AAES Internal Funding & Grants
The Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) and Agricultural Research Enhancement & Seed Funding Program (ARES) are federal and state-funded grant programs.
AAES offers excellent internal grant support that allows our scientists to develop critical research while being provided the knowledge and funding help essential to future success. AAES grant support covers a range of resources available including but not limited to; easier grant writing, funding opportunities, competitive grant programs, external grant mentoring, RFA’s, SEED, multi-state travel costs, lab equipment, technology, labor, Production Agriculture Research (PAR), and other necessary resources.
INTENT & PURPOSE OF FUNDS
AAES funds have been established to enable researchers to conduct innovative fundamental and applied (mission-oriented) research that supports the advancement of Alabama’s agriculture and forestry industries. The overarching goal for AAES funding is to facilitate improvements in the quality of life, health, and well-being of citizens and communities (including schools and workplaces) of Alabama and beyond.
AAES program funding opens each year during mid to late Spring. This is followed by the release of a formal RFA application form and supporting on-campus informational presentations. Interested faculty can select from one of three funding initiatives.
- Agricultural Research Enhancement, Exploration and Development (AgR-SEED): 2-yr., $50,000 max.
- Production Agricultural Research (PAR): 2-yr., $50,000 max.
- AAES Equipment Funding Program (Equipment): Range – $5,000 to $50,000 dollars. (NOTE: This program requires a 50% cost share.)
Additional Requirements:
- The Principal Investigator and Co-PI (s) MUST have an AAES appointment, an approved Hatch project (or pending approval), or serve as Auburn’s Official Station Representative for a Hatch/Multistate project.
- Investigators can serve as Lead P.I or Co-I
If Successfully Selected for an AAES Grant Award:
- Recipients must submit at least (1) external funding request (i.e., federal grant) during the first 12-month period of their award.
- Submit a 12-month progress report at the end of Year One, and a project completion report at the end of Year Two.
Finally, faculty who successfully receive an AgR-SEED, PAR, or Equipment grant are not eligible to submit again to this program for the next 3-years.
Competitive Funding Programs
AAES Agriculture Research Enhancement & SEED Funding Program (ARES)
AAES researchers conduct innovative fundamental and applied (mission-oriented) research that supports the advancement of Alabama’s agriculture and forestry industries, for the purpose of improving quality of life and well-being of citizens and communities of Alabama and beyond. Research conducted by AAES faculty focus on the following four priority areas:
- Plant Production and Management Systems
- Food Animal Systems
- Integrated Food and Human Health Systems
- Sustainable Ecosystems and Renewable Resource Management
The AAES Agriculture Research Enhancement and Seed (ARES) grant funding program is designed to strengthen agriculturally-related research and infrastructure at Auburn University by providing seed funding for innovative research ideas and collaborations in the above listed four research priority areas.
Refer to the RFA for more information about eligibility, requirements, deadlines, evaluation, and procedures.
AAES Production Agriculture Research Funding Program (PAR)
The purpose of the AAES Production Agriculture Research (PAR) grant funding program is to provide funds to conduct research that address critical needs relevant to Alabama agriculture. Proposals submitted for the PAR program must address stakeholder-identified agricultural production issues and challenges in Alabama with the ultimate goal of development or implementation of immediate or near-term solutions. Specifically, successful proposals must have the following components:
- Address a problem that is relevant to Alabama agriculture (including forestry and related industries). Proposals must demonstrate stakeholder involvement and focus on the development or implementation of immediate or near-term solutions to the problem. Stakeholder involvement can be demonstrated through letters of support from stakeholder group(s), participation of stakeholders in the project, or at least one explicit citation that documents the specific stakeholder-identified needs addressed by the proposed project. Note that the project title and summary should be written in plain, non-technical language.
- Address the means by which proposed activities will enhance commodity specific or overall Alabama agriculture.
- Outline long term benefits to Alabama agriculture.
- Include a demonstration/outreach component.
- Provide metrics to measure and report anticipated outputs and outcomes/impact of the project.
- “Outcomes” are defined as measurable and documented changes in knowledge, action or condition as a result of the project.
- “Impact” is a sustainable societal, environmental, and/or economic change affecting people.
For more information on examples of project outputs, outcomes and impact, please review the AAES Hatch Reporting Workshop.
- Include plans for dissemination of information to relevant Alabama agriculture groups.
Refer to the RFA for more information about eligibility, requirements, deadlines, evaluation, and procedures.
AAES EQUIPMENT FUNDING PROGRAM
The AAES Equipment Funding Program is designed to improve AAES research infrastructure and facilities by providing seed funding to acquire high priority equipment or instrumentation.
Please read the equipment proposals section of the RFA for more information.
Note that fixed farm equipment and machineries are not eligible for this program.
Multistate Travel Grant Program
Purpose
The Multistate Travel Grant Program provides funding for travel to multistate project meetings. Award decisions are made by the Associate Dean for Research/AAES Assistant Director based on the availability of funds.
Eligibility
All tenure-track or tenured faculty members who are official participants of an approved multistate project. Priority will be given to those who chair a multistate project, make presentations, develop collaborations, or network for extramural grant applications.
Award
Due to a limited pool of funds, the dollar limit for the Multistate Travel Grant Program is $1,000 per request. Upon approval or disapproval, an e-mail response will be sent to the applicant and copied to applicant’s associate dean or department head/chair and the AAES Business Office.
Payment Procedure
Your department is responsible for preparing the reimbursement request and routing it through the AAES Business Office, 110 Comer Hall. For questions related to your reimbursement, please contact Misty Glazier at 334-844-3237 or mmb0003@auburn.edu.
Please submit this application that will be routed by e-mail to the Associate Dean for Research/AAES Associate Director, or your department head/chair, and the COA/AAES Business Office.
AAES GRant Proposal Review Requests
Purpose
The AAES Pre-submission Proposal Review Program (PPRP) provides scientific grant review support to PIs submitting extramural research grants to major funding agencies. Support offered by COA’s Research Office is limited to contacting/securing volunteer reviewers on your behalf. External reviewers are used on a volunteer basis only.