In late March, the National Science Foundation announced a partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will consolidate nearly $50 million in funding support for solutions to the critical challenges facing agriculture in developing countries. The project acronym, BREAD, stands for “Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development” and there is a proposal stipulation for “a clear and well-defined connection between the outcomes of the proposed research and its direct relevance and potential application to agriculture in the developing world” that sets BREAD apart from traditional NSF programs. There is also going to be a program focus on research proposals that address “major constraints to the productivity of crops important to smallholder farmers.” It’s anticipated that 10 to 20 grants, ranging up to $6 million, will be funded for FY 2010. Letters of intent are due no later than Aug. 5, and full proposals must be submitted by Sept. 9.
Leave a comment