Internal Competitive Grant Information
Internal competitive grants are open to Washington State University researchers only.
| Program | Purpose | Call for Proposals | Maximum Award Amount (in thousands) | Award Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerging Research Initiative | The program is focused on Washington’s agricultural issues | November | $100 | 2 years |
| Applied Bioenergy (Appendix A) | The Appendix A funds have been directed to research projects coordinated by the WSU Department of Crops and Soils to research projects coordinated by the WSU ARC in the area of energy conversion via anaerobic digestion of dairy wastes (Applied BioEnergy) designed to support Washington State dairy and cattle farmers. | Early Fall | $60 | 2 years |
| Washington Oilseed Cropping Systems (Appendix A) | To catalyze research and extension activities that stimulate and improve oilseed cultivation in Washington as part of the Washington State Biofuels Initiative | Early Fall (odd years) | $60 | 2 years |
| Orville A. Vogel Wheat Research Fund | Emphasis is given to microbiological limitations to yield, affordable yield as they relate to conservation projects, and the development of varieties that further these goals. | Every 3rd year | $150 | 3 years |
| Cider Research | Develop a stronger Washington Cider industry. Addresses current deficiencies in cider fruit or cider production in Washington. | Every 3rd year | $150 | 3 years |
Program Overview
The Washington Legislature began funding the Unified Industry-Based Agriculture Initiative in 2009. The Initiative supports an internal competitive grants program at WSU to address emerging research issues (ERI) facing Washington’s agricultural industries. CAHNRS Office of Research provides these funds to faculty as seed money, with the intent that they will be used to generate preliminary data for individual research programs. It is anticipated that this added support will increase the competitiveness of faculty proposals submitted to outside agencies, and will ultimately be leveraged to resolve the problems that challenge the well-being of the agricultural industry and citizens of Washington state.
CAHNRS Office of Research is particularly interested in funding that will allow faculty to pursue new directions, fill knowledge gaps in discovery research, and enhance our capacity to address significant issues facing Washington agriculture. Proposals that incorporate a newly formed research team or work toward establishing high-risk/high-reward proof-of-concept studies are especially encouraged. The ERI program is NOT designed to supplement currently funded projects or as a substitute for other funding.
2026-2028 Projects
- A workflow combining spatial transcriptome technology and network science to unveil cellular level plant-pathogen interactions.
Cynthia Gleason, Stephen Ficklin - Rapid Soil Quality and Health Assessment Using Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF): Linking Biosolids, Soil, and Plant Systems in Washington Agriculture.
Joao Antonangelo, Surendra Singh, Deidre LaHueichael Phelps, Mehdi Hosseinzadeh - Seekford Implementing Machine Learning to Identify Peripheral Blood Biomarkers Predictive of Pregnancy Success or Failure in Cattle.
Zachary Seekford, Kim Davenport, Cesar Figueiredo - Understanding Parent-Specific Genetic Architecture of Rumen and Liver Tissues and Their Potential Role in Liver Abscess Susceptibility in Beef-on-Dairy Crossbreds in Washington.
Kim Davenport, Addison Carroll
July 2025-2027 Projects
- Sterile Insect Releases via CRISPR for Sustainable Management of Spotted Wing Drosophila.
Louis Nottingham - Does 6PPD-Q, the toxic tire dust compound killing coho salmon, affect plant growth and nutritional properties?
Ani Jayakaran, Karen Sanguinet, Mark Lange - Development of AI-Driven Precision Aquaculture Technology to Improve the Environmental Resilience of Cultured Salmonids.
Michael Phelps and Mehdi Hosseinzadeh
July 2022-2024 Projects
- Integration of High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Multiscale Data for Phenomics Applications.
Sindhuja Sankaran, Mike Pumphrey, Arron Carter, Rebecca McGee - Promote syntrophic association among microbial species through hydrodynamics and deep learning to augment the performance of industrial anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities.
Liang Yu and Pavlo Bohutskyi - Characterization of Stormwater Runoff and its Impact on Soil Quality in Periurban Agricultural Areas: Puget Sound, WA.
Joan Wu
2024-2025 Projects
- Cost-effective Desulfurization Process for Valorizing Bioenergy from Anerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure.
Shulin Chen and Shannon Neibergs - Removing Nutrients from Dairy Wastewater Through High-rate Algae Production.
Shulin Chen and Helmut Kirchhoff - Enhancing Biogas Production via Biochar-associated Anaerobic Digestion: Bridging the Knowledge Gap in Biochar Electron Shuttle Mechanisms.
Manuel Garcia-Perez and Birgitte Ahring - Novel Strategies for Dairy Manure Nutrient Densification.
Manuel Garcia-Perez and Anand Jayakaran - Down from the Tower and Out of the Silos, Extension in Support of Dairy Bioenergy, Nutrient Recovery, and Other Bioproducts.
Georgine Yorgey, Shannon Neibergs, Marcos Marcondes, Hernan Tejeda
2020-2021 Projects
- An Integrated Process for Increased Bioenergy Production and Nutrient Recovery during AD of Dairy Manure.
Birgitte Ahring, Manuel Garcia-Perez - Enhancing Efficiency of Anaerobic Digestion for Cost Reduction. (2020 only)
Shulin Chen and Shannon Neibergs - Engineered Chars for Enhanced Methane Production and Nutrient Recovery from Anaerobic Digestion Effluents.
Manuel Garcia and Birgitte Ahring - Producing Algal Biomass Using Dairy Wastewater Nutrients.
Shulin Chen and Helmut Kirchhoff - Selective Carbonization of CAFOs Manure Solid Fractions for the Production of High Char Yield Enriched in N and P.
Manuel Garcia-Perez, Haiying Tao, Tim Murray - Use of Dairy-Derived Phosphorus as a Sole Phosphorus Source for Alfalfa Production. (2020 only)
Joe Harrison and Steve Norberg - Supporting Communication Between Researchers and External Stakeholders to Improve Appendix A Impact.
Georgine Yorgey - Improving the Potential for Nutrient Recovery to Contribute to Improved Nutrient Export and Nutrient Management by Dairies.
Georgine Yorgey, Deirdre Griffin-LaHue, Kirti Rajagopalan
2024-2025 Projects
- Canola Cropping Systems Research for the Inland Pacific Northwest Wheat-Fallow Region.
Joao Antonangelo and Rich Koenig - Incorporating Oilseeds in Intermediate Rainfed Crop Rotations
Aaron Esser - Winter and Spring Canola Variety Testing
Jesse Ford - Managing Soil Physical Properties for Improving Emergence in Winter Canola
Isaac Madsen and Ian Burke - Incorporating Oilseeds in Intermediate Rainfed Crop Rotations.
Haly Neely - Evaluating Suitability of Pea-Canola Intercropping in Intermediate rainfall zones of eastern Washington.
Shikha Singh, Aaron Esser, and Rich Koenig
Program Overview
The Orville A. Vogel Wheat Research fund was established to support production-oriented wheat research and to encourage basic and applied research directed towards identifying factors that limit the maximum production capability of wheats grown in the Pacific Northwest. Emphasis, as outlined in the Gift Use Agreement, is given to microbiological limitations to yield, affordable yields as they relate to conservation practices, and the development of varieties that further these goals.
CAHNRS Office of Research is particularly interested in providing funding that will allow faculty to pursue new directions or form new collaborations, fill fundamental knowledge gaps that will enhance our capacity to address significant issues facing Pacific Northwest wheat growers, generate preliminary data that will enhance competitiveness for federal funding and/or from corporations that will bring the best science to bear on wheat research. The O.A. Vogel Wheat Research Fund is NOT designed to supplement currently funded projects or as a substitute for other funding.
2025-2027 Projects
- Breeder friendly markers to select for higher falling numbers.
Camille Steber - Harnessing root traits for improved water and nutrient use efficiency in wheat.
Karen Sanguinet - Does sound soil equal sound wheat?
Amber Hauvermale - Genetic variation for nitrogen fixing interactions in wheat.
Maren Friesen
2022-2024 Projects
- Developing Virulence-related KASP Markers for Monitoring Wheat Stripe Rust Pathogen Populations.
Xianming Chen and Tim Murray - Developing tools for improving heat and drought resiliency of spikes.
Andrei Smertenko - Providing a Long-Term Solution Soil Acidity in PNW Wheat Production through Soil Microbial Carbonate Biosynthesis.
Tarah Sullivan, Michael Pumphrey, Karen Sanguinet - Interactions among soil health, wheat genetics and nutrition in acidifying soils in Washington.
Kim Garland Campbell and Tim Paulitz
Program Overview
For state tax purposes, cider above 7.5% alcohol is considered fruit wine and is taxed by the State Liquor Control Board. The resulting ¼ cent per liter is sent to WSU for grape and wine research, but that collected from cider will be separated from that collected from wine to expand our cider industry. Initially, the cider tax allocation wasn’t much, but in the last few years, the category has expanded, and it now averages around $30,000 annually to ARC. We expect to be able to provide approximately $35K annually for cider research and possibly more if funds have accumulated are available for spending. We, therefore, expect to fund at least one, possibly two, proposals for $35K/year for up to three years.
We will prioritize proposals that clearly articulate how their research will address current deficiencies in cider fruit or cider production in Washington. Collaborative research and training of graduate and/or undergraduate students in cider research is also strongly encouraged. Small equipment needs will also be considered.
2025-2027 Projects
- Assessing the costs and benefits of mechanical harvesting in cider apple orchards to enhance fruit supply and farm income resilience.
Suzette Galinato and Carol Miles - Advancing mechanically-assisted harvest technologies to improve cider apple production efficiency.
Matthew Whiting
2020-2022 Projects
- Development and validation of a capillary electrophoresis method for the detection and quantification of free and bound sulfur dioxide species in ciders.
Tom Collins and James Harbertson - Controlling off-odor formation in commercial hard ciders.
Charles Edwards and Brianna Ewing