[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 15, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 15CFR917.42]

[Page 86-87]
 
                  TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND FOREIGN TRADE
 
CHAPTER IX--NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT 
                               OF COMMERCE
 
PART 917_NATIONAL SEA GRANT PROGRAM FUNDING REGULATIONS--Table of Contents
 
    Subpart E_General Considerations Pertaining to Sea Grant Funding
 
Sec. 917.42  Categories of support available for the conducting of Sea Grant 
activities.

    (a) Three categories of support are available for the conducting of 
Sea Grant activities: Projects; coherent area programs; and 
institutional programs. In general, funding for institutional programs 
and coherent area programs are made with expectation of renewal, as long 
as the funding recipient maintains a high level of quality and relevance 
in its activities. Project funding is made generally for a single item 
of research, education and training, or advisory service, but may be 
renewed under certain conditions; each renewal is negotiated 
individually.
    (b) Project support is for a clearly defined activity to be 
conducted over a definite period of time to achieve a specified goal. 
The project may be in research, education, training, or advisory 
services. Support for a project is made to an individual investigator or 
project director through his organization.
    (c) Intermediate between the institutional programs and individual 
projects are coherent area programs. These have two main purposes:
    (1) To bring into the National Sea Grant Program institutions of 
higher education that have a strong core of capability in some aspects 
of marine affairs, but which do not qualify or do not wish to qualify 
for institutional program support at this time. The purpose of support 
in such cases is to enable the institution to apply its existing 
competence to its regional problems and opportunities while developing 
the broader base of capability and the internal organization that will 
lead to institutional support. This program category requires a definite 
commitment on the part of the institution to develop an institutional 
program and to present a multiproject, multidisciplinary program 
involving the existing competence of an institution in a unified or 
coherent attack on well-defined local or regional problems. Such a 
coherent area program should include research, education and training, 
and advisory services, to the extent of the institution's capability.
    (2) To bring into the National Sea Grant Program (on a more or less 
continuing basis) qualified entities that have rare or unique capability 
in a specialized field of marine affairs. Such entities need not be 
institutions of higher education.
    (d) Institutional grants are made to institutions of higher 
education or to a

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combination of institutions that have an existing broad base of 
competence in marine affairs. To qualify, an institution must make a 
positive, long-range commitment to objectives of the National Sea Grant 
Program as evidence by committing the institution's own resources in the 
form of matching funds, creation of the organization necessary for 
management of the Sea Grant Program, quality education programs in 
marine areas, establishment of interdisciplinary research teams, and 
development of advisory service mechanisms for strong interaction with 
marine communities in its region. A Sea Grant institutional program is 
expected to provide intellectual leadership in assisting its region to 
solve problems and to realize opportunities of its marine environment. 
To the extent possible, an institutional program should involve all 
appropriate elements of the institution, whether colleges or 
departments, and devise cooperative or mutally supporting programs with 
other institutions of higher education, and with Federal and state 
agencies, local agencies, and industry. An institutional program should 
have substantial strength in the three basic Sea Grant activities: 
research, education and training, and advisory services. Sea Grant 
institutional programs that meet the qualifications for Sea Grant 
College or Sea Grant Regional Consortium status set forth at 15 CFR part 
918 will be so designated by the Secretary.