NPB Issues Request for Proposals for 2006 PRRS Initiative Research

May 9, 2006 — 

The National Pork Board (NPB) has available $1.9 million in Pork Checkoff funding to continue work on the PRRS Initiative in 2006 and is soliciting research proposals under two funding mechanisms, a Competitive Request for Proposals and a Leverage and Discovery Allocation.

The NPB is focusing its funding on projects which contribute to the overall mission of the PRRS Initiative by sponsoring research projects that are positioned to further the development of solutions to clearly stated objectives. Three Research Objectives have been identified for 2006 funding; PRRSV Vaccination, PRRSV Persistent Infection, and PRRSV Elimination. Flow diagrams illustrating the steps necessary to achieve these objectives can be viewed on the NPB PRRS Initiative website.

Researchers are encouraged to design specific experiments that can provide answers to a particular step in the flow diagram rather than attempting to modify existing research paths to fit into a particular step. Investigators that demonstrate an ability to think logically, build on the strengths of themselves and others within their institution, reach out for collaboration with non-PRRSV researchers, provide foresight into how the information gained from their study can be used by other investigators working on the same objective, and have clearly defined objectives will be rewarded in the review process.

Templates for submission to the Competitive RFP and the Leverage and Discovery Allocation are available on the National Pork Board PRRS Website at http://www.pork.org. Proposals will be limited to 8 pages, not including CVs and cover page. The deadline for submissions is June 12, 2006.