Request for 2015 Research Proposals— DUE Feb. 28, 2015

(New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association)   The New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association is requesting proposals for 2015 soybean research and education. Proposals must be received no later than 4 pm on February 28, 2015 at:
NYCSGA
PO Box 605
Sackets Harbor, NY 13685 or
Email: Julia@nycornsoy.com
Emailed proposals formatted as a PDF are encouraged and should be sent to Julia Robbins, Julia@nycornsoy.com .
Funding decisions are expected to be made on or around March 30, 2015. Typical awards are expected to be $10,000 per project or less. NYCGSA reserves the right to negotiate award/contract funding with successful applicants.
The available funds for 2015 research and education projects will be awarded with funds collected from NYCSGA’s Soybean checkoff assessments, and will be based on actual and anticipated collection of checkoff assessments received in New York State.
Eligible researchers/ investigators may include scientists from colleges and universities or agri-businesses, cooperative extension agents, independent consultants and farmers. Collaboration between academic institutions, businesses and farmers is encouraged.
Please use the following format for your proposal:
1.   Project title
2.   Investigator(s) name, contact information, and affiliation (contact information should include, phone, address, email).
3.   Specific research or education objectives
4.   Brief discussion of the expected benefits of the research or education to soybean producers.
5. Identify the goal(s) of the project, and list the “key performance indicators” that will be used to measure the success of the project. *
6.   Concise description of the experimental or educational approach with procedures to be used, and explanation of how the proposed research or education relates to any past research or showing that no previous research has been done (reference key research publications as appropriate).
7.   Detailed line-item budget including any other sources (current or pending) of funding for this same research. Attach supporting data for any proposed expenditures in excess of $10,000. Principal investigator or educator salary and non-expendable equipment are not eligible for funding. NYCSGA will not pay overhead and direct costs.
8.   Brief description of investigator or educator qualifications for the proposed research.
9.   Signature of authorized representative & date.*A set of quantifiable measures used to gauge or compare performance in terms of meeting strategic and operational goals.
Note: If on farm field trials or other farmer engagement is part of the research proposal, then please include letters of collaboration from participating farmers.
While NYCSGA will consider multi-year proposals, funding awards/ contracts will only be made for one year at a time given that the Board’s source of funds varies by annual soybean sales and checkoff assessment collections. This also allows the Board to consider the effectiveness of any previous research or education expenditures on the proposed or similar research projects and of the researcher on this or other projects. Payments of research grant awards will be made as follows: 40 % when project is approved and contract is returned to NYCSGA, 40% upon submission of progress report, and 10% upon submission of final report.
The following is a summary of New York’s highest priority soybean-related research needs. We encourage you to consider this list as guidance when submitting your proposals. All proposals must clearly show the benefits for soybean farmers.
2015 New York State Soybean Research & Education Priorities:

*These are NYCSGA’s top priorities in 2015. NYCSGA has developed descriptions for these projects. Researchers interested in pursuing these projects should consult the project description developed by and available through NYCSGA and submit a proposal in full, as described on page 1.
Remember - this is not an exclusive list. If you have an idea for a project that is not listed here but has the potential to benefit New York soybean farmers, you are invited to enter a full proposal.
New in 2015: Applicants will be required to present their proposal for funding to the NYCSGA Research Committee on March 25 at Monroe Tractor in Henrietta, NY. Applicants should prepare a 10-15 minute presentation. More information TBD.
NYCSGA will require that researchers or educators who are successful in receiving NYCSGA funding for their work will acknowledge NYCSGA and soybean checkoff support in any publication reporting findings of the NYCSGA sponsored research. Projects awarded funding by the New York Soybean Checkoff must demonstrate adirect benefit to soybean farmers. In addition, NYCSGA requires electronic copies of the final research reports, any publications of the findings, and a research abstract, all of which NYCSGA may use in describing the project and its findings in any NYCSGA publication or the website. READ MORE