USDA CSREES has opened solicitation for several funding opportunities that will be of interest to CALS researchers. Both the Biomass Research and Development Initiative and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative are now open and accepting proposals.

Biomass Research and Development Initiative Competitive Grants Program (BRDI)
CSREES and DOE Office of Biomass Programs competitively award Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) grants to eligible entities to research, develop, and demonstrate biomass projects (as defined in parts 1(A) & 1(B) of section 9008 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) as amended). The three main Technical Areas are:(1) Feedstocks Development, (2) Biofuels & Biobased Products Development, and (3) Biofuels Development Analysis. This is a joint solicitation and DOE is managing the pre-application process. The pre-application package can be found by clicking on the Funding Opportunity link below. Any questions regarding the content of the announcement must be submitted through the “Submit Question” feature of the DOE Industry Interactive Procurement System (IIPS) at http://e-center.doe.gov. Locate the program announcement on IIPS and then click on the “Submit Question” button. Enter required information.

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 horticulture 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 specialty crop 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.