[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 13 (Friday, January 19, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6205-6208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-1492]



[[Page 6203]]

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Part VI





Department of Agriculture





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Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service



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Requests for Proposals (RFP): Food and Agricultural Sciences National 
Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program for Fiscal Years 2001 and 
2002; and Special Research Grants Programs, Citrus Tristeza Research;

[[Page 6204]]

 Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2001 / 
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service


Request for Proposals (RFP): Food and Agricultural Sciences 
National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program for Fiscal Years 2001 
and 2002

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, 
USDA.

ACTION: Notice of request for proposals and request for input.

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SUMMARY: The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 
Service (CSREES) announces the availability of grant funds and requests 
proposals for the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs 
Graduate Fellowship Grants Program for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2001 and 
2002, and for 2001 Supplemental Grants for Special International Study 
or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances. Proposals are hereby 
requested from eligible institutions as identified herein for 
competitive consideration for Food and Agricultural Sciences National 
Needs Graduate Fellowship Grant awards. In addition, CSREES seeks 
proposals from recipients of currently active Food and Agricultural 
Sciences National Needs Fellowship Grants for supplemental grants to 
support special international study or thesis/dissertation research 
experiences for current Fellows.
    CSREES also is soliciting comments regarding this RFP from any 
interested party. Such comments will be considered in the development 
of any future requests for proposals for this program. Such comments 
will be used in meeting the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 
(AREERA).

DATES: All proposals for Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs 
Graduate Fellowship Grants must be received on or before July 10, 2001. 
Supplemental Grant proposals to support special international study or 
thesis/dissertation research for current Fellows must be received by 
October 1, 2001. Proposals not received on or before these dates, as 
appropriate, will not be considered for funding.
    Comments are requested within six months from the issuance of this 
RFP. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent 
practicable.

ADDRESSES: For Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate 
Fellowship Grant proposals, hand-delivered proposals (brought in person 
by the applicant or through a courier service) must be received on or 
before July 10, 2001, at the following address: National Needs Graduate 
Fellowship Grants Program; c/o Proposal Services Unit Office of 
Extramural Programs Cooperative State Research, Education, and 
Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room 1307, 
Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024. The 
telephone number is (202) 401-5048. Proposals transmitted via facsimile 
(fax) machine will not be accepted. Proposals submitted by mail must be 
received on or before July 10, 2001. Proposals submitted by mail should 
be sent to the following address: National Needs Graduate Fellowship 
Grants Program; 
c/o Proposal Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative 
State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of 
Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 
20250-2245.
    For International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research 
Supplemental Grant proposals, hand-delivered proposals (brought in 
person by the applicant or through a courier service) must be received 
prior to October 1, 2001, at the following address: Graduate Fellowship 
(International) Supplemental Grants Program; c/o Proposal Services 
Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State Research, 
Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room 
1307, Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024. The 
telephone number is (202) 401-5048. Proposals transmitted via a 
facsimile (fax) machine will not be accepted. Proposals submitted by 
mail must be received prior to October 1, 2001. Proposals submitted by 
mail should be sent to the following address: Graduate Fellowship 
(International) Supplemental Grants Program; c/o Proposal Services 
Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State Research, 
Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 
2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20250-2245.
    Written user comments should be submitted by mail to: Policy and 
Program Liaison Staff; Office of Extramural Programs; USDA-CSREES; STOP 
2299; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20250-2299; or via 
e-mail to: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80d2c6d0adcfc5d0c0f2e5e5f5f3e4e1aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="efbda9bfc2a0aabfaf9d8a8a9a9c8b8ec1888099">[email protected]</span></a>. (This e-mail address is intended only 
for receiving stakeholder input comments regarding this RFP, and not 
for requesting information or forms.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Howard Sandberg; Higher Education 
Programs; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 2251; 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW.; Washington, DC 20250-2251; Telephone: (202) 720-2193; E-mail: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#701803111e141215021730021515050314115e171f06"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c9a1baa8a7adabacbbae89bbacacbcbaada8e7aea6bf">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

Stakeholder Input
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Part I. Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs
Graduate Fellowship Grants
    A. Administrative Provisions and Legislative Authority
    B. Program Description
    1. Purpose of the Program
    2. Targeted National Need Areas
    3. Eligibility
    4. Degree Level Supported
    5. Proposal Submission Limitations
    6. Limitations on Number of Fellowships
    7. Available Funding
    8. Stipend Level
    C. Selection Process and Evaluation Criteria
    D. How to Obtain Application Materials
    E. Submission of a Proposal
    1. Intent to Submit a Proposal
    2. What to Submit
    3. Where and When to Submit
    4. Acknowledgment of Proposals
    F. CRIS Reports and Impact Reports
Part II. 2001 Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation 
Research Travel Allowances
    A. Administrative Provisions and Legislative Authority
    B. Program Description
    C. Selection Process and Evaluation Criteria
    D. How to Obtain Application Materials
    E. What to Submit
    F. Where and When to Submit
    G. Impact Reports

Stakeholder Input

    CSREES is requesting comments regarding this FY 2001 RFP from any 
interested party. In your comments, please include the name of the 
program and the fiscal year solicitation for applications to which you 
are responding. These comments will be considered in the development of 
the next solicitation for applications for the program. Such comments 
will be used in meeting the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, 7 
U.S.C. 7613(c). Comments should be submitted as provided for in the 
Addresses and Dates portions of this notice.

[[Page 6205]]

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

    This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance under No. 10.210, Food and Agricultural Sciences National 
Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants.

Part I. Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate 
Fellowship Grants

A. Administrative Provisions and Legislative Authority

    This Program is subject to the provisions found at 7 CFR part 3402. 
7 CFR part 3402 sets forth procedures to be followed when submitting 
grant proposals for food and agricultural sciences national needs 
graduate fellowship grants, rules governing the evaluation of proposals 
and the awarding of grants, and regulations relating to the post-award 
administration of such grant projects.
    Legislative authority for this program is contained in section 
1417(b)(6) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended (NARETPA) (7 U.S.C. 
3152(b)(6)).
    In accordance with the statutory authority, subject to the 
availability of funds, the Secretary of Agriculture, who has delegated 
the authority to the Administrator of CSREES, may make competitive 
grants, for periods not to exceed five years, to land-grant colleges 
and universities, to colleges and universities having significant 
minority enrollments and a demonstrable capacity to carry out the 
teaching of food and agricultural sciences, and to other colleges and 
universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching 
of food and agricultural sciences, to administer and conduct graduate 
fellowship programs to help meet the Nation's needs for development of 
scientific and professional expertise in the food and agricultural 
sciences. For this program, the term ``food and agricultural sciences'' 
means basic, applied, and developmental research, extension, and 
teaching activities in food and fiber, agriculture, renewable natural 
resources, forestry, and physical and social sciences, including 
activities related to subject areas defined in section 1404(8) of 
NARETPA, 7 U.S.C. 3103(8).

B. Program Description

1. Purpose of the Program
    This program seeks to award grants for training students for a 
doctoral degree at colleges and universities which have demonstrable 
teaching and research competencies in the food and agricultural 
sciences. The grants are specifically intended to support fellowship 
programs that encourage outstanding students to pursue and complete 
their degree at such institutions in an area of the food and 
agricultural sciences for which there is a national need for the 
development of scientific and professional expertise.
2. Targeted National Need Areas
    Food and agricultural science areas appropriate for fellowship 
grant applications are those which are directly related to one of the 
following: (1) Animal, microbial, or plant molecular biology including 
genomics or bioinformatics; (2) natural resources and environment; (3) 
agricultural systems or natural resource engineering; (4) marketing or 
management; (5) food science or human nutrition; or (6) human sciences. 
A proposal is restricted to one national need area.
3. Eligibility
    Proposals may be submitted by institutions that confer a doctoral 
degree in a national need area. For proposals involving more than one 
institution, all institutions must meet the eligibility requirements. 
Proposals also may be submitted by a research foundation maintained by 
an eligible college or university. Eligibility requirements are 
discussed further in 7 CFR 3402.3.
4. Degree Level Supported
    In FYs 2001 and 2002, only the doctoral level of study will be 
supported.
5. Proposal Submission Limitations
    No limitations are placed on the number of proposals which can be 
submitted by a college or university.
6. Limitations on Number of Fellowships
    There is no limit on the number of fellowships in the single 
national need area which can be requested in the proposal. While 
proposals must document institution willingness to recruit and train 
the number of fellows requested, CSREES may fund fewer fellows than 
requested in a proposal. Also, the maximum total amount of funds from 
this program that may be awarded to an institution in FYs 2001 and 2002 
is limited to $276,000.
7. Available Funding
    Subject to the enactment of the appropriations acts that will 
provide funds to CSREES for this program in FYs 2001 and 2002, CSREES 
anticipates that approximately $5.6 million will be available for 
fellowship grants for the FYs 2001 and 2002 combined competition, 
including approximately $2.8 million in anticipated FY 2001 
appropriations and approximately $2.8 million in anticipated FY 2002 
appropriations. Contingent on the availability of these funds, 
approximately $934,000 will be allocated to each of the six national 
need areas. This program is highly competitive, and it is anticipated 
that available funding will support approximately 81 doctoral fellows. 
No-year funds drawn from expired fellowship grants with unspent funds 
remaining may be used to fund additional fellows. Please note that 
Congress has not enacted the FY 2002 appropriation bills for the 
Department. Therefore, the $5.6 million cited for FYs 2001 and 2002 
grants is only tentative, and USDA is not bound by this estimate.
8. Stipend Level
    Each institution funded will receive $69,000 for each doctoral 
fellowship awarded. However, it is anticipated that total program funds 
available will not be evenly divisible by $69,000. Therefore, one 
fellowship may be supported on a partial basis with a lesser amount of 
funds, or one fellowship may be supported fully by a combination of FYs 
2001 and 2002 funds and unspent funds remaining from expired fellowship 
grants. Except in the case of a partially funded fellowship, fellowship 
monies must be used to: (1) Support the same doctoral fellow for three 
years at $22,000 per year; and (2) provide for an institution annual 
cost-of-education allowance of $1,000. Total funds awarded to an 
institution under the program in FYs 2001 and 2002 shall not exceed 
$276,000.

C. Selection Process and Evaluation Criteria

    Section 223 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 
Reform Act of 1998, Pub. L. No. 105-185, amended section 1417 of 
NARETPA to require that priorities be given in awarding grants for 
certain teaching enhancement projects under section 1417(b) of NARETPA. 
This program is authorized under section 1417(b). CSREES considers all 
applications received in response to this solicitation as teaching 
enhancement project applications. To implement the new priorities for 
proposals submitted for the FYs 2001 and 2002 competition, the 
evaluation criteria used to evaluate proposals, as provided in the 
administrative provisions for this program (7 CFR 3402.19), have been

[[Page 6206]]

modified to include new criteria for proposals demonstrating enhanced 
coordination among eligible institutions and focusing on innovative, 
multidisciplinary education programs, material, or curricula. The 
following criteria and weights will be used to evaluate proposals 
submitted for funding to the FYs 2001 and 2002 competition:
    (A) 25 points--The degree to which the proposal establishes clearly 
that the proposed program of graduate study will result in the 
development of outstanding scientific/professional expertise related to 
a national need area and will do so in a reasonable period of time.
    (B) 25 points--The degree to which the proposal contains any 
special features such as a focus on innovative, multidisciplinary 
education programs, material, or curricula; enhanced coordination among 
institutions eligible for grants under the Food and Agricultural 
National Needs Fellowship Grant Program; an inter-disciplinary, multi-
disciplinary, or cross-disciplinary approach, an unusual collateral 
specialization in a related discipline, experiential learning 
opportunities, unique mentoring programs, seminars, or a multi-
university collaborative approach.
    (C) 20 points--The degree to which the proposal substantiates 
clearly that the institution's faculty, facilities and equipment, 
instructional support resources, and other academic attributes are 
excellent for providing outstanding graduate study and research at the 
forefront of science and technology related to the chosen area of 
national need.
    (D) 20 points--The degree to which the institution's plans and 
procedures for recruiting and selecting academically outstanding 
Fellows and for advising and guiding Fellows through a program of study 
reflect excellence as documented in the proposal.
    (E) 5 points--The degree to which supplementary summary data 
substantiate program quality in the targeted need area.
    (F) 5 points--The quality of the proposal as reflected by its 
substantive content, organization, clarity, and accuracy.

D. How To Obtain Application Materials

    An Application Kit containing program application materials can be 
downloaded from the CSREES, Office of Higher Education Programs (HEP) 
web site at http://www.reeusda.gov/serd/hep/hep.htm or will be made 
available to eligible institutions upon request. These materials 
include the administrative provisions, this Request for Proposals, 
Summary Information, forms, instructions, and other relevant 
information needed to prepare and submit grant proposals. Copies of the 
Application Kit may be requested from the Proposal Services Unit; 
Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State Research, Education, 
and Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20250-2245. The telephone 
number is 202-401-5048. When contacting the Proposal Services Unit, 
please indicate that you are requesting forms for the FYs 2001 and 2002 
National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program.
    Application materials also may be requested via Internet by sending 
a message which states that you want to receive a copy of the 
application materials for the FY 2001/2002 National Needs Graduate 
Fellowship Grants Program with your name, mailing address (not e-mail) 
and phone number to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e7979485a795828292948386c9808891"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="82f2f1e0c2f0e7e7f7f1e6e3ace5edf4">[email protected]</span></a>. The materials will then be mailed 
to you (not e-mailed) as quickly as possible.

E. Submission of a Proposal

1. Intent To Submit a Proposal
    Submission of an Intent to Submit a Proposal (Form CSREES-706) is 
requested for the FYs 2001 and 2002 competition and is due May 11, 
2001. Form CSREES-706 can be sent by FAX to 202-720-2030; by courier to 
Graduate Fellowship Program; CSREES/SERD/HEP; Waterfront Centre; 3rd 
Floor, Room 3251; 800 9th Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024; or by mail 
to Graduate Fellowship Program, USDA/CSREES/SERD/HEP, 1400 Independence 
Ave., SW.; STOP 2251; Washington, DC 20250-2251.
2. What To Submit
    An original and six (6) copies of a proposal must be submitted. 
Proposals should contain all requested information when submitted. Each 
proposal should be typed on 8\1/2\" x 11" white paper, double-spaced, 
and on one side of the page only. Please note that the text of the 
proposal should be prepared using a font no smaller than 12 point and 
one-inch margins. All copies of the proposal must be submitted in one 
package. Each copy of the proposal must be stapled securely in the 
upper left-hand corner (DO NOT BIND).
    The proposal should be paginated and a Table of Contents should be 
included preceding the proposal narrative. Applicants are cautioned to 
comply with the 20-page limitation for the narrative section of the 
proposal. Applicants also are cautioned to include summary faculty 
vitae using Summary Vita--Teaching Proposal (Form CSREES-708). More 
detailed information on the narrative, summary vita, and other portions 
of a proposal is provided in subpart C of 7 CFR part 3402.
3. Where and When To Submit
    Hand-delivered proposals (brought in person by the applicant or 
through a courier service) must be received on or before July 10, 2001, 
at the following address: National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants 
Program; c/o Proposal Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; 
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. 
Department of Agriculture; Room 1307, Waterfront Centre; 800 9th 
Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024. The telephone number is (202) 401-
5048. Proposals transmitted via facsimile (fax) machine will not be 
accepted.
    Proposals submitted through the mail must be received on or before 
July 10, 2001. Proposals submitted through the mail should be sent to 
the following address: National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants 
Program; c/o Proposal Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; 
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. 
Department of Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-2245.
4. Acknowledgment of Proposals
    The receipt of all proposals will be acknowledged via e-mail. 
Therefore it is important to include an e-mail address on the Proposal 
Cover Page (Form CSREES-701) when applicable. This acknowledgment will 
contain a proposal identification number. Once your proposal has been 
assigned a proposal number, please cite that number in future 
correspondence.

F. Current Research Information System (CRIS) Reports and Impact 
Reports

    Institutions will be asked to submit annual CRIS Reports in partial 
fulfillment of the reporting requirements of 7 CFR 3402.25(a). Also, 
institutions will be asked to submit reports describing significant 
impacts generated by the activities and accomplishments of the fellows 
in partial fulfillment of the reporting requirements of 7 CFR 3402.25.

[[Page 6207]]

Part II.  2001 Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation 
Research Travel Allowances

A. Administrative Provisions and Legislative Authority

    This Program is subject to the provisions found at 7 CFR part 3402. 
7 CFR 3402.5(e) sets forth procedures to be followed when submitting 
supplemental grant proposals for special international study or thesis/
dissertation research travel allowances. 7 CFR part 3402, subparts E 
and F set forth rules governing the evaluation of proposals and the 
awarding of grants, and regulations relating to the post-award 
administration of such grant projects.
    Legislative authority for this program is contained in section 
1417(b)(6) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended (NARETPA) (7 U.S.C. 
3152(b)(6)).

B. Program Description

    CSREES has determined that a new competition for special 
international study or thesis/dissertation research travel allowances 
will be held during FY 2001, and hereby solicits proposals for 
competitive supplemental grants. Proposals may be submitted by 
universities or colleges who currently have active Food and 
Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants. 
Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to any current Fellow with 
sufficient time to complete the international experience before the 
termination date of the fellowship grant under which he/she is 
supported. These supplementary grants provide support for a Fellow to 
conduct thesis/dissertation research or to undertake studies at a site 
outside of the United States. Before the international study or thesis/
dissertation research travel may commence, a Fellow must have completed 
one academic year of full-time study, as defined by the institution, 
under the fellowship appointment and arrangements must have been 
formalized for the Fellow to study and/or conduct research in the 
foreign location(s).
    Estimated funds for supplemental grants in FY 2001 are 
approximately $60,000. These funds are obtained from no-year funds 
drawn from expired fellowship grants with unspent funds remaining. 
CSREES has determined that no FY 2001 appropriations will be targeted 
to supplemental grants supporting special international study or 
thesis/dissertation research travel allowances. For each travel 
allowance, the institution may request up to $10,000. Travel allowance 
monies may be used only to pay travel and living expenses for the 
Fellow while the Fellow is on the specific international assignment as 
proposed in the application for the special international study or 
thesis/dissertation research travel allowance. No limitation is placed 
on the number of applications an institution may submit. Awards will be 
made to the extent possible based on the review of the proposal and 
subject to the availability of funds.

C. Selection Process and Evaluation Criteria

    Applications for the special international travel allowances will 
be evaluated as they are received until available funds for the 
supplemental grants are exhausted. Upon receipt of an application, 
CSREES staff will first determine the eligibility of the Fellow for 
whom the application was submitted for an international travel 
experience. Eligible and complete requests then will be reviewed by 
professional staff from USDA or other Federal agencies, as appropriate. 
Since awards for supplemental grants will be made as reviews are 
completed, there is no assurance funds will be available late in the 
application period for every acceptable proposal.
    The six evaluation criteria are:
    1. 10 points--Destination and duration--the degree to which the 
destination and duration of the travel experience is appropriate for 
enhancing the Fellow's academic program.
    2. 30 points--Travel experience activities--the degree to which the 
specific international experiences contribute to the Fellow's program 
of study.
    3. 20 points--Advance preparations--the degree to which the 
proposed study or research activities are well-planned, including the 
likelihood that these activities will come to fruition and that the 
participation of identified personnel will materialize.
    4. 10 points--Budget--the degree to which the budget for the 
international experience is justified.
    5. 20 points--Personnel--the degree to which the personnel, both 
U.S. and international, involved with the travel experience have the 
appropriate credentials and experience to direct the Fellow's 
international experience, and the likelihood that their participation 
as mentors, trainers, advisors, or teachers will contribute to the 
educational value of the travel experiences.
    6. 10 points--Supporting documentation--the degree to which letters 
from the dean of the college (or equivalent administrative unit) and 
the fellowship grant project director support the application.

D. How To Obtain Application Materials

    An Application Kit containing program application materials can be 
downloaded from the HEP web site at http://www.reeusda.gov/serd/hep/hep.htm or will be made available to eligible institutions upon 
request. These materials include the administrative provisions, Request 
for Proposals, Summary Information, forms, instructions, and other 
relevant information needed to prepare and submit grant applications. 
Copies of the Application Kit may be requested from the Proposal 
Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State 
Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of 
Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 
20250-2245. The telephone number is (202) 401-5048. When contacting the 
Proposal Services Unit, please indicate that you are requesting the 
Application Kit for the FY 2001 Graduate Fellowship (International) 
Supplemental Grants Program.
    Application materials may also be requested via Internet by sending 
a message, that states that you wish to receive a copy of the 
application materials for the 2001 Graduate Fellowship (International) 
Supplemental Grants Program with your name, mailing address (not e-
mail) and telephone number to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7000031230021515050314115e171f06"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e3939081a391868696908782cd848c95">[email protected]</span></a>. The materials will then 
be mailed to you (not e-mailed) as quickly as possible.

E. What To Submit

    An original plus six (6) copies of each application must be 
submitted. Proposals should contain all requested information when 
submitted. Each proposal should be typed on 8\1/2\''  x  11" white 
paper, double-spaced, and on one side of the page only. Please note 
that the text of the proposal should be prepared using a font no 
smaller than 12 point and one-inch margins. Each copy of the 
application should be stapled securely in the upper left-hand corner 
(DO NOT BIND). All copies of the application must be submitted in one 
package. Applications transmitted via a facsimile (FAX) machine will 
not be accepted.
    A separate application must be submitted by a fellowship grant 
project director at an eligible institution on behalf of each Fellow 
for which a special international study or thesis/dissertation research 
travel allowance is requested.
    Each application must include an ``Application for Funding,'' Form

[[Page 6208]]

CSREES-661, and a ``Budget,'' Form CSREES-55. To provide HEP with 
sufficient information upon which to evaluate the merits of the 
requests for a special international study or thesis/dissertation 
research travel allowance, each application for a supplemental grant 
must contain a narrative which provides the following: (1) The specific 
destination(s) and duration of the travel; (2) the specific study or 
thesis/dissertation research activities in which the Fellow will be 
engaged; (3) how the international experience will contribute to the 
Fellow's program of study; (4) a budget narrative specifying and 
justifying the dollar amount requested for the travel; (5) summary 
credentials of both the U.S. and international faculty or other 
professionals with whom the Fellow will be working during the 
international experience (summary credentials must not exceed three 
pages per person; ``Summary Vita--Teaching Proposal,'' Form CSREES-708, 
may be used for this purpose); (6) a letter from the dean of the 
Fellow's college or equivalent administrative unit supporting the 
Fellow's travel request and certifying that the travel experience will 
not jeopardize the Fellow's satisfactory progress toward degree 
completion; and (7) a letter from the fellowship grant project director 
certifying the Fellow's eligibility, the accuracy of the Fellow's 
travel request, and the relevance of the travel to the Fellow's 
advanced degree objectives.
    The narrative portion of the application must not exceed 10 pages, 
excluding the summary vita/vitae.

F. Where and When To Submit

    Applications for the special international study or thesis/
dissertation research travel allowance supplemental grants may be 
submitted at any time prior to October 1, 2001. However, to allow time 
for CSREES to process the applications, proposals should be submitted 
at least three months prior to the proposed beginning date of the 
international research project. Applicants are urged to submit their 
proposals early.

    Note: Proposals for these special supplemental awards should not 
be submitted as part of the application for a FY 2001/2002 Graduate 
Fellowship grant.)

    Hand-delivered proposals (brought in person by the applicant or 
through a courier service) must be received prior to October 1, 2001, 
at the following address: Special International Study or Thesis/
Dissertation Research Supplemental Grant; c/o Proposal Services Unit; 
Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State Research, Education, 
and Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room 1307, 
Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024. The phone 
number is 202-401-5048. Proposals transmitted via a facsimile (fax) 
machine will not be accepted.
    Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail must be received prior to 
October 1, 2001. Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail should be 
sent to the following address: Graduate Fellowship (International) 
Supplemental Grants Program; c/o Proposal Services Unit; Office of 
Extramural Programs; Cooperative State Research, Education, and 
Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20250-2245.

G. Impact Reports

    Awardees will be asked to submit an impact report at the conclusion 
of the international research experience. The impact report describes 
the accomplishments made by the Fellow as a result of the international 
research experience. This report should be submitted to: Graduate 
Fellowship Program; CSREES/SERD/HEP, USDA; STOP 2251; 1400 Independence 
Ave., SW.; Washington, DC 20250-2251.

    Done at Washington, DC, this 11th day of January, 2001.
Colien Hefferan,
Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 
Service.
[FR Doc. 01-1492 Filed 1-18-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P


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