Outline: S065

S065: Multistate Research Coordination, Southern Region

Duration:: October 01, 1999 to September 30, 2029
Administrative Advisor(s):: Donna Pearce (NC.)
NIFA Reps:: Ralph Otto

Statement of Issue(s) and Justification:

Subsection 3(c) 3 of the Hatch Act (69 Stat. 671) authorizes use of Federal Grant funds for cooperative research in which two or more States Agricultural Experiment Stations are cooperating to solve problems that concern the agriculture of more than one state. Section 4 further authorizes the use of appropriations to the States for planning, coordinating, and conducting cooperative research. The cooperative research is carried out under specific regional projects recommended by the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors and approved by the Secretary of Agriculture. In some instances, extended cooperation under formal research plans in unnecessary if conferences, work groups and like methods can serve to bring researchers together for exchange of experience and opinion and coordination of State and Federal research. In many cases, problems can be solved by such initial attack without the need for more formal interstate cooperation. In order to conserve effort and expense in the administration of RRF and to facilitate cooperation action on urgent problems, this RR Coordination Project can serve as authorization for such conferences, work groups and like methods.

Regional Research Funds are allotted to the individual States for participation in the RRF program. Coordination of the research between the States and between projects requires interstate travel of State station scientists, administrative advisers, and scientists for technical committee meetings, conferences, and work groups and appurtenant services. The technical committee is a distinct entity. It meets in separate sessions and carries out its functions independently of other regional committees having broader interests in the same subject-matter field. It is essential that funds be available for travel and expenses appurtenant to meetings of technical committees of the approved regional research projects, and for the conferences and work groups to facilitate regional cooperative effort by the participating state stations.

Related, Current, and Previous Work:

An allotment of the RRF will be made at each participating station on appropriate CRIS forms to pay the necessary expenses of the directors serving as administrative advisers, members of technical committees, participating scientists, and other persons authorized by the designated administrative advisers and the Stations desiring to participate in attending meetings, including work groups and conferences, for the purpose of conferring on, coordinating and furthering research on specific problems of concern to two or more States. Advisers and stations shall be guided by the policies at their own stations regarding travel and other expenses to be authorized. As a policy, the Chairman of the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors will serve as administrative adviser and chairman of this project and may authorize special meetings as required. A report on the purpose and accomplishment of such meetings shall be included in the annual progress report of the Coordination Project. The chairman with the assistance of the Executive Director shall be responsible for assembling this report.

PRESENT STATUS:

Funds for travel of technical committee representatives who have formal contributing roles on approved regional projects are available from the allotments to the participating states. Representatives of other states who whish to attend the regional meeting must seek support from other sources. As a result, each State Station is accounting for travel to regional research meeting under many different projects and funds. Support for travel of State representatives to regional meetings on problems of concern to two or more States which are not documented under formal project outlines also must be obtained from sources other than the RRF allotments to the States. Under these circumstances, it may not be possible for some States to send representatives to such meetings.

COOPERATING STATIONS:

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Virgin Islands

Objectives

To facilitate the planning and coordination of regional research.
To simplify accounting and disbursement of travel funds at each participating

Methods:

Measurement of Progress and Results:

Outputs:

Outcomes or projected Impacts:

Milestones:

Projected Participation:

Include a completed Appendix E form

Outreach Plan:

Organization and Governance:

Directors of the Southern Association of State Agricultural Experiment Stations will constitute the technical committee. The chairman of the Association will serve as Administrative Advisor and Chairman of the Technical Committee. The Executive Director of the Association will serve as secretary of the technical committee.

Whoa, you're using an old browsers aren't you? This site would look better if you upgraded. We recommend Mozilla Firefox