[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 191 (Monday, October 5, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51132-51136]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23897]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education; Fulbright-Hays Doctoral
Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program
Overview Information
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship
Program
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2010.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.022A.
Dates:
Applications Available: October 5, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 1, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation
Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program provides opportunities to
doctoral candidates to engage in full-time dissertation research abroad
in modern foreign languages and area studies. The program is designed
to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern
foreign languages and area studies in the United States.
Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority, one
competitive preference priority, and one invitational priority, which
are explained in the following paragraphs. In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute priority and the competitive preference
priority are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 662.21(d)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2010, this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
A research project that focuses on one or more of the following
geographic areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Islands, South Asia, the Near East, East Central Europe and Eurasia,
and the Western Hemisphere (excluding the United States and its
territories). Please note that applications that propose projects
focused on Western Europe are not eligible.
Within this absolute priority, we give competitive preference to
applications that address the following priority.
Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2010, this priority is a
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105 (c)(2)(i) and 34
CFR 662.21(d)(2)(iii), we award an additional five (5) points to an
application that meets this priority.
This priority is:
A research project that focuses on any of the seventy-eight (78)
languages deemed critical on the U.S. Department of Education's list of
Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) found below.
This list includes the following: Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian,
Amharic, Arabic (all dialects), Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi,
Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, Mandikan, Mandingo, Maninka, Dyula),
Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), Berber (all languages), Bosnian,
Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese),
Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu),
Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, Hausa, Hebrew (Modern),
Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh,
Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Kurdish
(Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), Malayalam, Marathi,
Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian (Farsi), Polish,
Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, Russian, Serbian,
Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, Tamil, Telugu,
Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uyghur/
Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
Invitational Priority: For FY 2010, this priority is an
invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an
application that meets the invitational priority a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
This priority is:
Research projects that focus on one of the following fields or
topics: Environmental Science, Ecology, Climate Studies, Development
Studies, Economics, Public Health, Education, or Political Science.
Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2452(b)(6).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 81, 82,
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34
CFR part 662.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions
of higher education (IHEs) only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants redistributed as fellowships to
individual beneficiaries. As part of its FY 2010 budget request, the
Administration proposed to continue to allow funds to be used to
support the applications of individuals who plan both to utilize their
language skills in world areas vital to the United States national
security and to apply their language skills and knowledge of these
countries in the fields of government, international development, and
the professions. Therefore, students planning to apply their language
skills in such fields are eligible to apply for this program, in
addition to those planning teaching careers. However, authority to use
funds in this manner depends on final Congressional action. Applicants
will be given an opportunity to amend their applications if such
authority is not provided.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$14,709,000 for International Education and Foreign Language Studies
Overseas Programs, of which we propose to allocate $5,690,000 for new
awards for this program for FY 2010. 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 Fellowship Awards: $15,000-$60,000.
Estimated Average Size of Fellowship Awards: $40,000.
Estimated Number of Fellowship Awards: 142.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: The institutional project period is 18 months
beginning July 1, 2010. Students may request
[[Page 51133]]
funding for a period of no less than six months and nomore than twelve
months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs. As part of the application process,
students submit individual applications to the IHE. The IHE then
officially submits all eligible individual student applications with
its grant application to the Department.
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: Both IHEs and student
applicants can obtain an application package via the internet by
contacting Carla White, International Education Programs Service, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6000, Washington, DC
20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 502-7700 or by e-mail: [email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible 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 Limit: The application narrative is where the student
applicant addresses the selection criteria that reviewers use to
evaluate the application. The student applicant must limit the
application narrative to no more than 10 pages and the bibliography to
no more than two 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. However, student applicants may
single space all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, titles,
headings, footnotes, endnotes, quotations, bibliography, and captions.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger; or, no
smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch). Student applicants may use
a 10 point font in charts, tables, figures, graphs, footnotes, and
endnotes. However, these items are considered part of the narrative and
counted within the 10 page limit.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limits only apply to the application narrative and
bibliography. The page limits do not apply to the Application for
Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); the supplemental information
form required by the Department of Education; and the assurances and
certification. However, student applicants must include their complete
responses to the selection criteria in the application narrative.
We will reject a student applicant's application if the application
exceeds the page limits.
3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: October 5,
2009. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 1, 2009.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application site (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit an IHE's
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if an IHE qualifies 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.
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 program must be submitted electronically unless an IHE qualifies
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral
Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship Program, CFDA number 84.022A,
must be submitted electronically using e-Application available through
the Department's e-Grants system, accessible through the e-Grants Web
site at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
We will reject an application if an IHE submits it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, the IHE qualifies for
one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and
submits, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date,
a written statement to the Department that the IHE qualifies 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.
While completing the electronic application, both the IHE and the
student applicant will be entering data online that will be saved into
a database. Neither the IHE nor the student applicant may e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
The process for submitting applications electronically
under the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad
Fellowship Program has several parts. The following is a brief summary
of the process; however, all applicants should review and follow the
detailed description of the application process that is contained in
the application package. In summary, the major parts are as follows:
(1) IHEs must e-mail the following information to [email protected]: Name of
university, and full name and e-mail address of potential project
director. We recommend that applicant IHEs submit this information as
soon as possible to ensure that applicant IHEs obtain access to the e-
Application system well before the application deadline date. We
suggest that applicant IHEs send this information no later than two
weeks prior to the closing date, in order to facilitate timely
submission of their applications; (2) Students must complete their
individual applications and submit them to their IHE's project director
using e-Application; (3) Persons providing references for individual
students must complete and submit reference forms for the students and
submit them to the IHE's project director using e-Application; and (4)
The IHE's project director must
[[Page 51134]]
officially submit the IHE's application, which must include all
eligible individual student applications, reference forms, and other
required forms, using e-Application. Student transcripts, however, must
be mailed or hand delivered to the Department on or before the
application deadline date using the applicable mail or hand delivery
instructions for paper applications in this notice.
The IHE must complete the electronic submission of the
grant application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application
for this competition after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that both
the IHE and the student applicant not wait until the application
deadline date to begin the application process.
The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site
are 6:00 a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday
until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because
of maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays
and 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00
a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these
hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
Student applicants will not receive additional point value
because the student submits his or her application in electronic
format, nor will we penalize the IHE or student applicant if the
applicant qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submits an
application in paper format.
IHEs must submit all documents, except for student
transcripts, electronically, including the Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), the Supplement to the SF 424, and all necessary
assurances and certifications. Both IHEs and student applicants must
attach any narrative sections of the application as files in a .DOC
(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If an
IHE or a student applicant uploads a file type other than the three
file types specified in this paragraph or submits a password protected
file, we will not review that material.
Student transcripts must be mailed or hand delivered to
the Department on or before the application deadline date in accordance
with the applicable mail or hand delivery instructions for paper
applications described in this notice.
Both the IHE's and the student applicant's electronic
application must comply with any page limit requirements described in
this notice.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After the individual student applicant electronically
submits his or her application to the student's IHE, the student will
receive an automatic acknowledgment. In addition, the applicant IHE's
project director will receive a copy of this acknowledgment by e-mail.
After a person submits a reference electronically, he or she will
receive an online confirmation. After the applicant IHE submits its
application, including all eligible individual student applications, to
the Department, the applicant IHE will receive an automatic
acknowledgment, which will include a PR/Award Number (an identifying
number unique to the IHE's application).
Within three working days after submitting the IHE's
electronic application, the IHE must fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to
the Application Control Center after following these steps:
(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant IHE's Authorizing Representative must sign this
form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
the SF 424 and other forms at a later date. Application Deadline Date
Extension in Case of e-Application Unavailability: If an IHE is
prevented from electronically submitting its application on the
application deadline date because e-Application is unavailable, we will
grant the IHE an extension of one business day to enable the IHE to
transmit its application electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery.
We will grant this extension if--
(1) The IHE is a registered user of e-Application and the IHE has
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting the IHE an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, an IHE may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For
Further Information Contact (see section VII. Agency Contact) or (2)
the e-Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is
unavailable due to technical problems with the system and, therefore,
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all
registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions
referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of e-
Application.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: An IHE qualifies
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may
submit its application in paper format, if the IHE is unable to submit
an application through e-Application because--
The IHE or a student applicant does not have access to the
Internet; or
the IHE or a student applicant does not have the capacity
to upload large documents to e-Application; 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), the IHE mails or faxes a written
statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an
exception prevents the IHE from using the Internet to submit its
application. If an IHE mails a written statement to the Department, it
must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application
deadline date. If an IHE faxes its 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 this statement to: Amy Wilson, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6082, Washington, DC
20006-8521. FAX: (202) 502-7860.
The IHE's 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 an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, the IHE may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) its application to the Department. The IHE must
mail the original and two copies of the application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the
[[Page 51135]]
Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.022A), LBJ
Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The IHE 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 the IHE mails its 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 the IHE's application is postmarked after the application
deadline date, we will not consider its application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, the IHE should check with
its local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If an IHE qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, the IHE (or a courier service) may deliver its paper
application to the Department by hand. The IHE must deliver the
original and two copies of the 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 84.022A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If an IHE
mails or hand delivers its application to the Department--
(1) The IHE 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 the IHE is
submitting its application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a notification of
receipt of the IHE's grant application. If the IHE does not receive
the grant application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days
from the application deadline date, the IHE should call the U.S.
Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-
6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. General: For FY 2010, student applications are divided into
seven categories based on the world area focus of their research
projects, as described in the absolute priority listed in this notice.
Language and area studies experts in seven discrete world area-based
panels will review the student applications. Each panel reviews,
scores, and ranks its applications separately from the applications
assigned to the other world area panels. However, all fellowship
applications will be ranked together from the highest to lowest score
for funding purposes.
2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are from 34 CFR 662.21 and are listed in the following paragraphs. The
maximum score for all of the criteria, including the competitive
preference priority, is 105 points. The maximum score for each
criterion is indicated in parentheses.
Quality of proposed project (60 points): In determining the quality
of the research project proposed by the applicant, the Secretary
considers (1) The statement of the major hypotheses to be tested or
questions to be examined, and the description and justification of the
research methods to be used (10 points); (2) The relationship of the
research to the literature on the topic and to major theoretical issues
in the field, and the project's originality and importance in terms of
the concerns of the discipline (10 points); (3) The preliminary
research already completed in the United States and overseas or plans
for such research prior to going overseas, and the kinds, quality and
availability of data for the research in the host country or countries
(10 points); (4) The justification for overseas field research and
preparations to establish appropriate and sufficient research contacts
and affiliations abroad (10 points); (5) The applicant's plans to share
the results of the research in progress and a copy of the dissertation
with scholars and officials of the host country or countries (10
points); and (6) The guidance and supervision of the dissertation
advisor or committee at all stages of the project, including guidance
in developing the project, understanding research conditions abroad,
and acquainting the applicant with research in the field (10 points).
Qualifications of the applicant (40 points): In determining the
qualifications of the applicant, the Secretary considers (1) The
overall strength of the applicant's graduate academic record (10
points); (2) The extent to which the applicant's academic record
demonstrates strength in area studies relevant to the proposed project
(10 points); (3) The applicant's proficiency in one or more of the
languages (other than English and the applicant's native language) of
the country or countries of research, and the specific measures to be
taken to overcome any anticipated language barriers (15 points); and
(4) The applicant's ability to conduct research in a foreign cultural
context, as evidenced by the applicant's references or previous
overseas experience, or both (5 points).
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If a student application is successful, we notify
the IHE's U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send the IHE a
Grant Award Notice (GAN). We may notify the IHE informally, also.
If a student application is not evaluated or not selected for
funding, we notify the IHE.
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 its approved application as part of the binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of the project period, the IHE must submit
a final performance report, including the final reports of all of the
IHE's fellows, and financial information, as directed by the Secretary.
The IHE and fellows are required to use the International Resource
Information System (IRIS) electronic reporting system to complete the
final report.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993, the objective for the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral
Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program is to provide
grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral
students to conduct research in other countries in modern foreign
languages and area studies for periods of 6 to 12 months.
The Department will use the following DDRA measures to evaluate its
success in meeting this objective:
Performance Measure 1: The average language competency score of
Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship recipients at the
[[Page 51136]]
end of their period of research minus their average score at the
beginning of the period.
Performance Measure 2: Percentage of DDRA projects judged to be
successful by the program officer, based on a review of information
provided in annual performance reports.
Efficiency measure: Cost per grantee increasing language competency
by at least one level in one (or all three) area(s).
The information provided by grantees in their performance report
submitted via IRIS will be the source of data for this measure.
Reporting screens for institutions and fellows may be viewed at: http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/DDRA_director.pdf.& http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/DDRA_fellows.pdf.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Amy Wilson, International
Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K
Street, NW., Room 6082, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202)
502-7700 or by e-mail: [email protected].
If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible 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 of 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.
Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated
authority to Daniel T. Madzelan, Director, Forecasting and Policy
Analysis for the Office of Postsecondary Education, to perform the
functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary
Education.
Dated: September 30, 2009.
Daniel T. Madzelan,
Director, Forecasting and Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. E9-23897 Filed 10-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P