On May 27, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) released a request for application (RFA) through its Crops of the Future Collaborative. FFAR is seeking transformative research and technologies “focused on ensuring under-appreciated crops also benefit from recent advances and emerging technologies for genotype-independent regeneration of fertile plants to foster application of rapid breeding methods in vitro double haploid production and genome editing.” Research funding will be awarded to applications targeted at helping farmers overcome challenges they regularly face from insects, disease, and climate change.
The program aims to develop methodologies to reduce the time it takes to introduce a new trait into a new crop and reach farmers by several years. The Crops of the Future Collaborative seeks applications for crops species that are well suited for sustainable agriculture, valuable for human nutrition, and considered an under-appreciated crop that has not benefited from rapid breeding methods.
Eligibility: Institutions of Higher Education, non-profit organizations, government-affiliated researchers, and domestic and international organizations are eligible to apply.
Award Summary: The proposal funding ranges from $250,000 to $750,000 for projects spanning up to 36 months. Matching Funds are not required for this program.
Deadline: Full applications are due by July 8, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Sources and Additional Information:
The full RFA can be found at https://foundationfar.org/accelerated-crop-breeding-tools-rfa/.