17848 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 67 / Friday, April 7, 1995 / Notices

augment the vehicle’s air bag based

passive restraint system, which has the

identical part number to that found on

the U.S. certified 1992 Mercedes-Benz

300E.

Standard No. 214 Side Impact Protect:

Installation of reinforcement tubes.

Standard No. 301 Fuel System

Integrity: Installation of a rollover valve

in the fuel tank vent line between the

fuel tank and the evaporative emissions

collection canister.

Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on the petition

described above. Comments should refer

to the docket number and be submitted

to: Docket Section, National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration, Room

5109, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20590. It is requested

but not required that 10 copies be

submitted.

All comments received before the

close of business on the closing date

indicated above will be considered, and

will be available for examination in the

docket at the above address both before

and after that date. To the extent

possible, comments filed after the

closing date will also be considered.

Notice of final action on the petition

will be published in the Federal

Register pursuant to the authority

indicated below.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30141(a) (1) (A) and

(b) (1); 49 CFR 593.8; delegations of authority

at 49 CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

Issued on: April 3, 1995.

Harry Thompson,

Acting Director, Office of Vehicle Safety

Compliance.

[FR Doc. 95–8552 Filed 4–6–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–M

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

North-South Center External Research

Grant Program

ACTION: Notice—request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The United States Information

Agency’s Bureau of Education and

Cultural Affairs invites applications

from eligible institutions under the

auspices of the North-South Center’s

1995 Research Grant Program. The

North-South Center is located at the

University of Miami and is funded

largely through a Congressional

appropriation managed by the United

States Information Agency’s Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs. The

Center’s Research Grant Programs

support select research activities which

are of importance to the people and

governments of the Western

Hemisphere. Through grant awards, the

Center brings together human and

technical resources to address major

themes relevant to policy-making in the

region.

Overall grant-making authority for

this program is contained in the grant

awarded to the North-South Center by

the United States Information Agency.

The mission of the North-South Center

is to promote better relations and serve

as a people of the hemisphere.

The purposes of the External Research

Grant Program are to support

scholarship in various fields of research

among institutions throughout the

hemisphere, stimulate discussion of

policy-relevant issues, and promote

scholarship from which policy solutions

may derive. Since 1991, approximately

150 External Research Grants have been

awarded involving over 300 institutions

throughout the hemisphere.

Short-term Field Research Grant

Program on Migration and Refugee

Issues: In response to increasing

migration pressures in the region, the

North-South Center seeks to further the

state of understanding of the social,

political, and economic impulses for

and consequences of migration.

Research initiatives concerning this

theme can be investigated from a variety

of disciplinary perspectives from within

the social sciences and other relevant

fields. Research proposals will be

accepted from various disciplines to

conduct research projects or field

research which investigates

contemporary issues in relation to

themes such as the following: The

formation, functioning, and

consequences of transnational

communities; the processes of return

migration resulting from political

reconciliation and democratization; the

consequences of neoliberal economic

reforms on international migration and

return migration; new migratory

currents within the Americas; and

demographic changes brought about by

migration.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME: All

communications with the North-South

Center concerning this announcement

should refer to the title of Research

Grant Program on Migration and

Refugee Issues.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: The External

Research Grant Program requires that

one original and nineteen (19) copies of

final proposal, written in English, be

received at the Office of Grant Programs,

North-South Center by 5 p.m. Miami

time on Friday, May 12, 1995. Please

conserve paper by making copies

double-sided. Documents sent by

facsimile will not be accepted, nor will

documents postmarked on May 12, 1995

but received on a later date. It is the

responsibility of each grant applicant to

ensure that proposals are received by

the above deadlines. Project activities

should begin no earlier than July 1, 1995

and should run no longer than

December 31, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Interested applicants should read the

complete Federal Register

announcement before addressing

inquiries to the Grant Programs Office

where an applicant can obtain the

application package, which contains

submission deadlines. Draft and final

proposals will be accepted only in the

format requested in the application

package and only until May 12, 1995.

Once the RFP deadline has passed, the

North-South Center will not inform the

applicant on the status of his/her

application—except to acknowledge its

receipt—until after the Center’s

proposal review process has been

completed.

Organizations/institutions/

individuals should contact the Office of

Grant Programs at the address listed

below or by telephone at (305) 284–

8951, facsimile (305) 284–6370, or

electronic mail

escott@umiami.ir.miami.edu to request

a detailed application packet.

Application packets include award

criteria not mentioned in this

announcement, all necessary forms, and

guidelines for preparing proposals,

including specific budget preparation

information.

ADDRESSES: Twenty (20) complete

proposals written in English should be

received by the May 12, 1995 deadline

addressed to: Mary Uebersax, Director of

Grant Programs, North-South Center,

1500 Monza Avenue, Coral Gables, FL

33146–3027.

The ensure timely delivery, a reliable

courier should be used to envoy the

project proposals. The Center will not

reimburse the cost of such delivery.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Proposals

from all parts of the world, except

where prohibited by U.S. law that are

consistent with the mission of the

North-South Center and are of sound

intellectual justification will be

considered. Funding will not be

authorized for any private for-profit

institutions, profit-oriented individuals’

initiatives, projects of a proprietary

nature, or for projects of a partisan

political nature. The applicant should

be the project’s principal investigator

and should have completed advanced

degrees and be affiliated with an

institution. Pre-doctoral scholars are

eligible to compete for the Program.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 67 / Friday, April 7, 1995 / Notices 17849

However, pre-doctoral scholars must

currently be affiliated with an

institution of higher learning and have

the support of their research advisor or

department chair to conduct the

proposed research project. The Center

and its External Grant Review Panel will

not use political tests or political

qualifications and will not discriminate

in any manner whatsoever in selecting

grantees.

Pursuant to the authorizing legislation

of the United States Information

Agency’s Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs, programs must

maintain a non-political character and

should be balanced and representative

of the diversity of American political,

social, and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’

should be interpreted in the broadest

sense and encompass differences

including but not limited to race,

gender, religion, geographic location,

socio-economic status, and physical

challenges. Applicants are strongly

encouraged to adhere to the

advancement of this principle.

The recipient organization will be

responsible for arrangements associated

with the program. These include

organization a coherent progression of

activities, providing international and

domestic travel arrangements for all

participants, making lodging and local

transportation arrangements for visitors,

orienting and debriefing participants,

preparing any necessary support

material, and working with host

institutions and individuals to achieve

maximum program effectiveness.

Funding Limitations

The maximum award for this program

is $20,000. Support will include

international travel expenses, domestic

transportation, limited living expenses,

and research and pre-publication

expenses.

The grant awards should not be used

in lieu of salary or to support projects

which could be funded by private

foundations or government. In addition,

applicants are encouraged to seek

supplemental funding for projects.

Successful projects will be funded by

means of a cost reimbursement

subcontract agreement between the

North-South Center, the University of

Miami, and the applicant’s institution.

All current policies and requirements

that govern federal research grants will

be applied to the grant award.

Guidelines

The Center gives priority to projects

involving the collaboration of

institutions in more than one country.

The Program provides funding for

projects that demonstrate a clear

analytical focus, a solid method to

achieve research goals in a timely

manner, and relevance to contemporary

policy. Research activities should

generate a product of enduring value

such as a publication or a series of

publications.

Proposals must be structured in

accordance with the instructions

contained in the application package.

Confirmation letters from U.S. and

foreign co-sponsors noting their

intention to participate in the program

will enhance a proposal.

Proposed Budget

Applicants must submit a

comprehensive line-item budget for

which specific details are available in

the application packet. The Center does

not pay for indirect costs or costs that

are not directly related to the specific

project being funded. No support will be

given for the purchase or lease of capital

equipment (e.g., facsimile machines,

computers), or other related

infrastructural costs. Some degree of

institutional support should be reflected

in the proposed project budget. It is not

permissible to request support in lieu of

responsibilities for university course

instruction.

Review Process

Grants made through the North-South

Center External Research Grant Program

are awarded through a competitive

review process. The Grant Programs

Office will acknowledge receipt of all

proposals, and the Center’s Executive

Staff will review every proposal for

eligibility, completeness, and

competitiveness. Outside reviewers

with expertise in a particular subject

area may be called upon to provide

critique on proposals. Proposals will be

deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines established

herein and in the application packet. All

eligible and complete proposals will be

submitted to the Center’s Grant Review

Panel, comprised of a multi-disciplinary

group of distinguished experts from

major university centers for Latin

American and Caribbean Studies as well

as Latin America specialists from the

non-academic international community.

Review Criteria

Applications which meet the

aforementioned technical requirements

will be competitively reviewed

according to the following criteria:

1. Contribution to the field of study:

Proposals should demonstrate a distinct

theoretical, political, or applied

academic significance to the stated

subject area. The outcome of the

research endeavor should be useful and

applicable to the academic, government,

and policy making and/or governmental

sectors.

2. Research cohesiveness and quality:

Clearly defined research hypotheses,

including the specific questions which

will be asked through this investigation,

and an explanation of the means of

testing and evaluating the research

objectives should be provided. A

detailed research agenda and relevant

work plan should demonstrate

substantive rigor and a logistical

capacity to implement the work plan.

Proposed personnel and institutional

resources should be adequate and

appropriate to achieve the program or

project’s goals.

3. Clarity and focus: Proposals should

illustrate that the research has been

sufficiently developed prior to the

request for funding, to ensure that its

aims are clear and specific. Proposals

should clearly demonstrate the process

by which the applicant will meet the

program’s objectives and research plan.

4. Concrete and lasting impact of the

investigation: Proposed programs

should strengthen enduring mutual

understanding, including maximum

sharing of information and

establishment of long-term institutional

and individual linkages. Proposals

should provide a plan for continued

follow-up activity which insures that

the Center’s supported programs are not

isolated events. Effective dissemination

of the project’s results should be

planned to reach the widest possible

and most relevant audience.

5. Potential: Proposals should

demonstrate the potential for fostering

cooperation and understanding among

peoples of the region. Research output

should provide clear and sound analysis

of or tools for policy making.

6. Applicant’s ‘‘track record’’:

Applicants should demonstrate a

history of successful programs,

including responsible fiscal

management and full compliance with

all reporting requirements for past

research grants, where applicable. The

Center will consider the past

performance of prior grantees and the

demonstrated potential of new

applicants.

7. Support of Diversity: Proposals

should demonstrate the recipient’s

commitment to promoting the

awareness and understanding of

diversity throughout the program.

8. Project Evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

activity’s success, both as the activities

unfold and at the end of the program.

Award-receiving organizations/

institutions will be expected to submit

intermediate reports after each project
17850 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 67 / Friday, April 7, 1995 / Notices

component and a final report at the

conclusion. Grantees must be willing to

comply with evaluation requirements of

the granting institution.

9. Cost-effectiveness: The

administrative components of grants

should be kept as low as possible. All

other research costs should be

necessary, appropriate, and justified in

the budget narrative.

10. Cost-sharing: Proposals should

maximize cost-sharing through other

private support as well as direct funding

contributions (such as full-time salaries)

from the home institutions.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in the RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any North-South Center or

United States Information Agency

representative. Explanatory information

provided by USIA or the North-South

Center that contradicts published

language will not be binding. This RFP

combined with the application packet

which is obtainable by calling the

North-South Center, constitutes the

entire terms and conditions for

application to this grant program.

Issuance of the RFP does not constitute

an award commitment on the part of the

Center. Programs and projects must

conform with the Center’s requirement

and guidelines outlined in the

Application Packet. The Center’s project

and programs are subject to the

availability of funds. Final awards

cannot be made until funds have been

made available through the U.S.

Government’s appropriation and

contracting process and allocated and

committed through internal NorthSouth Center and University of Miami

procedures.

Notification

All applicants will be notified in

writing of the results of the review

process. Awards made will be subject to

periodic reporting and evaluation

requirements.

Dated: March 13, 1995.

Dell Pendergrast,

Deputy Associate Director, Education and

Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 95–8520 Filed 4–6–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M