Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center
2011 Supplemental Request for Applications
Urgent IPM Grant Program
Due Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Projects must be completed and funds must be expended by May 30, 2012
I. SUMMARY
Purpose. The Northeastern IPM Center requests proposals for projects that further our goals. Our mission is to
foster the development and adoption of integrated pest management, a science-based approach to managing pests in ways that generate economic, environmental, and human health benefits. We work in partnership with stakeholders from agricultural, urban, and rural settings to identify and address regional priorities for research, education, and outreach.
We encourage projects that gather data on the scope or impact of new pests, develop integrated pest management (IPM) information, or extend IPM to audiences who will use it to decrease the risks associated with pest management. New IPM methods may be developed under this program, but funds for this purpose are limited.
Available funds. The Center has approximately $50,000 available to fund up to five of the strongest proposals submitted that quantify an emerging pest situation, develop IPM methods, or educate audiences about IPM. Proposals are limited to $10,000. Please note that this grants program is distinct from our Center’s IPM Partnership Program, which funds working groups, IPM documents, and outreach. For information on previously funded Center projects, see http://northeastipm.org/grants.cfm and http://projects.ipmcenters.org/Northeastern/.
Who may apply. Public and private institutions or organizations, businesses, commodity groups, and private individuals are invited to submit applications. The primary project director (PD) for this grant program must reside in the northeastern region, but co-PDs may be from outside the region.
Proposal submission. All proposals will be submitted through a secure online system. The link is http://projects.ipmcenters.org/Northeastern/. Detailed instructions are provided at that site and throughout the proposal submission system. PDs will need to register in the system before submitting an application, so we recommend registering well in advance of the deadline. See Part VIII for more details.
Proposals must be received via online submission by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11, 2011.
II. BACKGROUND ON THE NORTHEASTERN IPM CENTER
The Northeastern IPM Center is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The Center is a focal point for regional IPM team-building efforts, communication networks, and stakeholder participation. Geographically, the Center covers the six New England states, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
The Center helps people and institutions to set priorities for IPM research, extension, and education projects and then to collaborate on work that will address these priorities. We focus the expertise needed to successfully address emerging IPM issues (e.g., pest resistance, invasive species, regulatory changes, water quality, and biotechnology) and improve regional access to information and technology in all settings (agricultural, urban, home, and community). We are enthusiastic about alternative, non-pesticide based strategies that unite several disciplines and lead to sustainable solutions.
Through the Urgent IPM Grants Program, the Center will increase its effectiveness by engaging a broad range of participants. This grants program provides stakeholders with an opportunity to influence the future of IPM by spearheading worthwhile efforts, such as increasing our knowledge of new, developing, or invasive pests and creating ways to increase awareness about such pests or the methods that can be used to manage them sustainably. Partnering in this way helps to ensure that the Northeastern IPM Center stays in touch with stakeholders’ needs and priorities, engaging others to address a broad range of issues.
III. PROPOSAL CRITERIA
Proposals should
• focus on a compelling, pressing pest management issue requiring immediate attention or action;
• further the mission of the Northeastern IPM Center (see Part I), and in particular, decrease the risks associated with pest management;
• address priorities identified by IPM stakeholders in the region, or—if the pest is so new that no priorities are available—develop new priorities;
• benefit the region at large;
• be written according to the style and formatting guidelines outlined in this RFA;
• fulfill the specific criteria below.
We are especially interested in innovative approaches for working with underserved audiences, gathering data about urgent pest situations, and increasing IPM awareness. Extra credit will be awarded to projects that focus on (a) underserved urban populations; (b) states with populations under 9 million (CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, RI, VT, WV), and Washington, DC; (c) 1890 land-grant institutions (see http://www.1890aea.org/mainpages/about_us.asp); and (d) environmental groups and nongovernmental organizations.
Proposals may include
· designing or improving phone applications and other tools to better predict pest infestations in the Northeast;
· creating multistate and regional IPM outreach (websites, videos, and educational exhibits) about urgent IPM issues;
· writing, editing, and printing a Pest Alert on a topic of importance to the region;
· hosting conferences and exchanges and attending conferences related to pest threats;
· planning and hosting a meeting to create IPM priorities on a new northeastern pest concern;
· conducting laboratory testing or soil testing to gather information on a new pest or condition;
· traveling to a site where novel IPM research or extension is being conducted, then sharing that knowledge with others; and
· developing timely IPM responses to critical pest issues.
Multistate collaboration is not necessary (although you must show benefit to the region). If you have a question about the type of project appropriate for this grants program, please contact John Ayers, 814-777-1291.
IV. Funds
Successful applicants will be funded via a subcontract from The Pennsylvania State University. The Center usually issues only one subcontract per institution to minimize overall indirect costs to the project. PDs of successful proposals will be contacted to work out the funding mechanism. Applicants must follow the instructions that accompany the required NIFA forms provided by the online grant proposal submission system. Matching funds are not required; however, preference may be given to proposals with matching funds.
V. PROPOSAL COMPONENTS
Download forms from the online proposal system (http://northeastipm.org/grantsystem). Some documents, such as CVs, do not necessitate forms; in those cases, follow the instructions provided for each required document. For text such as the Project Description, use single-spaced, 12-point type with 1-inch margins and two returns (one blank line) between paragraphs. You must convert all documents to PDF files before uploading them. (Scan forms such as cover pages as “documents” rather than pictures so the text is searchable.) We may need to merge documents, so do not apply security settings that prevent document assembly.
A. Cover page form signed and submitted as described later in this RFA. The title should be no longer than 100 characters (letters, punctuation, and spaces between words).
B. Project description (limited to 5 pages, including references cited). In this section, described in items 1–7 below, you should explain the need for your project; expected impacts and how you will achieve them; and how you (and we) will know you have succeeded.
1. Proposal Summary. The summary (approximately 250 words) should provide a brief description of the problem or opportunity; the project objectives; a description of your approach in simple terms that can be understood by the general public, university personnel, private organizations, and budget staff; and the anticipated impact of your project. This section will also be copied and pasted into a text field in the online proposal submission system.
2. Brief Background and Justification.
a. Describe, in simple terms, the problem or challenge. Consider including the importance of the pest(s), the economic ramifications, and the reason for your study.
b. Address the specific need(s) identified by growers or other stakeholders in the northeastern region. Demonstrate that you are engaged with constituents on some level and that your project addresses their needs. If possible, authors should cite at least one IPM stakeholder priority used to formulate the project (see http://northeastipm.org/regu_regional.cfm). If the issue being addressed is so new that an appropriate priority has not been posted, cite a credible source that can be found by the proposal reviewers.
c. Specify who stands to benefit from your project. Consider environmental, health, or economic benefits or how the project indirectly can feed into these objectives. If it strengthens your case, choose one or two specific members of your target audience as examples and describe their predicament.
d. Review ongoing or completed work (local/regional/national) that is relevant to your project, and include references. If relevant, describe how previous work funded by the Northeastern IPM Center or other sources might contribute to the proposed project.
3. Objectives and Anticipated Impacts. Provide clear, concise, and logically numbered statement(s) of the specific aims of the proposed effort. Then briefly describe the anticipated impacts that could be associated with the fulfillment of your objectives (you may do this in list or table format). Your impacts should connect to the goals of the Northeastern IPM Program: encouraging science-based pest management that safeguards human health and the environment; promoting economic benefits; and furthering the implementation of IPM. You will also copy and paste your objectives into a text field in the online submission database.
4. Approach and Procedures. Describe how each of the stated objectives will be reached, in the same order as listed above in Objectives and Anticipated Impacts. These descriptions should outline the essential working plans and methods that will be used to attain each objective. You should show that the proposed work has the potential of providing data and information that will permit accomplishing the objectives.
5. Evaluation Plans. In this section, briefly describe how you will verify that your project objectives have been met and how you will measure the extent to which any associated impacts have occurred. If measurement of these anticipated impacts will not be possible in the context of the proposed project, describe how the tactic or system you studied, once developed, might be incorporated into an IPM setting. Evaluation plans that include surveys should indicate survey expertise of investigators and/or describe the survey methodology that will be used.
6. Cooperation, Institutional Units, and Key Personnel Involved. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the lead institution and each institutional unit or stakeholder group contributing to the project. If multi-institutional teams are cooperating on a proposal, a single budget should be submitted for that proposal. Applicants must identify key personnel and their specific roles in the proposed project.
C. Supporting documents
1. Two-page curriculum vitae (CV) of the project director (PD) and each Co-PD that lists education, experience, and relevant publications.
2. Collaborative Arrangements. If the project includes consulting, collaborative, or subcontractual arrangements, such arrangements should be fully explained and justified in the budget and budget narrative. In addition, you should provide evidence (e.g., a letter of support or statement of work) that the collaborators involved, even if unpaid, have agreed to render these services.
General letters of support are not required.
3. Budget. Each proposal must include a detailed budget form. Download the form from the proposal submission website and follow the accompanying instructions. Indirect costs of up to 22% of the Total Funds Awarded (equivalent to 28.205% of Total Direct Costs) can be requested. Projects must be completed and funds must be expended by May 30, 2012.
4. Budget Narrative. Include a detailed, self-explanatory Budget Narrative. Follow the order of the budget form. Show the sum of each category, copied from the budget form; describe costs; and indicate breakdowns (e.g., hourly wages, printing estimates, travel expenses).
If consulting, collaborative, or subcontractual arrangements are included in the proposal, these arrangements should be fully explained and justified. Clearly identify the lead institution, all collaborators, and the role of each in your Budget Narrative.
For collaborative arrangements, for the transfer of substantive programmatic work, or for the provision of financial assistance to a third party, provide letters of intent or other evidence that collaborators have agreed to render these services (such as a proposed statement of work and a simple budget for each arrangement).
5. Current and pending support form for each PD and Co-PD. Please use the form provided.
A Conflict of Interest form and National Environmental Policy Act Exclusions form are not required. An Assurance Statement form is required only in the event that the proposal is for a research project that will involve recombinant DNA, human subjects, or living vertebrates.
VI. Selection Criteria
We will acknowledge the receipt of your proposal and will make funding decisions by the end of October 2011. Selection will be based on the degree to which the proposal:
• focuses on a compelling, pressing pest management issue requiring immediate attention or action;
• involves underserved audiences, and in particular, 1890 institutions;
• furthers the mission of the Northeastern IPM Center (see Part I), and in particular, decreases the risks associated with pest management;
• addresses priorities identified by IPM stakeholders in the region, or—if the pest is so new that no priorities are available—develops new priorities;
• benefits the region at large; and
• is written according to the style and formatting guidelines outlined in this RFA.
Extra credit will be awarded to projects that are from, collaborate with, or focus on (a) underserved urban populations; (b) states with populations under 9 million (CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, RI, VT, WV), and Washington, DC; (c) 1890 land-grant institutions (see http://www.1890aea.org/mainpages/about_us.asp); and (d) environmental groups and nongovernmental organizations.
VII. Final Reports and Progress Reports
You will be asked to submit a final report, due 60 days after the termination date of the contract. Reports will be submitted via the same online submission system used to apply for grants. PDs will be reminded by email and sent reporting instructions.
VIII. Submission of Proposals
All proposals will be submitted through a secure online system at http://projects.ipmcenters.org/Northeastern/. Detailed instructions and forms are provided at that site. PDs will need to register in the system before submitting an application, so we recommend registering well in advance of the deadline. Proposals may be entered in stages and saved before submitting the entire proposal for review.