Seed Grants & Award Opportunities


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Active Opportunities 1

Travel Award Opportunity
Application Deadline: June 1, 2024

Student Conference Travel Awards

Up to $1,500 for use towards travel, accommodations, and registration for a national or international conference related to agricultural genomes to phenomes (interpreted broadly) can be applied by undergraduate and graduate students attending an institution in the US and who are conducting research associated with creating new knowledge or technology for better understanding genomes-to-phenomes in agriculture. This can include any discipline associated with agriculture such as engineering, agronomy, genetics, animal science, social sciences, etc.

Preference will be given to those who are:

  • Graduate or undergraduate students who are presenting their own AG2P-related research; and
  • First-year graduate students; and
  • Undergraduate students who are conducting research


Past Opportunities 6

Past Seed Grant Opportunity
Application Closed on Friday March 31, 2023

Rolling

In response to community needs that do not necessarily fit neatly into our regular seed grant mechanism, we offer this new funding opportunity to address timely outstanding community needs. The AG2PI rolling seed grant opportunity is focused on supporting single events. Events may fall into one or more of the following agricultural genomes to phenomes (AG2P)-related activities, but are not limited to these suggestions:

  1. Participant support for increasing representation of diverse voices at AG2P-related events (e.g., conferences, workshops, etc.).
  2. Creation and offering of cross-disciplinary training in AG2P data science/ biology/ engineering
  3. Town hall meetings to jump start working groups or to measure interest in forming a working group.
  4. Creation and dissemination of AG2P materials from ethical, legal, social, ecological, and economic perspectives.

Past Seed Grant Opportunity
Application Closed on Friday March 31, 2023

Working Group

In response to the need to quickly make progress on mapping out the challenges and opportunities within agricultural genomes to phenomes research and related endeavors, we have created this new funding opportunity to support the formation of working groups. We invite proposals that involve scientists from a variety of disciplines (e.g., nutrition, physiology, sociology, computer science, engineering, economics, etc.) who will work together on a shared problem by offering their unique perspectives and experiences. Preference will be given to groups whose leadership includes both a senior professional (e.g., full professor, executive director, etc.) and a junior professional (e.g., assistant professor, postdoc, etc.).

This AG2PI working group grant opportunity is focused on supporting the formation and management of a working group. At minimum, working groups will be expected to host regular virtual and/or in-person meetings; write and publish a concept paper addressing the needs identified by the working group; and give a presentation at an AG2PI conference or workshop.


Past Seed Grant Opportunity
Application Closed on Friday January 6, 2023

Coconut Seed Grants

The USDA NIFA-funded Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative (AG2PI) addresses agricultural challenges, from genome to phenome, by building and supporting a cross-kingdom and multi-disciplinary research community. Our coconut (larger seed) grant mechanism is intended to foster impactful AG2P research.

We encourage research proposals in one of the topic areas described below (see Program Scope), but welcome proposals on any topic relevant to the agricultural G2P community. Priority will be given to projects that broaden multidisciplinary discoveries and develop synergies across communities and organizational types (e.g., crops and livestock; academics, government, and the private sector). We also welcome high risk/high reward proposals that, if successful, would represent a leap forward for the field. Potential applicants with high risk/high reward proposals are encouraged to contact AG2PI in advance for guidance.


Past Seed Grant Opportunity
Application Closed on Tuesday March 15, 2022

Round 3

In the third round of funding, we invite proposals that will further develop the AG2PI community and G2P research infrastructure. We encourage proposals in one of the topic areas described below, but proposals are welcome on any topic that is relevant to the agricultural G2P community. Priority will be given to projects that broaden interactions as much as possible and seek to find synergies across communities and organizational types (e.g., plants and animals; academics, government, and the private sector). Proposals may be submitted within one of three grant types (Emerging, Enabling, or Establishing) with varying budget limits (see below).

  1. Identify best practices, tools, and techniques for AG2P data sharing and storage.
  2. Encourage cross-fertilization of existing or novel AG2P tools, data, or ideas.
  3. Coordinate available educational resources and/or determine best approaches for expanding cross-disciplinary training in AG2P data science/biology/engineering.
  4. Motivate agriculture-focused analyses of AG2P from ethical, legal, social, ecological, and economic perspectives.
  5. Develop tools and datasets that can be used across multiple crop species to advance genome engineering tools for integrated optimization of crop yield and livestock feed for improved animal reproduction and nutrition.
  6. Mitigate environmental impacts from crop and livestock production.
  7. Encourage development of root stocks that increase carbon capture and can support grain crop cover.

Past Seed Grant Opportunity
Application Closed on Sunday September 19, 2021

Round 2

In the second round of funding, we invite proposals that will further develop the AG2PI community in one of the three topic areas described below. Projects that broaden interactions as much as possible and seek to find synergies across communities and organizational types are highly encouraged (e.g., plants and animals; academics, government, and the private sector).

  1. Identify best practices, tools, and techniques for AG2P data sharing and storage.
  2. Encourage cross-fertilization of existing or novel AG2P tools, data, or ideas.
  3. Coordinate available educational resources and/or determine best approaches for expanding cross-disciplinary training in AG2P data science/biology/engineering.
  4. Motivate agriculture-focused analyses of AG2P from ethical, legal, social, ecological, and economic perspectives.
  5. Three additional priority activities -- new to this call -- have been identified by USDA:

  6. Develop tools and datasets that can be used across multiple crop species to advance genome engineering tools for integrated optimization of crop yield and livestock feed for improved animal reproduction and nutrition.
  7. Mitigate environmental impacts from crop and livestock production.
  8. Encourage development of root stocks that increase carbon capture and can support grain crop cover.

Past Seed Grant Opportunity
Application Closed on Friday March 19, 2021

Round 1

In the first round of funding, we invite proposals that will further develop the AG2PI community in one of the four theme areas described below. Projects that broaden interactions as much as possible and seek to find synergies across communities and organizational types are highly encouraged (e.g., plants and animals; academics government, and the private sector).

  • Exploring methods and/or defining standards to enable data sharing while maintaining privacy (e.g., federated databases; homomorphic encryption)
  • Developing and/or deploying standards or ontologies for AG2P environments and management regimes
  • Creating repositories that use optimal data sharing principles
  • Developing strategies for handling and integrating disparate data types (multi-scale, multimodal, etc.) across communities
  • Making technology more accessible, particularly to those with limited resources