[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 198 (Friday, October 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53476-53478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-25421]
[[Page 53475]]
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Part III
Department of Agriculture
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Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
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Solicitation for Applications for Fiscal Year 1996 National Research
Initiative Competitive Grants Program; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 198 / Friday, October 13, 1995 /
Notices
[[Page 53476]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
Solicitation for Applications for Fiscal Year 1996 National
Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program
Applications are invited for competitive grant awards in
agricultural, forest, and related environmental sciences under the
National Competitive Research Initiative Grants Program (NRICGP)
administered by the Competitive Research Grants and Awards Management
Division, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
(CSREES), for fiscal year 1996.
Authority
The authority for this program is contained in Section 2(b) of the
Act of August 4, 1965, as amended (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
Department of Agriculture (USDA). Proposals may be submitted by any
State agricultural experiment station, college, university, other
research institution or organization, Federal agency, private
organization, corporation, or individual. Proposals from scientists at
non-United States organizations will not be considered for support.
It is expected that Congress, in the final version of the
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (H.R. 1976), will prohibit
CSREES from using the funds available for the NRICGP for fiscal year
1996 to pay indirect costs exceeding 14 per centum of the total Federal
funds provided under each award on competitively-awarded research
grants. In addition, it is expected that, pursuant to the final version
of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration,
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (H.R. 1976), in the case
of any equipment or product that may be authorized to be purchased with
the funds provided under this program, entities will be encouraged to
use such funds to purchase only American-made equipment or products.
Applicable Regulations and Statutory Guidance
The regulations governing the NRICGP currently are found at 7 CFR
part 3200. The regulations 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.
CSREES published a proposed amendment to those regulations on May
11, 1995 (60 FR 25594). The proposed amendment, among other things,
would move the regulations at 7 CFR part 3200 to 7 CFR part 3411. With
the one change of deleting ``full-time'' in proposed 7 CFR
3411.3(d)(3)(ii)(C), CSREES expects to publish the text of the proposed
rule as the final rule within one month. Any new requirements contained
in the proposed 7 CFR part 3411 are incorporated in this solicitation
and the Program Description for the FY 1996 NRICGP. Therefore, when
effective, 7 CFR part 3411 will apply to the NRICGP, including
proposals submitted in response to this solicitation, for the FY 1996
program year.
Other regulations applicable to this program include, but are not
limited to, the following: (a) the USDA Uniform Federal Assistance
Regulations, 7 CFR Part 3015; (b) the USDA Uniform Administrative
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local
Governments, 7 CFR part 3016; (c) Section 1402 of the National
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as
amended (7 U.S.C. 3101); and (d) Section 1404 of the National
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as
amended (7 U.S.C. 3103), which defines ``sustainable agriculture.''
Project Types
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, conducted by individual investigators,
co-investigators within the same discipline, or multidisciplinary
teams. Any State agriculture experiment station, college, university,
other research institution or organization, Federal agency, private
organization, corporation, or individual may apply. Proposals from
scientists at 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, private
organization, corporation, or individual is an eligible applicant in
this area. Proposals from scientists at non-United States organizations
will not be considered for support.
II. Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards
In order 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, private organization, corporation, or
individual. Applications from scientists at non-United States
organizations will not be considered for support. Agricultural Research
Enhancement Awards are available in the following categories, for which
the eligibility requirements are defined in 7 CFR 3411.3 and restated
in the FY 1996 NRICGP Program Description:
(a) Postdoctoral Fellowships.
(b) New Investigator Awards.
(c) Strengthening Awards: Institutions in USDA EPSCoR states are
eligible for strengthening awards. For FY 1996, USDA EPSCoR states
consist of the following:
Alaska
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Idaho
Maine
Mississippi
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming
All U.S. territories and possessions, including the District of
Columbia.
Investigators at other institutions may also be eligible for
Strengthening Awards. See the FY 1996 Program Description for complete
details on programs and eligibility.
Funding Categories for Fiscal Year 1996
CSREES is soliciting proposals, subject to the availability of
funds, for support of high priority research of importance to
agriculture, forestry, and
[[Page 53477]]
related environmental sciences, in the following research categories
(ANTICIPATED FY 1996 funding and ACTUAL FY 1996 funding, rounded to the
$M, follows in parentheses):
Natural Resources and the Environment (FY96: $16M, FY95:
$15M).
Nutrition, Food Quality, and Health (FY96: $7M, FY95:
$7M).
Plant Systems (FY96: $34, FY95: $34M).
Animal Systems (FY96: $22M, FY95: $21M).
Markets, Trade, and Policy (FY96: $3M, FY95: $3M).
New Products and Processes (FY96: $6M, FY95: $6M).
Water Quality (FY96: $0M, FY95: $4M).*
Integrated Pest Management (FY96: $0M, FY95: $2M).**
Pesticide Impact Assessment (FY96: $0M, FY95: $1M).**
Support for research areas 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.
*Water quality issues will continue to be supported by programs
in the Natural Resources and the Environment research program area.
**Integrated pest management and pesticide impact assessment
issues will continue to be supported by programs in the Pest
Biology, Biological Control, and Integrated Pest Management research
program area.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 2(b)(10) of the Act of August
4, 1965, as amended (7 U.S.C. 450i(b)(10)), no less than 10 percent
(FY96: $9M, FY95: $9M) 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 (FY96: $2M, FY: $2M)
of the available funds listed above will be made available for
equipment grants. Further, no less than 30 percent (FY96: $27M, FY95:
$28M) of the funds listed above shall be made available for grants for
research to be conducted by multidisciplinary teams, and no less than
20 percent (FY96: $18M, FY95: $19M) of the funds listed above shall be
made available for grants for mission-linked research.
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
Forest/Range/Crop/Aquatic Ecosystems
Soils and Soil Biology
Water Resources Assessment and Protection
NUTRITION, FOOD SAFETY, AND HEALTH
Improving Human Nutrition for Optimal Health
Ensuring Food Safety
ANIMALS
Enhancing Animal Reproductive Efficiency
Improving Animal Growth and Development
Identifying Animal Genetic Mechanisms and Gene Mapping
Sustaining Animal Health and Well-Being
PEST BIOLOGY, BIOLOGICAL CONTROL, AND INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
Plant Pathology
Entomology
Nematology
Weed Science
Biological Control Research
Assessing Pest Control Strategies
PLANTS
Genomes, Genetics, and Diversity
Plant Genome
Plant Genetic Mechanisms
Plant Growth and Development
Energy and Metabolism
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
Biofuels Research
Improved Utilization of Wood and Wood Fiber
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
The solicitation, which contains research topic descriptions, and
the NRICGP Application Kit, which contains detailed instructions on how
to apply and the requisite forms, may be obtained by writing or calling
the office indicated below. Please note that applicants who submitted
NRICGP proposals for fiscal year 1995 or who have recently requested
placement on the list for fiscal year 1996 will automatically receive a
copy of the fiscal year 1996 solicitation and any supplements.
Proposal Services Branch, Office of Extramural Programs, Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, AG Box 2245, Washington, DC 20250-2245, Telephone: (202)
401-5048
Requests for solicitations and application materials may also now
be made via Internet by sending a message with your name, complete
mailing address, phone number, and materials that you are requesting to
psb@reeusda.gov. Materials will be mailed as quickly as possible.
Materials Available on Internet
Information is available on the USDA Cooperative Research,
Education, and Extension Service Home Page at http://www.reeusda.gov.
Information is also available on the USDA Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service Internet Gopher (which may
still be listed as the USDA Extension Service). To reach these items
using a gopher, starting with ``Gopher Servers in the USA,'' make the
following selections:
``Washington, DC''
``Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service USDA
Information''
(The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service USDA
Gopher is on port 70 of zeus.esusda.gov.)
The following materials are among those available through these
services:
NRICGP Program Description
This document is available for the current fiscal year, and
describes all of the NRICGP funding programs. To apply for a grant, it
is also necessary to obtain the NRICGP Application Kit as described
above (not available electronically).
NRICGP 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 Fiscal Year 1993. Each entry also
includes the title, principal investigators, 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.
To be considered for funding during FY 1996, proposals must be
shipped by the following dates (as indicated by postmark or date on
courier bill of lading):
[[Page 53478]]
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Contacts
Postmarked dates Program areas (202) E-Mail @reeusda.gov
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November 27, 1995................... Forest/Range/Crop/Aquatic Ecosystems...................................... 401-4082 tstrickland.
Soils and Soil Biology.................................................... 401-4082 tstrickland.
Plant Genome.............................................................. 401-1901 ekaleikau.
Plant Genetic Mechanisms.................................................. 401-5042 llin.
December 4, 1995.................... Photosynthesis and Respiration............................................ 401-6030 jsmith.
Improving Human Nutrition for Optimal Health.............................. 205-0250 kellwood.
Plant Responses to the Environment........................................ 401-4871 adatko.
Plant Pathology........................................................... 401-6466 apark.
December 18, 1995................... Ensuring Food Safety...................................................... 205-0250 kellwood
January 8, 1996..................... Entomology................................................................ 401-5114 srockey.
Nematology................................................................ 401-5114 srockey.
Weed Science.............................................................. 401-6466 apark.
Enhancing Animal Reproductive Efficiency.................................. 401-6234 cprofater.
January 16, 1996.................... Food Characterization/Process/Product Research............................ 401-1952 jconrad.
Non-Food Characterization/Process/Product Research........................ 401-1952 jconrad.
Biofuels Research......................................................... 401-1952 jconrad.
Sustaining Animal Health and Well-Being................................... 401-6303 pjohnson or pbrayton.
January 22, 1996.................... Plant Growth and Development.............................................. 401-5042 llin.
January 29, 1996.................... Assessing Pest Control Strategies......................................... 401-5114 srockey.
Markets and Trade......................................................... 401-3487 mbailey.
February 5, 1996.................... Nitrogen Fixation/Nitrogen Metabolism..................................... 401-6030 jsmith.
Improving Animal Growth and Development................................... 401-6234 cprofater.
February 12, 1996................... Improved Utilization of Wood and Wood Fiber............................... 401-4871 adatko.
Identifying Animal Genetic Mechanisms and Gene Mapping.................... 401-4399 pbrayton.
Rural Development......................................................... 401-3487 mbailey.
February 20, 1996................... Research Career Enhancement Awards........................................ 401-5042 llin or pbrayton.
Equipment Grants.......................................................... 401-5042 .........................
Seed Grants............................................................... 401-5042 .........................
Agricultural Systems...................................................... 401-6303 pjohnson or ekaleikau.
March 11, 1996...................... Water Resources Assessment and Protection................................. 401-4501 bschmidt.
May 6, 1996......................... Biological Control Research............................................... 401-5114 srockey.
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Done at Washington, D.C., this 5th day of October, 1995.
Colien Hefferan,
Acting Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service.
[FR Doc. 95-25421 Filed 10-12-95; 8:45 am]
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