51236 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 166 / Monday, August 29, 2005 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services; Overview 

Information; National Institute on 

Disability and Rehabilitation Research 

(NIDRR)—Disability Rehabilitation 

Research Projects (DRRP); Notice 

Inviting Applications for New Awards 

for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133A–5. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: August 29, 

2005. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: October 28, 2005. 

Eligible Applicants: States; public or 

private agencies, including for-profit 

agencies; public or private 

organizations, including for-profit 

organizations; institutions of higher 

education (IHEs); and Indian tribes and 

tribal organizations. 

Estimated Available Funds: $500,000. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$475,000–$500,000. 

Maximum Award: We will reject any 

application that proposes a budget 

exceeding $500,000 for a single budget 

period of 12 months. 

Note: The maximum amount includes 

direct and indirect costs. 

Number of Awards: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

this program is to plan and conduct 

research, demonstration projects, 

training, and related activities that help 

to maximize the full inclusion and 

integration of individuals with 

disabilities into society and to improve 

the effectiveness of services authorized 

under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 

amended (Act). 

Priority: This priority is from the 

notice of final priority for this program 

published elsewhere in this issue of the 

Federal Register. 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2006 this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

The priority is: 

Demand-Side Employment Placement 

Models. 

The specific requirements for this 

priority are in the notice of final priority 

for this program, published elsewhere in 

this issue of the Federal Register. 

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) 

and 764(a). 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 

85, 86, and 97. (b) The regulations for 

this program in 34 CFR part 350. (c) The 

notice of final priority for this program, 

published elsewhere in this issue of the 

Federal Register. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to IHEs only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: $500,000. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$475,000–$500,000. 

Maximum Award: We will reject any 

application that proposes a budget 

exceeding $500,000 for a single budget 

period of 12 months. 

Note: The maximum amount includes 

direct and indirect costs. 

Number of Awards: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: States; public 

or private agencies, including for-profit 

agencies; public or private 

organizations, including for-profit 

organizations; IHEs; and Indian tribes 

and tribal organizations. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not involve cost sharing 

or matching. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: You may obtain an application 

package via Internet or from the 

Education Publications Center (ED 

Pubs). To obtain a copy via Internet use 

the following address: http:// 

www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/ 

grantapps/index.html. 

To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write 

or call the following: Education 

Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, 

Jessup, MD 20794–1398. Telephone (toll 

free): 1–877–433–7827. FAX: (301) 470–

1244. If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

(toll free): 1–877–576–7734. 

You may also contact ED Pubs at its 

Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ 

edpubs.html or you may contact ED 

Pubs at its e-mail address: 

edpubs@inet.ed.gov. 

If you request an application from ED 

Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA Number 

84.133A–5. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, 

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the program 

contact person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of 

this notice. 

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 

competition. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. We recommend that 

you limit Part III to the equivalent of no 

more than 75 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. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative. Single space may 

be used for titles, headings, footnotes, 

quotations, references, and captions, as 

well as all text in charts, tables, figures, 

and graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the one-page abstract, 

the resumes, the bibliography, or the 

letters of support. However, you must 

include all of the application narrative 

in Part III. 

The application package will provide 

instructions for completing all 

components to be included in the 

application. Each application must 

include a cover sheet (ED Standard 

Form 424); budget requirements (ED 

Form 524) and narrative justification; 

other required forms; an abstract, 

Human Subjects narrative, Part III 

narrative; resumes of staff; and other 

related materials, if applicable. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: August 29, 

2005. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: October 28, 2005. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (Grants.gov), or in paper 

format by mail or hand delivery. For 

information (including dates and times) 

about how to submit your application 

electronically, or by mail or hand 

delivery, please refer to section IV. 7. 

Other Submission Requirements in this 

notice. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 166 / Monday, August 29, 2005 / Notices 51237 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is not subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Pre-Application Meeting: Interested 

parties are invited to participate in a 

pre-application meeting to discuss the 

funding priority and to receive 

information and technical assistance 

through individual consultation about 

the funding priority. The preapplication meeting will be held on 

September 14, 2005. Interested parties 

may participate either in person or by 

conference call at the U.S. Department 

of Education, Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services, 

Potomac Center Plaza, room 6075, 550 

12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 

between 1 p.m. and 3 pm. After the 

meeting, NIDRR staff also will be 

available from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on 

that same day to provide information 

and technical assistance through 

individual consultation about the 

funding priority. For further information 

or to make arrangements to attend either 

in person or by conference call, or for 

an individual consultation, contact 

Lynn Medley, U.S. Department of 

Education, Potomac Center Plaza, room 

6027, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, 

DC 20202. Telephone (202) 245–7338 or 

by e-mail: Lynn.medley@ed.gov. 

Assistance to Individuals With 

Disabilities at the Pre-Application 

Meeting 

The meeting site is accessible to 

individuals with disabilities, and a sign 

language interpreter will be available. If 

you plan to participate in the preapplication meeting on site at the 

Department of Education and will need 

an auxiliary aid or service other than a 

sign language interpreter in order to 

participate in the meeting (e.g., other 

interpreting service such as oral, cued 

speech, or tactile interpreter; assistive 

listening device; or materials in 

alternate format), notify the contact 

person listed in this notice at least two 

weeks before the scheduled meeting 

date. Although we will attempt to meet 

a request we receive after this date, we 

may not be able to make available the 

requested auxiliary aid or service 

because of insufficient time to arrange 

it. 

7. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically or in paper format by mail 

or hand delivery. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

We have been accepting applications 

electronically through the Department’s 

e-Application system since FY 2000. In 

order to expand on those efforts and 

comply with the President’s 

Management Agenda, we are continuing 

to participate as a partner in the new 

government wide Grants.gov Apply site 

in FY 2006. Disability Rehabilitation 

Research Projects-CFDA Number 

84.133A–5 is one of the programs 

included in this project. We request 

your participation in Grants.gov. 

If you choose to submit your 

application electronically, you must use 

the Grants.gov Apply site at http:// 

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. 

You may access the electronic grant 

application for Disability Rehabilitation 

Research Projects at: http:// 

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. 

Please note the following: 

• Your participation in Grants.gov is 

voluntary. 

• 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 time and date stamped. Your 

application must be fully uploaded and 

submitted, and must be date/time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system no 

later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, on the application deadline date. 

Except as otherwise noted in this 

section, we will not consider your 

application if it is date/time stamped by 

the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 

p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. When we 

retrieve your application from 

Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 

rejecting your application because it 

was date/time stamped by the 

Grants.gov system after 4:30 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 application 

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 competition 

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 the steps 

in the Grants.gov registration process 

(see http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted) 

and 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. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you submit your 

application in paper format. 

• You may submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

typically included on the Application 

for Federal Education Assistance (ED 

424), Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

If you choose to submit your application 

electronically, 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 above 

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 an 

automatic acknowledgment from 

Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. The Department will 

retrieve your application from 

Grants.gov and send you a second 

confirmation by e-mail that will include 

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 System Unavailability 

If you are prevented from 

electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because of technical problems with 

51238 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 166 / Monday, August 29, 2005 / Notices 

the Grants.gov system, we will grant you 

an extension until 4:30 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 as described elsewhere in 

this notice. If you submit an application 

after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the deadline date, please contact the 

person listed elsewhere in this notice 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT, and provide an explanation of 

the technical problem you experienced 

with Grants.gov, along with the 

Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number 

(if available). 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 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: Extensions referred to 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 deadline 

date and time or if the technical problem you 

experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov 

system. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. 

If you submit your application in 

paper format by mail (through the U.S. 

Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 

you must mail the original and two 

copies of your application, on or before 

the application deadline date, to the 

Department at the applicable following 

address: 

By mail through the U.S. Postal 

Service: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.133A–5), 400 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, 

DC 20202–4260; or 

By mail through a commercial carrier: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center—Stop 4260, 

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133A–5), 

7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 

20785–1506. 

Regardless of which address you use, 

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, or 

(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, or 

(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 submit your application in 

paper format by hand delivery, you (or 

a courier service) 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 84.133A–5), 550 12th 

Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 

a.m. and 4:30 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 4 of the 

Application for Federal Education 

Assistance (ED 424) the CFDA 

number—and suffix letter, if any—of the 

competition under which you are 

submitting your application. 

(2) The Application Control Center 

will mail a grant application receipt 

acknowledgment to you. If you do not 

receive the grant application receipt 

acknowledgment 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 

Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 350.54 and are listed in the 

application package. 

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 also notify you 

informally. 

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 specified by 

the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118. 

Note: NIDRR will provide information by 

letter to grantees on how and when to submit 

the report. 

4. Performance Measures: To evaluate 

the overall success of its research 

program, NIDRR assesses the quality of 

its funded projects through review of 

grantee performance and products. Each 

year, NIDRR examines, through expert 

program review, a portion of its grantees 

to determine: 

• The number of discoveries, 

analyses, and standards developed and/ 

or tested with NIDRR funding that have 

been judged by expert panels to advance 

understanding of key concepts, issues, 

and emerging trends and strengthen the 

evidence-base for disability and 

rehabilitation policy, practice, and 

research; 

• The number of new and improved 

interventions, programs, and devices 

developed and/or tested with NIDRR 

funding that have been judged by expert 

panels to be successful in improving 

individual outcomes and increasing 

access; and 

• The number of new grants that 

include studies funded by NIDRR that 

assess the effectiveness of interventions, 

programs, and devices using rigorous 

and appropriate methods. 

NIDRR uses information submitted by 

grantees as part of their Annual 

Performance Reports (APRs) for these 

reviews. NIDRR also determines, using 

information submitted as part of the 

APR, the number of publications in 

refereed journals that are based on 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 166 / Monday, August 29, 2005 / Notices 51239 

NIDRR-funded research and 

development activities. 

Department of Education program 

performance reports, which include 

information on NIDRR programs, are 

available on the Department of 

Education Web site: http://www.ed.gov/ 

offices/OUS/PES/planning.html. 

Updates on the GPRA indicators, 

revisions, and methods can be found in 

the NIDRR Program Review Web site: 

http://www.neweditions.net/pr/ 

commonfiles/pmconcepts.htm. 

Grantees should consult these sites, 

on a regular basis, to obtain details and 

explanations on how NIDRR programs 

contribute to the advancement of the 

Department’s long-term and annual 

performance goals. 

VII. Agency Contact 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lynn Medley, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 6027, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: 

(202) 245–7338 or by e-mail: 

lynn.medley@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 

1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain this document in an alternative 

format (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, or computer diskette) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed in this section. 

VIII. Other Information 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You may 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. 

Dated: August 23, 2005. 

John H. Hager, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 05–17048 Filed 8–26–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P