Posts Tagged: Competitive Grants Program

ANR invites 51 proposals for competitive and high-reward grants

ANR invites 51 proposals for competitive and high-reward grants

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the letters of intent (LOIs) for which principal investigators have been invited to submit full proposals to ANR's Competitive Grants Program and High-Risk/High-Reward Grants Program. The list of 51 approved projects can be found at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Programs/2017_Funding_Opportunities_Grants.

This year ANR received a total of 108 letters of intent — 97 for the Competitive Grants Program and 11 for the High-Risk/High-Reward Grants Program. Strategic Initiative leaders and their respective panels reviewed all letters of intent thoroughly to address the appropriateness of the proposals in addressing the goals and criteria outlined by each funding opportunity.

ANR Competitive Grants Program

The purpose of the ANR competitive grants program is to address high-priority issue areas identified by at least one of the strategic initiatives: Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases (EIPD), Healthy Families and Communities (HFC), Sustainable Food Systems (SFS), Sustainable Natural Ecosystems (SNE), and Water Quality, Quantity and Security (Water).

ANR Competitive Grants Program 2017 Cycle:

• Full proposals due June 19
• Technical peer review: mid-June – early September 2017
• Strategic Initiative review and recommendations: end of September 2017
• Program Council review and recommendations: October/November 2017
• Announcement of funded grants: November/December 2017

High-Risk/High-Reward Grants Program

Given the complexity of societal problems, high-risk research is necessary to achieve gains for real progress in addressing present and emerging challenges. This program will provide funds to initiate and complete research and proof-of-concept efforts that serve as the basis for larger funding opportunities. These projects must be of a high-risk/high-reward nature that are best conducted in a controlled, research setting and, if successful, lend themselves to subsequent larger funding opportunities and/or intellectual property development.

Proposed projects must be within the scope of the ANR Strategic Vision. All ANR academics with PI status are eligible to apply. Proposals will be accepted using the same timeline as outlined for the traditional competitive grants program, but reviewed separately due to the nature of the proposal.

For questions about ANR's competitive grants program or high-risk/high-reward grants program, please contact Melanie Caruso at mmcaruso@ucanr.edu.

Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

 

ANR invites proposals for Competitive Grants, introduces new grant opportunities

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the request for proposals for ANR's 2017 competitive grants program is now released and can be found at http://ucanr.edu/compgrants2017.

In addition to releasing our competitive grants call, I would like to share information on a couple of newly developed funding opportunities: “high risk/high reward grants program” and “opportunity grants program.” Below are descriptions of the three different funding mechanisms.

ANR Competitive Grants Program

The purpose of the ANR competitive grants program is to address high-priority issue areas identified by at least one of the strategic initiatives: Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases (EIPD), Healthy Families and Communities (HFC), Sustainable Food Systems (SFS), Sustainable Natural Ecosystems (SNE), and Water Quality, Quantity and Security (Water).

ANR Competitive Grants Program 2017 Cycle:

• Application submission cycle
  • Letter of Intent (LOI) due March 20
  • LOI decisions April 26
  • Full proposals due June 19
• Technical peer review: mid-June – early September 2017
• Strategic Initiative review and recommendations: end of September 2017
• Program Council review and recommendations: October/November 2017
• Announcement of funded grants: November/December 2017

Through this program, ANR will continue to invest in short-term, high-impact research, education and outreach projects that address high-priority issues that are consistent with the Strategic Vision, encourage collaboration among academics from diverse disciplines and across initiatives, strengthen the research-extension network and demonstrate relevance and likelihood of impact on significant agricultural, economic, environmental and social issues in California and beyond.

For questions about ANR's competitive grants program, please contact Melanie Caruso at mmcaruso@ucanr.edu.

High Risk/High Reward Grants Program

Given the complexity of societal problems, high risk research is necessary to achieve gains for real progress in addressing present and emerging challenges. This program will provide funds to initiate and complete research and proof-of-concept efforts that serve as the basis for larger funding opportunities. These projects must be of a high risk/high reward nature that are best conducted in a controlled, research setting and, if successful, lend themselves to subsequent larger funding opportunities and/or intellectual property development.

Proposed projects must be within the scope of the ANR Strategic Vision. All ANR academics with PI status are eligible to apply. Proposals will be accepted using the same timeline as outlined for the traditional competitive grants program, but reviewed separately due to the nature of the proposal.

High risk/high reward grants will be limited to no more than $100,000 per project. Proposal format and duration is available at http://ucanr.edu/highrisk2017.

For questions about the High Risk/High Reward grants program, please contact Melanie Caruso at mmcaruso@ucanr.edu.

ANR Opportunity Grants Program

This opportunity grants program will provide small amounts of resources to initiate and complete critical short-term research, outreach or training efforts. These projects must be time-sensitive in nature and take advantage of a unique opportunity where a small pilot project to collect initial data or an immediate, crucial outreach effort must take place in a timely manner to address an issue of importance.

Proposed projects must be within the scope of the ANR Strategic Vision. All ANR academics with PI status are eligible to apply. Proposals will be accepted at any time, as the opportunities arise.  Proposals will be submitted to the Associate Vice President and reviewed by the ANR Strategic Initiative Leaders and two ANR Vice Provosts. Because we recognize that these are time-sensitive projects, the review process will take no more than one month.

Proposals will be no more than three pages in length and must include a justification indicating why it is critical that this project be addressed in a short timeframe, description of the project (study design, educational framework/audience, training program, etc.) and detailed budget.  Opportunity grants will be limited to no more than $10,000 per project. All projects, including the final report, must be completed within 12 months of initiation. Furthermore, no extensions will be allowed. All projects will require a final report with stated outcomes/impacts or anticipated outcomes/impacts.

ANR will provide a limited pool of funds for this grants program on an annual basis. The exact amount will be determined and announced annually based upon resource availability. The pool of funding will be managed to ensure that some resources are available year-round for timely projects.

For questions about opportunity grants, please contact AVP Wendy Powers at wendy.powers@ucop.edu.

Sincerely,

Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

UC ANR's 2015 competitive grants program will fund 17 projects

I am pleased to announce that VP Glenda Humiston has approved funding 17 projects for UC ANR's 2015 Competitive Grants Program, for a total of $3.7 million over 5 years. The awards range from approximately $50,000 to $450,000. This is comparable to past years' awards. UC ANR awarded $4.46 million supporting 21 projects in 2011, $3.8 million supporting 16 projects in 2012, and $3.5 million supporting 15 projects in 2013. After four grant cycles, the Division has approved funding for 69 projects totaling an investment of $15,464,934. To view the 2015 list of approved projects, please visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/files/227066.pdf.

As you may recall, in 2014, the Division did not release a call for ANR's internal competitive grants program in order to conduct a formative assessment to determine if the program's intended results were being reached or if there were plans in place to achieve appropriate outcomes. As a result, applicants this year were required to address strategic initiative priority issue areas to better facilitate the identification and measurement of efforts and impacts.

Key highlights from 2011-2013:

• 229 UC ANR-affiliated faculty and staff — AES, CE Specialists, CE Advisors, and Academic Administrators and Coordinators — have participated in the grants program.
• 95 UC students (56 graduate and 39 undergraduate) have participated in grants.
• 27 early-career UC ANR-affiliated faculty are supported by the grants program (early career is defined as 6 years or less in their current appointment).
• 228 people have served as collaborators, many of them on more than one project.
• 65 non-UC ANR-affiliated agencies/partners have collaborated on UC ANR grants (e.g. USDA, CDFA, nonprofits, non-UC universities, among others).

UC ANR's internal competitive grants program continues to support high-priority issues that are consistent with the Strategic Vision, encourage collaboration among academics, strengthen the research-extension network, support short-term, high-impact projects and contribute policy-relevant outcomes that address significant agricultural, economic, environmental and social issues in California.

With UC ANR's Strategic Vision as our guide, we are focusing our resources where there is an opportunity to demonstrate impact, inform public policymaking and attract new resources to support all elements of UC ANR. In doing so, we strive to achieve the greatest benefit for Californians with our investment. Please join me in congratulating this year's recipients of UC ANR competitive grants.

Sincerely,

Bill Frost
Associate Vice President

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

ANR Competitive Grants Program invites 47 proposals

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the Letters of Intent (LOIs) that have been selected to move forward and submit full proposals to ANR's Competitive Grants Program. This year we received a total of 117 LOIs, inviting 47 of them to submit a full application. In 2014, ANR conducted a formative assessment of the grants program to evaluate whether the intended goals of the program were being met or if there were plans in place to achieve appropriate outcomes. As a result, applicants this year were required to address strategic initiative priority issue areas to better facilitate the identification and measurement of efforts and impacts.

To view the list of approved LOIs, please see the attached PDF.

2015 Competitive Grants Cycle:

• Full proposals due: June 22, 2015
• Technical peer review: late June – early September 2015
• Strategic Initiative review and recommendations: September 2015
• Program Council review and recommendations: October/November 2015
• Announcement of funded grants: November/December 2015

While the funds available for the Competitive Grants Program will depend on a number of factors, ANR continues to be committed to providing as much support as feasible to address high-priority issues.

Sincerely,

Bill Frost
Associate Vice President

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

VP announces 2015 competitive grants program RFP

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the request for proposals for ANR's 2015 competitive grants program is now released and can be found at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Programs/2015_ANR_Competitive_Grants_Program.

The purpose of this grants program is to address high-priority issues identified by at least one of the strategic initiatives: Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases (EIPD), Healthy Families and Communities (HFC), Sustainable Food Systems (SFS), Sustainable Natural Ecosystems (SNE), and Water Quality, Quantity and Security (Water).

2015 competitive grants cycle:

Call released: January 22

Application submission cycle

• Letter of Intent (LOI) due March 16
• LOI decisions April 24
• Full proposals due June 22

Technical peer review: late June – early September 2015

Strategic Initiative review and recommendations: September 2015

Program Council review and recommendations: October/November 2015

Announcement of funded grants:November/December 2015

Through the 2015 grant cycle, ANR will continue to invest in short-term, high-impact research, education and outreach projects that address priority issues consistent with the Strategic Vision; encourage collaboration among academics; strengthen the research-extension network; and demonstrate relevance and likelihood of impact on significant agricultural, economic, environmental, and social issues in California.

During the previous three competitive grant cycles, 52 projects have been approved for funding for a total investment of close to $12 million. These projects have yielded significant deliverables and outcomes. Examples are highlighted in the recent assessment summary at http://ucanr.edu/grants_assessment_summary. I continue to be excited by the high level of engagement across the ANR network, including many students, and with many of our external partners. The assessment summary also includes specific information about how the program is reaching collaboration goals.

While the funds available for the competitive grants program will depend on a number of factors, we anticipate funding to be roughly the same as in past cycles. We are committed to providing as much support as feasible to address high-priority issues.

Taking into consideration the findings from the 2014 grants program formative assessment, we have made a few small changes to this year's call. Most notably, grant applicants will now be asked to identify the specific priority issue area their proposals address. The priority issue areas are highlighted in the RFP and include links to the Strategic Initiative plans for further information. In this way, we will be better able to track and communicate efforts and impact.

Sincerely,

Barbara Allen-Diaz
Vice President

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

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