USDA capacity funds are used by land-grant institutions to support faculty salaries, facilities, equipment, travel, supplies, and internal awards, potentially bringing these within the scope of 2 CFR Part 422, even when no conventional competitive grant is involved. This session will begin with a brief overview of USDA’s research misconduct reporting requirements, including how they differ from PHS and other agency rules. The remainder of the session will be a conversation among attendees about how RIOs can determine whether questioned research is supported by USDA.

Because the ways in which capacity funds are allocated and tracked vary considerably across institutions,  participants are encouraged to do some advance homework by identifying how capacity funds are distributed at their institution, which offices administer them, and whether research integrity officials can readily determine who or what they support. Attendees will share institutional practices, identify common blind spots, and discuss practical approaches for assessing USDA jurisdiction in research misconduct matters.