Applications for New Awards; Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship Program

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program provides opportunities for doctoral students to engage in dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. The program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States.

Assistance Listing Number: 84.022A.

OMB Control Number: 1840-0005.

Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority and three competitive preference priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute priority and Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2 are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 662.21(d)). Competitive Preference Priority 3 is from the Secretary's Notice of Final Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2021 (86 FR 70612) (Supplemental Priorities).

Absolute Priority: For FY 2025, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet this priority.

This priority is:

Specific Geographic Regions of the World.

A research project that focuses on one or more of the following geographic areas: Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, South Asia, the Near East, Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and the Western Hemisphere (excluding the United States and its territories).

Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2025, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an additional two points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 1; an additional two points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 2; and an additional two points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 3 (up to 6 additional points possible).

These priorities are:

Competitive Preference Priority 1—Focus on Less Commonly Taught Languages (2 points).

A research project that focuses on any modern foreign language except French, German, or Spanish.

Competitive Preference Priority 2—Thematic Focus on Academic Fields (2 points).

Applications that propose dissertation research projects in modern foreign languages and area studies with an academic focus on any of the following academic fields: science (including climate change), technology, engineering (including infrastructure studies), mathematics, computer science, psychology, social work, education (comparative or international), international development, political science, public health (including epidemiology), or economics.

Competitive Preference Priority 3—Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities (2 points).

The project will be implemented by one of the following entities:

• Historically Black colleges and universities (as defined in this notice).
• Minority-serving institutions (as defined in this notice).
• Tribal colleges and universities (as defined in this notice).

Definitions: The following definitions are from the Supplemental Priorities and 34 CFR 662.7.

Area studies means a program of comprehensive study of the aspects of a society or societies, including the study of their geography, history, culture, economy, politics, international relations, and languages.

Binational commission means an educational and cultural commission established, through an agreement between the United States and either a foreign government or an international organization, to carry out functions in connection with the DDRA Fellowship program.

Historically Black colleges and universities means colleges and universities that meet the criteria set out in 34 CFR 608.2.

Institution of Higher Education means the definition contained in 34 CFR 600.4.

Minority-serving institution means an institution that is eligible to receive assistance under sections 316 through 320 of part A of title III, under part B of title III, or under title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA).

Tribal college or university has the meaning ascribed it in section 316(b)(3) of the HEA.

Note: Hispanic-Serving Institutions that meet the criteria in 34 CFR 606.2(a) are, among other qualifying institutions, “minority-serving institutions.”

Program Authority: 22 U.S.C. 2452(b)(6).

Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal civil rights laws.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Guidance for Federal Assistance in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 662. (e) The Supplemental Priorities.

Note: The open licensing requirement in 2 CFR 3474.20 does not apply to this program.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants redistributed as fellowships to individual beneficiaries.

Estimated Available Funds: $8,249,000 for the Fulbright-Hays Overseas programs. We intend to use an estimated $3,000,000 for the DDRA competition. 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: $15,000-$60,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $37,500.

Estimated Number of Awards: 80.

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

Project Period: The institutional project period is 18 months. Doctoral students may request funding for a period of no less than 6 months and no more than 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1.a. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education (IHEs). Eligible doctoral students submit their individual research narratives and application forms to the project director at their home IHE, who then compiles all the research narratives from the doctoral students and incorporates them into the institutional grant application package that the institution submits electronically through the Department's G6 system on behalf of all doctoral student applicants at that institution.

b. Individuals Eligible to Receive a Fellowship: An individual is eligible to receive a fellowship if the individual: is a citizen, national or permanent resident of the United States; is a graduate student in good standing at an institution of higher education and, when the fellowship period begins, is admitted to candidacy in a doctoral degree program in modern foreign languages and area studies at that institution; is planning a teaching career in the United States upon completion of his or her doctoral program; and possesses sufficient foreign language skills to carry out the dissertation research project.

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

b. Administrative Cost Limitation: In accordance with 34 CFR 663.30(d), the Secretary awards the institution an administrative allowance of $100 for each fellowship listed in the grant award document.

3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities described in the grantee's application.

4. Build America, Buy America Act: This program is not subject to the Build America, Buy America Act (Pub. L. 117-58) domestic sourcing requirements.

5. Other: Under 34 CFR 662.22(b), no applicant for a fellowship may be awarded more than one graduate fellowship under the Fulbright-Hays Act from appropriations for a given fiscal year. Therefore, no DDRA Fellowship Program applicant concurrently may receive a grant from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program (FUSP) and a grant from the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program from the same fiscal year's appropriation. For this reason, when applying for a grant under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program, a doctoral student must indicate in the application whether they have also applied for a FUSP grant. At any time during the U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program competition process, if a doctoral student accepts a fellowship award from the FUSP, or the FUSP disperses funds to provide training services to a doctoral student, that doctoral student is automatically deemed ineligible for consideration for a grant under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program. Also, if the FUSP notifies the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program that it has awarded funds or provided training to a potential recipient of a Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship, the Department will automatically deem the doctoral student ineligible for further consideration. Doctoral students thus should notify the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT prior to accepting any grant support or training from the FUSP.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Both IHEs and doctoral student applicants can obtain an application package via the internet at the following internet address: www.g6.ed.gov.

2. Submission Dates and Times:

Submit applications for grants under the program electronically using www.g6.ed.gov. For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, please refer to Other Submission Requirements.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT . If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual's application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

3. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.

4. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

5. Recommended Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the application narrative to no more than 10 pages and the bibliography to no more than two pages and (2) use 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).
• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.

The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet, budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurance and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the biography, or the letters of support. However, the recommended page limit does apply to all of the application narrative.

6. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and System for Award Management (SAM):

To do business with the Department, you must—

a. Have a UEI and a TIN;

b. Register both your UEI and TIN with SAM, the Government's primary registrant database;

c. Provide your UEI and TIN on your application; and

d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information while your application is under review by the Department and, if you are awarded a grant, during the project period.

If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a new TIN, please allow two to five weeks for your TIN to become active.

The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data you enter into the SAM database. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your UEI and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

Note:

Once your SAM registration is active, it may be 24 to 48 hours before you can submit an application through G6.

If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with your UEI is correct. Also note that you will need to update your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.

Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further assist you with obtaining and registering your UEI and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, please visit https://sam.gov/content/help.

7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically unless an IHE qualifies for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Submit applications for grants under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.022A, electronically using the G6 system, accessible through the Department's G6 site at www.g6.ed.gov. While completing the electronic application, both the IHE and the doctoral student applicant will be entering data online that will be saved into a database. Neither the IHE nor the doctoral student applicant may email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

Please note the following:

• The process for submitting applications electronically under the Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program requires several steps. The following is a brief overview of the process; however, all applicants should review the detailed description of the application process in the application package. In summary, the major steps are:

(1) IHEs must email the name of the institution and the full name and email address of the project director to DDRA@ed.gov. We suggest that applicant IHEs submit this information no later than 2 weeks prior to the application deadline date to ensure that they obtain access to G6 well before that date;

(2) Doctoral students must complete their individual applications and submit them to their home IHE project director using G6;

(3) Persons providing references for individual doctoral students must complete and submit reference forms for the doctoral students to the IHE project director using G6; and

(4) The IHE project director must officially submit the IHE's application, including all eligible individual doctoral student applications, reference forms, and other required forms, using G6.

• The IHE must complete the electronic submission of the grant application by 11:59:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on the application deadline date. G6 will not accept an application for this competition after 11:59:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on the application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that both the IHE and the doctoral student applicant not wait until close to the application deadline date to begin the application process. The table below shows the days and times that the G6 website will be available.