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National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Its Role in USDA: Status and Expectations for 2010 and Looking Forward to

National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Its Role in USDA: Status and Expectations for 2010 and Looking Forward to the Future. USDA Strategic Goals. Help America promote agriculture production and biotechnology exports as America works to increase food security.

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National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Its Role in USDA: Status and Expectations for 2010 and Looking Forward to

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  1. National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Its Role in USDA: Status and Expectations for 2010 and Looking Forward to the Future

  2. USDA Strategic Goals • Help America promote agriculture production and biotechnology exports as America works to increase food security. • Ensure that all of America’s children have access to safe, nutritious, balanced meals • Assist rural communities to create prosperity so they are self-sustaining, repopulating, and economically thriving • Ensure our National Forests and private working lands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change, while enhancing our water resources.

  3. Five Pillars for the Secretary’s VisionSupporting the Creation of Rural Prosperity • Increasing access to broadband and continuous business creation • Developing local and regional food systems • Capitalizing on climate change opportunities • Developing renewable energy • Generating and retaining green jobs through recreation and natural resource restoration, conservation, and management

  4. Research at USDA REE • Agricultural Research Service • Economic Research Service • National Institute of Food and Agriculture • (Forest Service) Foreign Agriculture Service Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Food and Nutrition Services (Research informs portfolio of others)

  5. The role of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture is to support research, extension and education, and bring focus to meet society’s grand challenges

  6. NIFA – the agency for extramural research, extension and education • Built on the history of CSREES • Expanding the role of AFRI, the competitive grants program • Bringing focus to ‘capacity’ funds while maintaining essential services to rural and urban America • Placing emphasis on attracting a new generation of scientists to the agriculture mission

  7. Why this is the right time for a change in research for agriculture? “The lessons of history led the Committee on a New Biology for the 21st Century to recommend that a(n) . . . initiative be put in place and charged with finding solutions to major societal needs: sustainable food production, protection of the environment, renewable energy, and improvement in human health. These challenges represent both the mechanism for accelerating the emergence of a New Biology and its first fruits.”

  8. Can NIFA be a 21st Century LifeSciences Agency? • Seek broad participation in the goals of the agency, including those outside the usual cadre of scientists and educators • Use broader systems approaches to solve problems presented to agriculture, while ensuring ‘sustainability’ • Create a 21st century workforce that achieves societal goals while rejuvenating rural America and creating economic prosperity in agriculture around the globe

  9. Refocusing NIFA Research in 2010 Focuses the outcomes from NIFA-sponsored activities around thematic areas: • Climate change • Bioenergy • Food safety • Nutrition and childhood obesity • Global food security

  10. NIFA’s Primary Budget Initiatives • Focus efforts on high priority issues, including climate change, childhood obesity, biomass and bioproducts • Ensure agricultural productivity and sustainability, strengthen rural communities, and address global hunger • Support fundamental science, applied research, and education • Link scientific discovery, application of sustainable practices, to producers and consumers

  11. Important Principles for NIFA • All activities sponsored by NIFA should be of highest quality: value for dollar • Activities should, to the extent possible, focus on the 5 priorities/grand challenges while honoring legislative mandates • Research and extension and/or education will be part of increasing percentage of grants awarded • Support education/training of next generation of scientists

  12. Important Principles for NIFA • NIFA activities should be complementary to those of other REE agencies • NIFA should leverage resources and expertise by partnering with other components of the U.S. government, foundations, and private sector • NIFA research should support aims of the USDA and USG: research partners include land-grant and non-land grant universities and colleges, research institutions, and non-academic entities • NIFA should help build capacity of minority-serving institutions while achieving mission

  13. Building Partnerships and Institutions to Feed the Agriculture Science Pipeline • USG has a renewed commitment to global food security, including through building capacities • Strengthening institutions in food and agriculture • USDA and USAID to play central roles • Opportunities for public and private sector to partner • Call for other country commitments

  14. Building Partnerships and Institutions to Feed the Agriculture Science Pipeline • USG has a renewed commitment to global food security, including through building capacities • Strengthening institutions in food and agriculture • USDA and USAID to play central roles • Opportunities for public and private sector to partner • Call for other country commitments

  15. Agriculture and Food Research InitiativeFY 2010

  16. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Five Challenge Area RFAs • Childhood Obesity Prevention: $25 M • Climate Change: $40 M • Global Food Security: $13 M • Food Safety: $20 M • Sustainable Bioenergy: $32 M

  17. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Foundational Program RFA: $65 M • Plant Health and Production and Plant Products • Animal Health and Production and Animal Products • Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health • Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment • Agriculture Systems and Technology • Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities

  18. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative NIFA Fellowships Grant Program RFA: $6 M • Offer individual fellowships for pre- and postdoctoral students – NIFA Fellows • Focus on the broad Challenge Areas • Anticipated release in April 2010 • Eligibility: U.S. citizens, nationals and green card holders

  19. AFRI Eligibility: Single-function projects • State agricultural experiment stations • Colleges and universities (including junior colleges offering associate degrees or higher) • University research foundations • Other research institutions and organizations

  20. AFRI Eligibility: Single-function projects • Federal agencies and national laboratories • Private organizations or corporations • U.S. Citizens, nationals, or permanent residents *Eligible institutions do not include foreign and international organizations

  21. Integrated Eligibility: Integrated projects • Colleges and universities • 1994 Land-Grant Institutions • Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities

  22. FASE Grants: Restricted eligibility • Pre-doctoral Fellowship Grants – New • Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants • New Investigator Grants • Strengthening Grants • Sabbatical Grants • Equipment Grants • Seed Grants • Strengthening Standard and Strengthening CAP Grants

  23. Letters of Intent • Required for most program areas. • Take care to follow the guidelines. • Applications submitted without a prior Letter of Intent submission will not be reviewed.

  24. AFRI 2010 Grants Management/Financial Management Questions: Andrea L. Brandon Deputy Administrator, OEP abrandon@nifa.usda.gov (202) 720-9181

  25. INSTITUTE OF FOOD PRODUCTIONAND SUSTAINABILITY Enhancing global food security through productive and sustainable agricultural systems

  26. INSTITUTE OF BIOENERGY,CLIMATE, AND ENVIRONMENT Ensuring energy independence through clean, biobased systems Ensuring sustainable and adaptive agro-ecosystems in response to climate change

  27. INSTITUTE OF FOOD SAFETY AND NUTRITION Ensuring a safe food supply Improving citizens’ health through nutrition Reducing childhood obesity Improving food quality

  28. INSTITUTE FOR YOUTH, FAMILY, COMMUNITY Enabling vibrant and resilient communities Preparing the next generation of scientists Enhancing science capacity in minority-serving institutions Enhancing youth development

  29. CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS Leveraging the knowledge and commitment of U.S. talent to enhance the lives of those in developing countries

  30. Administration and Functions of Institutes in NIFA • Institutes to be led by scientists + effective administrators with experience in USDA policies • Will look to examples of best practices for operations of the institutes • Will seek advice and input from external groups of stakeholders and expert scientists

  31. NIFA Proposed Budget 2011 Continues Focus on Growth of Focus Areas, with Additional Flexibility for ‘Foundational’ Programs • Look for expanded interactions/alignment between intramural and extramural research • Explore collaborations with other agencies outside of REE, including FAS, FSIS, others • Explore opportunities to expand interactions with sister Federal departments, including NSF, DOE, NIH/NCI/CDC, USAID, others

  32. USDA: An Agency To Be Proud OfRoger Beachy, Director, NIFA

  33. If you have more questions, please visit our website at www.nifa.usda.gov/afri or contact us at (202) 401-5022, afri@nifa.usda.gov

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