Call for Proposals: The AAFC/BARD Program (Canada-Israel)

["Neale, Kelley" <Kelley.Neale@usask.ca>]

Title: Call for Proposals: The AAFC/BARD Program (Canada-Israel)

 
Science and Engineering Research Canada (NSERC) would like to inform you of an Opportunity for Collaborative Research in Agriculture with Israel that may be of interest to you or colleagues in the fields of agriculture-related science or engineering.

Call for Proposals: The AAFC/BARD Program (Canada-Israel)

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the government of Israel have developed a framework to support a limited number of collaborative research projects in areas of mutual interest, identified following a two-day workshop involving researchers and officials from both countries. AAFC and Israel’s Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) have issued a joint Call inviting proposals prepared by at least one scientist from AAFC and at least one scientist from Israel. NSERC, AAFC and BARD encourage the participation of Canadian university researchers as Collaborating Investigators in these projects, on a self-funded basis (i.e., funded outside the AAFC/BARD Program).

The deadline for submitting proposals to the AAFC/BARD Program is September 1, 2005.  Results will be announced in February 2006. Parallel proposals to NSERC should be submitted within similar timelines.

It is intended that at least one joint research project be funded in each of the following four priority domains through the AAFC/BARD Program:

a)   Functional Genomics: functional genomics of apple aroma or functional
genomics of novel metabolic capability in plants (bioprospecting);

b)   Precision Agriculture: application of remote sensing technologies at
the farm level and delineation of management zones;

c)   Food Safety and Quality: interactions between food ingredients, human
pathogens and probiotics, or, the use of DNA microarrays for simultaneous detection of food-borne pathogens;

d)   Animal Science: physiological and endocrinological aspects of cattle
reproduction coupled with robotics and biotechnology.

For research that falls within the mandate of NSERC, the Special Research Opportunity program (SRO) is NSERC’s primary instrument to support Canadian university researchers’ timely participation in such international research collaborations. NSERC has not reserved funds for applications related to the AAFC-BARD Program; however, funding is available on a competitive basis within the regular budget of the SRO program (annual budget of $10 million).

NSERC has collaborated with the AAFC-BARD Program in the development of their Call to help ensure compatible timelines and criteria for the parallel application and review process and to ensure NSERC SRO funding can be matched on the Israeli side by BARD. More information about NSERC’s SRO program is available at: http://www.nserc.ca/professors_e.asp?nav=profnav

<http://www.nserc.ca/professors_e.asp?nav=profnav&lbi=a4> &lbi=a4

The details and deadlines of the RFP, including some guidance for the participation and funding of Canadian university researchers, are available at http://www.bard-isus.com/ (see Auxiliary Programs)

University researchers wishing to apply to NSERC’s SRO program, in response to this announcement, should take note of the following:

*       NSERC reserves the right to share information in your SRO
application and/or in external referee reports of your application with review committees of partner funding agencies - the AAFC and BARD;

*       Information on AAFC scientists’ expertise can be found at
http://www.agr.gc.ca/res_e.phtml (overall information) and at

http://res2.agr.ca/research-recherche/ann-dir/index_e.html (more specific on scientists' activities);

*       Research priorities of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial
governments’Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) can be found at http://www.agr.gc.ca/cb/apf/index_e.php.

Denis Leclerc
Manager, Policy & International Relations CRSNG / NSERC Tél. : (613) 992-3445 Téléc. / FAX : (613) 947-5645 Courriel / E-Mail : Denis.Leclerc@crsng.ca