(also known as Station/State/Hatch Projects)
IAHEES projects are considered according to these criteria:
- Scientific and financial accountability for research
- Excellent quality of work
- Formation of strong teams to address high priority issues
A Principal Investigator, or PI (faculty member or P&S; employee classified P-17 or above), or team of investigators, identifies a priority agricultural, natural resources, home economics, rural and/or community development issue or problem and assesses the need to assemble a team of researchers for a project duration of three to five years.
The PI then prepares a Station project proposal according to the prescribed format, which presents a justification for the research, objectives and procedures that will be used to accomplish the objectives. The researcher must estimate the resources needed to conduct the project activities. The proposed documentation is reviewed by the researcher's department executive officer (DEO) and, when approved, is submitted to Dr. Colin G. Scanes, Associate Director, Research Programs Office, 131 Curtiss Hall, with the IAHEES memo of recommendation attached. The Station project proposal is forwarded to a minimum of one internal and one external peer reviewer for their recommendations.
The requirement to have a Station project can be satisfied in several ways:
- The PI can prepare the documentation (alone or with a team) for a Station (Hatch) project proposal. Co-PIs ordinarily participate in the writing of the proposal, but Co-PIs can also be added by submission of an IAHEES addendum form after the Station project has been approved.
- A faculty member can satisfy the need to have a Station project as a Co-PI with the team responsible for the project activities.
- Regional research project (NC, NE, S, or W) participation can serve as a faculty member's Station project.
- Awards of major, competitive, peer-reviewed federal grants (e.g., NIH, USDA/NRICGP, NSF) can fulfill the requirement for a Station project.
Eligibility and requirements and definitions of scientist year, professional year, and technical year for Station projects policies can be reviewed.
The accounting system of IAHEES is based upon identification of allocations and expenditures (salaries, equipment and current expense/supplies) with specific research or administrative projects. Thus, it is necessary to have one or more active IAHEES projects for each faculty member receiving salary or other support from IAHEES. PIs must make an annual report (AD-421) to IAHEES, for each calendar year. The AD-421 CRIS form is used for both progress and termination reports. IAHEES is required to submit an annual financial report (AD-419) at the end of the federal fiscal year showing sources of funding and expenditures for each IAHEES project. This information becomes part of the USDA Current Research Information System (CRIS) national database, a unit of Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension (CSREES).