Science-to-Practice Grant Program 2024-25 request for proposals

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) invites proposals to the Science-to-Practice (S2P) Grant Program for new projects that integrate research and extension. The S2P program provides funding to support the formation and development of teams proposing to explore innovative methods, structures, and projects that foster the translation of research into programs and outputs for dissemination and implementation.

Interdisciplinary teams of eligible participants can apply for grants up to $10,000 for one year, renewable as funding permits for up to three years. In addition, UC ANR's Research and Extension Center System will match funding levels awarded, up to $10, 000 per year, to offset the cost of any research and extension conducted at one of its nine Research and Extension Centers.

The S2P program's purpose is to foster integrated research and extension teams to address pressing, complex challenges requiring multiple perspectives and modes of knowledge. The S2P supports applied research-based activities that prioritize the development of collaborative networks in the UC ANR system across research and extension faculty, specialists and/or advisors as well as engaging partners beyond, such as practitioners, decisionmakers and thought leaders in the field.

Eligibility

The team must be composed of a research leader and an extension leader, both of whom will serve as the principal investigators co-leading the project. Team leadership must meet the following criteria:

1.    Research PI must be a faulty member (tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure-track)with a research appointment in one of the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) designated campuses and have an active Hatch or USDA multistate project.

2.    Extension PI must be a Cooperative Extension specialist or advisor.

Additional participants are encouraged and may be from UC ANR, from other UC-affiliated campuses or from outside the university. All funds must be used to directly support UC ANR activities and personnel. Funds cannot be used to support graduate students, employees or other persons not employed by or not enrolled in a UC ANR program.

Proposal Requirements

The full proposal will be submitted online as a PDF. The required components are outlined below with page limits and guidelines.

Proposal information:

A.    Project Participants

1. Designate only the research and extension principal investigators who will co-lead the project. Refer to the eligibility requirements stated above.

           i. Applicant may be either research or extension lead; include the other project lead in the “Co-Applicant” field.

           ii. Include the two project leads and all other team participants in the Team Roles section.

B.    Summary (300 words maximum)

1. Summarize the integrated project, including the primary stakeholders or clientele standing to benefit by the project, a brief statement of the goal(s) and the integrative strategy.

C.    Total Research and Extension Budgets

Unified PDF must contain all the following components:

D.    Title and Project Narrative (90 points)

Three pages maximum for new proposals does not include team roles, budget and justification or references.

1. Research Component (20 points)
• What is the research problem, defined in the context of a field of research or discipline?
• What are the gaps in data or knowledge that make this project significant?
• What is this project's potential to impact knowledge advancement in a particular research field/discipline/area?
• Identify research-specific activities required to advance the integrative strategy outlined below, including defined research-related deliverables (e.g., publications, grant applications, etc.) and expected outcomes and impacts.
2. Extension Component (20 points)
• What are the learning objectives that will deliver the science-based knowledge generated through the research component?
• What is the significant public benefit of this project?
• Who will benefit from or be affected by this project?
• Identify education-specific activities required to advance the integrative strategy outlined below, including defined extension-related deliverables and expected outcomes and impacts.
3. Integrative Strategy (40 points)
• What is the strategy that combines the generation, translation, and transfer of technology and/or knowledge into practical applications or practices?
• How do the research and extension components complement one another?
• Why does this project require an integrated approach and interdisciplinary team to create societal value through research-based education relevant to identified stakeholders' needs?
• How will the identified stakeholders be engaged in the research and extension activities?
4. Project Timeline (10 points)
• Outline significant benchmarks along this project's timeline that can illustrate the team's vision and trajectory during and beyond this proposal's timeframe. The benchmarks should align with the objectives described above in the research, extension and integrative strategies.
• Identify all approvals required to complete the project (e.g., IRB, IACUC, etc.) and the timeline for obtaining them.
• This may be presented as a diagram or table.

E.     Team Member Roles (10 total points)

1. Briefly describe the roles and expertise of the research and extension PIs.
2. Include a coordination plan for integrating team members across UC ANR functions and units and university and external partners.
3. List all team members with their affiliations. Describe the role and responsibilities of each member, including how the expertise of each will contribute to the research, extension or integrated activities. A balanced team representing both research and extension is important.

F.     Budget and Justification

1. Provide a two-column budget, dividing research and extension expenses.
2. Successful projects will be awarded up to $10,000, with the funding period beginning on January 1, 2025.

          i. All budgets should be constructed so that up to $5,000 in expenses support research activities and up to $5,000 support extension activities.

          ii. If the project's research and/or extension will be conducted at a Research and Extension Center, a budget should be developed in collaboration with the specific REC Director to ensure funding levels requested are aligned with the Center's recharge rates and do not exceed $10,000 for the funding period.

          iii. Please note that submissions to this internal competition do not require the budget to be created through the UC ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OGC).

     3. Include a detailed budget justification, providing a brief description and explanation of need for costs associated with project activities.

     4. Funds used to pay part-time wage-payroll must be for activities outside of any job description currently paid for by UC ANR, or it must support work on a new activity.

          i. Part-time wage-payroll must be paid through the UC ANR system (funds cannot be transferred to county systems).

     5. All other project costs typically allowed by federal extramural sponsors are allowed in this program.

     6. Funds cannot be used for the following:

          i. Faculty salaries (including supplemental) or standing appointment salaries

          ii. Travel to professional meetings

          iii. Out-of-country travel

          iv. Equipment purchases exceeding $5,000

          v. Support of non-UC ANR personnel

     7. Funds to support personnel outside the UC ANR must be obtained from other units and require a letter of commitment from the non-UC ANR unit, submitted with the proposal as a supplemental document.

     8. Budgets are constructed for a maximum of one year and must be expended by Dec. 31, 2025. No carryover is allowed.

     9. Funded projects can be competitively renewed up to two times, for three years of support; unexpended funds in one year will not carry over. Extensions for unexpended funds are not allowed for any projects.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated and scored on the following criteria:

• Presents a clear plan for building or supporting an interdisciplinary team
• Demonstrates the potential for effective strategies to integrate research and extension activities
• Proposes activities that help to initiate, advance and strengthen teams and projects to obtain extramural support
• Defines both research and extension deliverables and provides clear benchmarks for achieving expected outcomes and impacts
• Incorporates audiences traditionally not targeted
• Projects that demonstrate considerable opportunities to achieve the UC ANR mission and our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion are especially encouraged
• Identifies outcomes that are easily measurable and scalable
• Contributes to the knowledge base through distribution of results that benefit other efforts.

Submission and Review Process

Full proposals must be submitted as a single PDF by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2024. Proposals are to be emailed to Brent Hales, Associate Vice President, at bdhales@ucanr.edu and to Kathryn Stein at kathryn.stein@ucop.edu.

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers established by the Associate Vice President. Applicants will be notified of decisions by mid-November 2024.

Please direct any questions regarding your proposal to Brent Hales at bdhales@ucanr.edu.

Reporting Guidelines:

The period of performance for S2P grants will begin Jan. 1, 2025, and terminate Dec. 31, 2025. Projects may be renewed for up to three years of support. Proposals for renewal can

Be submitted in the next cycle for the S2P grants. An interim report for all awarded proposals will be due on July 15, 2025. Final reports will be due Jan. 15, 2026.

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