42 U.S.C. § 285t–1: Centers of excellence for…

§285t–1 Centers of Excellence for Research Education and Training

Title 42 › CHAPTER 6A — PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER III — NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES › Part C — Specific Provisions Respecting National Research Institutes › subpart 20 — national institute on minority health and health disparities › § 285t–1

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Director of the Institute gives grants or contracts to certain biomedical and behavioral research schools or groups to fund top-quality research training for people from minority or other health disparity communities. Money can only be used to train those people as biomedical or behavioral research professionals, or to expand, fix, or build research space for health disparities work. Schools can team up with other institutions, including tribal health programs, to apply. Grants last no more than 5 years and need yearly approval and available funding. Schools must keep their own non-federal spending at least at the previous year’s level and must use other federal funds they have before spending this award. The Director may allow some award money to go into research endowments. A "designated biomedical and behavioral research institution" is one that enrolls and graduates many students from these communities and works to recruit students and faculty from them. A "program of excellence" is any program funded under these rules for those purposes.

Title 42, §285t–1

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

(a)In general

The Director of the Institute shall make awards of grants or contracts to designated biomedical and behavioral research institutions under paragraph (1) of subsection (c), or to consortia under paragraph (2) of such subsection, for the purpose of assisting the institutions in supporting programs of excellence in biomedical and behavioral research training for individuals who are members of minority health disparity populations or other health disparity populations.

(b)Required use of funds

An award may be made under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees that the grant will be expended—

(1)to train members of minority health disparity populations or other health disparity populations as professionals in the area of biomedical or behavioral research or both; or

(2)to expand, remodel, renovate, or alter existing research facilities or construct new research facilities for the purpose of conducting minority health disparities research and other health disparities research.

(c)Centers of excellence

(1)In general

For purposes of this section, a designated biomedical and behavioral research institution is a biomedical and behavioral research institution that—

(A)has a significant number of members of minority health disparity populations or other health disparity populations enrolled as students in the institution (including individuals accepted for enrollment in the institution);

(B)has been effective in assisting such students of the institution to complete the program of education or training and receive the degree involved;

(C)has made significant efforts to recruit minority students to enroll in and graduate from the institution, which may include providing means-tested scholarships and other financial assistance as appropriate; and

(D)has made significant recruitment efforts to increase the number of minority or other members of health disparity populations serving in faculty or administrative positions at the institution.

(2)Consortium

Any designated biomedical and behavioral research institution involved may, with other biomedical and behavioral institutions (designated or otherwise), including tribal health programs, form a consortium to receive an award under subsection (a).

(3)Application of criteria to other programs

In the case of any criteria established by the Director of the Institute for purposes of determining whether institutions meet the conditions described in paragraph (1), this section may not, with respect to minority health disparity populations or other health disparity populations, be construed to authorize, require, or prohibit the use of such criteria in any program other than the program established in this section.

(d)Duration of grant

The period during which payments are made under a grant under subsection (a) may not exceed 5 years. Such payments shall be subject to annual approval by the Director of the Institute and to the availability of appropriations for the fiscal year involved to make the payments.

(e)Maintenance of effort

(1)In general

With respect to activities for which an award under subsection (a) is authorized to be expended, the Director of the Institute may not make such an award to a designated research institution or consortium for any fiscal year unless the institution, or institutions in the consortium, as the case may be, agree to maintain expenditures of non-Federal amounts for such activities at a level that is not less than the level of such expenditures maintained by the institutions involved for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which such institutions receive such an award.

(2)Use of Federal funds

With respect to any Federal amounts received by a designated research institution or consortium and available for carrying out activities for which an award under subsection (a) is authorized to be expended, the Director of the Institute may make such an award only if the institutions involved agree that the institutions will, before expending the award, expend the Federal amounts obtained from sources other than the award.

(f)Certain expenditures

The Director of the Institute may authorize a designated biomedical and behavioral research institution to expend a portion of an award under subsection (a) for research endowments.

(g)Definitions

For purposes of this section: (1)

(2)The term “program of excellence” means any program carried out by a designated biomedical and behavioral research institution with an award under subsection (a), if the program is for purposes for which the institution involved is authorized in subsection (b) to expend the grant.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 287c–32 of this title prior to renumbering by Pub. L. 111–148.

Amendments

2010—Subsecs. (a), (c)(3) to (f). Pub. L. 111–148, § 10334(c)(1)(D)(iii), substituted “Institute” for “Center” wherever appearing. 2007—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 109–482 struck out heading and text of subsec. (h). Text read as follows: “For the purpose of making grants under subsection (a) of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2007 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 109–482 applicable only with respect to amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2007 or subsequent fiscal years, see section 109 of Pub. L. 109–482, set out as a note under section 281 of this title.