[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3028-3029]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-711]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Workshop/Seminar Grants in the People's Republic of China
ACTION: Notice--Request for Proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Academic Programs of the United States
Information Agency's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs announces
an open competition for an assistance award. Educational institutions
and law associations meeting the provisions as described in IRS
regulation 501 (c) may apply to develop workshop/seminars in ``American
Corporations'' and ``American Law'' in the People's Republic of China
Support is offered for Workshops and Seminars. There will be two
separate workshops and/or seminars. This is a request for proposals
from educational institutions and professional associations only.
Overall grant making authority for this program is continued in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended,
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 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 other countries of the world.''
Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and
programs are subject to the availability of funds.
ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning
the announcement should refer to the above title and reference number
E/AEF-95-07.
DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S.
Information Agency by 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, February 10, 1995. Faxed
documents will not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on
February 10, 1995 but received at a later date. It is the
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received
by the above deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
William Shine, Room 208, E/AEF, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, DC
20547, FAX: 202-401-1728, or E-Mail: WSHINE@ USIA.GOV to request a
Solicitation Package, which includes more detailed award criteria; all
application forms; and guidelines for preparing proposals, including
specific criteria for preparation of the proposal budget. Requests via
Fax are encouraged. Interested applicants should read the complete
Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to the Office
of Academic Programs or submitting their proposals. Once the RFP
deadline has passed, the Office of Academic Programs may not discuss
this competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau proposal
process has been completed.
ADDRESSES: The original and 12 complete copies of the application,
including required forms, should be addressed as follows: U.S.
Information Agency, Ref: E/AEF-95-07, Office of Grants Management, E/
XE, Room 336, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20547.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-
economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly
encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle.
Overview: The overall purpose of this RFP is to provide
opportunities for U.S. educational institutions and law associations to
conduct scholarly workshops/seminars in the People's Republic of China
in the theory and practice of the American Corporation and of American
Law and thereby give the opportunity for Chinese institutions to offer
their members access to recent information and perspectives in these
fields as well as to allow for the substantive exchange of ideas. The
focus of the proposals should be on the academic study of the American
Corporation and the Rule of Law in American Society respectively. An
approach combining theoretical sessions and sessions emphasizing the
implementation of theory in practice is requested.
Workshops/seminars should take place in one Chinese city. American
organizations are encouraged, however, to propose programs that would
include participants from a variety of Chinese institutions from across
the People's Republic of China. A workshop on American judicial
process, for example, could include law professors, law students, as
well as legal and judicial officials. Applicants should specify the
workshop length and venue, the intended audience, the audience's level
of sophistication, e.g., faculty, graduate students, researchers,
government officials, and whether there would be any co-sponsor.
A. Workshop/Seminar in American Corporations
Such a program is intended to outline the legal foundation,
organization and structure, management principles and status of the
corporation in the United States; and the sociology of corporate life
and the place of the corporation in American society. The project seeks
to satisfy two goals. The first is to satisfy the need of the Chinese
universities to get a better understanding of how an American
corporation works in a market economy as they examine models for
China's economic development. The second goal is to promote
understanding of American life and society by looking at the American
corporation from a sociological and cultural point of view. The venue
will be People's University in Beijing. The American institution will
be required to coordinate its program with the Foreign Affairs Office
of People's University.
B. Seminar/Workshop in American Law
Grant funding under this category is intended to enhance and expand
the scope of American legal studies programs in the People's Republic
of China. Proposals with a particular emphasis upon the rule of law in
American Society and its relevance to China are encouraged. Familiarity
with the functioning of Chinese civil law is a preference factor.
Intense, scholarly 3-4 week summer programs are preferred. Individual
participants on the American side must be citizens of the U.S. Both
projects that have been previously conducted and new projects are
eligible. [[Page 3029]]
Duration: Applications will be accepted for projects from at least
21 days to no more than 30 days duration. Programs should be completed
by September 30, 1995.
Guidelines: Preference will be given to organizations with
demonstrated expertise in the proposed workshop/seminar fields.
Previous experience with conducting scholarly seminars in the
People's Republic of China and/or current working relations with
Chinese educational institutions will be considered a plus. A
substantive history of organizing subject-specific programs led by
acknowledged experts in the field who also have considerable teaching
experience is highly advantageous. Proposals should present a very
clearly designed program plan that shows specific objectives and that
demonstrates the likelihood of substantive follow-through. Be specific
as to what issues the workshop/seminar will address and who the
intended audience is. In the context of the intended audience(s),
please describe clearly the proposed approach, e.g., didactic,
participatory, etc., and resource materials to be used.
Proposed Budget
Organizations must submit a comprehensive line item budget based on
the specific guidance in the Solicitation Package. Project awards to
U.S. institutions can be made in a range of amounts but will not exceed
$75,000. The Agency reserves the right to reduce, revise or increase
budgets. For organizations with less than four years of experience in
international exchange activities, total grants will be limited to a
maximum of $60,000 from USIA, and total proposed budgets should not
exceed this amount.
Please Note: Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the
entire program. There must be a summary budget as well as a breakdown
reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. For
better understanding or further clarification, applicants may provide a
separate sub-budget for each program component, phase, location, or
activity in order to facilitate USIA decisions on funding.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
Review Process
USIA 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 established herein and in the
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will also be
reviewed by the Agency's Office of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the
USIS section of the American Embassy in Beijing, and the Agency
contracts offices. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Agency's
Office of General Counsel or other Agency elements. Funding decisions
are at the discretion of the USIA Associate Director for Educational
and Cultural Affairs.
Final technical authority for grant awards resides with USIA's
contracting officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
1. Quality of Program Idea: Proposals should exhibit originality,
substance, precision, and relevance to Agency mission.
2. Program Planning: Detailed agenda and relevant work plan should
demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity. Agenda
and plan should adhere to the program overview and guidelines described
above.
3. Ability to achieve program objectives: Objectives should be
reasonable, feasible and flexible. Proposals should clearly demonstrate
how the institution will meet the program's objectives and plan.
4. Multiplier Effect/impact: Proposed program should strengthen
long-term mutual understanding, including maximum sharing of
information and establishment of long-term institutional and individual
linkages.
5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of
diversity.
6. Institutional Capacity: Proposed personnel and institutional
resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or
project's goals.
7. Institution's Record/ability: Proposals should demonstrate an
institutional record of successful exchange programs, including
responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting
requirements for past Agency grants as determined by USIA's Office of
Contracts. The agency will consider the past performance of prior
recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.
8. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for
continued follow-on activity (without USIA support) which insures that
USIA supported programs are not isolated events.
9. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate
the program's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of
the program. USIA recommends that the proposal include a draft survey
questionnaire or other technique plus description of a methodology to
use to link outcomes to original project objectives. Award-receiving
organizations/institutions will be expected to submit intermediate
reports after each project component is concluded or quarterly,
whichever is less frequent.
10. Cost-effectiveness: The overhead and administration components
of the proposal, including salaries and honoraria, should be kept as
low as possible. All other items should be necessary and appropriate.
11. Cost-sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through
other private sector support as well as institutional direct funding
contributions.
12. Value to U.S.-Partner Country Relations: Proposed projects
should receive positive assessments by USIA's geographic area office
and overseas offices of program need, potential impact, and
significance in the partner country.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on
the part of the Government. Final award cannot be made until funds have
been fully appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed through
internal USIA procedures.
Notification
All applicants will be notified of the results of the review
process on or about May 12, 1995. Awards made will be subject to
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Dated: January 5, 1995.
John P. Loiello,
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-711 Filed 1-11-95; 8:45 am]
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