Duration: 07/01/2010 to 09/30/2029

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

Coordination of activities among participating states and between multi-state research and integrated research and extension projects requires certain administrative services and support. For example, interstate travel of State Agricultural Experiment Station scientists and administrative advisers is essential for them to attend ad hoc technical committee meetings, coordinating committee meetings, conferences, and work groups. These activities and the associated expenses must be accounted for through some reporting mechanism. This project will facilitate multi-state research, and integrated research and extension activities, and permit the accounting of the related expenditures. This project will permit better administration of the Multi-State Research Fund and help to facilitate collaboration and cooperative activities on selected priority topics identified through a regional framework of planned activities. RRF are allotted to the individual states for participation in the RRF program. Coordination of the research between the states and between projects requires interstate travel of state station scientists, administrative advisors, and outside specialists for technical committee meetings, conferences, and work groups and appurtenant services. The technical committee is a distinct entity. It meets in separate sessions and carries out its functions independently of other regional committees having broader interests in the same subject matter field. It is essential that funds be available for travel and expenses appurtenant to meetings of technical committees of the approved regional research projects, and for the conferences and work groups to facilitate regional cooperative effort by the participating state stations.

Related, Current and Previous Work

Objectives

1. To facilitate the planning and coordination of regional research
   
2. To simplify accounting and disbursement of travel funds at each participating station for regional research planning and coordination.
   

Methods

An allotment of the regional research fund (RRF) will be made at each participating station on the basis of a CRIS form to pay the necessary expenses of the directors serving as administrative advisors, members of technical committees, participating scientists, specialists and other persons authorized by the designated administrative advisors and the stations desiring to participate in attending meetings, including work groups and conferences, for the purpose of conferring on, coordinating and furthering research on specific problems of concern to two or more states. Advisors and stations will be guided by the policies at their own station regarding travel and other expenses to be authorized. As a policy, the chair of the North Central Regional Association (NCRA) will serve as administrative advisor and chair of the project and may authorize special meetings as required. A report on the purpose and accomplishment of such meetings will be included in the annual progress report on the coordination project. The chair will be responsible for assembling this report.

Measurement of Progress and Results

Outputs

Outcomes or Projected Impacts

Milestones

(0):0

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Outreach Plan

Organization/Governance

Directors of the North Central Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Stations are the technical committee. The ED/AD of the regional association (NCRA) will serve as AA to NC100, for consistency over several years.

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, ND, OH, SD, WI

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

Applied Research Associates