Group items tagged

EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), in coordination with the EPA Regional Offices, announces the availability of approximately $506,000 for FY13 to further, through research, development, monitoring, public education, training, demonstrations, or studies, the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches to reduce pesticide risk in production agriculture settings in the United States. IPM is a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages highly innovative research to develop, characterize or improve animal models and related biological materials for human health and disease or to improve diagnosis and control of diseases that might interfere with animal use for biomedical research.

The Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) supports research-related resources that create, develop, preserve and supply a variety of high-quality animal models, and related biological materials. ORIP also supports the development and implementation of tools and devices that directly benefit the welfare of research animals, improve handling of laboratory animals, and ease the management of animal facilities. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages small business concerns to submit Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant applications that propose innovative approaches and technologies to further develop, improve and facilitate the use of animal models and related biological materials, to meet new biomedical challenges related to improvements in the health of humans and the welfare of animal models.

The purpose of the Crop Protection and Pest Management program is to address high priority issues related to pests and their management using IPM approaches at the state, regional and national levels. The CPPM program supports projects that will increase food security and respond effectively to other major societal challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, environmentally sound and will help protect human health. The CPPM program addresses IPM challenges for emerging issues and existing priority pest concerns that can be addressed more effectively with new and emerging technologies. The outcomes of the CPPM program are effective, affordable, and environmentally sound IPM practices and strategies supporting more vital communities.

The Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program supports research on the ecological, evolutionary, and socio-ecological principles and processes that influence the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. The central theme of submitted projects must be quantitative or computational understanding of pathogen transmission dynamics. The intent is discovery of principles of infectious disease transmission and testing mathematical or computational models that elucidate infectious disease systems. Projects should be broad, interdisciplinary efforts that go beyond the scope of typical studies. They should focus on the determinants and interactions of transmission among humans, non-human animals, and/or plants. This includes, for example, the spread of pathogens; the influence of environmental factors such as climate; the population dynamics and genetics of reservoir species or hosts; the cultural, social, behavioral, and economic dimensions of disease transmission. Research may be on zoonotic, environmentally-borne, vector-borne, or enteric diseases of either terrestrial or freshwater systems and organisms, including diseases of animals and plants, at any scale from specific pathogens to inclusive environmental systems. Proposals for research on disease systems of public health concern to developing countries are strongly encouraged, as are disease systems of concern in agricultural systems. Investigators are encouraged to develop the appropriate multidisciplinary team, including for example, modelers, bioinformaticians, genomics researchers, social scientists, economists, epidemiologists, entomologists, parasitologists, microbiologists, bacteriologists, virologists, pathologists or veterinarians, with the goal of integrating knowledge across disciplines to enhance our ability to predict and control infectious diseases.

For FY 2015, Kentucky NRCS will consider proposals that demonstrate the use of innovative technologies and/or approaches to address at least one of the below bulleted topics: * Soil Health * Water Quality * Forage Quality and Quantity

The National Land Imaging (NLI) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Land Resources (LR) mission area is soliciting applications from qualified Educational Institutions, State and Local Governments, and Non-profit Organizations (NPOs) to develop a U.S. national consortium to expand the science of remote sensing through education, outreach and research / applications development for environmental monitoring to include the effects of land use and land cover change on water quality, quantity and utility; societal adaptation and phenology; public health-related issues to include identification of potential indicators relating to vector-borne diseases and harmful algal blooms; natural resource management, agricultural applications, disaster risk reduction, and other land surface and surface water monitoring applications.

The overall goal of the Organic Transitions Program (ORG) is to support the development and implementation of research, extension and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are adopting organic practices. NIFA administers the ORG program by determining priorities in U.S. agriculture through Agency stakeholder input processes in consultation with the NAREEEAB. ORG will continue to prioritize environmental services provided by organic farming systems in the area of soil conservation, pollinator health, and climate change mitigation, including greenhouse gases (GHG), as well as the development of educational tools for Cooperative Extension personnel and other agricultural professionals who advise producers on organic practices, and development of cultural practices and other allowable alternatives to substances recommended for removal from the National Organic Program's National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. It is expected that all projects will integrate research, education and extension activities, as appropriate to project goals, although some projects may be weighted more heavily than others in one or more of these areas. However, all proposals should have activities and impact in research and at least one of the other areas: education and extension.

The purpose of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program is to encourage research and outreach designed to increase knowledge concerning agricultural production systems that: (1) maintain and enhance the quality and productivity of the soil; (2) conserve soil, water, energy, natural resources, and fish and wildlife habitat; (3) maintain and enhance the quality of surface and ground water; (4) protect the health and safety of persons involved in the food and farm system; (5) promote the well-being of animals; and (6) increase employment opportunities in agriculture (7 U.S.C. 5801 and 5811).

Founded in 1982 and comprised of more than three hundred and fifty member companies, the American Herbal Products Association is the national trade association and voice of the herbal products industry.  Through its Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals program, the association funds research on medicinal, therapeutic, and health-promoting herbs, with a focus on projects that inform and promote best industry practices and contribute to the sustainability of the botanicals and the herbal products industry.

Applications to the FY 2018 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) Request for Applications (RFA) must focus on approaches that promote transformational changes in the U.S. food and agriculture system within the next 25 years. NIFA seeks creative and visionary applications that take a systems approach, and that will significantly improve the supply of abundant, affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible food, while providing sustainable opportunities for expansion of the bioeconomy through novel animal, crop, and forest products and supporting technologies. These approaches must demonstrate current and future social, behavioral, economic, health, and environmental impacts. Additionally, the outcomes of the work being proposed must result in societal benefits, including promotion of rural prosperity and enhancement of quality of life for those involved in food and agricultural value chains from production to utilization and consumption. See AFRI SAS RFA for details.

The purpose of the Crop Protection and Pest Management program is to address high priority issues related to pests and their management using IPM approaches at the state, regional and national levels. The CPPM program supports projects that will ensure food security and respond effectively to other major societal pest management challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, ecologically prudent, and safe for human health. The CPPM program addresses IPM challenges for emerging issues and existing priority pest concerns that can be addressed more effectively with new and emerging technologies. The outcomes of the CPPM program are effective, affordable, and environmentally sound IPM practices and strategies needed to maintain agricultural productivity and healthy communities.

The overall goal of the Organic Transitions Program (ORG) is to support the development and implementation of research, extension and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are adopting organic practices. NIFA administers the ORG program by determining priorities in U.S. agriculture through Agency stakeholder input processes in consultation with the NAREEEAB. ORG will continue to prioritize environmental services provided by organic farming systems in the area of soil conservation, pollinator health, and climate change mitigation, including greenhouse gases (GHG), as well as the development of educational tools for Cooperative Extension personnel and other agricultural professionals who advise producers on organic practices, and development of cultural practices and other allowable alternatives to substances recommended for removal from the National Organic Program's National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. It is expected that all projects will integrate research, education and extension activities, as appropriate to project goals, although some projects may be weighted more heavily than others in one or more of these areas. However, all proposals should have activities and impact in research and at least one of the other areas: education and extension.

The Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program is intended to increase knowledge of agriculture and improve the nutritional health of children, and to bring together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system to increase the capacity for food, garden, and nutrition education within host organizations. The application deadline is July 9, 2018.

Section 11(t) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (Public Law 116-94), as amended, Grants for Simplified Application and Eligibility Determination Systems and Improved Access to Benefits, authorizes the Food and Nutrition Service Agency (FNS) to annually award up to $5 million* in grants to State agencies; public health, or educational entities; or private nonprofit entities, such as community-based or faith-based organizations, food banks, or other emergency feeding organizations. Grants authorized by Section 11(t), known as Process and Technology Improvement Grants, allow applicants to "develop and implement supplemental nutrition assistance program simplified application and eligibility determination systems."

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), builds upon the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) which was initiated in 1996 as one of the key activities in a national action plan to combat antibiotic resistance threats. The purpose of this FOA is to protect and promote public health by enhancing, strengthening and sustaining antibiotic resistance surveillance in retail food specimens within the NARMS program. The NARMS cooperative agreements is intended to improve the detection of antibiotic resistance among bacteria in food commodities, as well as expand to new sites to expand the scope of sampling. Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with the NARMS Objectives.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announces the availability of funding through cost reimbursable agreements for the Scientific Cooperation Research Program (SCRP) for fiscal year (FY) 2020. SCRP supports FAS' Borlaug Fellowship Program and other strategic goals and utilizes the scientific communities' accumulated knowledge and technologies to help aid in developing practical solutions to address issues including agricultural trade and market access, animal and plant health, biotechnology, food safety and security, and sustainable natural resource management. All applications must include foreign collaborations, and projects should not exceed two years. Funding may be allocated to foreign collaborators through sub-awards. Background The Scientific Cooperation Research Program (SCRP) is a Foreign Agricultural Service Office,(FAS) administered program that has been in existence for several decades. Historically, SCRP has funded hundreds of collaborative research programs between U.S. and foreign scientists.This program supports up to 10 collaborative research programs annually, up to $50,000.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) and FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Office of Medical Policy (OMP) is announcing its intent to accept and consider applications for the award of a co-operative agreement to protect and promote the health of the American public by creating new, applied scientific knowledge, tools, standards and approaches to evaluate products more effectively, predictably and efficiently.

These grants are awarded for general organizational support as well as funding for specific projects. Small grants average approximately $7,000 each. Applications are reviewed three times a year; the deadlines are the 1st of February, June, and October.  Grants awarded during a particular cycle will be announced at the beginning of the following cycle.   Priority is given to applicants that: Address our funding priorities from a holistic perspective -Protect Earth's beauty and bounty. -Create a robust, healthy food system. -Increase opportunities for outdoor activity. -Reduce environmental health hazards. -Build stronger communities. Operate with clearly defined objectives and viable plans to achieve them. Demonstrate strong community ties and operate at the community level. Promote positive change through both the projects and their implementation process.

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), announces the availability of approximately $2 million total costs for one cooperative agreement to fund a technical assistance project in Costa Rica to improve enforcement of labor laws with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health (OSH) in the agricultural export sector. Successful implementation of this project would contribute to a fair global playing field for workers and assist Costa Rica's compliance with the labor provisions of the Dominican Republic - Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). The applicant must work with relevant local actors such as the labor inspectorate, legal aid attorneys, workers, and judges, according to the implementation strategy of the applicant. The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4 years (48 months) from the effective date of the award.