§ 63.6 Evaluation of applications.
(a) Review procedures. All applications filed in accordance with § 63.3 shall be evaluated by the Assistant Secretary through officers, employees, and such experts or consultants engaged for this purpose as he/she determines are specially qualified in the areas of research pursued by this office. The evaluation criteria below will be supplemented each fiscal year by a program announcement outlining priorities and objectives for policy research, and by other general or specialized solicitations. Such supplements may modify the criteria in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section to provide greater specificity or otherwise improve their applicability to a given announcement or solicitation.
(b) Criteria for evaluation of Policy Research Projects. Review of applications under paragraph (a) of this section will take into account such factors as:
(1) Scientific merit and the significance of the project in relation to policy objectives;
(2) Feasibility of the project;
(3) Soundness of research design, statistical technique, and procedures and methodology;
(4) Theoretical and technical soundness of the proposed plan of operation including consideration of the extent to which: