Sponsor
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
Program
Ontario Agri-food Research Initiative
Description
The Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative offers funding for research that stimulates innovation to support the growth and competitiveness of Ontario’s agri-food sector, promotes food safety and strengthens rural communities.
Research priorities change every year to address opportunities and challenges facing the agri-food sector and rural communities.
Priorities for the 2020-21 application year are:
- food safety
- plant health and protection
- sustainable production systems
Review the full details of the 2020-2021 research priorities to make sure your proposal is within scope and addresses one or more of the specific research questions.
Eligibility
OMAFRA invites universities and colleges, not-for-profit research institutions, and for-profit and not-for-profit groups/organizations (including agri-food commodity groups), with demonstrated capacity to perform quality research, to submit a Full Proposal. Lead Applicants must be located in Ontario and the proposed research must benefit Ontario's agri-food system and/or rural communities. Researchers outside the province of Ontario may collaborate on research projects.
Project collaborators may include but are not limited to: for-profit entities, not-for-profit entities, government and non-government organizations, universities and colleges, and research institutions.
Note: Researchers who have received funding from OMAFRA but have outstanding required reports are not eligible for funding under this Initiative until OMAFRA has received and approved the outstanding reports.
Funding Availability
Funding Available
Maximum of $150,000 in eligible costs per project (including 25% indirect costs).
Leveraged Funds/Co-Funding (Cash and In-Kind)
OMAFRA strongly encourages applicants to obtain leveraged funds for this Initiative. The Ministry funds demand-driven research that is valued by the end-user and has ready receptors in policy, programs or the marketplace. Both cash and in-kind contributions from Co-Funders qualify as leveraged funds.
Indirect Costs
25%
Project Duration
Up to 19 months - projects must be completed no later than January 31, 2023.
Special Notes
COVID-19
Please note that research activities carried out in the context of COVID-19 need to adhere to the University of Guelph COVID-19 research principles, policies, guidelines and processes as they may be updated from time to time and communicated on the Office of Research web-page.
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
External Deadline | Virtual information session OMAFRA is hosting a virtual information session (webinar) on November 17, 2020 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. In this session, OMAFRA staff will:
Email OMAFRA at research.omafra@ontario.ca to confirm your attendance and receive the webinar details. | |
External Deadline | Please see the important note below in "How To Apply" regarding Intent to submit a Full Proposal, which is due to OMAFRA by December 10, 2020 at 2:00pm. Participation in the Intent process is recommended but not mandatory. | |
Internal Deadline | Please submit your proposal online in the RMS along with an OR-5 Form to research.services@uoguelph.ca. Regarding the early internal deadline, please note the submission deadlines during the December 2020/January 2021 holiday schedule.
| |
External Deadline | Proposal due to OMAFRA. Electronic submission via the RMS system will be completed by the Office of Research Services after administrative review and approval. |
How to Apply
Please review the attached OAFRI_Guide_2020-21 for complete program details.
The Research Management System (RMS) is OMAFRA’s on-line system for managing applications of Ministry-funded research programs and initiatives. Registering and logging into the RMS will take you to your Researcher Workbench where you can access all of the documents you need to understand and apply to this initiative.
Attachment(s)
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 OAFRI_Guide_2020-21 | 285.02 KB |