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Feed the Future Climate Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab Request for Concept Notes

Deadline: October 1st, 2024 04:00 PM EDT

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The anticipated timeline for the proposal process is provided in the following table.

Request for Concept Notes Issued	August 13, 2024
Webinar Announcing Country Priorities and Target Product Profiles	August 29, 2024
Concept Notes Due	October 1, 2024, 3pm CST
Notification of Selected Concept Notes	November 1, 2024
Final Deadline for Submission of Full Proposal	December 16, 2024
Notification of Funded Proposals	January 17, 2025
Hold the Date: anticipated kick-off meeting	TBD June 2025

The CRCIL Program team is ready to assist with additional questions through September 24, 2024 (1 week before the submission data of the Concept Note of October 1, 2024) and can be contacted at crcil@k-state.edu.

While the Management Entity will work to ensure this timeline stays accurate, any adjustments of deadlines will be provided on the CRCIL website and emails to proposers who have registered within the Piestar submission portal. Importantly, deadlines will not be expedited, but depending on the number of submissions, review processes, etc., final deadlines may be amended to ensure that concept note applications have a minimum of 4 weeks and invitations for the full proposal have a minimum of 6 weeks from notification to prepare and submit their applications.

Submission of Concept Note:

Interested applicants must submit a 3-page Concept Note (CN) no later than 3:00 pm Central Time (8:00 pm GMT) on October 1, 2024. Invitations to submit full proposals will be extended after review by the selection committee (estimated to be 30 days after the close of Concept Note submission). Projects are expected to be implemented no later than the 2nd quarter of 2025, with a CRCIL Program Annual Meeting planned in Senegal in early June 2025. All Concept Note proposals should be submitted through the Piestar reporting system at https://tinyurl.com/CRCILRFA by 3:00 pm Central Time (8:00 pm GMT) on October 1, 2024

Concept Note Content:

The total page length of the Concept Note, excluding tentative budget, PI qualifications, reference list, and curriculum vita, is three pages, single-spaced, with one-inch margins, and no smaller than 12-point font. Below is a table describing the Concept Note format, and a provided template can be used for submitters
Note: The Concept Note is a condensed subset of the full proposal application.
**Templates for all of the requested documents are available at the link below
https://www.k-state.edu/crcil/what-we-do/funding-opportunities.html

Concept Note Format
Component	Description
Title Page	Project title; name, title, institution address and Unique Entity ID (UEI, from sam.gov), email address, and phone for lead PI at the lead institution; list of participating members (Co-PIs), timeframe, and funds requested from CRCIL.
Narrative Description* 40%	Background A brief summary of the body of knowledge or past activities that clearly articulates the gap(s) in knowledge and research. Describe recently completed activities and preliminary data/information. Project Justification and Approach The activities proposed or problems being addressed must be clearly stated and the approaches applied are to be clearly described. Rationale and significance should include the specific relationship of the project’s objectives to one or more of the outcomes described in this RFA, as well as to Target Product Profiles prioritized by NARI partners. Staffing and Management Plan Provide the management and staffing plan along with the names of key personnel and areas of expertise. Describe the relevance of key personnel to the project. Describe specific roles for Feed the Future partner country team members, which have been discussed and agreed with them, and for which associated sufficient resources have been allocated. Capacity Strengthening and Cross-cutting Engagement Describe capacity strengthening, knowledge, and data-sharing activities and strategies. Describe how gender will be addressed and other strategies for addressing cross-cutting issues across the project team Expected Impact: Describe the expected impact and how progress towards it will be measured. The product life cycle (PLC) approach should be included that indicates how the project will be developed beyond the life of the grant.
Activity Plan* 20%	Provide a draft timeline of activities over the project's life, a maximum of 42 months (3.5 years, completed by July 31, 2028); this should include significant roles (and associated resources) for the Feed the Future partner country project team members.
References NA%	Provide a list of references used within the technical application
Budget 20%	Provide a tentative budget and activities for the lead institution and all participants who will receive funding (a maximum of two pages).
Qualifications 20%	In one page, provide a description of the qualifications of the PI and Co-PIs and all relevant participants.
Curricula Vitae NA%	Provide a 2-page CV for each PI and Co-PI whose qualifications are described in the proposal

*sections included in the 3-page Concept Note

^§Rubric weightings for each section for Concept Note evaluation

Note: only requested material will be reviewed. Do not attach additional appendices, annexes, or supplementary materials outside of requested documents (References, Budget, Qualification, Curricula Vitae) as they will not be reviewed.

Compliance with USAID Regulations

All successful applicants must comply with all USAID compliances, including branding and marketing, procurement of goods and services, and environmental stewardship.