The University of Minnesota Graduate School

Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

International Science and Education (ISE) Competitive Grants Program

See the external Funding Opportunities requiring internal coordination website for information regarding the 2010 competition.

Internal Deadline for preproposals: Monday, December 15, 2008

The purpose of CSREES/USDA International Science and Education (ISE) Competitive Grants Program, is to support the internationalization of food, agriculture and related programs at U.S. universities and colleges.  It is intended that ISE will improve the ability of American students, business people, and community members to compete more effectively in the global world of agriculture.  ISE projects are expected to enhance the international content of curricula; ensure that faculty work beyond the U.S. and bring lessons learned back home; promote international research partnerships; enhance the use of application of foreign technologies in the U.S., and strengthen the role that colleges and universities play in maintaining U.S. competitiveness. The ISE offers awards for up to $150,000 over up to four years.

The University of Minnesota may submit no more than two applications for the ISE program as the lead institution and can receive no more than one grant during the current competition.

Complete ISE Program description and requirements are available at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/educationinternationalscience.cfm

Evaluation Criteria:

Preproposals will be evaluated using the criteria stated in Part V, B. (Evaluation Criteria).

Preproposals must include:

    1. Cover Page including Project Director’s name and department, Project title, and Project Summary (250 words)
    2. Project Description (limit 3-5 pages) including
                  a. An introduction with the goals and objectives of the proposed activities
                  b. A description of the project’s overall approach and any propoposed cooperation
                  c. A description of the project’s potential for contributing to internationalization.
       References and one page for supporting figures/illustrations not included in the 3-5 page limit.
    3. A list of all key personnel including their institutions or organizations and a short paragraph for each describing their roles and responsibilities related to the project.
    4. Vitae of the Project Director (PD) and Co-PDs (2 pages each plus relevant publications)
    5. Current and pending support (public and private, including in-house) for PD and Co-PDs
    6. Evidence of support from consultant(s)/collaborator(s) if applicable and available at the time of application. (e.g. letter of support)
    7. Preliminary cumulative budget summary with one paragraph budget justification
    8. If proposal is a resubmission to the ISE program, one paragraph addressing the previous review panel summary along with a copy of the summary.

Preproposals, including letters of collaboration should be submitted electronically via e-mail to facgrant@umn.edu by Monday, December 15, 2008. A committee of faculty members will screen applications and select the two finalists to move forward. Questions about the University’s nomination process should be addressed to the Faculty Grants Office (facgrant@umn.edu) or 612-625-2356.

Please note from the ISE guidelines: "For the purposes of this program, the individual branches of a State university or other system of higher education that are separately accredited as degree-granting institutions are treated as separate institutions, and are therefore eligible for ISE Grants Program awards." Those from coordinate campuses that are interested in the USDA/CSREES/ISE program should contact:
UMD - Timothy Holst, Associate Dean, tholst@d.umn.edu
UMM - Grants Development Office, ummgrnts@morris.umn.edu
UMC - Thomas Baldwin, Sr. Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, tbaldwin@umn.edu

 

 

 

 

From: http://www.grad.umn.edu/faculty-staff/funding/external_sources/programs/USDA-CSREES-ISE/announcement.html on 11/25/2009