[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11266-11268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5915]
[[Page 11265]]
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Part III
Department of Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
_______________________________________________________________________
Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship
Grants Program; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 47 / Tuesday, March 11, 1997 /
Notices
[[Page 11266]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship
Grants Program
AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice of application.
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SUMMARY: The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service (CSREES) is announcing the Food and Agricultural Sciences
National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program Solicitation of
Proposals for Fiscal Years (FY) 1997 and 1998 and 1997 Supplemental
Grants for Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research
Travel Allowances. Applications are invited for competitive grant
awards to colleges and universities for doctoral fellowships to meet
national needs for the development of professional and scientific
expertise in the food and agricultural sciences for FYs 1997 and 1998.
Additionally, CSREES seeks applications from recipients of presently
active national needs fellowship grants for supplemental grants to
support special international study or thesis/dissertation research
experiences for current Fellows.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeffrey L. Gilmore, USDA/Higher Education Programs, 202-720-1973,
[email protected]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate
Fellowship Grants
Authority
The authority for this program is contained in Section 1417(b)(6)
of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy
Act of 1977, as amended (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(6)). Under this program,
subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary may make
competitive grants, for periods not to exceed five years, to land-grant
colleges and universities, 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 graduate
fellowship programs to help meet the Nation's needs for development of
scientific and professional expertise in the food and agricultural
sciences.
Targeted Areas
Food and agricultural sciences areas appropriate for fellowship
applications are those in which shortages of expertise have been
determined and targeted by CSREES for national needs graduate
fellowship support. Beginning with FY 1997, CSREES will support six
national needs areas on a biennial basis and combine appropriations
from two fiscal years into one competition to be held during odd-
numbered years. The targeted national needs areas to be supported for
the combined FY 1997/98 competition are: Biotechnology--Animal;
Biotechnology--Plant; Engineering--Food, Forest Product, or
Agricultural; Human Nutrition and/or Food Science; Marketing or
Management--Food, Forest Products, or Agribusiness; and Water Science.
In FY 1997/98, only the doctoral level of study will be supported.
Proposal Limitations
For the FY 1997/98 program, a proposal may request funding in only
one national needs area. A proposal may request a minimum of two
fellowships and a maximum of four fellowships in the national needs
area for which funding is requested. No limitation is placed on the
number of proposals an institution may submit. However, the same
college or equivalent administrative unit within an institution may
only submit a maximum of six proposals, and no more that one proposal
may be submitted in any one national needs area by the same college or
equivalent administrative unit within an institution. While proposals
must document institution willingness to recruit and train at least
two, but not more than four, fellows in a national needs area, CSREES
may fund fewer fellows than requested in a proposal.
Available Funding
CSREES anticipates that approximately $5,800,000 will be available
for fellowship grants for the FY 1997/98 combined competition,
including $2.9 million from FY 1997 appropriations and $2.9 million in
anticipated FY 1998 appropriations. Contingent on the availability of
these funds, approximately $970,000 will be allocated to each of the
six national needs areas. This program is highly competitive, and it is
anticipated that available funding will support approximately 108
doctoral fellows through approximately nine grants in each of the six
targeted areas. No-year funds drawn from expired fellowship grants with
unspent funds remaining may be used to fund additional fellows. Please
note that Congress has not yet enacted a Fiscal Year 1998
appropriations bill for the Department. Therefore, the $5.8 million
cited for FY 1997/98 grants is only tentative and USDA is not bound by
this estimate. If Congress appropriates other than the anticipated
amount, these combined appropriated FYs 1997 and 1998 funds will be
allocated equally among all six national needs areas.
Each institution funded will receive $54,000 for each doctoral
fellowship awarded. However, it is anticipated that total program funds
available will not be evenly divisible by $54,000. Therefore, one
fellowship may be supported on a partial basis with a lesser amount of
funds, or one fellowship may be supported fully by a combination of FY
1997/98 funds and unspent funds remaining from expired fellowship
grants. Except in the case of a partially funded fellowship, fellowship
monies must be used to: (1) support the same doctoral fellow for three
years at $17,000 per year; and (2) provide for an institution annual
cost-of-education allowance of $1,000, not to exceed a total of $3,000
over the duration of the grant. Total funds awarded to an institution
under the program in FY 1997/98 shall not exceed $648,000.
Application Information
An application package is available that provides the forms,
instructions, and other relevant information needed by institutions to
apply to the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate
Fellowship Grants Program described herein. Copies of the application
package may be requested from the Proposal Services Unit; Grants
Management Branch; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2245; Washington, D.C.
20250-2245. The telephone number is 202-401-5048. These materials may
also be requested via Internet by sending a message with your name,
mailing address (not e-mail) and phone number to [email protected] which
states that you want a copy of the application materials for the Fiscal
Year 1997/98 Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate
Fellowship Grants Program. The materials will then be mailed to you
(not e-mailed) as quickly as possible.
The proposal narrative must be typed on one side of the page only,
using a font no smaller than 12 point, and double-spaced. All margins
must be at least one inch. The proposal should be
[[Page 11267]]
paginated and a Table of Contents should be included preceding the
proposal narrative. Applicants are cautioned to comply with the 20-page
limitation for the narrative section of the proposal. Applicants also
are cautioned to include summary faculty vitae through the use of Form
CSREES-708.
When and Where to Submit Proposals
An original plus six copies of a proposal and one copy of the
institution's latest graduate catalog must be submitted. All proposals
must be received by 3:30 p.m. eastern time May 15, 1997. Proposals
submitted through the U.S. mail should be sent to the following
address: Proposal Services Unit; Grants Management Branch; Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of
Agriculture; STOP 2245; Washington, DC 20250-2245. Hand-delivered
proposals, including those submitted through an express mail or a
courier service, should be sent to the following address: Proposal
Services Unit; Grants Management Branch; Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room
303, Aerospace Center; 901 D Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024.
Proposals transmitted via a facsimile (FAX) machine will not be
accepted.
Submission of an Intent to Submit a Proposal form (Form CSREES-706)
is neither required nor requested for the FY 1997/98 competition.
II. 1997 Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research
Travel Allowances
Authority
Under the authority contained in Section 1417(b)(6) of the National
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as
amended (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(6)), and in accordance with the
Administrative Provisions for the Food and Agricultural Sciences
National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program (7 CFR part
3402.5(e)), CSREES will award supplement grants, on a competitive
basis, for special international study or thesis/dissertation research
travel allowances. Institutions eligible to receive supplemental grants
are those that have active National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants
(awarded in FY 1996 or earlier). Please note that CSREES will solicit
proposals for special international study or thesis/dissertation
research travel allowances again in 1998.
Eligibility
Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to any current Fellow
with sufficient time to complete the international experience before
the termination date of the fellowship grant under which he/she is
supported. Before the international study or thesis/dissertation
research travel may commence, a Fellow must have completed one academic
year of full-time study, as defined by the institution, under the
fellowship appointment and arrangements must have been formalized for
the Fellow to study and/or conduct research in the foreign location(s).
All national needs areas previously supported under the Food and
Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowships Grants
Program are eligible for the supplementary grants for special
international study or thesis/dissertation research travel allowances.
Available Funding
CSREES has determined that no FY 1997 appropriations will be
targeted to supplemental grants supporting special international study
or thesis/dissertation research travel allowances; rather, no-year
funds drawn from expired fellowship grants with unspent funds remaining
will be used to support such supplemental grants. Estimated funds for
supplemental grants in FY 1997 are approximately $60,000.
For each travel allowance, the institution may request up to
$3,000. Travel allowance monies may be used only to pay travel and
living expenses for the Fellow while the Fellow is on the specific
international assignment as proposed in the application for the special
international study or thesis/dissertation research travel allowances.
No limitation is placed on the number of applications an institution
may submit. Awards will be made to the extent possible based on
availability of funds. To the extent possible, all applications
associated with one CSREES grant number should be submitted at the same
time in order to facilitate the award of these supplemental grants and
minimize accounting activity at the grantee institution.
Application Information
A separate application must be submitted by a fellowship grant
project director at an eligible institution on behalf of each Fellow
for which a special international study or thesis/dissertation research
travel allowance is requested. Applications for the special
international study or thesis/dissertation research travel allowance
supplemental awards may be submitted at any time prior to 3:30 p.m.
eastern time on October 15, 1997. However, to allow time for CSREES to
process the applications, proposals should be submitted at least three
months prior to the proposed beginning date of the international travel
experience. Applicants are urged to submit their proposals early.
(Note: Proposals for these special supplemental awards should
not be submitted as part of the application for a FY 1997/98
Graduate Fellowship grant.)
Each application must include an ``Application for Funding,'' Form
CSREES-661, and a ``Budget,'' Form CSREES-55. To provide the office of
Higher Education Programs (HEP) with sufficient information upon which
to evaluate the merits of the requests for a special international
study or thesis/dissertation research travel allowance, each
application for a supplemental grant must contain a narrative which
provides the following: (1) the specific destination(s) and duration of
the travel; (2) the specific study or thesis/dissertation research
activities in which the Fellow will be engaged; (3) how the
international experience will contribute to the Fellow's program of
study; (4) a budget narrative specifying and justifying the dollar
amount requested for the travel; (5) summary credentials of both the
U.S. and international faculty or other professionals with whom the
Fellow will be working during the international experience (summary
credentials must not exceed three pages per person; ``Summary Vita--
Teaching Proposal,'' Form CSREES-708, may be used for this purpose);
(6) a letter from the dean of the Fellow's college or equivalent
administrative unit supporting the Fellow's travel request and
certifying that the travel experience will not jeopardize the Fellow's
satisfactory progress toward degree completion; and (7) a letter from
the fellowship grant project director certifying the Fellow's
eligibility, the accuracy of the Fellow's travel request, and the
relevance of the travel to the Fellow's advanced degree objectives.
The narrative portion of the application must not exceed 10 pages,
excluding the summary vita/vitae. The narrative should be typed on one
side of the page only, using a font no smaller than 12 point, and
double-spaced. All margins must be at least one inch.
An application package containing the forms, instructions, and
other relevant information needed by institutions to apply for the
special
[[Page 11268]]
international study or thesis/dissertation research travel allowances
may be requested from the Proposal Services Unit; Grants Management
Branch; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service;
U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2245; Washington, D.C. 20250-2245.
The telephone number is 202-401-5048. These materials may also be
requested via Internet by sending a message with your name, mailing
address (not e-mail) and phone number to [email protected] which states
that you want a copy of the application materials for the Fiscal Year
1997/98 Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate
Fellowship Grants Program. The materials will then be mailed to you
(not e-mailed) as quickly as possible.
Evaluation of Applications
Applications for the special international travel allowances will
be evaluated as they are received until available funds for the
supplemental grants are exhausted. Upon receipt of an application,
CSREES staff will first determine the eligibility of the Fellow for
whom the application was submitted for an international travel
experience. Eligible and complete requests then will be reviewed, using
the criteria and weights indicated below, by professional staff from
USDA or other Federal agencies, as appropriate. Proposals judged to be
worthy of funding will be eligible for supplemental awards. Since
awards for supplemental grants will be made as reviews are completed,
there is no assurance funds will be available late in the application
period for every acceptable proposal.
The evaluation criteria for special international study or thesis/
dissertation research travel allowance applications are indicated
below. The points are provided as a guide to the relative importance of
each criterion, but all criteria must be addressed satisfactorily.
a. Destination and duration--the degree to which the destination
and duration of the travel experience is appropriate for enhancing the
Fellow's academic program--10 points.
b. Travel experience activities--the degree to which the specific
international experiences contribute to the Fellow's program of study--
30 points.
c. Advance preparations--the degree to which the proposed study or
research activities are well-planned, including the likelihood that
these activities will come to fruition and that the participation of
identified personnel will materialize--20 points.
d. Budget--the degree to which the budget for the international
experience is justified--10 points.
e. Personnel--the degree to which the personnel, both U.S. and
international, involved with the travel experience have the appropriate
credentials and experience to direct the Fellow's international
experience, and the likelihood that their participation as mentors,
trainers, advisors, or teachers will contribute to the educational
value of the travel experiences--20 points.
f. Supporting documentation--the degree to which letters from the
dean of the college (or equivalent administrative unit) and the
fellowship grant project director support the application--10 points.
When and where to Submit Applications
An original plus six copies of each application must be submitted.
Each copy of the application should be stapled securely in the upper
left-hand corner. Please do not bind the original or the copies of the
application. All copies of the application must be mailed in one
package. Applications transmitted via a facsimile (FAX) machine will
not be accepted. Applications submitted through the U.S. mail should be
sent to the following address: Proposal Services Unit; Grants
Management Branch; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2245; Washington, D.C.
20250-2245. hand-delivered proposals, including those submitted through
an express mail or a courier service, should be brought to the
following address: Proposal Services Unit; Grants Management Branch;
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. The telephone number is 202-401-5048.
Applications may be submitted at any time prior to 3:30 p.m. eastern
time on October 15, 1997.
III. Applicable Regulations
This program is subject to the administrative provisions found at
CFR part 3402 (59 FR 68072, December 30, 1994) which set forth
procedures to be followed when submitting grant proposals, rules
governing the evaluation of proposals, the awarding of grants, and
post-award administration of such grants.
In addition, the USDA Uniform Administrative Requirements for
Grants and Agreements With Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals,
and Other Nonprofit Organizations, 7 CFR part 3019 (60 FR 44122 (August
24, 1995)), to this program. Other Federal statutes and regulations
that apply to this program are identified in the administrative
provisions.
IV. Supplementary Information
This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance under No. 10.210. For the reasons set forth in the Final
Rule-related notice to 7 CFF part 3015, subpart V, 48 FR 29115, June
24,1983, when the authority to administer this program resided in the
Agricultural Research Service, this program is excluded from the scope
of Executive Order 12372 which requires intergovernmental consultation
with State and local officials.
Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44
U.S.C. Chapter 35), the collection of information requirements for this
program have been approved under OMB Document No. 0524-0022 and 0524-
0024.
V. Program Contact
If you have questions concerning the submission of Food and
Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program
proposals, please contact Dr. Jeffrey Gilmore, Higher Education
Programs, Science and Education Resources Development, CSREES, USDA, at
202-720-1973 (voice), 202-720-2030 (fax), or [email protected]
(Internet),
Done at Washington, D.C., this 4th day of March, 1997.
B.H. Robinson,
Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service.
[FR Doc. 97-5915 Filed 3-10-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3416-22-M