National Research Initiative A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research (2000) / Chapter Skim
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5 Priorities and Priority-Setting at the NRI
5 Priorities and Priority-Setting at the NRI
Pages 58-72
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From page 58... ...
forces a ranking of research investments, and this can galvanize criticism from researchers whose projects are not among those most highly ranked (OTA, 1991~. Even so, in all times, especially in times of decreasing or flat research budgets, priority-setting is an essential tool for federal decisionmakers, who must make choices among highly ranked projects and programs.
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From page 59... ...
The committee then analyzes the NRI's research priorities and offers its own suggestions for research of emerging importance. PROCESS Overview of USDA Priorib-Setting Process Comprehensive planning and priority-setting have characterized the USDA Experiment Station System since the early 1980s, with the Joint Council on Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension serving as a mechanism for coordination of participating federal and state partners.
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From page 60... ...
In consultation with the NRI chief scientist, division directors, and deputy administrator, NRI scientific staff recommend changes or modifications in existing programs annually. Recommendations for the consolidation of programs or the creation of new research areas within the six divisions may be prepared by the chief scientist, division directors, program directors, or the deputy administrator.
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From page 61... ...
NRI RESEARCH PRIORITIES Because the NRI does not have a formal strategic plan, the committee has ascertained the NRI research priorities on the basis of its analysis of the funding history of the six main divisions and the numbers and types of research programs that have been supported since the NRI was initiated in 1991. Funding History of the NRI's Six Divisions Congress established the following six divisions when it authorized the NRI in the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990: · Natural Resources and the Environment.
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From page 62... ...
Awards are also made to special initiatives and "earmarks" for example, Binational Agricultural Research and Development (BARD:that lie wholly outside the six divisions but are funded by the NRI. The NRI's lack of a standardized grant-tracking and budgeting system, however, makes accurate reconstruction of the funding history of the divisions nearly impossible.
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From page 63... ...
'Plant Systems Research Programs Plant genome structure and function Molecular and cellular biology Plant biotechnology Plant-pest Biocontrol Crop plant stress Improved nutrient qualities New food and industrial uses Animal Systems Natural Resources and the Environment Markets, Trade, and Policy Aquaculture Animal reproduction, growth, disease, health molecular Basis Nutrition Animal production and husbandry Animal well-being Ecosystems Sustainable production Minimizing soil loss Effects of global climate change on agriculture Forestry Biodiversity International market share Decision-support systems Choices and applications of technology Technology assessment Rural economic development Nutrition, Food Quality, and Microbial contaminants Health Pesticide residues linked to human health Diet and health Bioavailability of nutrients Postharvest physiology Improved processing Engineering, New Products, New uses of and new products from crops, animals, and Processes byproducts, and natural resources Robotics Energy efficiency Computing Expert systems New hazards and risk assessment Water quality and management
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From page 64... ...
Sys. EI EVAFP ~MTRD O Plants Animals ·NFSH 121 N RE FIGURE 5-1 Congressional appropriations for NRI divisions and special initiatives, 1991-1997 NRE = Natural Resources and Environment; NFSH = Nutrition, Food Safety and Health; MTRD = Markets, Trade and Rural Development; EVAFP = Enhancing Value and Use of Agricultural and Food Products; Ag.Sys.
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From page 65... ...
Two other research areas in the NRI are outside the six divisions and are essentially at the division level themselves. Pest Biology and Management was split out from the Plants Division in 1995 and is now funded under a separate budget.
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From page 66... ...
However, the corurnittee believes that subdivision into the existing NRI programs solely by research "category" in the absence of an overall strategic plan is partly responsible for a lack of "critical mass" among the NRI's natural stakeholders, particularly inasmuch as the recorurnended increases in research funding to $550 million did not materialize. Many of the programs listed in figure 5-2 do not have strong natural constituencies among stakeholders of the food, fiber, and natural-resources system.
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From page 67... ...
_ FIGURE 5-2 NRI Programs, 1987-1998 (Gant:t Chart)
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From page 68... ...
The committee believes that a more logical priority-setting process that relates NRI programs to USDA goals and emerging issues in the food, fiber, and natural-resources system might be effective in demonstrating the importance of NRI-supported research and lead to increased research budgets. The NRI would be much more effective if more of its programs were organized on the basis of high priority research issues or problems rather than by traditional subdisciplines.
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From page 69... ...
Priority-Setting Process · The priority-setting process used by NRI staff seems unstructured, is unevenly administrated across NRI divisions, and is not explicitly linked to the goals and other strategic planning elements of the REE Mission Area. For example, although some NRI divisions hold user workshops regularly to solicit input on research priorities, other divisions have no discernable or regular mechanism of external input.
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From page 70... ...
70 THE NATIONAL RESEARCHINITIATIVE perhaps because the potential cross-fimctional nature of present research programs is not Filly appreciated in either the ARS or the NPl administration. TABLE 5-3 Committee's List of Emerging Research Issues Division Research Issuesa Plant Systems Animal Systems Natural Resources and the Environment Gene and genome interactions and bioinformatics Transgenic plants for improved production Mechanisms of pest-plant and plant interactions with beneficial organisms Development of the knowledge base to facilitate a new generation of biologically based materials Engineering of plant biosynthetic and metabolic pathways Gene and genome interactions and bioinformatics Functional foods and nutrient research Transgenic and cloned animals Animal reproduction Animal nutrition Animal-rangeland interactions Animal health Animal growth and development Consumable animal products Immunology Construction of novel microorganisms Gene-based pharmaceuticals and gene therapy Evolution of biologic systems Water quality Animal-waste handling Environmental impacts Impact of biotechnologic modifications of plants and animals on the microbial ecology of reasulting food products Bioprocess engineering Biodiversity Weather and climate interactions in agricultural systems Global change and agriculture Nitrogen-use efficiency Wildlife in agricultural systems Space research
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From page 71... ...
· The subdivision of the NRI's six main research areas into existing NRI program areas by research category in the absence of an overall strategic plan could be partly responsible for a lack of critical mass among the NRI's natural
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From page 72... ...
· The lack of a clear perception of the logic of annual requests for proposals across the 26 programs is partly responsible for the NRI's inability to attract increased research budgets for these programs. The committee believes that a more logical priority-setting process that relates NRI programs to USDA goals and emerging issues in the food, fiber, and natural-resources system might be effective in demonstrating the importance of NRI-supported research and lead to increased research budgets.
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