§450i. Competitive, special, and facilities research grants
(a) Establishment of grant program
(1) In order to promote research in food, agriculture, and related areas, a research grants program is hereby established in the Department of Agriculture.
(2)
(b) Competitive grants
(1) The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to make competitive grants, for periods not to exceed five years, to State agricultural experiment stations, all colleges and universities, other research institutions and organizations, Federal agencies, private organizations or corporations, and individuals, for research to further the programs of the Department of Agriculture. To the greatest extent possible the Secretary shall allocate these grants to high priority research taking into consideration, when available, the determinations made by the Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board identifying high priority research areas.
(2)
(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;
(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)
(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.
(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)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(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)
(A) include a description of the progress being made to comply with subsection (j) of this section; and
(B) be transmitted not later than January 1 of each year.
(10)
(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.
(c) Special grants
(1) The Secretary of Agriculture may make grants, for periods not to exceed 5 years-
(A) to State agricultural experiment stations, all colleges and universities, other research institutions and organizations, Federal agencies, private organizations or corporations, and individuals for the purpose of conducting research to facilitate or expand promising breakthroughs in areas of the food and agricultural sciences of importance to the United States; and
(B) to State agricultural experiment stations, land-grant colleges and universities, research foundations established by land-grant colleges and universities, colleges and universities receiving funds under the Act of October 10, 1962 (16 U.S.C. 582a et seq.), and accredited schools or colleges of veterinary medicine for the purpose of facilitating or expanding ongoing State-Federal food and agricultural research programs that-
(i) promote excellence in research on a regional and national level;
(ii) promote the development of regional research centers;
(iii) promote the research partnership between the Department of Agriculture, colleges and universities, research foundations, and State agricultural experiment stations for regional research efforts; and
(iv) facilitate coordination and cooperation of research among States through regional research grants.
(2)
(A) for any purpose for which a grant may be made under subsection (d) of this section; or
(B) for the planning, repair, rehabilitation, acquisition, or construction of a building or facility.
(3)
(4)
(A) ninety percent of such amounts shall be used for grants for regional research projects; and
(B) four percent of such amounts may be retained by the Secretary to pay administrative costs incurred by the Secretary to carry out this subsection.
(d) Facilities grants
The Secretary of Agriculture shall make annual grants to support the renovation and refurbishment (including energy retrofitting) of research spaces in buildings or spaces to be used for research, and the purchase and installation of fixed equipment in such spaces. Such grants may be used for new construction only for auxiliary facilities and fixed equipment used for research in such facilities, such as greenhouses, insectaries, and research farm structures and installations. Such grants shall be made to-
(1) each State agricultural experiment station in an amount of $100,000 or an amount which is equal to 10 per centum of the funds received by such station under the Act of March 2, 1887 (
(2) each accredited college of veterinary medicine and State agricultural experiment station which receives funds from the Federal Government for animal health research, in an amount which is equal to 10 per centum of the animal health research funds received by such college or experiment station from the Federal Government during the previous fiscal year;
(3) each forestry school not described in paragraph (1) of this subsection, which is eligible to receive funds under the Act of October 10, 1962 (16 U.S.C. 582a et seq.), in an amount which is equal to 10 per centum of the funds received by such school under that Act; and
(4) each college eligible to receive funds under the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including Tuskegee Institute, in an amount which is equal to 10 per centum of the funds received by such college under section 3222 of this title.
Any college or State agricultural experiment station eligible for annual grants under this subsection may elect to defer the receipt of an annual grant for any fiscal year for up to five years: Provided, That the total amounts deferred may not exceed $1,000,000. Application may be made for receipt of deferred grants at any time during the five years, subject to the matching funds requirement of this subsection and the availability of appropriations under this subsection.
(e) Inter-Regional Research Project Number 4
(1) The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish an Inter-Regional Research Project Number 4 (hereinafter referred to in this subsection as the "IR–4 Program") to assist in the collection of residue and efficacy data in support of-
(A) the registration or reregistration of minor use pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.); and
(B) tolerances for residues of minor use chemicals in or on raw agricultural commodities under sections 346a and 348 of title 21.
(2) The Secretary shall carry out the IR–4 Program in cooperation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, State agricultural experiment stations, colleges and universities, extension services, private industry, and other interested parties.
(3) In carrying out the IR–4 Program, the Secretary shall give priority to registrations, reregistrations, and tolerances for pesticide uses related to the production of agricultural crops for food use.
(4) As part of carrying out the IR–4 Program, the Secretary shall-
(A) participate in research activities aimed at reducing residues of pesticides registered for minor agricultural use;
(B) develop analytical techniques applicable to residues of pesticides registered for minor agricultural use, including automation techniques and validation of analytical methods; and
(C) coordinate with other programs within the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency designed to develop and promote biological and other alternative control measures.
(5) The Secretary shall prepare and submit, to appropriate Committees of Congress, a report on an annual basis that contains-
(A) a listing of all registrations, reregistrations, and tolerances for which data has been collected in the preceding year;
(B) a listing of all registrations, reregistrations, and tolerances for which data collection is scheduled to occur in the following year, with an explanation of the priority system used to develop this list; and
(C) a listing of all activities the IR–4 Program has carried out pursuant to paragraph (4).
(6) The Secretary shall submit to Congress not later than November 28, 1991, a report detailing the feasibility of requiring recoupment of the costs of developing residue data for registrations, reregistrations, or tolerances under this program. Such recoupment shall only apply to those registrants which make a profit on such registration, reregistration, or tolerance subsequent to residue data development under this program. Such report shall include:
(A) an analysis of possible benefits to the IR–4 Program of such a recoupment;
(B) an analysis of the impact of such a payment on the availability of registrants to pursue registrations or reregistrations of minor use pesticides; and
(C) recommendations for implementation of such a recoupment policy.
(7) There are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1991, and such sums as are necessary for subsequent fiscal years to carry out this subsection.
(f) Record keeping
Each recipient of assistance under this section shall keep such records as the Secretary of Agriculture shall, by regulation, prescribe, including records which fully disclose the amount and disposition by such recipient of the proceeds of such grants, the total cost of the project or undertaking in connection with which such funds are given or used, and the amount of that portion of the costs of the project or undertaking supplied by other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective audit. The Secretary of Agriculture and the Comptroller General of the United States or any of their duly authorized representatives shall have access for the purpose of audit and examination to any books, documents, papers, and records of the recipients that are pertinent to the grants received under this section.
(g) Limits on overhead costs
The Secretary of Agriculture shall limit allowable overhead costs, with respect to grants awarded under this section, to those necessary to carry out the purposes of the grants.
(h) Authorization of appropriations
Except as otherwise provided in subsections (b) and (e) of this section, there are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.
(i) Rules
The Secretary of Agriculture may issue such rules and regulations as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out this section.
(j) Application of other laws
The Federal Advisory Committee Act and title XVIII of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2281 et seq.) shall not apply to a panel or board created for the purpose of reviewing applications or proposals submitted under this section.
(k) Emphasis on sustainable agriculture
The Secretary of Agriculture shall ensure that grants made under subsections (b) and (c) of this section 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 3103(17) of this title.
(l) 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) of this section during the previous fiscal year.
(m) 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) of this section.
(
References in Text
Act of March 2, 1887 (
Act of October 10, 1962, referred to in subsecs. (c)(1)(B) and (d)(1), (3), is
Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), referred to in subsec. (d)(4), is act Aug. 30, 1890, ch. 841,
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, referred to in subsec. (e)(1)(A), is act June 25, 1947, ch. 125, as amended generally by
The Federal Advisory Committee Act, referred to in subsec. (j), is
The Food and Agriculture Act of 1977, referred to in subsec. (j), is
Amendments
1991-Subsec. (a).
Subsec. (b)(10).
Subsec. (e).
Subsec. (e)(1).
Subsec. (e)(2) to (4).
Subsec. (e)(5)(B).
Subsec. (e)(5)(C).
Subsec. (e)(6).
Subsec. (e)(6)(A).
Subsec. (e)(7).
Subsec. (f).
Subsec. (g).
Subsec. (h).
Subsec. (i).
Subsec. (j).
Subsecs. (k) to (m).
1990-
Subsec. (a).
Subsec. (b).
Subsec. (c).
Subsec. (d).
Subsec. (e).
Subsec. (f).
Subsec. (g).
Subsec. (h).
Subsec. (i).
Subsec. (j).
Subsecs. (k) and (l).
1985-Subsec. (b).
Subsec. (c).
Subsec. (i).
1981-Subsec. (b).
Subsec. (c).
Subsec. (d).
1977-
Effective Date of 1985 Amendment
Section 1409(a)(3) of
Section 1409(b)(2) of
Effective Date of 1981 Amendment
Amendment by
Effective Date of 1977 Amendment
Amendment by
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 3222, 3311, 3315, 3319 of this title.