Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program

This grant program supports: (1) training students for master's and doctoral degrees in food, agricultural and natural resource sciences; and (2) Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances (IRTA) for eligible USDA NNF beneficiaries. Awards are specifically intended to support traineeship programs that engage outstanding students to pursue and complete their degrees in USDA mission areas. Applicants provide clarity about the philosophy of their graduate training, and relevance to USDA mission sciences, NIFA priorities and national science education policies...

Pursuant to section 1417 of the NARETPA of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3152), and administrative provisions that can be found in 7 CFR 3402 applications may be submitted by:(1) Land-grant institutions (1862, 1890 and 1994 Institutions);(2) Colleges and universities having significant minority enrollments and a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences; and(3) Other colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food, and agricultural sciences.Research foundations maintained by an eligible college or university may submit graduate training proposals under this RFA. Applicants should be institutions that confer a graduate degree in at least one of the TESAs in Part I of this RFA. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award.Awards are made to eligible colleges and universities. Individuals are not eligible to apply for these grants to support their graduate education.Successful applications must select and identify Fellows and award Fellowships within eighteen (18) months of the effective date of a grant. Post-doctoral Fellowships will not be awarded under this grant announcement.• Institutions that fail to meet this deadline will be required to refund monies associated with unawarded Fellowships to NIFA.• Graduate fellowship appointments must be awarded only to registered students who are pursuing full-time study in graduate programs in the TESA and at the degree level supported by the grant.• Applicants may not request partial fellowships.A USDA Fellow at the master’s degree level who maintains satisfactory progress is eligible to receive grant support for a maximum of twenty-four (24) months during a thirty (30) month period. A USDA Fellow at the doctoral degree level who maintains satisfactory progress is eligible to receive grant support for a maximum of thirty-six (36) months within a forty-two (42) month period.It is the intent of this program that Graduate Fellows pursue full-time uninterrupted study or thesis/dissertation research, including time spent pursuing USDA-funded special international study or thesis/dissertation research activities. Graduate Fellows in academic institutions are not entitled to regular annual leave but are entitled to the normal student holidays observed by the institution. The time between academic semesters or quarters is to be utilized as an active part of the grant period. During the period of support, USDA Graduate Fellows, at the discretion of theirinstitutions, may accept additional supplemental employment that would positively contribute to their training or research and would make them eligible for tuition waivers (e.g., full or partial tuition waivers with research or teaching assignments).A Graduate Fellow who finds it necessary to interrupt his/her program of study because of health, personal, or other reasonable non-academic and non-disciplinary cause(s) must be allowed to resume funded study at any time within 6 months of the interruption, provided there is adequate time remaining before the award expires (i.e. within the 30-month total funding period for a master’s Fellow, and 42-month total funding period for a Doctoral Fellow). A Graduate Fellow who finds it necessary to interrupt his/her program of study more than one time cannot exceed 6 total months of cumulative leave without forfeiting NNF eligibility.Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award.

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