Western IPM Center grants program opens

A study of dairy cows bunching to avoid stable flies was funded by Western IPM Center. Photo by Wagdy ElAshmawy, UC Davis

The Western Integrated Pest Management Center's annual grants program is now open with the release of its Request for Applications.

The RFA was announced in the October 6 issue of the Western IPM Center's newsletter and is at http://westernipm.org/index.cfm/2022-rfa. Complete application packets will be due Dec. 3.

The funding categories in the annual grants program are for Project Initiation research projects, Outreach and Implementation projects and Work Groups. They are all one-year grants with maximum funding of $50,000. About $400,000 is available.

As a regional program, Western IPM Center grants encourage multistate collaborations. Project directors for Western IPM Center proposals must be located in the 17 states or territories that make up the region, and proposals must address one or more identified regional priorities (see below).

The Western IPM Center will hold a webinar on Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. Pacific to go through the RFA and proposal management system. The grants webinar link is https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/8420058983.

Regional priorities

This list is not ranked. Explanations are for clarity and are not all-encompassing or exclusionary.

• Invasive Species: Creating IPM responses to invasive pests and resurgent native pests disrupting IPM programs.
• Biological Control of Pests: For insects, weeds, diseases and vertebrate pests.
• IPM and Ecosystem Services: Using IPM to protect and promote ecosystem services in managed and natural landscapes.
• Soil-borne Pest Management: Developing IPM tactics to manage soil-borne pests.
• Urban Pest Management: Promoting IPM for homes, schools and communities, including the safe use of pesticides in homes and gardens.
• IPM for Indigenous, Insular and Isolated People: Promoting IPM for underserved communities and audiences.
• IPM for Pest-Resistance Management: Developing IPM tools and techniques to reduce pest development of resistance.
• New Technologies to Manage Pests: Developing novel and non-traditional approaches to managing insects, weeds, diseases and vertebrate pests.
• IPM in New Places: Promoting IPM to new, challenging and changing industries, such as animal agriculture, aquaculture, chemically intensive cropping systems, urban farming, indoor production, etc.  
• IPM in Changing Landscapes: Creating IPM tools and tactics for landscapes changed by natural forces, including climate and fire. 
• IPM Culture and Capacity: Enhancing the acceptance of IPM, strengthening the networks, structures and institutions that promote it, and developing new scientists to lead it.

To learn more about Western IPM Center grants, visit http://westernipm.org/index.cfm/center-grants.

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