NCR-SARE Announces New Timeline for NCR-SARE Graduate Student Grant Program
NCR-SARE will implement a new timeline for its Graduate Student Grant Program this year (2013 grant cycle). The next Graduate Student Call for Proposals will be issued in March 2013, with proposals due in Late May 2013. Awards will be announced in October 2013.
The decision to change the submission date was made in response to comments from potential grant applicants who indicated that the new timeline would allow first year graduate students to develop a proposal after completing nearly a year of coursework. NCR-SARE Graduate Student Program grant coordinator, Beth Nelson, noted that this timeline is also more in line with the timeline used successfully in the other three SARE regions for this program.
The new timeline for the Graduate Student grants will be:
March Call for Proposals
Late May Proposals Due
August Funding Decisions
October Funds Available to Recipients
NCR-SARE administers each of its grant programs with specific priorities, audiences, and timelines. The focus for all of the NCR-SARE grant programs is on research and education. Funding considerations are made based on how well the applicant articulates the nature of the research and education components of their sustainable agriculture grant proposals.
NCR-SARE’s Administrative Council (AC) members decide which projects will receive SARE funds. A collection of farm and non-farm citizens, the AC includes a diverse mix of agricultural stakeholders in the region. Council members hail from regional farms and ranches, the Cooperative Extension Service, universities, and nonprofit organizations. In addition, regional representatives of the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and NCR agribusinesses, state agencies, and foundations sit at the table to distribute grant money.
For questions or additional information regarding the timeline of the Graduate Student Grant Program, contact Beth Nelson.
Beth Nelson, Ph.D.
Regional Coordinator (Chapter 1) and Director of Research and Education Programs
120 BAE, University of Minnesota
1390 Eckles Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 612-626-4436
Fax: 612-626-3132
Schre002@umn.edu
