- Author: Kathleen P Nolan
Dear Colleagues,
This is to inform that NIFA will be waiving the match requirement for recipients of grants under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). This means that no matching funds will be required of FY 2020 applicants or awardees, and applicants will not need to submit a waiver request with their application.
The purpose of the SCRI program is to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems. Specialty crops are defined in law as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.
Projects must address at least one of five focus areas:
- Research in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and other methods to improve crop characteristics
- Efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including threats to specialty crop pollinators
- Efforts to improve production efficiency, handling and processing, productivity, and profitability over the long term (including specialty crop policy and marketing)
- New innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening
- Methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production efficiency, handling and processing of specialty crops.
NIFA will provide details of the full-application process to invitees in a separate RFA. The deadline for SCRI full applications is March 13, 2020.
If you are not an applicant for the FY20 proposal cycle, please consider serving as a peer reviewer. To volunteer, contact one of the following NIFA staff members:
Please contact the Office of Contracts and Grants with any questions.
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)