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National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research (2000)

Chapter: A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990

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Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
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Appendix A
Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990

SEC. 1615. NATIONAL COMPETITIVE RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

(a) INITIATIVE ESTABLISHED- Subsection (b) of section 2 of Public Law 89–106 (7 U.S.C. 4501) is amended—

(1) by inserting ‘COMPETITIVE GRANTS- (1)’ after ‘(b)’; and (2) by striking the third sentence and all that follows and inserting the following new paragraphs:

‘(2) HIGH PRIORITY RESEARCH- For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘high priority research’ means basic and applied research that focuses on both national and regional research needs (and methods to transfer such research to onfarm or inmarket practice) in—

‘(A) plant systems, including plant genome structure and function; molecular and cellular genetics and plant biotechnology; plant-pest interactions and biocontrol systems; crop plant response to environmental stresses; unproved nutrient qualities of plant products; and new food and industrial uses of plant products;

Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×

‘(B) animal systems, including aquaculture, cellular and molecular basis of animal reproduction, growth, disease, and health; identification of genes responsible for improved production traits and resistance to disease; improved nutritional performance of animals; and improved nutrient qualities of animal products, and uses, and the development of new and improved animal husbandry and production systems that take into account production efficiency and animal well-being, and animal systems applicable to aquaculture;

'(C) nutrition, food quality, and health, including microbial contaminants and pesticides residues related to human health; links between diet and health; bioavailability of nutrients; postharvest physiology and practices; and improved processing technologies;

‘(D) natural resources and the environment, including fundamental structures and functions of ecosystems; biological and physical bases of sustainable production systems; minimizing soil and water losses and sustaining surface water and ground water quality; global climate effects on agriculture; forestry; and biological diversity;

‘(E) engineering, products, and processes, including new uses and new products from traditional and non-traditional crops, animals, byproducts, and natural resources; robotics, energy efficiency, computing, and expert systems; new hazard and risk assessment and mitigation measures; and water quality and management; and

‘(F) markets, trade, and policy, including optional strategies for entering and being competitive in overseas markets; new decision tools for onfarm and inmarket systems; choices and applications of technology; technology assessment; and new approaches to rural economic development.

‘(3) TYPES OF GRANTS- In addition to making research grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary may conduct a program to improve research capabilities in the agricultural, food, and environmental sciences and award the following categories of competitive grants:

‘(A) Grants may be awarded to a single investigator or coinvestigators within the same discipline.

‘(B) Grants may be awarded to teams of researchers from different areas of agricultural research and scientific disciplines.

Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×

‘(C) Grants may be awarded to multidisciplinary teams that are proposing research on long-term applied research problems, with technology transfer a major component of all such grant proposals.

‘(D) Grants may be awarded to an institution to allow for the improvement of the research, development, technology transfer, and education capacity of the institution through the acquisition of special research equipment and the improvement of agricultural education and teaching. The Secretary shall use not less than 25 percent, and not more than 40 percent, of the funds made available for grants under this subparagraph to provide fellowships to outstanding pre-and post-doctoral students for research in the agricultural sciences.

‘(E) Grants may be awarded to single investigators or coinvestigators who are beginning their research careers and do not have an extensive research publication record. To be eligible for a grant under this subparagraph, an individual shall have less than 5 years of post-graduate research experience.

‘(F) Grants may be awarded to ensure that the faculty of small and mid-sized institutions who have not previously been successful in obtaining competitive grants under this subsection receive a portion of the grants.

‘(4) TERM- The term of a competitive grant made under this subsection may not exceed 5 years.

‘(5) DIRECTOR- The Secretary shall appoint a director for the grant program authorized by this subsection. The Secretary, acting through the director, shall be responsible for the overall direction of the grant program and implementation of general policies respecting the management and operation of programs and activities in the program.

‘(6) PARTICIPATION IN GRANT PROCESS- In seeking proposals for grants under this subsection and in performing peer review evaluations of such proposals, the Secretary shall seek the widest participation of qualified scientists in the Federal Government, colleges and universities, State agricultural experiment stations, and the private sector.

‘(7) CONSTRUCTION PROHIBITED- A grant made under paragraph (1) may not be used for any purpose for which a grant may be made under subsection (d) or for the planning, repair, rehabilitation, acquisition, or construction of a building or facility.

Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×

‘(8) MATCHING FUNDS-

‘(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretary may not take the offer or availability of matching funds into consideration in making a grant under this subsection.

‘(B) In the case of grants under paragraph (3)(D), the amount provided under this subsection may not exceed 50 percent of the cost the special research equipment or other equipment acquired.

‘(9) ANNUAL REPORT- The Secretary shall transmit to Congress an annual report describing the policies, priorities, and operations of the grant program authorized by this subsection during the preceding fiscal year. The report shall—

‘(A) include a description of the progress being made to comply with subsection (j); and

‘(B) be transmitted not later than January 1 of each year.

‘(10) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $150,000,000 for fiscal year 1991, $275,000,000 for fiscal year 1992, $350,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, and $400,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, and $500,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, of which each fiscal year—

‘(A) not less than 10 percent for fiscal year 1991, 20 percent for fiscal year 1992, and 30 percent for fiscal year 1993 and each fiscal year thereafter shall be available to make grants for research to be conducted by multidisciplinary teams;

‘(B) not less than 20 percent shall be available to make grants for research to be conducted by persons conducting mission-linked systems research;

‘(C) not less than 10 percent shall be available to make grants under subparagraphs (D) and (F) of paragraph (3) for awarding grants in research and education strengthening and research opportunity;

‘(D) not more than two percent may be used for equipment grants under subparagraph (3)(D); and

‘(E) not more than four percent may be retained by the Secretary to pay administrative costs incurred by the Secretary in carrying out this subsection.’.

Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×

(b) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS- Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:

‘(j) EMPHASIS ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE- The Secretary of Agriculture shall ensure that grants made under subsections (b) and (c) are, where appropriate, consistent with the development of systems of sustainable agriculture. For purposes of this section, the term ‘sustainable agriculture’ has the meaning given that term in section 1404(17) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(17)).

‘(k) REPORTS- The Secretary of Agriculture shall prepare and submit to Congress on January 1 of each year a report on awards made under subsections (b) and (c) during the previous fiscal year.

‘(l) CONSULTATION WITH TECHNOLOGY BOARD- The Secretary of Agriculture may consult with the Agricultural Science and Technology Review Board regarding the policies, priorities, and operation of subsections (b) and (c).’.

(c) STYLISTIC AMENDMENTS- Such section is further amended—

(1) by striking ‘SEC. 2. (a)’ and inserting the following:

‘SEC. 2. COMPETITIVE, SPECIAL, AND FACILITIES RESEARCH GRANTS.

‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM-‘;

(2) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘FACILITIES GRANTS-‘ after ‘(d)’;

(3) in subsection (e), by inserting ‘RECORD KEEPING-‘ after ‘(e)’;

(4) in subsection (f), by inserting ‘LIMITS ON OVERHEAD COSTS- ‘ after ‘(f)’;

(5) in subsection (g), by inserting ‘AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS-‘ after ‘(g)’;

(6) in subsection (h), by inserting ‘RULES- ‘after ‘(h)’; and (7) in subsection (i), by inserting ‘APPLICATION OF OTHER LAWS- ‘after ‘(i)’.

Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×
Page 103
Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×
Page 104
Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×
Page 105
Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×
Page 106
Suggested Citation:"A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990." National Research Council. 2000. National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9844.
×
Page 107
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Our nation faces daunting challenges to its food and fiber system and to the condition of our natural resources in the coming decades. Rapid increases in world population and the pressure on resources generated by increasing per capita consumption as a result of increasing per capita income challenge the very basis of our standard of living—our food, fiber, and natural-resource base. As the nation faces the challenges, new technologies and new information systems are changing the face of biologic research.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has traditionally been the nation's primary public research engine in food, fiber, and natural resources. The National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program (NRI) is a small part of that USDA research effort, but it accounts for a substantial portion of the nation's merit-based peer-reviewed fundamental research efforts in food, fiber, and natural resources.

In 1997, USDA asked the National Research Council Board on Agriculture (now the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources) to conduct an independent assessment of the NRI program. Specifically, USDA asked the Research Council to: perform a retrospective assessment of the quality and value of research funded by the program; determine whether the science and technology priorities in the major NRI programs are defined appropriately; assess how NRI activities complement other USDA programs, those of other federal agencies, and state programs in the private sector; and recommend the nature and content of changes for the future.

This report summarizes the results of the committee's analysis. Chapter 2 summarizes the value of food, fiber, and natural resources-research to the United States, focusing on economic contributions and rates of return of food and fiber research. The committee's analysis of the quality, value, fairness, relevance, and responsiveness of the NRI competitive grants program is presented in chapter 3. Chapter 4 presents the committee's analysis of the role and scope of the NRI, including its scientific objectives, its value in training and education, and its complementarity with other research activities. The committee's analysis of NRI's priority-setting process and its research priorities is given in chapter 5. The committee's analysis of organizational and funding issues is given in chapter 6. Chapter 7 presents the committee's recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the NRI program. Additional supporting materials are found in appendixes A through I.

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