Primary responsibility over U.S. food, agriculture, and natural resources research, teaching, and extension is vested within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
However, this responsibility is spread over four agencies: Agricultural Research Service (ARS); Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES); Economic Research Service (ERS); and Forest Service (USFS).
The weaknesses of the current system?
An inflexible organizational structure.
Budgetary inefficiencies.
Inadequate integration of programs/activities.
Ineffectual stakeholder input mechanisms.
An emphasis on “capacity” vs. “competitive” funding.
CREATE-21 addresses these problems by integrating the functions, facilities, and personnel of ARS, CSREES, ERS, and USFS R&D into a new “National Institute” led by an eminent scientist/educator.
The Institute will...
Increaseorganizationalflexibility through a variable structure organized initially around six major problem/solution areas.
Improvebudgetary efficiency through elimination of duplicative programs and activities and a streamlined bureaucracy.
Enhance programintegration by bringing the intramural research capacity of ARS, ERS, and USFS R&D more closely together with the research, education, and extension capacity of America’s land-grant and related universities/institutions (as presently funded through CSREES).
Booststakeholderinvolvement through a new National Stakeholder Advisory Council and other mechanisms for improved/increased input at all levels.
Beauthorizedtoreceiveincreasedcompetitive grantfunding. (Authorized funding for the intramural capacity of ARS, ERS, USFS R&D, and the land-grant university system will also be significantly enhanced, with special emphasis placed on building capacity at the 1890, 1994, and smaller 1862 land-grant universities).
