The objective of this track is to foster the development of new directions, pioneering concepts, and novel solutions that address critical challenges in the agricultural sciences. A core requirement is that the research must yield clear and practical benefits for both participating nations.

Priority Areas

• While BARD will continue to fund agriculturally relevant and scientifically meritorious work in all disciplines of agriculture, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Board of Directors have determined the following areas as priority areas for the coming years:
  • Improved efficiency of agricultural production, including sustainable development and engineering, enhancing nutritional value, efficient use of resources & agricultural waste, economic evaluation of policies, regulation, and labor; use of functional genomics & proteomics to protect and produce traits supporting increased crop yield and genetic optimization in animals, focus on heterosis opportunities & consequences.
  • Plant, animal, and agricultural environment defense, including pest and host genetics, invasive species & emerging diseases, early stress detection and rapid point of care methods, development of safe and bio-secure biological, physical, & chemical control measures.
  • Agricultural production challenges in increased marginal conditions, including climate disorder & abiotic stress factors such as drought, salinity, high temperatures, nutrient, and soil stress.
  • Food quality, safety, and security, including improved assessment and detection methods, nutritive value and post-harvest treatment, reduction of food loss & waste, enhanced supply chain quality and technologies, functional foods, development of alternative quality protein sources including plants, fungi, algae, insects, & tissue.
  • Soil & water, quality, and quantity, including efficient use of low-quality water (grey, black, saline), improved economic return for water in agriculture, crop response to soil & water quality & their constituents, impact of nutrients and agricultural chemicals on water quality.
  • Agricultural engineering/Precision agriculture, including sensors, instrumentation, & control systems; robotics and artificial intelligence; mechanization for improving labor efficiency; biological engineering, biotechnology, nanotechnology.
  • Sustainable agri-environmental management, including sustainable ag-based energy systems for reduced energy costs, bioconversion technologies, agricultural feedstock, controlled environment and urban agriculture, renewable resources and ecosystem services, circular bioeconomy, reducing agricultural waste.

Funding Information

• This year (2025) there will be only one funding track within the main BARD Research Grant: The Pioneer Track - maximum requested amount is $600,000 for a three-year award.
• The maximum amount that can be requested for a one-year feasibility study is $180,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Affiliates of public or private non-profit research institutions that demonstrate the necessary research and development capabilities are eligible for funding. Proposals must be submitted through such legally constituted institutions.
• BARD Postdoctoral Fellows:
  • For one year following the conclusion of the BARD fellowship, recipients are not eligible to submit a BARD research proposal either as the principal investigator (PI) or as co-principal investigator (Co-PI) affiliated with an institution in the mentor's country. Fellows are eligible to submit as a PI or Co-PI only if affiliated with an institution in their own home country, or as collaborating investigators (requesting less than $40,000 per year) with affiliation from either country.
• Investigators:
  • Principal Investigator (PI) is the person whose name appears first on the cover page of the proposal. The PI is mutually agreed upon by the cooperating scientists and is responsible for the submission of scientific reports, administration of the grant, notification of changes in the work plan and maintaining contact with BARD. The affiliated institution of the PI becomes the Principal Institution and signs a research agreement with BARD.
  • Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) is the person whose name appears second on the cover page of the proposal. The Co-PI is the senior member ofthe investigating team in the other country.
  • Collaborating Investigators are all other investigators, in either country, who are listed on the cover page.
  • Early Career Scientists (no more than 5 years from the end of postdoc training or first institutional appointment) should indicate so in the appropriate place on the proposal Cover Page.
• Concurrent Funding Policy:
  • BARD will not fund concurrent projects to any given investigator. This restriction applies only to PIs and Co-PIs, and to Collaborating Investigators who request more than $40,000/year of the research budget.

Application Requirements

• Prepare each document/item separately as Word document and then upload each item as a PDF file. Format requirements:
  • English, line spacing of 1.5, font equivalent to 12.
  • Allow at least 3 cm for header and footer for each page, and 2.5 cm on both sides.
  • Do not number the pages! This will be done automatically following the upload of your PDF files.

For more information, visit BARD.