Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA SCRI 004509
Apply for USDA NIFA SCRI 004509
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture employment, labor and training environment food and nutrition health natural resources science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Specialty Crop Research Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.309 Specialty Crop Research Initiative.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 17, 2014 and posted on Mar 17, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2014 1. Letters of Intent for Research and Extension Planning Grant applications must be received by 500 p.m. Eastern time on April 11, 2014. See Section IV, A. for a description of the requirements for the contents of a letter of intent and submitting instructions. LETTERS OF INTENT ARE MANDATORY FOR RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PLANNING GRANT APPLICATIONS. 2. Complete, error free Stakeholder Relevance Statements for all other grant types must be received in Grants.gov by 500 p.m. Eastern Time on April 11, 2014. See Section IV, C. for a description of the requirements for the contents of a stakeholder relevance statement. STAKEHOLDER RELEVANCE STATEMENTS ARE MANDATORY FOR ALL SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH INITIATIVE GRANT APPLICATIONS EXCEPT FOR RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PLANNING GRANTS. 3. Invited full applications must be received by 500 p.m. Eastern Time on June 20, 2014. See Section IV, D. for a description of the requirements for the contents of a full application.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $76,800,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- For the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), applications may 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) is a grant program run by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) that funds research and extension projects aimed at solving high-priority problems facing the specialty crop industry. The program is designed to support work with national, regional, or multi-state significance and is meant to strengthen the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of specialty crops across the full food and agriculture system. SCRI is explicitly broad in scope and can support projects relevant to both conventional and organic production systems, as long as the work addresses major, clearly defined industry needs and produces outcomes that matter to growers, supply chains, and consumers.
Projects funded under SCRI must address at least one of five major focus areas. The first focus area centers on improving crop characteristics through plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and related approaches, which can include developing new varieties with better yield, quality, resilience, or other valuable traits. The second focus area targets threats from pests and diseases and also includes protecting specialty crop pollinators, recognizing that pest pressure, emerging diseases, and pollinator health can directly affect productivity and farm viability. The third focus area emphasizes improving production efficiency as well as handling and processing, with attention to increasing productivity and profitability over the long term; it also allows for work connected to specialty crop policy and marketing when those topics are tied to measurable improvements in industry outcomes. The fourth focus area supports new innovations and technology, including improved mechanization, which is especially relevant for labor-intensive crops and operations seeking to reduce costs and address workforce constraints. The fifth focus area covers technologies that delay or inhibit ripening and methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards, particularly as they relate to the production, handling, and processing stages of specialty crops.
This opportunity is a mandatory grant program (Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA SCRI 004509) listed under CFDA 10.309, with an estimated total funding amount of $76,800,000. Individual awards can range widely, with a minimum award size of $50,000 and a maximum (award ceiling) of $10,000,000, indicating that the program supports both smaller efforts and large, multi-partner initiatives. The opportunity also includes a cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants are expected to contribute non-federal resources consistent with the program rules.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants involved in agricultural research and delivery of practical outcomes. Eligible applicants include federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations or corporations, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, Cooperative Extension Services, individuals, and multi-entity groups or collaborations composed of two or more of these categories. In practice, this structure supports both single-organization proposals and larger coordinated projects that combine research with outreach and adoption-focused extension.
The 2014 SCRI cycle used a staged submission process with required pre-application components. Letters of Intent were mandatory for Research and Extension Planning Grant applications and were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 11, 2014. For all other SCRI grant types, applicants had to submit complete, error-free Stakeholder Relevance Statements through Grants.gov by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 11, 2014; these statements were mandatory for all SCRI applications except Research and Extension Planning Grants. Full applications were by invitation and were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 20, 2014. The opportunity was posted on March 17, 2014, and later archived on July 20, 2014.
For support, NIFA directed applicants who had trouble accessing the full announcement to the NIFA Help Desk at 202-401-5048 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, excluding federal holidays). The administering agency for the opportunity is NIFA, and the overall intent of the program is to fund projects that not only generate new knowledge or tools, but also translate those results into real-world improvements for specialty crop producers and the broader supply chain through extension and stakeholder engagement.
Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) Grant Program FAQs
What is the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI)?
The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) is a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant program that funds research and extension projects focused on solving high-priority problems facing the specialty crop industry.
What is the main purpose of SCRI funding?
SCRI is meant to strengthen the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of specialty crops across the full food and agriculture system by supporting projects that address major, clearly defined industry needs and produce outcomes that matter to growers, supply chains, and consumers.
Who runs and administers the SCRI program?
The program is run and administered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
What types of projects does SCRI support?
SCRI supports research and extension projects with national, regional, or multi-state significance. The program is broad in scope and emphasizes practical outcomes, including efforts that translate results into real-world improvements through extension and stakeholder engagement.
Does SCRI fund both research and extension activities?
Yes. SCRI funds research and extension projects, and the program intent explicitly includes translating research results into practical improvements for specialty crop producers and the broader supply chain.
Are projects required to have national or multi-state significance?
Yes. SCRI is designed to support work with national, regional, or multi-state significance.
Is SCRI limited to conventional production systems?
No. The program can support projects relevant to both conventional and organic production systems, as long as they address major, clearly defined industry needs and deliver meaningful outcomes.
What focus areas must SCRI projects address?
Projects must address at least one of five major focus areas: (1) improving crop characteristics, (2) addressing pests, diseases, and pollinator protection, (3) improving production efficiency, handling/processing, and related policy/marketing when tied to measurable outcomes, (4) innovations and technology including mechanization, and (5) delaying/inhibiting ripening and improving food safety hazard prevention, detection, monitoring, control, and response.
What is included under the "improving crop characteristics" focus area?
This focus area includes plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and related approaches, such as developing new varieties with improved yield, quality, resilience, or other valuable traits.
What does SCRI cover related to pests, diseases, and pollinators?
SCRI supports work targeting threats from pests and diseases and also includes protecting specialty crop pollinators, recognizing the direct impact of pest pressure, emerging diseases, and pollinator health on productivity and farm viability.
Can projects address production efficiency, handling, or processing?
Yes. A core focus area supports improvements to production efficiency as well as handling and processing, with an emphasis on increasing productivity and long-term profitability.
Is policy or marketing work allowed under SCRI?
Yes, policy and marketing work may be supported when those topics are tied to measurable improvements in specialty crop industry outcomes.
Does SCRI fund technology development and mechanization?
Yes. One focus area supports new innovations and technology, including improved mechanization, which can be important for labor-intensive specialty crops and for addressing workforce constraints and costs.
What does SCRI support related to ripening and food safety?
SCRI supports technologies that delay or inhibit ripening and methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards, especially in the production, handling, and processing stages of specialty crops.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this SCRI opportunity?
The Funding Opportunity Number is USDA NIFA SCRI 004509.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 10.309.
How much total funding is estimated to be available?
The estimated total funding amount is $76,800,000.
What are the minimum and maximum award amounts?
Individual awards range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum (award ceiling) of $10,000,000.
Does SCRI support both small and large projects?
Yes. The wide award range indicates support for smaller efforts as well as large, multi-partner initiatives.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. The opportunity includes a cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants are expected to contribute non-federal resources consistent with program rules.
Who is eligible to apply for SCRI funding?
Eligibility includes federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations or corporations, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, Cooperative Extension Services, individuals, and multi-entity groups or collaborations composed of two or more of these categories.
Can a collaboration or multi-entity group apply?
Yes. Multi-entity groups or collaborations composed of two or more eligible categories are explicitly included, supporting coordinated projects that combine research with outreach and adoption-focused extension.
Can individuals apply under this opportunity?
Yes. Individuals are listed among eligible applicants for this SCRI opportunity.
What was the submission approach for the 2014 SCRI cycle described here?
The 2014 cycle used a staged submission process with required pre-application components, followed by full applications submitted by invitation.
Were Letters of Intent (LOIs) required?
Yes. Letters of Intent were mandatory for Research and Extension Planning Grant applications.
When were Letters of Intent due (2014 cycle)?
Letters of Intent for Research and Extension Planning Grant applications were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 11, 2014.
What is a Stakeholder Relevance Statement and was it required?
For SCRI grant types other than Research and Extension Planning Grants, applicants had to submit complete, error-free Stakeholder Relevance Statements through Grants.gov. These statements were mandatory for all SCRI applications except Research and Extension Planning Grants.
When were Stakeholder Relevance Statements due (2014 cycle)?
Stakeholder Relevance Statements were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 11, 2014.
How were full applications submitted, and were they open to everyone?
Full applications were submitted by invitation and were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 20, 2014.
When was this opportunity posted and when was it archived?
The opportunity was posted on March 17, 2014 and later archived on July 20, 2014.
Where were required pre-application items submitted?
Stakeholder Relevance Statements were submitted through Grants.gov, and they needed to be complete and error-free by the deadline.
What should applicants do if they have trouble accessing the full announcement?
NIFA directed applicants to contact the NIFA Help Desk at 202-401-5048 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, excluding federal holidays).
What is the overall intent behind SCRI-funded work?
The overall intent is to fund projects that generate new knowledge or tools and also translate those results into real-world improvements for specialty crop producers and the broader supply chain through extension and stakeholder engagement.
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