Request for Applications: Sun Grant Program Western Region 2024
Sun Grant Program – Western Region
2024 Request for Applications – – Executive Summary
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA funds)
The Sun Grant Program – Western Region (SGW) announces the availability of competitive funds and seeks proposals from qualified institutions and investigators that address the following regional strategic program areas:
- Decentralized and distributed feedstocks and energy systems; efforts will support deployment of commercial scale biomass electrical generation and co-generation efforts and production of biofuels and bioproducts from multiple feedstocks that exploit the economic benefits of complementary aggregation;
- Novel feedstocks for bioenergy, bioproducts, and biofuels from agricultural or forestry residues; and
- Life cycle analysis and sustainability
The SGW has identified the above-named regional priorities from within USDA strategic areas, based upon prior regional priority setting workshops and consultation with regional experts.
SGW seeks proposals with an emphasis on these strategic regional program areas.
In addition to requesting Sun Grant funds, all proposals must include an additional 25% (auditable) in project cost-share (20% of total project cost is required). Indirect costs are limited by USDA to 30% of total federal funds awarded (TFFA or 42.857% applied to total direct costs) or an institution’s negotiated indirect costs rate if a lower overall request. Integration, economics, marketing, policy, education or a combination of these overarching activities may be incorporated in any proposal. Two types of applications are being sought:
Collaborative Proposals: Multi-institutional and multi-functional (research, education and outreach) proposals are sought that address Sun Grant goals and regional priorities. Collaborative proposals may request up to $200,000 in federal funds per year for up to two years.
Single Institution Proposals: Individual investigators, or small teams from a single institution, that address the Sun Grant mission and regional priorities may submit proposals requesting up to $75,000 per year for one to two years.
The mission of the Sun Grant Program is to focus the abilities of the nation’s land grant institutions in partnership with the private sector and federal laboratories to enhance national energy security and independence through the development, distribution and implementation of bio-based energy technologies, to promote bio-based diversification and environmental sustainability of the region’s agriculture, and to promote opportunities for bio-based economic diversification in rural communities.
Full applications are due by January 8, 2024. All application materials must be submitted to the online submission portal.