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2006 MGGA Grape Research Program
The Minnesota Grapes Growers Association (MGGA) solicits proposals for research that contributes to the cultivation of grapes in the extremely cold winter and/or cool summer climates that are represented across the state of Minnesota. Topics of interest to the MGGA are:
- Techniques for ripening grapes in extremely cool and short season areas
- Techniques for enhancing vine cold hardiness
- Regulation of bud fruitfulness and fruit set
- Varietal differences in water and nutrient requirements for Minnesota varieties
- Innovative techniques for grape grafting and propagation
- Solutions to Asian Lady Beetle problem
Preparing Your Research Proposal
Proposals shall not exceed five pages and shall be in the following format:
- A cover page showing the title of proposed project, the name, organization and complete contact information of the principle investigator.
- Statement of the problem that your research addresses
What is the “technical nugget” you are going to address or solves?
- Economic benefits to Minnesota viticulture
How will your research findings help to increase the profitability of Minnesota grapegrowing? Be specific. Try to quantify the benefit.
- Technical approach to the research
What is the invention and how will it be tested? What is the experiment and what will be measured? How will the experiment be designed and what methodology will be used to measure your results? Is there a control treatment? We would like to see specifics here.
- Results and Deliverables
What, specifically, will you deliver to the MGGA as a result of your research? At a minimum, please include in your deliverables a short mid-year progress report to the MGGA Research Council and a final report.
- Research Plan
Please describe the major milestones in your project and when you expect them to be attained. Including a project schedule with your proposal would be excellent. These projects are intended for a 12-month period. If you require longer than 12 months to complete your project, please provide a strong justification. Assume that awards will be made in early February 2006.
- Budget
Proposals should include a budget that shows all of the costs for equipment and materials, travel, and labor that will be required to conduct the research project. If you are proposing to share the cost of the research with the MGGA, please make clear which costs you will share. To illustrate, a researcher might plan to provide a portion of the labor hours at no cost to the grant. In this case we would want her to state both the total number of labor hours that are required for the research and the number of hours that actually would be charged to the grant. This is very important. It is the only way reviewers will have to assess whether you have considered all the costs involved in conducting a successful research project and whether the project is really feasible within the proposed budget. Proposals should not exceed $2000 for the 12-month period of the project.
- Qualifications of the investigator
Please describe your qualifications for conducting the proposed research and the qualifications of any other team members.
Proposals longer than five pages will not be considered.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria with the following weightings:
Relevance to Minnesota viticulture (35%)
Technical approach (35%)
Feasibility within the proposed budget (25%)
Qualifications of the investigator (5%)
Proposal Submission and Deadline
We prefer to receive your proposal in electronic form, as Microsoft Word documents or PDF files stored on CD ROM. We will not accept material on floppy disk or other electronic document formats. Electronic documents can be submitted by mail or by email to the Chairperson at the address listed below. If you submit as an email attachment, please place the words MGGA RESEARCH GRANT PROPOSAL in the Subject field of the message. Submit proposals to:
Mark Hart, Chairperson
MGGA Research Program
PO Box 29
Bayfield, WI 54814
markhart@mavo.biz
If you do not have the capability to prepare an electronic document, you may submit a paper one to the above address.
All proposals must be received by the chairperson no later than 15 January, 2006. No late proposals will be accepted. No exceptions.
Review Process
Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of peers appointed by the MGGA. All review and award decisions are final.
Awards
Proposers will be contacted about awards by the end of February 2006.
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