APPENDIX D

Request for Proposals
(Effective December 1, 2022)

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board (CDFA PD/GWSS Board) is currently accepting proposals for research and outreach projects on the following serious pests and diseases of winegrapes:

• Pierce’s disease and its vectors, especially the glassy-winged sharpshooter
• Brown marmorated stink bug
• Grapevine fanleaf disease
• Grapevine leafroll disease
• Grapevine red blotch disease
• Mealybug pests of winegrapes
• Spotted lanternfly.

Proposals are due via electronic submission by January 31, 2023. Grants will be awarded for one to three years, beginning with California state fiscal year 2023-24 (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024). For projects awarded two or three years of funding, receipt of a subsequent year of funding will be contingent upon satisfactory progress being made during the prior year and the continuing relevance and importance of the project’s objectives.

Timeline

• Request for Proposals Released ..................................................December 1, 2022
• Proposals Due..............................................................................January 31, 2023
• Award Notifications............................................................. approx. May 15, 2023
• Start Date for Grants ............................................................................July 1, 2023

Funding

• The CDFA PD/GWSS Board’s Winegrape Pest and Disease Research and Outreach Program is funded by a special assessment paid by the California winegrape industry. Prior awards have ranged from $4,300 per year to $383,000 per year, with projects ranging from one to three years in duration.

General Information

• Funding preference will be given to projects deemed likely to lead to practical solutions to winegrape pest and disease problems in California.
• Multi-disciplinary team projects are encouraged.
• Applicants are responsible for obtaining all governmental permits required for conducting their proposed activities. For more information, please visit the following websites:
  • California research permits: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/permitsandregs.html
  • Federal research permits: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/permits
• Confidential information and materials should not be submitted.
• Periodic progress reports, a comprehensive final report, and a summary final report will be required for each funded project. Funded Project Leaders are expected to attend and report on their progress at the Pierce’s Disease Research Symposium, which is usually held in December either annually or biennially. Information on past and currently-funded projects is available at https://piercesdisease.cdfa.ca.gov/. Applicants are encouraged to review this information to ensure proposed activities represent new ideas or approaches.
• This RFP document is available online at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/pdcp/grants/.

Eligibility

• Any individual or group with expertise in winegrape pest and disease research and/or outreach and has affiliation with a non-profit institution is eligible and encouraged to submit proposals.

Format and Content of Proposals

• See “Proposal Format and Guidelines,” starting on page 4. Applicants at the University of California and the California State University may submit their proposals in the AB 20 Model Agreement Template format (https://www.ucop.edu/research-policy-analysis-coordination/policies-guidance/state-of-california/cma-templates.html).

Definitions of Participant Responsibilities

• Project Leader: The Project Leader is the person with overall responsibility for the conduct of the project and for expenditure of funds. Each project has only one Project Leader.
• Co-Project Leader: A Co-Project Leader is a person who receives support or material of significant value from the project. A project may have more than one Co-Project Leader.
• Cooperator: A Cooperator is a person who provides advice, materials, or data to the project, makes arrangements for advancement of project activities, uses results developed in the project, and/or carries out activities in parallel to the project which are mutually beneficial. A Cooperator does not receive

support or material of significant value from the project. A project may have more than one Cooperator.

Review Process and Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by review panels and/or individual reviewers. In addition, the PD/GWSS Board’s Research Screening Committee will review and make recommendations to the PD/GWSS Board on the funding of proposals. The PD/GWSS Board will then make funding recommendations to the Secretary of CDFA. Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated in the following areas (100 points possible):

• Objectives and Relevance – Are the objectives clearly stated, justified, worthwhile, and reasonable? Are the proposed objectives likely to contribute significantly to solving the problem? Does the proposed project unproductively overlap with other projects? (20 points)
• Activities to Accomplish Objectives – Is the workplan reasonable, feasible, and capable of meeting the stated goals and objectives? For research, is the workplan of good scientific merit? (40 points)
• Project Leader, Co-Project Leaders, and Others – Do they have appropriate backgrounds, expertise, experience, and capabilities for the proposed tasks? Is the team missing any critical capabilities? (10 points)
• Resources and Likelihood of Accomplishing Objectives – Assuming the requested funds are awarded, will the Project Leader and associates have the resources, including facilities, to achieve the objectives? (10 points)
• Project Timetable – Are the milestones appropriate? Are they achievable? (10 points)
• Budget – Is the budget reasonable and appropriate? (10 points)

Due Date for Submissions

• Proposals should be submitted electronically via the internet at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/pdcp/grants, where a link to an application portal will be posted. The submission due date is January 31, 2023. Please do not submit printed copies. Proposals that are incomplete or late may be eliminated from consideration.

Additional Information

• California state law requires that grantees receiving research grants from California state agencies provide for free public access to any publication of a peer-reviewed manuscript describing state-agency-funded knowledge. See California Government Code sections 13989 - 13989.6 for more information.
• California state law requires that any entity that contracts with a state or local entity for the provision of electronic or information technology or for the provision of related services shall agree to respond to, and resolve any

complaint regarding accessibility of, its products or services that is brought to the attention of the entity. See California Government Code section 7405 for more information.

Questions

Questions about this RFP may be directed to the CDFA Pierce’s Disease Control Program at 916-900-5024 or pdresearch@cdfa.ca.gov.

PROPOSAL FORMAT AND GUIDELINES
for submissions to the CDFA PD/GWSS Board

Project Title

Please give the title of the proposal. If this is a continuing project and you are changing the title, please explain why.

Project Leader

Indicate the Project Leader, i.e., the person responsible for overall project management, coordination, and execution. Include institutional affiliation, address, phone number, and e-mail address.

Co-Project Leaders

Please include institutional affiliations, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Indicate the roles of each Co-Project Leader and make sure that each Co- Project Leader is aware of their proposed participation.

Cooperators

Please indicate the roles of each Cooperator, and make sure they are aware of their proposed participation.

Expected Duration of Project

Please indicate the number of years for which funding is requested (three years maximum).

Budget Summary

Please supply the budget total for each year requested. (Note: more information on the proposed budget, including detail and justification, is requested below.)

Keywords

Please supply important keywords that characterize this project.

Project History

Please indicate if this is a new or continuing project. If a continuing project, indicate when it began, the number of years of activity, and the sources of funding. Also, indicate how this project relates to other past, current, and anticipated future projects. Summarize previous work in this area.

Clarification about Progress Reports: Progress reports should not be included as part of your submission. Instead, use the sections titled “Project History” and “Summary” to briefly discuss any previous work on your project that is relevant to the present proposal.

Layperson Summary

Please include a layperson summary of this project.

Objectives of Proposed Project and Path to Application

Please state the aim or broad goal of the proposal, followed by a numbered list of specific objectives. After the specific objectives, provide a summary of the potential impact and relevance of the proposed project. For research projects, describe how the project’s findings will lead to practical applications in California winegrape production and describe the steps that must be taken to achieve field application. Provide an estimate of the timeframe involved. Describe how the overall project and each objective address the fundamental goal of protecting winegrape production in California. Cite relevant literature.

Methodology to Accomplish Objectives

Discuss the methodology for each objective. For research, discuss laboratory experiment or plot design, expected results, statistical analyses, methods to be used, parameters of data collection including sampling methods, and potential pitfalls and limitations. For research that has a field component, discuss site selection and how the field component will help accomplish the stated objectives. Cite relevant literature.

Timetable

Please outline the timeline for the project, indicating start dates, periods of activity, and completion dates for each activity and objective, and for the entire project.

Resources and Likelihood of Accomplishing Objectives

Please summarize how the resources of the Project Leader and associates (i.e., dedicated financial sources, computer facilities, laboratory and field resources, and human resources) and previous work make the proposed work feasible and increase the likelihood for accomplishing the stated objectives. For field studies, Project Leaders conducting field research should indicate who will maintain the field site and include a statement describing how the site will be maintained that demonstrates awareness of good farming practices.

Intellectual Property

Please describe any intellectual property, other than copyrighted publications, that this project is likely to produce, and provide information or a URL describing your institution’s policies for managing intellectual property. In addition, Project Leaders should make reasonable efforts to describe any proprietary technologies, including methodologies, that your project will necessarily use or incorporate and the steps, if any, that may be required in order to use these proprietary technologies for practical field applications of the project’s results.

Literature Cited

Please include a list of literature cited in the proposal. Provide complete citations (authors, year published, full title, journal or book title, and page numbers). Within the proposal, cite references by author and year.

Current, Planned, Pending, and Recent Support

Please use the following format to identify support for your current, planned, pending, and recent projects that have any component related to the proposed project in your submission.

• Provide information on all current, planned, pending, and recent projects, whether or not there is a specific time commitment by a Project Leader or Co-Project Leader. Where there is a time commitment (with or without a salary provision) indicate the percentage of time on an annual basis. If there are no current, planned, or pending projects, please state “NONE.”
• Explain any connections and/or overlaps between existing and/or pending support and this submitted proposal. How will the total support package tie together? If there is overlap, please provide a short narrative describing what activities overlap and the percentage of effort on the proposed project that is to be devoted to the overlapping activities. If no overlap is expected, please state “NONE.”

Related current projects:

Related projects that are planned (within the next six months) or for which funding is pending, and recent (past five years) projects for which funding was received:

Biographical Sketches

Please include a brief biographical sketch for each Project Leader and Co-Project Leader. List up to 15 of their most recent publications (not just those relating to the current project). Maximum of two pages per Project Leader or Co-Project Leader, excluding the list of publications.

Budget Request

• Please present the budget request on a separate page, in the format provided on the following page. Do not put amounts in shaded areas. Provide a narrative explanation and justification of budget items.
• Indirect cost charges should not be included in submitted proposals. Applicants from the University of California and the California State University institutions may refer to this link for more information about the exclusion of indirect costs: https://www.ucop.edu/research-policy-analysis-coordination/policies-guidance/indirect-cost-recovery/indirect-costs-and-agriculture-marketing-boards.html.
• Amounts for student fees, tuition, etc. should not be included unless your organization requires they be included. If such charges are included, please include a statement certifying that these charges are required by your organization.
• CDFA retains the right to claim ownership of any equipment purchased using CDFA PD/GWSS Board funds.
• Services of private subcontractors must be obtained through a competitive bidding process.
• Funded Project Leaders are expected to report on their progress at the Pierce’s Disease Research Symposium, which is usually held in December either annually or biennially in Sacramento or San Diego. Project Leaders are advised to include amounts in their budgets to cover registration charges (about $150 per day x two days) and travel costs to attend the Symposium, next planned for December 2023.
• California state law prohibits paying expenses for travel to or within certain states within the U.S. Please see https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887 for more information, and please do not include travel to or within these states in proposed budgets except to participate in critical activities required for completion of the project objectives, such as for the above-mentioned Symposium.

Notes to Budget Request Format

• Indirect cost charges should not be included in submitted proposals.
• Amounts for student fees, tuition, etc. should not be included unless your organization requires they be included.