fy-2019-afri-foundational-and-applied-science-rfa-revised.pdf

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program

Foundational and Applied Science Program

Fiscal Years (FY) 2019 and 2020 Request for Applications

(RFA)

Modifications on pages 9, 72 and 73

LETTER OF INTENT DEADLINE: Varies by Program Area APPLICATION DEADLINE: Varies by Program Area

ELIGIBILITY: See Part III, A of this RFA

This RFA solicits applications for two funding cycles (FY 2019 and FY 2020). Applicants considering applying to the FY 2020 funding cycle should check the AFRI RFA webpage and www.grants.gov after December 18, 2019 for the FY 2020 Funding Opportunity Number and Application Kit, as well as for any programmatic changes.

https://www.nifa.usda.gov/afri-request-applications http://www.grants.gov/

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

AGRICULTURE

AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIATIVE COMPETITIVE GRANTS

PROGRAM

FOUNDATIONAL AND APPLIED SCIENCE PROGRAM

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings under the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 10.310.

DATES FOR LETTERS OF INTENT AND APPLICATIONS: The Program Area Descriptions section in Part I, C of this RFA identifies the applicability of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and, if applicable, the deadline date for its submission is also found in the same section. If a LOI is required, applicant must submit it by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the LOI deadline date. This RFA solicits applications for two funding cycles (FY 2019 or FY2020). Applications for FY 2019 funding cycle must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline dates indicated in Part I, C of this RFA, Program Area Descriptions. Applications for FY 2020 funding cycle must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline dates indicated in Part I, C of this RFA, Program Area Descriptions.

Applications received after these deadlines will normally not be considered for funding (see Part IV, C of this RFA). Comments regarding this request for applications (RFA) are requested within six (6) months from the issuance of this notice. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT: We at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) seek your comments about this request for applications (RFA). We will consider your 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 your written comments by the deadline set forth in the DATES portion of this notice via email to Policy@nifa.usda.gov. (This email address is only for receiving comments regarding this RFA and not for requesting information or forms.) In your comments, please state that you are responding to the Foundational and Applied Science RFA.

Visit the NIFA website to access a factsheet on the Centers of Excellence (COE) designation process, including COE criteria, and a list of programs offering COE opportunities in FY 2019.

NIFA solicits proposed topics for Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) RFAs from eligible state and national commodity boards on an ongoing basis. Topics must relate to the established AFRI six priority areas. NIFA received topics from eligible commodity boards through July 30, 2018, for incorporation into FY 2019 RFAs. Topics submitted by the commodity boards that aligned with NIFA priorities were chosen for inclusion in selected program areas of this RFA. Details on general information and topic submission resources for inclusion in future AFRI RFAs can be found at: https://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards.

mailto:Policy@nifa.usda.gov https://nifa.usda.gov/centers-excellence https://nifa.usda.gov/program/agriculture-and-food-research-initiative-afri https://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards

Applicants are encouraged to view the Program Area Descriptions beginning in Part I, C of this RFA for additional details on commodity board-specific priorities and submission of applications relevant to these priorities.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is America’s flagship competitive grants program that provides funding for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension projects in the food and agricultural sciences. In this RFA, NIFA requests applications for six AFRI priority areas through the Foundational and Applied Science Program for FY 2019 and FY 2020. Applicants considering applying to the second year should check the AFRI RFA webpage and www.grants.gov. The goal of this program is to invest in agricultural production research, education, and extension projects for more sustainable, productive and economically viable plant and animal production systems. The global agricultural output needs to be expanded significantly to meet the food needs of the population expected in 2050; thus, it is imperative to develop innovative, safe and sustainable management strategies for livestock, crops, and critical underlying resources.

In FY 2019 and FY 2020, applications are sought in the following priority areas:

1. Plant health and production and plant products;

2. Animal health and production and animal products;

3. Food safety, nutrition, and health;

4. Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment;

5. Agriculture systems and technology; and

6. Agriculture economics and rural communities

The anticipated amount available for new grants in this FY 2019 and FY 2020 Foundational and Applied Science RFA are approximately $192.585 million and $192.585 million respectively.

This RFA is being released prior to the passage of an appropriation act for FY 2020. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.

This RFA solicits Standard Grants, Collaborative Grants, Conference Grants, Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants, whereas project types solicited in this RFA are Research, Extension and Integrated Research, Education and/or Extension projects. Grant types and project types solicited vary by program area priority and not all grant types are solicited within each program area priority. See Part I, C (Program Area Descriptions) of this RFA for grant and project types solicited by each specific program area priority, and Part II, C of this RFA for a description of each individual grant type and project type.

This notice identifies the objectives for the AFRI Foundational and Applied Science program including program priorities, deadline dates, funding information, eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for an AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program grant.

Significant changes described in this RFA include:

• The inclusion of two fiscal years with separate sets of deadlines for each year.

https://www.nifa.usda.gov/afri-request-applications http://www.grants.gov/

• Acceptance of year-round conference grant applications.

• The addition of new program area priorities within the Plant health and production and plant products; Animal health and production and animal products; Food safety, nutrition, and health; Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment; and Crosscutting program areas.

• Changes also include addition of 5 specific priorities for co-funding with the American Egg Board, Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, Kansas Wheat Commission, National Peanut Board, and National Potato Promotion Board.

Table of Contents

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority B. Purpose and Priorities C. Program Area Descriptions

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding B. Types of Applications C. Project Types and Grant Types D. Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Request for Determination of Status C. Cost Sharing or Matching D. Centers of Excellence

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Letter of Intent B. Electronic Application Package C. Content and Form of 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. Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research E. Expected Program Outputs and Reporting Requirements

PART VII—AGENCY CONTACTS

PART VIII—OTHER INFORMATION

A. Use of Funds; Changes B. Confidential Aspects of Applications and Awards C. Regulatory Information D. Definitions E. Materials Available on the Internet

Table 1: Program Area Priority Contacts Table 2: Administrative/Business Contacts

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority

Section 2(b) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (hereafter referred to as the Act) (7 U.S.C. 3157), as amended, authorizes the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), a competitive grant program to provide funding for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension to address food and agricultural sciences in the following six priority areas:

1. Plant health and production and plant products;

2. Animal health and production and animal products;

3. Food safety, nutrition, and health;

4. Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment;

5. Agriculture systems and technology; and

6. Agriculture economics and rural communities.

To the maximum extent practicable, NIFA, in coordination with the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE), will make grants for high priority research, education, and extension, taking into consideration, when available, the determinations made by the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board (NAREEEAB) pursuant to the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C.

3157. The Secretary delegates the authority to the Under Secretary in 7 CFR 2.21 and the Under Secretary delegates it to NIFA.

B. Purpose and Priorities

The purpose of AFRI is to support research, education, and extension work by awarding grants to solve key problems of local, regional, national, and global importance in sustaining conventional, organic, and urban agricultural systems. These include farm efficiency, profitability and sustainability; ranching; bioenergy; forestry; aquaculture; rural communities and entrepreneurship; human nutrition; mitigating impacts of biotic and abiotic constraints on food production; food safety; mitigating food waste and food loss; physical and social sciences; home economics and rural human ecology; biotechnology; and classical breeding. Through this support, AFRI advances knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture.

Funding this work also allows AFRI to support education and extension activities that deliver science-based knowledge to end users, allowing them to make informed, practical decisions. This AFRI RFA provides funding for research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education, and/or extension projects addressing the six priorities identified in Part I, A.

Food and agricultural systems are under the constraints of a growing population; pressure on natural resources; challenges of climate variability and change; and complex demands of ensuring nutritional security and food safety in a global economy. Addressing these challenges requires research, education, extension, and integrated programs in concert with agro-ecological approaches that increase agricultural and natural resource sustainability. The term ''sustainable agriculture'' (7 U.S.C. 3103) means a combined system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long-term, achieve the following goals: 1) satisfy human food and fiber needs; 2) enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends; 3) make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; 4) sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and 5) enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole. AFRI encourages projects addressing enhancement of sustainability of agricultural systems.

NIFA supports global engagement that advances U.S. agricultural goals. To attain the agency's goals for U.S. agriculture, global competence of our nation’s agricultural workforce, and safe and nutritious food security in a growing world, NIFA recognizes that collaboration with international partners through AFRI can contribute to advances in U.S. agriculture. In an increasingly interconnected world, these U.S. advances may have global importance. Thus, applicants to this RFA may include collaborations with international partners. However, only eligible U.S. institutions may apply. Such applications may include subawards to international partners or other institutions and must clearly demonstrate benefits to the U.S. Additional guidance on including international activities is provided on the AFRI International Partnerships website.

Stakeholder Input For information on stakeholder input related to AFRI program, visit https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/afri-stakeholder-feedback.

Background AFRI is NIFA’s flagship competitive grants programs for food and agricultural sciences, and funding is offered through the Foundational and Applied Science, Sustainable Agricultural Systems, and Education and Workforce Development Requests for Applications for addressing critical societal issues.

The Foundational and Applied Science RFA program areas address the following priorities as well as all included subpriorities: A. Plant Health and Production and Plant Products; B.

Animal Health and Production and Animal Products; C. Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health; D.

Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment; E. Agriculture Systems and Technology; and F. Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities.

This AFRI RFA aligns with six USDA strategic goals:

• Strategic Goal 2: Maximize the Ability of American Agricultural Producers To Prosper by Feeding and Clothing the World;

• Strategic Goal 3: Promote American Agricultural Products and Exports;

• Strategic Goal 4: Facilitate Rural Prosperity and Economic Development;

• Strategic Goal 5: Strengthen the Stewardship of Private Lands Through Technology and

Research;

• Strategic Goal 6: Ensure Productive and Sustainable Use of Our National Forest System

Lands; and

• Strategic Goal 7: Provide All Americans Access to a Safe, Nutritious, and Secure Food

Supply https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/afri-international-partnerships https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/afri-stakeholder-feedback

C. Program Area Descriptions

This AFRI RFA includes seven program areas. The program areas and their respective approximate funding amounts include (available funding in millions):

1. Plant health and production and plant products ($43.9)

2. Animal health and production and animal products ($36.8)

3. Food safety, nutrition, and health ($26.2)

4. Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment ($21.7)

5. Agriculture systems and technology ($19.5)

6. Agriculture economics and rural communities ($22.9)

7. Crosscutting programs ($21.585)

1. Plant Health and Production and Plant Products

Background Monumental gains in American crop productivity over the past 60 years are the result of innovations in agricultural production practices, plant breeding, and pest management. The goal of the Plant Health and Production and Plant Products (PHPPP) program area is to ensure continued production gains are achieved through break-through discoveries and the translation of these into plant production and protection practices. The outcomes of these projects are expected to increase production efficiencies and combat persistent threats and new challenges that limit the achievement of dependable yields across variable growing conditions.

The conduct of plant-based agriculture is changing with the introduction of new engineering, technology, and information tools. Further improvements to plant agriculture will require a greater understanding of complex, inter-related factors, across a wide range of scales. These include investigations of plant and pest biology at molecular, cellular, whole-organism, and systems levels to increase performance and provide protection from biotic and abiotic stressors.

New traits are being discovered and varieties developed using gene editing and other advanced breeding methods. Optimal integration of production system components is sought to ensure practices and products are safe for consumers, and achieved with good stewardship of natural resources and efficient use of human capital. By supporting extension programming and training the next generation of scientists, new technologies will be made readily available to end-users and put into practice. This strategy will ensure that the United States continues to be a leader in the agricultural sciences and a reliable source for the expanding domestic and global demand for an abundant and secure supply of food, feed, natural fibers, wood, and other plant-based products.

New in FY 2019: In addition to program area priorities that were offered in prior years, in FY19 the PHPPP program area will support three new program area priorities, they include:

1. Tactical Sciences for Agricultural Biosecurity (A1181 in Crosscutting Programs) will support projects to narrow gaps in food and agricultural defenses and to increase national capacity to prevent, rapidly detect, and respond to biological threats to the U.S. food system;

2. Agricultural Innovation through Gene Editing (A1191 in Crosscutting Programs) will support technology development initiative designed to expand gene editing to plants, insects, microbes, and nematodes; and

3. Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products (A1103) will support research on the synthesis of plant-derived, high-value chemicals, and ingredients to produce macro- or micro-nutrients, plant metabolites, and chemicals for use in foods, pharmaceuticals, and other natural products.

In addition to the program area priorities described in this section, the PHPPP program area also supports the following program area priorities:

1. Agricultural Microbiomes (A1402) program area priority is described in Crosscutting Programs.

2. Plant Biotic Interactions will be offered through an interagency program with the National Science Foundation; the NIFA program contact is Dr. Ann Lichens-Park, 202- 401-6460 or apark@nifa.usda.gov.

Total Program Funds: Approximately $43.9 million

Key Information (Applicable to All Plant Health and Production and Plant Products Program Area Priorities):

• All applications must adhere to the requirements in Part IV of this RFA.

• Choice of plant species (including crops, trees, and weeds) and objectives must be justified in terms of importance to agricultural food, feed, fiber, ornamental plants (including turf), planted forest, or industrial crop production systems in the United States.

• Applications from and collaborations with minority-serving institutions, small to mid-sized institutions, and/or institutions within the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) states are welcome in this program area.

• Applications that include collaborations with international partners may also be submitted. The AFRI International Partnerships webpage contains additional information on international partnerships.

• Applications with highly complex, large scale, transdisciplinary, and integrated research, education, and extension projects that incorporate foundational knowledge from this program area should be submitted to the AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems program (A9201) described in the AFRI SAS RFA.

• An applicant may submit a Conference Grant application anytime during the year. A Letter of Intent (LOI) is required for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted at least 135 days before the start of the conference. The full Conference Grant application must be submitted, at minimum, 90 days before the start of the conference.

Program Area Priorities – Each application must address at least one of the six program area priorities listed below. Details about each of the PHPPP program area priorities are provided later in this section.

a. Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems

b. Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products

c. Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems

d. Physiology of Agricultural Plants

e. Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production

f. Pollinator Health: Research and Application https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505267 mailto:apark@nifa.usda.gov https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/afri-international-partnerships https://nifa.usda.gov/program/afri-sas

a. Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems Program Area Priority Code: A1102 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants must not exceed $500,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of up to five years.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research and Integrated Projects only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 135 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• Fiscal Year 2019: Thursday, August 8, 2019 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Fiscal Year 2020: Thursday, April 9, 2020 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 90 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. Mathieu Ngouajio, (202) 401-4895 or mngouajio@nifa.usda.gov

• Dr. Robert Nowierski (202) 401-4900 or rnowierski@nifa.usda.gov

Program Area Priority:

The Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems program supports plant research to advance our knowledge for the wide range of agricultural production systems found across the rural-urban continuum, from conventional open-fields to protected built environments.

Research will address critical or process-limiting dynamics that occur among and within the various management components of a production system using experimental manipulations of system components, technological interventions, system analyses, modeling, or agro-ecological approaches. Results are expected to lead to the development of innovative sustainable solutions to challenges limiting or threatening the productivity, profitability, and good stewardship of natural resources and human capital.

Applications must address one or more of the following:

• Investigate how multiple management components of agricultural production systems can be integrated to enhance soil-crop-atmospheric processes or resilience to various biotic and abiotic stressors and improve product quality and/or productivity;

• Determine how production systems can alter the structure of microbial communities associated with plants, soils, or other growing media; the ways alterations affect functions such as plant nutrient uptake/utilization efficiency; and resilience to weeds, insects, diseases, weather extremes, and other stressors that influence productivity and/or product quality;

mailto:mngouajio@nifa.usda.gov mailto:rnowierski@nifa.usda.gov

• Investigate how changes to cropping systems, including diversification or intensification, affect crop performance, soil health, and other outcomes beneficial to system resilience;

or

• Conduct syntheses and meta-analyses of existing data or develop new or extend existing models to derive general principles about the function, properties, and performance of agricultural production systems.

In addition to the priorities identified above, NIFA and the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee are seeking to co-fund research projects to investigate high elevation potato cropping systems. Applications must address the following priorities:

• Investigate how potato cropping systems at high elevation impact soil borne diseases that affect yield and yield quality.

Applicants seeking funding through these commodity board co-funded priorities must provide a letter of co-funding support from the commodity board directly to the NIFA Program Contact within 60 calendar days after the application submission deadline. When seeking a letter of co-funding support, applicants must submit their entire application to the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee and request a letter that specifically indicates that the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee supports the application for co-funding. To obtain a letter of co-funding support or for further questions, please contact the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee representative (Jim Ehrlich (719) 852-3322 or jehrlich@coloradopotato.org).

Additionally, applicants must state in the last sentence of their application’s Project Summary section that the proposal is submitted in response to this specific commodity board topic.

Program Area Priority Additional Information:

• Projects supported by Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems program area priority can serve as building blocks needed for large inter- and trans-disciplinary projects funded by the AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems program.

• Appropriate plant-based production systems for study include food, feed, fiber, ornamental plants (including turf), industrial crops; harvested forages and pastures;

rangelands; and planted forests. Conventional, organic, and protected systems (including hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, vertical farming, and other controlled environment production systems) are appropriate for study.

• The production system studied could include key management components such as:

integrated crop management, soil or other growing media fertility, soil health, agronomic practices, cover cropping, biodiversification, economics, integrated management of target pests (including arthropods, nematodes, pathogens, and weeds), automation, and worker well-being and safety.

• Development of innovative production systems to optimize the production of high-valued plant-based products are encouraged. Plant-based products may include but are not limited to oil, fiber, nutra- and pharmaceuticals, nutrients, proteins, juices, fragrances, resins, and biopesticides.

• Applicants must ensure applications are submitted to the right program or program area priority, for instance:

mailto:jehrlich@coloradopotato.org o Applications to study management of pests or beneficial species may be more appropriate for the Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program area priority (A1112), described below o Applications to study microbiome function may be more appropriate for the Agricultural Microbiomes program area priority (A1402 in Crosscutting Programs) o Applications to study aquatic animals in aquaponics systems may be more appropriate for the Small and Medium-Sized Farms program area priority (A1601), the Economics, Markets and Trade program area priority (A1641), or the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics program area priority (A1651) described in the Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities program area of this RFA

• The Foundational Knowledge of Agricultural Production Systems program does not support projects focused on livestock. Please refer to the Animal Health and Production and Animal Products program area, described elsewhere in this RFA.

b. Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products Program Area Priority Code: A1103 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants must not exceed $500,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of up to five years.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research Projects only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 135 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• Fiscal Year 2019: Thursday, July 18, 2019 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Fiscal Year 2020: Thursday, March 19, 2020 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 90 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. Shing Kwok, (202) 401-6060 or skwok@nifa.usda.gov

• Dr. Deirdra Chester, (202) 401-5178 or dnchester@nifa.usda.gov

The Foundational Knowledge of Plant Products program supports projects to study the synthesis of plant-derived, high-value chemicals and ingredients for use in foods, pharmaceuticals, and other natural products. Projects should focus on agriculturally-important plants, including native and minor crop plant species and weeds, which can be grown in conventional open or protected agricultural production environments. Molecular, biochemical, whole-plant, agronomic, or eco-physiological approaches may be used to determine the genetic bases of such traits identified mailto:skwok@nifa.usda.gov mailto:dnchester@nifa.usda.gov through these studies. The intent of this program is for results to be translated into development of varieties that help create or meet emerging and future markets and contribute towards long-term demand for new agriculturally-based industrial and food products.

Applications must address one or more of the following:

• Macronutrients and/or micronutrient synthesis, accumulation, and/or availability that are beneficial to human health and nutrition;

• Primary and secondary metabolism regulating the synthesis of plant metabolites and its chemical ingredients that improve the quality of food and/or feed; or

• Plant-based chemicals that have industrial and/or pharmaceutical relevance.

Program Area Priority Additional Information:

• Conference applications that bring together private industry, university, and public agency research organizations to create plans and strategies to develop bio-based ingredients, chemicals, and other products from plant-based materials are encouraged.

c. Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems Program Area Priority Code: A1112 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Collaborative Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants must not exceed $500,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of up to five years.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Applications exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research-only and Integrated Projects (Research and Extension) only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Collaborative, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening

Standard, New Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only

Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 135 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• Fiscal Year 2019: Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Fiscal Year 2020: Thursday, March 12, 2020 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 90 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. Mary Purcell-Miramontes, (202) 401-5168 or mpurcell@nifa.usda.gov

• Dr. Rubella Goswami, (202) 401-0628 or rubella.goswami@nifa.usda.gov

Program Area Priority:

The goal of the Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program is to advance knowledge of invasive or established plant pests and associated beneficial species leading to innovative and biologically-based strategies to manage pests. Appropriate plant-based agricultural production systems for study include food and fiber crops, ornamental plants mailto:mpurcell@nifa.usda.gov mailto:rubella.goswami@nifa.usda.gov

(including turf), and managed grasslands, rangelands and planted forests. Conventional, organic, and protected systems (including hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, vertical farming, and other controlled environment agricultural systems) are appropriate for study. Pests may include invertebrates, plant pathogens and/or their vectors, nematodes or weeds. Beneficial species in this program will be restricted to biological control agents and microbes that play a role in pest management. Molecular, organismal, population, and/or community approaches are appropriate to this program. Both foundational and translational projects are encouraged.

Applications must address one or more of the following:

• Biotic and abiotic factors affecting the abundance or spread of agriculturally-important plant pests, disease vectors, or beneficial species relevant to pest management; factors may include (but are not limited to) other plant pests or beneficial species, climate variability, plant compounds, pesticides, or toxins;

• Behavioral attributes of pests and beneficial species, including intra- or interspecies interactions and/or communication systems relevant to pest management;

• Factors that contribute to invasiveness, including (but not limited to) studies using population genetics/genomic approaches or models to predict, prevent or manage outbreaks, or to pinpoint geographic distribution or origin;

• Movement or dispersal dynamics of pests or beneficial organisms, including pests that vector plant diseases; this could include epidemiological factors that influence disease spread, the influence of agronomic practices on weed populations, and research on aspects of weed biology that impact reproductive biology, seed bank dynamics, and other population-level aspects;

• Mechanisms of pest resistance to pesticides or toxins in genetically-modified plants (e.g., fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, or Bt toxin) and development of strategies to mitigate resistance and/or crop failure; or

• Conference applications that bring together experts in weed biology, plant genomics, herbicide resistance, and data science to better understand how genomic information could lead to novel solutions to manage weeds, how data will be used and maintained, and the underlying molecular mechanisms that contribute to invasiveness.

Program Area Priority Additional Information:

• Applicants must ensure applications are submitted to the right program or program area priority, for instance:

• Applications that address topics related to pollinators are not appropriate for this program area priority; consider submitting to the Pollinator Health: Research and Application (A1113).

• Studies involving molecular mechanisms that mediate interactions of plants with their biotic partners may be appropriate for the NSF/NIFA Plant Biotic Interactions program.

• Applications to study microbiome function may be more appropriate for the Agricultural Microbiomes program area priority (A1402 in Crosscutting Programs).

• Applications to study pests of livestock or humans (e.g., vectors of human diseases or nuisance pests such as flies, bed bugs, cockroaches, and termites) are not appropriate for this program area priority. Instead, consider submitting to the Animal Health and https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505267

Production and Animal Products program area (described below) if you are studying pests of livestock, or to the Crop Protection and Pest Management RFA if your work is focused on nuisance pests in urban or rural systems.

• Applications for work on big data analytics and tool development to support the development of a data network and cyberinfrastructure for pests and beneficial species should be submitted to the Food and Agriculture Cyber informatics Tools (FACT) program area priority (A1541 in Crosscutting Programs).

• Projects associated with the initiative to sequence 5,000 arthropod genomes (i5K) are encouraged to link with the National Agricultural Library’s i5k workspace.

• NIFA may partner with Ireland and Northern Ireland under the U.S.-Ireland Research and Development Partnership to solicit collaborative research applications in the Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems program area priority. For more information including FAQs about this program, visit the NIFA, Ireland, and Northern Ireland partnership page. Applicants submitting to this partnership must select Collaborative as the grant type and their application title should begin as “TRI-PARTITE:

[full title]”.

d. Physiology of Agricultural Plants Program Area Priority Code: A1152 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants must not exceed $500,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods of up to five years.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research Projects only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 135 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• Fiscal Year 2019: Thursday, July 18, 2019 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Fiscal Year 2020: Thursday, March 19, 2020 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 90 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. Liang-Shiou Lin, (202) 401-5045 or llin@nifa.usda.gov

• Dr. Shing Kwok, (202) 401-6060 or skwok@nifa.usda.gov

The Physiology of Agricultural Plants program will support projects to improve productivity or other performance factors of agriculturally-important plants (including weeds) using molecular, biochemical, whole-plant, agronomic, or eco-physiological approaches. The genetic basis of https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/crop-protection-and-pest-management https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/ https://nifa.usda.gov/food-and-agriculture-research-initiative-ireland-and-northern-ireland https://nifa.usda.gov/food-and-agriculture-research-initiative-ireland-and-northern-ireland mailto:llin@nifa.usda.gov mailto:skwok@nifa.usda.gov important traits identified through these studies are expected to translate into plant varieties with improved yield or product quality, or growth resilience to adverse environmental conditions.

This program area priority will support research in the following areas:

• Plant growth and developmental processes, including plant architecture, carbon assimilation, and source-sink relationships

• Mechanisms of plant response to abiotic stresses, including increased water use efficiency

• Nutrient uptake, assimilation, and/or utilization, particularly increased plant use efficiency for nitrogen, phosphorus, or other supplemental nutrients

In addition to the priorities identified above, NIFA and the National Potato Promotion Board are seeking to co-fund projects to investigate the structural features of potato starch and its interactions with other macromolecules for potato processing. Applications must address the following priority:

• Investigate potato starch to fill knowledge gaps in understanding the structure of potato starch and interactions associated with desired sensory attributes.

Applicants seeking funding through this commodity board co-funded priority must provide a letter of support from the commodity board directly to the NIFA Program Contact within 60 calendar days after the application submission deadline. When seeking a letter of support, applicants should submit their entire application to the National Potato Promotion Board and request a letter that specifically indicates that the National Potato Promotion Board supports the application for co-funding. To obtain a letter of support or for further questions, please contact the National Potato Promotion Board representative (Mr. Ryan J. Krabill (303) 873-2319 or ryan@potatoesusa.com). Additionally, applicants must state in the last sentence of their application’s Project Summary section that the proposal is submitted in response to this specific commodity board topic.

Program Area Priority Additional Information:

• Relevance to agriculturally-important traits should be clearly justified and specific.

• For studies that involve microbes in plant nutrient utilization or abiotic stress tolerance, consider the Agricultural Microbiomes program area priority (in Crosscutting Programs) or the NSF/NIFA Plant Biotic Interactions program to determine the best fit for the project.

e. Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production Program Area Priority Code: A1141 Proposed Budget Requests:

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants for Plant Breeding Research must not exceed $500,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods up to three years. See “Program Area Priority” described subsequently for opportunity to request $650,000 for applications that includes specific types of partnerships for this priority only.

mailto:ryan@potatoesusa.com https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505267

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants for Later Stages of Cultivar Development must not exceed $300,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods up to three years.

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants addressing Crop Breeding Innovation Hubs must not exceed $1,000,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods up to five years. NIFA anticipates a maximum of one award.

• Budgets for Standard Grants, Strengthening Standard Grants, and New Investigator Grants addressing High Intensity Phenotyping Sites must not exceed $3,000,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods up to three years.

• Conference and FASE Grants must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Part II, C(2) of this RFA.

• Requests exceeding the budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed.

Requested Project Types: Research and Integrated Projects only Requested Grant Types: Standard, Conference, and FASE (Strengthening Standard, New

Investigator, Strengthening Conference, Seed, Equipment, and Sabbatical) Grants only Letter of Intent: required only for Conference Grant applications. The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 135 days before the conference begins.

Application Deadlines:

• Fiscal Year 2019: Thursday, July 18, 2019 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Fiscal Year 2020: Thursday, March 19, 2020 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

• Conference Grants: submitted after LOI decision response and a minimum of 90 days before the conference begins Program Area Priority Contacts:

• Dr. Ed Kaleikau, (202) 401-1931 or ekaleikau@nifa.usda.gov

• Dr. Liang-Shiou Lin, (202) 401-5045 or llin@nifa.usda.gov

The Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production program will support public breeding efforts to improve crop productivity, efficiency, quality, and performance, particularly for local and regional adaptation to soils and climates of U.S. farming systems. Conventional/classical and/or genomics-enabled plant breeding approaches will be supported. Research is encouraged to genetically dissect and then introduce desirable traits that may include, but are not limited to:

increased nutrient use efficiency; increased photosynthetic efficiency; tolerance to drought, flood and temperature extremes; resistance to pests and diseases; improved taste, aroma, nutrition, or food safety; adaptation to vertical agriculture systems; and removal of undesirable traits from crop plants through the use of both traditional genetic approaches and targeted gene editing.

The Plant Breeding for Agricultural Production program applications must address one of the following:

• Plant Breeding Research focused on pre-breeding and germplasm enhancement;

participatory breeding; selection theory; applied quantitative genetics; phenomics; or the incorporation of modeling (including crop growth models) in breeding. Proposed budget requests must not exceed $500,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods up to three years.

mailto:ekaleikau@nifa.usda.gov mailto:llin@nifa.usda.gov

• Opportunity to request $650,000 for applications that includes specific types of partnerships. A Plant Breeding Research application that includes significant collaboration with minority-serving institutions, small- to mid-sized institutions, EPSCoR state institutions, and/or international partners will be funded up to $150,000 above the listed budget maximum of $500,000 (i.e., up to $650,000). Applications that include such partnerships must begin their title as “PLANT BREEDING PARTNERSHIPS: [full title]….” The partnership team SHOULD BE reflected among the listed Project Director, and co-Project Director(s). A minimum of $150,000 of the budget MUST BE allocated to the institution(s) included as partner(s).

• Later Stages of Cultivar Development focused on testing and evaluation of developed materials in established regional trials with the primary goal of releasing publicly finished cultivars is encouraged. Proposed budget requests must not exceed $300,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods up to three years. Applications that include such research must begin their title as “CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT: [full title]….”

• Crop Breeding Innovation Hubs (integrated research and extension) must develop and evaluate research outputs in elite germplasm and subsequently distribute the improved lines to public and private breeding programs. An Innovation Hub should be a central technical platform to deliver key traits that are locally and regionally adapted to the soils, climates, and farming systems of U.S. growers, and add significant value to domestic and global economies. Eligible applicants for Integrated Projects include: a) Colleges and universities; b) 1994 Land-Grant Institutions; and c) Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities. For more information see Part III (Eligibility Information) of this RFA. The integrated application must include a project management plan and a data management plan that covers project intellectual property. Public-private partnerships with letters of support are strongly encouraged. Proposed budget requests must not exceed $1,000,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods up to five years. NIFA anticipates to invest in one Crop Breeding Innovation Hub award in FY2019.

Applications that include such integrated research and extension components must begin their title as “CROP BREEDING INNOVATION HUB: [full title]….”

• High Intensity Phenotyping Sites (integrated research and education) must support ongoing community-based experiments; deployment, evaluation, and use of field sensors and imaging technologies; creation of data management, sharing, and analytics platforms;

and training the next generation of agricultural researchers. Eligible applicants for Integrated Projects include: a) Colleges and universities; b) 1994 Land-Grant Institutions;

and c) Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities. For more information see Part III (Eligibility Information) of this RFA. The integrated application must include a project management plan and a data management plan that covers project intellectual property. Public-private partnerships with letters of support are strongly encouraged.

Proposed budget requests must not exceed $3,000,000 total per project (including indirect costs) for project periods up to three years. NIFA anticipates investing in one High Intensity Phenotyping Sites award in FY2019. Applications that include such integrated research and education must begin their title as “HIGH INTENSITY PHENOTYPING SITES: [full title]….”

https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/data-management-plan-nifa-funded-research-projects

In addition to the priorities identified above, NIFA and various commodity boards are seeking to co-fund research projects relevant to the respective commodity board. Each application must address one of the following priorities:

• Utilize technologies, tools and methods to access and mobilize genes within collections of wild wheat species for germplasm enhancement and elite cultivar development, including value-added health and/or nutritional attributes for the consumer and defense against biotic and/or abiotic threats. Kansas Wheat Commission representative, on behalf of a consortium including the Wheat Genetics Resource Center: Mr. Will Zorrilla (785) 539- 0255 or wzorrilla@earthsharvest.org.

• Research on marker-trait associations in the core collection and cultivated and wild species of peanut through intensive phenotyping to expand genetic diversity and discover new desirable traits and high quality genetic markers to facilitate marker-assisted selection in conventional peanut breeding programs.