PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The Director must write rules and make a full plan for how the Program will work. Awards will be given only after a merit review using the Foundation’s review process. Review panels must include people from many kinds of eligible schools, like research universities, mainly-undergraduate colleges, and minority-serving colleges. Schools getting awards must pay at least 50% of the repair, renovation, or replacement costs with non-Federal money or services. For schools not in the top 100 for Federal R&D funding, the Director may accept a lower match, but it must be at least 30%, as shown in the Foundation’s latest “Federal Support to Universities, Colleges, and Selected Nonprofit Institutions” report. Like schools should, when possible, compete against each other. The Director must do surveys and gather facts to make the plan. Proposed Program guidelines must be published for a 30-day public comment period in the Federal Register. After considering comments, the Director must send a comprehensive plan to Congress by June 15, 1989. Final guidelines must appear in the Federal Register within 45 days after that report. Up to $1,000,000 of FY1989 Foundation funds may be used to carry out these planning and rule-making steps. No grant money from section 101 can be awarded under the Program until the plan is sent to Congress. The Director must consult the Secretary of Education and other agency heads. Defined terms (one line each): institutions of higher education — colleges and universities; private non-profit research organizations — non-profit groups that do research; research museums — museums that carry out research; consortia — groups of institutions working together; facilities — buildings or spaces used for research or related work; facilities primarily devoted to research — spaces mostly used for research; instrumentation — scientific instruments; equipment — tools and machines; repair — fixing damage; renovation — improving or updating; replacement — putting in new items for old ones.

Title 42, §1862c

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Procedures

(1)The Director shall, consistent with the objectives of the Program and the criteria set forth in section 1862b(c) of this title, set forth procedures for the Program.

(2)The procedures so prescribed shall contain such terms, conditions, and guidelines as may be necessary in the light of Program objectives, but shall in any event provide that—

(A)funds to carry out the Program will be awarded only on the basis of merit after a comprehensive review using established Foundation procedures;

(B)the membership of merit review panels that assess proposals will be broadly representative of eligible institutions, including research universities and predominantly undergraduate and minority institutions;

(C)the institution receiving an award shall provide at least 50 percent of the cost, in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, of the repair, renovation, or replacement involved and shall provide this contribution from private or non-Federal public sources, except that the Director may accept a match of less than 50 percent, but at least 30 percent, for institutions which are not ranked among the top 100 of the institutions receiving Federal research and development funding, as documented in the latest annual report of the Foundation entitled “Federal Support to Universities, Colleges, and Selected Nonprofit Institutions”; and

(D)to the extent practicable, eligible institutions of a given type will compete against similar institutions for Program awards.

(b)Comprehensive planning activities

The Director shall conduct comprehensive planning activities, including surveys of research facility needs and other information-gathering activities, necessary to implement the Program and to develop the procedures called for under subsection (a) of this section.

(c)Guidelines

Prior to the issuance of the comprehensive plan required by subsection (d) of this section, and consistent with the Program criteria set forth in section 1862b(c) of this title, the Director shall publish in the Federal Register proposed Program guidelines for public review for a comment period of 30 days. Such guidelines shall provide detailed information on eligibility, criteria, terms, and conditions and shall include, but not be limited to—

(1)definitions for the terms “institutions of higher education”, “private non-profit research organizations”, “research museums”, “consortia”, “facilities”, “facilities primarily devoted to research”, “instrumentation”, “equipment”, “repair”, “renovation”, and “replacement”;

(2)selection criteria to be used by the Foundation in evaluating proposals from institutions and consortia thereof, including criteria for evaluating scientific merit and for evaluating the age and condition of existing research facilities; and

(3)requirements for matching a Program award with contributions from non-Federal sources.

(d)Comprehensive plan

The Director, after gathering appropriate information and after considering comments on the proposed Program guidelines published in the Federal Register pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, shall develop a comprehensive plan for the Program that—

(1)defines the appropriate roles and responsibilities of the Federal Government, institutions of higher education, State governments, private foundations, and other appropriate organizations;

(2)states what procedures will be used to ensure that predominantly undergraduate institutions and colleges and universities that historically have received little Federal research and development funding will receive substantial percentages of the funds awarded under sections 1862a to 1862d of this title;

(3)states the estimated percentage of Program funds available for each category of eligible institutions, including predominantly undergraduate institutions and colleges and universities that historically have received little Federal research and development funding as well as research universities; and

(4)evaluates and addresses, to the maximum extent possible, a variety of factors which include—

(A)the unique circumstances and research facilities needs of research universities, undergraduate institutions, and other institutions whose enrollment includes substantial percentages of minorities underrepresented in science and engineering research;

(B)innovative approaches in the management of the Program that address both short-term and long-term aspects of the renovation, repair, and replacement of academic research facilities;

(C)programmatic approaches that recognize and support excellence, strengthen scientific and engineering research potential and, to the maximum extent possible and consistent with the purposes of this Act, assure an equitable distribution of resources with respect to institutions and geographical areas; and

(D)any recommendations necessary to improve the Program and further meet the purposes of sections 1862a to 1862d of this title.

(e)Report

The Director shall prepare and submit, not later than June 15, 1989, a report containing the comprehensive plan required by subsection (d) of this section to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.

(f)Final guidelines

Final guidelines shall be published in the Federal Register not later than 45 days after the submission of the report required under subsection (e).

(g)Amount available for this section (h) Consultation with Secretary of Education and heads of other agencies

The Director shall, from amounts available to the Foundation under section 101(b) of this Act for fiscal year 1989, make available an amount, not to exceed $1,000,000, to carry out the provisions of this section. None of the funds authorized to be appropriated in section 101 of this Act may be used for grant or contract awards under the Program prior to completion and submission to Congress of the comprehensive plan required by subsection (d) of this section.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsecs. (d)(4)(C) and (g), is Pub. L. 100–570, Oct. 31, 1988, 102 Stat. 2865, known as the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988. section 101 of this Act is not classified to the Code. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

of 1988

Amendments

note set out under section 1861 of this title and Tables. Codification Section was enacted as part of the Academic Research Facilities Modernization Act of 1988, and also as part of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Labor and Human Resources of Senate changed to Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of Senate by Senate Resolution No. 20, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Jan. 19, 1999.

§1862c Procedures, Guidelines, and Planning Activities