USDANational Institute of Food and Agriculture

(NIFA) EPSCoR Overview 

 Peter Johnson, DVM, Ph.D.

NIFA EPSCoR Management Team Member

National Program Leader (Animal Health & Welfare)

pjohnson@nifa.usda.gov

• Where does USDA EPSCoR reside and how it is managed ?

• USDA’s Extramural funding to advance food & agricultural research, education, & extension

• Initiated October 1, 2009

• Preceded by Cooperative State, Research, Education, and Extension Service

• FY12 Budget = $1.35 billion (research, education, & extension competitive & non-competitive programs)

National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA: www.nifa.usda.gov)

National Institute of Food & Agriculture• Office of the Director• Institute of Food Production & Sustainability• Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, & Environment• Institute of Food Safety & Nutrition• Institute of Youth, Family, & Community• Office of Grants & Financial Management (award

processing, etc.)• Office of Information Technology

USDA-NIFA Cross-Institute & Office EPSCoR Management Team

Nancy Cavallaro & Bart Hewitt: co-leaders

Gabrielle Armstrong Peter Johnson

Effie Baldwin Melanie Krizmanich

Shawn Bennett Liang Shiou Lin

Daniel Cassidy Sharon Lumpkin

Erin Daly Ray Raymond

Equal partners + Efficient use of limited NIFA administrative $$ which can not support staff dedicated only to EPSCoR

• USDA-NIFA has many programs

• EPSCoR is part of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

(http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri.html)

• USDA’s largest competitive grants program FY12 Budget = $264 million ($244 million payment to states)

• Research, education, & extension projects

• EPSCoR is one component of AFRI (http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri_fase_epscor_program.html )

AFRI• Wide Eligibility:

100% Research/ 100% Education/ 100% Extension: State Agricultural Experiment Stations, colleges, universities, university research foundations, other research institutions & organizations, federal agencies, national laboratories, private organizations or corporations, individuals

Integrated: Colleges, universities, 1994 Institutions, Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities

• Indirect costs: Currently Capped at 30%

• Matching funds (generally only equipment/ waivers may also apply)

12 Funding Opportunities

• Applicants (including individuals from EPSCoR states) have 12 request for applications (RFAs) to consider to fund their research, education, and/or extension programs :

• 7 “in-house” RFAs

• 5 interagency RFAs

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

Five Challenge Area RFA’s

1. Childhood Obesity Prevention

2. Climate Variability & Change

3. Food Security

4. Food Safety

5. Sustainable Bioenergy

Five Challenge Area RFA’s

1. Childhood Obesity Prevention

2. Climate Variability & Change

3. Food Security

4. Food Safety

5. Sustainable Bioenergy

Five Challenge Area RFAs

• Often Inter/ trans-disciplinary• Most Integrated (research + education +

extension)• Some Research or Education or Extension• FY10-12 Award Budget Range:

$340,000 - $45 million total (most multi-million dollars)

• Up to 5 years duration

• Often Inter/ trans-disciplinary• Most Integrated (research + education +

extension)• Some Research or Education or Extension• FY10-12 Award Budget Range:

$340,000 - $45 million total (most multi-million dollars)

• Up to 5 years duration

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

One Foundational Program RFA

• Build a foundation of knowledge for solving current and future societal challenges

• Only research funding opportunities (with one exception)

• Maximum Award Budget = $500,000 total($350,000 direct + $150,000 indirects)

• Up to 4 years duration

One Foundational Program RFA

• Build a foundation of knowledge for solving current and future societal challenges

• Only research funding opportunities (with one exception)

• Maximum Award Budget = $500,000 total($350,000 direct + $150,000 indirects)

• Up to 4 years duration

AFRI Foundational Program RFA includes 6 areas:

1. Plant Health, Production & Plant Products

2. Animal Health, Production & Animal Products

3. Food Safety, Nutrition, & Health

4. Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, & Environment

5. Agriculture Systems & Technology

6. Agriculture Economics & Rural Communities

AFRI Foundational Program RFA includes 6 areas:

1. Plant Health, Production & Plant Products

2. Animal Health, Production & Animal Products

3. Food Safety, Nutrition, & Health

4. Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, & Environment

5. Agriculture Systems & Technology

6. Agriculture Economics & Rural Communities

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

One NIFA Fellowships Grant Program RFA

1. Offer individual fellowships for pre- and postdoctoral students – NIFA Fellows

2. Focus on the broad Challenge Areas, wide topic eligibility

One NIFA Fellowships Grant Program RFA

1. Offer individual fellowships for pre- and postdoctoral students – NIFA Fellows

2. Focus on the broad Challenge Areas, wide topic eligibility

2.5% AFRI budget set-aside for pre- and post-doctoral proposals open to

individuals at ALL institutions

2.5% AFRI budget set-aside for pre- and post-doctoral proposals open to

individuals at ALL institutions

• Predoctoral Fellowships: – $75,000 (stipend, tuition, fees) – Research, education, or extension

• Postdoctoral Fellowships: – $130,000 (including institutional allowance) – Research, education, or extension– post Ph.D.,or D.V.M., or M.D. degree

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

Interagency RFA’s:

1. Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (USDA-NIFA; NIH; NSF; BBSRC)

2. Water Sustainability and Climate (USDA-NIFA; NSF)

3. Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction using Earth System Models (USDA-NIFA; NSF; DOE)

4. National Robotics Initiative (NIFA; NSF; NASA; NIH)

5. Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy (USDA-NIFA; DOE)

Interagency RFA’s:

1. Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (USDA-NIFA; NIH; NSF; BBSRC)

2. Water Sustainability and Climate (USDA-NIFA; NSF)

3. Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction using Earth System Models (USDA-NIFA; NSF; DOE)

4. National Robotics Initiative (NIFA; NSF; NASA; NIH)

5. Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy (USDA-NIFA; DOE)

Proposal Options

After applicants identify a specific RFA where their work fits, depending on where they are from and their career stage, different proposal options exist

AFRI Proposal types• Standard (research; education; extension;

or, integrated)

• Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP)

• Conference• Food & Agricultural Science Enhancement

(FASE): (restricted eligibility= EPSCoR bonus !)

– Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships (1 program)– New Investigator – Strengthening

• New Investigator Awards (Less than 5 years postgraduate, career-track experience; No competitive Federal funds beyond pre- or postdoctoral grants or AFRI seed grants)– No specific RFA: identify AFRI program for their topic and

submit to its deadlines– Proposal same as non-new investigator except box

checked indicating eligibility– First compete with established investigators– No set-aside $$ but staff can use program dollars to

support new investigator below funding line (forgo established investigator) Note: EPSCoR or limited institutional success eligible have set-aside $$ to go below funding line (Bonus)

Strengthening Awards

• 7.5% AFRI budget set-aside for strengthening awards to:

• EPSCoR institutions• Small or mid-sized or minority-serving

institutions with limited success for federal funding

• FY12 AFRI total budget = $244 millionFY12 total for strengthening = $ 18.3 million

Strengthening Opportunities

1. Strengthening Standard proposal

2. Strengthening Coordinated Agricultural Project proposal

• No specific RFA: identify AFRI program for topic and submit to its deadlines

• Proposal same as standard proposal that everyone can submit except box checked indicating eligibility

Benefit of Set-aside $ to EPSCoR institutions

(2 funding chances in all programs)

• Hypothetical Example:– 100 proposals– All institution proposals first compete against

each other & ranked (including EPSCoR)– Program funds can support top 10 submissions

(non-EPSCoR + EPSCoR)– 7.5% additional $$$ to support other meritorious

EPSCoR proposals below funding cut-off

• Hypothetical Example:– 100 proposals– All institution proposals first compete against

each other & ranked (including EPSCoR)– Program funds can support top 10 submissions

(non-EPSCoR + EPSCoR)– 7.5% additional $$$ to support other meritorious

EPSCoR proposals below funding cut-off

More Strengthening Opportunities

3. Seed Grants

4. Sabbaticals

5. Equipment

• No specific RFA: identify AFRI program for topic and submit to its deadlines

• Each program evaluates all seeds, sabbaticals, equipment together

More Strengthening Opportunities:

• Seed Grants ($150,000 for 2 year duration)– Collect preliminary data for future AFRI funding

• Sabbatical Grants– Up to one year of salary, funds for travel & supplies; also

mini-sabbaticals

• Equipment Grants: 50% of cost or $50,000 for one piece of equipment ($10,000-250,000); no IDC

– Non-federal Matching, but waivers (<$25K) for lowest one third institutions

• Seed Grants ($150,000 for 2 year duration)– Collect preliminary data for future AFRI funding

• Sabbatical Grants– Up to one year of salary, funds for travel & supplies; also

mini-sabbaticals

• Equipment Grants: 50% of cost or $50,000 for one piece of equipment ($10,000-250,000); no IDC

– Non-federal Matching, but waivers (<$25K) for lowest one third institutions

Total EPSCoR funding

Defining EPSCoR States & Graduation

• EPSCoR program includes mechanism for graduation of states

• When a state graduates, another state enters the program

EPSCoR States – States having a funding level no higher than the 38th percentile of all States based on a 3-year rolling average of AFRI, excluding strengthening set-aside funds (19 states)

EPSCoR States – States having a funding level no higher than the 38th percentile of all States based on a 3-year rolling average of AFRI, excluding strengthening set-aside funds (19 states)

• Since FY09, NIFA re-assesses EPSCoR eligible states annually

• Prior to FY09, EPSCoR states were re- assessed every 3 years and stayed constant for 3 year intervals

2012 EPSCoR States:

• Alabama• Alaska• Connecticut• Idaho• Kentucky• Maine• Mississippi• Montana

• Nevada• New Hampshire• New Mexico• North Dakota• Oklahoma• Rhode Island• South Carolina• South Dakota

• Vermont• West Virginia• Wyoming

Other USDA EPSCoR eligible Entities:

• American Samoa• District of Columbia• Guam• Micronesia• Northern Mariana Islands• Puerto Rico• Virgin Islands of the U.S.

If a state “graduates” from EPSCoR, its institutions may still qualify for strengthening if…

1) Small and mid-sized academic institutions with current total enrollment of 17,500 or less, orMinority-serving institutions: enrollment of minorities exceeds 50 %

2) AND Limited institutional success: not among the most successful universities and colleges receiving federal funds for science and engineering.

Examples: Montana State Univ.; South Dakota State Univ.

Have EPSCoR states graduated ?

• Arkansas (2009)• Connecticut (2006, but returned 2009)• Delaware (2011)• Hawaii (2012)• Louisiana (2012)• Mississippi (2006, but returned 2009)

Have EPSCoR states graduated ? (cont.)

• New Hampshire (2006, but returned 2009)• New Jersey (2009)• New Mexico (2009, but returned 2011)• Oklahoma (2009, but returned 2012)• Rhode Island (2006, but returned 2009)• South Dakota (2011, but returned 2012)

EPSCoR States for the Last Ten Years

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Alabama                    

Alaska                    

Arkansas            

Connecticut              

Delaware          

Hawaii                  

Idaho                    

Kentucky                    

Louisiana              

Maine                    

Mississippi              

Montana    

Nevada                    

New Hampshire              

New Jersey      

New Mexico                

North Dakota                    

Oklahoma              

Rhode Island              

South Carolina              

South Dakota                  

Vermont                    

West Virginia                    

Wyoming                    

EPSCoR Outreach

• Two annual NIFA Competitive Programs Grantsmanship Workshops (includes EPSCoR breakouts)

• Webinars as requested by states to overview EPSCoR opportunities

• Workshops for Minority-Serving Institutions may include Strengthening Program overview (Hispanic; 1890; Alaskan/Pacific Islanders; Native American)

EPSCoR Program Strengths• Graduation Criteria transparent & fair with no

political influence• Apart from graduation, anecdotal evidence shows

impact (EPSCoR states receiving large Coordinated Agricultural Project awards; science advances; seed grants leading to larger research awards)

• By having Strengthening set-aside (includes EPSCoR) as % of AFRI budget, funding is guaranteed as long as AFRI has a budget

EPSCoR Program Strengths

• EPSCoR dollars part of every AFRI review panel:– All agriculture & food science areas benefit each year– All AFRI National Program Leaders involved in,

understand & support EPSCoR science:• Optimum expertise for peer review• Integrated post-award management:

– EPSCoR awardees attend same annual project directors’ meetings as non-EPSCoR awardees (no separation)

EPSCoR Program Challenges

• Collecting quantitative metrics for assessment:– Database limitations (Current Research Information

System : http://cris.csrees.usda.gov) with limited IT budget to upgrade/renovate

– Does not aggregate/tabulate impacts (e.g., publications; patents; students trained)

– Does not distinguish EPSCoR awards made from set-aside vs. non-set aside funds

– Does not request and update impacts after award termination

EPSCoR Program Challenges

• External Review Committees: – Review NIFA portfolios for impact (e.g., Plant Systems;

Animals; Natural Resources/Environment; Food Safety; Nutrition; Education…)

– Focus is on portfolio as a whole (non-EPSCoR + EPSCoR together)

• NIFA’s current administrative budget doesn’t allow targeted EPSCoR program review

If we’ve done our job, for USDA EPSCoR you now know …

• Where it is found• How EPSCoR is managed• The multiple EPSCoR opportunities• How EPSCoR states are calculated & graduation• Strengths• Challenges

THANK YOU…

EPSCoREPSCoR