(a) Subject to the varying conditions and needs of States, Federal funded agricultural research supported under these provisions shall be designed to, among other things, accomplish one or more of the following purposes:

(1) Continue to satisfy human food and fiber needs;

(2) Enhance the long-term viability and competitiveness of the food production and agricultural system of the United States within the global economy;

(3) Expand economic opportunities in rural America and enhance the quality of life for farmers, rural citizens, and society as a whole;

(4) Improve the productivity of the American agricultural system and develop new agricultural crops and new uses for agricultural commodities;

(5) Develop information and systems to enhance the environment and the natural resource base upon which a sustainable agricultural economy depends; or

(6) Enhance human health.

In carrying out its review under §3400.14, the peer review group will use the following form upon which the evaluation criteria to be used are enumerated, unless pursuant to §3400.5(a), different evaluation criteria are specified in the annual solicitation of proposals for a particular program.

(b) Proposals satisfactorily meeting the guidelines will be evaluated and scored by the peer review panel for each criterion utilizing a scale of 1 through 10. A score of one (1) will be considered low and a score of ten (10) will be considered high for each selection criterion. A weighted factor is used for each criterion.