Funding Opportunities for the Western Region
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) Requests Applications for FY2009 Specialty Crop Research Initiative Grants (Deadline is April 15, 2009)
Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant funding available - USDA CSREES announces the availability $28.4 million for FY2009 to solve critical specialty crop issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research and extension activities that take systems-based, trans-disciplinary approaches.
Organization: USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
Summary: Specialty crops are defined in law as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.
The intent of the Specialty Crop Research Initiative is to promote collaboration, open communication, the exchange of information and the development of resources that accelerate application of scientific discovery and technology to solving needs of the various specialty crop industries. SCRI will give priority to projects that are multistate, multi-institutional, or trans-disciplinary and include explicit mechanisms to communicate results to producers and the public.
The Specialty Crop Research Initiative has five focus areas:
1) plant breeding, genetics and genomics research to improve crop characteristics;
2) efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases;
3) innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies
that delay or inhibit ripening;
4) efforts to improve production efficiency, productivity and profitability;
and
5) methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control and respond to potential
food safety hazards in the production and processing of specialty crops.
Source: Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-CSREES-SCRI-002038
Applications Due By: Prospective applicants are asked to email a notification of intent to submit an application by COB on March 23, 2009. Application due by April 15, 2009
Web site: The FY 2009 Request for Applications is at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/pdfs/09_specialty_crop.pdf
Contact: Tom Bewick; National Program Leader; Plant and Animal Systems; Cooperative State Research Education, and Extension Service; USDA; telephone: (202) 401-3356; fax: (202) 401-4888.
Daniel Schmoldt; National Program Leader; Plant and Animal Systems; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; USDA; telephone: (202) 720-4807; fax: (202) 401-5179.
