November 15, 1999                                

C-FAR seeks proposals for food and agricultural research 

The Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) anticipates more than $2 million will be available through its FY2001 External Competitive Grants Program.  This program is open to researchers at any nonprofit institution, organization or agency in Illinois.

Principal investigators must have experience in a food and/or agriculture-related discipline.  Proposals are due January 18, 2000.  The members of C-FARís five working groups will review proposals and make recommendations for funding.  Grants are expected to be announced around April 10, 2000.

C-FAR supports research that is meaningful and beneficial to the food and agriculture industry and to consumers.  C-FAR has five research objectives, and each funded project must align with one of these objectives.  The objectives are: 1) Identify technologies and expand markets for agricultural products, 2) Develop alternative systems for food and agriculture that facilitate economic vitality for rural and urban communities, 3) Increase capacity to address changing world food and agricultural demands, 4) Enable consumers to make informed choices from the food supply, and 5) Foster sustainable use of natural resources.  In addition, researchers are encouraged to review research priorities as determined by the C-FAR membership via a survey this past spring and summer.  The survey results are on the C-FAR website. 

For more detailed information about the C-FAR External Competitive Grants Program, including the selection criteria and an application, please see the C-FAR web site at www.ag.uiuc.edu/~c-far, visit the External Competitive Grants page directly at www.ag.uiuc.edu/~c-far/research/rfp2001/welcome.html or call the C-FAR office at (217) 244-4232.

C-FAR is a statewide coalition organized to support relevant, high-quality research and related outreach programs for Illinoisí food and agricultural systems.

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