Grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements
Assistance and coordination
In general
The Secretary shall award grants or contracts to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, eligible entities to support research for the development or utilization of—
methods, equipment, systems, and components necessary for the identification, assessment, and exploration of marine mineral resources in an environmentally responsible manner;
methods of detecting, monitoring, and predicting the presence of adverse environmental effects in the marine environment and remediating the environmental effects of marine mineral resource exploration, development, and production; and
education and training material in marine mineral research and resource management.
Cost-sharing for contracts or cooperative agreements
Federal share
Non-Federal share
The remaining non-Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under this section may be—
in the form of cash or in-kind contributions, or both; and
comprised of funds made available under other Federal programs, except that non-Federal funds shall be used to defray at least 10 percent of the total cost of the project.
Consultation
Competitive review
In general
An entity shall not be eligible to receive a grant or contract, or participate in a cooperative agreement, under subsection (a) unless—
the entity submits a proposal to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require; and
the proposal has been evaluated by a competitive review panel under paragraph (3).
Competitive review panels
Composition
A competitive review panel shall be chaired by the Secretary or by the Secretary’s designee and shall be composed of members who meet the following criteria:
Appointment
Experience
Interest
No compensation
Evaluation
A competitive review panel shall base an evaluation of a proposal on criteria developed by the Secretary that shall include—
the merits of the proposal;
the research methodology and costs of the proposal;
the capability of the entity submitting the proposal and any other participating entity to perform the proposed work and provide in-kind contributions;
the amount of matching funds provided by the entity submitting the proposal or provided by other Federal, State, or private entities;
the extent of collaboration with other Federal, State, or private entities;
in the case of a noncommercial entity, the existence of a cooperative agreement with a commercial entity that provides for collaboration in the proposed research;
whether the proposal promotes responsible environmental stewardship; and
such other factors as the Secretary considers appropriate.
Limitations
Administrative expenses
Construction costs
Reports
An eligible entity that receives a grant or contract or enters into a cooperative agreement under this section shall submit an annual progress report and a final technical report to the Secretary that—
describes project activities, implications of the project, the significance of the project to marine mineral research, identification, assessment, and exploration, and potential commercial and economic benefits and effects of the project; and
in the case of an annual progress report, includes a project plan for the subsequent year.