The Request for
Applications (RFA) for the 2013 Agricultural and Food Research Initiative
(AFRI) Foundational Program was issued October 15, 2012. The purpose of
AFRI is to support research, education, and extension work by awarding grants
that address key problems of national, regional, and multi-state importance in
sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including farm efficiency
and profitability, ranching, renewable energy, forestry (both urban and
agroforestry), aquaculture, rural communities and entrepreneurship, human
nutrition, food safety, physical and social sciences, home economics and rural
human ecology, biotechnology, and conventional breeding.
This is a complex
program with a number of nuances; the following is a brief summary of this very
detailed program, covering:
Program areas
(including dollar amounts and deadlines)
Grant types
Eligible
applicants
Match
requirements
For the full RFA, visit http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/pdfs/2013_afri_foundation.pdf
Contact Morrison & Company for more
information on this grant and our grant writing services:
The
following Foundational Program Areas (detailed further below) provide a base
from which applications for Research Projects, Integrated Projects, and FASE
Grants may be developed.
AFRI
encourages submission of innovative “high-risk” projects with potential for
future high impact on agriculture, as well as innovative proposals with
potential for near-term results and impacts.
Following are a list of program areas identified by NIFA, detailed in
PROGRAM AREAS below:
- Plant Health and Production and Plant Products
- Animal Health and Production and Animal Products
- Food Safety, Nutrition and Health
- Renewable Energy, Natural Resources and Environment
- Agricultural Systems and Technology
- Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities
PROGRAM AREAS
(1) Plant Health and Production and Plant
Products
Plant
protection, plant production and the development of new plant products are
critical to the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture and the
success and growth of the Nation’s economy. Future improvements will require an
increased understanding of complex, inter-related factors at a wide range of
scales. These include investigations of plant biology at molecular, cellular
and whole-plant levels as well as innovative and environmentally sound
approaches to improve plants and protect them from biotic and abiotic stresses.
Increased knowledge of plant systems and the various factors that affect plant
productivity will allow U.S. agriculture to face critical challenges in areas
such as food security, bio-energy, climate change, loss of agricultural land,
and increasing global competition.
-
Program Area Priorities – Applicants must address at least
one of the following:
o Plant
Breeding for Agricultural Production
o Understanding
Biological Mechanisms for Plant Production
o Understanding
Plan-Associated Microorganisms and Plant-Microbe Interactions
o Controlling
Weedy and Invasive Plants
o Plant
Associated Insects and Nematodes
-
Grant Limits and Deadlines:
o LOI
Deadline: November 26, 2012
o Application
Deadline: February 18, 2013
o Total
Program Funds: Approx $37 million
o Max Grant:
$500,000
o Max Time: 5
years
(2) Animal Health and Production and
Animal Products
Animal
production and health play critical roles in the sustainability and
competitiveness of U.S. agriculture. They contribute significantly to the
nation’s economy, global food production and food security. Our competitiveness
depends on understanding the critical biological and physical mechanisms
underlying nutrition, growth, reproduction, and health in livestock, poultry,
equine, and aquacultured species. Research at the genomic, molecular, cellular
and organ systems levels is essential. We need to expand our knowledge using
basic and applied research to reduce production and health costs, enhance
nutritional quality of animal products, and minimize environmental impacts.
This information is required to develop better management strategies to improve
production efficiency, enhance animal health, and develop improved animal
products for humans. These strategies may include the application of
biotechnology, conventional breeding, and breed development.
-
Program Area Priorities – Applicants must address at least
one of the following:
o Animal
Reproduction
o Animal
Nutrition, Growth and Lactation
o Animal
Health and Disease
o Tools and
Resources for Animal Breeding, Genetics and Genomics
-
Grant Limits and Deadlines:
o LOI
Deadline: November 15, 2012
o Application
Deadline: January 9, 2013
o Total
Program Funds: Approx $33 million
o Max Grant:
$500,000
o Max Time: 5
years
(3) Food Safety, Nutrition and Health
Human health is significantly affected by the safety, quality, and
nutritive value of foods consumed. This program addresses: 1) microbial,
physical, and chemical contamination of foods; 2) nutritional quality and links
between food and health; 3) bioavailability of nutrients; 4) postharvest
practices; and 5) improved food processing technologies.
In spite of recent advances in
improving food safety, food-borne illness continues to be a source of concern
for the American consumer, local, state and federal governments, and the food
production industry.
Chemical (including allergens) and physical hazards that could be introduced at
any point in the food chain also continue to pose food safety problems. In
nutrition, knowledge of dietary reference intakes and tolerable upper limits,
gut biology, nutrigenomics, and the bioavailability of proven bioactive
components is integral to formulating nutritious and healthy diets.
Undergirding the formulation of nutritious and healthy diets is the knowledge
of chemical, biological and physical characteristics of food and food
ingredients involved in food processing and packaging. Generating and applying
the knowledge needed to improve the safety, quality, and nutritive value of
foods are part of a comprehensive approach to preventing acute food-borne
illnesses and chronic degenerative diseases such as coronary heart and other
vascular diseases, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, arthritis, and
obesity. Food safety and food processing knowledge generated may also be
helpful in addressing sustainability and food security.
-
Program Area Priorities – Applicants must address at least
one of the following:
o Physical
and Molecular Mechanisms of Food Contamination
o Function
and Efficacy of Nutrients
o Improving
Food Quality
-
Grant Limits and Deadlines:
o LOI
Deadline: November 19, 2012
o Application
Deadline: February 6, 2013
o Total
Program Funds: Approx $18 million
o Max Grant:
$500,000
o Max Time: 5
years
(4) Renewable Energy, Natural Resources
and Environment (RENRE)
Healthy agroecosystems and the maintenance of supporting natural
resources are essential to the sustained long-term productivity of agricultural
goods and services. However, degradation or loss of ecosystem services through
natural processes or anthropogenic interventions (e.g., flooding,
increasing water shortages, greater air and water pollution, soil quality and
productivity degradation, reduced biological diversity, land use changes,
greater frequency of extreme weather events), threatens the sustainability of
U.S. agriculture. The goal of this Program Area is to fund a portfolio of
research projects that improve our understanding of the linkages among
processes and management actions at diverse spatial and temporal scales that
will sustain agroecosystems and the supporting natural resources of those
systems.
Agroecosystems can include crop
production systems, animal production systems (either intensive or extensive),
and pasture, range, and forest lands that are actively managed to provide
economic, societal, and environmental benefits for individuals, communities,
and society at large. Projects funded through this Program Area should
contribute towards improved efforts to achieve sustainable production in
agroecosystems while retaining needed ecosystems services.
-
Program Area Priorities – Applicants must address the
following:
o Soil, Air
and Water Processes in Agroecosystems
-
Grant Limits and Deadlines:
o LOI
Deadline: November 15, 2012
o Application
Deadline: February 21, 2013
o Total
Program Funds: Approx $17 million
o Max Grant: $500,000
o Max Time: 4
years
(5) Agriculture Systems and Technology
This Program Area emphasizes the interrelationships between
agricultural system components to develop the next generation of engineered
systems, products, processes, and technologies. It blends biological, physical,
and social sciences. This approach will lead to sustainable, competitive, and
innovative solutions for U.S. and global agriculture and food production. Some
key disciplinary 16 contributors may include: engineering; agricultural economics;
chemistry; microbiology; soil science; animal and plant sciences; veterinary
medicine; genetics; social sciences; behavioral sciences; food safety; physics;
materials science; and toxicology. To the extent possible, applicants are
encouraged to incorporate interdisciplinary sciences. By doing so, projects are
more likely to incorporate varying dimensions of sustainability (economic,
environmental, and social) and have a greater impact on agricultural problems.
The broad list of topics encompassed by this area includes, but is not limited
to:
1. New uses and products from traditional and nontraditional
crops, animals, byproducts, and natural resources;
2. Robotics, automation, precision and geospatial technologies,
energy efficiency, computing, and expert systems;
3. New hazard and risk assessment and mitigation measures; and
4. Water quality and management and irrigation.
-
Program Area Priorities – Applicants must address at least
one of the following:
o Engineering,
Products and Processes
o Nanotechnology
for Agricultural and Food Systems
-
Grant Limits and Deadlines:
o LOI
Deadline: November 20, 2012
o Application
Deadline: February 13, 2013
o Total
Program Funds: Approx $12 million
o Max Grant:
$500,000
o Max Time: 5
years
(6) Agriculture Economics and Rural
Communities (AE&RC)
Rural community issues center around economic opportunity and
development, entrepreneurship, health and well-being. To overcome the challenges of rural quality of
life and agricultural production, while maintaining a long-term sustainable
agricultural system, continued research and development of innovative ideas,
strategies and new technologies are needed. The challenges are multi-faceted
and complex. To adequately assess and understand them we need to consider
social, behavioral, economic, physical, environmental, institutional, or other
factors contributing to or arising from these challenges. Given these
opportunities and challenges, the primary goal of this priority area is to
promote economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable agriculture and
resilient rural communities. The objectives of this program area are to:
• Satisfy human food, feed, and fiber needs;
• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base;
• Sustain the economic viability of agriculture and rural
communities; and
• Enhance the quality of life of farmers, farm workers, and the
rural communities.
This AE&RC program area thus
supports projects that sustain and enhance agricultural and related activities
in rural areas and to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and
alleviate poverty. Topical issues include, but are not limited to, the
interactions between agriculture, environment and communities in rural areas,
demographic changes and impacts, consumer preferences or behavior,
-
Program Area Priorities for Integrated Projects - Applicants
must address at least one of the following:
o Small and
Medium Sized Farms
o Entrepreneurship,
Technology and Innovation
o Rural
Families, Communities and Regional Development
-
Program Area Priorities for Research Projects - Applicants
must address at least one of the following:
o Economics,
Markets and Trade
o Environment
-
Grant Limits and Deadlines:
o LOI
Deadline: NOT REQUIRED
o Application
Deadline: May 22, 2013
o Total
Program Funds: Approx $19 million
o Max Grant:
$500,000
o Max Time: 5
years
GRANT TYPES
Applications must propose one of the project types specific within the
Program Areas and select the appropriate grant type for the application within
the constraints of the grant types solicited.
Standard
Grant - Support targeted original scientific
Research, Education, Extension, or Integrated Projects.
Conference
Grants - Conference Grants support scientific
meetings that bring together scientists to identify research, education, and/or
extension needs, update information, or advance an area of science.
Food
and Agricultural Science Enhancements (FASE) - Designed to help institutions develop competitive
projects, and to attract new scientists and educators into careers in
high-priority areas of National need in agriculture, food, and environmental
sciences.
o
Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants - for research, education, extension,
or integrated activities
o
New Investigator Grants - for research, education, and/or extension activities
o
Strengthening Grants - to enhance institutional capacity with the goal of leading to future
funding in the project area, as well as strengthen the competitiveness of the
investigator’s research, education, and/or extension activities
§ Sabbatical Grants - to provide an opportunity for
faculty to enhance their research, education, and/or extension capabilities
§ Equipment Grants - to strengthen the research,
education, and/or extension capacity of institutions by funding the purchase of
one major piece of equipment (Cost Range: $10,000 - $250,000)
§ Seed Grants - to provide funds to enable
investigators to collect preliminary data or perform other preliminary
activities in preparation for applying for future grants from AFRI (limited to
$150,000 and 2 years)
§ Strengthening Standard Grants - Standard Grant applications that
meet the eligibility requirements for Strengthening Grants are eligible for
reserved strengthening funds
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
In
general, eligible applicants are as follows (see RFA for specific guidance)
-
For Research Projects
o State
Agricultural Experiment Stations
o Colleges
and Universities
o University
Research Foundations
o Other
Research Institutions and Organizations
o Federal
Agencies
o National
Laboratories
o Private
Organizations or Corporations
o Individuals
-
For Integrated Projects (only applies to AD&RC)
o Colleges
and Universities
o 1994 Land
Grant Institutions
o Hispanic
serving agricultural colleges and universities
MATCHING REQUIREMENTS
Program Match Requirements - 1:1 (cash or in-kind)
