to the educational programs assisted under this subsection;

(K) the conduct of summer institutes in foreign area, foreign language, and other international fields to provide faculty and curriculum development, including the integration of professional and technical education with foreign area and other international studies, and to provide foreign area and other international knowledge or skills to government personnel or private sector professionals in international activities;

(L) the development of partnerships between

(i) institutions of higher education; and

(ii) the private sector, government, or elementary and secondary education institutions,

in order to enhance international knowledge and skills; and

(M) the use of innovative technology to increase access to international education programs.

(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE. The non-Federal share of the cost of the programs assisted under this subsection

(A) may be provided in cash from the private sector corporations or foundations in an amount equal to onethird of the total cost of the programs assisted under this section; or

(B) may be provided as an in-cash or in-kind contribution from institutional and noninstitutional funds, including State and private sector corporation or foundation contributions, equal to one-half of the total cost of the programs assisted under this section.

(4) SPECIAL RULE.-The Secretary may waive or reduce the required non-Federal share for institutions that—

(A) are eligible to receive assistance under part A or B of title III or under title V; and

(B) have submitted a grant application under this section.

(5) PRIORITY.-In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to applications from institutions of higher education, combinations or partnerships that require entering students to have successfully completed at least 2 years of secondary school foreign language instruction or that require each graduating student to earn 2 years of postsecondary credit in a foreign language (or have demonstrated equivalent competence in the foreign language) or, in the case of a 2-year degree granting institution, offer 2 years of postsecondary credit in a foreign language.

(6) GRANT CONDITIONS. Grants under this subsection shall be made on such conditions as the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this subsection.

(7) APPLICATION.-Each application for assistance under this subsection shall include

(A) evidence that the applicant has conducted extensive planning prior to submitting the application;

(B) an assurance that the faculty and administrators of all relevant departments and programs served by the

applicant are involved in ongoing collaboration with regard to achieving the stated objectives of the application;

(C) an assurance that students at the applicant institutions, as appropriate, will have equal access to, and derive benefits from, the program assisted under this subsection; and

(D) an assurance that each institution, combination or partnership will use the Federal assistance provided under this subsection to supplement and not supplant non-Federal funds the institution expends for programs to improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages.

(8) EVALUATION.-The Secretary may establish requirements for program evaluations and require grant recipients to submit annual reports that evaluate the progress and performance of students participating in programs assisted under this subsection.

(b) PROGRAMS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.-The Secretary may also award grants to public and private nonprofit agencies and organizations, including professional and scholarly associations, whenever the Secretary determines such grants will make an especially significant contribution to improving undergraduate international studies and foreign language programs.

(c) FUNDING SUPPORT.-The Secretary may use not more than 10 percent of the total amount appropriated for this part for carrying out the purposes of this section.

SEC. 605. [20 U.S.C. 1125] RESEARCH; STUDIES; ANNUAL REPORT.

(a) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.-The Secretary may, directly or through grants or contracts, conduct research and studies that contribute to achieving the purposes of this part. Such research and studies may include

(1) studies and surveys to determine needs for increased or improved instruction in foreign language, area studies, or other international fields, including the demand for foreign language, area, and other international specialists in government, education, and the private sector;

(2) studies and surveys to assess the utilization of graduates of programs supported under this title by governmental, educational, and private sector organizations and other studies assessing the outcomes and effectiveness of programs so supported;

(3) evaluation of the extent to which programs assisted under this title that address national needs would not otherwise be offered;

(4) comparative studies of the effectiveness of strategies to provide international capabilities at institutions of higher education;

(5) research on more effective methods of providing instruction and achieving competency in foreign languages, area studies, or other international fields;

(6) the development and publication of specialized materials for use in foreign language, area studies, and other inter

national fields, or for training foreign language, area, and other international specialists;

(7) studies and surveys of the uses of technology in foreign language, area studies, and international studies programs;

(8) studies and evaluations of effective practices in the dissemination of international information, materials, research, teaching strategies, and testing techniques throughout the education community, including elementary and secondary schools; and

(9) the application of performance tests and standards across all areas of foreign language instruction and classroom

use.

(b) ANNUAL REPORT.-The Secretary shall prepare, publish, and announce an annual report listing the books and research materials produced with assistance under this section.

SEC. 606. [20 U.S.C. 1126] TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AND COOPERATION FOR FOREIGN INFORMATION ACCESS.

(a) AUTHORITY.-The Secretary is authorized to make grants to institutions of higher education, public or nonprofit private libraries, or consortia of such institutions or libraries, to develop innovative techniques or programs using new electronic technologies to collect, organize, preserve, and widely disseminate information on world regions and countries other than the United States that address our Nation's teaching and research needs in international education and foreign languages.

(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.-Grants under this section may be used

(1) to facilitate access to or preserve foreign information resources in print or electronic forms;

(2) to develop new means of immediate, full-text document delivery for information and scholarship from abroad;

(3) to develop new means of shared electronic access to international data;

(4) to support collaborative projects of indexing, cataloging, and other means of bibliographic access for scholars to important research materials published or distributed outside the United States;

(5) to develop methods for the wide dissemination of resources written in non-Roman language alphabets;

(6) to assist teachers of less commonly taught languages in acquiring, via electronic and other means, materials suitable for classroom use; and

(7) to promote collaborative technology based projects in foreign languages, area studies, and international studies among grant recipients under this title.

(c) APPLICATION.-Each institution or consortium desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information and assurances as the Secretary may reasonably require.

(d) MATCH REQUIRED.-The Federal share of the total cost of carrying out a program supported by a grant under this section shall not be more than 663 percent. The non-Federal share of such cost may be provided either in-kind or in cash, and may include contributions from private sector corporations or foundations.

SEC. 607. [20 U.S.C. 1127] SELECTION OF CERTAIN GRANT RECIPIENTS. (a) COMPETITIVE GRANTS.-The Secretary shall award grants under section 602 competitively on the basis of criteria that separately, but not less rigorously, evaluates the applications for comprehensive and undergraduate language and area centers and programs.

(b) SELECTION CRITERIA.-The Secretary shall set criteria for grants awarded under section 602 by which a determination of excellence shall be made to meet the differing objectives of graduate and undergraduate institutions.

(c) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.-The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, award grants under this part (other than section 602) in such manner as to achieve an equitable distribution of the grant funds throughout the United States, based on the merit of a proposal as determined pursuant to a peer review process involving broadly representative professionals.

SEC. 608. [20 U.S.C. 1128] EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF CERTAIN FUNDS.

(a) SELECTION CRITERIA.-The Secretary shall make excellence the criterion for selection of grants awarded under section 602.

(b) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.-To the extent practicable and consistent with the criterion of excellence, the Secretary shall award grants under this part (other than section 602) in such a manner as will achieve an equitable distribution of funds throughout the United States.

(c) SUPPORT FOR UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION.-The Secretary shall also award grants under this part in such manner as to ensure that an appropriate portion of the funds appropriated for this part (as determined by the Secretary) are used to support undergraduate education.

SEC. 609. [20 U.S.C. 1128a] AMERICAN OVERSEAS RESEARCH CENTERS.

(a) CENTERS AUTHORIZED.-The Secretary is authorized to make grants to and enter into contracts with any American overseas research center that is a consortium of institutions of higher education (hereafter in this section referred to as a "center") to enable such center to promote postgraduate research, exchanges and area studies.

(b) USE OF GRANTS.-Grants made and contracts entered into pursuant to this section may be used to pay all or a portion of the cost of of establishing or operating a center or program, including

(1) the cost of faculty and staff stipends and salaries;
(2) the cost of faculty, staff, and student travel;

(3) the cost of the operation and maintenance of overseas facilities;

(4) the cost of teaching and research materials;

(5) the cost of acquisition, maintenance, and preservation of library collections;

(6) the cost of bringing visiting scholars and faculty to a center to teach or to conduct research;

(7) the cost of organizing and managing conferences; and (8) the cost of publication and dissemination of material for the scholarly and general public.

(c) LIMITATION.-The Secretary shall only award grants to and enter into contracts with centers under this section that—

(1) receive more than 50 percent of their funding from public or private United States sources;

(2) have a permanent presence in the country in which the center is located; and

(3) are organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which are exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code.

(d) DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.-The Secretary is authorized to make grants for the establishment of new centers. The grants may be used to fund activities that, within 1 year, will result in the creation of a center described in subsection (c).

SEC. 610. [20 U.S.C. 1128b] AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part $80,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.

PART B-BUSINESS AND INTERNATIONAL
EDUCATION PROGRAMS

SEC. 611. [20 U.S.C. 1130] FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. (a) FINDINGS.-The Congress finds that—

(1) the future economic welfare of the United States will depend substantially on increasing international skills in the business and educational community and creating an awareness among the American public of the internationalization of our economy;

(2) concerted efforts are necessary to engage business schools, language and area study programs, professional international affairs education programs, public and private sector organizations, and United States business in a mutually productive relationship which benefits the Nation's future economic interests;

(3) few linkages presently exist between the manpower and information needs of United States business and the international education, language training and research capacities of institutions of higher education in the United States, and public and private organizations; and

(4) organizations such as world trade councils, world trade clubs, chambers of commerce and State departments of commerce are not adequately used to link universities and business for joint venture exploration and program development. (b) PURPOSES.-It is the purpose of this part

(1) to enhance the broad objective of this Act by increasing and promoting the Nation's capacity for international understanding and economic enterprise through the provision of suitable international education and training for business personnel in various stages of professional development; and

(2) to promote institutional and noninstitutional educational and training activities that will contribute to the ability of United States business to prosper in an international economy.