National Research Initiative A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research (2000) / Chapter Skim
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7 Recommendations
7 Recommendations
Pages 87-100
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From page 87... ...
Issues high on most agendas for food, fiber, and natural-resources research include a safe, nutritious, and affordable food supply; global competitiveness; a cleaner environment; and prudent conservation of natural resources. The committee believes that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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From page 88... ...
THE NRI'S MISSION A successful grants program contains elements of value, relevance, quality, fairness, and flexibility. The committee found that the proposals to the NRI and the research conducted by scientists who receive NRI grants are of high quality.
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From page 89... ...
Furthermore, NRI staff have been successful, particularly In view of the organization's limited resources, in organizing several vehicles to promote public understanding of research in food, fiber, and natural resources. RESEARCH ACCOUNTABILITY The committee recommends continuing the process of merit-based peer review as the most effective method of competitively distributing funds for research in food, f her, and natural resources.
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From page 90... ...
The committee believes that those problems were due to deficiencies in the underlying information system itself. The committee recommends that the NRI Web site be more readily accessible to allow the location of research projects and results with the use of issue-oriented key words and technical terms that are accessible and understandable to all stakeholders.
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From page 91... ...
Some NRI divisions have been relatively stable programmatically since their inception, whereas others have seen many program starts and stops. The subdivision of the NRI's six main research areas into 26 programs solely by research "category", in the absence of an overall strategic plan, might have been partly responsible for a lack of critical mass among the NPl's natural stakeholders, particularly because the recommended increases in research funding to $500 million did not materialize.
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From page 92... ...
The committee recommends that the research review committees give special consideration to important problems perceived by the public at large such as alternative energy, healthfulness of food, food safety, and nutrition (issues at the consumer end of the food systems, in addition to the more traditional emphases on productivity, rural economies, and environmental protection. The likely outcome would be a better distribution of research funds across the entire food, fiber, and natural-resources system and a research agenda more closely aligned with public concerns.
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From page 93... ...
RECOMMENDATIONS 93 Secret ryofAgriculture | Deputy Secretary _ | Under Secret by for Research, || Education and Fcc~nomics I Cam tural five State Research mural Agricul Research Research, Service Competi- tural ~1: ~~ 1~ FIGURE 7-1 Recommended Organization of USDA Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area
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From page 94... ...
Intramural research is represented by ARS and ERS, which report directly to the under secretary for research, education, and economics, as does CSREES. The committee strongly recommends that extramural competitive research, to achieve critical mass, be given an organizational stature that would allow it to compete effectively for resources with formula funds and special grants and to participate directly in USDA's high-level priorit~v-setting process.
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From page 95... ...
A part-time revolving chief scientist cannot meet the strategic-planning, priority-setting, and communication needs of an effective NPl. Although past chief scientists have done excellent work, having a parttime chief scientist impedes continuity in accountability and leadership and counters successful long-range planning and followup and consistent stakeholder involvement.
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From page 96... ...
96 THE NATIONAL RESEARCHINITIATIVE Extramural IL Research Advisory ~ Board | Extramural Competitive Research Service Administrator-Chief Scientist ;;: _4 ~ Scientist 2 ~ ____, 1 1~ Associate Chief Scientist 4 Associate Chief Scientist S | ~ Division Director | -- -- { Panel Managers | Division 1 Division Director || Division Director _ Panel Managers | I Division2 1 Panel Managers ~ Division 3 | Division Director | _| PanelManagers ~ D~on4 Division Director ~ PanelManagers ~ I S I I Division S | ~~ : so 1 1 Division Director 6 ,~ : Panel Managers Division 6 FIGURE 7-2 Recommended Organization of USDA Extramural Competitive Research Service (New NRI)
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From page 97... ...
Continued underfunding of NRI research grants relative to those of other federal research agencies will tend to discourage new researchers outside the traditional food and fiber system from applying for NRI grants—one original goal of the NRI. It might also cause highly qualified scientists who have received NRI support to apply for research funds from other sources and even redirect their research away from issues important to the food and fiber system.
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From page 98... ...
from outside the traditional food, fiber, and natural-resources system because they do not have a historic association with the USDA, and hence, may be less willing to accept a low overhead rate that is unique to USDA-sponsored research. The committee believes that Congress could help broaden the scope of NRI researchers beyond the traditional food, fiber, and natural-resources system one of the original goals of the program by allowing the NRI to use the same negotiated overhead rates used by other federal agencies.
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From page 99... ...
Assuming that NRI average award amounts are benchmarked against awards made by other federal programs such as NSF's Biology Directorate and DOE's Energy Biological Sciences (as recommended previously) and that these average awards amounts increase at roughly 3% per year from the current annualized amount of $100,000, the average 3-year NRI grant would be approximately $350,000 in 2005.
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From page 100... ...
For example, in FY 1999 the USDA Agricultural Research Service's budget was nearly $800 million and USDA formula funds totaled $541 million. NSF's and NIH's budgets for FY 2000 are $3.9 billion and $17.9 billion, respectively, and the budget for DOE's Office of Science for FY 2000 is $2.8 billion, according to a 1999 article in Science.
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