(a) The regulations of this subpart apply to grants of funds, materials, or both, for establishing, expanding, and improving basic medical library resources as authorized by section 474 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 286b-5).

(b) This subpart also applies to cooperative agreements awarded for this purpose. In these circumstances, references to “grant(s)” shall include “cooperative agreements(s).”

Undefined terms have the same meaning as provided in the Act. As used in this subpart:

Act means the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.).

Project period—See § 59a.5(c).

Related instrumentality means a public or private institution, organization, or agency, other than a medical library, whose primary function is the acquisition, preservation, dissemination, and/or processing of information relating to the health sciences.

Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services and any other official of the Department of Health and Human Services to whom the authority involved is delegated.

Except as otherwise prohibited by law, any public or private nonprofit institution, organization, or agency authorized or qualified to carry on the functions of a medical library, and any public or private related instrumentality, is eligible for a grant under this subpart.

The Secretary shall evaluate grant applications using the officers and employees, and experts, consultants, or groups engaged by the Secretary for that purpose. The Secretary's evaluation shall consider the scope of library or related services for the population and purposes served by the applicant. This evaluation shall include consideration of the following information which must be set forth in the grant application and such other information the Secretary considers pertinent:

(a) Evidence of the applicant's efficiency in providing services,

(b) Amount of available equipment and other resources on hand to satisfy the needs of the area served by the facility,

(c) Extent of coordination with other libraries and related facilities, and

(d) Potential for testing or demonstration of new or improved techniques in health-sciences informational services.

(a) General. Within the limits of funds available, the Secretary may award grants to those applicants whose proposals for establishments, expansion, or improvement will, in the Secretary's judgment, best promote the purposes of section 474 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 286b-5).

(b) Determination of award amount. An Award may not exceed $1,000,000 or other amount established by law for any fiscal year.

(1) The scope of medical-library or related services provided by the applicant for the population and purposes it serves considering:

(i) The number of graduate and undergraduate students, and physicians and other practitioners in health-related sciences making use of the applicant's library resources;

(ii) The type and availability of library support staff;

(iii) The type, size, and qualifications of the faculty of any school with which the applicant is affiliated;

(iv) The staff of any hospitals or clinics with which the applicant's library is affiliated;

(v) The geographic area served and, within that area, the medical-library or related services otherwise available; and

(2) The amount adequate to insure continuing financial support from non-Federal sources of the applicant's proposed activity during and after the period of award. The Secretary shall consider the level of non-Federal support for the proposed activity for periods prior to the fiscal year in which a grant is made. The Secretary shall require the applicant's assurance that non-Federal support will not be diminished as a result of the award and that adequate support for this activity will be continued during and after the period of Federal assistance.

(c) Project period. (1) the notice of grant award specifies how long the Secretary intends to support the project without requiring the project to recompete for funds. This period, called the project period, will usually be for one to five years.

(2) Generally, the grant will initially be for one year at a time and subsequent continuation awards will also be for one year at a time. A grantee must submit a separate application to have the support continued for each subsequent year. Decisions regarding continuation awards and the funding level of these awards will be made after consideration of such factors as the grantee's progress and management practices, and the availability of funds. In all cases, continuation awards require a determination by the Secretary that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal Government.

(3) Neither the approval of any application nor the award of any grant commits or obligates the Federal Government in any way to make any additional, supplemental, continuation, or other award for any approved application or portion of an approved application.

The grantee shall expend funds or use materials provided by a grant under this subpart solely for the purposes for which the funds or materials were granted, in accordance with the pertinent provisions of the approved application and budget, the regulations of this subpart, the terms and conditions of the award, and the applicable cost principles in 45 CFR part 75, subpart E.

Several other regulations apply to grants under this subpart. These include, but are not necessarily limited to: