Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 200 / Tuesday, October 18, 2005 / Notices 60501 

Budget (OMB) provide interested 

Federal agencies and the public an early 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection requests. OMB may amend or 

waive the requirement for public 

consultation to the extent that public 

participation in the approval process 

would defeat the purpose of the 

information collection, violate State or 

Federal law, or substantially interfere 

with any agency’s ability to perform its 

statutory obligations. The Director, 

Regulatory Information Management 

Services, Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, publishes that notice containing 

proposed information collection 

requests prior to submission of these 

requests to OMB. Each proposed 

information collection, grouped by 

office, contains the following: (1) Type 

of review requested, e.g. new, revision, 

extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) 

Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4) 

Description of the need for, and 

proposed use of, the information; (5) 

Respondents and frequency of 

collection; and (6) Reporting and/or 

Recordkeeping burden. OMB invites 

public comment. 

Dated: October 12, 2005. 

Jeanne Van Vlandren, 

Director, Regulatory Information 

Management Services, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

Office of Elementary and Secondary 

Education 

Type of Review: Extension. 

Title: State Agency Use of Alternative 

Method to Distribute Title I Funds to 

LEAs with Fewer Than 20,000 Total 

Residents. 

Frequency: As needed. 

Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal 

Gov’t, SEAs or LEAs. 

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour 

Burden: 

Responses: 25. 

Burden Hours: 200. 

Abstract: Guidance for State 

educational agencies seeking to use an 

alternative method to distribute Title I 

Basic and Concentration Grants to local 

educational agencies. 

Requests for copies of the information 

collection submission for OMB review 

may be accessed from http:// 

edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the 

‘‘Browse Pending Collections’’ link and 

by clicking on link number 2842. When 

you access the information collection, 

click on ‘‘Download Attachments’’ to 

view. Written requests for information 

should be addressed to U.S. Department 

of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, 

SW., Potomac Center, 9th Floor, 

Washington, DC 20202–4700. Requests 

may also be electronically mailed to the 

Internet address OCIO_RIMG@ed.gov or 

faxed to 202–245–6623. Please specify 

the complete title of the information 

collection when making your request. 

Comments regarding burden and/or 

the collection activity requirements 

should be directed to Kathy Axt at her 

e-mail address Kathy.Axt@ed.gov. 

Individuals who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8339. 

[FR Doc. 05–20811 Filed 10–17–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Postsecondary Education; 

Overview Information; International 

Research and Studies Program; Notice 

Inviting Applications for New Awards 

for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.017A. 

Dates: Applications Available: 

October 17, 2005. Deadline for 

Transmittal of Applications: See the 

chart listed under section IV. 

Application and Submission 

Information, 3. Submission Dates and 

Times (chart). 

Eligible Applicants: Public and 

private agencies, organizations, 

institutions, and individuals. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$5,925,000 for the International 

Research and Studies Program for FY 

2006, of which we intend to use an 

estimated $2,704,173 for this 

competition. 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–

$200,000 per year. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$122,917. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 22. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 36 months. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The International 

Research and Studies Program provides 

grants to conduct research and studies 

to improve and strengthen instruction in 

modern foreign languages, area studies, 

and other international fields. 

Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(ii), these priorities are from 

the regulations for this program (34 CFR 

660.10, 660.34). 

Invitational Priority: For FY 2006 

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 1 

The development of instructional 

materials for use by students, teachers, 

and college faculty that focus on Islamic 

societies and the languages of those 

societies; and 

Invitational Priority 2 

Research, surveys, studies or the 

development of instructional materials 

that serve to enhance international 

understanding for use at the elementary 

and secondary education levels, or for 

use in teacher education programs 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1125. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 82, 84, 85, 

86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations 

for this program in 34 CFR parts 655 

and 660. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR Part 86 

apply to institutions of higher education 

only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$5,925,000 for the International 

Research and Studies Program for FY 

2006 of which we intend to use an 

estimated $2,704,173 for this 

competition. 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–

$200,000 per year. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$122,917. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 22. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 36 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: Public and 

private agencies, organizations, 

institutions, and individuals. 

60502 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 200 / Tuesday, October 18, 2005 / Notices 

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: Mr. Ed McDermott, U.S. 

Department of Education, 1990 K Street, 

NW., suite 600, Washington, DC 20006–

8521. Telephone: (202) 502–7636 or by 

e-mail: ed.mcdermott@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 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 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 section 

of the narrative that addresses the 

selection criteria to the equivalent of no 

more than 30 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, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions. However, you 

may single space all text in charts, 

tables, figures, and graphs. 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. Applications submitted in 

any other font (including Times Roman, 

Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. 

• The page limit does not apply to the 

cover sheet; the budget section, 

including the narrative budget 

justification; the assurances and 

certifications; the one-page abstract; or 

the appendices. However, you must 

include your complete response to the 

selection criteria in the application 

narrative. 

We will reject your application if—

• You apply these standards and 

exceed the page limit; or 

• You apply other standards and 

exceed the equivalent of the page limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times 

Applications Available: October 17, 

2005. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: In light of the damage 

caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 

we are establishing two separate 

deadlines for the submission of 

applications for grants under this 

competition to permit potential 

applicants affected by Hurricanes 

Katrina and/or Rita additional time to 

submit their applications. We are 

establishing a General Deadline for all 

applicants, and an Extended Deadline 

for potential applicants who have been 

affected by Hurricanes Katrina and/or 

Rita and are located in Louisiana, Texas, 

Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. 

Specifically, the Extended Deadline 

applies only to: (1) institutions of higher 

education, SEAs, LEAs, non-profit 

organizations and other public or 

private organization applicants that are 

located in a federally-declared disaster 

area as determined by the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency 

(FEMA) (see http://www.fema.gov/news/ 

disasters.fema) and that were adversely 

affected by Hurricanes Katrina and/or 

Rita, and (2) individual applicants who 

reside or resided, on the disaster 

declaration date, in a federally-declared 

disaster area as determined by FEMA 

(see http://www.fema.gov/news/ 

disasters.fema) and were adversely 

affected by Hurricanes Katrina and/or 

Rita. These applicants must provide a 

certification in their application that 

they meet the criteria for submitting an 

application on the Extended Deadline, 

and be prepared to provide appropriate 

supporting documentation, if requested. 

If the applicant is submitting the 

application electronically, submission 

of the application serves as the 

applicant’s attestation that they meet the 

criteria for submitting an application on 

the Extended Deadline. 

The following chart provides the 

applicable deadlines for the submission 

of applications. If this program is 

subject to Executive Order 12372, the 

relevant deadline for intergovernmental 

review is also indicated in the chart. 

Transmittal of 

applications 

Intergovernmental review 

General 

Deadline 11/16/05 N/A 

Extended 

Deadline 12/1/05 N/A 

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 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 in 

this notice. 

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. 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 

International Research and Studies 

program—CFDA Number 84.017A must 

be submitted electronically using 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. 

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 International Research 

and Studies 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: 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 200 / Tuesday, October 18, 2005 / Notices 60503 

• 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 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 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://eGrants.ed.gov/help/ 

GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf. 

• To submit your application via 

Grants.gov, you must complete all 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. 

For individuals who plan to submit a 

grant application, you must follow the 

registration steps for individuals (see 

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

• 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 

typically included on the Application 

for Federal Assistance (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 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 acknowledgement 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 Technical Issues with the 

Grants.gov System: 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 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. 

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 prevent 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: Mr. Ed McDermott, U.S. 

Department of Education, 1990 K Street, 

NW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20006–

8521 FAX: (202) 502–7691. 

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 

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 applicable following 

address: 

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, 

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.017A), 

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 

60504 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 200 / Tuesday, October 18, 2005 / Notices 

84.017A), 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 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 84.017A), 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 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 (SF 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 program are from 34 CFR 

sections 655.31, 660.31, 660.32, and 

660.33 and are as follows—

For instructional materials—

Need for the project (10 points); 

Potential for the use of materials in 

programs to others (5 points); Account 

of related materials (10 points); 

Likelihood of achieving results (10 

points); Expected contribution to other 

programs (10 points); Plan of operation 

(10 points); Quality of key personnel (10 

points); Budget and cost effectiveness (5 

points); Evaluation plan (15 points); 

Adequacy of resources (5 points); 

Description of final format (5 points); 

and Provisions for pre-testing and 

revision (5 points). 

For research, surveys and studies—

Need for the project (10 points); 

Usefulness of expected results (10 

points); Development of new knowledge 

(10 points); Formulation of problems 

and knowledge of related research (10 

points); Specificity of statement of 

procedures (5 points): Adequacy of 

methodology and scope of project (10 

points); Plan of operation (10 points); 

Quality of key personnel (10 points); 

Budget and cost effectiveness (5 points); 

Evaluation plan (15 points); and 

Adequacy of resources (5 points). 

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. 

Grantees are required to use the 

electronic data instrument Evaluation of 

Exchange, Language, International, and 

Area Studies (EELIAS) to complete the 

final report. Electronically formatted 

instructional materials such as CDs, 

DVDs, videos, computer diskettes and 

books produced by the grantee as part 

of the grant approved activities are also 

acceptable as final reports. 

VII. Agency Contact 

For Further Information Contact: Mr. 

Ed McDermott, International Education 

Programs Service, U.S. Department of 

Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 

6082, Washington, DC 20006–8521. 

Telephone: (202) 502–7636 or by e-mail: 

ed.mcdermott@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: October 13, 2005. 

Sally L. Stroup, 

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 

Education. 

[FR Doc. 05–20783 Filed 10–13–05; 4:03 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–U