Archived Funding Opportunities for the Western IPM Center
Western Region Pest Management Center
Request for Proposals - 2001

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Contents: Summary General Information Multi-State Proposals

Priorities Evaluation and Selection Criteria Matching Funds Proposal Format

SUMMARY
The Western Region Pest Management Center announces the availability of funds and requests proposals for activities that support the Western Region Pest Management Center. The goals of the Center are:

1. To strengthen connections with production agriculture, research and extension programs, and agricultural stakeholders in the U.S.
2. Respond to information needs of the public and private sectors
3. Help USDA and partner institutions identify, prioritize and coordinate a national pest management research, extension, and education programs
4. Link regional pest management issues with USDA programs/resources

Applicants are expected to propose activities that lead to:

1. Stakeholder involvement in priority setting
2. Development of a pest management information network
3. Creation of crop/commodity profiles and pest management strategic plans
4. Participation in the identification of agroecological regions for year 2003
5. Establishment of advisory committees and review of technical documents as requested by USDA

Twelve (12) hard copies and one electronic version of each proposal must be received by the Western Region Pest Management Center by 5:00 p.m. Friday, August 3, 2001.

I. GENERAL INFORMATION
Funding in the amount of approximately $860,000 is available for this competitive subcontracts program. The states and territories included in the Western Region which will be considered for funding are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam and Northern Marianas. Funding should be available beginning September 15, 2001 for these subcontracts.

Proposals under this RFP may request funding for one or two years in duration. However, second year funding is contingent upon availability of funds from USDA and suitable progress in year one.

II. MULTI-STATE PROPOSALS
The review panel will give preference to multi-state/territory proposals that demonstrate strong associations with stakeholders and begin to address regional issues. In these cases, each participating state should submit a separate proposal and budget and identify the other states and cooperators to be involved. Each proposal must clearly define which aspects of the priorities that each participating state will address. It is not required that each state/territory in a multi-state/territory project include each priority in their workplan. However, all priorities must be addressed by the multi-state/territory effort. There should also be designation of the lead state and of plans for coordination of the project during the implementation phase. Clear evidence that the other states/territories have agreed to the project must be included (e.g., letters of commitment, MOUs, etc.). Subcontracts will be awarded to each individual entity of multi-state/territory collaborations.

III. PRIORITIES
Successful applicants must include items 1-5

1. Establish sub-regional "advisory committees" of pest managers, producers and commodity groups, and other stakeholders that represent the diversity of capabilities, institutions, and pest management issues found in the region.
2. Establish a state/multi-state/territory based pest management information and communication network linking USDA and other Federal agencies with agricultural researchers and stakeholders throughout the region. This includes collecting, synthesizing and disseminating information on pest management practices. When appropriate, coordinate reviews of documents or replies to questions related to crop production, pest management, regulatory, health, and environmental risk issues as requested by USDA and/or EPA. Multi-state collaborations should tie in existing web resources to avoid duplication of efforts.
3. Coordinate, develop or update crop/commodity profiles and/or pest management strategic plans for important commodities in the region.
4. Identify the process by which you will participate in the WRPMC’s identification of appropriate boundaries for agroecological pest management areas in the United States for FY2003. (These Agroecological Pest Management Centers will be geographically defined by an appropriate set of criteria, such as agroecological or crop production regions, that reflect principal agricultural production zones in the Western Region and address the broad spectrum of pest management needs within each region.)
5. Clearly indicate and include in the budget funds for a representative to attend the annual Western Region Pest Management Center Workshop(s) in 2002/2003.

IV. EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA
All proposals received will be acknowledged. The review committee (a subcommittee of the Western Region Pest Management Steering Committee) will review all proposals. Proposals will be judged by the following criteria:

1. Relevance to the Center RFP’s priorities and regional issues.
2. Multi-state/territory collaborations.
3. Feasibility of completing the project objectives within the proposed time frame. Please indicate the resources available to complete the proposal in the timeframe specified.
4. Appropriateness and clarity of the requested budget.

Funding levels will be recommended within the limitation of total funds available.

Funds for multi-year projects can only be committed on a year-to-year basis and continued funding will be dependent upon the continued support of the WRPMC by USDA. If continued funding is available, principal investigators of projects who wish to be considered for further funding must resubmit the original or a modified proposal along with a detailed and descriptive progress report. Complete progress reports are essential. Modifications to the original proposal must be clearly identified and justified.

V. MATCHING FUNDS
Matching funds are not required however matching funds are encouraged. Any matching funds should be included in your budget narrative for review by the Steering Committee.

VI. PROPOSAL FORMAT
Proposals must include:

TITLE. This should be brief, clear, and specific. The title must be limited to 100 spaces (letters, punctuation, and spaces between words).

ABSTRACT. Must be a clear summary of the project, its objectives, and procedures for accomplishing the objectives. Include a brief statement of how the proposed project meets the RFP's priorities. Successful recipients will be required to participate in all priorities. This should appear on the first page and not exceed 1,000 characters or spaces in length.

OBJECTIVES. A concise, complete, clear, logically arranged, and numbered series of statements defining the specific objectives of the project.

PROCEDURES. There should be a numbered procedure statement to correspond with each numbered objective. These statements should outline the essential working plans and methods that will be employed in attaining each objective. Phases of the work to be undertaken concurrently should be designated. The procedure statement should show that the project needs and plans have been considered carefully and the proposed work has the potential of providing data and information that will permit accomplishing the objectives. Subcontractors must incorporate measurable goals and outcomes into their projects. This information will provide a basis for the Steering Committee’s annual evaluation of the individual subcontracts.

PREVIOUS WORK AND PRESENT OUTLOOK. Provide a brief summary discussing pertinent experience with information networking, crop/commodity profiles and pest management strategic plans, the status of current work, additional information needed, and how this project is expected to contribute to this need. The nature of the project and its objectives will determine the ease of predicting success, but where feasible it is appropriate to indicate the likelihood of achieving the objectives in a specified length of time.

 LITERATURE CITED. Only those publications cited should be listed in this section; 15 literature citations should be the maximum for most projects. To provide uniformity, the following format should be used: Author(s). Title. Journal. Volume: Pages. Year.

PROBABLE DURATION. An estimate of the time that will be required to complete the objectives must be a component of all proposals. Funding beyond FY2001 will be dependent upon continued availability of Federal funds. FY2001 subcontracts will run from September 15, 2001 through September 14, 2002.

LENGTH OF PROPOSAL. Proposals should not exceed ten (10) pages in length, excluding budgets and other attachments. Proposals must be typed in a 12 point (10 cpi) or larger font using 8-1/2 x 11-inch paper, single-sided and single-spaced with one inch vertical and horizontal margins. Pages must be numbered beginning with the proposal narrative.

BUDGET. Form CSREES-55 must be used for submitting the proposed budget. This form, and others may be downloaded with the "Standard Application Kit" at: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/1700/funding/ourfund.htm. A brief budget justification statement (i.e., Budget Narrative) is required and must provide details for each line item in the budget. Indirect costs of up to 19% can be supported by these funds. For multi-state/territory projects, each collaborating state must submit a separate proposal with their specific budget along with a summary budget for the entire project. Additional details on budget issues are available, upon request, from the Western Region Pest Management Center office or at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ipmnet/centers/budgets.html.

ATTACHMENTS. Form CSREES-661 (Application for Funding) must be attached as a cover sheet. A completed form CSREES-663 (Current and Pending Support) must also be included for each principle investigator. Both forms are available at: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/1700/funding/ourfund.htm.

A brief résumé (three pages maximum) of each principal investigator and other project personnel should be attached. Additional items such as reprints, reports, etc. may be attached.

SIGNATURES. Each proposal must be signed by the appropriate university/corporate officer.

PROGRESS REPORT. Projects reapplying for FY2001/2002 funds must submit a progress report, if they have been previously funded by the WRPMC to the Director no later than August 3, 2001.

FINAL REPORT. A final report must be submitted to the Director by January 1, 2003. This report should provide the status of all the objectives in the funded project.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS. Twelve (12) hard copies (including the original with all required signatures) and one electronic version (Word or WordPerfect for Windows) of each proposal must be received by the Western Region Pest Management Center by 5:00 p.m. Friday, August 3, 2001. Facsimile copies are not acceptable. Send proposals to:

Mr. Rick Melnicoe
Western Region Pest Management Center
Department of Environmental Toxicology
4249 Meyer Hall (Needed Only for FedEx)
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, California 95616-8588
530-754-8378

The University of California, in accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, medical condition (cancer-related), ancestry, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means or communications of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the Western Region Pest Management Center Director. Inquiries regarding the University’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action Director, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin St., 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607. (510) 987-0096.