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[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12325-12329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6440]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education

Overview Information; Business and International Education 
Program Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2009.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.153A.

    Dates:
    Applications Available: March 24, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 23, 2009.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 22, 2009.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Business and International Education 
Program provides grants to enhance international business education 
programs and to expand the capacity of the business community to engage 
in international economic activities.
    Priorities: This competition includes one competitive preference 
priority and three invitational priorities that are explained in the 
following paragraphs.
    Competitive Preference Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority is from the regulations for this 
program (34 CFR 661.32). For FY 2009, this priority is a competitive 
preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an 
additional five points to an application that meets this priority.
    This priority is:
    The establishment of internships overseas to enable foreign 
language students to develop their foreign language skills and their 
knowledge of foreign cultures and societies.
    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2009, these priorities are 
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an 
application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or 
absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:
    Invitational Priority I:
    Applications that focus on any of the following seventy-eight (78) 
languages selected from the U.S. Department of Education's list of Less 
Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs):
    Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (all dialects), 
Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, 
Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula), Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), 
Berber (all languages), Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), 
Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), 
Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, 
Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, 
Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish 
(Kurmanji), Kurdish (Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), 
Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian 
(Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, 
Russian, Serbian, Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, 
Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, 
Urdu, Uyghur/Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
    Invitational Priority II:
    Applications that focus on one or more of the following: 
developing, improving and disseminating best practices of international 
business training programs, teaching, and curriculum development to 
increase American competitiveness.
    Invitational Priority III:
    Applications that focus on increasing the numbers of 
underrepresented minorities in foreign languages and area and 
international studies.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1130-1130b.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR parts 
655 and 661.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

Areas of National Need:

    In accordance with section 601(c) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1121 (c), the Secretary has consulted 
with and received recommendations regarding the national need for 
expertise in foreign languages and world regions from the head 
officials of a wide range of Federal agencies. These recommendations 
have been taken into account in developing the request for applications 
for funding during this grant cycle. A list of foreign languages and 
world regions identified as areas of national need may be found on the 
following Web sites: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/policy.html, http://www.ed.gov/programs/iegpsbie/legislation.html
    Also included on these web sites are the specific recommendations 
the Secretary received from Federal agencies.
    Program Assurances: Each application must include an assurance 
that, where applicable, the activities funded by this grant will 
reflect diverse perspectives and a wide range of views on world regions 
and international affairs. (20 U.S.C. 1130a(c)).

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: We propose to allocate $2,223,961 for 
new awards for this program for FY 2009. The actual level of funding, 
if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting 
applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if 
Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000-$95,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $84,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $95,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum 
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 25.

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

    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education that have 
entered into agreements with business enterprises,

[[Page 12326]]

trade organizations, or associations that are engaged in international 
economic activity--or a combination or consortium of these enterprises, 
organizations, or associations--for the purposes of pursuing the 
activities authorized under this program.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The matching requirement is described 
in section 613(d) of the HEA, (20 U.S.C. 1130a(d)). The HEA provides 
that the applicant's share of the total cost of carrying out a program 
supported by a grant under the Business and International Education 
Program must be no less than 50 percent of the total cost of the 
project in each fiscal year. The non-Federal share of the cost may be 
provided either in-kind or in cash.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Tanyelle Richardson, 
International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 
1990 K Street, NW., room 6017, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: 
(202) 502-7626 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed 
in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this program.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the application narrative [Part III] to no 
more than 40 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an 
identifier may be outside of the 1'' margin.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, captions, and all text in charts, 
tables, figures, and graphs. These items may be single-spaced. Charts, 
tables, figures, and graphs in the application narrative count toward 
the page limit.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). However, you may use a 10 point 
font in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for 
Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the supplemental information 
form required by the Department of Education; Part II, the budget 
information summary form (ED Form 524); and Part IV, the assurances and 
certifications. The page limit also does not apply to a table of 
contents. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application 
narrative section [Part III]. If you include any attachments or 
appendices not specifically requested, these items will be counted as 
part of the application narrative [Part III] for purposes of the page 
limit requirement. You must include your complete response to the 
selection criteria in the application narrative.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 24, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 23, 2009.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission 
Requirements of this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII 
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 22, 2009.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an 
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in 
this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Business and International 
Education Program, CFDA number 84.153A, must be submitted 
electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at 
www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy 
of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and 
submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a 
grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Business 
and International Education Program at www.Grants.gov. You must search 
for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA 
number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search 
(e.g., search for 84.153 not 84.153A).
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC

[[Page 12327]]

time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in 
this section, we will not accept your application if it is received--
that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system--after 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We do not 
consider an application that does not comply with the deadline 
requirements. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we 
will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was 
date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you 
submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. 
You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to 
Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
     You must attach any narrative sections of your application 
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable 
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file 
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, 
we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this 
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you 
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk 
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a 
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that 
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The 
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether 
your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system;
    and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must 
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Tanyelle Richardson, 
U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6017, 
Washington, DC 20006-8521. FAX: (202) 502-7859.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

[[Page 12328]]

    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.153A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.153A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
in 34 CFR 661.31 and are as follows: (a) Need for the project (25 
points); (b) plan of operation (20 points); (c) qualifications of the 
key personnel (10 points); (d) budget and cost effectiveness (15 
points); (e) evaluation plan (25 points); and (f) adequacy of resources 
(5 points).
    2. General: For FY 2009, applications are randomly divided into 
groupings. International business and outreach experts, organized into 
panels of three, will review each application. Each panel reviews, 
scores, and ranks its applications separately from the applications 
assigned to the other panels. However, ultimately, all applications, 
without being divided into groups, will be ranked from the highest to 
the lowest score for funding purposes.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. Grantees are required to use the electronic data 
instrument, International Resource Information System (IRIS), to 
complete both the annual and final reports. The Secretary may also 
require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For 
specific requirements on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The purpose of the Business and 
International Education Program (BIE) is to provide funds to 
institutions of higher education that enter into agreements with trade 
associations or businesses for one or both of the following purposes: 
To improve the academic teaching of the business curriculum at 
institutions of higher education and to conduct outreach activities 
that expand the capacity of the business community to engage in 
international economic activities.
    The Department will use the following BIE measures to evaluate its 
success in meeting this objective:
    Performance Measure 1: The number of outreach activities that are 
adopted or disseminated within a year, divided by the total number of 
BIE outreach activities conducted in the current reporting period.
    Performance Measure 2: Percentage of all BIE projects judged to be 
successful by the program officer, based on a review of information 
provided in annual performance reports.
    Efficiency Measure: Cost per high-quality, successfully completed 
project.
    The Department will use information provided by grantees in their 
performance reports submitted via IRIS as the source of data for these 
measures. Reporting screens for institutions can be viewed at: http://www.ieps-iris.org/iris/pdfs/BIE.pdf.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tanyelle Richardson, International 
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 
Street, NW., room 6017, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 
502-7626 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER

[[Page 12329]]

INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this 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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.

    Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated 
authority to Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, Forecasting and Policy 
Analysis for the Office of Postsecondary Education to perform the 
function of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

    Dated: March 19, 2009.
Daniel T. Madzelan,
Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. E9-6440 Filed 3-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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