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1. What is the current implied dollar value? That is, how much will it cost to 

 finish CSRS facilities which are already in the hopper at the Department? 



According to CSRS records, it will cost $264.9 million to complete these 

 facilities. According to institutional records, it will cost $390.4 million. 



2. What kind of facilities program would you prefer at the Department? 

 Would you prefer some kind of competitive program? Please describe what 

 you envisioned the competitive facilities grant program proposed in 1992 

 would become. 



We would prefer a competitive facilities grant program such as the one requested 

 by the President in the FY 1992 budget proposal. This would: 



• force our systemwide partners to address national or regional issues rather 

 than local ones and promote regional and national collaboration among these 

 institutions. This approach also would allow institutions to find their own 

 niches of excellence rather than trying to develop expertise in every arena. 



• improve institutional and national quality by forcing them to operate within 

 a scientifically competitive, rather than a political framework. 



• restore equity to the system by ensuring that all applicants are accorded the 

 same treatment. 



• allow the most meritorious projects to be funded as determined by panels of 

 renowned scientists using program-related criteria. 



• permit the award of federal matching support at the outset of a project rather 

 than providing incremental support over a number of years. This will avoid 

 a potentially large outyear commitment. 



The program would operate under the authority of the Research Facilities Act of 

 1963. Hiis statute authorizes grants program for the construction and remodeling 

 of laboratories and other facilities and the acquisition of scientific instrumentation 

 to enable eligible institutions to more effectively conduct research in the food and 

 agricultural sciences. 



The program would be carried out in two phases. The first phase would involve 

 a pre-screening of proposals. Applicants whose projects are judged to be the 



