Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Request for Pre-Applications (RFPA) | USDA NIFA SCRI 006348

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA SCRI 006348

The Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Request for Pre-Applications (RFPA) is a grant opportunity run by the US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), specifically its Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program (CDRE). It was created to rapidly support projects that protect US citrus production from serious disease and pest threats that are already causing damage and are expected to continue doing so without stronger, coordinated action. The program is grounded in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (H.R. 2642), which gives USDA the authority to fund research and extension work aimed at urgent citrus health problems.

The central focus of the opportunity is addressing citrus diseases and pests that threaten the long-term viability of the citrus industry in the United States. A major emphasis is placed on huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, and the Asian citrus psyllid, the insect vector responsible for spreading the disease. In addition to these headline threats, the scope includes other domestic and invasive diseases and pests that could harm citrus production. In practical terms, the program is designed to fund work that helps detect, manage, reduce, or prevent the spread and impacts of these problems, with the expectation that funded efforts will contribute to protecting yields, tree health, and the economic stability of citrus-growing regions.

Beyond research alone, the opportunity strongly emphasizes extension and applied outcomes. That means projects are expected not only to generate new knowledge, but also to translate it into usable tools and practices for growers, industry stakeholders, and the broader citrus supply chain. The RFPA highlights technical assistance and development activities alongside research, reflecting an interest in real-world adoption rather than purely academic results. Another key goal is the dissemination and commercialization of useful information, techniques, and technologies. This includes moving promising results out of labs and field trials and into operational use, whether through outreach, training, decision-support tools, best-practice guidance, or pathways that help innovations reach the market and become widely implemented.

This announcement is specifically a request for pre-applications, meaning applicants are first asked to submit an initial, shorter proposal for consideration before being invited to submit a full application (the details of the two-step process are typically spelled out in the full RFPA package). The intent of a pre-application step is usually to screen for fit, urgency, and overall technical direction so that the agency can focus full proposal invitations on the most relevant and competitive concepts.

Eligibility is broad but defined. Pre-applications may be submitted only by federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations or corporations, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, Cooperative Extension Services, and individuals or groups made up of two or more of any of these eligible entities. That structure encourages collaboration across research, extension, and industry, which is often necessary when tackling complex problems like HLB that involve pathogen biology, vector management, farm practices, economics, and technology transfer.

Key administrative details from the listing include the funding opportunity number USDA NIFA SCRI 006348 and CFDA number 10.309, with the activity category listed as Agriculture. The instrument type is a grant and the opportunity is marked as mandatory within the listing's classification. The original closing date for pre-applications was November 3, 2017, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of April 11, 2017. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, which typically means applicants would need to consult the full RFPA document for budget limits, project periods, cost-share requirements (if any), and other funding parameters.

Overall, this RFPA is aimed at accelerating coordinated, practical research and extension efforts that can blunt the near-term and long-term impacts of devastating citrus diseases and invasive pests, while also making sure that the resulting solutions are communicated effectively and, where appropriate, commercialized so they can be deployed at scale across the US citrus industry.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Request for Pre-Applications (RFPA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.309.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-04-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-11-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA SCRI 006348

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