(a) Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, but not to exceed a total of $10 million, an equal amount of dollars will be available to each qualified institute in each fiscal year to assist it in carrying out the purposes of the Act. If the full amount of the appropriated funds is not obligated by the close of the fiscal year for which they were appropriated, the remaining funds shall be made available in the succeeding fiscal year to support competitively selected research projects under the terms of section 104(g) of the Act. Selection and approval of such projects shall be based on criteria to be determined by the Director. Announcement of such criteria shall be made by notice in the Federal Register. The granting agency may retain an amount up to 15 percent of the total appropriation for administrative costs.

(b) The granting agency will annually make available to qualified institutes instructions for the submittal of applications for grants. The instructions will include information pertinent only to a single fiscal year, such as the closing date for applications and the amount of funds initially available to each institute. They also will include notification of the provisions and assurances necessary to ensure that administration of the grant will be conducted in compliance with this chapter and other Federal laws and regulations applicable to grants to institutions of higher learning.

(c) In making its application for funds to which it is entitled under the Act, each institute shall use and follow the standard form for Federal assistance (SF 424, Federal Assistance). No preapplication is required. The institute shall include in section IV of Standard Form 424 evidence that its application was:

(1) Developed in close consultation and collaboration with senior personnel of the State's department of water resources or similar agencies, other leading water resources officials within the State, and interested members of the public;

(2) Coordinated with other institutes in the region for the purposes of avoiding duplication of effort and encouraging regional cooperation in research areas of water management, development, and conservation that have a regional or national character; and

(3) Reviewed for technical merit of its research components by qualified scientists.

(d) Each application shall further include:

(1) A financial plan relating expenditures to scheduled activity and rate of effort to be expended and indicating the times at which there will be need for specified amounts of Federal funds; and

(2) A description of the institute's arrangements for development, administration, and technical oversight of the research program.

(e) Each annual program application is to include separately identifiable proposals for conduct of research to meet the needs of the State and region. Such proposals must set forth for each project:

(1) The nature, scope and objectives of the project to be undertaken;

(2) Its importance to the State, region, or Nation; its relation to other known research projects already completed or in progress; and the anticipated applicability of the research results;

(3) The period during which it will be pursued;

(4) The names and qualifications of the senior professional personnel who will direct and conduct the project;

(5) Its estimated costs, with a breakdown of the costs per year; and

(6) The extent of which it will provide opportunity for the training of scientists.

(f) Each program application shall contain a plan for disseminating information on the results of research and promoting their application. Plans which require the use of grant funds shall contain:

(1) Definition of the topics for dissemination;

(2) Identification of the target audiences for dissemination;

(3) Strategies for accomplishing the dissemination;

(4) Duties and qualifications of the personnel to be involved;

(5) Estimated costs of each identifiable element of the plan; and

(6) Identification of cooperating entities.

(g) The application shall provide assurance that non-Federal dollars will be available to share the costs of the proposed program. The Federal funds are to be matched on a basis of no less than two non-Federal dollars for each Federal dollar, unless this matching requirement has been waived.

(h) The granting agency will evaluate the proposals for consistency with the provisions of its instructions and this chapter and within no more than 90 days request any revisions and additions necessary for such consistency.