SLU EkoForsk announces research funding for 2014–2016

Projects must contribute to the development of a more sustainable production with respect to environment, animal welfare, resource management, yields and productivity. Projects should support improved profitability and competitiveness in primary production and have clear relevance to the organic industry.

The application consists of two stages; the deadline for proposals is June 17 and those who go on to the second round shall submit a complete application latest at 25 October 2013.

SLU EkoForsk prioritizes projects that lead to:

• a land use that provides good soil fertility, improved nutrient management and low losses
• an improved ability to combat weeds, diseases and pests
• an improved utilization of local resources for production of high quality feed and food
• an animal husbandry that leads to good animal welfare and healthy animals
• use of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency and reduced climate impact

Achieving greater knowledge in these areas is important regardless of the choice of production processes and equipment, thus promoting sustainability throughout the agricultural sector. Also the document 'Research Agenda for Organic Agriculture 2013' developed by EPOK, provides guidance for selection of research topics.

The research supported by SLU EkoForsk must be of high scientific quality and generate scientific papers and advisory material.

Projects can be running in one, two or three years, with scheduled start during the spring of 2014.

Funds are granted only to projects where an SLU department has primary responsibility, but collaborations with other stakeholders, nationally and internationally, are welcome. The main applicant must have a doctoral degree.

Application is made in two steps, the first step is done via email.

Step 1. Project title, a summary of no more than 300 words, project responsible person and department affiliation, a brief literature review, hypothesis and a rough description of the method and costs (including overhead costs). The full project proposal includes a total maximum of two A4 pages in Swedish (12pt font) that is sent in the form of an attached Word document to Ekoforsk@slu.se, no later than 17 June 2013.

The submitted project ideas are assessed and ranked by an evaluation panel regarding industrial relevance, methodology and scientific quality.

Step 2. In early September, the responsible persons for selected project ideas will be asked to submit full applications at latest October 25, comprising five A4 pages, CV and list of publications.

These applications are reviewed and prioritized by two researchers per application and then a evaluation panel makes the selection of projects. The Vice-Chancellor is expected to make a final decision on the allocation of funds during February 2014, provided the government allocates expected funding, an order which is expected in December 2013.