Publication
Call Information: US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Call type: Open, rolling application window
Deadline: Various
Duration: Up to 5-years
DAFM Funding: €350,000 per successful project
DAFM Contact Points:
Aidan Holohan: aidan.holohan@agriculture.gov.ie
John Harrison: john.harrison@agriculture.gov.ie
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture NIFA), within the US Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland (NI) and the
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) comprise the funding partner organisations under the agriculture thematic area of the US-Ireland R&D Partnership.
The Partnership’s broad aim is to promote collaborative and innovative research projects, between researchers and research institutions in the three countries, to create value and co-operation in research and innovation above and beyond individual efforts. Support between various funding partners in the various US-Ireland R&D Partnership initiatives is provided by InterTradeIreland
The agriculture research call under the US-IRL R&D Partnership is embedded as part of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) that is operated and managed by NIFA. The Request for Applications RFA) is issued under the Foundational and Applied Science Program under AFRI.
Joint research proposals from applicants from all three countries are submitted to NIFA. The application is processed and evaluated according to the normal procedures and evaluating criteria of NIFA.
Potential applicants to the AFRI RFA should refer to the RFA resources page for information needed to submit an application to the Foundational and Applied Science program. However please note:
• To be eligible, all proposals submitted to the AFRI RFA under the US-Ireland R&D Partnership must have significant involvement from researchers in all three jurisdictions.
• Research institutions from the RoI and NI involved in the joint application submission to NIFA must obtain a letter of support prior to submission and which should accompany the final joint submission to NIFA. Please see the section “Prior to Submission Section below for further information.
• Applications submitted under the US-Irl R&D Partnership will compete with standalone US-only applications in the six program area priorities of the AFRI RFA.
For research institutions from the RoI and NI, there is a pre-submission requirement to submit a pre-proposal. Please see section below
Successful joint research proposals will be co-funded jointly by NIFA, DAERA and DAFM. ROI-based research performing organisations (RPOs) will be funded by DAFM, while RPOs from NI and the USA will be funded respectively by DAERA and NIFA.
NIFA, DAERA and DAFM support the submission from applicants of a single joint research and technology development application under the US-Irl R&D Partnership in the following twelve research PAPs under the AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program:
| Programme Area Priority in AFRI 2024 RFA | DAFM/DAERA Deadline | AFRI Deadline |
| Pests and Beneficial Species in Agricultural Production Systems (A1112) | 22/08/2024 | 19/09/2024 |
| Animal Nutrition, Growth, and Lactation (A1231) | 11/07/2024 | 08/08/2024 |
| Welfare of Agricultural Animals (A1251) | 11/07/2024 | 08/08/2024 |
| Diseases of Agricultural Animals (A1221) | 11/07/2024 | 08/08/2024 |
| Animal Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics (A1201) | 11/07/2024 | 08/08/2024 |
| Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance Across the Food Chain (A1366) | 22/08/2024 | 19/09/2024 |
| Soil Health (A1401) | 15/08/2024 | 12/09/2024 |
| Sustainable Bioeconomy through Biobased Products (A1414) | 08/08/2024 | 05/09/2024 |
| Sustainable Agroecosystems: Health, Functions, Processes and Management (A1451) | 15/08/2024 | 12/09/2024 |
| Biorefining and Biomanufacturing (A1531) | 05/09/2024 | 03/10/2024 |
| Agricultural Microbiomes in Plant Systems and Natural Resources (A1402) | 05/09/2024 | 03/10/2024 |
| Data Science for Food and Agricultural Systems (DSFAS) (A1541) | 17/10/2024 | 14/11/2024 |
| Inter-Disciplinary Engagement in Animal Systems (IDEAS) (A1261) | 05/09/2024 | 03/10/2024 |
Applicants should refer to the Foundation and Applied Science Program Request for Applications for full details of the priority areas under which applications will be accepted.
Submission Deadlines
Deadlines for the submission of joint research proposals under AFRI are specific to the research area PAP that is relevant to the research proposals.
The submission deadlines are set by NIFA and applicants should regularly consult the NIFA application deadlines for the specific PAPs in conjunction with their US partner.
Prior to Submission
In order to submit an application under the US-Ireland R&D Partnership to the AFRI RFA, both RoI and NI applicants will require letters of support from their national funding agencies.
RoI and NI applicants must submit pre-proposals to their respective funders (DAFM or DAERA as appropriate) no later than 17:00 IST, one month in advance of the AFRI deadline .
Further information on national pre-proposal requirements and the US-Irl R&D Partnership are detailed in the following guidance documents:
DAFM Funding
Applicants from the RoI can apply to the AFRI RFA under the US-Irl R&D Partnership for funding from DAFM for total costs of a research project up to €350,000 for up to five years in duration. Please note the maximum duration must align with AFRI RFA requirement for the respective programme area.
Important Links
• RFA resources page for information needed to submit an application
Previous Projects Funded under the US-Ireland R&D Partnership in Agriculture