CSREES Animal & Plant Biosecurity Program

[FUNDING OPPORTUNITY] Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI)

16 Jul 2008 14:56:54 GMT

Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI)

The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) was established to solve critical industry issues through research and extension activities. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and nursery crops including floriculture. SCRI will give priority to projects that are multistate, multi-institutional, or trans-disciplinary; and include explicit mechanisms to communicate results to producers and the public. Projects must address at least one of five focus areas: research in plant breeding, genetics, and genomics to improve crop characteristics; efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including threats to pollinators; efforts to improve production efficiency, productivity, and profitability over the long term; new innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening; and methods to prevent, detect, monitor control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production and processing of specialty crops.

Special Notation

More SCRI Information

Who Is Eligible to Apply

1862 Land-Grant Institutions

1890 Land-Grant Institutions

1994 Land-Grant Institutions

For-profit Organizations Other Than Small Businesses

Individuals

Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than Institutions of Higher Ed

Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than Institutions of Higher Ed

Other or Additional Information (See below)

Private Institutions of Higher Ed

State Agricultural Experiment Stations

State Controlled Institutions of Higher Ed

More Information on Eligibility

Applications may be submitted by Federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations or corporations, State agricultural experiment stations, individuals, or groups consisting of 2 or more of these entities.

Request for Application (RFA) | Apply: Electronic

Solicitation Date (Opening)	July 14, 2008
Letter of Intent Due Date	None
Due Date (Closing)	August 14, 2008
Anticipated Award Date	None
Estimated Total Program Funding	$28,400,000.00
Range of Awards	$0.00 to $6,000,000.00
Percent of Applications Funded Last Fiscal Year	0%
Cost Sharing Requirements	100 %
For More Information Contact	Thomas (Tom) Bewick
Funding Opportunity Number	USDA-CSREES-SCRI-001765
CFDA Number	10.309 Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Contact for Electronic Access Problems	webcomments@csrees.usda.gov

[RESOURCE] Extension Disaster Education Network: Animal Agrosecurity and Emergency Management.

13 Jun 2008 16:17:40 GMT

[IN FOCUS] A CSREES grant funds a study examining consumer perceptions related to food safety advisories.

13 Jun 2008 16:16:41 GMT

Consumer Perceptions Related to Food Safety Advisories

When an advisory is issued regarding the safety of a certain food product, or category of food products, it is important that consumers:

are aware of the advisory;
take appropriate action regarding the affected food(s);
are aware when these actions are no longer necessary; and
continue to have confidence in foods that are unaffected by the advisory.

Through research supported by the CSREES Integrated Food Safety Program, the Food Policy Institute at Rutgers University examined media actions and consumer perceptions related to food safety advisories. Their preliminary findings suggest that while media reports created high consumer-awareness levels for one recent produce advisory, more improvement is needed. Consumers did not consistently take appropriate action or resume consumption of the target produce in a timely manner when the advisory was lifted. Furthermore, similar produce was incorrectly associated with the advisory and suffered decreased demand as a result.

Animal & Plant Biosecurity Home Page

[EVENT] Competitive Grants Grantsmanship Workshops, Washington, DC/Salt Lake City, UT, September/October, 2008.

2 May 2008 17:42:44 GMT