Overview
The Emergency Citrus Disease Research & Extension (ECDRE) program aims at bringing together the nation’s top scientists to find scientifically sound solutions to the devastating citrus disease, Huanglongbing (HLB), in a financially resilient way. The ECDRE program was preceded by the Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program.
ECDRE Goals and Outcomes
- Combat HLB and its disease complex to continue to be able to farm citrus in a financially resilient way through collaborative approaches and knowledge.
- Transition from component-focused research to deploying research outcomes and conclusions on farms.
- Encourage research teams to bring knowledge together to find grower solutions to combat and prevent HLB infection.
NIFA’s ECDRE program aims to address U.S. citrus industry needs through the promotion of collaboration, open communication, information exchange, and the development of resources that accelerate the application of scientific discoveries and technologies to farm-level solutions for HLB.
The ECDRE program funds projects that integrate research and Extension activities with strong evidence for grower engagement in the project development and implementation. Applicants to ECDRE program are also encouraged to incorporate collaborative approaches across disciplines that harness available knowledge to develop new solutions that can be deployed by growers to manage and prevent HLB infection in the near term.
Project Types
The ECDRE program funds two types of projects:
- Standard Projects (SP): These support targeted problem-solving efforts that are narrower in scope.
- Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAP): These address national-scale efforts by coordinating research and extension efforts across multi-state/multi-institutional teams.
For each funding cycle, priorities for ECDRE are mandated by the Citrus Disease Subcommittee of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board.
Review Process
The ECDRE application review consists of two-stage process. The first review is at the pre-application level by an industry relevancy panel that is made up of US citrus growers. Applications selected by the panel are then invited to submit full applications.
The second review process is by a scientific merit review panel that follows the standard scientific review at NIFA. The final ranking of applications incorporates the results from both the industry relevancy review and the scientific merit review.
Eligibility
Pre-applications for the ECDRE may only be submitted by:
- Federal agencies
- National laboratories
- Colleges and universities
- Research institutions and organizations
- Private organizations or corporations
- State Agricultural Experiment Stations
- Cooperative Extension Services
- Individuals
- Groups consisting of two or more of these entities
