FY23 FULL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
Application for Funding Cover Page (See Link Below)
The proposal must contain a completed “Application for Funding Cover Page,” which will be the first page of the application. In completing this form, please note the following:
Title of Proposal (Block 6). The title of the project proposal must be brief (85-character maximum) yet represent the major thrust of the project. Because this title will be used to provide information to those who may not be familiar with the proposed project, highly technical words or phraseology should be avoided where possible. In addition, phrases such as “investigation of” or “research on” should not be used.
Principal Investigator/Co-Investigators (Block 10). List the name of the proposing principal investigator in block 10a. All other participating scientists should be listed as co-investigators in b-f. The co-investigators should be limited to those required for major scientific collaboration.
Research Area (Block 13). Designate with an “X” one Research Area whose description and priorities your project is designed to address. Research Areas can be accessed in the 5-Year Action Plan on the NPMTI Website at AgPMT.org. New Research Areas should be specified in “other”.
Research Area Specific Research Priorities (Block 14). Your Project Proposal should be constructed to address one or more research priority of the Research Area designated in Block 13. List the relevant Research Priority(s) in this block.
Body of Proposal (See Link Below) – This section is presented as a narrative. Each proposed research project must contain:
- Statement of Work (SOW), is the second page of the project proposal. The SOW is the project summary, which should not exceed 400 words. The SOW should include a description of the activity to be undertaken and focus on the following (all four bullets below must be addressed):
- Overall project goal(s)
- Project Objectives (list in numbered format) and Expected Outcomes;
- Plans to accomplish project goal(s) within period of proposed work; and
- Statement of Mutual Interest (i.e., how will stakeholders/end-users benefit from this research).
The SOW should be concise and focused; specific details of the experimental design, materials, and methods, etc., should be elaborated on in the Project Description.
- Project Description provides a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and must include:
- Research Objectives for the period of the proposed work and expected significance;
- Relation to longer-term goals of the PI’s project;
- Relation to the present state of knowledge in the field, and
- Relation to work in progress by the PI elsewhere.
The Project Description should outline the general plan of work, including the broad design of activities to be undertaken, and, where appropriate, provide a clear description of experimental methods and procedures, and plans for preservation, documentation, and sharing of data, samples, physical collections, curriculum materials, and other related research and education products.
Brevity will assist reviewers and NPMTI Networking & Facilitation Office (NFO) staff in dealing effectively with proposals. Therefore, the written text of the Project Description must be five pages or less (single spaced or equivalent); ten pages or less in total including figures and tables.
Format using Times New Roman, 12 point or higher, black colored font with one-inch margins. Bold formatting should only be used for section headings or used minimally to emphasize importance or significance. Digital images inserted into the Project Description must only be included within the page limits (10 pages total). The maximum size of images to be included should be approximately 1200 x 1500 pixels using 256 colors. Figures must be readable as printed on an 8.5″ x 11″ page at normal (100%) scale. Conformance to the format requirements will be strictly enforced.
- Collaborative or Sub-contractual Arrangements – If the nature of the proposed project requires collaboration or contractual arrangements with other research scientists, corporations, organizations, agencies, etc., the applicant must identify the collaborator(s) and provide a detailed explanation of the nature of the collaboration. A letter of collaboration (may be in the form of an e-mail) from all collaborators must be provided as an addendum to this document to assure reviewers that collaborators or sub-contractors involved have agreed to render the indicated services. The letter of intent must include specific details describing the services the collaborator will provide.
- References to Project Description – All references cited in this document should be included in bibliographic format. Although there is no established page limitation for the references, this section must include bibliographic citations only and must not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the project description.
Budget Requests (See Link Below)
Please complete the “FY23 Budget Summary, Budget Justification & Cooperator Contribution” forms by following the instructions on each form. For all line-item categories and subcategories where funds are being requested, descriptive details must be provided that justify the amount requested.
Tuition Remission: For PI’s currently funded under a Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (NACA), tuition remission is NOT allowed.
Indirect Cost (IDC) Rate Policy: NPMTI is funded through a Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (NACA), which does not provide indirect costs to ARS scientists and PI’s at State Cooperative Institutions as defined in 7 U.S.C. 3103(18). Based on the terms of a NACA, the official negotiated Indirect Cost is not to exceed 10% of the total Direct Cost if the Cooperator is a Non-profit Organization.
The 10% Indirect Cost (IDC) rate should be calculated on the Modified Total Direct Costs of your proposal, which is described as follows: Modified total direct costs, consisting of all salaries and wages, fringe benefits, materials, supplies, services, travel, and subgrants and subcontracts up to the first $25,000 of each subgrant or subcontract (regardless of the period covered by the subgrant or subcontract). Modified total direct costs shall exclude equipment, capital expenditures, participant support costs, student tuition remission, rental costs of off-site facilities, scholarships, and fellowships as well as the portion of each subgrant and subcontract in excess of $25,000.
The NPMTI review process focuses on the competitiveness of total projects costs (i.e., direct and indirect) to maximize total funding used for research.
NOTE: Indirect Costs are not applicable to ARS Scientists and PI’s currently funded under a Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (NACA).
Small Business Innovated Research (SBIR) Fee: In the event your proposed research is recommended for funding, the SBIR Fee will be assessed prior to the award made by USDA-ARS. The SBIR fee is mandated by Congress under Public Law 112-81, Subtitle A, SEC. 5102 (a) (1) (I) in support of the Small Business Act. The current rate for the SBIR fee is 3.65%.
This fee is charged only to projects that are funded through a grant agreement or a NACA with USDA-ARS (i.e., not applicable to ARS PIs). The budget guidance provided by NPMTI Networking & Facilitation Office (NFO), is a net dollar amount that has already accounted for the SBIR fee.
Based upon the terms of a NACA, all Cooperators must contribute 20% by way of in-kind/cost sharing. The Cooperator Contribution form details how the PI will meet this obligation. See instructions on the form.
Proposal Support Document #1: Curriculum Vitae and Publication List (CV/Pubs)
Maximum 2 pages for CV/Pubs per Scientist. There is no formal form for this requirement.
To assist peer reviewers in assessing the competence and experience of the proposed project staff, all personnel who will be involved in the proposed project must be identified clearly. The items listed below should be included for all personnel (PI, Co-Investigators, and secondary scientists [i.e., post docs, etc.]) who are expected to work on the project in a significant fashion (e.g., expectation of co-authorship on ensuing publications), whether or not funds are sought for this support:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV). The CV should be limited to a presentation of academic and research credentials, e.g., educational, employment and professional history, and honors and awards. Unless pertinent to the project, do not include meetings attended, seminars given, or personal data such as birth date, marital status, or community activities.
- Publication List (Pubs). A chronological list of all publications in refereed journals during the past five years, including those in press, should be provided for each professional project member for whom a Curriculum Vitae is provided. Non-refereed technical publications that have relevance to the proposed project may be included.
- The CV/Pubs combined must not exceed two pages per scientist. CV/Pubs List for collaborators or sub-contractors is not required.
- Submission Instructions: PIs and Co-PIs are responsible for submitting their own CV/Pubs to the NFO. CV/Pubs for all secondary scientists should be included in the PI’s file. The CV/Pubs will only need to be emailed to administrator@agpmt.orgone time whether or not the investigator is connected to multiple proposals. File must be submitted to the NFO by February 28, 2023.
Proposal Support Document #2: Current and Pending Support (CPS) Form (See Link Below)
The current CPS form for the FY23 RFP has been circulated. It is also available on the NPMTI website at www.AgPMT.org.
All project proposals must contain completed Current and Pending Support Forms for PI and all Co-PIs listing other current public or private support to which key personnel identified in the proposal have committed portions of their time, whether or not salary support for person(s) involved is included in the budget. Analogous information must be provided for any pending proposals that are being considered by or that will be submitted in the near future, to other possible sponsors, including other USDA Programs or agencies and the NPMTI. Concurrent submission of identical or similar proposals to the other possible sponsors will not prejudice proposal review or evaluation by NPMTI for this purpose. However, a project proposal that duplicates or overlaps substantially with a proposal already reviewed and funded (or to be funded) by another organization or agency will not be recommended under this program. The third column (“Requested/Award Amount”) on the “Current and Pending Support Page” has been divided into two sub-columns: Total $ Amount and PI $ Allocation. For each grant/proposal listed, include both the total (“Total $ Amount”) and the amount you have or may receive (“PI $ Allocation”).
Submission Instructions: PIs and Co-PIs are responsible for uploading their own Current and Pending Support Form to the NFO. The CPS Form will only need to be emailed to administrator@agpmt.org one time whether or not the investigator is connected to multiple proposals. The CPS form must be converted to PDF format before emailing to administrator@agpmt.org by February 28, 2023.
Submission Deadlines:
Body of Proposal – February 14, 2023
Support Documents – February 28, 2023
Checklist of Required Items for Full Individual Project Proposals
Body of Proposal:
- Application for Funding Cover Page
- Full Proposal, including:
- Project Summary (should not exceed 400 words)
- Project Description (five pages or less written text; ten pages or less in total including figures and tables)
- References to Project Description
- Facilities and Equipment
- Description of Collaborative Arrangements
- Letters of Intent from each collaborator and/or Co-PI – include as an addendum
- Budget Page (e-signature required)
- Budget Justification Forms (details required for all sections and subsections where funds are being requested)
Proposal Support Document #1: Curriculum Vitae and Publication List (PI and Co-PIs)
Proposal Support Document #2: Current and Pending Support Form (PI and Co-PIs)