TITLE 7 , CHAPTER 17 , Sec. 450i.

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, national laboratories, 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 National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board (as established under section 3123 of this title) identifying high priority research areas.

(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 multistate research needs (and methods to transfer such research to onfarm or inmarket practice) in -

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;

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;

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:

Grants may be awarded to a single investigator or coinvestigators within the same discipline.

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

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 be within 5 years of the individual's initial career track position.

(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) of this section or for the planning, repair, rehabilitation, acquisition, or construction of a building or facility.

(8) Matching Funds. -

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.

In the case of grants under paragraph (3)(D), the amount provided under this subsection may not exceed 50 percent of the cost of the special research equipment or other equipment acquired. The Secretary may waive all or part of the matching requirement under this subparagraph in the case of a smaller college or university (as described in section 2204f(c)(2)(C)(ii) of this title) if the equipment to be acquired costs not more than $25,000 and has multiple uses within a single research project or is usable in more than 1 research project.

(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 -

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

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, $400,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, and $500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1995 through 2002, of which each fiscal year -

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;

not less than 40 percent shall be available to make grants for research to be conducted by persons conducting mission-linked systems research;

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.

(11) Availability of Funds. -

Funds made available under paragraph (10) shall be available for obligation for a 2-year period beginning on October 1 of the fiscal year for which the funds are made available.

(c) Special grants

The Secretary of Agriculture may make grants, for periods not to exceed 3 years -

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, extension, or education activities to facilitate or expand promising breakthroughs in areas of the food and agricultural sciences of importance to the United States; and

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, extension, or education programs that -

(i)

promote excellence in research, extension, or education 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, extension, or education among States through regional grants.

(2) Limitations. -

The Secretary may not make a grant under this subsection -

for any purpose for which a grant may be made under subsection (d) of this section; or

for the planning, repair, rehabilitation, acquisition, or construction of a building or facility.

(3) Matching Funds. -

Grants made under this subsection shall be made without regard to matching funds.

(4) Set Asides. -

Of amounts appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out this subsection -

ninety percent of such amounts shall be used for grants for regional research projects; and

four percent of such amounts may be retained by the Secretary to pay administrative costs incurred by the Secretary to carry out this subsection.

(5) Review requirements. -

(A) Research activities. -

The Secretary shall make a grant under this subsection for a research activity only if the activity has undergone scientific peer review arranged by the grantee in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary.

(B) Extension and education activities. -

The Secretary shall make a grant under this subsection for an extension or education activity only if the activity has undergone merit review arranged by the grantee in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary.

(6) Reports. -

(A) In general. -

A recipient of a grant under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary on an annual basis a report describing the results of the research, extension, or education activity and the merit of the results.

(B) Public availability. -

(i) In general. -

Except as provided in clause (ii), on request, the Secretary shall make the report available to the public.

(ii) Exceptions. -

Clause (i) shall not apply to the extent that making the report, or a part of the report, available to the public is not authorized or permitted by section 552 of title 5 or section 1905 of title 18.

(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 -

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 (24 Stat. 440-442, as amended; 7 U.S.C. 361a-361i), and the Act of October 10, 1962 (76 Stat. 806-807, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 582a, 582a-1 - 582a-7), whichever is greater: Provided, That of any amount in excess of $50,000 made available under this paragraph during any year for allotment to a State agricultural experiment station, no payment thereof shall be made in excess of the amount which the station makes available during that year for the purposes for which grants under this paragraph are made available;

(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

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 -

the registration or reregistration of minor use pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.); and

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 -

participate in research activities aimed at reducing residues of pesticides registered for minor agricultural use;

develop analytical techniques applicable to residues of pesticides registered for minor agricultural use, including automation techniques and validation of analytical methods; and

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 listing of all registrations, reregistrations, and tolerances for which data has been collected in the preceding year;

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

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:

an analysis of possible benefits to the IR-4 Program of such a recoupment;

an analysis of the impact of such a payment on the availability of registrants to pursue registrations or reregistrations of minor use pesticides; and