Federal Grant Award Summary

Washington State University received a $600,000 Project Grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), awarded September 1, 2026, with completion targeted for August 31, 2030. The award funds an integrated research and extension training program designed to prepare next-generation agricultural researchers from traditional and rural undergraduate institutions for graduate education and careers in agricultural and food systems. The program delivers immersive summer internship experiences combining independent research projects with explicit extension objectives, hands-on workshops, and on-farm training that connect students with agricultural technology adopters and stakeholders.

The initiative produces workforce development outcomes by training undergraduate interns in research-extension partnerships, facilitating their understanding of technology adoption and sustainable agricultural practices, and developing their professional communication skills. Faculty mentor teams provide collaborative research and extension training, with each intern paired with mentors bringing complementary expertise. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary participation across multiple regions and student demographics, with the anticipated outcome that participants will make substantive connections between research, outreach, and extension activities, thereby preparing themselves for professional roles in advancing resilient agricultural systems.