1. 20th Annual NSPAA
Technical Assistance
June 2-5, 2015
Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel

2. Outline About our NIFA, About its programs, About FY 2016 budget,
About AFRI funding program
How to Increase funding rate on your campus

3. NIFA FUNDING NIFA FUNDING INVESTING IN SCIENCE | SECURING OUR FUTURE
United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
NIFA
OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
FUNDING
NIFA
FUNDING
INVESTING IN SCIENCE | SECURING OUR FUTURE

4. TOM VILSACK DR. CATHERINE WOTEKI DR. SONNY RAMASWAMY Secretary, USDA
Under Secretary, Research, Education, and Economics (REE) and USDA Chief Scientist
DR. SONNY RAMASWAMY
Director, NIFA

5. National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Mission
“Invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension to solve societal challenges. “
Vision
“Catalyze transformative discoveries, education, and engagement to address agricultural challenges.”

7. Framework To Advance Science:
Focus on a societal challenge (New Biology).
Scale work to make a difference through supporting transdisciplinary work—often across disciplines and institutions.
Focus + Scale = Impact
Focus and scale (combination of fundamental and applied science) result in impact on the societal challenge.

8. SOCIETAL CHALLENGES Food security Biofuels/bioproducts
Climate resilient agriculture:
adaptation and
mitigation
Food safety
Nutrition to promote lifelong health
Water

9. NIFA APPROACH
RESEARCH enables us to develop the knowledge needed to solve many of the issues facing our nation
EDUCATION strengthens schools and universities to train the next generation of scientists, educators, producers, and citizens
EXTENSION brings the knowledge gained through research and education to the people who need it most—in the United

10. NIFA APPROACH (CONT’D)
INTEGRATION brings the three components of the agricultural knowledge system (research, education, and extension) together around a problem area or activity. Integration occurs when the components complement one another and are truly necessary for the ultimate success of the project or program.

11. NIFA HAS MORE THAN 30 DIFFERENT COMPETITIVE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING:
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative ($325M)
Specialty Crop Research Initiative ($80M)
Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative ($25M)

12. Other Competitive Programs
Biotechnology Risk Assessment Program
Risk Management Education Program
Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative
Biomass Research and Development
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program
Small Business Innovation Research
Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education Program

13. Budget Talk
New folder\FY2016 Budget.pdf
Want to take just a moment to talk about the Federal budget, what is currently happening, and what is likely for the future.
NIFA FY 2016 President's Budget Proposal (Brochure)
Explanatory Notes (Congressional Justifications)
Agricultural Act of 2014
Office of Budget and Program Analysis—budget summaries and tables on all USDA agencies.

14. Considering FY 2016 NIFA seeks resources to:
Develop a comprehensive approach to addressing the agriculture-health nexus, and
Ensure the health and wellbeing of our nation by supporting cutting-edge research, education, and extension initiatives that further sustainable agricultural production systems and provide for an abundant and quality food supply.

15. New Initiatives
Enhance the renewable agricultural and forestry enterprises that underpin the bioeconomy, and
Support resiliency of rural communities, create jobs, and promote economic wellbeing.

16. primary budget initiatives
Significant increases – approx. 38 percent – in the investment of AFRI science priorities will focus on numerous challenges in agriculture and health, ensuring food security and solutions for water management, tactics of adapting to and mitigating impacts of climate variability and change, strategies to improving nutrition and health, promotion of foundational science, and strengthening education and literacy.

17. AFRI initiatives for FY 2016
Pollinator Health Initiative
Antimicrobial Resistance Initiative
Feedstocks for Biobased Products Initiative
Challenge Areas to include:
Food Security, Water for Agriculture, Climate Variability and Change, Nutrition and Health, Bioenergy, Food Safety
Significant increase (approx. 42 percent) in Foundational Science, and will include Critical Agricultural Research and Extension program and Exploratory Research
Education and Literacy Initiative
Inter-Agency Collaborations

18. Competitive Capacity Awards Program (1862s and 1890s)
The program will complement existing capacity programs and competitive programs in addressing national and regional problems in food, agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, human sciences
This Competitive Program requires percent non-federal match

19. A total of $20 million will support this competitive program allocated through:
Hatch Act: $12.5 million;
Smith-Lever 3(b)&(c): $4 million;
Evans-Allen Act: $2.5 million; and
1890 Extension: $1 million
$1.5 million for pollinator health

20. Increase support to enhance Minority-Serving Institutions.
Increase of $13 million in Evans-Allen, 1890 Capacity Building Grants, 1890 Extension and 1890 Facilities programs to accommodate Central State University.
Increase of $0.6 million in the 1994 Research, Tribal Colleges Education Equity, and Extension Services at 1994 Institutions programs to accommodate the College of the Muscogee Nation and the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College.
A request of $10 million for establishment of endowment fund for Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities

21. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIATIVE (AFRI)
United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
NIFA
OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
FUNDING
AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIATIVE (AFRI)
FINDING YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
AFRI
AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIATIVE: FINDING YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
INVESTING IN SCIENCE | SECURING OUR FUTURE
NIFA | INVESTING IN SCIENCE | SECURING OUR FUTURE

22. State agricultural experiment stations
WHO’S ELIGIBLE?
State agricultural experiment stations
ALL colleges and universities (including junior colleges offering associate degrees or higher)

23. WHO GETS AFRI GRANTS?
LAND GRANT UNIVERSITIES 80% of applications and 75% of grants
NON-LAND GRANT PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES 5% of applications and 5% of grants
PRIVATE COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES 5% of applications and 7% of grants
PRIVATE RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS 4% of applications and 4% of grants
OTHER (FEDERAL, INDUSTRY, INDIVIDUAL) the balance

24. FOUNDATIONAL PROGRAM RFA
Plant health and production and plant products
Animal health and production and animal products
Food safety, nutrition, and health
Renewable energy, natural resources, and environment
Agriculture systems and technology
Agriculture economics and rural communities

25. CHALLENGE AREA RFAS Childhood obesity prevention Climate change
Global food security
Food safety
Sustainable bioenergy
Water

26. NIFA FELLOWSHIPS GRANT PROGRAM RFA
Offer individual fellowships for pre- and postdoctoral students (NIFA Fellows)
Focus on the broad challenge areas
We just completed the review Process of the applications

27. FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCEENHANCEMENT (FASE) GRANTS
Pre-doctoral fellowship grants (new)
Postdoctoral fellowship grants
New investigator grants (restricted eligibility)
Strengthening grants (restricted eligibility)
- sabbatical grants - equipment grants - seed grants - strengthening standard / strengthening CAP grants

28. FASE STRENGTHENING AWARDS
Funded from 7.5% set aside from AFRI appropriation (7.5 of $264M in FY12 is more than $19M)
Eligibility limited to - EPSCoR states - small to mid-sized institutions (<17,500 enrolled with limited institutional success– not in the top 100) - Minority Serving Institutions
Just meet one of these requirements and you are eligible

29. STRENGTHENING AWARD TYPES
Standard Strengthening - full research grant $300k to $30M
Career Enhancement Award - sabbatical (1 year of salary + travel and supplies)
Seed Grants - up to $150k
Equipment Grants - the only AFRI grant type requiring a match

30. Grant limit of $50k - equipment may cost $10 to $250k
EQUIPMENT GRANTS
Grant limit of $50k - equipment may cost $10 to $250k
Match of $1:$1 is required - non-federal match (please note that this is the only type of AFRI grant requiring a match)
An opportunity to double your non-federal equipment budget

31. CAREER ENHANCEMENT AWARDS
Also called Sabbatical Awards
Include one year of salary plus travel and supplies ($120k)
Can be structured and phased so that it is not a year away from your home university
Be creative. Acquire new skills. Forge connections. Expand your horizons.

32. STANDARD STRENGTHENING
A regular research or integrated proposal (includes CAPs)
Proposal has two chances to be funded:
first chance: if the proposal ranks high enough (top 10-15) it is funded out of the regular program funds
second chance: from strengthening funds (awards made according to ranking, but of eligible proposals. First eligible proposal may rank substantially below 20.)

33. STRENGTHENING ELIGIBILITY
Now eligible in research and integrated programs
Now eligible every year in research and integrated programs (not every 5 years as previously set)
Now only the lead project director needs to be eligible in research and integrated programs (lead teams that include larger institutions)

34. USDA SBIR Program Award Grants Only - Ideas are Investigator-Initiated
Awards Based on Scientific and Technical Merit, PI and Company Qualifications, and Commercial Potential
Proposals Reviewed by Confidential Peer Review Using Outside Experts From Non-profit Organizations
Funds Allocated to Topic Areas in Proportion to Number of Proposals Received
Subcontracting to Universities and USDA Labs Permitted and Encouraged

35. USDA SBIR Program Phase I Grants = 8 Months/$100,000
Phase II Grants = 2 Years/$500,000
12 Month No-cost Extension Available

36. USDA SBIR Topic Areas
Animal Production and Protection Develops innovative, marketable technologies that will provide significant benefit to the production and protection of agricultural animals. Air, Water and Soils Develops technologies for conserving and protecting air, water and soil resources while sustaining optimal farm and forest productivity. Food Science and Nutrition Research focusing on developing new and improved processes, technologies, or services that address emerging food safety, food processing and nutrition issues.
Forests & Related Resources Address the health, diversity and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands through the development of environmentally sound approaches to increase productivity of forest lands, improve sustainability of forest resources, and develop value-added materials derived from woody resources. Plant Production and Protection – Biology Enhancing crop production by applying biological approaches to, reduce the impact of harmful agents, develop new methods for plant improvement, and apply traditional plant breeding methods and new technologies to develop new food and non-food crop plants.

37. USDA SBIR Topic Areas
Plant Production and Protection – Engineering Enhance crop production by creating and commercializing technologies that enhance system efficiency and profitability and that protect crops from pests and pathogens in economically and environmentally sound ways. Small and Mid-Size Farms The Small and Mid-Size Farms topic area aims to promote and improve the sustainability and profitability of small and mid-size farms and ranches (where annual sales of agricultural products are less than $250,000 for small farms and $500,000 for mid-size farms - hereafter referred to as small farms).
Aquaculture Develops new technologies that will enhance the knowledge and technology base necessary for the expansion of the domestic aquaculture industry as a form of production agriculture. Biofuels and Biobased Products Promotes the use of biofuels and non-food biobased products by developing new or improved technologies that will lead to increased production of industrial products from agricultural materials. Rural and Community Development Applications may be submitted for the development of new technology, or for the utilization of existing technology, that address important economic and social development issues or problems in rural America.

38. Technology Areas Supported by the USDA/SBIR
Information Technology
Robotics
Electronics
Biotechnology
Nanotechnology
Microelectro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)
Acoustics
Genetic Engineering
Material/Coatings
Food Safety
Biofuels
Machine Vision
Precision Agriculture
Engineering
Physics
Chemistry
Remote Sensing

39. U.S. Department of Agriculture SBIR
Dr. William Goldner Biofuels and Biobased Products Dr. Jodi Williams Food Science and Nutrition Dr. Shing Kwok Plant Production and Protection – Biology Dr. Denis Ebodaghe Small and Mid-Size Farms Scott Dockum Program Coordinator, SBIR Elden Hawkes Program Specialist, SBIR
Dr. Charles Cleland Forests and Related Resources Dr. Gene Kim Aquaculture Dr. Brent Elrod Rural and Community Development Dr. Robert Smith Animal Production and Protection Air, Water and Soils Dr. Kitty Cardwell Plant Production and Protection - Engineering

40. KEYS TO COMPETITIVE SUCCESS
Understand NIFA’s mission
Explore the full range of programs - many options; find your advantage
Communicate with the national program leader(s) in your area of interest
Participate - Ad hoc reviewer to panelist - Grantsmanship workshops - Applicant to awardee

41. PANEL PARTICIPATION
Panelists from minority serving institutions (MSI) are needed
Faculty from all levels (assistant, associate, and full professor)
In 2001 less than 2% from MSI; in % from MSI for AFRI panels
Contact the national program leader listed in the RFA if interested in serving

42. PANEL PARTICIPATION: ADMINISTRATOR’S ROLE
Panel is a large workload. There will be about 15 applications to review. This takes most reviewers about 40 hours before panel.
Administrators must work with faculty to free up this time (release from teaching or other duties)
Panels are on a fixed timeline that may conflict with teaching or other assignments. Administrators must work with faculty to cover assignments while faculty member is in D.C. for the week of the panel.

43. GRANTSMANSHIP WORKSHOPS
Provide overview of programs to applicants
Mock peer review panel
Face-to-face interaction with national program leaders
Tips on grant-writing from experts
Travel fellowships for attendees from MSIs
Offered in Washington, D.C. - planning now underway - dates announced on our website; search “grantsmanship”

44. GRANTSMANSHIP WORKSHOPS: YOUR ROLE
Structured for faculty who will be preparing applications
Do your homework–check the website for programs of interest and the associated NPL(s)
Use your time to engage
introduce yourself to NPLs in your areas of interest
offer to serve on a panel (follow up with an to the NPL with your 2-page CV)
network with others from your region who might team with you in the future on larger applications

45. SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS
Begin early
Read the Request for Applications (RFA)
Letters of intent may be required before application submission – check dates in the RFA
All applications submitted through Grants.gov
Work with administrative team at your institution
Late applications are not accepted
Contact NIFA with questions (use contact information in the RFA – not general information from website)

46. Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers

47. See the NIFA website for more information: www.nifa.usda.gov
Contact Dr. Ali Mohamed, Division
Director, Environmental Systems

48. Questions?