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Specialty Crop Research Initiative/Citrus Disease Research and Extension

FY 2015 Request for Applications (RFA)

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Pre-applications (Stakeholder Relevance Statement): Complete, pre-applications must be received by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on June 1, 2015.

Invited Full Applications: Complete, invited full applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 14, 2015.

ELIGIBILITY: See Part III, A of RFA

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURE

Specialty Crop Research Initiative/Citrus Disease Research and Extension

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under 10.309.

DATES: Complete, pre-applications must be received by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on June 1, 2015. Complete, invited full applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 14, 2015. Applications received after this deadline will normally not be considered for funding (see Part IV, C. of this RFA). Comments regarding this request for applications (RFA) are requested within 6 months from the issuance of this notice. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) seeks your comments about this RFA. We will consider the comments when we develop the next RFA for the program, if applicable, and we’ll use them to meet the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613(c)(2)).

Submit written stakeholder comments by the deadline set forth in the DATES portion of this Notice to: Policy@nifa.usda.gov. (This e-mail address is intended only for receiving comments regarding this RFA and not requesting information or forms.) In your comments, please state that you are responding to the Specialty Crop Research Initiative/Citrus Disease Research and Extension RFA.

NIFA offered outreach webinars on its center of excellence implementation February 26th and March 12th, 2015. A recording can be accessed on the NIFA website.

In the coming months, NIFA will be holding additional webinars to collect stakeholder input about our center of excellence implementation strategy. Details and access information will be posted on the NIFA website. Comments and suggestions relative to centers of excellence should be sent to Policy@nifa.usda.gov by September 30th, 2015.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: NIFA requests applications for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative/Citrus Disease Research and Extension (SCRI/CDRE) program for fiscal year 2015 to solve critical United States specialty crop issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research and extension activities that use systems-based, trans-disciplinary approaches. The intent of the SCRI program is to solve the needs of the various specialty crop industries through the promotion of collaboration, open communication, the exchange of information, and the development of resources that accelerate application of scientific discovery and technology. The total amount available for support of the SCRI program in FY 2015 will be approximately $23 million.

mailto:Policy@nifa.usda.gov

This notice identifies the objectives for SCRI/CDRE projects, the eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and the application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for an SCRI/CDRE grant.

Please Note: In FY 2015, the SCRI/CDRE program will be competed in two stages. Applicants will be required to submit a pre-application containing a Stakeholder Relevance Statement (SRS). The content of the SRS is described in Section IV, B. of this RFA. Applicants whose SRSs are ranked highly enough will be invited to submit full applications. Invited full applications will undergo a scientific peer review. Review criteria for the SRS and invited full application review can be found in Section V, A. of this RFA. Both the relevance review and the results of the scientific peer review are equally important when recommending applications for award.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose a unique approach to solving problems facing the specialty crop industry using a systems approach:

A systems approach is any process of estimating or inferring how local policies, actions, or changes influence the state of the neighboring universe. It is a framework that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems, rather than in isolation. The only way to fully understand why a problem or element occurs and persists is to understand the part in relation to the whole.

The philosophy of the SCRI program is that truly effective, long-term solutions to specialty crop industry challenges can best be achieved by understanding and treating those problems as complex systems of many interacting components. This perspective requires projects that are larger in scope and complexity, and that demand more resources than have traditionally been allocated to individual research and extension projects.

In doing so, applications should focus on entire primary systems, or on areas where two or more primary systems overlap. For the purpose of this announcement, a primary system is one of the three main sectors of the specialty crop industry depicted in the graphic below: the production system; the processing and distribution system; and the consumer and marketing system.

Meeting the challenges faced by these industries can best be handled by considering the full breadth of system components (see example components listed for each primary system), rather than treating each component in isolation and ignoring important interactions and conflicts among components that may reduce the viability of component-specific solutions in the long term.

This notice identifies the objectives for SCRI projects, the eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and the application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for a SCRI award.

We encourage you to go to the SCRI More Information page, www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/scri/scri.html, to view archived presentations from workshops on “Planning and Managing Systems Based Trans-disciplinary Projects for USDA/NIFA” to help you develop your application.

http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/scri/scri.html

Table of Contents

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority and Background B. Purpose and Priorities

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding B. Types of Applications C. Project Types

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing or Matching C. Centers of Excellence

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Electronic Application Package B. Submission of Stakeholder Relevance Statements C. Content and Form of Invited Application Submission D. Submission Dates and Times E. Funding Restrictions F. Other Submission Requirements

PART V—APPLICATION REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

A. General B. Evaluation Criteria C. Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality D. Organizational Management Information E. Application Disposition

PART VI—AWARD ADMINISTRATION

A. General B. Award Notice C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements D. Expected Program Outputs and Reporting Requirements

PART VII—AGENCY CONTACT

PART VIII—OTHER INFORMATION

A. Access to Review Information B. Use of Funds; Changes C. Confidential Aspects of Applications and Awards D. Regulatory Information E. Definitions

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority and Background

The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program (CDRE) is authorized in section 412(j) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7632(j)), as added by section 7306 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79), to award grants to eligible entities to:

A. conduct scientific research and extension activities, technical assistance, and development activities to combat citrus diseases and pests, both domestic and invasive and including huanglongbing and the Asian citrus psyllid, which pose imminent harm to United States citrus production and threaten the future viability of the citrus industry; and

B. provide support for the dissemination and commercialization of relevant information, techniques, and technologies discovered pursuant to research and extension activities funded through SCRI/CDRE and other research and extension projects targeting problems caused by citrus production diseases and invasive pests.

B. Purpose and Priorities

SCRI/CDRE supports Goals 1, 3 and 4 of the USDA Strategic Plan; Goal 1 of the REE Action Plan; and NIFA science goals 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7.

Based on consultation with the Citrus Disease Sub-committee (CDS) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board (NAREEEAB), which occurred on December 9 and 10, 2014, only applications that deal with the huanglongbing (HLB, citrus greening) complex or its management will be considered in FY 2015. Pre-applications proposing research and extension on other citrus diseases or citrus disease vectors will be returned without review.

The CDS has further identified 4 areas of particular interest, which are presented in order of importance to the industry:

1. Bacterial therapy systems that either kill or suppress Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas)

2. Development of techniques and substrates that allow for CLas to be cultured in artificial media

3. Development of methodologies that allow for the early detection of CLas in non-symptomatic citrus plants and in Diaphorina citri, the insect vector of the pathogen

4. Development of rootstocks resistant to, or tolerant of, CLas that are suitable for a wide range of growing environments.

The four priorities listed above are not intended to be exclusive but represent those areas that the CDS considers to be of highest priority for fiscal year 2015. Applications that deal with other areas of HLB/vector management will also be considered.

SCRI/CDRE seeks to address these challenges by funding systems-based, trans-disciplinary approaches. PLEASE NOTE: For purposes of the SCRI/CDRE program, the term trans-disciplinary, is defined as a multi-disciplinary approach that brings biological and physical scientists together with economists and social scientists to address challenges in a holistic manner. It is anticipated that successful applications will:

1. Engage stakeholders in collaborative ways to insure that the solutions developed are commercially feasible;

2. Bring together multi-state, multi-institutional teams of biological, physical, and social scientists to develop strategies and actions emphasizing systems-based, trans-disciplinary approaches for meeting the identified priorities, including an economic analysis of the costs and benefits associated with proposed solutions;

3. Address priorities through research and development, outreach, extension, technology transfer, and other efforts potentially leading to commercialization, where appropriate;

4. Present plans for documenting the impacts of funded applications that include stakeholder involvement; and

5. Include explicit mechanisms to communicate results to producers.

SCRI/CDRE provides support for the following four project types in FY 2015. These project types are described in more detail in Part II, C. Applicants should decide which project type is best suited to the objectives of their research and extension project and develop a budget that fits the objectives. Applicants are discouraged from developing a project (and selecting a project type) based on a budget request target.

1. Standard Research and Extension Projects (SREPs)

a. Project Period – Up to five years.

b. Budget – Normally, federal funds will not exceed $1,000,000 per year. Requests less than $250,000 per project are discouraged.

c. Purpose – To support targeted problem-solving efforts that would not otherwise qualify in scope for support as a CAP project.

d. It is anticipated that most awards will be in the range of $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 per project.

2. Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAPs)

a. Project Period – Three to five years.

b. Funding range – Normally, federal funds will not exceed a total of $2,000,000 per year.

c. Purpose – To address specific multiple components of a primary system or multiple components of areas where primary systems overlap (see diagram on page 4).

d. It is anticipated that most awards will be in the range of $5,000,000 to $7,000,000 per project.

3. eXtension Projects

a. Project Period – Three to five years.

b. Budget – Normally, federal funds will not exceed $450,000 per project.

c. Purpose – To develop new, or support existing, Communities of Practice, learning networks, or innovation hubs for the eXtension system.

4. Research and Extension Planning Projects

a. Project Period – One year.

b. Budget – Federal funds up to $50,000 per project.

c. Purpose – To provide assistance to applicants in the development of quality future

SREP or CAP proposals (grant planning). Funds may also be requested to provide assistance to consumer, producer, or industry groups for developing strategic research and extension plans—including goals, objectives, priorities, etc. (strategic planning) that could provide an actionable industry roadmap, including providing input to future SCRI/CDRE grant applications.

This notice identifies the objectives for SCRI/CDRE projects, the eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and the application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for a SCRI/CDRE award.

We encourage you to go to the SCRI More Information page, www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/scri/scri.html, to view archived presentations from workshops on “Planning and Managing Systems Based Trans-disciplinary Projects for USDA/NIFA” to help you develop your application.

Project applications must budget sufficient resources to carry out the proposed set of extension and research activities, must address at least one of the five legislatively mandated focus areas described below, and should describe the practical applications being sought. The intent of the SCRI/CDRE program is to promote collaboration, open communication, the exchange of information, and the development of resources that accelerate application of scientific discovery and technology to solve the needs of the citrus industry. The SCRI/CDRE program aims to reduce duplication of efforts and integrate activities among individuals, institutions, states, and regions. Therefore, applications should clearly articulate how a SCRI/CDRE award will complement and/or link with existing programs or projects.

1. Research in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and other methods to improve citrus characteristics, such as:

a. product, taste, quality, and appearance;

b. environmental responses and tolerances;

c. nutrient management, including plant nutrient uptake efficiency;

d. pest and disease management, including resistance to pests and diseases resulting in reduced application management strategies; and

e. enhanced phytonutrient content.

2. Efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including threats to specialty crop pollinators;

http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/scri/scri.html

3. Efforts to improve production efficiency, handling and processing, productivity, and profitability over the long term (including specialty crop policy and marketing);

4. New innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening; and

5. Methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in citrus production.

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding

The amount available for NIFA support of this program in FY 2015 is approximately $23 million. These funds will be awarded through grants. There is no commitment by USDA to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards.

Awards issued as a result of this RFA will have designated the Automated Standard Applications for Payment System (ASAP), operated by the Department of Treasury’s Financial Management Service, as the payment system for funds. For more information see http://fms.treas.gov/index1.html.

B. Types of Applications

In FY 2015, applications may be submitted to the SCRI program as one of the following two types of requests:

(1) New application. This is a project application that has not been previously submitted to the SCRI Program. All new applications will be reviewed competitively using the selection process and evaluation criteria described in Part V—Application Review Requirements.

(2) Resubmitted application. This is an application that had previously been submitted to the SCRI/CDRE Program but not funded. Project Directors (PDs) must respond to the previous review panel summary (see Response to Previous Review, Part IV, D.). Resubmitted applications must be received by the relevant due dates, will be evaluated in competition with other pending applications in the area to which they are assigned, and will be reviewed according to the same evaluation criteria as new applications.

C. Project Types

Standard Research and Extension Projects (SREPs): In FY 2015, applicants submitting SREPs will be required to submit a SRS. See Section IV, B. for a description of the requirements for the contents of a SRS. SREP awards will support targeted problem-solving efforts that contribute to the overall sustainability of citrus production or one of its components, and that would not otherwise qualify in scope and effort for support as a Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP). Beginning with stakeholder-identified concerns, projects should seek solutions that lead to measurable benefit to producers. Applications should bring together both research and extension components of the agricultural knowledge system around a citrus disease or pest problem area or activity. Partnerships with end-user groups (e.g., industry, processors, manufacturers, growers, technology providers) are strongly encouraged, as is the use of students in key research and extension roles (e.g., internships and other opportunities for students to engage with stakeholders and their needs or student exchange opportunities across collaborating institutions). For each SREP award, there is an expectation that an advisory panel will be formed to inform the project throughout its life, including the identification and prioritization of research and extension objectives. Applications should detail the creation and functions of this panel. As http://fms.treas.gov/index1.html part of industry communication, the project should publish a web site by the end of the first year that can inform a broad audience regarding ongoing progress and outcomes. The project must contribute to long-term profitability and sustainability of citrus production. Further, the project must bring together biological, physical, and social scientists, as appropriate to project goals and address economic, environmental, and social aspects of specialty crop sustainability. SREPs will have a project period ranging up to five years.

Applications must include, as an appendix, a timeline that clearly identifies which key personnel are involved in which objectives during each time segment of the project. This appendix should also identify short-, medium- and long-term metrics that will be used in project evaluation, the expectations for each team member, a mechanism whereby progress metrics can be evaluated, and how the project will complement and/or link to existing programs or projects.

Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAPs): In FY 2015, applicants submitting CAPs will be required to submit a SRS. See Section IV, B. for a description of the requirements for the contents of a SRS. CAPs will be awarded to consortia or groups of qualified applicants to address multiple components of citrus production, with the expectation that the project will make significant contributions to the industry sustainability. These projects should apply trans-disciplinary, multi-functional, and, where appropriate, multi-institutional approaches to provide viable solutions to the highest priority stakeholder needs. An aim of a CAP award is to encourage maximum flexibility in applied research and extension. Applications will be evaluated based on how well their goals and objectives respond to current stakeholder needs. It is recognized, however, that as a project's comprehensive approach unfolds, unexpected advances and promising leads, or unforeseen new national needs related to project goals and objectives, may be identified. CAPs will have a project period ranging from three to five years.

CAP applications are expected to demonstrate coherent and complementary integrated activities with the ultimate goal of developing a strategy or solution that could be implemented for citrus production. Applications are expected to take advantage of recent advances in biological, physical, and social and economic sciences and to translate basic discoveries and knowledge to practical applications. The project must contribute to long-term profitability and sustainability of citrus production. The application’s methodology and analytical approach must be appropriate to project objectives and effectively combine research and extension activities. A continuity plan must describe how the partnership effort will continue beyond the period of NIFA funding and address future long-term plans for proposed activities. Applications are expected to demonstrate the potential to develop a national strategy or solution as an ultimate goal. This would include the intent to promote collaboration, open communication, the exchange of information and development of resources that accelerate the application of scientific discovery and technology to solving the needs of citrus industry. Such a national CAP should aim to reduce duplication of effort and integrate activities among individuals, institutions, states, and regions. Therefore, applications should clearly articulate how the national-scope CAP they are proposing would complement and/or link with existing programs or projects.

A CAP must seek to bring together a multi-state, multi-institutional, and/or trans-disciplinary team to integrate scientific discoveries and technology with practical application; and provide complementary extension efforts to bring science-based information to relevant audiences that will allow them to make informed decisions. For each CAP award, there is an expectation that an advisory panel will inform the project throughout its life, including the identification and prioritization of research and/or extension objectives. Applications must detail the creation and functions of this panel. As part of industry communication, the project should publish a web site by the end of the first year that can inform a broad audience on progress and outcomes.

CAP teams should be comprised of members working in discovery, learning, and engagement to conduct research and extension utilizing systems science and trans-disciplinary approaches on an emerging or priority area important to citrus diseases and pests. This integrated team should contain expertise in biological science disciplines, physical science and engineering disciplines, socio- economic sciences, extension, and program evaluation, as appropriate, as well as expertise from principal stakeholders and partners. Partnerships with end-user groups (e.g., industry, processors, manufacturers, growers, technology providers) are strongly encouraged, along with the use of undergraduate students in key research and extension roles (e.g., internships and other opportunities for students to engage with stakeholders and their needs or student exchange opportunities across collaborating institutions). The application should outline the potential of the CAP team, its structure, coordination and plan of implementation.

There is an expectation that objectives may be redirected and/or new objectives may be developed with associated budget adjustments. To encourage flexibility, the program does not expect that all investigators associated with the proposed project will be supported throughout its duration. Applications must include, as an appendix, a budgeted project management plan and timeline to ensure efficient functioning of the CAP team. A timeline chart that clearly identifies which key personnel are involved in which objectives during each time segment of the project is particularly helpful. This plan should include an organizational chart, administrative timeline, a description of how the project will be governed, intellectual property management, and identification of short-, medium- and long-term metrics that will be used in project evaluation, the expectations for each team member, a mechanism whereby progress metrics can be evaluated, and how the project will complement and/or link to existing programs or projects to include multi- disciplinary, multi-institutional, multi-state and trans-disciplinary collaborations. Given the size and scope of CAP projects, applicants are strongly encouraged to budget for a half-time or full-time (as appropriate) project management position to deal with day-to-day project operations and coordination. The management plan must include a strategy to become self-supporting by the end of the project period. See Part IV, B (3) (c) – Field 11 for attachment instructions.

Applications must include, as an appendix, a budgeted plan and timeline for an advisory group of principal stakeholders and scientists relevant to the proposed research and extension projects (e.g., include letters of commitment and rationale for their role) to assess and evaluate the quality, potential outcomes, and impacts, and how they could function effectively to support the goals and objectives of the CAP). See Part IV, B (3) (c) – Field 11 for attachment instructions.

eXtension Projects. In FY 2015, applicants submitting eXtension project applications will be required to submit a SRS. See Section IV, B. for a description of the requirements for the contents of a SRS. NIFA encourages the development of information and educational content using current and emerging technologies to advance the widespread adoption of research-based practices and technologies by producers and other end users. Groups of qualified individuals will receive grants to develop new or to enhance eXtension: (1) Communities of Practice (CoPs),

(2) Learning Networks, or (3) Innovation Hubs. Interested applicants are strongly urged to review the recently published framework for the NEW eXtension (http://bit.ly/InnovStratFrame) that outlines eXtension’s transition to a new governance, a collaborating and innovating organization, a broad and expanding toolkit of delivery models, and an entrepreneurial resource base.

If the proposal involves creation of a new eXtension team (CoP, learning network, or innovation hub), instead of enhancing or expanding an existing one, then strong justification is needed for such creation in the application. Proposals to establish a new team or to enhance an existing one should include a letter of acknowledgement from eXtension (http://create.extension.org/node/2057). If proposing establishment of a new team, an application must clearly demonstrate that it has surveyed existing CoPs, learning networks, and innovation hubs and articulate how the proposed team will complement and coordinate with the existing base of related teams to avoid duplication of effort and to leverage resources. If the proposed work will expand an existing team, the applicant should contact the leader of the appropriate team to explore options for collaboration early in the proposal development process. This will allow sufficient time for collaborative development of the plan of work and budget, as well as obtaining letters of collaboration from both eXtension and the target team. All key personnel for an application should be registered with eXtension.org and have user accounts.

eXtension applications typically will include funds to support core functions (e.g., community development, content development, travel, technology support, communication, evaluation, etc.)

and development of project-specific deliverables for integration into eXtension. Budgets should include supporting funds for both core and project-specific functions.

The application must demonstrate an understanding and application of a whole system(s) approach with the potential for the project to contribute to long-term profitability and sustainability of specialty crop production efficiency, handling and processing and marketing systems. The project must bring together biological, physical, and social scientists, as appropriate, to project goals to address economic, environmental, and social aspects of specialty crop sustainability.

In addition to addressing the relevance criteria established for the SCRI/CDRE, eXtension applications should also address in their narrative the steps listed on the eXtension web site (http://create.extension.org/node/2057). eXtension applications will have a project period of three to five years.

Please see the following links for more information:

eXtension http://about.extension.org/ http://bit.ly/InnovStratFrame http://create.extension.org/node/2057 http://www.extension.org/ http://create.extension.org/node/2057 http://about.extension.org/

The NEW eXtension Strategic Framework

Communities of Practice http://about.extension.org/createcop/

Research and Extension Planning Projects. In FY 2015, applicants submitting Research and Extension Planning Projects will be required to submit a SRS. See Section IV, B. for a description of the requirements for the contents of a SRS. Research and Extension Planning Projects are intended to support two types of activities, either to: (1) provide assistance to applicants in the development of quality future SREP or CAP proposals (grant planning) or (2) provide assistance to consumer, producer, or industry groups for developing strategic research and extension plans—including goals, objectives, priorities, etc. (strategic planning). The expectation is that developed “plans” could provide the relevance bases for future SCRI grant applications. Priority will be given to applicants who can: (1) demonstrate limited resources for either submitting large grant applications or for supporting strategic planning activities on their own, (2) articulate benefits to be accrued from formal planning activities, and (3) provide evidence of a high likelihood that quality future applications would be submitted for SCRI/CDRE projects (desired for grant planning) or would result in a publicly available strategic plan, which could be used to support a variety of industry-relevant research and extension activities, including development of one or more future SCRI/CDRE grant applications (desired for strategic planning). Research and Extension Planning Project grants do not support preliminary research. However, support for stakeholder survey activities may be requested, where appropriate and necessary.

Grant planning applications are encouraged to bring together biological, physical, and socio-economic scientists and others, as appropriate, including end-users and technology providers, to identify research and/or extension needs, update information, and advance understanding of specialty crop issues and problems. This information should be used to build teams that can develop SCRI/CDRE applications to address the identified challenges using a systems-based, trans-disciplinary approach. The application must develop a whole system(s) approach with the potential for the project to contribute to long-term profitability and sustainability of specialty crop production efficiency, handling and processing or marketing systems. Project goals must address economic, environmental, and social aspects of specialty crop sustainability. These activities can take the form of workshops or symposia and may constitute an initial step in preparing an SCRI/CDRE application in subsequent years. Applicants should be careful to ensure that participants represent a broad range of expertise by detailing the types of participants who will be invited. Note: The intent of these planning projects is to foster collaboration and networking opportunities to enhance the preparation of future high-quality grant applications. To convey to the review panel that grant planning can successfully lead to a quality grant application, the application should also incorporate the necessary activities and resources for grant development and writing.

Strategic planning applications are encouraged to bring together stakeholders representing various sizes of operations, scientific expertise, specialty crop associations, technology and service providers, and representation from entities along the product value chain, as appropriate, http://about.extension.org/createcop/ to develop a strategic plan that addresses short-, medium-, and long-term citrus industry interests.

The key expected outcome from this planning effort will be a publicly available strategic planning document. Such a document could be used subsequently to inform and direct critical research and extension activities, including development of SCRICDRE applications that address the plan’s stated goals and priorities. Applications should include the anticipated meeting schedule in detail, participants identified by organizational affiliation, proposed meetings and other activities, and how the plan will be produced and distributed. Strategic planning projects are sought particularly to address the needs of limited-acreage crops and under-served or under-represented populations of producers, processors, distributors, retailers, etc.

Research and Extension Planning Proposal awards of Federal funds will not exceed $50,000, and are not renewable. It is expected that planning activities supported by this program will occur within 12 months of awards being issued. Proposals should demonstrate measurable, cost effective benefits from any planning activities requested.

D. Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research The responsible and ethical conduct of research (RCR) is critical for excellence, as well as public trust, in science and engineering. Consequently, we consider education in RCR essential to the preparation of future scientists. In accordance with sections 2, 3, and 8 of 2 CFR Part 422, institutions that conduct USDA-funded extramural research must foster an atmosphere conducive to research integrity, bear primary responsibility for prevention and detection of research misconduct, and maintain and effectively communicate and train their staff regarding policies and procedures. In the event an application to NIFA results in an award, the Authorized Representative (AR) assures, through acceptance of the award that the institution will comply with the above requirements. Per award terms and conditions, grant recipients shall, upon request, make available to NIFA the policies, procedures, and documentation to support the conduct of the training.

Note that the training referred to herein shall be either on-campus or off-campus training. The general content of the ethics training will, at a minimum, emphasize three key areas of research ethics: authorship and plagiarism, data and research integration, and reporting misconduct. Each institution will be responsible for developing its own training system, as schools will need flexibility to develop training tailored to their specific student needs. Grantees should consider the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program for RCR (https://www.citiprogram.org/rcrpage.asp). Typically this RCR education addresses the topics of:

Data Acquisition and Management - collection, accuracy, security, access; Authorship and Publication; Peer Review; Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities; Collaboration; Conflict of Interest;

Research Misconduct; Human Subject Research; and Use of Animals in Research.

https://www.citiprogram.org/rcrpage.asp

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

For SCRI/CDRE, applications may be submitted by Federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations or corporations, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, individuals, or groups consisting of two or more of these entities.

Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. An applicant’s failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the time of an application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

In accordance with section 1492 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3371), as added by section 7128 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79), for grants awarded after October 1, 2014, the recipient of an award from the SCRI/CDRE program must provide funds, in-kind contributions, or a combination of both, from sources other than funds provided through such grant in an amount that is at least equal to the amount awarded by NIFA. The matching funds requirement does not apply to grants awarded:

1. To a research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); or

2. To an entity eligible to receive funds under a capacity and infrastructure program

(as defined in section 251(f)(1)(C) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994, 7 U.S.C. 6971(f)(1)(C)), including a partner (see Part VIII, E. Definitions for definition of partnership) of such an entity.

Entities eligible to receive funds under a capacity and infrastructure program and exempt from the matching funds requirement include:

a. 1862 Land-grant Institutions, including State Agricultural Experiment

Stations receiving funding under the Hatch Act of 1887

b. 1890 Land-grant Institutions

c. 1994 Land-grant Institutions

d. Recipients of Continuing Animal Health and Disease, Food Security, and

Stewardship Research, Education, and Extension Program Funds — Capacity and Infrastructure Program (CIP)

e. Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU)

f. Insular Area Schools Eligible to Receive Funds from the Distance

Education/Resident Instruction Grant Programs

g. Recipients of McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Program Funds

h. Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) – (for exemption from the new matching requirement, these applications must include NLGCA certification, see instructions for requesting certification at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/form/form.html, and for attaching the certification in Part IV, C. of this RFA)

i. Recipients of funds under a program established under section 1417(b) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)), including: (1) 1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program; (2) Higher Education Challenge Grants Program; (3) Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program; and (4) Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program

j. Individual public or private, nonprofit Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions of higher education (see 20 U.S.C. 1059d).

A proposal submitted in response to this RFA may indicate that the work will be completed by multiple entities as a collaborative partnership. All partners must have a substantial involvement in the project throughout the life of the project. If a partnership among multiple entities is proposed, the proposal must clearly identify the following:

1) A narrative of each entity’s clearly established role in the project;

2) How each entity involved as a partner on the project will contribute to execution of project objectives, determination of experimental design, development of the project work plan and time table, and submission of collaborative, timely reports;

and

3) A comprehensive project budget that reflects each entity’s financial or third party in-kind contribution (see section 2 of 7 CFR 3430 or section 96 of 2 CFR part

200) to the total project budget costs.

If a proposal indicates that the work on the project will be completed by multiple entities as partners, and at least one entity is exempt from the matching requirement under #2 above, the entire project will be exempt from the matching requirement regardless of whether all entities involved are otherwise exempt. Any partner entity can serve as the lead entity on the project.

All partners must be significantly involved in the project.

After proposals have been recommended for award, NIFA will determine if the submitted proposal and proposed division of work reflects substantial involvement of all entities involved.

If a proposal is recommended for award to a lead entity not otherwise exempt from the matching requirement and the proposal does not reflect substantial involvement of at least one partner that is exempt under #2 above, then the matching requirement will apply. Exemption from the matching requirement for an entity not otherwise exempt is limited to the project for which it is a partner.

Waiver of Match - NIFA may waive the matching funds requirement for a recipient for one year with respect to a competitive grant that involves research or extension activities that are consistent with the priorities established by the National Agricultural Research, Extension, http://www.nifa.usda.gov/form/form.html

Education and Economics Advisory Board for the year involved. To determine whether proposed activities are consistent with the priorities of the NAREEEAB, please refer to the 2014 Research, Education and Economics Action Plan. Instructions for requesting a waiver are included in Part IV, C. of this RFA.

C. Centers of Excellence

Pursuant to Section 7214 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79), beginning in Fiscal Year 2015, for applicable competitive research and extension programs, NIFA will be recognizing and providing priority in the receipt of funding to applications from “centers of excellence” that have been established for purposes of carrying out research, extension, and education activities relating to the food and agricultural sciences. In July of 2014, NIFA held listening sessions and accepted written comments from stakeholders to inform NIFA’s implementation of the centers of excellence provision. Information from the webinars and a summary of the input gathered are available on NIFA’s website at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/about/offices/legis/cntr_ex_webinar_documents.html.

A center of excellence is composed of 1 or more of the following entities that provide financial or in-kind support to the center of excellence. Therefore, an eligible applicant who wishes to be considered as a center of excellence must be one of the following entities that provides financial or in-kind support to the center being proposed, as described in the grant application.

(A) State agricultural experiment stations;

(B) colleges and universities;

(C) university research foundations;

(D) other research institutions and organizations;

(E) Federal agencies;

(F) national laboratories;

(G) private organizations, foundations, or corporations;

(H) individuals; or

(I) any group consisting of 2 or more of the entities described in (A) through (H).

For CDRE, only SREP and CAP applications will be considered for center of excellence designation. See Part IV, C. of this RFA for additional requirements that eligible applicants must meet to be considered a center of excellence.

http://www.ree.usda.gov/ree/news/USDA_REE_Action_Plan_03-2014.pdf http://www.ree.usda.gov/ree/news/USDA_REE_Action_Plan_03-2014.pdf http://www.nifa.usda.gov/about/offices/legis/cntr_ex_webinar_documents.html

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Electronic Application Package Only electronic applications may be submitted via Grants.gov to NIFA in response to this RFA.

We urge you to submit early to the Grants.gov system. For an overview of the Grants.gov application process see http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/grant-application-process.html.

New Users of Grants.gov

Prior to preparing an application, we recommend that the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) first contact an Authorized Representative (AR, also referred to as Authorized Organizational Representative or AOR) to determine if the organization is prepared to submit electronic applications through Grants.gov. If not (e.g., the institution/organization is new to the electronic grant application process through Grants.gov), then the one-time registration process must be completed PRIOR to submitting an application. It can take as long as 2 weeks to complete the registration process so it is critical to begin as soon as possible. In such situations, the AR should go to “Register” in the top right corner of the Grants.gov web page (or go to http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html) for information on registering the institution/organization with Grants.gov. Part II.1. of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide contains detailed information regarding the registration process. Refer item 2. below to locate the “NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide”.

Steps to Obtain Application Package Materials

To receive application materials:

1. You must download and install a version of Adobe Reader compatible with Grants.gov to access, complete, and submit applications. For basic system requirements and download instructions, see http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html. Grants.gov has a test package that will help you determine whether your current version of Adobe Reader is compatible.

2. To obtain the application package from Grants.gov, go to http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html. Under Step 1 click on “Download a Grant Application Package,” and enter the funding opportunity number

Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-SCRI-005035 in the appropriate box and click “Download Package.” From the search results, click “Download” to access the application package.

3. Invited applicants will be provided with a funding opportunity number for full applications. In order to access the application materials, applicants will have to enter the funding opportunity number rather than using the search function.

Contained within the application package is the “NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide.”

This guide contains an introduction and general Grants.gov instructions, information http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/grant-application-process.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/grant-application-process.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html about how to use a Grant Application Package in Grants.gov, and instructions on how to complete the application forms.

If you require assistance to access the application package (e.g., downloading or navigating Adobe forms) or submitting the application, refer to resources available on the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html). Grants.gov assistance is also available at:

Grants.gov customer support 800-518-4726 Toll-Free or 606-545-5035

Business Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Closed on federal holidays.

Email: support@grants.gov

Grants.gov iPortal (see https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants):

Top 10 requested help topics (FAQs), Searchable knowledge base, self-service ticketing and ticket status, and live web chat (available 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET). Get help now!

Have the following information available when contacting Grants.gov:

• Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

• Name of agency you are applying to

• Specific area of concern

B. Submission of Stakeholder Relevance Statements

Stakeholder Relevance Statements (SRSs) are required for all SCRI/CDRE project types. SRSs must be submitted as an attachment to a pre-application in the portable document format (PDF).

SRSs that are not submitted in PDF format will not be transmitted from Grants.gov to NIFA and pre-applications not containing an SRS will be rejected.

Content of Stakeholder Relevance Statement for Research and Extension Planning Projects

a. Title of Project

b. Type of planning activity to be undertaken (i.e. grant planning or strategic planning)

c. Anticipated amount of funding to be requested

d. Name, professional title, affiliation and email address of the project director

e. Name, professional title and affiliation of all known collaborators, including industry stakeholders

f. Brief description of the stakeholder problem being addressed

g. Brief description of relevant expertise represented by the project team

h. Description of the planning activities to be undertaken and the expected outcomes of the planning process

i. Brief description of the benefits to growers/processors/consumers and how that benefit will be documented and evaluated

j. Letters of collaboration from all known industry stakeholders http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/%23url=2014 mailto:support@grants.gov https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants…