AFRI RFAs to Be Released Next Month; Several Changes Expected

The Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Roger Beachy, recently announced that the agency expects to issue its request for applications (RFAs) for FY 2010 competitive research funding under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) in February.

Several departures from the previous National Research Initiative (NRI) program are of note and importance to plant scientists planning to apply for competitively awarded research funding from the USDA.

First, reflecting the priorities of the new Administration and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack, Dr. Beachy and his program managers at NIFA will support work in six priority areas, which will be reflected in a series of RFAs:

1. plant health and production and plant products;
2. animal health and production and animal products;
3. food safety, nutrition, and health;
4. renewable energy, natural resources, and environment;
5. agriculture systems and technology; and
6. agriculture economics and rural communities.

Second, the agency intends to provide larger grants (funding up to $25 million) of longer duration (as many as 5 years), changes intended to encourage greater collaboration among institutions and a push toward integrating basic and applied research with education and extension programs.

Third, NIFA also intends to provide up to $5 million in funding opportunities for pre- and postdoctoral fellowship grants. This NIFA Fellows initiative is intended to support the next generation of professionals in basic and applied research relating to agriculture.

The timing for submission of grant proposals is also of note. NIFA will post all RFAs on its website (http://www.csrees.usda.gov/) and at Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/search/searchHome.do). Some RFAs will require Letters of Intent (LOI), which will be due to USDA no sooner than three weeks after the RFA release. Submission of full proposals will be no sooner than six weeks after the LOI deadline. NIFA will determine the deadlines for submission of the full proposals but intends a minimum of 90 days for proposals for large, complex projects. For proposals not requiring a letter of intent, full proposals will be due no sooner than four weeks after the RFA release.

USDA seeks disciplinary-based approaches to building a foundation of knowledge necessary to solve current and future problems. Within the six priority areas listed above, NIFA intends to support interdisciplinary, multi-functional projects in five “societal challenge” areas with an emphasis on achieving significant and measureable outcomes. These five areas/goals include:

1. Keeping American agriculture competitive while ending world hunger;
2. Improving nutrition and ending child obesity;
3. Improving food safety for all Americans;
4. Securing American’s energy future through renewable biofuels; and
5. Mitigating and adapting agriculture to variations in climate.

In another departure from prior practice, USDA’s financial commitment to the FY 2010 AFRI program could total as much as $800 million in out-year funding for new grants, contingent on annual appropriations in future years.

ASPB will continue to provide updates on the upcoming AFRI funding solicitations as they become available.