2021 Soil Science Collaborative Research Proposals | USDA NRCS NHQ SOILS 21 NOFO0001107

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ SOILS 21 NOFO0001107

The 2021 Soil Science Collaborative Research Proposals opportunity is a competitive federal funding program offered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), specifically through its Soil and Plant Science Division (SPSD). The program is designed to fund collaborative research partnerships between NRCS and eligible universities on soil science and closely related topics that matter at a national scale. In addition to producing research results, the program is structured to strengthen connections between federal soil science experts and academic researchers, move practical knowledge and methods into NRCS operations through technology transfer, and help train the next generation of soil scientists by engaging students directly in funded projects.

Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, which typically means NRCS expects to have substantial involvement during the project period (for example, coordination with NRCS staff, shared technical work, or joint dissemination and training activities). NRCS anticipated up to $1,000,000 total available in FY 2021 for this announcement, with an expectation of about four awards. The maximum award size (award ceiling) is $250,000, and funded projects are expected to run for 2 to 3 years. Proposed work must be conducted in the United States or its territories and possessions and must align with the priority research needs identified in Section A of the notice of funding opportunity.

Eligibility is limited in a specific way: applicants must be institutions of higher education that are part of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network. Both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education can apply, as long as they are within CESU. This requirement is central to the opportunity and effectively narrows the applicant pool to universities already participating in that interagency-university cooperative network.

Applications had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on June 15, 2021. NRCS emphasized that proposals would be screened first for completeness and compliance with the funding notice requirements, and any submission that was incomplete or did not follow the instructions could be removed from consideration before full review. For applicants who were new to Grants.gov, the notice pointed them to preparatory steps in Section D.1, reflecting the reality that registration and setup can take time and should be started early.

For support issues related to the Grants.gov platform itself, applicants were directed to Grants.gov Applicant Support (1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov), with the explicit note that NRCS program staff cannot help with Grants.gov account troubleshooting. Programmatic questions about the notice were accepted until May 15, 2021, and NRCS planned to post responses to submitted questions on Grants.gov roughly two weeks before the application deadline so that all potential applicants would have access to the same clarifications.

NRCS expected to make selection decisions by July 15, 2021, and aimed to have awards executed by September 30, 2021. The opportunity is listed as a discretionary funding program with an activity focus spanning agriculture, environment, natural resources, and science and technology research and development, and it is associated with CFDA number 10.903. The funding opportunity number is USDA NRCS NHQ SOILS 21 NOFO0001107, and the notice was created April 15, 2021.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2021 Soil Science Collaborative Research Proposals" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.903.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 15, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ SOILS 21 NOFO0001107

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