Success of the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research at gaining legislation and funding presents the state's research institutions with both opportunities and challenges.
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Success of the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research at gaining legislation and funding presents the state's research institutions with both opportunities and challenges. |
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Research Universities Respond to
C-FAR Priorities
 
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The opportunity is to strengthen existing food and agricultural research programs, launch new projects and eventually move in new directions that benefit the food and agricultural sectors of Illinois.
The challenge is to ensure that food and agricultural research programs are responsive to the problems, questions and issues that C-FAR identifies as important for Illinois. Administrators and faculty at the research institutions meet often with C-FAR representatives and attend
C-FAR meetings, including the annual research retreat. In turn, the institutions invite C-FAR members to attend faculty meetings and to serve on external advisory boards, proposal review panels and other committees. This ongoing exchange of perspectives and information helps to shape the annual call for C-FAR proposals and later, the evaluation of submissions.
Last year, the research institutions developed internal competitive grant
programs around research objectives
and subobjectives identified as priority areas by C-FAR in 1995:
Develop and advance technologies to expand markets for agricultural products and employment in the agricultural and food sector in Illinois. • Expand markets for Illinois farm products. • Evaluate the potential for diversifying crop production and development of new products. • Expand value added processes. Promote the economic development and management of agricultural and food systems in rural and urban communities in Illinois. • Increase the competitiveness of food and agricultural industries. • Expand food wholesaling and distribution. • Improve food production and processing systems. Increase the capacity of crop and animal systems to respond to changing world food demands. • Enhance the efficiency of production and marketing systems. • Adapt production and management systems to meet changing regulatory requirements. • Provide for the dietary needs of the growing world population. • Produce, process or manufacture products desired by consumers. Improve the nutrition, food quality, food safety, and health of humans. • Determine nutritional value of various food products, including bio-engineered food products. • Determine the requirements for production, food service, and distribution systems which will ensure safe and high-quality food for consumers. • Develop and test effective methods to modify and improve dietary behavior in the community. • Determine techniques to provide consumers the power to make informed dietary choices. • Determine the nutritional requirements/status at all stages of life in healthy people and of patients with specific diseases. Provide for sustainable development and use of natural and human resources in Illinois. • Develop economic and environmentally responsible food production systems. • Promote sustainable socioeconomic environments in rural communities. • Develop economical methods that will improve utilization of animal and plant production system by-products in an environmentally responsible manner. Deans and directors of research at the four public agricultural institutions expect even more interaction with C-FAR in the coming year as the coalition continues efforts to strengthen the Illinois food and agricultural sector. Key to these efforts are activities of the C-FAR Working Groups. Representing each C-FAR research objective, the Working Groups have a broad charge from the C-FAR Research Committee to invite involvement and solicit input from the public, develop priorities among research needs, and make recommendations to the C-FAR Research Committee.
At the 1996 C-FAR research retreat in March, these groups used information collected over the previous year to suggest refinements to the C-FAR research objectives and focus list. The revised list, along with other signals and directions from C-FAR membership, were used in the new call for proposals at the research institutions this summer.
Information About Participating Universities: |
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