Biomedical and behavioral research facilities
Modernization and construction of facilities
In general
Construction and cost of construction
Scientific and technical review boards for merit-based review of proposals
In general: approval as precondition to grants
Establishment
Requirement
Duties
Advice
Determination of merit
Amount
Annual report
In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Board shall prepare an annual report for the Director of NIH and the Council describing the activities of the Board in the fiscal year for which the report is made. Each such report shall be available to the public, and shall—
summarize and analyze expenditures made under this section;
provide a summary of the types, numbers, and amounts of applications that were recommended for grants under subsection (a) but that were not approved by the Director of NIH; and
contain the recommendations of the Board for any changes in the administration of this section.
Membership
In general
Limitation
Certain requirements regarding membership
In selecting individuals for membership on the Board, the Director of NIH, acting through the Office of the Director of NIH, shall ensure that the members are individuals who, by virtue of their training or experience, are eminently qualified to perform peer review functions. In selecting such individuals for such membership, the Director of NIH, acting through the Office of the Director of NIH, shall ensure that the members of the Board collectively—
are experienced in the planning, construction, financing, and administration of entities that conduct biomedical or behavioral research sciences;
are knowledgeable in making determinations of the need of entities for biomedical or behavioral research facilities, including such facilities for the dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professions;
are knowledgeable in evaluating the relative priorities for applications for grants under subsection (a) in view of the overall research needs of the United States; and
are experienced with emerging centers of excellence, as described in subsection (c)(2).
Certain authorities
Workshops and conferences
Subcommittees
Terms
In general
Staggered terms
Reappointment
Compensation
Requirements for grants
In general
The Director of NIH, acting through the Office of the Director of NIH or the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, may make a grant under subsection (a) only if the applicant for the grant meets the following conditions:
The applicant is determined by such Director to be competent to engage in the type of research for which the proposed facility is to be constructed.
The applicant provides assurances satisfactory to the Director that—
for not less than 20 years after completion of the construction involved, the facility will be used for the purposes of the research for which it is to be constructed;
sufficient funds will be available to meet the non-Federal share of the cost of constructing the facility;
sufficient funds will be available, when construction is completed, for the effective use of the facility for the research for which it is being constructed; and
the proposed construction will expand the applicant’s capacity for research, or is necessary to improve or maintain the quality of the applicant’s research.
The applicant meets reasonable qualifications established by the Director with respect to—
the relative scientific and technical merit of the applications, and the relative effectiveness of the proposed facilities, in expanding the capacity for biomedical or behavioral research and in improving the quality of such research;
the quality of the research or training, or both, to be carried out in the facilities involved;
the congruence of the research activities to be carried out within the facility with the research and investigator manpower needs of the United States; and
the age and condition of existing research facilities.
The applicant has demonstrated a commitment to enhancing and expanding the research productivity of the applicant.
Institutions of emerging excellence
From the amount appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year up to $50,000,000, the Director of NIH, acting through the Office of the Director of NIH, shall make available 25 percent of such amount, and from the amount appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year that is over $50,000,000, the Director of NIH, acting through the Office of the Director of NIH, shall make available up to 25 percent of such amount, for grants under subsection (a) to applicants that in addition to meeting the requirements established in paragraph (1), have demonstrated emerging excellence in biomedical or behavioral research, as follows:
The applicant has a plan for research or training advancement and possesses the ability to carry out the plan.
The applicant carries out research and research training programs that have a special relevance to a problem, concern, or unmet health need of the United States.
The applicant has been productive in research or research development and training.
The applicant—
has been designated as a center of excellence under section 293c 1
is located in a geographic area whose population includes a significant number of individuals with health status deficit, and the applicant provides health services to such individuals; or
is located in a geographic area in which a deficit in health care technology, services, or research resources may adversely affect the health status of the population of the area in the future, and the applicant is carrying out activities with respect to protecting the health status of such population.
Requirement of application
Amount of grant; payments
Amount
The amount of any grant awarded under subsection (a) shall be determined by the Director of NIH, acting through the Office of the Director of NIH or the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,,2
50 percent (or, in the case of the Institute, 75 percent) of the necessary cost of the construction of a proposed facility as determined by the Director; or
in the case of a multipurpose facility, 40 percent (or, in the case of the Institute, 75 percent) of that part of the necessary cost of construction that the Director determines to be proportionate to the contemplated use of the facility.
Reservation of amounts
Exclusion of certain costs
In determining the amount of any grant under subsection (a), there shall be excluded from the cost of construction an amount equal to the sum of—
the amount of any other Federal grant that the applicant has obtained, or is assured of obtaining, with respect to construction that is to be financed in part by a grant authorized under this section; and
the amount of any non-Federal funds required to be expended as a condition of such other Federal grant.
Waiver of limitations
Recapture of payments
If, not later than 20 years after the completion of construction for which a grant has been awarded under subsection (a)—
in the case of an award by the Director of NIH, acting through the Office of the Director of NIH, the applicant or other owner of the facility shall cease to be a public or non profit 3
the facility shall cease to be used for the research purposes for which it was constructed (unless the Director of NIH, acting through the Office of the Director of NIH or the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, determines, in accordance with regulations, that there is good cause for releasing the applicant or other owner from obligation to do so),
the United States shall be entitled to recover from the applicant or other owner of the facility the amount bearing the same ratio to the current value (as determined by an agreement between the parties or by action brought in the United States District Court for the district in which such facility is situated) of the facility as the amount of the Federal participation bore to the cost of the construction of such facility.
Guidelines
Source
(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, § 404I, formerly § 481A, as added Pub. L. 103–43, title XV, § 1502,Notes
References in Text
Codification
Amendments
Effective Date of 2007 Amendment
Findings
the National Institutes of Health is the principal source of Federal funding for medical research at universities and other research institutions in the United States;
the National Institutes of Health has received a substantial increase in research funding from Congress for the purpose of expanding the national investment of the United States in behavioral and biomedical research;
the infrastructure of our research institutions is central to the continued leadership of the United States in medical research;
as Congress increases the investment in cutting-edge basic and clinical research, it is critical that Congress also examine the current quality of the laboratories and buildings where research is being conducted, as well as the quality of laboratory equipment used in research;
many of the research facilities and laboratories in the United States are outdated and inadequate;
the National Science Foundation found, in a 1998 report on the status of biomedical research facilities, that over 60 percent of research-performing institutions indicated that they had an inadequate amount of medical research space;
the National Science Foundation reports that academic institutions have deferred nearly $11,000,000,000 in renovation and construction projects because of a lack of funds; and
future increases in Federal funding for the National Institutes of Health must include increased support for the renovation and construction of extramural research facilities in the United States and the purchase of state-of-the-art laboratory instrumentation.”