[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50327-50330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24077]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
NIS College and University Partnerships Program; Request for
Proposals
SUMMARY: The Advising, Teaching, and Specialized Programs Division of
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open
competition for an assistance award program. For applicants'
information, on October 1, 1999 the Bureau will become part of the U.S.
Department of State without affecting the content of this announcement
or the nature of the program described. At the time, the Advising,
Teaching, and Specialized Programs Division will be renamed the Office
of Global Educational Programs. Accredited, post-secondary educational
institutions meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 26 CFR
1.501(c) may apply to pursue institutional or departmental objectives
in international partnerships with counterpart institutions from the
New Independent States for the purpose of supporting, through teaching,
scholarship, and professional outreach from the partner institutions,
the transition of the New Independent States to democratic systems
based on market economies, and of strengthening mutual understanding
and cooperation between the United States and the New Independent
States. Eligible fields are education or educational administration;
the social, political or economic sciences; law; business; public
administration; or communications. Within these fields, themes of
special interest may be described in additional detail in the section
on ``Country Eligibility.''
In general, underlying the specific objectives of projects funded
by this program should be the goal of fostering freedom and democracy
through a deepened mutual understanding of fundamental issues and
practical applications in the encouragement of civil society, economic
growth and prosperity, or the free flow of information. Creative,
innovative strategies to address these underlying concerns in the
pursuit of clearly defined institutional goals are encouraged. The
extension of understanding about these issues through outreach from
academic institutions to larger communities of citizens and
practitioners is also encouraged.
The Bureau supports institutional linkages in higher education with
partners from the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union
through the NIS College and University Partnerships Program, for which
this Request for Proposals invites applications for funding in FY2000.
The Bureau also anticipates issuing a separate and additional Request
for Proposals this Fall for a partnership program for community
colleges interested in cooperating with institutions in Russia or
Ukraine. Eligible community colleges may apply for grants under either
or both of the above competitions, but the Bureau will not give
multiple awards for duplicate partnerships under these competitions.
The Bureau also supports institutional linkages in higher education
with partners worldwide through the College and University Affiliations
Program; the College and University Affiliations Program was described
in a previous announcement and has a deadline of November 15, 1999.
Applicants interested in the Bureau's College and University
Affiliations Program should contact the Bureau's Specialized Programs
Branch at (202) 619-5289. In addition, the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) supports the Sustaining Partnerships
into the Next Century (SPAN) program, which supports organizational and
institutional partnerships, including university partnerships in fields
other than those covered by the NISCUPP program, in the Russian
Federation. Applicants interested in USAID's SPAN program should
contact IREX at (202) 628-8188.
In the NIS College and University Partnerships Program, partner
institutions may pursue specific institutional goals with support from
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs through exchanges of
teachers, administrators or, in limited circumstances, students for any
appropriate combination of teaching, consultation, research, and
outreach, for periods ranging from one week (for planning visits) to an
academic year. The Bureau's support may be used to defray the costs of
the exchange visits as well as the costs up to a maximum of 20 percent
of the total grant of their administration at any partner institution,
including administrative salaries but excluding indirect costs.
Although grants will be issued to eligible U.S. colleges and
universities, adequate provision for the administrative costs of the
project at all partner institutions is encouraged. Administrative
salary support may be included for project directors and administrative
assistants within the 20 percent maximum that may be allocated to
administrative costs, but the Bureau will not fund salaries, stipends,
or honoraria for U.S. program participants, except in the case of
advanced graduate students working in the NIS for periods of over 2
months who would otherwise be eligible for U.S. teaching assignments.
(See the section of this document on ``U.S. Partner and Participant
Eligibility'' and the section of the POGI on ``Allowable costs''.) The
costs of exchange visits of foreign students and U.S. graduate student
teaching or research assistants who are working under the supervision
of a faculty participant or project director toward the achievement of
project objectives are eligible for support. Other students may
participate in the project, but not with the Bureau's support for the
costs of their visits. With the Bureau's support, institutions may
reinforce the activities of exchange participants through the
establishment and maintenance of Internet and/or electronic mail
communication facilities as well as through interactive technology or
non-technology-based distance-learning programs. Applicants may propose
other project activities not specifically anticipated in this
solicitation if the activities reinforce exchange activities and their
impact.
Proposals must be submitted by the U.S. institutional partner and
must include a letter of commitment from the foreign partner(s). While
the benefits of the project to each of the participating institutions
may differ significantly in nature and scope, proposals should outline
well-reasoned strategies leading to specific, demonstrable changes (for
example, new courses, new research or teaching capacities or
methodologies, new programs or revised curricula) that are anticipated
for each participating department or for the institution as a whole as
a result of the project. The strategy for achieving project goals may
include exchange visits in either or both directions, but no single
formula is anticipated for the duration, sequence, or number of these
visits. However, visits of one semester or more for participants from
each of the institutional partners are encouraged. Although strong
budgetary and programmatic emphasis may be given to visits in one
direction over another, the benefits of these visits to the sending as
well as the receiving sides should be clearly explained in terms of
their contributions to the departmental or institutional objectives
which the project is designed to achieve.
In addition to demonstrating the capacity of each participating
institution to contribute to its partner(s), proposals should also
explain how this cooperation will enable each of the
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institutions to address its own needs. Accordingly, applicants are
encouraged to describe the needs as well as the capabilities of each
participating department. Effective proposals will explain the
anticipated cooperation in ways that demonstrate that the institutions
proposed for participation in the partnership clearly understand one
another and are committed to support one another in project
implementation. If the proposed partnership would occur within the
context of a previous or on-going project, the proposal should explain
how the request for Bureau funding would build upon the pre-existing
relationship or complement concurrent projects and cooperation.
The commitment of all partner institutions to the proposed project
should be reflected in the cost-sharing which they offer in the context
of their respective institutional capacities.
To provide adequate time to meet institutional goals, the program
awards grants for periods of approximately three years. The maximum
award in the FY2000 competition will be $300,000. Request for amounts
smaller than the maximum are eligible. Grants awarded to organizations
with less than four years of experience in conducting international
exchange programs will be limited to $60,000. Grants are subject to the
availability of funds for Fiscal year 2000.
Overall grant-making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the
people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United
States and other nations * * * and thus to assist in the development of
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States
and the other countries of the world.'' The funding authority for the
program cited above is provided through the Freedom for Russia and
Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992
(Freedom Support Act).
Projects must conform with the Bureau's requirements and guidelines
outlined in the solicitation package for this RFP, which can be
obtained by following the instructions given in the section below
entitled ``For Further Information.'' The ``Project Objectives, Goals,
and Implementation'' (hereafter, POGI) and the ``Proposal Submission
Instructions'' (hereafter, PSI), which contain additional guidelines,
are included in the Solicitation Package. Proposals that do not follow
RFP requirements and the guidelines appearing in the POGI and PSI may
be excluded from consideration due to technical ineligibility.
Announcement Title and Number
All communications with the Bureau concerning this RFP should refer
to the NIS College and University Partnerships Program and reference
number E/ASU-00-03.
Deadline for Proposals
All copies must be received at the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Wednesday, January
19, 2000. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time, nor will
documents postmarked on Wednesday, January 19, 2000 but received on a
later date. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure
compliance with the deadline.
Approximate program dates: Grants should begin on or about August
15, 2000.
Duration: Approximately August 15, 2000--August 14, 2003.
For Further Information, Contact
The Specialized Programs Branch, E/ASU [as of October 1, 1999, the
Institutional Linkages Branch, ECA/ASU], room 349, 301 4th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20547, phone (202) 619-5289; fax: (202) 401-1433; e-mail
affiliat@usia.gov to request a Solicitation Package containing more
detailed award criteria; all application forms; and guidelines for
preparing proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the
proposal budget. Please specify Bureau Program Officer Jonathan Cebra
(telephone: 202-619-4126, e-mail: jcebra@usia.gov) on all inquiries and
correspondences regarding partnerships with institutions in Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine.
To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet
The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from the Bureau's
website at http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all
information before downloading.
Interested applicants should read the complete Federal Register
announcement before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the
RFP deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition
in any way with applicants until the Bureau proposal review process has
been completed.
Submissions
Applicants must follow all instructions given in the Solicitation
Package. The original and 10 copies of the application should be sent
to: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, Ref.: E/ASU-00-03, Office of Grants Management, ECA/EX/PM,
Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20547.
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5''diskette,
formatted for DOS. This material must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. The Bureau will
transmit these files electronically to the public diplomacy sections at
US Embassies for their review, with the goal of reducing the time it
takes to get Embassy comments for the Bureau's grants review process.
Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and
representative of the diversity of American political, social, and
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest
sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to
ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic
status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to
adhere to the advancement of this principle both in programs
administration and in program content. Please refer to the review
criteria under the `Support for diversity' section for specific
suggestions on incorporating diversity into the total proposal. Public
Law 104-319 provides that ``in carrying out programs of educational and
cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom
and democracy'', the Bureau ``shall take appropriate steps to provide
opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and
democracy leaders of such countries.'' Proposals should account for
advancement of this goal in their program contents, to the full extent
deemed feasible.
Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)
The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting
problem that could potentially prohibit
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organizations from processing information in accordance with Federal
management and program specific requirements including data exchange
with the Bureau. The inability to process information in accordance
with Federal requirements could result in grantees' being required to
return funds that have not been accounted for properly.
The Bureau therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant
systems including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must
accurately process data and dates (calculating, comparing and
sequencing) both before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and
correctly adjust for leap years.
Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology
website at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.
Supplementary Information:
Guidelines
The NIS College and University Partnership Program is limited to
the following academic fields:
(1) Law;
(2) Business/accounting/trade;
(3) Education/continuing education/ educational administration;
(4) Public administration/public policy analysis;
(5) Journalism/communications; and
(6) Social, political, or economic sciences.
Proposals must focus on curriculum, faculty, and staff development
at the NIS partner institution(s) in one or more of these eligible
disciplines. Administrative reform at the foreign partner should also
be a project component. Projects should involve the development of new
academic programs or the building and/or restructuring of an existing
program or programs, and should promote higher education's role in the
transition to market economies and open democratic systems. Feasibility
studies to plan partnerships will not be considered.
Whenever feasible, participants should make their training and
personnel resources, as well as results of their collaborative
research, available to government, NGOs, and business.
Participating institutions should exchange faculty and/or staff
members for teaching/lecturing and consulting. At least once during the
grant period, one U.S. participant should be in residence at the
foreign partner institution for one semester to serve in a coordinating
role. (Exception: proposals for partnerships with institutions in
Tajikistan should not include travel by U.S. participants to
Tajikistan.)
U.S. institutions are responsible for the submission of proposals
and should collaborate with their foreign partners in planning and
preparing proposals. U.S. and foreign partner institutions are
encouraged to consult about the proposed project with program office
staff in Washington, DC.
U.S. Partner and Participant Eligibility
In the United States, participation in the program is open to
accredited two- and four-year colleges and universities, including
graduate or professional schools. Applications from consortia of U.S.
colleges and universities are eligible. Secondary U.S. partners may
include relevant non-governmental organizations, non-profit service or
professional organizations. If a lead U.S. institution in a consortium
is responsible for submitting an application on behalf of a consortium,
the application must document the lead school's stated authority to
represent the consortium. With the exception of outside evaluators on
contract with the U.S. institution, participants representing the U.S.
institution(s) who are traveling under Bureau grant funds must be
faculty, staff, or advanced graduate students from the participating
institution(s) and must be U.S. citizens.
Foreign Partner and Participant Eligibility
In other countries, participation is open to recognized, degree-
granting institutions of post-secondary education. Secondary foreign
partners may include relevant governmental and non-governmental
organizations, non-profit service or professional organizations.
Participants representing the foreign institutions must be faculty,
staff or advanced students of the primary or secondary partner
institution, and be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the
country of the foreign partner, and be qualified to hold a valid
passport and U.S. J-1 visa.
Foreign partners from the following countries are eligible:
Armenia;
Azerbaijan;
Belarus--foreign partners must be independent institutions; state
universities are not eligible;
Georgia;
Kazakstan;
Kyrgyzstan;
Moldova;
Russia--preference will be given to proposals which designate partner
institutions outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg; proposals for
partnerships with institutions located in Moscow or St. Petersburg
should clearly indicate how those partnerships will have impact on
other regions. The Bureau anticipates issuing a separate request for
proposals in the Fall for a partnership in the field of public
administration with Moscow State University. Proposals which designate
a partner institution in the Sakhalin Region are encouraged.
Tajikistan--in consideration of the State Department Warning advising
U.S. citizens to defer travel to Tajikistan, proposals should not
include travel by U.S. participants to Tajikistan;
Turkmenistan;
Ukraine--proposals for partnership with institutions located in the
Kharkiv region are encouraged;
Uzbekistan.
Partnerships including a secondary foreign partner from a non-NIS
country are eligible; however, with the exception noted below, the
Bureau will not cover overseas non-NIS partner institution costs.
Central European Partners
The Bureau encourages proposals which build upon established
collaboration between U.S. institutions and partners in Central and
Eastern Europe in order to support faculty and curriculum development
in the NIS and to promote regional cooperation. Within the context of
this partnership agreement and under the guidance of the U.S. partner
institution, funds may be budgeted for the exchange of faculty between
NIS institutions and institutions of higher learning in Central and
Eastern Europe (applicants planning to submit proposals for trilateral
partnerships with a partner from Central and Eastern Europe are
encouraged to contact the program office).
Review Process
The Bureau will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will
review them for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed
ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein
and in the Solicitation Package. All eligible proposals will be
forwarded to independent reviewers and to Bureau and U.S. Embassy
officers for advisory review.
The independent reviewers, who will be professional, scholarly, or
educational experts with appropriate regional and thematic knowledge,
will provide recommendations and assessments for consideration by the
Bureau. The Bureau will consider for funding only those proposals which
are
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recommended for further consideration by the independent reviewers.
Proposals will also be reviewed by Bureau officers as well as by
the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Senior Coordinator for the
Newly Independent States and the public diplomacy sections of U.S.
Embassies. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Department of State,
Office of the Legal Advisor or by other Bureau elements. Funding
decisions will be made at the discretion of the Assistant Secretary of
State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority
for assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements) will reside
with a contracts officer with competency of Bureau programs.
Review Criteria
Independent reviewers and State Department officers in Washington,
DC., and overseas will use the criteria below to reach funding
recommendations and decisions. Technically eligible applications will
be competitively reviewed according to the criteria stated below. These
criteria are not rank-ordered or weighted.
1. Quality and Clarity of Program Objectives: Proposed programs
should outline clearly formulated objectives for each participating
institution that will also contribute to the transition of the New
Independent States to market economies and decomcracies and to a
deepened mutual understanding of fundamental issues and practical
applications in the themes eligible for consideration in this
competition.
2. Program planning: Proposals should include appropriate and
feasible project plans and a detailed schedule which should include a
well-reasoned combination of useful and appropriate teaching, faculty
development, curriculum development, and outreach. The various
activities should be clearly related to project objectives, but need
not be equally emphasized within the proposal. Proposals should clearly
demonstrate how the partnership will meet the program's objectives and
plan.
3. Impact of Program Objectives: Proposal objectives should have
sustainable consequences for the participating institutions and the
societies and communities which these institutions serve.
4. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive
support of the Bureau's policy on diversity by outlining relevant
aspects of the institutional profile of each participating institution
together with the relevancy of issues of diversity to program
objectives and implementation.
5. Institutional Capacity and Commitment: Proposals should
demonstrate commitment of institutional resources adequate and
appropriate to achieve program goals. Proposals should demonstrate
significant understanding at each institution of its own needs and
capacities and of the needs and capacities of its proposed partner(s),
together with a strong commitment, during and after the period of grant
activity, to cooperate with one anther in the mutual pursuit of
institutional objectives. Relevant factors include: the financial and
political stability of partner institutions and the availably of a
critical mass of faculty willing and able to participate. Proposals
which include multiple quarter- or semester-length stays will be more
competitive. Proposals should provide evidence of relevant and
successful prior interactions between institutions and an indication of
collaborative program planning. The Bureau will consider the past
performance of prior grant recipients and all reviews will consider the
demonstrated potential of new applicants. Reviewers will also consider
the quality of exchange participants' academic credentials, skills, and
experience relative to the goals and activities of the project plan
(e.g. language skills).
6. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan and
methodology for evaluating the project's degree of success in meeting
program objectives. The plan should include an updated assessment of
the current status of each department at the time of program inception;
on-going formative evaluation to allow for prompt corrective action;
and summative evaluation of the degree of achievement of project
objectives together with recommendations for further activities and
projects to build upon project achievements.
7. Cost-effectiveness: Administrative costs should be reasonable
and appropriate with cost-sharing provided by all participating
institutions within the context of their respective capacities and as a
reflection of their commitment to cooperation with one anther in
pursuing project objectives.
Ineligibility
A proposal will be deemed technically ineligible if:
(1) It does not adhere to the guidelines established herein and in
the Solicitation Package;
(2) It is not received by the deadline;
(3) It is not submitted by the U.S. partner;
(4) One of the partner institutions is ineligible;
(5) The academic discipline(s) is/are not listed as eligible in the
RFP, herein;
(6) The amount requested of the Bureau exceeds $300,000 for the
three-year project.
Please refer to program-specific guidelines (POGI) in the
Solicitation Package for further details.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Bureau that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on
the part of the Government. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of
the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Notification
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by
Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures.
Dated: September 8, 1999.
William P. Kiehl,
Acting Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-24077 Filed 9-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
