NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE -- Copyright -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Executive Summary -- HISTORY OF COMPETITIVE RESEARCH AT USDA -- ORGANIZATION -- STUDY PROCESS -- STATUS OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE -- THE NRI'S MISSION -- RESEARCH ACCOUNTABILITY -- PRIORITY SETTING AND ORGANIZATION -- FUNDING -- A NATIONAL FOOD, FIBER, AND NATURAL-RESOURCES RESEARCH COMPLEX -- 1 Introduction -- BRIEF HISTORY OF COMPETITIVE RESEARCH AT USDA -- NRI ORGANIZATION -- PRIOR REVIEWS OF THE NRI -- STUDY PROCESS -- OVERVIEW OF REPORT -- 2 Value of Food, Fiber, and Natural-Resources Research -- ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS -- RATES OF RETURN FROM FOOD AND FIBER RESEARCH -- IMPACTS OF ADVANCES IN LIFE SCIENCES -- PUBLIC-SECTOR AND PRIVATE-SECTOR RESEARCH FUNDING -- 3 The National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program -- QUALITY AND VALUE -- Measuring the Quality and Value of NRI-Supported Research -- Novelty and Significance of Research -- FAIRNESS -- The NRI Peer-Review Process -- Evaluation of the NRI Peer-Review Process -- RELEVANCE AND RESPONSIVENESS -- SUMMARY FINDINGS -- 4 Role and Scope of the NRI Program -- SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES -- Applied versus Fundamental Research -- Multidisciplinary Research -- TRAINING AND EDUCATION -- Developing Future Scientists -- Strengthening Academic Institutions in the Food and Fiber System -- Enhancing Public Understanding -- COMPLEMENTARITY -- Other USDA-Funded Research Programs -- Intramural Research -- Formula Funds: State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAESs) and Cooperative Extension Services. -- Special Grants -- Other Competitive Grants in USDA -- Complementarity of NRI within USDA -- Other Federal Programs -- National Science Foundation -- National Institutes of Health -- Department of Energy -- Interagency Programs -- Complementarity of NRI with Other Federal Programs -- Industry and the NRI.

SUMMARY FINDINGS -- Scientific Objectives -- Training and Education -- Complementarity -- 5 Priorities and Priority-Setting at the NRI -- PROCESS -- Overview of USD A Priority-Setting Process -- NRI Priority-Setting Process -- Analysis of NRI Priority-Setting Process -- NRI RESEARCH PRIORITIES -- Funding History of the NRFs Six Divisions -- History of NRI Research Programs -- Analysis -- RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES -- SUMMARY FINDINGS -- Priority-Setting Process -- Research Priorities -- 6 Organizational and Funding Issues -- ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES -- Location in USDA -- NRI GOVERNANCE -- Chief Scientist -- Board of Directors -- Organization -- FUNDING ISSUES -- Total NRI Funding -- Size and Length of Grants -- Overhead Rates -- SUMMARY FINDINGS -- Organization -- Funding -- 7 Recommendations -- THE NRI'S MISSION -- RESEARCH ACCOUNTABILITY -- PRIORITY-SETTING AND ORGANIZATION -- FUNDING -- SUMMARY -- Appendixes -- Appendix A Section 1615 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 -- Appendix B Survey on the US Department of Agriculture's National Research Initiative (NRI) Competitive Grants Program -- Appendix C External Views of the NRI -- SURVEY RESULTS -- Response Rates and General Themes -- Detailed Summary of Survey Data -- INTERVIEWS WITH FORMER CHIEF SCIENTISTS -- Major Issue -- Role of the Chief Scientist -- Program Areas -- Fairness in Evaluation of Submitted Applications -- Quality of NRI Research -- USDA Administration and Management -- Economic Evaluation of NRI Program Areas -- Relationship with Congress -- TESTIMONY -- Quality and Value of Research -- Priority-Setting -- Stakeholders -- Complementarity -- Internal Processes -- Funding -- Changes for the Future -- Appendix D Outline for Interviews (June 16, 1998) with USDA Professional Staff on Internal Workings of the NRI Program.

Appendix E Committee Members' Experience with the National Research Initiative, the National Institutes of Health, and the… -- Appendix F NRI Applications Funded -- Appendix G NRI Funded Contributions to Major Scientific Advances in Food, Fiber, and Natural Resources -- NRI FUNDED RESEARCH THAT HAS LED TO MAJOR SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES -- Biologically Safe Protection of Wheat from Take-all Disease by Using Soil Bacteria -- CRGO and NRI Awards to Cook and colleagues -- Patents -- Publications -- Decreasing Milk Fever In Dairy Cows: A Major Advance -- NRI Award to Goff and Horst -- Publications -- Storage-Protein Modification in Potato: Tuber Quality and Vaccine Production -- Awards to Park -- Award to Mason -- Publications -- Establishing Nutritional Requirements for Vitamin B6 and Folate in Humans -- CRGO and NRI Awards to Gregory -- Production of Cattle and Swine Embryos in Vitro, a Prelude to Cloning -- CRGO and NRI Awards to First -- Patent -- Corn from Cells, Not from Seeds -- CRGO and NRI grant awards to Phillips -- Cloning of Chitinase and Its Practical Application as a Biopesticide -- CRGO and NRI Awards to Kramer -- Patent -- Publications -- Additional Information -- Dogs and Infectious Abortion in Cows: A Mystery Solved -- NRI Awards to McAllister -- Publications -- NRI FUNDED RESEARCH WITH HIGH POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES -- A Step Closer to Bioengineering Cold-Tolerant Plants -- NRI Awards (directly related to this research) -- Publications (directly related to this research) -- Reducing Processing Waste and Negative Environmental Impacts by Wood Modification -- NRI Grants (directly related to this research) -- Patent -- Publications (directly related to this research) -- Bioengineered Safe Resistance to Glyphosate Herbicide -- NRI Awards (directly related to this research) -- Publication (directly related to this research).

Establishment of the Role of Steroid Hormones in Plant Growth and Development -- NRI Awards -- Patents -- Publications -- Additional Information -- Signal-Transduction Pathway of the Plant Hormone Ethylene -- NRI Awards -- Patents -- Publications -- Additional Information -- Improvements in Plant Biotechnology by Manipulation of Gene Silencing -- NRI Awards to Vicki Vance, University of South Carolina -- NRI Awards to James Carrington, Texas A&M University -- Patent -- Publications -- A New BAC Library Vector for Transferring Large DNA Inserts to Plants -- NRI Award -- Patent -- Publications -- Additional Information: -- Appendix H Research Needs in Food, Fiber, and Natural Resources -- PLANTS -- ANIMALS -- NUTRITION, FOOD SAFETY, AND HEALTH -- NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT -- ENHANCING VALUE AND USE OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST PRODUCTS -- MARKETS, TRADE, AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT -- Appendix I Grant Performance Follow-on for Quality Evaluation -- References -- About the Authors -- RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE BOARD ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES.