[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1420-1423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-361]
[[Page 1419]]
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Part VI
Department of Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
_______________________________________________________________________
Higher Education Challenge Grants Program for Fiscal Year 1999; Request
for Proposals and Request for Input; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 5 / Friday, January 8, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 1420]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
Higher Education Challenge Grants Program for Fiscal Year 1999;
Request for Proposals and Request for Input
AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice of request for proposals and request for input.
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SUMMARY: The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service (CSREES) is announcing the Higher Education Challenge Grants
Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999. Proposals are hereby requested from
eligible institutions as identified herein for competitive
consideration of Challenge Grant awards. CSREES also is soliciting
comments regarding this request for proposals from any interested
party. These comments will be considered in the development of the next
request for proposals for this program. Such comments will be forwarded
to the Secretary or his designee for use in meeting the requirements of
section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Education Reform Act of 1998, 7 U.S.C. 7613(c)(2).
DATES: Proposals must be received by close of business on March 9,
1999. Proposals received after the closing date will not be considered
for funding. Forms indicating intent to submit a proposal are due on
February 9, 1999. User comments are requested within six months from
the issuance of the request for proposals. Comments received after that
date will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Written user input comments should be submitted by first-
class mail to: Office of Extramural Programs; Competitive Research
Grants and Awards Management; USDA-CSREES; STOP 2299; 1400 Independence
Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-2299, or via e-mail to: RFP-
[email protected] In your comments, please include the name of the
program and the fiscal year of the request for proposals to which you
are responding.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey L. Gilmore, Ph.D., Higher
Education Programs; Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2251; 1400
Independence Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20250-2251; telephone:
(202) 720-2211; e-mail: jgilmore@reeusda.gov.
STAKEHOLDER INPUT: CSREES also is soliciting comments regarding this
request for proposals from any interested party. These comments will be
considered in the development of the next request for proposals for
this program. Such comments will be forwarded to the Secretary or his
designee for use in meeting the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of
the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998,
7 U.S.C. 7613(c)(2). Written user input comments should be submitted by
first-class mail to: Office of Extramural Programs; Competitive
Research Grants and Awards Management; USDA-CSREES; STOP 2299; 1400
Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-2299, or via e-mail
to: [email protected] In your comments, please include the name of
the program and the fiscal year of the request for proposals to which
you are responding. Comments are requested within six months from the
issuance of the request for proposals. User comments received after
that date will be considered to the extent practicable.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
A. Administrative Provisions
B. Legislative Authority
C. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
D. Purpose of the Program
E. Eligibility
F. Available Funds
G. Targeted Need Areas Supported
H. Degree Levels Supported
I. Proposal Submission Limitations
J. Project Duration
K. Matching Requirements
L. Maximum Grant Amount
M. Limitation on Indirect Costs
N. Funding Limitations Per Institution
O. Maximum Number of Grants Per Institution
P. Other Limitations
Q. Evaluation Criteria
R. How to Obtain Applications Materials
S. What to Submit
T. Where and When to Submit
U. Acknowledgment of Proposals
V. Intent to Submit a Proposal
A. Administrative Provisions
This Program is subject to the provisions found at 7 CFR Part 3405.
These provisions set forth procedures to be followed when submitting
grant proposals, rules governing the evaluation of proposals and the
awarding of grants, and regulations relating to the post-award
administration of grant projects.
B. Legislative Authority
The authority for this program is contained in section 1417(b)(1)
of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy
Act of 1977, as amended (NARETPA) (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(1)). In accordance
with the statutory authority, subject to the availability of funds, the
Secretary of Agriculture, who has delegated the authority to the
Administrator of CSREES, may make competitive grants, for a period not
to exceed 5 years, to land-grant colleges and universities, to colleges
and universities having significant minority enrollments and a
demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and
agricultural sciences, and to other colleges and universities having a
demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and
agricultural sciences, to administer and conduct programs to respond to
identified State, regional, national or international educational needs
in the food and agricultural sciences. For this program, the term
``food and agricultural sciences'' means basic, applied, and
developmental teaching activities in food and fiber, agricultural,
renewable natural resources, forestry, and physical and social
sciences, and including related disciplines as defined in section
1404(8) of NARETPA, 7 U.S.C. 3103(8).
C. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance under No. 10.217, Higher Education Challenge Grants Program.
D. Purpose of the Program
Grants will be made to U.S. colleges and universities to strengthen
their teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences in the
targeted need areas as described herein. The Higher Education Challenge
Grants Program is designed to stimulate and enable colleges and
universities to provide the quality of education necessary to produce
baccalaureate or higher degree level graduates capable of strengthening
the Nation's food and agricultural scientific and professional work
force. It is intended that projects supported by the program will: (1)
Address a State, regional, national, or international educational need;
(2) involve a creative or nontraditional approach toward addressing
that need which can serve as a model to others; (3) encourage and
facilitate better working relationships in the university science and
education community, as well as between universities and the private
sector, to enhance program quality and supplement available resources;
and (4) result in benefits which will likely transcend the project
duration and USDA support.
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E. Eligibility
Proposals may be submitted by land-grant and other U.S. colleges
and universities offering a baccalaureate degree or any other higher
degree and having a demonstrable capacity for, and a significant
ongoing commitment to, the teaching of food and agricultural sciences
generally and to the specific need and/or subject area(s) for which a
grant is requested. In addition, a grantee institution must meet the
definition of a college or university as defined in 7 CFR 3405.2(f). An
institution eligible to receive an award under this program includes a
research foundation maintained by an eligible college or university.
F. Available Funds
CSREES anticipates that the amount available for project grants
under this program in FY 1999 will be approximately $4,079,000. Awards
will be based on merit evaluation of proposals by peer review panels
and internal staff review.
G. Targeted Need Areas Supported
For FY 1999, proposals must address one or more of the following
targeted need areas: (1) Curricula Design and Materials Development;
(2) Faculty Preparation and Enhancement for Teaching; (3) Instruction
Delivery Systems; and (4) Student Experiential Learning. A description
of these targeted need areas can be found in the Scope of Program
section at 7 CFR 3405.6. A proposal may address a single targeted need
area or multiple targeted need areas, and may be focused on a single
subject matter area or multiple subject matter areas, in any
combination (e.g., curriculum development in horticulture; curriculum
development, faculty enhancement, and student experiential learning in
animal science; faculty enhancement in food science and agribusiness
management; or instruction delivery systems and student experiential
learning in plant science, horticulture, and entomology).
H. Degree Levels Supported
For FY 1999, proposals must be directed to undergraduate studies
leading to a baccalaureate degree. For purposes of this program,
proposals directed to the first professional degree in veterinary
medicine also are allowable. Projects directed to the graduate level of
study will not be supported.
I. Proposal Submission Limitations
There is no limit on the number of proposals any one institution
may submit. In addition, there is no limit on the number of proposals
which may be submitted on behalf of the same school, college, or
equivalent administrative unit within an institution.
J. Project Duration
A regular, complementary, or joint project proposal may request
funding for a project period of 18-36 months duration.
K. Matching Requirement
Each grant recipient under the Higher Education Challenge Grants
Program is required to match the grant funds awarded on a dollar-for-
dollar basis from a non-Federal source(s). The cash contributions
towards matching from the institution should be identified in the
column ``Applicant Contributions to Matching Funds'' of the Higher
Education Budget, Form CSREES-713. The cash contributions of the
institution and third parties as well as non-cash contributions should
be identified on Line N., as appropriate, of Form CSREES-713 and
described in the budget justification. Any cost-sharing commitments
specified in the proposal will be referenced and included as a
condition of an award resulting from this announcement.
L. Maximum Grant Amount
For a regular or complementary project proposal, the maximum funds
that may be requested from CSREES under this program to cover allowable
costs during the project period are $100,000. (The total Federal
contribution to the budget for a regular or complementary project
proposal may not exceed $100,000.) For a joint project proposal, the
maximum funds that may be requested from CSREES under this program to
cover allowable costs during the project period are $250,000. (The
total Federal contribution to the budget for a joint project proposal
may not exceed $250,000.) Please refer to the Administrative Provisions
for this program at 7 CFR 3405.2 for the definitions of regular,
complementary, and joint project proposals. Note: These maximums are
for the total duration of the project, not per year.
M. Limitation on Indirect Costs
Pursuant to section 1462 of NARETPA, 7 U.S.C. 3310, indirect costs
charged against a grant may not exceed 19 percent of the total Federal
funds provided under the grant award. An alternative method of
calculation of this limitation is to multiply total direct costs by
23.456 percent.
N. Funding Limitations Per Institution
In FY 1999, there are no limits on the total funds that may be
awarded to any one institution.
O. Maximum Number of Grants Per Institution
For FY 1999, a maximum of two grants may be awarded to any one
institution under the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program. This
ceiling excludes any subcontracts awarded to an institution pursuant to
other grants issued under this program.
P. Other Limitations
For FY 1999, the applicant institution submitting a joint Challenge
Grant proposal must transfer at least one-half of the awarded funds to
the two or more other colleges, universities, community colleges, or
other institutions assuming a major role in the conduct of the project.
For FY 1999, the applicant institution submitting a joint Challenge
Grant proposal must retain at least 30 percent of awarded funds to
demonstrate a substantial involvement with the project.
Q. Evaluation Criteria
Section 223(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Education Reform Act of 1998, Pub. L. No. 105-185, amended section 1417
of NARETPA to require that certain priorities be given in awarding
grants for teaching enhancement projects under section 1417(b) of
NARETPA. This program is authorized under section 1417(b). CSREES
considers all applications received in response to this solicitation as
teaching enhancement project applications. To implement the new
priorities for proposals submitted for the FY 1999 competition, the
evaluation criteria used to evaluate proposals, as provided in the
Administrative Provisions for this program (7 CFR 3405.15), have been
modified to include new criteria or extra points for proposals
demonstrating enhanced coordination among eligible institutions and for
proposals demonstrating enhanced coordination among eligible
institutions and for proposals focusing on innovative,
multidisciplinary education programs, material, or curricula.
Evaluation Criterion and Weight
(a) Potential for addressing a State, regional, national or
international need: 65 points
This criterion assesses the potential of the project to add value
by advancing the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher
education and
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producing graduates capable of strengthening the Nation's food and
agricultural scientific and professional work force. This criterion
includes the following elements: impact, innovation, multidisciplinary,
expected products and results, and continuation plans.
(1) Impact--Does the project address a significant and clearly
documented State, regional, multistate, national, or international
need? Will the benefits to be derived from the project transcend the
applicant institution and/or the grant period?
(2) Innovative and Multidisciplinary Focus--Does the project focus
on innovative, multidisciplinary education programs, material, or
curricula? Is the project based on a non-traditional approach toward
solving a higher education problem? Is the project relevant to multiple
fields in the food and agricultural sciences? Will the project expand
partnership ventures among disciplines at a university?
(3) Products and results--Are the expected products and/or results
of the project clearly explained? Will the project contribute to an
improvement in the quality or diversity of the Nation's food and
agricultural scientific and professional expertise base?
(4) Continuation plans--Are there plans for continuation or
expansion of the project beyond USDA support? Are there indications of
external, non-Federal support? Are there realistic plans for making the
project self-supporting?
(b) Potential of submitting institution(s) to successfully complete
project objectives: 70 points
This criterion assesses the soundness of the proposed approach, the
adequacy of human and physical resources available to carry out the
project, the institution's commitment to the project, partnerships and
collaborative efforts involving all types of institutions, its cost-
effectiveness, and the extent to which the total budget adequately
supports the project.
(1) Proposed approach--Are the objectives achievable, logical, and
based on review of literature? Is the plan of operation managerially,
educationally, and/or scientifically sound? Is the overall plan
integrated with or does it expand upon other major efforts to improve
the quality of food and agricultural sciences higher education? Is the
timetable realistic?
(2) Resources--Are there adequate institutional resources to carry
out the project? Do the project personnel possess requisite expertise
to complete successfully the project? Have personnel committed adequate
effort to achieve stated objectives and anticipated outcomes? Will the
project have adequate administrative support to carry out the proposed
activities? Will the project have access to needed resources such as
instrumentation, facilities, computer services, library, and other
instruction support resources?
(3) Institutional commitment--Is there evidence to substantiate
that the institution has a long term commitment to support the
result(s) and/or product(s) produced by this project, that it will help
satisfy the institution's high-priority objectives, or that the project
is supported by the strategic plans?
(4) Coordination and partnership efforts--Will the project
demonstrate enhanced coordination between the applicant institution(s)
and other colleges and universities with food and agricultural science
programs eligible for grants under this program? Will the project
expand partnership ventures among eligible colleges and universities,
or with the private sector, that are likely to enhance program quality
or supplement resources available to food and agricultural sciences
higher education? Will the arrangements for partner(s) and/or
collaborator(s) enhance dissemination of the result(s) and/or
product(s)?
(5) Budget and cost-effectiveness--Is the budget request
justifiable? Are costs reasonable and necessary? Will the total budget
be adequate to carry out project activities? Are the source(s) and
amount(s) of non-Federal matching support clearly identified and
appropriately documented? For a joint project proposal, is the shared
budget for three or more institutions explained clearly and in
sufficient detail? Is the proposed project cost-effective? Does it
demonstrate a creative use of limited resources, maximize educational
value per dollar of USDA support, achieve economies of scale, leverage
additional funds or have the potential to do so, focus expertise and
activity on a targeted need area, or promote coalition building for
current or future ventures?
(c) Effectiveness of evaluation plan and potential for dissemination of
the result(s) and/or products to other institutions and for utilization
by other institutions: 65 points
This criterion assesses the adequacy of the evaluation strategy,
the quality of outcome measures, the expertise and availability of
human resources to conduct the evaluation, the record of the key
personnel is disseminating advancements in education, e.g., publishing
educational articles in peer reviewed journals, the adequacy of the
plan for dissemination, and the potential for utilization by other
institutions.
(1) Evaluation--Does the proposal contain a well-designed plan to
evaluate results of the project? Will this plan provide conclusions
suitable for convincing a peer review audience of the accomplishment?
Does it allow for continuous and/or frequent feedback during the life
of the project? Does the evaluation plan contain outcome measures? Are
the outcome measures capable of assessing the quality and usefulness of
project results and products? Are the individuals involved in project
evaluation skilled in evaluation strategies and procedures? Can the
outcome measures provide an objective evaluation? Is the outcome
assessment designed in such a way that it can assist faculty at other
institutions in deciding whether to use project results or products?
(2) Dissemination--Is there a commitment to submit the results of
the project evaluation to peer review by the academic community in the
food and agricultural sciences? Does the proposed project include
clearly outlined and realistic mechanisms that will lead to widespread
dissemination of project results, including national electronic
communication systems, publications, presentations at professional
conferences, and/or use by faculty development or research/teaching
skills workshops?
(3) Utilization--Is it probable that other institutions will adapt
the result(s) and/or product(s) of this project for their own use? Can
the project serve as a model for others? If successful, is the project
likely to lead to education reform? Is the product(s) and/or result(s)
likely to provide a significant contribution to the advancement of
higher education in the food and agricultural sciences? Are partner(s)
and/or collaborator(s) committed to utilize the product(s) and/or
result(s)?
R. How to Obtain Application Materials
An Application Kit containing program application materials will be
made available to eligible institutions upon request. These materials
include the Administrative Provisions, forms, instructions, and other
relevant information needed to prepare and submit grant applications.
Copies of the Application Kit may be requested from the Proposal
Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of
Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.; Washington,
D.C. 20250-2245. The telephone number is (202) 401-5048. When
contacting the
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Proposal Services Unit, please indicate that you are requesting forms
for the FY 1999 Challenge Grants Program.
Application materials may also be requested via Internet by sending
a message with your name, mailing address (not e-mail) and telephone
number to psb@reeusda.gov that states that you wish to receive a copy
of the application materials for the FY 1999 Challenge Grants Program.
The materials will then be mailed to you (not e-mailed) as quickly as
possible.
S. What to Submit
An original and seven (7) copies of a proposal must be submitted.
Proposals should contain all requested information when submitted. Each
proposal should be typed on 8\1/2\'' x 11'' white paper, single-spaced,
and on one side of the page only. Please note that the text of the
proposal should be prepared using no type smaller than 12 point font
size and one-inch margins. All copies of the proposal must be submitted
in one package. Each copy of the proposal must be stapled securely in
the upper left-hand corner (DO NOT BIND).
T. Where and When to Submit
Hand-delivered proposals (brought in person by the applicant or
through a courier service) must be received on or before March 9, 1999,
at the following address: Challenge Grants Program; c/o Proposal
Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of
Agriculture; Room 303, Aerospace Center; 901 D Street, S.W.;
Washington, D.C. 20024. Proposals transmitted via a facsimile (fax)
machine will not be accepted.
Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail must be received on or
before March 9, 1999. Proposals submitted through the U.S. mail should
be sent to the following address: Challenge Grants Program; c/o
Proposal Services Unit; Office of Extramural Programs; Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of
Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.; Washington,
D.C. 20250-2245. The telephone number is (202) 401-5048.
U. Acknowledgment of Proposals
The receipt of all proposals will be acknowledged in writing and
this acknowledgment will contain a proposal identification number. Once
your proposal has been assigned a proposal number, please cite that
number in future correspondence.
V. Intent To Submit a Proposal
For the FY 1999 competition, Form CSREES-711, ``Intent to Submit a
Proposal,'' is requested for the Higher Education Challenge Grants
Program and is due February 9, 1999. Applicants may either mail Form
CSREES-711 to Higher Education Programs; Mail Stop 2251; CSREES-USDA;
1400 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20250-2251; or fax Form
CSREES-711 to the Higher Education Programs office at (202) 720-2030.
Done at Washington, D.C., this 30th day of December 1998.
Colien Hefferan,
Acting Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service.
[FR Doc. 99-361 Filed 1-7-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P
