T he Illinois Food and Agriculture Research Act provides that a minimum of 15 percent of the funds allocated for food and agricultural research be used to fund a competitive grants program administered jointly by the four Illinois research universities with agricultural programs. This External Competitive Grants program is organized around desired practical, quantifiable and achievable objectives in the food and agricultural
sector.
The steering committee developed a call for proposals and evaluated the 1996 project submissions for relevance to the C-FAR mission and objectives; expected impact; soundness from business,
economic, social and environmental perspectives; and capacity of scientists to carry out the research. The committee funded 16 projects with $450,000.
That call for proposals allowed researchers to request funding for two years, with continued funding continent on availability of funds and satisfactory progress. Several of the projects were funded for 1997, leaving about $300,000 available for new projects. With an intent to fund at least 10 new projects this year, the steering committee requested submissions be limited to a maximum of $30,000 per project and focus on food safety, food quality and related environmental issues.
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