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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Research News - March 2023

March 6, 2023
Kristin Stanford, Education and Outreach Coordinator at Stone Laboratory, in the field holding snakes

Inside this Issue

  • It's AFRI Season! Learn more about The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) AFRI research, education, and extension grants
  • CFAES GDSU has compiled some helpful resources for investigators that exist on the R&GE website - check them out now
  • Register now for the Research Forum & Poster Competition as part of the 2023 Celebration of Research Week, March 27-31
  • Ohio State jumps 12 spots in national ranking of research universities 

*Due to technical difficulties the PDF version of the Research News is not available for March. The PDF will return for the April 2023 issue. Thank you for your understanding. 


Funding Opportunties 

As funding opportunities are announced we will compile a full list on our website. The web page will be updated periodically as new opportunities are discovered.

  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
    Healthy Eating Research (HER) is a national program committed to building a Culture of Health through identifying effective strategies to improve children’s nutrition and weight. HER’s mission is to support and disseminate research on policy, systems, and environmental strategies that promote healthy eating among children and advance nutrition security and health equity. 
    Concept Paper Deadline: April 5, 2023

  • Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative
    The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) seeks to solve critical organic agriculture issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research, education, and extension activities. The purpose of this program is to fund projects that will enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high quality organic agricultural products. 
    Deadline: April 13, 2023

View All Funding Opportunities


Cows in a barn/green plants growing in a greenhouse/fresh vegetables on a table/a windmill/row crops in a field/a woman selling eggs at a farmer's marketAFRI Season is HERE!

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awards AFRI research, education, and extension grants to improve rural economies, increase food production, stimulate the bioeconomy, mitigate impacts of climate variability, address water availability issues, ensure food safety and security, enhance human nutrition, and train the next generation of the agricultural workforce. AFRI provides funding for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension. supports grants in six AFRI priority areas: 

  • Plant Health and Production and Plant Products 
  • Animal Health and Production and Animal Products 
  • Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health; Bioenergy 
  • Natural Resources, and Environment 
  • Agriculture Systems and Technology 
  • Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities 

AFRI-FAS invests in agricultural production research, education, and extension projects for more sustainable, productive, and economically viable plant and animal production systems. Applications that address climate change, nutrition security, expanding markets for producers, indigenous traditional ecological knowledge, and equity for underserved producers are encouraged. Application deadline is December 29.  

For more information, read the full AFRI-FAS funding opportunity. 

View RFP 

The Office for Research & Graduate Education, CFAES Grant Development Support Unit (GDSU), is available to support investigators in the development of their external research and extension proposals. If you would like to meet with one of our grant specialists to discuss your proposal development needs, please fill out our Request Services form. Additionally, please visit our website at research.cfaes.ohio-state.edu for other grant-related information.  

Request Services Visit Our Website


A chalkboard with a bunch of doodling including a piece of paper and a pencil, a lightbulb, a graph trending upward, a paper with a checkmark in a box, a gear with a person inside, a target with an arrow on the bullseye, and a rocket taking off. A person typing on a laptop sits in front of the blackboard.Resources for Investigators

  • Epa-005 Resources
    The ePA-005 is the University’s proposal pre-approval application used by investigators who are submitting proposals to external sponsors.

  • PI Portal Tip Sheet 
    The PI Portal provides principal investigators and their staff with online access to award financial information.

  • Sponsored Programs Funded Travel Resource
    Expensing travel costs expensed against OSP awards/grants, getting pre-approved and justifying with business purpose description consistent with sponsor regulations 

  • Workday Grant Management Resources
    Follow these steps laid out by GDSU experts, in order, to gain some useful insight into managing your award portfolio

  • Sponsored Project or Gift Guidance 
    This flow chart will help users determine the classification of their external funds 

  • Off-Duty Pay Resources 
    Off Duty Pay is a term used to describe compensation that takes place outside of the "on duty" period, such as over the summer or during breaks


New & Newsworthy

Countries made out of natural materials laid on a grey tableOffice of International Programs in Agriculture 
Did you know that the Office of International Programs in Agriculture (IPA) is housed in CFAES and has existed since 1955? IPA's mission is to support the globalization efforts of CFAES by engaging faculty and students in international research, extension, and learning. By employing the land grant model, they work with international partners to build capacity in sustainable agriculture throughout the world and to increase competitiveness for agricultural stakeholders here at home. What they do: 

  • Lead/assist faculty with proposal writing for global development activities and implement international grants
  • Assist faculty with writing Memoranda of Understanding and other international agreements, ensuring compliance with the Ohio State Office of International Affairs (OIA)
  • Connect international scholars with appropriate Ohio State faculty for short-term training and degree programs funded by the USDA and USAID
  • Assist international students seeking internships in agricultural businesses in the United States through the TOP, and assist Ohio State students with internship placements abroad.
  • Provide support for recruitment efforts for the Peace Corps at Ohio State and within central Ohio

There is always something interesting coming out of IPA, so make sure to check out the latest news on their website. 

Visit IPA Website IPA News 

Research Development & Grant Writing News
We invite you to access the current issue of Research Development and Grant Writing News. The Enterprise for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge | Research Development Office provides access to this subscription-based newsletter for the entire campus community.

Articles of Interest:

  • January 2023 Select List of Humanities, HSS, and Arts Opportunities & News – We list funding opportunities for scholars in the humanities, social sciences and the arts.
  • The Context and Significance of Your Research – The key to funding is convincing your funder that your research will have a significant impact on the funder’s mission and priorities. We discuss how to do that.   

  • Changes to the AFRI Foundational Program 2023 – USDA/NIFA just posted the new AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program RFA. We discuss changes to the program.   

  • Too Much To Say? Strategies to Meet the Page Limit – Getting your project narrative under the page limit is often a struggle. We discuss ways to do that without compromising your message (reprinted from the August 2020 issue). 

  • The Role of Stakeholders in a Competitive Proposal – Many funders expect you to have a strong plan to engage stakeholders. We discuss those expectations (reprinted from the July 2020 issue) 

Read Now

Researcher working in a greenhouse holding a clipboard as he analyzes plants next to the words, "2023 CFAES Celebration of Research Wek, March 27 - 31. You're Invited!" Save the Date for the Research Forum & Poster Competition as part of the 2023 Celebration of Research Week
The CFAES Celebration of Research Week will take place March 27-31. Throughout the week, R&GE will highlight CFAES researchers via our social media platforms and host the 2023 Poster Competitions. The festivities will wrap with an update on the CFAES research enterprise followed by the recognition of the research award winners and the poster competition winners during the Research Forum, formally known as the Annual Research Conference.

Learn More Register to attend the Forum Register to Present

2023 HEMP Growing Season, Applications now available 
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Hemp Program is now accepting applications for hemp cultivation licenses. The application window will be open through March 31, 2023. New applicants and current licensees can apply through the hemp licensing portal on ODA’s website. All current cultivation and non-university research licensees must also complete the annual update form by March 31, 2023. Please contact the Hemp Program at hemp@agri.ohio.gov or at (614) 728-2101 if you have any questions. 

Hemp Licensing Portal Contact Hemp Program

Prior to applying through ODA’s hemp licensing portal, a letter of support will need to be provided by the College. Please contact Lori Kaser.37 for additional details if you are interested and require a letter.  

Contact Us

ODA has updated their Hemp Program website with new, helpful resources. 

ODA Resources CFAES Resources

Ohio State jumps 12 spots in national ranking of research universities 
The Ohio State University’s record-breaking research and development expenditures in 2021 helped boost the university’s standing among research universities nationwide, according to a new survey by the National Science Foundation.

Ohio State is ranked 12th among all universities in overall research expenditures in fiscal year (FY) 2021, an increase of 12 positions from a previous ranking of 24th in FY2020.  The university ranking also increased among public colleges and universities, moving up from 15th in 2020 to 7th in 2021. 

Read More

CFAES Office of Sponsored Programs is Fully Staffed 
We are excited to announce that the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) that provides services for CFAES, is now fully staffed. You will notice the update when viewing your projects in the PI Portal. Below are the department assignments.

As a reminder, when reaching out to your Sponsored Program Officer (SPO), be sure to include in the subject line the award, grant or epa-005 number.

Hot Tip! If you need to quickly find your Sponsored Program Officer (SPO), bookmark this link! 

Find My SPO

James F. Patterson Land-Grant University Lecture 
The James F. Patterson Land-Grant University Lecture honors former Board of Trustees member Jim Patterson and the cause to which he is most committed, a vibrant University fulfilling its land-grant mission in an ever-changing world. The lecture brings to campus annually a prominent figure to speak to the range of challenges facing land-grant institutions in the 21st century and beyond. The lecture challenges the university and community audience to continue to use their knowledge and resources and work together to solve world issues. Mr. Patterson served on the University's Board of Trustees from 1994 - 2003 and served as Chair of the Board 2002-03. Event: April 6, 2023 

Register & Learn More

IDI Wants to Fund Your Research! 

IDI Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant
The IDI Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant is available for interdisciplinary teams working on innovative, well-defined research projects. The purpose of the seed grant program is to help get new projects off the ground, enhancing their competitiveness for extramural funding in the future. The maximum seed grant award amount is $25,000 for a one-year project. Apply by April 3, 2023. 

IDI strongly encourages applicants to express their intent to apply for a seed grant in advance of the application deadline. Please email IDI@osu.edu by March 15th with the following:  

  • Name of PI 

  • Names of co-investigators 

  • Project title 

Contact Chad Rappleye or Katie McAfee with questions.  

Learn More

IDI Trainee Transformative Research Grant
The IDI Trainee Transformative Research Grant is available for small (up to $2,000), trainee-led research projects. The purpose of this grant is to foster new collaboration and increase a project’s impact, ability to be published, and/or potential to lead to novel discoveries. Trainee members include research assistants/associates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, and medical fellows.

Contact John Gunn or Katie McAfee with questions. 

Learn More

Meet the fall 2022 Seed Grant and Trainee Grant Recipients

Seed Grant Recipients Trainee Grant Recipients

Need more Info? Check out the IDI Funding Opportunities Information Session webinar recording. 

View Recording


Recent Awards

Tammy Jones - OSU Extension, $50,000: Social media diversion, Pike County Juvenile Court

Sami Khanal - FABE, $749,939: Closing the cover crop yield gap: Using big data analytics to identify environmental and management factors to maximize cash crop yield and ecosystem services, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Andy Michel - ENT, $552,890: Bottom-up trophic cascades: How a changing climate can shift plant-pest-natural enemy dynamics, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Dominic Petrella - ATI, $137,761: Refining best management practices for nitrogen applications to cool-season turfgrass lawns across Ohio, Ohio Department Of Agriculture

Christopher Simons - FST, $50,000: Exploration of consumer panel for descriptive analysis, Nestec, Ltd.

Eric Toman - SENR, $24,506: Barriers to prescribed fire use by the Department of Defense, Bureau of Land Management

Jon Witter - ATI, $95,600: Drainage water management: Tools for education and outreach, Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District


Events & Opportunities


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