip A. Singerman,

Assistant Secretary for Economic

Development.

[FR Doc. 98–10507 Filed 4–20–98; 8:45 am]

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