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Publication Date: September 11, 2006
FRPart:
Page Numbers: 53425-53428
Summary: Office of Postsecondary Education, Overview Information;
Graduate Assistance in Areas of
National Need; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2007
Posted on 09-11-2006
[Federal Register: September 11, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 175)]
[Notices]
[Page 53425-53428]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11se06-48]
[[Page 53425]]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education, Overview Information; Graduate
Assistance in Areas of National Need; Notice Inviting Applications for
New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.200A.
Dates: Applications Available: September 11, 2006. Deadline for
Transmittal of Applications: November 20, 2006. Deadline for
Intergovernmental Review: January 19, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Academic departments of institutions of higher
education that meet the requirements in 34 CFR 648.2.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$9,725,000 for new awards under this program for FY 2007. 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: $126,672-$750,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $216,111.
Estimated Number of Awards: 45.
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: This program provides fellowships in areas of
national need to assist graduate students with excellent academic
records who demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue the highest
degree available in their courses of study.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority
is from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 648.33(a) and Appendix
to part 648-Academic Areas).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2007, this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
Areas of National Need: A project must provide fellowships in one
or more of the following areas of national need: Biology; General
Chemistry; Computer and Information Sciences; General Engineering;
General Mathematics; Nursing; and Physics.
Within this absolute priority the Secretary is particularly
interested in applications that address the following invitational
priority:
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:
Engineering programs that promote the development of alternative
energy sources to reduce America's dependency on foreign oil. This
invitational priority is consistent with the President's Advanced
Energy Initiative.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82,
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34
CFR Part 648.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants, redistributed as fellowships
to individual fellows.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$9,725,000 for new awards under this program for FY 2007. 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: $126,672-$750,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $216,111.
Estimated Number of Awards: 45.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
Stipend Level: The Secretary will determine the fellowship stipend
for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need for the academic year
2007-2008 based on the level of support provided by the graduate
fellowships of the National Science Foundation as of February 1, 2007.
However, the Secretary will adjust the amount, as necessary, so as not
to exceed the fellow's demonstrated level of financial need as
calculated for purposes of the Federal student financial aid programs
under Title IV, part F of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
Institutional Payment: The Secretary will determine the
institutional payment for the academic year 2007-2008 by adjusting the
previous academic year institutional payment, which is $12,224 per
fellow, by the U.S. Department of Labor's Consumer Price Index for the
2006 calendar year.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Academic departments of institutions of
higher education that meet the requirements in 34 CFR 648.2.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program involves matching (See 34
CFR 648.7).
3. Other: For requirements relating to selecting fellows, see 34
CFR 648.40.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Gary Thomas, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6016, Washington, DC
20006-8524. Fax: (202) 502-7859.
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 Limits: 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 Part III as follows:
An application in a single discipline must be limited to
the equivalent of no more than 40 pages.
An interdisciplinary application must be limited to the
equivalent of no more than 60 pages. An interdisciplinary application
must request funding for a single proposed program of study that
involves two or more academic disciplines.
A multi-disciplinary application must be limited to the
equivalent of no more than 40 pages for each academic discipline
included in the proposal. A multi-disciplinary application must request
funding for two or more proposed programs of study that are independent
and unrelated to one another.
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an
identifier may be within the 1'' margin.
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 presented in the application
narrative count toward the page limit.
Use not less than a 12-point font. However, you may use a
10-point font in charts, tables, figures, graphs, footnotes, and
endnotes.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
Appendices are limited to the following: Curriculum
vitae--no more than two pages per faculty member; a course listing;
letters of support; a bibliography; and one additional optional
appendix relevant to the support of the proposal, not to exceed five
pages.
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II,
the Budget section; the Assurances and Certifications; the one page
abstract; or the appendices. However you must include all of the
application narrative in Part III.
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: September 11, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 20, 2006.
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.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 19, 2007.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program 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 program.
5. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR
648.64. We reference additional 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 Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Competition--
CFDA Number 84.200A 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 the Graduate
Assistance in Areas of National Need Program 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:
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://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps
include: (1) Registering your organization, (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 successfully submit an application
via Grants.gov.
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 following forms: Application
for Federal Education 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. 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 above or submit a password
protected file, we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying
number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of 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: Gary Thomas, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6016, Washington, DC
20006-8521. Fax: (202) 502-7859.
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:
84.200A), 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:
84.200A), 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:
84.200A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department:
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (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
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
in 34 CFR 648.31.
2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in
selecting an application for an award are in 34 CFR 648.32.
[[Page 53428]]
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 and in 34 CFR 648.66.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA), three measures have been developed for evaluating
the overall effectiveness of the Graduate Assistance in Areas of
National Need program: (1) The percentage of fellows in the Graduate
Assistance in Areas of National Need program who obtain a terminal
degree in an area of national need, compared to the national average;
(2) The percentage of fellows in the Graduate Assistance in Areas of
National Need program from traditionally underrepresented populations
who obtain a terminal degree in an area of national need; and (3) The
median duration of time from entering graduate school until degree
completion compared to comparable doctoral students as identified
annually in the Survey of Earned Doctorates.
All grantees will be expected to submit an annual performance
report documenting their success in addressing these performance
measures.
VII. Agency Contacts
For Further Information Contact: Gary Thomas, U.S. Department of
Education, Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Program, 1990
K Street, NW., room 6016, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202)
502-7767 or by e-mail: OPE_GAANN_PROGRAM@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: September 6, 2006.
James F. Manning, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-15009 Filed 9-8-06; 8:45 am]
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