NIFA requests pre-applications for the ECDRE program for fiscal year 2023 to address priorities identified by the Citrus Disease Subcommittee (CDS) of the National Agricultural Research, Education, Extension and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board through projects that integrate research and extension activities and use systems based, trans-disciplinary approaches to provide solutions to U.S. citrus growers.
Donor Name: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/17/2023
Size of the Grant: $15,000,000
Grant Duration: 5 years
Details:
The overarching goals and desired outcomes for the ECDRE program are:
- To combat Huanglongbing (HLB) and its disease complex in order to continue to be able to farm citrus in a financially sustainable way through collaborative approaches and knowledge;
- Transition from component-focused research to deploying research outcomes and conclusions on farms; and
- Encourage research teams to bring knowledge together to find grower solutions to combat and prevent HLB infection.
Purpose and Priorities
Establishes the following purpose and priorities (program goals and objectives): The Secretary shall establish a competitive research and extension grant program to combat diseases of citrus under which the Secretary awards competitive grants to eligible entities—
- to conduct scientific research and extension activities, technical assistance, and development activities to combat citrus diseases and pests, both domestic and invasive, which pose imminent harm to the United States citrus production and threaten the future viability of the citrus industry, including HLB and the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP); and
- to provide support for the dissemination and commercialization of relevant information, techniques, and technologies discovered pursuant to research and extension activities funded through –
- the emergency citrus disease research and extension program; or
- other research and extension projects intended to solve problems caused by citrus production diseases and invasive pests.
The ECDRE program is aligned with the following USDA Strategic Goals:
- Strategic Goal 2: Ensure America’s Agricultural System is Equitable, Resilient, and Prosperous;
- Strategic Goal 4: Provide All Americans Safe, Nutritious Food.
Project Types
The ECDRE program will support two project types in FY 2023. Applicants should decide which project type is best suited to the objectives of their research and extension project and develop a preliminary budget that fits the objectives. Applicants are discouraged from developing a project (and selecting a project type) based on a budget request target. The two ECDRE project types are:
Standard Project (SP)
- Project Period: Up to three years.
- Budget: Federal funds will not exceed approximately $1,500,000 for the duration of the project.
- Purpose: To support targeted problem-solving efforts that are narrower in scope than a Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP). These projects will be aimed at: i. farm-level implementation or commercialization of proven solutions or ii. examination of innovative ideas that will address one of the goals identified by the Citrus Disease Subcommittee.
Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP)
- Project Period: Up to five years.
- Budget: Federal funds will not exceed approximately $15,000,000 for the duration of the project.
- Purpose: To address national-scale efforts by coordinating research and extension efforts in one of the following goals identified by the Citrus Disease Subcommittee:
- Consolidation of screening efforts for intervention targets and reduction of candidate lists to include only those most worthy of advanced testing and commercialization
- A cure for infected trees and strategies for maintaining their productivity
- Regional management or eradication of ACP on commercial citrus groves and residential plantings
- Optimized detection and surveillance programs for ACP and/or HLB
- Development of commercial citrus varieties (rootstocks and scions) with genetic resistance to HLB using traditional breeding techniques and/or gene editing CAPs will be awarded to consortia or groups of qualified applicants to coordinate their efforts in addressing one of the goals listed above. CAP applications are expected to demonstrate coherent and complementary integrated activities with the goal of developing a strategy or solution that could be implemented in a defined timeframe, preferably by the end of the project. Successful CAP applications will propose the formation of public-private consortia or other interdisciplinary groups to address one or more of the priority needs identified
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $22,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $15,000,000
- Award Floor: $350,000
Eligibility Requirements
Pre-applications for the ECDRE may only be submitted by Federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations or corporations, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, Cooperative Extension Services, individuals, or groups consisting of two or more of these entities. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
