[Federal Register: November 17, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 222)]
[Notices]
[Page 66935-66938]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17no06-46]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR)--Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs)--
RERC for Technologies for Successful Aging Notice Inviting Applications
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133E-1.
DATES: Applications Available: November 17, 2006. Deadline for
Transmittal of Applications: January 31, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: States; public or private agencies, including
for-profit agencies; public or private organizations, including for-
profit organizations; institutions of higher education; and Indian
tribes and tribal organizations.
Estimated Available Funds: $900,000. The Administration has
requested $106,705,000 for the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research program, of which we intend to use an estimated
$900,000 for the RERC for Technologies for Successful Aging competition
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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $900,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.
Note: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the RERC program is to improve
the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973, as amended. For FY 2007, the competition for a new award
focuses on projects designed to meet the priority we describe in the
Priority section of this notice. We intend this priority to improve
rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
The RERC program is in concert with President George W. Bush's New
Freedom Initiative (NFI) and NIDRR's Final Long-Range Plan for FY 2005-
2009 (Plan). The NFI can be accessed on the Internet at the following
site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom. The Plan, which was
published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2006 (71 FR 8165),
can be accessed on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/policy.html
.
Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priorities for
the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers
program, published in the Federal Register on June 2, 2006 (71 FR
32196, 33204).
Note: On June 2, 2006, we also published a notice in the Federal
Register (71 FR) inviting applications under this priority. None of
the applications received in response to the June 2, 2006, notice
inviting applications were successful. Accordingly, we are inviting
applications for this priority for FY 2007.
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: RERC for Technologies for Successful Aging.
This RERC must research, develop, and evaluate innovative
technologies and approaches that will improve the quality of life of
older persons with disabilities and promote health, safety,
independence, and active engagement. The RERC must emphasize the
principles of universal design in its product research and development.
Under this priority, the RERC must be designed to contribute to the
following programmatic outcomes:
(1) Increased technical and scientific knowledge-base relevant to
its designated priority research area.
(2) Innovative technologies, products, environments, performance
guidelines, and monitoring and assessment tools as applicable to its
designated priority research area. The RERC must contribute to this
outcome by developing and testing of these innovations.
(3) Improved research capacity in its designated priority research
area. The RERC must contribute to this outcome by collaborating with
the relevant industry, professional associations, and institutions of
higher education.
(4) Improved focus on cutting edge developments in technologies
within its designated priority research area. The RERC must contribute
to this outcome by identifying and communicating with NIDRR and the
field regarding trends and evolving product concepts related to its
designated priority research area.
(5) Increased impact of research in the designated priority
research area. The RERC must contribute to this outcome by providing
technical assistance to public and private organizations, persons with
disabilities, and employers on policies, guidelines, and standards
related to its designated priority research area.
In addition, under this priority, the RERC must--
Have the capability to design, build, and test prototype
devices and assist in the transfer of successful solutions to relevant
production and service delivery settings;
Evaluate the efficacy and safety of its new products,
instrumentation, or assistive devices;
Provide as part of its proposal and then implement a plan
that describes how it will include, as appropriate, individuals with
disabilities or their representatives in all phases of its activities,
including research, development, training, dissemination, and
evaluation;
Provide as part of its proposal and then implement, in
consultation with the NIDRR-funded National Center for the
Dissemination of Disability Research, a plan to disseminate its
research results to persons with disabilities, their representatives,
disability organizations, service providers, professional journals,
manufacturers, and other interested parties;
Develop and implement in the first year of the project
period, in consultation with the NIDRR-funded RERC on Technology
Transfer, a plan for ensuring that all new and improved technologies
developed by the RERC are successfully transferred to the marketplace;
Conduct a state-of-the-science conference on its
designated priority research area in the third year of the project
period and publish a comprehensive report on the final outcomes of the
conference in the fourth year of the project period; and
Coordinate research projects of mutual interest with
relevant NIDRR-funded projects, as identified through consultation with
the NIDRR project officer.
[[Page 66936]]
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(3).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 86, and 97. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR
part 350. (c) The notice of final priorities for the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers program, published on June
2, 2006 (71 FR 32196) in the Federal Register.
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: $900,000. The Administration has
requested $106,705,000 for the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research program, of which we intend to use an estimated
$900,000 for the RERC for Technologies for Successful Aging competition
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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $900,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.
Note: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: States; public or private agencies,
including for-profit agencies; public or private organizations,
including for-profit organizations; institutions of higher education;
and Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
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 may obtain an
application package via Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via Internet use the following
address: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html.
To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write 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), you may call (toll
free): 1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.133E-1.
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 under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII 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.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. We strongly recommend that
you limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 125 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. Single spacing may be used for
titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as
well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The suggested page limit does not apply to Part I, Application for
Federal Assistance; Part II, the budget section, including the
narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and
certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the
bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must include all
of the application narrative in Part III.
The application package will provide instructions for completing
all components to be included in the application. Each application must
include a cover sheet (Standard Form 424); budget requirements (ED Form
524) and budget narrative justification; other required forms; an
abstract; Human Subjects narrative; Part III narrative; resumes of
staff; and other related materials, if applicable.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: (November 17, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 31, 2007.
Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by
mail or hand delivery, 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 competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
We have been accepting applications electronically through the
Department's e-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on
those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are
continuing to participate as a partner in the new government-wide
Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2007. The Rehabilitation Engineering
Research Centers Program--CFDA Number 84.133E-1 is one of the programs
included in this project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use 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.
You may access the electronic grant application for the
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Program
[[Page 66937]]
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:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
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 application 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 submit your application in paper format.
If you submit your application electronically, you must
submit all documents electronically, including 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. 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). If
you choose to submit your application electronically, 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 System Unavailability
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.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 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 84.133E-
1), 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 84.133E-
1), 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:
[[Page 66938]]
(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 submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or a courier service) 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 84.133E-
1), 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--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 competition are
from in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and 34 CFR 350.54 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 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.
Note: NIDRR will provide information by letter to grantees on
how and when to submit the report.
4. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its
research program, NIDRR assesses the quality of its funded projects
through review of grantee performance and products. Each year, NIDRR
examines, through expert review, a portion of its grantees to
determine:
The percentage of newly awarded NIDRR projects that are
multi-site, collaborative, controlled studies of interventions and
programs.
The number of accomplishments (e.g., new or improved
tools, methods, discoveries, standards, interventions, programs, or
devices) developed or tested with NIDRR funding that have been judged
by expert panels to be of high quality and to advance the field.
The percentage of grantee research and development that
has appropriate study design, meets rigorous standards of scientific
and/or engineering methods, and builds on and contributes to knowledge
in the field.
The average number of publications per award based on
NIDRR-funded research and development activities in refereed journals.
The percentage of new grants that include studies funded
by NIDRR that assess the effectiveness of interventions, programs, and
devices using rigorous and appropriate methods.
NIDRR uses information submitted by grantees as part of their
Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for these reviews. NIDRR also
determines, using information submitted as part of the APR, the number
of publications in refereed journals that are based on NIDRR-funded
research and development activities.
Department of Education program performance reports, which include
information on NIDRR programs, are available on the Department's Web
site: http://www.[fxsp0]ed.[fxsp0]gov/about/offices/list/opepd/sas/
index.[fxsp0]html.
Updates on the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
(GPRA) indicators, revisions and methods appear on the NIDRR Program
Review Web site: http://www.[fxsp0]neweditions.[fxsp0]net/pr/
commonfiles/pmconcepts.[fxsp0]htm.
Grantees should consult these sites, on a regular basis, to obtain
details and explanations on how NIDRR programs contribute to the
advancement of the Department's long-term and annual performance goals.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 6030, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7462 or by e-mail:
donna.nangle@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: November 13, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E6-19494 Filed 11-16-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P