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###### Department of Education

# DATES:

*Applications Available:*                         February 1, 2008.                     

*Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:*                         April 2, 2008.                     

*Deadline for Intergovernmental Review:*                         June 2, 2008.                     

## Full Text of Announcement 

## I. Funding Opportunity Description 

*Purpose of Program:*                     The purpose of the program is to provide grants for or enter into cooperative agreements with eligible applicants to improve postsecondary education.                 

*Priority:*                     Under this competition, we are particularly interested in applications that address the following priority.                 

*Invitational Priority:*                     For FY 2008, this priority is an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.                 

*This priority is:*

This priority is designed to support the formation of educational consortia of American and European institutions to support cooperation in the coordination of curricula, the exchange of students, and the opening of educational opportunities between the United States (U.S.) and the European Union (EU). This priority relates to the purpose of the European Union-United States Atlantis (Atlantis) Program to develop and implement undergraduate joint or dual degree programs, or short-term exchange programs. 

This invitational priority is established in cooperation with the EU. These awards support only the participation of U.S. institutions and students in these consortia. EU institutions participating in any consortium proposal responding to the invitational priority may apply to the Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC), European Commission for funding under a separate but parallel EU competition. 

*Program Authority:*20 U.S.C. 1138-1138d.                 

*Applicable Regulations:*                     The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.                 

# Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants except federally recognized Indian tribes.

# Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education (IHEs) only.

## II. Award Information 

*Type of Award:*                     Discretionary grants.                 

*Estimated Available Funds:*                     $1,400,000.                 

*Estimated Range of Awards:*                     $35,000-$112,000 for the first year only.                 

*Estimated Average Size of Awards:*                     $35,000 for a Policy Oriented Measures grant, $45,000 for a Mobility grant, and $112,000 for a Transatlantic Degree grant. You can find a detailed description of each of these three types of grants in the program guidelines in the application package for this competition.                 

*Maximum Award:*                     We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $150,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the                     **Federal Register**                    .                 

*Estimated Number of Awards:*                     14.                 

# Note:

The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

*Project Period:*                     Up to 48 months.                 

## III. Eligibility Information 

                    1.                     *Eligible Applicants:*                     IHEs or combinations of IHEs and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies.                 

                    2.                     *Cost Sharing or Matching:*                     This program does not require cost sharing or matching.                 

## IV. Application and Submission Information 

                    1.                     *Address to Request Application Package:*                     You can obtain an application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following address:                     *http://www.grants.gov.*                     To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, 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), call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.                 

                    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also:                     *http://www.ed.gov/​pubs/​edpubs.html*                     or at its e-mail address:                     *edpubs@inet.ed.gov.*

If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.116J. 

Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under Alternative Format in section VIII 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.                 

*Word Limit and Application Format:*                     The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit the application narrative (Part III) to no more than 6000 words. The page format for the application must comply with 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, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.       ( print page 6155)      
      - Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
      - Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.

The 6000 word limit and the formatting standards do not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; the one-page abstract, the short bios, the bibliography, or the letters of commitment. However, the 6000 word limit does apply to all of the application narrative section. You must include all of the application narrative in Part III. 

We will reject your application if you exceed the 6000 word limit. 

                    3.                     *Submission Dates and Times:*

*Applications Available:*                     February 1, 2008.                 

*Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:*                     April 2, 2008.                 

                    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 in paper format 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. 

                    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under                     **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                     in section VII in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual's application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.                 

*Deadline for Intergovernmental Review:*                     June 2, 2008.                 

                    4.                     *Intergovernmental Review:*                     This competition is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this competition.                 

                    5.                     *Funding Restrictions:*                     We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the                     *Applicable Regulations*                     section in this notice.                 

                    6.                     *Other Submission Requirements:*

Applications for grants under this competition 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 Atlantis Program, CFDA Number 84.116J, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide 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 the Atlantis Program at                     *http://www.Grants.gov.*                     You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.116, not 84.116J).                 

Please note the following: 
      - 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 date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and must be date and 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 and 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 and 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://e-Grants.ed.gov/​help/​GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf. 
      - To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see www.Grants.gov/​applicants/​get_​registered.jsp ). These steps include (1) Registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see                      http://www.grants.gov/​section910/​Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf ). You also must 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, and you must have completed all registration steps to allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take three 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 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 you typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.       ( print page 6156)                          Please note that two of these forms—the SF 424 and the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424—have replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).                 
      - 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 in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that material.
      - Your electronic application must comply with any word-limit requirements described in this notice.
      - After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has received your application and has assigned your application 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 experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.                 

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 described elsewhere in this notice. 

                    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed in section VII 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. 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:

The extensions to which we refer 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 application 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: Frank Frankfort, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6152, Washington, DC 20006-8544. Fax: (202) 502-7877. 

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 84.116J), 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 84.116J), 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. 

(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. 

(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 84.116J), 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 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under                           ( print page 6157)                        which you are submitting your application; and                 

(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification 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 75.210 of EDGAR 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 notify you informally, also.                 

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 in this notice.                 

                    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the                     *Applicable Regulations*                     section in 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 directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, please go to                     *http://www.ed.gov/​fund/​grant/​apply/​appforms/​appforms.html*.                 

                    4.                     *Performance Measures:*                     Under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the following two measures will be used by the Department in assessing the performance of the FIPSE program as a whole:                 

(1) The percentage of FIPSE grantees who report project dissemination to others; and 

(2) The percentage of FIPSE projects that report institutionalization on their home campuses. 

In addition, the program has developed two performance measures specifically for the FIPSE European Union-United States Atlantis Program: 

(1) The percentage of students pursuing a joint or dual degree who persist from one academic year to the next (persistence); and 

(2) The percentage of students who graduate within the project's stated time for completing a joint or dual degree (graduation). 

If funded, you will be asked to collect and report data in your project's annual performance report (EDGAR, 34 CFR 75.590) on the program's four measures. Consequently, applicants are advised to include these four measures in conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of their proposed projects. Consideration of the performance measures is an important part of many of the review criteria. Thus, it is important to the success of your application that you include these measures. These measures should be a part of the project evaluation plan, along with any measures of your progress on the goals and objectives that are specific to your project. 

## VII. Agency Contact 

*For Further Information Contact:*                     Frank Frankfort, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, European Union-United States Atlantis Program, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6152, Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7513. The contact person does not mail application materials.                 

If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339. 

## VIII. Other Information 

*Alternative Format:*                     Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format (                    *e.g.*, Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under                     **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                     in section VII in this notice.                 

*Electronic Access to This Document:*                     You can 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: January 29, 2008. 

Diane Auer Jones, 

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

[FR Doc. E8-1918 Filed 1-31-08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P