A call for proposals is hereby issued for proposals to be prepared jointly by at least one scientist from AAFC and one from Israel and submitted to the AAFC/BARD program according to the guidelines and procedures outlined herewith.
It is intended that at least one joint research project will be funded in each of the following four Priority Domains:
a) Functional Genomics of novel metabolic capability in plants including of apple aroma;
b) Precision Agriculture: application of remote sensing technologies at the farm level including delineation of management zones
c) Food Safety and Quality: Interactions between food ingredients, human pathogens and probiotic elements; the use of DNA microarray for simultaneous detection of food borne pathogens;
d) Animal Science: Physiological and endocrinological aspects of cattle reproduction including biotechnology and robotics;
Proposal Submission Date
September 1, 2005: The title page, including the names of all participants, full address details of all participants and the complete abstract are to be submitted electronically to the BARD office via the on-line submission form on the BARD website (www.bard-isus.com ).
September 15, 2005: Ten hard copies of the proposal and one copy in PDF format on CD rom must arrive at the Israel BARD office. Addresses and phone number of the BARD office appear on the website. www.bard-isus.com
For each 3-year proposal, Israeli collaborators will have access to BARD funding of between 150K to 225K (depending on the proposed research scope, costs and justified budget needs) while Canadian scientists will use AAFC internal funding (for AAFC scientists) and apply for NSERC Special Research Opportunity (SRO) program funding (for university scientists in the natural sciences and engineering) to match their Israeli counterparts. As a result, the total budget originating from the AAFC/BARD program for each 3-year approved project will be between $300,000 to a maximum of $450,000, equally funded by Canada and BARD. While other sources of funding to support the participation of Canadian university researchers are not excluded, such funds will not be matched by AAFC/BARD.
Queries regarding the above material and/or identification of potential Israeli research partners should be addressed to: mary@bard-isus.com . Please indicate AAFC/BARD in the subject line.
Information on AAFC scientists expertise can be found at http://www.agr.gc.ca/res_e.phtml (overall information) and at
http://res2.agr.ca/research-recherche/ann-dir/index_e.html (more specific on scientists' activities).
Information on research at Canadian universities can be found at: http://www.aucc.ca/can_uni/our_universities/index_e.html
http://www.chairs.gc.ca (Chairholders database is searchable by discipline and key words)
Information on researchers and projects funded by NSERC can be found at:
http://www.nserc.gc.ca/programs/result/database.htm
http://www.nserc.gc.ca/partners/chairs_e.asp
Information on BARD can be found at
www.bard-isus.com or by e-mail at bard@bard-isus.com
The AAFC and BARD wish to encourage the participation of Canadian university researchers in research projects carried out under the AAFC/BARD Program. Canadian university researchers may participate as Collaborating Investigators, on a self-funded basis.
Canadian university researchers who wish to participate in the AAFC/BARD Program are encouraged to seek support through the regular programs of granting agencies in Canada, among other sources, or to use existing grants to fund their participation, where appropriate and feasible.
For research that falls within the mandate of NSERC, the Special Research Opportunity program may be a suitable funding mechanism to respond to this collaborative opportunity. Details and contact information are available on the NSERC Web site. http://www.nserc.gc.ca
Proposals to NSERC should be submitted within similar timelines as the AAFC/BARD application and review process, to allow for a parallel review, and should include a letter of support from the PI or CO-PI of the AAFC/BARD project proposal. They should also include a copy the 1-page abstract of the proposal and 2-page CVs of the collaborating scientists (Israeli and AAFC PI and CoPIs) that are required for the proposal prepared for the AAFC/BARC application and review process. Proposals that are favourably reviewed by NSERC would be funded conditional upon a favourable funding decision for the counterpart proposal under the BARD/AAFC review process. Proposals to NSERC must be submitted in accordance with the application procedures, as well as selection criteria, as outlined in NSERC's Program Guide for Professors under the Special Research Opportunity (SRO) Program. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with SRO Program staff prior to submitting an application.
NSERC will not accept applications from researchers who are also seeking support through AAFC internal funding (i.e. with adjunct university status).
Research areas covered by this Call for Proposals may also fall within the mandate of CIHR (see the website).
Canadian university researchers interested in this program should contact their counterparts at AAFC to develop proposals as appropriate.
Guidelines for the preparation and submission of proposals
Proposals sent to the AAFC/BARD program must be submitted by at least one scientist from AAFC and one scientist from Israel.
Principal Investigator (PI): is that person whose name appears first on the cover page of the proposal among the collaborating scientists. The PI is responsible for the submission of scientific reports, notification of changes in the work plan and maintaining contact with the AAFC/BARD program.
Co-Principal Investigator: (CoPI) is that person whose name appears second on the cover page of the proposal. The CoPI is the senior member of the investigating team in the other country.
Collaborating Investigators are all other investigators, if any, who are listed on the cover page and are not PI or CoPI.
Proposals and grants must adhere to policies and regulations as established by the regulatory agencies of the University, State, or Country in which the research is to be conducted. Exchange of GMO materials or exotic species between countries may require special authorization. The signature of the Authorized Officer of the Research Authority indicates to the AAFC/BARD program that these concerns have been met.
Proposal Submission Date
September 1, 2005: The title page, including the names of all participants, full address details of all participants and the complete abstract are to be submitted electronically to the BARD office via the on-line submission form on the BARD website (www.bard-isus.com).
September 15, 2005: Ten hard copies of the proposal and one copy in PDF format on CD rom must arrive at the Israel BARD office. Addresses and phone number of the BARD office appear on the website.
No additions or amendments to the proposal are accepted after the due date of the hard copies.
Signature pages may be submitted separately from the proposal, but one copy must arrive at the BARD office not later than October 1, 2005.
General Format Requirements
Line spacing must be not less than 1.5.
Font size must be at least 12.
The margins should be 3 cm all around.
Each page must be numbered.
Staple the proposal, once only, in the upper left corner. Do not bind.
Photocopies must be legible and of high quality.
Original photographs are recommended for each copy of the proposal.
Technical Requirements Include the following items, with these headings:
1. Cover Pages –Title page, Address Details, Signature page(s). These pages are available from the BARD website (www.bard-isus.com). Clearly indicate at the top of each item:
“Submitted to the AAFC/BARD Program”.
Complete all address information, including telephone, facsimile and e-mail.
2. Table of Contents – include page numbers and section headings.
3. Abstract – do not exceed one page. Abstracts will be used throughout the review process and are the reviewer's initial contact with the proposal. Care should be taken in its preparation. The abstract page should immediately follow the table of contents. Adhere to general format requirements regarding font size, spacing, etc. Include the title of the proposal and names of the PI, CoPI and all Collaborating Investigators, if any, followed by a summary, not exceeding one page. Clearly state the definition of the research problem, objectives, expected contribution to agriculture and proposed methodology.
4. List of Abbreviations used in the proposal.
5. Detailed Description of the Research Plan - Limited to 15 pages. General Format Requirements (above) are rigidly enforced. Include the following items:
-- Statement of the research problem and its general background.
-- Concise outline of specific, feasible research objectives.
-- Hypotheses and their rationale.
-- Preliminary results.
-- Research plan including strategies, procedures and methodologies used in addressing the questions asked. Outline specific experiments to be conducted and a discussion of their potential pitfalls and possible alternatives.
-- Description of the expected results and their anticipated contributions to the agriculture.
-- Description of opportunities for training of students and postdoctoral fellows.
6. Timetable of the Work Plan – describe the division of the research tasks between the participants for each year of the project. A graphic or tabular presentation is recommended.
7. Details of Cooperation – The proposal, prepared jointly by all investigators, should clearly indicate the anticipated cooperative endeavors between the partners, including the work to be done in each location and the responsibility of each collaborator. Explain how the cooperating scientists contribute their expertise to the joint research and whether joint experiments and/or publications are planned. Explain how this proposal will benefit to Canada and Israel. For AAFC scientists, describe how the proposal will help achieve the APF priorities and will align with the departmental activities.
The quality of the cooperation will be scored by reviewers and panels in their evaluation of the proposal. Types of cooperation are defined below. The highest value is given to synergistic cooperation and lowest value to supportive cooperation.
Synergistic: Each scientist contributes a specific expertise, facility, or equipment that the other partner can not contribute and without which the final expectation of hypothesis testing could not be achieved.
Complementary: Each scientist performs essentially the same research using different (biological) systems or methods, thus, widening the scope and strengthening the validity of the results.
Supportive: Collaborators with essentially the same expertise divide the research tasks between the laboratories.
Include all authors, full title, date, journal name, volume and page numbers.
Provide a brief CV. Do not exceed two pages for each investigator. Include a professional biography and academic background.
List recent, relevant publications.
10. Details of the Budget
Budget Summary Table: The summary table is required.
Use the format in appendix 1d, or on the website.
Present separate figures for each participating institution, if relevant. Use additional columns (tables) as necessary.
-- Round annual totals to the nearest $1,000.
-- Round individual budget items to the nearest $100.
Description of the Budget – Present an overall project budget, as well as a separate budget for each institution and year of the grant period. No price increases during the course of the grant will be considered. Take into account anticipated inflationary changes in cost when preparing the budget for subsequent years of research.
Include the following items in the budget description:
1) Personnel services: List the PI and CoPI by name. Individuals who receive all of their salary from sources other than research grants (soft money) are not entitled to receive any fraction of the grant as salary. List support personnel, including students and postdoctoral fellows, or their role in the project.
2) Non-expendable equipment: AAFC/BARD will allow the purchase of unique, specific items of equipment to be used in the supported research and without which the research project cannot be conducted. Large capital expenditures are not included in BARD’s obligations to recipients.
3) Operating expenses: Present operating expenses in general terms, together with a list of estimated costs.
4) Foreign travel: AAFC/BARD fund allows two trips for a multi-year project, one for each country. (One trip is allowed for a single year project). Per diem is allowed in accordance with the terms prevailing in the investigator’s institution.
5) Overhead expenses: may not exceed 20% of total direct costs.
AAFC scientists' budget will detail the expenses that will be covered by internal funding. These expenses can include any costs related to the project except the salary of the PI or CoPI. It is expected that funding provided by AAFC will match any NSERC SRO funding of the Canadian university Collaborating Investigators (when applicable) and the total Canadian contribution will match the total budget request by Israeli scientists from BARD.
Addenda to the proposal
Only cited in press articles in reviewed journals may be attached. Journal name and volume number (where possible), must be specified.
General letters of support are not allowed. Only letters specifically confirming additional materials, facilities, know-how, etc. may be included.
Rights related to intellectual property should be treated according to Section V. f of the MOU (see appendix at end of document). The AAFC/BARD funded research outcomes must be accessible to the public. Nonetheless, the institution’s interests to protect intellectual property rights will be recognized.
The objective of AAFC/BARD program's patent policy is to ensure the protection of patentable findings resulting from research supported by the AAFC/BARD program and to promote their utilization and commercialization for the benefit of society.
Proposals submitted to the AAFC/BARD program will be peer-reviewed by about 5 scientists for each proposal. These will be evaluated simultaneously and independently by parallel panels in Canada and Israel. Panel members (2-4 per panel) in Canada will be appointed by the Chief Scientist, International and panel members in Israel by BARD’s Executive Director. Panel members will participate in the identification of outside (ad-hoc) reviewers to evaluate each proposal. Both the Canada and Israel panels will receive all the reviews.
Both panels discuss each proposal and, based on the ad-hoc reviews and their own professional opinion, grade and prepare a written summary (strengths, weaknesses, and any recommendation) for each proposal. The final step of the panel evaluation is to prioritize all the proposals in the panel. Panels and ad-hoc reviewers consider the following criteria in evaluating proposals:
The scientific and technological merit of the proposal.
The feasibility of the objectives.
The anticipated benefits to agriculture and/or the environment.
The quality of the cooperation between the investigators.
The suitability of the investigators and their facilities.
The requested budget in relation to the research plan.
The AAFC/BARD Joint Advisory Committee (JAC)
The committee will consist of four members, two from each country. AAFC members of this committee are appointed by Chief Scientist, International. The Canadian committee will also include an NSERC representative to facilitate the exchange of review results and the development of a common Canadian list of priority projects. The Israeli members of this committee are appointed by the Executive Director of BARD. The Executive Director of BARD and the Chief Scientist, International are ex officio members of the committee.
Following the panel evaluation, summaries and priority ranking of all proposals in the panels, the JAC receives all material for its discussions and recommendations. These are based upon the evaluations and recommendations of both panels in Canada and Israel, for all the proposals in the submission. The JAC will recommend a prioritized list of proposals for funding. Members of the JAC will communicate by email, conference calls or similar means.
The Executive Director of BARD and the Chief Scientist, International will present the final recommendation of the JAC to the Senior Science Management Team of AAFC and to the Board of Directors of BARD for consideration and final approval.
The Executive Director of BARD and the Chief Scientist, International will notify all applicants and their affiliated research authorities, in writing, of the decisions regarding funding, during the month of February 2006. Favorable decisions indicate the amount and duration of the grant and any conditions of support.
f) "The rights related to intellectual property will be in accordance with the laws of each participating country. The Participants further agree that they should both benefit from intellectual property arising from projects. It is the intent that the future cooperative research under this MOU that involve intellectual property rights will specify that each Participant will own, throughout the world, any intellectual property rights relating to the research results of its employees arising out of research activities undertaken pursuant to this MOU. Ownership of any intellectual property rights resulting from the joint efforts of the employees of the Participants will be determined through negotiation."