USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) EPSCoR Overview

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USDANational Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) EPSCoR Overview   

• Peter Johnson, DVM, Ph.D.
• NIFA EPSCoR Management Team Member
• National Program Leader (Animal Health Welfare)
• pjohnson_at_nifa.usda.gov

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• Where does USDA EPSCoR reside and how it is
  managed ?

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National Institute of Food Agriculture (NIFA
www.nifa.usda.gov)

• USDAs Extramural funding to advance food
  agricultural research, education, extension
• Initiated October 1, 2009
• Preceded by Cooperative State, Research,
  Education, and Extension Service
• FY12 Budget 1.35 billion (research, education,
  extension competitive non-competitive
  programs)

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National Institute of Food Agriculture

• Office of the Director
• Institute of Food Production Sustainability
• Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, Environment
• Institute of Food Safety Nutrition
• Institute of Youth, Family, Community
• Office of Grants Financial Management (award
  processing, etc.)
• Office of Information Technology

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USDA-NIFA Cross-Institute Office EPSCoR
Management Team

• Nancy Cavallaro Bart Hewitt co-leaders
• Gabrielle Armstrong Peter Johnson
• Effie Baldwin Melanie Krizmanich
• Shawn Bennett Liang Shiou Lin
• Daniel Cassidy Sharon Lumpkin
• Erin Daly Ray Raymond

Equal partners Efficient use of limited NIFA
administrative which can not support staff
dedicated only to EPSCoR
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• USDA-NIFA has many programs
• EPSCoR is part of the Agriculture and Food
  Research Initiative

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Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
(AFRI) (http//www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afr
i.html)

• USDAs largest competitive grants program
  FY12 Budget 264 million (244 million
  payment to states)
• Research, education, extension projects
• EPSCoR is one component of AFRI
  (http//www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri_fase_
  epscor_program.html )

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AFRI

• Wide Eligibility 100 Research/ 100
  Education/ 100 Extension State Agricultural
  Experiment Stations, colleges, universities,
  university research foundations, other research
  institutions organizations, federal agencies,
  national laboratories, private organizations or
  corporations, individualsIntegrated Colleges,
  universities, 1994 Institutions, Hispanic-serving
  agricultural colleges and universities
• Indirect costs Currently Capped at 30
• Matching funds (generally only equipment/ waivers
  may also apply)

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12 Funding Opportunities

• Applicants (including individuals from EPSCoR
  states) have 12 request for applications (RFAs)
  to consider to fund their research, education,
  and/or extension programs
• 7 in-house RFAs
• 5 interagency RFAs

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Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

• Five Challenge Area RFAs
• Childhood Obesity Prevention
• Climate Variability Change
• Food Security
• Food Safety
• Sustainable Bioenergy

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Five Challenge Area RFAs

• Often Inter/ trans-disciplinary
• Most Integrated (research education
  extension)
• Some Research or Education or Extension
• FY10-12 Award Budget Range 340,000 -
  45 million total (most multi-million
  dollars)
• Up to 5 years duration

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Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

• One Foundational Program RFA
• Build a foundation of knowledge for solving
  current and future societal challenges
• Only research funding opportunities (with one
  exception)
• Maximum Award Budget 500,000 total(350,000
  direct 150,000 indirects)
• Up to 4 years duration

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• AFRI Foundational Program RFA includes 6 areas
• Plant Health, Production Plant Products
• Animal Health, Production Animal Products
• Food Safety, Nutrition, Health
• Renewable Energy, Natural Resources,
  Environment
• Agriculture Systems Technology
• Agriculture Economics Rural Communities

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Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

• One NIFA Fellowships Grant Program RFA
• Offer individual fellowships for pre- and
  postdoctoral students NIFA Fellows
• Focus on the broad Challenge Areas, wide topic
  eligibility

2.5 AFRI budget set-aside for pre- and
post-doctoral proposals open to individuals at
ALL institutions
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• Predoctoral Fellowships
• 75,000 (stipend, tuition, fees)
• Research, education, or extension
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• 130,000 (including institutional allowance)
• Research, education, or extension
• post Ph.D.,or D.V.M., or M.D. degree

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Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

• Interagency RFAs
• Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease
  (USDA-NIFA NIH NSF BBSRC)
• Water Sustainability and Climate (USDA-NIFA
  NSF)
• Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction using
  Earth System Models (USDA-NIFA NSF DOE)
• National Robotics Initiative (NIFA NSF NASA
  NIH)
• Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy
  (USDA-NIFA DOE)

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Proposal Options

• After applicants identify a specific RFA where
  their work fits, depending on where they are from
  and their career stage, different proposal
  options exist

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AFRI Proposal types

• Standard (research education extension
  or, integrated)
• Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP)
• Conference
• Food Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE)
  (restricted eligibility EPSCoR bonus !)
• Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships (1 program)
• New Investigator
• Strengthening

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• New Investigator Awards (Less than 5 years
  postgraduate, career-track experience No
  competitive Federal funds beyond pre- or
  postdoctoral grants or AFRI seed grants)
• No specific RFA identify AFRI program for their
  topic and submit to its deadlines
• Proposal same as non-new investigator except box
  checked indicating eligibility
• First compete with established investigators
• No set-aside but staff can use program dollars
  to support new investigator below funding line
  (forgo established investigator) Note EPSCoR or
  limited institutional success eligible have
  set-aside to go below funding line (Bonus)

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Strengthening Awards

• 7.5 AFRI budget set-aside for strengthening
  awards to
• EPSCoR institutions
• Small or mid-sized or minority-serving
  institutions with limited success for federal
  funding
• FY12 AFRI total budget 244 millionFY12
  total for strengthening 18.3 million

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Strengthening Opportunities

• Strengthening Standard proposal
• Strengthening Coordinated Agricultural Project
  proposal
• No specific RFA identify AFRI program for topic
  and submit to its deadlines
• Proposal same as standard proposal that everyone
  can submit except box checked indicating
  eligibility

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Benefit of Set-aside to EPSCoR institutions
(2 funding chances in all programs)

• Hypothetical Example
• 100 proposals
• All institution proposals first compete against
  each other ranked (including EPSCoR)
• Program funds can support top 10 submissions
  (non-EPSCoR EPSCoR)
• 7.5 additional to support other meritorious
  EPSCoR proposals below funding cut-off

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More Strengthening Opportunities

• Seed Grants
• Sabbaticals
• Equipment
• No specific RFA identify AFRI program for topic
  and submit to its deadlines
• Each program evaluates all seeds, sabbaticals,
  equipment together

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More Strengthening Opportunities

• Seed Grants (150,000 for 2 year duration)
• Collect preliminary data for future AFRI funding
• Sabbatical Grants
• Up to one year of salary, funds for travel
  supplies also mini-sabbaticals
• Equipment Grants 50 of cost or 50,000 for one
  piece of equipment (10,000-250,000) no IDC
• Non-federal Matching, but waivers (lt25K) for
  lowest one third institutions

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Total EPSCoR funding
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Defining EPSCoR States Graduation

• EPSCoR program includes mechanism for graduation
  of states
• When a state graduates, another state enters the
  program

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• EPSCoR States States having a funding level no
  higher than the 38th percentile of all States
  based on a 3-year rolling average of AFRI,
  excluding strengthening set-aside funds (19
  states)

• Since FY09, NIFA re-assesses EPSCoR eligible
  states annually
• Prior to FY09, EPSCoR states were re- assessed
  every 3 years and stayed constant for 3 year
  intervals

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2012 EPSCoR States

• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Connecticut
• Idaho
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Montana

• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota

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Other USDA EPSCoR eligible Entities

• American Samoa
• District of Columbia
• Guam
• Micronesia
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Puerto Rico
• Virgin Islands of the U.S.

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If a state graduates from EPSCoR, its
institutions may still qualify for strengthening
if

• Small and mid-sized academic institutions with
  current total enrollment of 17,500 or less,
  orMinority-serving institutions enrollment of
  minorities exceeds 50
• AND Limited institutional success not among
  the most successful universities and colleges
  receiving federal funds for science and
  engineering.

Examples Montana State Univ. South Dakota State
Univ.
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Have EPSCoR states graduated ?

• Arkansas (2009)
• Connecticut (2006, but returned 2009)
• Delaware (2011)
• Hawaii (2012)
• Louisiana (2012)
• Mississippi (2006, but returned 2009)

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Have EPSCoR states graduated ? (cont.)

• New Hampshire (2006, but returned 2009)
• New Jersey (2009)
• New Mexico (2009, but returned 2011)
• Oklahoma (2009, but returned 2012)
• Rhode Island (2006, but returned 2009)
• South Dakota (2011, but returned 2012)

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EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Alabama                    
Alaska                    
Arkansas            
Connecticut              
Delaware          
Hawaii                  
Idaho                    
Kentucky                    
Louisiana              
Maine                    
Mississippi              
Montana    
Nevada                    
New Hampshire              
New Jersey      
New Mexico                
North Dakota                    
Oklahoma              
Rhode Island              
South Carolina              
South Dakota                  
Vermont                    
West Virginia                    
Wyoming                    
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EPSCoR Outreach

• Two annual NIFA Competitive Programs
  Grantsmanship Workshops (includes EPSCoR
  breakouts)
• Webinars as requested by states to overview
  EPSCoR opportunities
• Workshops for Minority-Serving Institutions may
  include Strengthening Program overview (Hispanic
  1890 Alaskan/Pacific Islanders Native American)

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EPSCoR Program Strengths

• Graduation Criteria transparent fair with no
  political influence
• Apart from graduation, anecdotal evidence shows
  impact (EPSCoR states receiving large Coordinated
  Agricultural Project awards science advances
  seed grants leading to larger research awards)
• By having Strengthening set-aside (includes
  EPSCoR) as of AFRI budget, funding is
  guaranteed as long as AFRI has a budget

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EPSCoR Program Strengths

• EPSCoR dollars part of every AFRI review panel
• All agriculture food science areas benefit each
  year
• All AFRI National Program Leaders involved in,
  understand support EPSCoR science
• Optimum expertise for peer review
• Integrated post-award management
• EPSCoR awardees attend same annual project
  directors meetings as non-EPSCoR awardees (no
  separation)

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EPSCoR Program Challenges

• Collecting quantitative metrics for assessment
• Database limitations (Current Research
  Information System http//cris.csrees.usda.gov)
  with limited IT budget to upgrade/renovate
• Does not aggregate/tabulate impacts (e.g.,
  publications patents students trained)
• Does not distinguish EPSCoR awards made from
  set-aside vs. non-set aside funds
• Does not request and update impacts after award
  termination

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EPSCoR Program Challenges

• External Review Committees
• Review NIFA portfolios for impact (e.g., Plant
  Systems Animals Natural Resources/Environment
  Food Safety Nutrition Education)
• Focus is on portfolio as a whole (non-EPSCoR
  EPSCoR together)
• NIFAs current administrative budget doesnt
  allow targeted EPSCoR program review

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If weve done our job, for USDA EPSCoR you now
know

• Where it is found
• How EPSCoR is managed
• The multiple EPSCoR opportunities
• How EPSCoR states are calculated graduation
• Strengths
• Challenges

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EPSCoR
THANK YOU