(a) General authority
The Secretary may make grants to encourage cooperative arrangements—

(1) with funds available to carry out part A, between institutions eligible for assistance under part A and between such institutions and institutions not receiving assistance under this subchapter; or

(2) with funds available to carry out part B, between institutions eligible for assistance under part B and institutions not receiving assistance under this subchapter;

for the activities described in section 1057(b) of this title or section 1062 of this title, as the case may be, so that the resources of the cooperating institutions might be combined and shared to achieve the purposes of such parts and avoid costly duplicative efforts and to enhance the development of part A and part B eligible institutions.

(b) Priority
The Secretary shall give priority to grants for the purposes described under subsection (a) whenever the Secretary determines that the cooperative arrangement is geographically and economically sound or will benefit the applicant institution.

(c) Duration
Grants to institutions having a cooperative arrangement may be made under this section for a period as determined under section 1059 of this title or section 1062 of this title.