Applications for FY 1999 National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

Applications for FY 1999 National Research Initiative Competitive

Grants Program

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Program Description and Solicitation

for Applications for Fiscal Year 1999 National Research Initiative

Competitive Grants Program.

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SUMMARY: Applications are invited for competitive grant awards in

agricultural, forest, and related environmental sciences under the

National Research Initiative (NRI) Competitive Grants Program

administered by the Competitive Research Grants and Awards Management

Division, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

(CSREES), for fiscal year (FY) 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: USDA/CSREES/NRI, Stop 2241, 1400

Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-2241. Phone: (202) 401-

5022. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

Stakeholder Input

Authority and Applicable Regulations

Conflicts of Interest

Project Types and Eligibility Requirements

I. Conventional Projects

II. Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards

Funding Categories for FY 1999

Research Opportunities

Application Materials

Materials Available on Internet

Electronic Subscription to NRI Documents

NRI Deadline Dates

Stakeholder Input

CSREES is soliciting comments regarding this solicitation of

applications from any interested party. These comments will be

considered in the development of the next request for proposals for the

program. Such comments will be forwarded to the Secretary or his

designee for use in meeting the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of

the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998

(Pub. L. 105-185). Written comments should be submitted by first-class

mail to: Office of Extramural Programs; Competitive Research Grants and

Awards Management; USDA-CSREES; STOP 2299; 1400 Independence Avenue,

SW, Washington, DC 20250-2299, or via e-mail to: [email protected]

In your comments, please include the name of the program and the

fiscal year solicitation of applications to which you are responding.

Comments are requested within six months from the issuance of the

solicitation of applications. Comments received after that date will be

considered to the extent practicable.

Authority and Applicable Regulations

The authority for this program is contained in 7 U.S.C. 450i(b).

Under this program, subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary

may award competitive research grants, for periods not to exceed five

years, for the support of research projects to further the programs of

the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Regulations applicable to this program include the following: (a)

The regulations governing the NRI, 7 CFR part 3411, which set forth

procedures to be followed when submitting grant proposals, rules

governing the evaluation of proposals and the awarding of grants, and

regulations relating to the post-award administration of grant

projects; (b) the USDA Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Agreements with Institutions of Higher-Education, Hospitals, and

Other Non-Profit Organizations, 7 CFR part 3019; (c) the USDA Uniform

Federal Assistance Regulations, 7 CFR part 3015; (d) the USDA Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to

State and Local Governments, 7 CFR part 3016; and (e) 7 U.S.C. 3103,

which defines ``sustainable agriculture.''

Conflicts of Interest

For the purpose of determining conflicts of interest in accordance

with 7 CFR part 3411.12, the academic and administrative autonomy of an

institution shall be determined by reference to the January 1998 issue

of the Codebook for Compatible Statistical Reporting of Federal Support

to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions, prepared by

Quantum Research Corporation for the National Science Foundation.

Copies may be obtained from Quantum Research Corporation, 7315

Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 400W, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Project Types and Eligibility Requirements

The project types for which proposals are solicited include:

I. Conventional Projects

(a) Standard Research Grants: Research will be supported that is

fundamental or mission-linked, and that is conducted by individual

investigators, co-investigators within the same discipline, or

multidisciplinary teams. Any State agricultural experiment station,

college, university, other research institution or organization,

Federal agency, national laboratory, private organization, corporation,

or individual may apply. Proposals submitted by non-United States

organizations will not be considered for support.

(b) Conferences: Scientific meetings that bring together scientists

to identify research needs, update information, or advance an area of

research are recognized as integral parts of research efforts. Any

State agricultural experiment station, college, university, other

research institution or organization, Federal agency, national

laboratory, private organization, corporation, or individual is an

eligible applicant in this area. Proposals submitted by non-United

States organizations will not be considered for support.

II. Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards

To contribute to the enhancement of research capabilities in the

research program areas described herein, applications are solicited for

Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards. Such applications may be

submitted by any State agricultural experiment station, college,

university, other research institution or organization, Federal agency,

national laboratory, private organization, corporation, or individual;

however, further eligibility requirements are defined in 7 CFR part

3411.3(d) and restated in the FY 1999 NRI Program Description.

Applications submitted by non-United States organizations will not be

considered for support. However, United States citizens applying as

individuals for Postdoctoral Fellowships may perform all or part of the

proposed work at a non-United States organization. Agricultural

Research Enhancement Awards are available in the following categories:

(a) Postdoctoral Fellowships

(b) New Investigator Awards

(c) Strengthening Awards: Institutions in USDA EPSCoR entities are

eligible for strengthening awards. For FY 1999, USDA EPSCoR states

consist of the following:

Alaska

Arkansas

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Connecticut

Delaware

Hawaii

Idaho

Maine

Mississippi

Montana

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Mexico

North Dakota

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Utah

Vermont

West Virginia

Wyoming

For FY 1999, other USDA-EPSCoR entities consist of the following:

American Samoa

District of Columbia

Guam

Micronesia

Northern Marianas

Puerto Rico

Virgin Islands

Investigators at small and mid-sized institutions (total enrollment

of 15,000 or less) may also be eligible for Strengthening Awards. An

institution in this instance is an organization that possesses a

significant degree of autonomy, as determined by reference to the

January 1998 issue of the Codebook for Compatible Statistical Reporting

of Federal Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit

Institutions, prepared by Quantum Research Corporation for the National

Science Foundation. Copies may be obtained from Quantum Research

Corporation, 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 400W, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Institutions which are among the top 100 universities and colleges,

except those in USDA EPSCoR states, are ineligible for strengthening

awards. The top 100 institutions excluding those in USDA EPSCoR states,

as listed in the table Federal obligations for science and engineering

research and development to the 100 universities and colleges receiving

the largest amounts, ranked by total amount received, by Agency: fiscal

year 1996 of the Survey of Federal Science and Engineering Support to

Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions (National Science

Foundation, accessible through the Internet at www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/

sfsucni/start.htm), are as follows:

Baylor College of Medicine

Boston University

California Institute of Technology

Carnegie-Mellon University

Case Western Reserve University

Colorado State University

Columbia University

Cornell University

CUNY Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Duke University

Emory University

Florida State University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Harvard University

Indiana University

Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Johns Hopkins University

Louisiana State University (All Campuses)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Medical College of Wisconsin

Michigan State University

New York University

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Northwestern University

Ohio State University

Oregon Health Sciences University

Oregon State University

Pennsylvania State University

Princeton University

Purdue University

Rockefeller University

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Stanford University

State University of New York at Stony Brook

State University of New York at Buffalo

Texas A&M University

Thomas Jefferson University

Tufts University

Tulane University

University of Alabama Birmingham

University of Arizona

University of California Santa Barbara

University of California San Francisco

University of California Irvine

University of California San Diego

University of California Davis

University of California Los Angeles

University of California Berkeley

University of Chicago

University of Cincinnati

University of Colorado

University of Florida

University of Georgia

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois Chicago

University of Iowa

University of Kansas

University of Kentucky (All Campuses)

University of Maryland Baltimore Prof Sch

University of Maryland College Park

University of Massachusetts Amherst

University of Massachusetts Med Schl Worcester

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

University of Miami

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh

University of Rochester

University of Southern California

University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas Health Science Center Houston

University of Texas Health Sci. Center San Antonio

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston

University of Texas SW Medical Center Dallas

University of Virginia

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin Madison

Vanderbilt University

Virginia Polytech Institute and State University

Virginia Commonwealth University

Wake Forest University

Washington University

Wayne State University

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Yeshiva University, New York

See the FY 1999 NRI Program Description for complete details on

programs and eligibility.

Funding Categories for FY 1999

CSREES is soliciting proposals, subject to the availability of

funds, for support of high priority research of importance to

agriculture, forestry, and related environmental sciences, in the

following research categories (ANTICIPATED FY 1999 funding and ACTUAL

FY 1998 funding, rounded to the $0.1M, follows in parentheses):

Natural Resources and the Environment (FY99: $16.3M, FY98:

$16.3M).

Nutrition, Food Quality, and Health (FY99: $7.4M, FY98:

$7.4M).

Plant Systems (FY99: $34.4M, FY98: $34.4M).

Animal Systems (FY99: $22.4M, FY98: $22.4M).

Markets, Trade, and Policy (FY99: $3.6M, FY98: $3.6M).

New Products and Processes (FY99: $6.3M, FY98: $6.3M).

Support for research opportunities listed below may be derived from

one or more of the above funding categories based on the nature of the

scientific topic to be supported.

Pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 450i(b)(10), no less than 10 percent (FY99:

$9.0M, FY98: $9.0M) of the available funds listed above will be made

available for Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards (excluding New

Investigator Awards), and no more than 2 percent (FY99: $1.8M, FY98:

$1.8M) of the available funds listed above will be made available for

equipment grants. Further, no less than 30 percent (FY99: $27.2M, FY98:

$27.2M) of the funds listed above shall be made available for grants

for research to be conducted by multidisciplinary teams, and no less

than 40 percent (FY99: $36.3M, FY98: $36.3M) of the funds listed above

shall be made available for grants for mission-linked systems research.

CSREES is prohibited from paying indirect costs exceeding 19 per

centum of the total Federal funds provided under each award on

competitively awarded research grants (7 U.S.C. 3310). However, it is

expected that Congress, in the Agriculture, Rural Development,

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Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,

1999, will prohibit CSREES from using the funds available for the NRI

for FY 1999 to pay indirect costs exceeding 14 per centum of the total

Federal funds provided under each award on competitively awarded

research grants. It is expected that Congress, in the Agriculture,

Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

Appropriations Act, 1999, will encourage entities to use grant funds to

purchase only American-made equipment or products in the case of any

equipment or product that may be authorized to be purchased with the

funds provided under this program.

Research Opportunities

The funds appropriated as listed above will be used to support

research grants in the following areas:

NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Plant Responses to the Environment

Ecosystem Science

Soils and Soil Biology

Water Resources Assessment and Protection

NUTRITION, FOOD SAFETY, AND HEALTH

Improving Human Nutrition for Optimal Health Food Safety

ANIMALS

Animal Reproductive Efficiency

Animal Growth, Development, and Nutrient Utilization

Animal Genome and Genetic Mechanisms

Animal Health and Well-Being

PEST BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Plant Pathology

Entomology and Nematology

Weed Biology and Management

Biologically Based Pest Management

PLANTS

Plant Genome

Plant Genetic Mechanisms

Plant Growth and Development

Photosynthesis and Respiration

Nitrogen Fixation/Nitrogen Metabolism

MARKETS, TRADE, AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Markets and Trade

Rural Development

ENHANCING VALUE AND USE OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST PRODUCTS

Value-Added Products Research

Food Characterization/Process/Product Research

Non-Food Characterization/Process/Product Research

Improved Utilization of Wood and Wood Fiber

AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH

(Integrated, multidisciplinary research on agricultural systems)

Application Materials

The FY 1999 NRI Program Description, which contains research topic

descriptions, and the NRI Application Kit, which contains detailed

instructions on how to apply and the requisite forms, are available on

the NRI home page, www.reeusda.gov/nri. Paper copies of these

application materials may be obtained by sending an e-mail with your

name, complete mailing address (not e-mail address), phone number, and

materials that you are requesting to [email protected]. Materials will be

mailed to you (not e-mailed) as quickly as possible. Alternatively,

paper copies may be obtained by writing or calling the office indicated

below.

Proposal Services Unit, Office of Extramural Programs, Cooperative

State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, STOP 2245, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC

20250-2245, Telephone: (202) 401-5048

Materials Available on Internet

The following are among the materials available on the NRI home

page (www.reeusda.gov/nri).

NRI Program Description

This document is available for the current fiscal year, and

describes all of the NRI funding programs. To apply for a grant, it is

also necessary to obtain the NRI Application Kit.

NRI Application Kit

This document contains guidelines for proposal preparation and the

requisite forms.

NRI Abstracts of Funded Research

The abstracts available on this searchable database are

nontechnical abstracts written by the principal investigator of each

individual grant, starting with FY 1993. Each entry also includes the

title, principal investigator(s), awardee institution, dollar amount,

and proposal number for each grant. The first two digits of the

proposal number indicate the fiscal year in which the proposal was

submitted.

NRI Annual Report

The NRI Annual Reports starting with FY 1995 are available. These

reports include descriptions of the program concept, the authorization,

policy, inputs to establish research needs, program execution, and

outcomes, including relevant statistics. Also included are examples of

recent research funded by the NRI.

Electronic Subscription to NRI Documents

The NRI has set up a mailserver which will notify subscribers when

publications such as its Program Description or Abstracts of Funded

Research are available electronically on the World Wide Web.

Subscribers will not receive the document itself, but instead will

receive an e-mail containing an announcement regarding the document's

availability on the NRI home page.

To subscribe:

Send an e-mail message to: [email protected]

In the body of the message, include only the words: subscribe nri-

epubs

To unsubscribe:

Send an e-mail message to: [email protected]

In the body of the message, include only the words: unsubscribe

nri-epubs

Please note that this is not a forum. Messages, other than those

related to subscription, can not be posted to this address.

NRI Deadline Dates

The following fixed dates have been established for proposal

submission deadlines within the NRI. To be considered for funding in

any fiscal year, proposals must be transmitted by the date listed below

(as indicated by postmark or date on courier bill of lading). When the

deadline date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, transmission must

be made by the following business day.

Programs offered in any fiscal year depend on availability of funds

and deadlines may be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. Consult

the pertinent NRI solicitation in the Federal Register, the NRI Program

Description, or the NRI home page (www.reeusda.gov/nri) for up-to-date

information.

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Program

Postmarked dates codes Program areas

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November 15..................................... 22.1 Plant Responses to the Environment.

23.0 Ecosystem Science.

25.0 Soils and Soil Biology.

26.0 Water Resources Assessment and Protection.

31.0 Improving Human Nutrition for Optimal Health.

51.4 Weed Biology and Management.

December 15..................................... 52.1 Plant Genome.

52.2 Plant Genetic Mechanisms.

53.0 Plant Growth and Development.

54.1 Photosynthesis and Respiration.

61.0 Markets and Trade.

62.0 Rural Development.

71.1 Food Characterization/Process/Product Research.

71.2 Non-Food Characterization/Process/Product

Research.

January 15...................................... 32.0 Food Safety.

41.0 Animal Reproductive Efficiency.

44.0 Animal Health and Well-Being.

51.1 Plant Pathology.

51.2 Entomology and Nematology.

51.7 Biologically Based Pest Management.

73.0 Improved Utilization of Wood and Wood Fiber.

February 15..................................... 42.0 Animal Growth, Development, and Nutrient

Utilization.

43.0 Animal Genome and Genetic Mechanisms.

54.2 Nitrogen Fixation/Nitrogen Metabolism.

80.1 Research Career Enhancement Awards.

80.2 Equipment Grants.

80.3 Seed Grants.

100.0 Agricultural Systems Research.

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Please note: Starting in fiscal year 2000, the submission deadline for the Agricultural Systems (100.0), the

Research Career Enhancement Awards (Sabbatical Awards)(80.1), the Equipment Grants (80.2), and the Seed Grants

(80.3) programs will be November 15.

Done at Washington, DC, this 21st day of August 1998.

Colien Hefferan,

Acting Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and

Extension Service.

[FR Doc. 98-23225 Filed 8-27-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-22-P