This regulation applies to research and demonstration project grants under:

(a) Section 20(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 669(a)(1)) for the support of studies related to occupational safety and health, and

(b) Section 501 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 951) for the support of health research in mining. These grants are awarded and administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control, of the Public Health Service.

As used in this regulation:

Demonstration project grant means an award of funds to an eligible applicant to assist in meeting the cost of conducting a demonstration, either on a pilot or full-scale basis, of the technical or economic feasibility or application of a new or improved procedure, method, technique, or approach that will further the research purposes described in § 87.4.

Principal investigator for a research project, or project director for a demonstration project, means a single individual who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the project.

Research project grant means an award of funds to an eligible applicant to assist in meeting the costs of conducting an identified research activity or program, study, or experiment that will further the research purposes described in § 87.4.

Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services and any other officer or employee of the Department of Health and Human Services to whom the authority involved has been delegated.

Any public or private agency or institution is eligible to apply for a grant under this part, except Federal agencies or institutions not specifically authorized by law to receive such a grant.

(a) The Occupational Safety and Health Act authorizes grants for research, experiments, and demonstrations relating to occupational safety and health, including studies of the psychological factors involved. This authority includes projects to develop innovative methods, techniques, and approaches for dealing with occupational safety and health problems.

(b) The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act authorizes grants for research projects designed to:

(1) Improve working conditions and practices affecting health in coal or other mines and to prevent occupational diseases originating in the mining industry.

(2) Develop epidemiological information to (i) identify and define positive factors involved in occupational diseases of miners, (ii) provide information on the incidence and prevalence of pneumoconiosis and other respiratory ailments of miners, and (iii) improve health standards.

(3) Develop techniques for the prevention and control of occupational diseases of miners, including tests for hypersusceptibility and early detection.

(4) Evaluate the effect on bodily impairment and occupational disability of miners afflicted with an occupational disease.

(5) Study the relationship between coal or other mine environments and occupational diseases of miners.

(6) Study matters involving the protection of life and the prevention of diseases in connection with persons who, although not miners, work with or around the products of coal or other mines in areas outside of such mines and under conditions which may adversely affect the health and well-being of such persons.

(7) Develop effective respiratory equipment.

The application must contain a complete description of the objective of the project and the plan for carrying out the research or demonstration, the name and qualifications of the principal investigator or project director and principal staff members, the total resources and facilities that will be available, and a justification of the amount of grant funds requested.

(a) The Secretary may award grants to those applicants whose approved projects will best promote the purposes of either the Occupational Safety and Health Act or the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act on the basis of an evaluation conducted by experts or consultants engaged for this purpose.

(b) This evaluation will take into account the scientific merit and significance of the project, the competency of the proposed staff in relation to the type of research or demonstration involved, the feasibility of the project, the likelihood of its producing meaningful results, the proposed project period, the adequacy of the applicant's resources available for the project, the amount of grant funds necessary for completion, and for mining grant applications, the recommendations of the Mine Health Research Advisory Committee.

(c) The Secretary may evaluate and approve two or more concurrent applications, each dealing with one or more specified aspects of the project, and make two or more concurrent grant awards for the project. This may be necessary when a project involves a number of different but related problems, activities, or disciplines which would require evaluation by different groups, or when support for a project could be more effectively administered by separate handling of various aspects of the project.

(a) 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 3-5 years.

(b) Generally, the grant will initially be for 1 year and subsequent continuation awards will also be for 1 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 such awards will be 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.

(c) 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 with respect to any approved application or portion of an approved application.

A grantee shall only spend funds it receives under this part according to the approved application and budget, the authorizing legislation, the terms and conditions of the grant award, the applicable cost principles specified in subpart Q of 45 CFR part 74, and the regulations of this part.

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