Washington, DC
March 30, 2009
The
National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced a nearly
$50 million partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
to support innovative, solutions to critical agricultural
challenges in developing countries. Each organization will
provide $24 million over five years to support a competitive
awards program for science research projects that address
drought, pests, disease and other serious problems facing small
farmers and their families who rely on their crops for their
food and income.
The award program will be called BREAD--Basic Research to Enable
Agricultural Development--and will support a competitive award
program for science research projects that develop innovative
approaches and technologies to boost agricultural productivity
in developing countries.
"This partnership enables NSF to seek breakthroughs and advances
by funding international scientific partnerships aimed at
addressing global farming problems such as drought, diseases,
poor soil quality, the need for improved germplasm and for new
technologies and production practices appropriate to small-scale
farmers," said James Collins, NSF assistant director for
biological sciences. "We are delighted to collaborate with the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who have shown real commitment
and leadership in addressing the challenges facing farmers in
developing countries, and in identifying researchers in these
countries who might collaborate in these research efforts."
The NSF will manage the program using its peer-review process in
consultation with the Gates Foundation. NSF funds will be used
to support research carried out in eligible U.S. academic
institutions, such as non-profit research organizations,
including museums, research laboratories and professional
societies. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's funds will be
used to support eligible international partners via sub-awards
from the U.S. awardees.
"This partnership with NSF is an exciting opportunity to tap
into the most innovative, transformative ideas the global
scientific community can offer", said Rob Horsch, deputy
director of the agricultural development initiative at the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation. "We believe the time is right to
increase our investments in scientific research with the
potential to create new pathways out of poverty for the millions
of smallholder farmers in the developing world who support their
families on less than $1U.S. a day."
BREAD Program solicitations will be non-prescriptive, inviting a
broad scope of applications. A solicitation for funding
proposals under the BREAD program will be available in early
June on the BREAD Web site, which will be accessible through
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5338&org=BIO.
The site will include more details about the program, such as a
Dear Colleague letter from Collins and information about
outreach workshops that will be webcast.
"This is a unique opportunity to promote international
collaborations among scientists from the U.S. and those in
developed and developing world countries. We aim to challenge
members of the global scientific community to come together to
think about how their own areas of research expertise might be
applied to the myriad of problems facing global agriculture
today," said Deborah Delmer, the newly appointed BREAD program
director at NSF.
"What's truly special about the BREAD program is that it allows
NSF to be involved in international research in a new way," said
Jane Silverthorne, deputy director for NSF's biological
infrastructure division. "The partnership is a great marriage
between NSF's peer review process and the Gates Foundation's
knowledge of the global science marketplace."
This funding program is part of the Gates Foundation's
Agricultural Development initiative, which is working with a
wide range of partners in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to
provide millions of small farmers in the developing world with
tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their
incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their
families. The foundation is working to strengthen the entire
agricultural value chain-from seeds and soil to farm management
and market access--so that progress against hunger and poverty
is sustainable over the long term.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent
federal agency that supports fundamental research and education
across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual
budget of $6.06 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through
grants to over 1,900 universities and institutions. Each year,
NSF receives about 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and
makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400
million in professional and service contracts yearly. |
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