Please share this information with others. Also consider subscribing to the NRI mail server to receive timely notices about the program sent directly to your email address box.

The National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program (NRICGP) is the office in the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) of the USDA charged with funding research on key problems of national and regional importance in biological, environmental, physical, and social sciences relevant to agriculture, food, and the environment on a peer-reviewed, competitive basis. The NRICGP supports a spectrum of research ranging from basic, fundamental questions relevant to agriculture in the broad sense to research that bridges the basic and applied sciences and results in pratical outcomes. Competition is open to scientists at all academic institutions, Federal research agencies, private and industrial organizations, and those individuals qualified but not affiliated with one of the aforementioned organizations.

In Fiscal Year 1997, the NRICGP recieved 2,840 proposals requesting funds totaling over $591 million. Funding was available to support 712 grants totaling $87,315,733, which includes 5 awards totaling $1,000,000 submitted in FY 1996. The success rate was 24 percent (not including conferences or previously obligated funds), and the average grant award for regular research programs (not including conferences or previously obligated funds) was $141,834 with an average duration of 2.6 years.

Included in NRICGP award funding is approximately $16 million in Agricultural Research Enhancement Awards (AREA) in FY 1997. These included Individual Postdoctoral Fellowships, New Investigator Awards, Standard Strengthening Awards (made through the individual research programs) and Strengthening Awards (made through the Strengthening Program and composed of Research Career Enhancement Awards, Equipment Grants, and Seed Grants).

II. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO NRICGP ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS

The National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program (NRICGP) has set up a mail server which will notify subscribers when publications such as its Program Description or Abstracts of Funded Research are available electronically via the CSREES home page on the World Wide Web. Subscribers will not receive the document itself, but instead will receive an e-mail containing the document name, directions for finding it via the CSREES home page, and a URL for locating it directly.

To subscribe:

Send an e-mail message to: majordomo@reeusda.gov In the body of the message, include only the words: "subscribe nri-epubs" (no quotes). If you do not receive an email acknowledgement, contact the NRI at nricgp@reeusda.gov (Note: CompuServe email addresses do not seem to work with this system)

Send an e-mail message to : majordomo@reeusda.gov In the body of the message, include only the words: "unsubscribe nri-epubs" (no quotes)

Please note that this is not a forum. Messages, other than those related to subscription, can not be posted to this address. Individuals wishing to send an question electronically to the NRICGP should send an e-mail message to nricgp@reeusda.gov.

III. NRI COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM ABSTRACTS DATABASE

Database description: The abstracts available on this searchable database are nontechnical abstracts written by the principal investigator of each individual grant, starting with Fiscal Year 1993. Each entry also includes the title, principal investigators, awardee institution, dollar amount, and proposal number for each grant. The first two digits of the proposal number indicate the fiscal year in which the proposal was submitted.

These abstracts are available in printed form by contacting the NRICGP (nricgp@reeusda.gov) or mailing a preprinted address label to:

USDA/NRICGP
Stop 2241
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-2241

The following is the result of a concept search using the key word: "aquaculture". It provides an example of some of the project titles funded over the years since FY 1993. For more details you can retrieve the abstract of each of the following titles by visiting the NRI Abstracts Database site on the www.

NRI CGP #9301537 Genetic Linkage Maps of Aquacultured Catfishes 
NRI CGP #9304151 Economic Efficiency and Sustainability Arguments for
                 Subsidization of Aquaculture 
NRI CGP #9502841 Looking Inside the Black Box: Nutrient Cycling in
                 Estuarine Aquaculture Ponds 
NRI CGP #9703772 High Yield Sustainable Aquaculture 
NRI CGP #9301595 Improvement of Growth by Expression rtGH and
                 Selection in Transgenic Catfish 
NRI CGP #9401429 Steroidogenesis in Catfish: A Molecular and
                 Biochemical Approach 
NRI CGP #9703477 Aquaculture of Amphioxus (Lancelets) 
NRI CGP #9303937 Effect of Feeding Time and Ration Level on Growth of
                 Channel Catfish in Raceways 
NRI CGP #9403321 Buyer Preferences for Fish Products: Assessment of
                 European Markets* 
NRI CGP #9304162 Alternative Nutrient Sources in Practical Diets for
                 Baitfish and Catfish 
NRI CGP #9702646 Can a DNA Vaccine Induce Cutaneous Immunity in Fish?
NRI CGP #9404408 Mapping the Tilapia Genome* 
NRI CGP #9502002 Pathogenic Mechanisms of Renibacterium salmoninarum 
NRI CGP #9603420 Molecular Genetics of Growth and Development in Fish 
NRI CGP #9304136 Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorter: An Instrument to 
                 Support Molecular Biology 
NRI CGP #9502023 Molecular Approaches Toward the Control of
                 Ichthyophthirius Infection. 
NRI CGP #9703490 Development of a Clinical Indicator of Ammonia
                 Toxicosis in Channel Catfish 
NRI CGP #9603459 Production and characterization of trisomic oyster
                 lines for Aquaculture 
NRI CGP #9304027 Vaccination Against Cryptocaryon 
NRI CGP #9301512 Isolation and Characterization of the Sex-Determining
                 Region of Salmonid Fishes* 
NRI CGP #9702403 DNA Vaccines for Salmonid Fishes 
NRI CGP #9303355 Pathogenesis of Retroviral Diseases in Fish 
NRI CGP #9404344 Regulation of Fish Growth and Metabolism:
                 Relationship between Growth and Juvenile/Adult Development 
NRI CGP #9302971 The Genetic Immunization of Salmonid Fish 
NRI CGP #9502192 Cell-mediated Immunity in the Channel Catfish:
                 Response to Virus Infection 
NRI CGP #9304044 Homeobox Genes as Molecular Markers in Penaeus
                 vannamei 
NRI CGP #9503786 The Impact of Fishery Decline on New England Fish
                 Dependent Families and Communities
NRI CGP #9703065 Estrogen Receptor and Gonadal Sex Differentiation:
                 Tests of A Model for Catfish 
NRI CGP #9301878 Regulation of Fish Reproduction: Gonadotropins and
                 Their Receptors 
NRI CGP #9404281 Cryopreservation Techniques for Paddlefish Milt with
                 the Aid of 31P-NMR 
NRI CGP #9702704 Mucus-inducible Genes and Proteins of Vibrio
                 anguillarum as Vaccine Candidates 
NRI CGP #9703702 Management and Intensive Culture of Hybrid Striped
                 Bass Fingerlings 
NRI CGP #9700497 Development and Comparative Immunology Congress 
NRI CGP #9304041 Reproductive Biology of Red Swamp and White River
                 Crawfishes: Aquacultural Considerations 
NRI CGP #9604070 Phytofiltration: A Novel Approach to Water Treatment
                 Using Seedlings 
NRI CGP #9703460 Molecular Imager to Enhance Life Science Research
                 Program at URI 
NRI CGP #9504235 Optimization of Protocols for the Production of
                 All-Female Triploid Brook Trout 
NRI CGP #9502510 Characterization of an Ovulation and Ovarian Specific
                 mRNA from Brook Trout 
NRI CGP #9703648 Dietary Manipulation of Metabolism in Salmon Smolts
NRI CGP #9603275 Physiological Basis of Sex Determination in the
                 Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus 
NRI CGP #9503897 Growth Regulation in a Warm Water Teleost, Tilapia
                 (Oreochromis mossambicus) 
NRI CGP #9303613 In Vitro Characteristics of the Infection of Salmonid
                 Lymphocytes with the Microsporidian Enterocytozoon 
                 salmonis 
NRI CGP #9502559 The 5th International Symposium on Reproductive
                 Physiology of Fish 
NRI CGP #9304037 Immunological Assessment of Hybrid Striped Bass at
                 Three Culture Temperatures 
NRI CGP #9503914 Genetic and Physiological Bases of Hybrid Vigor in
                 Oysters 
NRI CGP #9703656 Endocrine Correlates and Nutritional Constraints on
                 Environmental Adaptation and Growth 
NRI CGP #9502061 Use of DNA Probes to Characterize the Life Cycle of
                 Ceratomyxa shasta 
NRI CGP #9304180 Excretion of Xenobiotics in Bony and Elasmobranch
                 Fishes 
NRI CGP #9703492 Effects of Temperature on the Growth and Metabolism of
                 Larval and Juvenile Atlantic Cod 
NRI CGP #9600509 Nitrogen-Driven Eutrophication of the Neuse River, NC:
                 Phytoplankton Ecophysiological Responses     
NRI CGP #9703657 Regulation of Pituitary Development by the P-Lim
                 Transcription Factor 
NRI CGP #9603165 Dietary Manipulation of Lipid Metabolism in Red Drum,
                 Sciaenops ocellatus. 
NRI CGP #9701538 Relation of Myoglobin Structure and Prooxidant
                 Activities to Fish Meat Quality 
NRI CGP #9602310 Immune Response of Channel Catfish to Live Attenuated
                 and Killed Vaccine Preparations of Edwardsiella 
NRI CGP #9303820 Induction and Evaluation of Mucosal Immunity in Trout
                 Vaccinated with IHNV Antigens 
NRI CGP #9602122 Cryopreservation of Fish Embryos 
NRI CGP #9502748 Reproduction in Teleosts: Growth Factors and Ovarian
                 Maturation 
NRI CGP #9502736 The Hypothalamus-Pituitary Axis During the Onset of
                 Puberty in Striped Bass 
NRI CGP #9404179 Ion Chromatography for Agroecosystem Research 
NRI CGP #9303492 Genetics of Pink Salmon Growth* 
NRI CGP #9404491 Heat Shock Proteins and Osmotic Stress in Salmon* 

IV. HOW TO CORRESPOND WITH NRI AND OBTAIN APPLICATION MATERIALS

The following address provide instructions for corresponding with the NRI. See relevant instructions for obtaining application materials or for submitting a proposal.

Mailing Address:

USDA/CSREES/NRICGP
STOP 2241
1400 Indenpendence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250-2241

Address for Correspondance by Courier:

USDA/CSREES/NRICGP
Room 330 Aerospace Center
901 D Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20024

Phone: (202) 401-5022
Fax: (202) 401-6488
E-mail: nricgp@reeusda.gov

V. APPLICATION SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1) What to submit

An original and 14 copies of the application are requires (except for programs 80.1, 80.2, 80.3, for which an original and 10 copies are required). Due to the heavy volume of proposals that are received each year and the difficulty in identifying proposals submitted in several packages, all copies of each proposal must be mailed in a single package. In addition, please ensure that each copy of the proposal is stapled securely in the upper left-hand corner. DO NOT BIND any of the copies of the proposal, as it will only delay processing.

Every effort should be made to ensure that the proposal contains all pertinent information when originally submitted. Prior to mailing, it is urged that the proposal be compared with the checklist found on the back cover of this booklet.

2) Where to submit

To ensure prompt receipt of submitted proposals, use First Class or Express mail, or a courier service. To be considered for funding in any fiscal year, proposals (an original and 14 copies) must be transmitted by the relevant date indicated in the current fiscal year NRICGP Program Description (as indicated by postmark or date on courier bill of lading). Late proposals will be returned without review. NOTE: Do not submit the proposal to individual program directors and do not submit through your Senator or Congressional Representative. These actions could delay the receipt of the application.

Address for Regular Mail (First Class only):

NRICGP
c/o Proposal Services Unit/OEP/CSREES/USDA
STOP 2245
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-2245
Telephone: (202) 401-5048

Address for Hand-Delivery or Special Mail Services:

NRICGP
c/o Proposal Services Unit
Office of Extramural Programs
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service U.S.
Department of Agriculture Room 303 Aerospace Center 901 D Street
SW Washington, D.C. 20024

Applicants wishing to submit names of potential reviewers or provide information pertinent to the review of their proposal, should do so in a separate letter mailed directly to the program director (see address below). DO NOT ATTACH THIS LETTER TO THE PROPOSAL.

Address for Program Directors (Do not submit proposals to this address):

Program Name or Program Director's Name
USDA/CSREES/NRICGP
STOP 2241
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-2241