Selection of Proposals as Approved Research Projects. In advance of Proposal selection, the GoMRI Administrative Unit shall notify the Research Board of the maximum amount of Research Project Costs allocated to that Program Year. Subject to the requirements of Section 5.5 and with the support of the GoMRI Administrative Unit, the Research Board shall then review and select Proposals as Approved Research Projects, that together with any authorized Continuation Funding Requests or amendments to Approved Research Projects described in Sections 3.2.6 and 6, do not exceed the maximum amount of Research Project Costs allocated to that Program Year. The Research Board shall then direct the GoMRI Administrative Unit to (a) notify the Research Consortia and the Parties as to which Proposals have been selected as Approved Research Projects, and (b) direct the GoMRI Grant Unit to enter into Grant Agreements with the Research Consortia for the Approved Research Projects, as described in Section 7, provided that the Research Board must approve the appointment of any Research Project Director prior to execution of the Grant Agreement, as set forth in Section 4.5.
Selection of Proposals as Approved Research Projects. The Research Board has the sole, independent authority to select the Proposals for funding under the GoMRI, provided that both the Proposal and the process of selection adhere to both this Agreement and the RFP approved by the Parties; such selection by the Research Board is not subject to consultation with or approval by the Parties. While the Research Board has discretion to determine both the Research Consortia and Research Themes to be explored at each Research Consortium, the Proposals selected must (a) constitute innovative programs of research combining state of the art research techniques with deep technical knowledge of the Gulf of Mexico; and (b) utilize Research Investigators recruited from multiple institutions chosen to provide complementary research capabilities with the greatest strength. Each such approved Proposal, including any discretionary decisions regarding funding made during the course of the peer review process, constitutes an “Approved Research Project.” The GoMRI Administrative Unit shall provide the Research Board with such administrative support for the selection process as is directed by the Research Board. Provided, however, that in no event may the amounts awarded by the Research Board be in excess of the amounts permissible under Sections 2.2 and 2.3.
