19658 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 86 / Thursday, May 2, 1996 / Notices

Dated: April 23, 1996.

Dell Pendergrast,

Deputy Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 96–10596 Filed 5–1–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

United States Information Agency

Regional Scholar Exchange Program

With the New Independent States;

Freedom Support Act Fellowships in

Contemporary Issues

ACTION: Notice—Request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic

Programs, Academic Exchanges

Division, European Programs Branch of

the United States Information Agency’s

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs announces an open competition

for two assistance awards. Public and

private non-profit organizations with at

least four years of experience in

conducting international exchange

programs with the New Independent

States and meeting the provisions

described in IRS regulation 26 CFR

1.501(c)(3)–1 may apply to develop and

administer one or both of the following

two categories of academic exchange

programs:

Category A: USIA Regional Scholar

Exchange Program with the New

Independent States for approximately

60 to 70 pre-doctoral and/or postdoctoral scholars, researchers, and

university faculty in the social sciences

and humanities who are citizens of

Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the

Russian Federation, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan

and for approximately 10 pre- and/or

post-doctoral scholars, researchers, and

university faculty in the social sciences

and humanities who are citizens of the

United States.

Category B: FREEDOM Support Act

Fellowships in Contemporary Issues for

approximately 60 to 70 highly qualified

policymakers, public, private, and third

sector professionals, and scholars with

advanced degrees—Kandidat

preferred—who are citizens of Armenia,

Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the

Russian Federation, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan

and who are professionally engaged in

the building of democracy, free markets,

and a civil society in their countries in

the post-Soviet era. Interested

organizations should read the complete

Federal Register announcement and

request a Solicitation Package from

USIA prior to preparing a proposal.

*Please note: Programs with Azerbaijan are

subject to the restrictions of Section 907 of

the Freedom Support Act of 1992: Employees

of the Government of Azerbaijan or any of its

instrumentalities are excluded from

participation and no U.S. participant

overseas may work for the Government of

Azerbaijan or any of its instrumentalities.

The goals and objectives of both the

USIA Regional Scholar Exchange

Program with the NIS and the

FREEDOM Support Act Fellowships in

Contemporary Issues are to empower

outstanding citizens of the countries of

the NIS and U.S. to: (1) Obtain access to

the resource materials and specialists of

the host country so that they can

conduct the specific research proposed

in their applications; (2) Deliver

lectures, make presentations, and write

articles, books, policy papers, reports,

and/or produce other materials that

advance the state of knowledge and

practice in their fields in their home

countries and institutions; (3) Promote

long-term collaborative research projects

and cooperation between U.S. and NIS

scholars and practitioners.

For both categories, participants from

the NIS must demonstrate a high level

of fluency in written and spoken

English at a level appropriate to achieve

the goals and objectives of the program.

Participants from the U.S. must

demonstrate a high level of fluency in

written and spoken Russian and/or

another language of the NIS in order to

conduct research at NIS host

institutions. Escort interpreters will not

be provided, nor funded by USIA.

Both categories are open, merit-based

competitions that must be conducted

nationally in the home countries of the

applicants and all applicants must be

working or studying in their home

countries at the time of application and

selection. The fellowship periods for

both categories must be for a minimum

of three months (or the equivalent of

one academic semester), but must not

exceed a maximum of eight months (or

the equivalent of one academic year).

For both categories, all participants

must be affiliated with universities,

research institutes, or other

organizations in the host country which

have specialists and resources in the

field of the fellows’ research. All

participants must be matched with a

host advisor who serves as a research

mentor and guides their professional

development during the fellowship.

Applicants who have participated in a

USIA-funded academic exchange

program after June 1994 are not eligible

to receive fellowships in either category.

Each category has separate conditions

and requirements which are stated in

this announcement and detailed in the

full Solicitation Package. Organizations

may apply for an assistance award for

one or both categories, but must submit

a separate proposal and budget for each

category. Organizations that apply for

assistance awards in both categories are

strongly encouraged to craft each

proposal and budget in an innovative

way that maximizes resources,

streamlines program and administrative

operations, and achieves economies of

scale for the program and administrative

activities, practices, and procedures

which are common to both categories.

Organizations which wish to work in

partnership on one or both categories

may apply as a consortia, but must

submit one proposal and one budget for

each category. All proposals from

consortia must identify a lead

organization and cite the specific duties,

responsibilities, division of labor, and

budget for all members of the consortia

as well as subcontracts from a lead

organization to each member of the

consortia.

USIA anticipates awarding one

assistance award for each category cited

in this announcement. Grants awarded

to organizations through this

competition must begin no earlier than

August 1, 1996 and must be completed

by July 31, 1998. USIA expects that NIS

participants will begin their U.S.

programs as a group in late January 1997

and in late August 1997. However, in

instances when it is feasible and

advisable, some NIS participants may

begin their U.S. programs at other

appropriate times during the grant

period. USIA expects that U.S.

participants will begin their NIS

programs at various and appropriate

times in 1997 and 1998. At the end of

their fellowships, all participants are

required to return to their home

countries so that they can begin to apply

the knowledge, skills, and insights

gained as a result of their academic

exchange experience.

Overall grantmaking authority for the

USIA Regional Scholar Exchange

Program for the New Independent States

is contained in the Mutual Educational

and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961,

Public Law 87–256, as amended, also

known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The

purpose of the Act is ‘‘to enable the

Government of the United States to

increase mutual understanding between

the people of the United States and the

people of other countries . . .; to

strengthen the ties which unite us with

other nations by demonstrating the

educational and cultural interests,

developments, and achievements of the

people of the United States and other

nations . . . and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 86 / Thursday, May 2, 1996 / Notices 19659

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’ The funding authority for

the program cited above is provided

through the Mutual Educational and

Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public

Law 87–256, as amended. Programs

shall also maintain their scholarly

integrity and shall meet the highest

standards of academic excellence. . . .

Overall grantmaking authority for the

FREEDOM Support Act Fellowships in

Contemporary Issues is made possible

through legislation sponsored by the

U.S. Congress and incorporated in the

Foreign Relations Authorization Act of

FY 1993. The legislation was

established to assist the economic and

democratic development of the New

Independent States of the former Soviet

Union. The funding authority for the

program cited above is provided

through the FREEDOM Support Act.

Programs and projects must conform

with Agency requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation

Package. USIA projects and programs

are subject to the availability of funds.

USIA reserves the right to reduce,

revise, or increase proposal budgets in

accordance with the needs of the

programs.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All

communications with USIA concerning

this announcement should refer to the

above title and reference number E/

AEE–04.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies

must be received at the U.S. Information

Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time

on Thursday, June 13, 1996. Faxed

documents will not be accepted, nor

will documents postmarked June 13,

1996 but received at a later date. It is the

responsibility of each applicant to

ensure that proposals are received by

the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

Office of Academic Programs, Division

of Academic Exchanges, European

Programs Branch, E/AEE, Room 246,

U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street,

SW., Washington, DC 20547; telephone

number (202) 205–0525; fax (202) 260–

7985; Internet address rboris @usia.gov

to request a Solicitation Package

containing more detailed award criteria,

required application forms, and

standard guidelines for preparing

proposals, including specific criteria for

preparation of the proposal budgets.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE

VIA INTERNET: The Solicitation Package

may be download from USIA’s website

at http://www.usia.gov/ or from the

Internet Gopher at gopher.usia.gov.

Select ‘‘Education and Cultural

Exchanges’’, then select ‘‘Current

Request for Proposals (RFPs).’’ Please

read ‘‘About the Following RFPs’’ before

beginning to download.

Please specify USIA Program Officer

Rhonda E. Boris on all inquiries and

correspondence. Interested applicants

should read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFP deadline has passed, Agency

staff may not discuss this competition in

any way with applicants until the

Bureau proposal review process has

been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all

instructions given in the Solicitation

Package. The original and ten copies of

the application should be sent to: U.S.

Information Agency, Ref.: E/AEE–96–04,

Office of Grants Management, E/XE,

Room 326, 301 4th Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20547

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5′′ diskette, formatted for DOS. This

material must be provided in ASCII text

(DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. USIA will

transmit these files electronically to

USIS posts overseas for their review,

with the goal of reducing the time it

takes to get posts’ comments for the

Agency’s grants review process.

DIVERSITY GUIDELINES: Pursuant to the

Bureau’s authorizing legislation,

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

ethnicity, race, gender, religion,

geographic location, socio-economic

status, and physical challenges.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to

adhere to the advancement of this

principle both in program

administration and in program content.

Please refer to the review criteria under

the ‘Support for Diversity’ section for

specific suggestions on incorporating

diversity into the total proposal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For both

categories, U.S. organizations will be

required to: advertise, announce, and

explain the program to target audiences

in the U.S. and NIS; recruit a large,

diverse group of qualified applicants

from each eligible country; select

finalists via merit-based open

competition that incorporates peer

group review mechanisms; affiliate

participants with diverse host

institutions and place participants with

host advisors who are knowledgeable

about the participants’ field of research;

arrange program logistics in a timely

and effective manner, track and monitor

participants; develop alumni and other

follow on activities; evaluate programs

for short-term and long-term evidence of

effectiveness and in support of the

requirements of the Government

Performance and Results Act of 1993

(GPRA); and conduct other required

program activities and operations.

Organizations are required to plan

and implement all program activities

and operations in close coordination

with USIA in Washington and USIS

posts in the NIS. Further details about

specific program requirements and

additional information can be found in

the Project Objectives, Goals, and

Implementation (POGI) Statement

which are part of the full Solicitation

Package.

Guidelines

Visa/Health Insurance/Tax

Requirements: Programs must comply

with J–1 visa regulations. Exchange

program regulations require that all J

visa holders carry health and accident

insurance. Please refer to the guidelines

in the Solicitation Package for further

details. Administration of the program

must be in compliance with reporting

and withholding regulations for federal,

state, and local taxes as applicable.

Recipient organizations should

demonstrate tax regulation adherence in

the proposal narrative and budget.

Proposed Budget

For Category A: FY 1996 USIA

funding is anticipated at $1,000,000.

For Category B: FY 1996 FREEDOM

Support Act funding is anticipated at

$960.000.

Organizations must submit a

comprehensive line item budget based

on the specific guidance in the

Solicitation Package. There must be a

summary budget as well as a breakdown reflecting both the administrative

budget and the program budget. It is

required that requested administrative

funds, including indirect costs and

administrative expenses, not exceed 20

percent of the grant amount requested

from USIA. Preference will be given to

organizations whose administrative cost

request is below 20 percent.

Administrative and program expenses

should be cost-shared to maximize all

available program resources from the

private sector, host institutions, and

applicant organization.

Allowable costs for each category

include the following:

(1) General Program Costs (program

materials; advertising and outreach;

recruitment travel and per diem in the

NIS; application review and/or selection
19660 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 86 / Thursday, May 2, 1996 / Notices

committee; finalist interviews in the

NIS; group program orientation for NIS

participants, listserv; on-line journal,

alumni data base, alumni activities for

NIS participants, follow on e-mail/

Internet assistance for selected NIS

participants);

(2) Participant Program Costs (visas;

roundtrip travel to and from home city

to host institution via American flag

carrier; monthly maintenance (based on

average MMR); stipend; professional

development for NIS participants;

participant taxes)

(3) Administrative Costs (staff salaries

and benefits; communications, facilities

(U.S. and NIS), office supplies audit,

and indirect costs).

Please refer to the full Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidelines

and formatting instructions.

Review Process

USIA will acknowledge receipt of all

proposals and will review them for

technical eligibility. Proposals will be

deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package. Eligible

proposals will be forwarded to panels of

USIA officers for advisory review. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the USIA

Office of East European and NIS Affairs

and the USIA post overseas, where

appropriate. Proposals may be reviewed

by the Office of the General Counsel or

by other Agency elements. Funding

decisions are at the discretion of the

USIA Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs. Final technical

authority for assistance awards (grants

or cooperative agreements) resides with

the USIA grants officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below. These criteria

are not rank ordered and all carry equal

weight in the proposal evaluation:

1. Quality of the Program Plan

Proposals should include academic

rigor and scholarly excellence, thorough

conception of program, demonstration

of meeting participants’ needs,

contributions to understanding the

partner country, specific details of

recruitment, selection, affiliation,

placement, professional development,

and monitoring processes, proposed

alumni activities, alumni tracking, and

follow on activities, qualifications and

expertise of program staff and

participants, and relevance of program

plan to USIA’s mission and U.S. foreign

policy goals and objectives in the NIS.

2. Program Planning and Organizational

Capacity

A detailed work plan and timeline

should demonstrate the organization’s

logistical and administrative capacity to

implement the program. Proposals must

demonstrate how the organization and

its staff will meet the program’s

objectives and work plan. Proposed

personnel and organizational resources

should be adequate and appropriate to

implement the program requirements

and achieve program objectives.

3. Organization’s Track Record

Relevant USIA and outside

assessments of the organization’s

experience in developing,

implementing, administering, and

evaluating scholarly research exchanges

with the NIS, including responsible

fiscal management and full compliance

with all reporting requirements for past

Agency grants as determined by USIA’s

Office of Contracts. The Agency will

consider the past performance of prior

recipients and the demonstrated

potential of new applicants.

4. Multiplier Effect/Impact

Proposed programs must demonstrate

an impact on the wider community of

scholars, students, policymakers,

opinion-leaders, and public, private,

and third sector professionals and

organizations through the sharing of

information and the establishment of

long-term institutional and individual

linkages among U.S. and NIS scholars

and practitioners.

5. Cost-Effectiveness

A key measure of cost-effectiveness is

USIA’s cost per participant. This is the

total funds requested from USIA

divided by the number of participantmonths (number of participants

multiplied by the number of program

months). The overhead and

administrative components of the

proposal, including salaries and

honoraria, should be kept as low as

possible. All other items should be

necessary and appropriate.

6. Cost-Sharing

Preference will be given to

outstanding proposals that also seek to

maximize cost-sharing through other

private sector support as well as

institutional direct funding

contributions.

7. Value of U.S.-Partner Country

Relations

The assessment by USIA’s geographic

area office of the need potential impact,

and significance of the project with the

partner country.

8. Support of Diversity and Pluralism

Proposals should demonstrate

substantive support of the Bureau’s

policy on diversity through the

recruitment, selection, affiliation, and

placement of participants, to the extent

feasible for the applicant organizations.

9. Alumni and Follow-On Activities

Proposals should provide a plan for

alumni and other follow on activities

(without USIA support) which ensures

that USIA supported programs are not

isolated events.

10. Program Evaluation

Proposals should include a plan to

evaluate the program in ways that

support the requirements of the

Government Performance and Results

Act of 1993. An evaluation plan and

draft survey questionnaire or other

technique plus a description of a

methodology to be used to link

outcomes to original project objectives

is required as well as a comprehensive

plan to track participants before, during,

and after their fellowships.

Organizations will be expected to

submit intermediate programmatic and

financial reports after each project

component is concluded or quarterly,

whichever is less frequent.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any USIA representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Agency that contradicts published

language will not be binding. Issuance

of the RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The Agency reserves the

right to reduce, revise, or increase

proposal budgets in accordance with the

needs of the program and the

availability of funds. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal USIA procedures.

Dated: April 25, 1996.

Dell Pendergrast,

Deputy Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 96–10817 Filed 5–1–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M