Sponsor

 Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR)

Program

Improving Climate Resilience in Crops program [1]

Description

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) is seeking applications through our Next Generation Crops Challenge Area. FFAR builds unique partnerships to support innovative and actionable science addressing today’s food and agriculture challenges. FFAR is seeking innovative research focused on improving climate resilience in crops to provide the critical solutions necessary to enhance the sustainable production of nutritious food for a growing global population. For 2021, FFAR anticipates funding up to two meritorious applications.

FFAR aims to support research that addresses the challenge of rising global temperatures by increasing the basal or acquired thermotolerance of crop plants. In accordance with the above intent, the successful research will be applicable to one or more of the following crop species: maize, rice, sorghum, millet, wheat, sweet potato, cassava, banana, yam, common bean, cowpea, chickpea or groundnut. FFAR will also consider research in other plants, if applicants adequately describe how the proposed research would be transferable to the preferred crops. Potential solutions only applicable to agricultural systems in high-income countries or involving domestication of new crops will not be considered.

FFAR would consider:

1. Approaches that quantify the specific features of climate-driven temperature change that will most impact crop plants.  This may include development or improvement of biophysical crop simulation/predictive models;
2. Solutions that address higher temperatures in day and/or night periods;
3. Solutions that address increased temperature variability;
4. Solutions that could be applied in crop genetic improvement programs;
5. Solutions that address the challenges of phenotyping for variation in thermotolerance, including the impact of acclimation;
6. Solutions that address temperature response in crop plants, including molecular, enzymatic, physiological, and/or genetic approaches;
7. Solutions developed in model plant systems that can be applied to one or more of the above crops;
8. Solutions that can be reasonably applied in agricultural systems in low income countries.

Eligibility

FFAR welcomes applications from institutions of Higher Education, non-profit and for-profit organizations, government-affiliated researchers, and domestic and international organizations.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support.

Funding Availability

Proposal funding range: $250,000 - $1,000,000 USD

Matching Funds are not required for this program.  

Indirect Costs

Indirect costs cannot exceed 10% of the total budget (FFAR contribution+ grantee’s matching funding, if any).

Project Duration

Up to 60 months 

Special Notes

COVID-19

Please note that research activities carried out in the context of COVID-19 need to adhere to the University of Guelph COVID-19 research principles, policies, guidelines and processes as they may be updated from time to time and communicated on the Office of Research web-page [2].

Grant Terms and Conditions

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research expects applicants to have reviewed the COTF Grant Agreement [3] prior to applying to ensure that the applicants are aware of the applicable terms under which the grant is offered. FFAR will only entertain potential modifications to the Grant Agreement under the most exceptional circumstances. Successful applicants are strongly encouraged to sign the Grant Agreement as presented.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through FFAR’s online application receipt system. Please refer to the Application details [1].