[Research] Agency News and Funding Opportunity

Thu Sep 24 16:01:24 PDT 2026

*~~ Please disseminate this information with those *

*researchers and research administrators*

*in your department who may find it noteworthy ~~*

*FY2026 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program*

*Deadline Has Been Extended*

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting
proposals for the 2026 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP). The SCMP
is a federal grant program offered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing
Service. The purpose of the SCMP is to competitively award funds to
projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by
funding collaborative, multi-state projects that address regional or
national level specialty crop issues, including food safety, plant pests
and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and
marketing and promotion. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables,
tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including
floriculture). Additional information about the SCMP, proposal templates,
and a link to register for an informational webinar is available on the CDFA
SCMP website
<https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/http:%2F%2Fwww.cdfa.ca.gov%2FSpecialty_Crop_Competitiveness_Grants%2FSCMP.html%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/010001a0022ae18d-3ef5795f-e1c4-429b-9336-451bf9741a40-000000/WvNuZkRuXlsbC6Sf2cjwAd23pXo8zs_dOpSvd3DEyP8=452>.

All prospective applicants are encouraged to review the 2026 SCMP Notice of
Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
<https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.ams.usda.gov%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fmedia%2FSCMP%2520NOFO%2520Approved%2520Final.pdf%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/010001a0022ae18d-3ef5795f-e1c4-429b-9336-451bf9741a40-000000/N7Frth8cz9Qp2IQ6CXUAu4iMd_XfNbDOGe9hbBd-esQ=452>
on
the USDA, AMS website.

Grant awards will range from $250,000 to $1 million per project, and
projects may last for up to three years. Specialty crop producer
associations and groups, other state agencies, Tribal government entities,
universities, nonprofits, and other stakeholder groups and organizations
are eligible to apply. All SCMP proposals must include at least two
partners (referred to as "multi-state partners") with substantive
involvement in the project, and the multi-state partners must be located in
two different states to qualify for the program.

*IMPORTANT UPDATE**:* The deadline to submit SCMP proposals to California
is 1:59 p.m. PST on *October 16, 2026*.

*Rescission of NSF Policy *

*to Implement a Standard 15% Indirect Cost Rate*

*Notice Number: *NSF 26-025

*Effective Date: *September 1, 2026

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is rescinding its deferred NSF
25-034, *Policy Notice: Implementation of Standard 15% Indirect Cost Rate*
<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsf.gov%2Fpolicies%2Fdocument%2Findirect-cost-rate&data=05%7C02%7Cebusiness%40listserv.nsf.gov%7C09dbdf2ecd2d4807cc0d08df09d0fec7%7C4939bd9435634244904d6e68ffc9b8cf%7C0%7C0%7C639240465378656708%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DVv2BoGtgSa9VZeU%2BpGygqWq0pTXqadpS5Y4vL%2BejPQ%3D&reserved=0>
that was to impose a term and condition implementing a standard 15 percent
indirect cost rate for NSF grants and cooperative agreements awards issued
to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) on or after May 5, 2025.

To ensure compliance and alignment with section 542 of the Commerce,
Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and
Environment Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-74, Division A, Title
V), which now prohibits the limitation of the standard 15% indirect cost
rate, *NSF is updating its Policy Notice and removing the following term
and condition from impacted awards:*

“NSF is temporarily pausing implementation of the NSF Policy Notice:
Implementation of Standard 15% Indirect Cost Rate, NSF 25-034, through June
13, when a hearing is scheduled to occur in the United States District
Court for the District of Massachusetts. New NSF awards issued during this
pause will not implement NSF 25-034 but will include a term applying NSF
25-034 for the entirety of the award upon a court decision permitting
application of the policy.”

NSF will accept and apply the federally negotiated indirect cost rate as
provided in 2 CFR 200.414(c) from all NSF recipients unless otherwise
limited by an NSF notice of funding opportunity.

*Heads Up: NIH Will Be Replacing Letters of Support with *

*Letters of Collaboration to Reduce Administrative Burden*

NIH Notice NOT-OD-26-094
<https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-26-094.html>

With the forthcoming implementation of Forms J in Federal Fiscal Year 2027
(exact date not yet released), NIH will no longer allow Letters of Support.
Instead, NIH will require Letters of Collaboration to document any
collaborative relationships with individuals that are not identified in the
application as senior/key personnel or other significant contributors.
Because senior/key personnel and other significant contributors must
provide biosketches in the application, Letters of Collaboration from them
are unnecessary and burdensome.

Letters of Collaboration will also be used to document other relevant
contributions to the project's success, such as Material Transfer
Agreements.

Letters of collaboration should be limited to stating the intent to
collaborate or provide material support as described in the application *and
should not contain endorsements or additional information about or
evaluations of the proposed project*.

An individual Letter of Collaboration must not exceed 100 words. NIH
encourages applicants to use the following single-sentence format for
Letters of Collaboration:

·        *For all applications except for fellowships*:

"If the application submitted by [Organization Name and with PD/PI Name] as
Program Director/Principal Investigator entitled [Grant Application Title]
is selected for funding by NIH, it is my intent to collaborate and/or
commit resources as detailed in the application."

·        *For fellowship applications*:

"If the fellowship application submitted by [Fellow Name] entitled
[Fellowship Application Title] is selected for funding by NIH, it is my
intent to collaborate and/or commit resources as detailed in the
application."

For training grant applications, applicants will use a separate form to
upload the Institutional Commitment Letter. This process will be described
in the Forms J instructions.

Note: *The specific effective date for implementation of the Letter of
Collaboration requirement has not yet been released*. NIH will revise the
application forms along with instructions to replace "Letters of Support"
with "Letters of Collaboration." NIH will issue further details prior to
implementation.

When Forms J are implemented, applicants should disregard any NOFO-specific
instructions regarding content pertaining to Letters of Support as those
instructions will be superseded by the new guidance. Applications that
continue to include letters of support after the implementation date may be
returned without review.

*IMPACT23 – Office Hours: Kuali Sponsored Programs*

Please join us for the Kuali Sponsored Programs Office Hours which meets on
the *first and third Thursday* of each month from 9 – 9:30 a.m. Here
is the ZOOM
link to attend:
https://ucr.zoom.us/j/91549349837?pwd=7acOMgGLk5bLVMXyHSPMSkHPTo0bhA.1&jst=2
.

*We hope to see you there!*

*Research List-Serv*

Do you know of someone in your department who is not currently registered
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would like to?  If so, please forward their name and email address to
Cynthia Johnson at cynthia.johnson at ucr.edu.
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