Details
| Opportunity Name | Sustainable Agriculture Research Initiative |
| Agency | NSERC, SSHRC & Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada |
| Value | $500,000 to $2,000,000/year |
| Indirect Costs | Ineligible |
| Duration | 4 years |
Deadlines
Preparatory Funds application (optional)
| Notify SIRI of intent to apply | As soon as possible |
| Preparatory Funds application due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for full review | 04-23-2023 |
| Preparatory Funds application and fully signed ORS checklist due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for mandatory review | 05-01-2023 |
| Final Preparatory Funds application and fully signed ORS checklist due to SIRI for mandatory review | 05-04-2023 |
| Preparatory Funds application due at agency | 05-08-2023 |
Full application
| Application due to SIRI for full review | 10-25-2023 |
| Application and fully signed ORS checklist due to FSc RO at sciapps@yorku.ca for mandatory review | 11-01-2023 |
| Final application and fully signed ORS checklist due to SIRI for mandatory review | 11-04-2023 |
| Application due at agency | 11-08-2023 |
Objective
This funding opportunity has the following objectives:
- Support fundamental and applied research to develop a technical path to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural sector in a net-zero economy.
- Develop metrics to better understand and report on environment and climate impacts of different production systems and of producers’ efforts in adopting innovative practices.
- Improve ways to transfer science and technology knowledge effectively to the agricultural sector, with a view to accelerate change.
Proposals should focus on developing transformative solutions towards significant reduction of agriculture GHG emissions and propose research required to develop a technical path to a sustainable and resilient sector in a net-zero economy, in research topics such as, but not limited to:
- Identification of practices and technologies to enable the sector to sequester carbon effectively (e.g., nature-based climate solutions or technologies that enhance soil carbon sequestration).
- Alternative input management tools and technologies (e.g., novel pesticides/fertilizers, improved delivery methods, precision agriculture).
- Innovative plant health solutions that reduce the need for added amendments (e.g., biofertilizers, plant gene-editing, nanotechnology).
- Diverse production systems (crop, soil, livestock, grassland and nutrient management systems) that maximize environmental outcomes in future climate change scenarios.
- Development and testing of improved methane and nitrous oxide emission factors, measurement tools and models.
- Fundamental socio-economic and behavioural research towards increased adoption of practices and technologies that support greenhouse gas mitigation in the agriculture and agri-food sector.
- Development of metrics to better understand and report on environment and climate impacts, including biophysical and socio-economic.
Eligibility
Applicants:
- Must apply as a team with two or more co-applicants
- Applicants are encouraged to involve researchers across several universities, colleges and disciplines.
- Applicants and co-applicants must work in a research area supported by NSERC or SSHRC.
- Researchers are limited to one application as the applicant, but can be co-applicant or collaborator on more than one application.
- Applications led by Early Career Researchers will be assessed using the same evaluation criteria, but the merit indicators used for the assessment include provisions for cases where the applicant’s experience in managing projects or mentoring trainees is nascent.
Partner Organizations:
- One partner is required; multiple partners are encouraged.
- The partner organization(s) can be private, public or not-for-profit.
- At least one partner must have a demonstrated ability to exploit research results.
- No cash contribution is required.
- In-kind contributions are mandatory for all partner organizations, and are considered in the merit assessment of the proposal.
- At lease one partner organization needs to be recognized for cost sharing.
How to Apply
Applicants are asked to contact Christina Corre, ccorre@yorku.ca, SIRI specialist, as soon as possible.
York University researchers are reminded that all applications for external research funding, including Letters of Intent, must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Research Services before they are submitted to the granting agency. For internal approval, the application must be accompanied by a completed ORS Checklist, which requires the Dean’s signature. Please send the complete application, with the finalized budget and a completed ORS checklist to sciapps@yorku.ca, five days prior to agency deadline.
ORS is accepting electronic applications – the process is outlined here.