(a) To be eligible for a grant under this subchapter, the applicant must be affiliated with an institution of higher education.(a-1) In awarding grants under this section, the director shall comply with the conflict of interest provisions of The Texas A&M University System.(b) The director shall develop annually a request for proposals for equine research grants. Each proposal received may be evaluated by a peer review committee appointed by the director and subject matter experts as necessary to evaluate the proposal. The peer review committee shall consider the applicant's research capacity and the relevance and scientific merit of the proposal and make recommendations to the director.(b-1) The director may award a grant to an applicant who proposes to commingle grant money awarded under this section with other sources of funding or proposes to conduct research that includes equine research.(c) Repealed by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 522, Sec. 27(7), eff. September 1, 2011.(d) A person shall use a grant awarded under this subchapter to defray the direct costs of the approved research project.(e) A person may not use a grant awarded under this subchapter to:(1) replace funds that the applicant would have otherwise received from another source; or(2) defray operating costs of an institution of higher education that are the institution's prior responsibility.Amended by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 522, Sec. 23, eff. 9/1/2011.Amended by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 522, Sec. 27(7), eff. 9/1/2011.Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 386, Sec. 73, eff. 8/26/1991.