$HOW ME THE MONEY: Funding Opportunities in the USDA

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HOW ME THE MONEY Funding Opportunities
in the USDA

• Joint Meetings of AAEA RSS
• July, 2003
• Montreal, Quebec

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• The National Research Initiative
• Competitive Programs Unit
• Cooperative State
• Research, Education, and Extension Service

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• MARKETS AND TRADE PROGRAM
• RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
• OTHER NRI PROGRAMS
• Research programs
• Integrated programs
• OTHER USDA PROGRAMS

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• MARKETS AND TRADE PROGRAM
• Forces that affect competitiveness and
  sustainability of U.S. food, fiber, and bio-based
  products in domestic and/or international markets
• Implications of globalization . . .
• Implications of U.S. and world trade policy,
  regulation, and practices . . .
• Effects of macroeconomic policy, industry
  structure, business behavior, and/or changing
  consumer behavior . . .
• . . . on U.S. food, fiber, and bio-based
  products and
• the agricultural and rural sectors.

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
• Forces and opportunities that affect rural places
  and the people who live there
• Implications of globalization for rural community
  viability and prosperity
• Consequences of structural changes in agriculture
  and their affect on rural communities and
  landscapes
• Rural development potential of agricultural and
  non-agricultural rural entrepreneurship

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• MARKETS AND TRADE, and
• RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
• Request for Applications (RFA) posted to CSREES
  website www.reeusda.gov
• Click on Funding Opportunities
• National Research Initiative FY2004 RFA (_at_ August
  1, 2003)

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• MARKETS AND TRADE, and
• RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
• FY2004 Proposals due in early December, 2003
• Funding ceiling will rise in FY2004
• Awards are planned at 300-500K for 3-4 years

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• MARKETS AND TRADE, and
• RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
• Funding ceiling will rise in FY2004, but
• Program budget not expected to increase
• Problem-centered, rather than discipline-centered
• FY2003 applicants represented gt20 disciplines
• Multidisciplinary approaches encouraged
• Policy implications bonus
• Practical implementation bonus

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• MARKETS AND TRADE, and
• RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
• Patricia (Pat) C. Hipple, Ph.D.
• National Program Leader and Program Director
• Phone [phone]
• Email phipple_at_csrees.usda.gov

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• ADDITIONAL NRI PROGRAMS
• NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
• NUTRITION, FOOD SAFETY, and HEALTH
• ANIMALS
• BIOLOGY and MANAGEMENT of PESTS and BENEFITICAL
  ORGANISMS
• PLANTS
• ENHANCING VALUE and USE of AGRICULTURAL and
  FOREST PRODUCTS

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• NATURAL RESOURCES and the ENVIRONMENT
• Plants and Environmental Adaptation
• Managed Ecosystems
• Soils and Soil Biology
• Watershed Process and Water Resources

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• NUTRITION, FOOD SAFETY, AND HEALTH
• Improving Human Nutrition for Optimal Health
• Food Safety
• Epidemiological Approaches for Food Safety
• Food Safety Organized Research Unit

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• ANIMALS
• Animal Reproduction
• Animal Growth and Nutrient Utilization
• Animal Genomics
• Animal Genome Reagent and Tool Development
• Animal Protection

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF PESTS AND BENEFICIAL
  ORGANISMS
• Integrative Biology of Arthropods and Nematodes
• Arthropod and Nematode Gateways to Biology and
  Genomics
• Biology of Plant-Microbe Associations
• Biology of Weedy Invasive Plants

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• PLANTS
• Plant Genome
• Genetic Processes and Mechanisms of Crop Plants
• Plant Translational Genomics Organized Research
  Unit
• Developmental Processes of Crop Plants
• Biochemistry of Plants and Plant Symbionts

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• ENHANCING VALUE and USE of AGRICULTURAL and
  FOREST PRODUCTS
• Improving Food Quality
• Biobased Products and Bioenergy Production
  Research
• Improved Utilization of Wood and Wood Fiber

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• NRI INTEGRATED PROGRAMS
• AIR QUALITY
• HUMAN NUTRITION AND OBESITY
• ANIMAL BIOSECURITY
• PLANT BIOSECURITY
• HOMELAND SECURITY TRAINING
• FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF
• Animals
• Insects and Mites
• Microbes
• Plants

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• OTHER USDA/CSREES PROGRAMS
• New Integrated Programs through the NRI
• 406 Integrated Programs
• Biotechnology Risk Assessment
• National Integrated Food Safety Initiative
• Water Quality
• Pest Management
• SBIR Small Business Innovation Research
• National Needs Graduate Fellowships
• Higher Education Challenge Grants

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• BEYOND CSREES
• Economic Research Service (ERS)
• Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program
  (FANRP)
• Workforce Attachment, Income Volatility,
  Administrative Costs
• Food Assistance as a Safety Net
• Targeting High Needs Subgroups
• Eating Patterns, Food Choices, and Health
  Outcomes
• Nutrition Education Public and Private Returns
  on Information

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• BEYOND CSREES
• Rural Business-Cooperative Services (RBCS)
• Value-Added Agricultural Marketing Development
  Grant
• Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
• Agriculture Innovation Center Demonstration
  Project
• Rural Cooperative Development Grant
• Research on Rural Cooperative Opportunities and
  Problems
• Research on Cooperative Energy Alternatives
• Unsolicited Cooperative Research Agreements

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CAPACITY-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES

• COMPETITIVE PROGRAMS
• Serve as an Ad Hoc (External) Reviewer of
  Requests for Applications
• Serve as a Panel Member for Competitive Programs
• Serve as a Panel Manager for Competitive Programs
• Participate in USDA Listening Sessions to
  Develop Competitive Programs, Advise Research
  Directions, and Devise Requests for Application
• Rotational Service as USDA as an IPA, LOA, Chief
  Science Advisor, Chief Education Advisor, or
  Other

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE
• REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)
• Developed annually by the CSREES with input from
  stakeholders
• RFA is published
• In the Federal Register in late July, and
• Posted to the CSREES website by August 1

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE
• Project Directors (formerly, Principal
  Investigators)
• Develop proposal of research in accordance with
• Accepted standards of discipline
• Specific NRI program goals
• Competitive program eligibility requirements
• Application constructions rules laid out in RFA
  (i.e., page length, formatting, form completion,
  etc.)

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE
• National Program Leader and/or Panel Manager
• Identify and invite prospective panel members
• Expertise and research experience to cover
  portfolio of applications
• Diverse representation by professional rank,
  geography, experience, minority-status
• Assign proposals for peer-review
• 5-6 external (ad hoc) reviewers
• 3 panelists
• Organize and conduct panel meeting
• Panelists evaluate, discuss, and rank each
  proposal
• Highest ranked proposals are funded
• Make award recommendations and administer grants
• Provide feedback and consultation on declined
  proposals

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE
• From release of RFA to issuance of awards and
  declines takes 1 year. If you have questions
  during any part of this process, CONTACT the NPL!
• Email address and telephone number of each
  responsible NPL is provided with each program
  description in the RFA.

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE
• Prepare EARLY for submission by studying former
  RFAs and program descriptions.
• Get a copy of a successful grant proposal!
• Work CLOSELY with your Office of Contracts and
  Sponsored Programs!

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE
• Review Process
• Evaluation Criteria
• Confidentiality
• Conflicts of Interest
• Awards
• Declines

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Review Process Ground Rules
• Single-blind Process
• Confidentiality
• Conflicts of Interest
• Diversity of Reviewers

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Confidentiality
• Contents of any proposal
• Identity of panel members and reviewers
• Proceeding of panel meeting
• Contents of any review (outside panel PI)

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Conflicts of Interest
• Applicants identify all COIs in application
• Reviewers identify themselves as COIs and decline
  to review
• Panelist identify themselves as COIs and are
  sequestered and not allowed to participate in
  discussion, rating, ranking, and funding
  decisions

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Conflicts of Interest continued
• Lifetime graduate advisors/advisees
• Current applications from same institution
• 4 years former institutions, former co-authors,
  former research collaborators
• Other if reviewer holds any financial stake in
  the outcome of a proposal

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Review Process
• 5-6 external (ad hoc) reviewers
• critique between 1 and 3 proposals
• send written evaluations for use by panel
• 3 panel members
• Primary, secondary, reader
• Review and provide written or oral evaluations

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Review Process continued
• Proposal and all written reviews presented as
  evidence in discussion
• Primary, secondary, and reader presentations
• Panel discusses, then rates proposal
• Before closing, panel provides relative ranking
• Team of Primary, Secondary, and Reader write
  panel summary
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Synthesis

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Review Process continued
• Speed and Fatigue
• Discussion ranking are thorough but very fast
• 120 proposals permits only 10-20 minutes for
  discussion
• Review 35 proposals each day of panel
• Fast pace tends to punish vague or bland writing
  styles
• Exciting, unique, well-written, feasible
  proposals can be quickly identified

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Evaluation Criteria
• Scientific merit
• Novelty, uniqueness, originality
• Conceptual adequacy (hypotheses or research
  questions)
• Clearly delineated objectives
• Good description of undertaking
• Suitability of methods
• Feasibility demonstrated through preliminary data
  or other work
• Probability of success

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Evaluation Criteria continued
• Capacity of personnel and institution
• Experience indicated in vita
• Appropriate collaboration
• Facilities and support to be successful
• Relevance and importance of project
• To U.S. agriculture or rural well-being
• As appropriate investment of public funds
• Likely to make a significant contribution to
  knowledge

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Evaluation Criteria continued
• Substance
• Timely, important topic
• Creative approach to problem
• Superior description of problem, literature,
  research design and methods, analysis, expected
  outcomes, and dissemination plan.
• Presentation
• Easy to read
• Stellar project summary
• Formatting compliance
• Well-edited

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Evaluation Score Rank
• Rating or Score
• Outstanding
• Very Good
• Good
• Fair
• Poor

• Ranking
• Outstanding
• High Priority
• Medium Priority
• Low Priority
• Some Merit
• Do Not Fund
• Relative Ranking

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Awards and Declines
• Awards
• Telephone call
• Fax of panel summary, reviews, and relative
  ranking
• Exchange of required documents (budget design
  revisions)
• Processing of awards
• Declines
• Email and/or letter with decision and panel
  summary, reviews, and relative ranking
• Decisions regarding future resubmission

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Award Follow-up
• Annual Progress Reports
• Final Report
• Other
• PD Transfers
• No-cost Extensions
• Voluntary Service

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Decline Follow-up
• Understand Relative Ranking
• Fundable rankings are Outstanding, High
  Priority, and Medium Priority
• Limited budget precludes awards to all ranked as
  fundable
• Non-fundable rankings are Low Priority, Some
  Merit, and Do Not Fund

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Decline Follow-up
• MT 119 proposals 16.1 M 1.8 M
• RD 76 proposals 11.9 M 1.6 M

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Decline Follow-up
• Prepare for resubmission, if appropriate
• Resubmission of proposals ranked Fundable is
  strongly encouraged
• Recommendations and guidance for submission of
  proposals ranked Low Priority or Some Merit will
  be indicated in Panel Summary
• Do Not Fund Do not resubmit

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• Decline Follow-up
• Rationales for Do Not Fund
• NOT a good fit with goals of program
• NOT a good investment of public research dollars
• Resubmission that totally ignored previous
  reviews
• Fatal flaws that could not be redeemed
• Disqualification for egregious breach of
  submission rules

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• SUCCESSFUL NRI PROPOSALS
• Excited the reviewers
• Were easy to read and understand
• Contained
• Clear objectives and rationale that fit with
  program goals
• Clear hypotheses or research questions
• Appropriate review of literature
• Detailed methods, sample selection, survey
  instruments or example of questions
• Detailed description of secondary data,
  shortcomings of data, and amelioration plans
• Discussion of expected outcomes
• Good dissemination plan
• Well-communicated importance of topic and
  potential contributions of research
• Were reviewed and edited by colleagues before
  submission
• Followed the submission rules

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APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

• NATIONAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE
• Types of Proposals
• Standard Research Proposals
• Conferences
• Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards (AREA)
• New Investigator Awards
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Seed Grants
• Equipment Grants
• Research Career Enhancement Awards (RCEA)
• Standard Strengthening Awards
• Note eligibility requirements for each type

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

• Where is the science heading?
• What directions should we take the science?
• What should be the 3 top priorities for future
  Markets and Trade research?
• What should be the 3 top priorities for future
  Rural Development research?

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• MARKETS AND TRADE, and
• RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
• Patricia (Pat) C. Hipple, Ph.D.
• National Program Leader and Program Director
• Phone [phone]
• Email phipple_at_csrees.usda.gov