Coordinating Agricultural Development & Innovation (CADI) to enable America First Trade Wins in Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia

Closed Posted

Opportunity number
USDA-FAS-10960-0700-109-26-0003
Agency
Applications due
Award size
Up to $332,500

Opportunity facts

Assistance listings
Funding instrument
Grant
Category
  • Agriculture
Eligible applicants
  • Other
Points of contact

Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, in partnership with the State Department Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, is soliciting applications for research supporting the Coordinating Agricultural Development & Innovation (CADI) program, with an application deadline of September 28, 2026. The awardee must conduct original research to quantify the CADI portfolio's direct economic impact on American farmers and provide actionable recommendations for trade barrier removal and export support in Eastern Europe (non-E.U.), the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. One award is anticipated at $332,500 in initial funding with cumulative potential of $997,500 over three years (November 1, 2026 through September 30, 2028), though USDA/FAS reserves the right to make additional awards if funding becomes available.

Eligible applicants are state cooperative institutions or other colleges and universities in the United States as defined at 7 U.S.C. 3103, with mandatory active registration in SAM.gov before the submission deadline. Indirect costs are capped at 10% of direct costs.

The awardee will deliver a final research report quantifying CADI's economic impact, annual economic impact reports analyzing progress toward country-specific targets (Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan), quarterly presentations to USDA/FAS management, and at least one success story per country annually. Country-specific economic impact goals range from $2.2 million to $439 million depending on commodity and market.

Applications are evaluated on technical expertise (30 points), experience (30 points), research plan (25 points), budget (10 points), and overall quality (5 points). The Project Lead must demonstrate USDA/FAS project management experience and relevant international trade expertise. The budget includes four international and four domestic trips. Questions are due September 22, 2026. CFDA 10.960 (Technical Agricultural Assistance).

Synopsis

The CADI, funded through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) and the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, supports a portfolio of projects in Eastern Europe (non-E.U.), the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. These projects are designed to make American agriculture safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Specifically, the portfolio seeks to prevent and remove trade barriers for U.S. agricultural exports and support U.S. exporters and trading partners. Collectively, the portfolio is working to:

• Add over $622 million to the U.S. economy by removing trade barriers.

• Contribute an additional $312 million to the U.S. economy through direct support to American exporters and trading partners.

• Avoid over $50 billion in potential economic harm to the U.S. economy by preventing lost market access due to the spread of livestock contagions to the United States and new trade barriers.

The awardee will conduct original basic and applied research that will focus on advancing a trade agenda that benefits America's ranchers, farmers, and producers.

Through this applied research, the awardee will:

• Provide throughout the period of performance actionable recommendations to help achieve the CADI portfolio's targets.

• Track the portfolio's attributable accomplishments toward these trade outcomes, including the development of U.S. county-level impact estimates.

DELIVERABLES

1. Final report on the recipient's research to quantify the CADI portfolio's direct economic impact on American farmers;

2. Annual economic impact report that quantifies the CADI portfolio's direct economic impact on American farmers. This report will specifically analyze the CADI's portfolio of projects' progress toward achieving the following targets:

a. Armenia:

i. Add $92,851,795 to the U.S. economy by increasing the sale of 200,000 MT U.S. wheat (40k MT sold once per year, for 5 years) through technical assistance to trading partners.

ii. Add $2,197,937 to the U.S. economy by increasing U.S. exports to Armenia by 5% using short-term training and technical assistance to remove food safety-related technical barriers to trade.

b. Georgia:

i. Add $92,851,795 to the U.S. economy by facilitating the sale of 200,000 MT U.S. wheat (40k MT sold once per year, for 5 years) through technical assistance to trading partners.

ii. Add $15,443,458 to the U.S. economy by increasing the U.S. market share of the Georgian poultry market by 1.1% over 5 years through short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.

iii. Add $892,190 to the U.S. economy by facilitating $433,102 in the export of U.S. aquaculture inputs short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.

c. Kazakhstan:

i. Contribute $28,000,000 to the U.S. economy by supporting 1,000,000 bushels of expanded market opportunity for U.S. wheat, per year for 5 years, through improved agricultural production data.

d. Ukraine:

i. Maintain $439,441,866 in U.S. economic activity by ensuring $224,994,460 in U.S. agricultural exports to Ukraine continue over 5 years by preventing new barriers to U.S. agricultural exports.

ii. Protect $50,000,000 in damage to the U.S. economy by maintaining U.S. pork's global market access by preventing the spread of African Swine Fever to the United States.

iii. Catalyze $1,030,000 in U.S. economic activity by unlocking the Ukrainian livestock genetics market and facilitating $500,000 in U.S. livestock genetics exports through short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.

iv. Add $31,135,852 to the U.S. economy by unlocking the Ukrainian purebred cattle market, and supporting U.S. exporters in achieving 50% market share for 5 years.

v. Contribute $14,255,778 to the U.S. economy by supporting 250,000 bushels of expanded market opportunity for U.S. wheat, per year for 5 years, through improved agricultural production data.

vi. Contribute $16,731,044 to the U.S. economy by supporting 250,000 bushels of expanded market opportunity for U.S. oilseeds, per year for 5 years, through improved agricultural production data.

e. Uzbekistan:

i. Add $9,177,352 to the U.S. economy by increasing U.S. market share of soybean exports by 5%, and sustain this market share for 5 years through short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.

ii. Add $4,735,105 to the U.S. economy by increasing U.S. market share of distilled spirits exports by 6.2%, and sustaining that market share for 5 years through short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.

3. A quarterly presentation to the USDA/FAS CADI management team on the CADI portfolio's progress toward achieving America First trade targets, providing strategic recommendations to maximize outcomes for the benefit of American agriculture; and,

4. Annually, provide at least one success story per country where CADI operates. Each story must include a detailed analysis of USDA/FAS accomplishments in one of the following areas:

a. Preventing or removing trade barriers

b. Assisting U.S. exporters and trading partners

All work under this research program is unclassified. The awardee shall ensure that all information is safeguarded against unauthorized access. Any personnel performing work under this agreement who will have access to non-public information will require Public Trust (Moderate Risk) background investigations (also known as T2 background investigation) that will be issued by USDA prior to beginning work.

The projected Period of Performance is from November 1, 2026 - September 31, 2028, with the possibility of an extension as described in Section 9.1.

The work will require Temporary Duty Travel (TDY) to foreign and domestic locations that remain to be determined. A total of 4 one-week international TDYs to Eastern Europe (non-E.U.), the South Caucasus and Central Asia should be included in the budget, as well as four one-week domestic trips to locations to be determined.

Eligibility

State cooperative institutions or other colleges and universities in the United States, as defined at 7 U.S.C. § 3103.All applicants must have an active registration in the U.S. Government System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) before the application submission deadline of the announcement. Applicants with inactive, expired, pending, or excluded listings will be deemed ineligible. Exceptions, waivers, or extensions will not be considered. More information about SAM.gov registration can be found in Section 9, Other Information.

Files

File Type Posted
CADI America First Research NOFO_FINAL.pdf PDF

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