Dear Colleagues,

Requests for Applications (RFA) for USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) 2010 grant program are scheduled to be released at the end of March. As most of you know, the funding pool is larger, the grants are expected to be larger, and a significant part of the total grant pool will be reserved for integrated research, education, and extension projects. UC ANR wants to aid researchers who propose projects that are relevant to the Division’s Strategic Initiatives.

ANR will support 2010 AFRI grant applications that relate to the ANR initiatives with both monetary (e.g., matching funds) and in-kind (e.g., grant writing) support.

If you are considering an AFRI application, please contact the appropriate initiative leader:

Joe Di Tomaso for Sustainable Food Systems, jmditomaso@ucdavis.edu

Sharon Junge for Healthy Families and Communities, skjunge@ucdavis.edu

James Bartolome for Sustainable Natural Ecosystems, jwbart@berkeley.edu

Ian Gardner for Endemic and Invasive Plants and Diseases, iagardner@ucdavis.edu

You can discuss with them your needs regarding travel or communication aid to pull research teams together; assistance for grant development, extension and outreach components of grants, and matching funds. While no formal process has yet been developed, ANR is committed to helping researchers successfully compete for funds to support projects that align well with ANR’s priorities. You are encouraged to discuss your research projects and needs with the initiative leaders.

The other members of ANR’s Program Council are also committed to facilitating the development of applications for AFRI funding. Feel free to contact Program Council members for assistance or guidance: http://ucanr.org/pcmembership.

Sincerely,

Barbara Allen-Diaz, AVP – Academic Programs & Strategic Initiatives