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Overview
The Federal government supports a diverse array of research and development
(R&D), providing the scientific and technical information needed to
address environment and natural resources issues from global climate change
to toxic waste remediation. Research that is critical to making sound
decisions regarding air and water quality, ecosystem protection, and natural
disaster reduction is supported by many Federal agencies through extramural
funding to colleges, universities, and other research institutions, as
well as through research conducted at Federal laboratories.
Agencies that have major R&D programs in environment and natural
resources include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA), the Department of the Interior
(DOI), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Agriculture (USDA),
the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Defense
(DoD).
In 1994, an estimated $5.1 billion was spent by the Federal government
on environment and natural resources R&D. More than 50% was used to
support R&D efforts outside the Federal agencies (see Figure 1). The
remainder provided resources for research conducted at Federal laboratories.
Figure 1. FY94 Distribution of Federal Funding for Environment and Natural
Resources R&D
Science funding agencies such as NSF, NIEHS, and NASA have a larger portion
of their funds devoted to extramural research than agencies with resource
management functions such as USDA, DOC, and DOI, or regulatory functions
such as EPA. However, some of these agencies (e.g., EPA) are shifting
to focus more of their funding on extramural research grant programs.
Competition, Review, and Evaluation
The U.S. Government has a general policy of encouraging full, open, and
fair competition for research supported by Federal funding (e.g., the
Competition in Contracting Act of 1985). Competition helps ensure that
the highest quality, most cost-effective research projects are selected
for funding.
For example, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee
on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) strategy Preparing for
the Future through Science and Technology: An Agenda for Environment and
Natural Resources Research (March 1995) states "...improve the quality
and effectiveness of their R&D programs by increasing the use of external
peer and merit review, increasing the use of open competition to award
funds, and by strengthening their extramural academic research programs
where feasible." Indeed, the FY96 and FY97 R&D guidance to the agencies
from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Science
and Technology Policy (OSTP) identifies competitive selection, merit review,
and peer evaluation as broad R&D policy principles.
Merit review for research proposals by Federal agencies includes the
following:
- Scientific peer review for technical soundness
- Evaluation of the relevance of the proposal to agency programs and
priorities, societal needs, and policy goals.
In addition to prospective merit review, Federally funded research also
undergoes performance reviews which are conducted to evaluate the progress,
contributions, responsiveness, and relevance of ongoing or completed R&D
activities. |
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