US-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program Application Guidelines (1890-0001)(JS)

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education

U.S. Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program

Fiscal Year 2007

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS

(CFDA NUMBER: 84.116M)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education

Washington, DC 20006-8544

CLOSING DATE: April 17, 2007

Table of Contents Page

Dear Applicant Letter 4

I. Important Information Concerning Electronic Submissions 7

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips 7

Instructions for Transmitting Applications 10

II. Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards 13

III. General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Section 427 22

IV. Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 23

V. Guidelines for U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program 24

Two Categories of Awards 24

Objectives of the Program 25

Four-Year Consortia Projects 28

Short-Term Complementary Activities 35

Selection of Projects 35

Financial Considerations 37

Submission Process: U.S. and Brazil 37

VII. Application Checklist 38 SF-424

Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF-424

FIPSE Project Title Form

FIPSE Budget Summary Form

FIPSE Consortium Partners ID Form

Abstract Attachment Form

Project Narrative Attachments Form

Budget Narrative Attachments Form

424 B

Grants.gov Lobbying Form

GEPA

Survey Ensuring Equal Opportunity

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in applying for a grant under the U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (U.S.-Brazil Program). The U.S.-Brazil Program is administrated jointly by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, and the Fundação Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brazilian Ministry of Education.

Applicants from the United States and Brazil should work together to submit common proposals to FIPSE and CAPES respectively. Similar proposals must be submitted by lead institutions in both countries to FIPSE and CAPES. Applications must be submitted to FIPSE by April 17, 2007

Though the FIPSE and CAPES have issued similar application materials and program guidelines, some important differences exist to reflect country-specific needs. Applicants from each country should use only the application materials and program guidelines issued by their government when completing the application packet.

However, it is important that the application for funding to both FIPSE and CAPES be as similar as possible in order to facilitate a comparable evaluation from both sides. The two parallel applications should be signed by the lead partners from both countries.

The U.S.-Brazil Program is designed to assist colleges and universities in the United States and Brazil in giving students a U.S.-Brazil perspective to education and training in a wide range of subject areas. The ultimate intent of the Program is to assist with the strengthening of the ties between the United States and Brazil. The governments of the United States and Brazil have issued guidelines to this end. Some differences do exist to reflect country-specific needs. Applicants from each country should use only the guidelines issued by their government when completing the applications.

This program is based on objectives outlined in a 1997 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Education between the United States and Brazil. The MOU laid out a plan to “enhance and expand cooperative efforts in education” by attempting to “identify new areas for joint activities in the field of education wherever they deem appropriate and to strengthen or expand existing programs.”

One of the key activities outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding was “diversifying educational exchanges between the United States and Brazil,” which involved “establishing an exchange program for United States and Brazilian students majoring in mutually agreed upon academic areas…to spend up to one calendar year in [the] respective countries attending classes and interning in firms related to their areas of study.”

Related to this activity was the objective to establish “methods for enhancing institutional linkages between the United States and Brazilian universities and other educational institutions to enhance the mobility of faculty and students and promote mutual recognition of credits and studies.”

While the U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program addresses all of these important activities in these guidelines, it is important to remember that the purpose of this grant program is to promote more than student exchange. Throughout these guidelines, you will see that FIPSE and CAPES also emphasize the importance of curriculum development as well as of language and cultural preparation as key factors in promoting student mobility. Students should be exchanged in the context of a common program of study or curriculum and should draw benefits from the added value of spending time abroad. The time abroad should count for their study within their academic major at their home institution and should not significantly increase their time to degree completion.

This letter highlights a few items in the fiscal year (FY) 2007 instructions document that will be important to applicants in the United States in applying for grants under the U.S.-Brazil Program. The application package is divided into eight sections. You should review the entire application package carefully before preparing and submitting your application. Information on the U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Program also is accessible at the FIPSE web site at: www.ed.gov/FIPSE.

The Department requires applicants to use an Internet-based electronic system for submitting applications. We are requiring that applications for FY 2007 grants under the U.S.-Brazil Program be submitted electronically using Grants.gov. You are urged to acquaint yourself with the requirements of Grants.gov early. A more thorough discussion is included in the application package. Grants.gov is accessible through its portal page at: http://www.grants.gov.

All applicants must complete all of the forms associated with this competition. These forms are listed in the Application Checklist.

Please read the important document on the next page, which provides important information concerning electronic submission. It is important to know that the Grants.gov site works differently than the Department’s e-Application system. The application must be submitted on or before the deadline date. Electronic submission of applications is required; therefore, you must submit an electronic application unless you follow the procedures in the Federal Register Notice [see Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards] and qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement.

The requirements for obtaining an exception to the electronic submission have changed. If you think you may need an exception you are urged to review the requirements promptly. Applications submitted late will not be accepted. We suggest that you submit your application several days before the deadline date. The Department is required to enforce the established deadline to ensure fairness to all applicants. No changes or additions to an application will be accepted after the deadline date.

Please note that Grants.gov does not allow applicants to “un-submit” applications. If you discover that changes or additions are needed once your application has been accepted and validated by the Department, you must “re-submit” the application. You should know that if the Department receives duplicate applications, proposing to serve the same consortium, we will accept and process the application with the latest “date/time received” validation.

All applicants are required to adhere to the page limit of 20 pages (double spaced) for the Program Narrative. The Notice, published in the Federal Register [see Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards] contains specific information governing page limits.

You are reminded that the document published in the Federal Register is the official document, and that you should not rely upon any information that is inconsistent with the guidance contained within the official document.

Sincerely,

/signed/

Leonard L. Haynes, Ph.D.

Director, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)

Important Information Concerning Electronic Submissions

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants

Please note that the Grants.gov site works differently than the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) e-Application system. To facilitate your use of Grants.gov, this document includes important submission procedures you need to be aware of to ensure your application is received in a timely manner and accepted by the Department.

REGISTER EARLY – Grants.gov registration is a one-time process that may take five or more days to complete. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the Get Started steps are complete. For detailed information on the Get Started Steps, please go to: "http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted"

SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the last day to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it after it is fully uploaded. The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on a number of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection, and the time it takes Grants.gov to process the application will vary as well. If Grants.gov rejects your application (see step three below), you will need to resubmit successfully before 4:30 pm on the deadline date.

Note: To submit successfully, you must provide the DUNS number on your application that was used when your organization registered with the CCR (Central Contractor Registry).

VERIFY SUBMISSION IS OK – You will want to verify that Grants.gov and the Department receive your Grants.gov submission timely and that it was validated successfully. To see the date/time your application was received, login to Grants.gov and click on the Check Application Status link. For a successful submission, the date/time received should be earlier than 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned.

If the date/time received is later than 4:30 p.m. Washington, D.C. time, on the closing date, your application is late. If your application has a status of “Received” it is still awaiting validation by Grants.gov. Once validation is complete, the status will either change to “Validated” or “Rejected with Errors.” If the status is “Rejected with Errors,” your application has not been received successfully. Some of the reasons Grants.gov may reject an application can be found on the Grants.gov site: "http://www.grants.gov/assets/ApplicationErrorTips.doc." If you discover your application is late or has been rejected, please see the instructions below. Note: You will receive a series of confirmations both online and via e-mail about the status of your application. Please do not rely solely on e-mail to confirm whether your application has been received timely and validated successfully.

Submission Problems – What should you do?

If you have problems submitting to Grants.gov before the closing date, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or use the customer support available on the Web site "http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport

If electronic submission is optional and you have problems that you are unable to resolve before the deadline date and time for electronic applications, please follow the transmittal instructions for hard copy applications in the Federal Register notice and get a hard copy application postmarked by midnight on the deadline date.

If electronic submission is required, you must submit an electronic application before 4:30 p.m., unless you follow the procedures in the Federal Register notice and qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. [See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.]

Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov

Please note, once you download an application from Grants.gov, you will be working offline and saving data on your computer. Please be sure to note where you are saving the Grants.gov file on your computer. You will need to logon to Grants.gov to upload and submit the application. (This is different from e-Application, where you are working online and saving data to the Department’s database.) You must provide on your application the DUNS number that was used when your organization registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR).

Please go to: "http://www.grants.gov/ForApplicants" for help with Grants.gov and click on the links in the lower right corner of the screen under Applicant Tips and Tools. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Submit Application Tips found on the Grants.gov homepage: "http://www.grants.gov."

Dial-Up Internet Connections

When using a dial up connection to upload and submit your application, it can take significantly longer than when you are connected to the Internet with a high-speed connection, e.g. cable modem/DSL/T1. While times will vary depending upon the size of your application, it can take a few minutes to a few hours to complete your grant submission using a dial up connection. If you do not have access to a high-speed connection and electronic submission is required, you may want to consider following the instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

MAC Users

If you do not have a Windows operating System, you will need to use a Windows Emulation program to submit an application using Grants.gov. For additional information, review the "http://www.grants.gov/GrantsGov_UST_Grantee/!SSL!/WebHelp/MacSupportforPureEdge.pdf" \t "blank" and/or contact Grants.gov Customer Support "http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport" for more information.

If you do not have a Windows emulation program and electronic submission is required, please follow instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

Instructions for Transmitting Applications

ATTENTION ELECTRONIC APPLICANTS: Please note that you must follow the Application Procedures as described in the Federal Register notice announcing the grant competition.

This program requires the electronic submission of applications--specific requirements and instructions can be found in the Federal Register notice.

If you want to apply for a grant and be considered for funding, you must meet the following deadline requirements:

Applications Submitted Electronically:

You must submit your grant application through the Internet using the software provided on the Grants.gov Web site "http://www.grants.gov" by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on the application deadline date. If you submit your application through the Internet via the Grants.gov Web site, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment when we receive your application.

For more information on using Grants.gov, please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications that was published in the Federal Register, the Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips document found in the application package instructions, and visit http://www.grants.gov.

According to the instructions found in the Federal Register notice, those requesting and qualifying for an Exception to the electronic submission requirement may submit an application via mail, commercial carrier or by hand delivery.

Applications Sent by Mail:

You must mail the original and two copies of the application on or before the deadline date to. To help expedite our review of your application, we would appreciate your voluntarily including one additional copy of your application.

Please mail applications to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: CFDA# (84.044A)

400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20202 - 4260

You must show one of the following as proof of mailing:

A legibly dated U. S. Postal Service Postmark.

A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U. S. Postal Service.

A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.

Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary.

If you mail an 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 Services.

An applicant should note that the U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should check with its local post office.

Applications Delivered by Commercial Carrier:

Special Note: Due to recent disruptions to normal mail delivery, the Department encourages you to consider using an alternative delivery method (for example, a commercial carrier, such as Federal Express or United Parcel Service; or U. S. Postal Service Express Mail) to transmit your application for this competition to the Department. If you use an alternative delivery method, please obtain the appropriate proof of mailing under “Applications Sent by Mail,” then follow the mailing instructions under the appropriate delivery method.

Applications that are delivered by commercial carrier, such as Federal Express, United Parcel Service, etc. should be mailed to the:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center – Stop 4260

Attention: CFDA# (84.044A)

7100 Old Landover Road

Landover, MD 20785-1506

Applications Delivered by Hand:

You or your courier must hand deliver the original and number of copies requested of the application by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on or before the deadline date. To help expedite our review of your application, we would appreciate your voluntarily including one additional copy of your application.

Please hand deliver applications to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: CFDA# (84.044A)

550 12th Street, S.W.

PCP - Room 7041

Washington, DC 20202 – 4260

The Application Control Center accepts application deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time), except Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays.

Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards

4000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education

Overview Information

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education--

Special Focus Competition: U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2006.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:

84.116M

Dates:

Applications Available: December 9, 2006.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 17, 2007.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 14, 2007.

Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education (IHEs) or combinations of IHEs and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies.

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested $300,000 for the US-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program for FY 2007. 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 Awards: $30,000 for the first year. $200,000 - $210,000 for four-year duration of grant.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $30,000 for the first year. $210,000 for four-year duration of grant.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $210,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Estimated Number of Awards: 12.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 48 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: To provide grants or enter into cooperative agreements to improve postsecondary education opportunities by focusing on problem areas or improvement approaches in postsecondary education.

Priority: Under this competition, we are particularly interested in applications that address the following priority.

Invitational Priority: For FY 2007 this priority is an invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

This priority encourages proposals designed to support the formation of educational consortia of American and Brazilian institutions to support cooperation in the coordination of curricula, the exchange of students, and the opening of educational opportunities between the United States and Brazil. The invitational priority is issued in cooperation with Brazil. These awards support only the participation of US institutions and students in these consortia. Brazilian institutions participating in any consortium proposal responding to the invitational priority may apply, respectively, to the Coordination of Improvement of Personnel of Superior Level (CAPES), Brazilian Ministry of Education, for additional funding under a separate but parallel Brazilian competition.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1138-1138d.

Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested $300,000 for the US-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program for FY 2007. 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 before the end of the current fiscal year, if Congress appropriates funds for this program.

Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000 for the first year. $200,000 - $210,000 for four-year duration of grant.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $30,000 for the first year. $210,000 for four-year duration of grant.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $210,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Estimated Number of Awards: 12.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs or combinations of IHEs and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Sylvia W. Crowder, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6^th floor, Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7514.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may contact the Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.

You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov

If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.116M.

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 competition.

Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 20 pages (double spaced), 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, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no

smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover

sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.

We will reject your application if--

• You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or

• You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: December 9, 2006.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 17, 2007.

Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 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.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 14, 2007.

4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this program.

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 you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Applications for grants under the US-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program--CFDA Number 84.116M must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site at: http://www.grants.gov Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify 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.

You may access the electronic grant application for the US-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your search.

Please note the following:

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation.

• Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

• The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.

• You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this competition to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf

• To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You also must provide on your application the same

D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please note that the registration process may take five or more business days to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.gov.

• You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format.

• You must submit all documents electronically, including all information typically included on the Application for Federal Education Assistance (SF 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. You must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file types specified above or submit a password protected file, we will not review that material.

• Your electronic application must comply with any page limit requirements described in this notice.

• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying number unique to your application).

• We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under For Further Information Contact, and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because––

• You do not have access to the Internet; or

• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system;

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), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your 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 your statement to: Sylvia W. Crowder, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6154, Washington, DC 20006-8544. FAX: (202) 502-7877.

Your 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 you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), your application to the Department. You must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable following address:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.116M)

400 Maryland Avenue, SW.

Washington, DC 20202-4260

or

By mail through a commercial carrier:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center – Stop 4260

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.116M)

7100 Old Landover Road

Landover, MD 20785-1506

Regardless of which address you use, you 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, or

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark, or

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

If your application is postmarked after the application deadline date, we will not consider your application.

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of your 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 84.116M)

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 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department:

(1) You must indicate on the envelope and — if not provided by the Department — in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education Assistance (SF 424) the CFDA number – and suffix letter, if any – of the competition under which you are submitting your application.

(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are listed in the application package.

2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in selecting an application for an award are applications that demonstrate a bi-lateral, innovative US-Brazilian approach to training and education.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.

If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you.

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 of this notice.

We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved application as part of your binding commitments under the grant.

3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118.

4. Performance Measures: The success of this competition depends upon 1) the extent to which funded projects are being replicated (i.e., adopted or adapted by others); and 2) the manner in which projects are being institutionalized and continued after funding. These two performance measures constitute the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education’s (FIPSE’s) indicators of the success of the program. If funded, you will be asked to collect and report data from your project on steps taken toward achieving these goals. Consequently, applicants are advised to include these two outcomes in conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of their proposed projects. Institutionalization and replication are important outcomes that ensure the ultimate success of international consortia funded through this program.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Sylvia W. Crowder, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, Program for North American Mobility in Higher Education, 1990 K Street, NW., 6^th floor, Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7514.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this section.

VIII. Other Information

Electronic Access to This Document: You may 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: 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 (20) 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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html

Dated:

/signed/

James F. Manning,

Acting Assistant Secretary for

Postsecondary Education.

General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)

Section 427

ALL APPLICANTS MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION IN THEIR APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS THIS PROVISION IN ORDER TO RECEIVE FUNDING UNDER THIS PROGRAM.

Section 427 requires each applicant to include in its application a description of the steps the applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable access to, and participation in, its federally-assisted program for students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs.

This section allows applicants discretion in developing the required description. The statute highlights six barriers that can impede equitable access or participation that you may address: gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age.

A general statement of an applicant’s nondiscriminatory hiring policy is not sufficient to meet this requirement. Applicants must identify potential barriers and explain steps they will take to overcome these barriers.

*Note: Applicants are required to address this provision by attaching a statement to the GEPA “Notice to All Applicants” form that is included in the North American Mobility application package that must be downloaded in Grants.gov.

Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)

What is GPRA?

The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 is a straightforward statute that requires all Federal agencies to manage their activities with attention to the consequences of those activities. Each agency clearly states what it intends to accomplish, identifies the resources required, and regularly reports its progress to the Congress. In doing so, GPRA is improving accountability for the expenditures of public funds, improving Congressional decision-making with more thorough and objective information on the effectiveness of Federal programs, and promoting a new government focus on results, cost-effectiveness, service delivery, and customer satisfaction.

FIPSE performance is focused on 1) the extent to which funded projects are being replicated—i.e., adopted or adapted—by others; and 2) the manner in which projects are being institutionalized and continued after grant funding. These two results constitute FIPSE’s indicators of the success of our program. Consequently, applicants for FIPSE grants are advised to give careful consideration to these two outcomes in conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation the proposed project. Consideration of these outcomes is an important part of many of the review criteria discussed below. Thus, it is important to the success of your application that you include these objectives and their measure. If funded, you will be asked to collect and report data from your project on these indicators.

Guidelines for U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program

Two Categories of Awards

The U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program awards two types of grants: 1) Four-Year Consortia Projects and 2) Short-Term Complementary Activities Projects (up to two years of funding). Each country will provide support only for participating institutions within its borders. We anticipate that fiscal year 2007 projects will begin as early as September 1, 2007, but no later than October 1, 2007. We estimate that FIPSE will make about 10 new four-year consortia grants and about 2 short-term complementary activities grants. The numbers of grants made in each category may change based on the quality of the applicant pool in both categories. Total grant amounts for each U.S. consortium for four-year consortia grants will likely be about $200,000 for the four-year period. The total amount for the U.S. consortium for short-term complementary grants will be about $75,000 for up to two years of funding. These amounts will be matched by CAPES on the Brazilian side.

FIPSE and CAPES will award funding to successful consortia via the lead partner in each country respectively. Awards are intended to cover a portion of the total costs of the activities to be undertaken. Because each project is expected to provide a long-term benefit to the partner institutions and their students, institutions are expected to make a substantial contribution to the project as evidence of their commitment to its objectives.

This program is based on objectives outlined in a 1997 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Education between the United States and Brazil. The MOU laid out a plan to “enhance and expand cooperative efforts in education” by attempting to “identify new areas for joint activities in the field of education wherever they deem appropriate and to strengthen or expand existing programs.”

One of the key activities outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding was “diversifying educational exchanges between the United States and Brazil,” which involved “establishing an exchange program for United States and Brazilian students majoring in mutually agreed upon academic areas…to spend up to one calendar year in [the] respective countries attending classes and interning in firms related to their areas of study.”

Related to this activity was the objective to establish “methods for enhancing institutional linkages between the United States and Brazilian universities and other educational institutions to enhance the mobility of faculty and students and promote mutual recognition of credits and studies.”

While the U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program addresses all of these important activities in these guidelines, it is important to remember that the purpose of this grant program is to promote more than student exchange. Throughout these guidelines, you will see that FIPSE and CAPES also emphasize the importance of curriculum development as well as of language and cultural preparation as key factors in promoting student mobility. Students should be exchanged in the context of a common program of study or curriculum and should draw benefits from the added value of spending time abroad. The time abroad should count for their study within their academic major at their home institution and should not significantly increase their time to degree completion.

Objectives of the Program

The U.S.-Brazil Program aims to improve the quality of students in undergraduate and graduate education in both countries and to explore ways to prepare students for work through the:

• Development of sustainable agreements on mutual recognition and portability of academic credits among U.S. and Brazilian institutions;

• Development of sustainable shared curricula among U.S. and Brazilian institutions;

• Acquisition of the languages and exposure to the cultures of the United States and Brazil;

• Development of student apprenticeships or other work related experiences; and

• Development of sustained cooperation and exchange among academic personnel at U.S. and Brazilian institutions.

This program encourages consortia to achieve these objectives by extending partnerships beyond higher education and training institutions to include others such as businesses, professional associations, and public agencies in both countries.

Though the FIPSE and CAPES have issued similar application materials and program guidelines, some important differences exist to reflect country-specific needs. Applicants from each country should use only the application materials and program guidelines issued by their government when completing the application packet.

However, it is important that the application for funding to both FIPSE and CAPES be as similar as possible in order to facilitate a comparable evaluation from both sides. The two parallel applications should be signed by the lead partners from both countries.

Though the FIPSE and CAPES have issued similar application materials and program guidelines, some important differences exist to reflect country-specific needs. Applicants from each country should use only the application materials and program guidelines issued by their government when completing the application packet.

For both the short-term complementary activities and the four-year consortia partnership competitions, your consortium must involve at least two active partner postsecondary or training institutions and an optional third associate partner from each country. Partnerships among institutions in different states in the United States and Brazil are preferred.

We encourage you to add a third partner from other relevant organizations (e.g., industry, non-governmental organizations, publishers, government departments, chambers of commerce, research institutes, etc.) that will help give your project the national and international visibility necessary for it to succeed beyond the funding period. Some of these organizations may collaborate to offer internships. Others may offer professional advice and expertise. Please note, however, that funding in each consortium is intended only for U.S. or Brazilian host institutions in which students are enrolled.

We recommend parity in the number of academic institutions from each country involved in each consortium. Make sure that all of your academic institutions intend to participate fully in the project and that the non-academic partners show strong support for the idea and the plan that you submit to us.

Your consortia should nominate one lead institution from the United States and one from Brazil. In the case of Brazil, the lead applicant must be a public institution. The members of your consortium must jointly prepare a common proposal. The lead institution in each country must submit a separate proposal to its respective government agency (see a listing under Submission Process). Though guidelines published by both governments are essentially the same, you should make sure that each lead institution refers to its respective government’s guidelines because different country-specific needs and requirements apply.

For the four-year consortia projects, we encourage you to create new consortia based on new or existing partnerships. Two-year complementary projects should be based on solid evidence of existing partnerships. You should include descriptions of all project staff that will be involved. In addition to the description of the project director at each institution, it is important that you clearly indicate the distinct contribution of each partner institution to the joint project.

FIPSE and CAPES give a high priority to ensuring the broadest possible participation in the U.S.-Brazil Program. Given the relatively small number of projects that can be funded, individual departments, academic programs, or professional programs should not apply to participate in more than one consortium in any given competition.

Your project should draw upon and complement the international mission and staff expertise of each of the member institutions of the consortium. For the four-year consortia projects, your project should be clearly student-centered. When designing a project, you should always keep in mind the potential academic and professional impact that this project will have on students from both countries.

Project Focus

The U.S.-Brazil Program is open to all disciplinary and professional fields, vocational programs, as well as cross-disciplinary studies, both at graduate and undergraduate levels. FIPSE and CAPES place priority on projects that focus on providing solutions and insights to problems and issues of national significance to both countries.

FIPSE and CAPES are particularly interested in supporting two areas of priorities focusing on improving U.S. and Brazilian higher education: 1) the expansion of access into higher education and the increase of transfer between vocational training and higher education; 2) the improvement of teacher education in mathematics and science in the United States and Brazil.

For all projects, it is important in your justification of your project that you explain the added value to your field or profession of developing a U.S.-Brazil approach. For example, if your project focuses on areas such as environmental sciences and sustainable development, social sciences, public health, or human resource development, you should explain the relevance of your project idea in a U.S.-Brazilian context and how this idea will build better cooperation between the two countries.

Institutional Commitment

Institutional commitment is a key indicator of success of a U.S.-Brazil Project. Institutional commitment is indicated by strong letters of support as well as through institutional contribution of funds to the project. Each partner institution must include in the proposal a letter of endorsement from the senior executive officer (e.g., rector, vice-chancellor, president) as well as from other officials responsible for international student activities (director of international affairs, registrar, academic dean, and/or department head). These letters must indicate how the project fits within the international strategy of the institution and should emphasize how this project will complement that strategy. Endorsement letters must also indicate the institution's willingness and intent to sign agreements on credit transfer and tuition fee waivers with partner institutions. Letters should detail how the institution intends to support this program in the areas of institutional financial commitment, student language preparation, student tuition and fees. In addition, institutions should clearly indicate in the budget how these projects will be sustained after the award period. Original letters should be sent from the lead institution to its government agency. Copies of letters from all institutions should be included in the applications to both funding agencies. Letters may be in English or Portuguese.

Letters of support are very important to your project. In the case of four-year consortia projects, during the first-year preparatory phase of the project, you will be asked to build upon the commitment stated in the support letters through the development of explicit Memoranda of Understanding.

Four-Year Consortia Projects

The first grant category in the U.S.-Brazil Program is the Four-Year Consortia Projects. This grant category has been funded by FIPSE and CAPES since 2001.

The four-year Consortia grants are broken up into two major parts. The first part is the one-year preparatory phase that allows grantees to formalize consortia agreements on issues such as credit recognition and/or transfer among institutions; fees and tuition arrangements; language requirements; and student visa requirements. This also allows grantees time to begin curricular development as well as establish an administrative infrastructure before their consortia begins to send students abroad. The second phase begins after successful completion of the preparatory phase and an evaluation by FIPSE and CAPES to see whether all requirements have been met. The second phase lasts three years and centers on student mobility, language learning, and curricular development. Experience in other international programs has demonstrated that consortia that have addressed important administrative issues in advance are more likely to develop solid projects. For this reason, FIPSE and CAPES have made funding after the preparatory phase contingent upon a consortium's satisfactory progress in these areas.

Successful four-year consortia projects clearly integrate curriculum development and student mobility in a meaningful way. Your project needs to focus on its own innovative "U.S.-Brazilian" approach to training and education. The activities should aim not only to send students abroad but also to integrate a new perspective into what students learn and how they learn.

While you design the new curriculum, you should aim to fully integrate students into the normal academic and cultural milieu of the host institution and community. Students should take most, if not all, of their courses at the host institution alongside native students, rather than in special courses for foreign students.

Competitive proposals will focus on the following key activities:

1) Development of innovative curricula, teaching materials, and modules.

Your proposal should identify a particular academic or professional field of study on which your consortium will focus for international collaboration. Your proposal should address an important curricular problem or need within this field and describe a particular U.S.-Brazilian strategy to add value to this field of study. For example, your proposal should address how your project implements a new educational program or improves current practice to prepare students to work in an international context. Please detail the program of study in terms of the courses, training, internships, or work placements that students might typically take at both the home and the host institution. You should indicate whether the proposed curriculum is based on existing courses offered at partner institutions, new courses that are to be developed by the consortium, or both. Your proposal should address how the students' experience abroad will be integrated into the existing academic program prior to and following study abroad. You should describe all additional activities that you plan to organize, including the establishment of intensive programs, the organization of faculty exchanges, the development of teaching materials, the use of new technologies, and the integration of distance learning.

2) Development of organizational frameworks for student mobility.

You should address student mobility in detail. You should discuss what value your project adds to your particular field of study through a bilateral approach and how you believe students will benefit academically and professionally from such a perspective.

You should clearly describe the target student population (e.g., fourth-year undergraduate business students at a university; second-year students of aviation mechanics at a technical college; second-year master of business students at a research university). You should also state the number of students who will benefit from the project. Experience shows that projects work best if they target advanced undergraduate students at two- or four-year colleges or graduate students in their second or third years. This arrangement allows for planning and recruitment for study abroad well before student departure to the partner institutions. It also allows for adequate foreign language training for students and gives students more time to plan for their trip. Your proposal should explain how long a student will be studying abroad and how credit for academic work at the partner institutions will be transferred to or recognized by the student's home institution.

Note that student participation in these programs should not prolong time to degree.

Student mobility for purposes of graduate training must be framed within the curricular focus of your consortium (see above). This means that you should explain how graduate student training relates to topics and issues around which your U.S.-Brazilian collaboration is centered. Explain how the proposed training activities add to the overall goals of your consortium. Please note that mobility stipends are not intended to support individual student research activities.

Student Mobility Numbers and Duration

You must indicate how many students you intend to send to Brazil and how many you intend to receive in the United States.

On average, you should plan for each partner institution to move no fewer than eight (8) students over the life of the project. A project with four institutions, for example, should accommodate a minimum of 16 students from the United States and 16 students from Brazil. Proposals moving a greater number of students will be considered more competitive; however, projects should be realistic in how they plan to deal with larger numbers of students.

Participating students from all partner institutions should have opportunities to study at a foreign member institution for a period of one, or preferably two, semesters. If your project involves internships, the duration of time abroad may be longer in length.

Student Recruitment

A major factor contributing to the success of consortia is a good plan for student recruitment. Please describe how your project will actively recruit students for participation in this project. You should send only advanced undergraduate students at community colleges or four-year colleges, or graduate students in their second or third years. Because language learning is a key component of this program, start students thinking about the program early and help guide them to make the proper course choices to ensure that they can acquire an adequate level of language proficiency in advance. You should discuss how you intend to provide access to a broad representation of the student population with respect to ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status.

Academic Credit Recognition

In order to assure that students do not increase their time to degree completion, you must make sure that students who study abroad can get academic credit for their work at their home institution. You should outline in detail how you intend to ensure full academic credit recognition for a student's study time abroad. You should discuss what formal administrative assurances home institutions will provide students so that their study abroad will be fully credited upon their return and how student academic work will be evaluated from one consortia institution to the next. Please note that formal agreements for credit recognition must be signed by participating institutions by the end of the preparatory phase (see “Preparatory Phase” below).

The home (sending) and host (receiving) institutions and the individual student must agree in writing to the content of the study program before the student's departure. The agreement should indicate the home institution's assurance that the study abroad, if successfully completed, will be recognized as fulfilling a comparable period of study in the home institution.

Fees

Students studying abroad will pay the usual tuition and fees at their home institution and should incur no additional financial obligations to the host institution. This includes fees for tuition, registration, examinations, and the use of library and laboratory facilities.

Student Stipends

Student stipends are divided into two categories: Mobility stipends and language stipends.

Mobility stipends are intended to offset additional costs incurred by students traveling abroad in addition to the costs of remaining at the home institution. Legitimate costs include travel and room and board expenses. Stipends must not be used for tuition or fees (see above). The amount of money allotted a student for study abroad should reflect the additional cost incurred. Students who study for shorter periods or in less expensive places should receive less money than students who study for longer periods of time or in more expensive places. The total amount of Federal mobility stipend money allotted to any one U.S. student may not exceed $3,500. Please note that student mobility money is intended for foreign study only. This means that stipends may not be used to move students to other institutions in their home countries.

Language stipends are intended to help U.S. students learn the Portuguese language for purposes of their study in Brazil. The total amount of Federal funds allotted a student (up to $1,000 per student) may be used for language stipends for U.S. students to learn Portuguese in the United States or in Brazil. The total student request (mobility and language stipend) should range between $72,000 and $90,000 of the total $200,000 for the life of the grant. Mobility requests should be accompanied by clear descriptions of the purpose of student mobility, planned student recruitment, and examples of student activities. Language stipends may be budgeted for all four years. Student mobility funds should not be budgeted in the first year of the grant, which is a preparatory year.

Student Support and Services

You should discuss what student services you will provide to help students participate in these new programs at both the home and the host institutions in both countries. The aim is to ensure that participating students are well prepared for a foreign study experience and that they will be received in an appropriate manner at host institutions. You should include details about pre-departure orientation activities at the home institutions and the reception and orientation activities at receiving institutions. You should also identify how returning students will be reintegrated into their home institutions following their international study experiences.

3) Development of adequate language preparation and assessment.

Because a key objective of this program is to encourage and enable students to experience an academic, cultural, and linguistic milieu different from their own, you must clearly address the cultural and linguistic instruction you plan to give students before, during, and after their study abroad. You should explain in detail how students will gain language proficiency adequate enough to participate successfully in studies at the host institution. Discuss what level of language proficiency you are targeting and why.

Please describe what institutional and other resources will be used to prepare students or guest students to study within the framework of the program. An example might be how your foreign language departments will play a role in training departing students in Portuguese even if they do not have a Portuguese language program. You should also discuss how you will assess if students are ready for instruction in a language other than their own. Discuss how you will ensure that students visiting Brazilian institutions will have adequate Portuguese instruction on site. Likewise, you should discuss how the U.S. host institution helps incoming students with the improvement of English skills if they need it.

Please note that consortia that propose to offer courses or seminars only in English will not be considered competitive. Language proficiency in both English and Portuguese is key to a student's integration in the academic culture of the host institution.

4) Development, where appropriate, of apprenticeships or work placements.

If your project involves work experience, you should address how you will establish and organize student apprenticeship opportunities or work placements in one or both of the partner countries. This includes how long the apprenticeship or work placement will last and how it will conform to the applicable laws and regulations of the host country. Please discuss who will oversee internship placements and activities. Please include names and locations of participating industry, governmental and non-governmental organizations in which you intend to place your students. You should also describe how students will build upon this experience upon their return and after their graduation.

5) Strategies for professional certification, licensure, and/or accreditation.

If your project focuses on professional education, you should discuss how your project will work with private, state, and national professional associations, and with accrediting organizations to develop means for international quality assurance and certification.

6) Use of new Web-based and other computer-based technologies.

You may wish to use new technologies to enhance intra-project communication, curriculum development, teaching and learning, and preparation of students in both countries. Further, new technologies can be used to expand access to the project. A consortium, for example, can use the Internet to give access to all students at their participating institutions to course material that is part of the common core established by the consortia, commonly developed by the consortia, or available at each of the partner institutions.

7) Development of a strong project evaluation plan.

Formative evaluation helps with project management, and a strong summative evaluation helps projects become models for other institutions and consortia to follow. You and your consortium should develop a detailed evaluation plan which states the goals of your project and indicates what qualitative and quantitative evidence you will gather to measure the success of your project. We recommend that your consortium plan to engage an external evaluator that will evaluate the project at the consortia level, rather than just at your lead institution. You should list the name of an external evaluator who will help you and your U.S. and Brazilian partners with project evaluation. We suggest that you request funds in your budget to support project evaluation throughout the life of your project.

8) Preparatory Phase: First Year of Project.

Successful consortia projects are built upon strong inter-institutional agreements that are confirmed by signed memoranda of understanding among institutional partners. For this reason, FIPSE and CAPES support an initial year of funding to allow grantees to complete administrative planning and cooperative bilateral arrangements at the inter-institutional level. Student mobility will begin only after the successful completion of the preparatory phase (but no later than the end of the second year of the project). During the first year, consortia must formalize agreements in the following areas:

• Institutional financial commitment to the project;

• Financial sustainability beyond the government funding period;

• Student recruitment and selection;

• Student language preparation;

• Student tuition and fees;

• Student credit transfer and/or recognition;

• Faculty and curricular development; and

• Evaluation report for the first year.

In order to ensure the success of the entire project, funding for the subsequent three years will be contingent upon satisfactory achievements during the preparatory first year. Evidence must clearly demonstrate that all institutional partners are fully committed to work together and that formal arrangements are in place to achieve goals and objectives in all of the areas identified above.

As a minimum requirement, by the end of the first year the bilateral consortium will be required to submit to the two funding authorities copies of formal agreements signed by all partner institutions with respect to: (a) academic credit transfer and recognition, and (b) student tuition and fees.

Projects that do not satisfactorily meet these preparatory requirements by the end of the first year will not receive government support beyond that point.

IMPORTANT: The preparatory phase of the project does not reduce the need for you to develop and present clear and detailed plans of action and signed support letters from all of your partner institutions at the time of application. The application must be completely and fully developed, including a section on the preparatory phase that describes plans to address the issues identified above.

Short-Term Complementary Activities

The second grant category supported by FIPSE and CAPES is short-term complementary activities grants.

Purpose and Objectives of the Complementary Activities

The purpose of this grant category is to support activities that complement existing partnerships between or among U.S. and Brazilian colleges and universities. The objectives of these activities will be to support the extension of projects through: 1) outreach to local or regional communities in both countries; 2) scale-up of current activities to include additional partners and organizations; or 3) the dissemination of project results.

Proposed activities may add to work at groups of institutions currently funded by the U.S Brazil Program or add to established partnerships not previously supported under the U.S. Brazil Program. The proposed complementary activities must be based on solid evidence of an existing relationship between and among institutions of higher education in the United States and Brazil. Institutions proposing to develop new relationships between U.S. and Brazilian institutions should consider applying for the four-year consortia grants.

Applicants should be explicit in the application about how the project helps build relationships between and among colleges and universities in both countries and relevant community organizations, local and state government, non-governmental organizations, and private sector enterprises.

Selection of Projects

Proposals for complementary activities must include a narrative of no more than 10 pages (single spaced) or 20 pages (double spaced) with a font size of 12 that includes a plan of action, a timeline for project activities, an evaluation plan, and a plan for disseminating project results. Competitive proposals are those providing a plan for a high level of impact for the future of U.S.-Brazil cooperation in higher education.

Competitive proposals for the complementary activities should focus on the following four components:

1. Significance of the proposed project to the United States and Brazil.

Describe how your project is important to both the United States and Brazil. You may choose projects that focus on single or multidisciplinary approaches to issues of high importance to both countries (e.g., social science, education and public policy, engineering and technology, agricultural and veterinary sciences, and environmental sciences and management, and biological and health sciences). Explain how this project will enhance understanding about key issues and concerns beyond the college and university communities in the United States and Brazil.

2. Description of the complementary activity.

Describe in detail the nature and purpose of your proposed idea. This should include a rationale for a U.S.-Brazil approach as well as a discussion of the activities to be conducted, the personnel who will execute these activities, and the intended results of these activities. Explain how this project will increase knowledge within a particular discipline or a group of disciplines. Finally, provide a clear description of how this project will involve students, including how the project will measure student success. Activities should involve extension of the college or university activities to the broader community through any of the following: 1) service learning; 2) community service; 3) internships/externships; 4) organized faculty/student volunteerism; and 4) evaluation and dissemination.

3. Description of the partnership.

As mentioned above, complementary activities are intended for well-established partnerships of institutions between the United States and Brazil. (Those institutions seeking to establish new partnerships should apply for a four-year consortia grant.) In your application, please describe the existing relationship among the partner institutions in the United States and Brazil. You will need to describe the role of the lead institutions in the United States and Brazil and how these institutions will work with the partner institutions. Please provide a discussion of how the proposed activity builds upon a well-established partnership between U.S. and Brazilian institutions

4. Evaluation plan.

Formative evaluation helps with project management, and a strong summative evaluation helps projects become models for other institutions and consortia to follow. You and your consortium should develop a detailed evaluation plan which states the goals of your project and indicates what qualitative and quantitative evidence you will gather to measure the success of your project. We recommend that your consortium plan to engage an external evaluator that will evaluate the project at the consortia level, rather than just at your lead institution. You should list the name of an external evaluator who will help you and your U.S. and Brazilian partners with project evaluation. We suggest that you request funds in your budget to support project evaluation throughout the life of your project.

5. Description of activities and timeline

Describe what you and your partners expect to accomplish on a one- or two-year schedule. What skills and resources will each partner contribute to the project? How will the resources requested from FIPSE and CAPES complement current projects to increase knowledge about issues important to the United States and Brazil?

Financial Considerations

Awards for the four-year consortia projects will provide four years of funding, including a first-year preparatory phase. Grants for the short-term complementary activities will provide up to two years of funding. Each country will provide support only for participating institutions within its borders. Awards are intended to provide seed funding for conducting joint innovative projects that can be established within this period and which, once established, can be continued without ongoing program support. It is essential that you indicate in your proposal how activities will be sustained beyond the funding period.

Your projects should be cost-effective in their design and administration. The most competitive proposals will attempt to maximize the number of students going abroad through wise use of stipends and other institutional resources.

Country Support

Each government will provide financial support only for participating institutions within its borders. You should note that funding levels provided by each country may vary. We recommend that funding arrangements be worked out by consortium members prior to submitting a proposal.

The United States will provide a total of approximately $2 million over four years to support approximately 12 grants which support the participation of U.S. institutions and students in consortia. Brazil will provide financial support for its institutions and students.

Total Financial Support for U.S. institutions

For U.S. institutions participating in the four-year consortia projects, total financial support per consortium for the life of the project is anticipated to be about $200,000. First-year budgets for four-year consortia projects must be limited to $30,000 for all U.S. partners. For U.S. institutions participating in the short-term complementary activities projects, total financial support for each consortium is anticipated to be about $37,500 per year or a total of about $75,000.

Awards and Institutional Commitment

FIPSE and CAPES will award funding to successful consortia via the lead partner, which will serve as the grantee and fiscal agent in each country. Awards are intended to cover a portion of the total costs of the activities to be undertaken. As the project is intended to be of long-term benefit to the partner institutions and their students, your partner institutions should make a substantial contribution to the project as evidence of their commitment to its objectives.

Annual Project Directors’ Meeting

An important part of the U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program is the Annual Project Directors’ Meeting, held over a period of about three days in alternating years in each country. The participation of all partners in your consortium at these meetings is essential because it provides the only opportunity for your consortium and both government-funding agencies to meet together. This meeting is intended for individual members of consortia to share ideas on what works. It is also intended as a forum for discussion to help guide the two funding agencies to make important decisions on how best to coordinate this program. Consortia are also given ample time during the annual meeting to meet as a group by themselves as well as with their government program officers from both countries. Please make sure that your budget includes funding to support adequate participation in these meetings. We anticipate that the project directors’ meeting will be held in the Unites States in the fall of 2007 and in Brazil in the fall of 2008.

Annual and Final Performance Reports

FIPSE and CAPES will carefully monitor the progress of projects towards their goals through communication with their respective lead and partner institutions and through communication between them. Project leaders from both countries will be required to submit to their respective government agency an annual progress report, which discusses progress on project goals, including curricular development, student mobility, and project expenditures, and a detailed plan for the following year. U.S. lead institutions will receive instructions from FIPSE on how to complete the annual report forms on-line. It is expected that the lead institution in each country will maintain information and data from all participating institutions so that a consortium will be able to submit essentially the same report to both government agencies. Final reports will be due 90 days after the completion of the grant.

Submission Process: U.S. and Brazil

These guidelines list key objectives, activities and types of partnerships that help build the strong inter-institutional collaboration necessary for building international consortia.

It is important that you and your U.S. and Brazilian partners read these guidelines carefully when developing your proposal. We strongly recommend that your Brazilian partners read the Brazilian version published by CAPES. Both the Portuguese and English version of these guidelines are available on the FIPSE website at <http://www.ed.gov/FIPSE> as well as on the CAPES website at <http://www.capes.gov.br>. One of the most common reasons that consortia do not receive funding is that their team of applicants failed to read carefully the information provided them before sending in an application.

Please note that successful international projects among institutions of higher education need involvement at all levels of the institutions. We suggest you introduce your idea early to your academic administration to ensure their cooperation in developing this program.

Application Checklist

Use This Checklist While Preparing Your Application Package: All items listed on this checklist are required.

The Application Package:

• SF-424

• Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF-424

• ED FIPSE Project Title Form

• ED FIPSE Budget Summary Form

• ED FIPSE Consortium Partners Identification Form:

  • Completed two (2) times

• ED Abstract Form:

  • Attach Abstract

• Program Narrative Attachments Form:

  • Attach Project Description

• Budget Narrative Attachment Form:

  • Attach Budget Narrative/Summary, and

  • Letters of Confirmation

• Other Attachments Form:

  • Attach Personnel Information,

  • Planning Timetable, and

  • Endorsement Letters

• 424B

• Grants.gov Lobbying Form

• GEPA

• Survey Ensuring Equal Opportunity

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