2015-2016Sustainability Call

For Proposals

Guidelines, On-line Application FAQs and Letter of Intent Working Template

Alberta Livestock & Meat Agency Ltd.Ellwood Office Park South

1003 Ellwood Road SWEdmonton Alberta, T6X 0B3

Phone: (780) 638-1699Fax: (780) 638-6495

www.alma.alberta.ca

Table of Contents1.0 GUIDELINES......................................................................................................................... 2

1.1 Purpose................................................................................................................................ 2

1.2 ALMA’s Investment Priority...............................................................................................2

1.3 Background..........................................................................................................................2

1.4 Objectives............................................................................................................................ 3

1.5 In-Scope...............................................................................................................................4

1.6 Out of Scope........................................................................................................................4

1.7 Requirements for Sustainability Proposals...........................................................................4

1.8 Process and Timelines..........................................................................................................5

2.0 GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION........................................................................................5

2.1 Format and Forms................................................................................................................5

2.2 Eligibility.............................................................................................................................5

2.3 Funding Sources.................................................................................................................. 6

2.4 Evaluation Criteria...............................................................................................................6

2.5 Intellectual Property.............................................................................................................6

LETTER OF INTENT- WORKING COPY..................................................................................8

Letter of Intent - Work ing Copy ..............................................................................................9

Research Funding On-line Application System (RFOAS) - FAQ for Applicants........................14

Setting up and Logging into Your Account.............................................................................14

Creating Your Proposal / Editing Your Proposal.....................................................................14

Saving Your Work...................................................................................................................14

Completing the Proposal..........................................................................................................15

Submitting the Proposal...........................................................................................................15

Important Information..............................................................................................................16

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1.0 GUIDELINES

1.1 PurposeThe Sustainability targeted call for proposals focuses on increasing the sustainability of Alberta’s livestock and meat industry by driving positive change in short-term decision making and long-term capacity and knowledge. The aim is to strengthen industry’s social license to operate via full chain coordination, adoption and communication of sustainable agricultural practices.

Within this targeted call, the term “sustainability” is inclusive of environmental health, economic health and socially-responsible production practices. Sustainable farms protect the biodiversity of the lands and foster healthy ecosystems. Healthy and sustainable food systems set a solid foundation for food and agriculture production into the future.

1.2 ALMA’s Investment Priority

ALMA is a catalyst for stimulating new thinking, new ideas and new approaches to enhance the reputation, competitiveness and profitability of Alberta’s livestock and meat industry, and for building relationships among the various stakeholders in the industry. Submissions to the Sustainability call for proposals should target production efficiencies that reduce the environmental footprint of livestock production, reduce antibiotic usage, or enhance animal welfare in order to positively impact the competitiveness of Alberta’s livestock supply chain.

1.3 BackgroundSustainability is a journey of continuous improvement spanning the whole supply chain and better understanding the lifecycle of products and ensuring they are produced responsibly and efficiently. Canada’s agriculture industry is amongst the global leaders in this area and continues to pursue new goals. The Canadian beef industry has come together to create the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and are advancing the definition of sustainability and developing performance indicators to guide the Canadian industry (www.crsb.ca). These steps are providing Canadian context to the principals and criteria for sustainable beef that have been developed by the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (www.grsbeef.org). The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops (CRSC) officially launched in November, 2014 bringing stakeholders together to advance sustainable production practices and outcomes across Canada’s grain sector.

The livestock sector is focused on producing food that has been humanely raised, with reduced use of inputs such as hormones and antibiotics and meeting consumer expectations. The on-farm food safety assurance and animal care programs that the industry have developed outline best management practices and are important programs in conveying the responsibility of livestock production.

The Codes of Practice provide industry with the guidelines for care and handling of animals. They are a science based code that is based on the latest knowledge from recent research but

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also with goals and higher standards in areas and pain mitigation and animal husbandry best practices that require further research to be completed (www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice).

The Dairy Farmers of Canada have made sustainability one of the pillars of their proAction initiative (http://www.dairyfarmers.ca/what-we-do/programs/the-proaction-initiative-on-farm-excellence) and is the follow through of a comprehensive industry life cycle analysis. Through the program dairy farmers have created a framework of various best management practices under one umbrella.

The Egg Farmers of Alberta in February, 2015 released their inaugural Sustainability Report, something they plan on releasing annually. The strategy has three key pillars of healthy birds, healthy eggs and healthy farms & communities.

A year into the journey, Alberta’s cattle and beef industry is also actively involved in the McDonald’s Sustainable Beef pilot project. Canada has many advantages with respect to production of sustainable beef, as is evident from the McDonald’s decision to pilot in Canada. It is important that Alberta continue to maintain leadership in this area.

1.4 ObjectivesThe objective of the 2015-2016 Sustainability call for proposals is to support the development and application of production practices, technology, tools, conceptual research (including proof-of-concept), applied research and pilot studies conducted within a company facility, and/or a public institution. Projects should take a holistic and systems-based approach to advancing sustainability of the meat and livestock industry.

This call for proposals is designed to: Accelerate research that will lead to the introduction of new, innovative and

competitive production systems that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, conserve water and create a sustainable advantage.

Advance the availability of antibiotic alternatives or best management practices that reduce antibiotic use.

Support innovative technologies that enhance sustainability of system management practices in agriculture and its livestock and meat sector.

Address animal welfare and animal pain management through husbandry BMP’s or innovation.

For more information, please view the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency’s Business Plan at ALMA 2014-17 Business Plan or contact an ALMA Program Manager.

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1.5 In-Scope The targeted call for proposals gives priority to projects that deliver:

1. Advancement of best management practices that:a. Reduce GHG emissions or waste in the life cycle of livestock and livestock products,b. Increase carbon sequestration,c. Enhance animal welfare, d. Reduce antibiotic use in animal production, ore. Enhance the biodiversity and optimize land management of areas grazed by cattle.

2. Development of sustainability strategies and tools for livestock production that:a. Develop performance metrics, sustainability scorecards, strategies and plans and best

management practice material for producers,b. Leverage value-chain coordination and reporting, orc. Enable economic evaluation of practices improving the sustainability of livestock

production.

1.6 Out of Scope Scale-up of new technologies beyond pilot studies• Marketing activities• Commercialization activities (ex. patenting, registration) Applied Forage-based projects.

1.7 Requirements for Sustainability Proposals1. Demonstration of a step forward for the industry as it responds to the growing global

demand for measured sustainable production of healthy meat and livestock products. 2. Evidence of collaboration

a. Preference will be given to projects demonstrating collaboration across departments and/or institutions at a provincial, national or international level (if appropriate).

b. Applicants should indicate that the project has secured industry support (cash and/or in-kind). Letters of support should be attached to the full proposal.

3. Description of the economic impact of the project, such as:a. Projects should specify the economic impact, benefit to Alberta and its livestock

industry.b. Economic impact can be derived from:

i. Cost of production,ii. Return on investment,

iii. Alignment to consumer preferences, oriv. Risk analysis.

4. Inclusion of a well-developed technology transfer plan comprising of scientific communications and appropriate extension/industry-oriented activities.

5. Demonstration that projects are transformative, not incremental, in nature. The projects are to be creative and innovative solutions to sustainability issues facing the industry and focused on advancing Alberta’s livestock industry.

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1.8 Process and Timelines1. Grants can be up to 3 years in duration, and should commence by March 1st, 2016.2. Letters of Intent (LOI) are invited from applicants wishing to participate in the program.

Information can be found on the ALMA website under Programs. . Each LOI must be submitted through the on-line system, which can be found at www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA/Account . Applicants who submit LOIs that are of interest will then be invited to submit a full proposal.

3. Applicants may request funding for one of two tiers of projects. Tier I will be for innovative proof-of-concept ideas. The funding request for Tier I proposals will be capped at a total of $150,000 over a maximum of 2 years. Tier II funding requests for larger, multidisciplinary projects will be capped at a total of $500,000 over a maximum of 3 years. Increases in the Full Proposal budget from the LOI budget will not be considered unless accompanied by adequate justification.

4. Timeframe:a. May 7, 2015: Call for Proposals announced.b. June 10, 2015, 4:30 pm: LOIs Due. Late submissions will not be accepted.c. June 23, 2015: Applicants of successful LOIs will be invited to

submit full proposals.d. August 28, 2015, 4:30 pm: Full Proposals Due. Late submissions will not be

accepted.e. December 3, 2015: All applicants notified on or before this date of

funding decisions.

2.0 GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

2.1 Format and FormsThe instructions for using the on-line application system can be found on page 14. An LOI template (Word 2010) is provided at the end of this document for convenience. Once the LOI portion of the process is complete, the full proposal form will be made available only to successful applicants invited to submit a full proposal. All LOI’s must be submitted at www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA/Account. Letters of Support are not required at this point. Please indicate any committee funding under the Budget Commentary section of the LOI. The "Help" link provides the detailed information under each section.

2.2 EligibilityApplicants must be eligible under either Research and Development Terms and Conditions or ALMA's Industry and Market Development Program Terms and Conditions.

In addition to the Eligibility requirements above, there will be a cap on the funding requested for training of students. The maximum amount requested to ALMA for a M.Sc. student will be $21,000/year and for a Ph.D. student it will be $25,000/year. Please note that indirect overhead costs and GST are not eligible expenses.

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Applicants must be prepared to provide documentation outlining the organization’s governance structure if requested.

2.3 Funding SourcesApplicants are encouraged to obtain other sources of financial support for the project from groups, organizations or companies that are likely to benefit from the results of the proposed research and innovation. The application should include details on potential and/or confirmed partners.

ALMA may share the submitted LOI’s with other potentially interested funding agencies if permission to do so is granted by the applicant. Upon submission of the LOI, an email requesting this consent will be automatically generated back to the applicant.

ALMA will require written confirmation of contributors and their investment, whether cash or in-kind contributions, to the research outlined in the full proposal. This confirmation will be required with the submission of the full proposal.

2.4 Evaluation CriteriaApplications received through the Sustainability call for proposals will be evaluated based on their potential to transform the livestock and meat sector and on their demonstrated level of collaboration.

The proposals will be confidentially reviewed by external scientific and/or industrial reviewers, and further reviewed through ALMA’s technical review committees for recommendation of funding. Depending on the amount of funding requested, ALMA’s Programs and Services Committee may also review the proposal for approval of funding.

All approved proposals will enter into an investment agreement with ALMA according to the terms and conditions governing the specific program area in which the proposal was approved. Please consult the ALMA website (www.alma.alberta.ca/Programs) for the specific program terms and conditions.

2.5 Intellectual Property Intellectual property developed and owned by the applicant must be managed by the applicant.

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2.6 Notice of CollectionThe personal information provided through this application process will be used to manage the applications through the 2015-2016 ALMA Sustainability Call. This may require sharing your information confidentiality with external reviewers. This information is collected under the authority of section 33 (c) and 34 (1)(a)(i) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. If you have any questions about the collection and use of this information, please contact the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Road SW, Edmonton AB, T6X 0B3; by telephone 780-638-1699; by fax 780-638-6495.

For questions regarding the Research and Development Program, please contact: Dr. Susan Novak, Executive Director, Strategic InitiativesAlberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd.Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Office Park SouthEdmonton, AB T6X 0B3Phone: 780-638-1924Fax: 780-638-6495susan.novak@almaltd.ca

Mr. Clinton Dobson, Manager, Research and PolicyAlberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd.Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Office Park SouthEdmonton, AB T6X 0B3Phone: 780-638-1690Fax: 780-638-6495clinton.dobson@almaltd.ca

For questions regarding the Industry and Market Development Program, please contact:Mr. Jake Kotowich, Executive Director, Industry InvestmentsAlberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd.Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Office Park SouthEdmonton, AB T6X 0B3Phone: 780-638-1680Fax: 780-638-6495Jake.Kotowich@almaltd.ca

Mr. Cody Cunningham, Senior Manager, Industry InvestmentsAlberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd.3rd Floor, 4920-51 StreetProvincial BuildingRed Deer AB T4N 6K8Phone: 403-340-7089Cody.cunningham@gov.ab.ca

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2015-2016 Sustainability Call for Proposal

LETTER OF INTENT- WORKING COPY

DO NOT submit this document as an application.This document can be used as a working copy for your letter of intent application. The information can then be cut and pasted into the online application form. Applications will be accepted only through the electronic application system at the following link - www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA under the 2015-2016 Sustainability Call for Proposals. Letters of Support are not required at this point. The submission deadline is June 10 at 4:30 pm.

Notice of CollectionThe personal information you provide through this application process will be used to process your application through the 2015-2016 Sustainability Call.  This may require sharing your information confidentiality with external reviewers to assist with the evaluation process.  This information is collected under the authority of section 33 (c) and 34 (1)(a)(i) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act and is protected by the privacy provisions of this Act. If you have any questions about the collection and use of this information, contact the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Road SW, Edmonton AB, T6X 0B3; by telephone 780-638-1699; by fax 780-638-6495.

Contact information regarding Program Information: Clinton Dobson, Research and Policy Senior Manager at 780-638-1690 or Clinton.Dobson@almaltd.ca On-Line Application: Tracy Bowers at 780-614-1486, or Tracy.Bowers@almaltd.ca

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Letter of Intent - Working Copy

SECTION 1 – OVERVIEWThe Sustainability targeted call focuses on increasing the sustainability of Alberta’s livestock and meat industry by driving positive change in short-term decision making and long-term capacity and knowledge. The aim is to strengthen industry’s social license to operate via full chain coordination and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.

The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) supports innovation and development in the area of sustainability. Within this targeted call, the term “sustainability” is inclusive of environmental health, economic health and socially-responsible production practices. Sustainable farms protect the biodiversity of the lands and foster healthy ecosystems. Healthy and sustainable food systems set a solid foundation for food and agriculture production into the future.

For the purpose of co-funding, your LOI may be disclosed to the Funding Consortium members www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca and/or other Alberta based funding agencies.  If you  do not want your LOI disclosed to other funding agencies, email Tracy.Bowers@almaltd.ca. Consent is implied if there is no response. 

LOIs and full proposals are reviewed on an on-going basis. The review process typically takes between 3-4 months from submission of LOI to reach a funding decision by ALMA.  Only a pdf copy of the signature(s) is required.  They can be emailed to Tracy.Bowers@almaltd.ca or by fax 780-638-6495.  All applicants will be notified of the status of their full proposal by email.

The Terms and Conditions for the Research and Development Program can be found here; and all submissions to the Research and Development Program directly or through targeted calls adhere to these Terms and Conditions. Guidelines for the individual targeted calls can be found with the calls themselves.

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SECTION 2 – PROJECT TEAM[Help] Ensure your address information is correct and complete as it will be used for your mailing address.Project Team Leader:Position:Lead Organization: Address:

City: Province/Country:

Postal Code: Phone Number:

Fax Number: E-mail Address:

Degrees Certificates/Diplomas and Institution Received from, including year received

Publications and Patents[Help] Number of refereed papers, relevant patents obtained, conference proceedings, and relevant publications from the last five years.

Other Evident and Productivity[Help] Administrative roles, grants held, awards received, etc.

Co-Investigator(s)[Help] It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure each Co-Investigator is aware that his or her personal information is a part of this application submission. All co-investigators must consent to working on the team prior to submission. Use the grid below to add the first/last/institution name of the team member. Personnel who will be paid out of the grant (e.g., students, post-doctoral fellows, research associates and technicians) should not be listed in this section.Co-Investigator(s) Names(s): Institution / Company

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SECTION 3 - PROJECT DETAILS Project Title: [Help] Provide a clear, descriptive title for the proposed project. The project title MUST remain the same on the Letter of Intent and the Full Proposal Application (unless a change is requested by the lead funder), otherwise the funding application will be automatically rejected. (150 characters including spaces)

Overall Objectives and Key Results[Help] Clearly describe the project objective and key results of the project. Outline the reasons the proposed project is needed and how the project will move industry and its sustainability priorities forward. (Do not exceed 1000 characters including spaces)

Project Description and Scope[Help] Describe the context and the need for the proposed research, as well as, providing a brief overview of the proposed activities, scope and approaches that will be taken. (Do not exceed 3200 characters including spaces)

Benefit to the Industry – Capacity Development and Knowledge Enhancement[Help] Describe how the proposed project supports the differentiation of Alberta’s livestock and meat products and has the potential to create value for Alberta’s livestock industry or the differentiation of Alberta’s livestock and meat industry. Quantify the opportunity and potential market value and relevance of the research, e.g., “Sodium use is a concern of consumers and research has the potential to reduce sodium use by 25%, which would be an important advantage for Alberta’s processed meats manufacturing industry.” (Do not exceed 3200 characters including spaces)

Project Start Date:[Help] Indicate the start date on which the project is anticipated to begin or when expenses are to be incurred. MM/DD/YYYY. This date must not be later than 03/01/2016.

Project Completion Date:[Help] Indicate the end date on which the project expenses are anticipated to be completed. MM/DD/YYYY. This date must not be later than 02/28/2019.

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Funding Request: (please indicate any confirmed Funding)[Help] Government sources include any federal or provincial government funding as well as university contributions. If LOI is successful, applicant will need to identify partners that have been secured or that will be pursued.

a. ALMA:

b. Industry Cash:

c. Industry In-Kind:

d. Other Government Cash:

e. Other Government In-Kind:

Total Project Cost:

Budget Commentary [Help] Provide a detailed description of the project budget and be sure to provide specifics regarding supplies, personnel, travel, equipment, etc. Indicate confirmed funding. Overhead and Taxes (GST, PST and HST) are not eligible expenses. (Do not exceed 3200 characters including spaces) (Do not exceed 3200 characters including spaces)

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PART 3 – SUGGESTED REVIEWERSProvide the names and contact information of four potential reviewers that are independent/non-collaborators that can provide a review from a scientific and/or industry perspective. ALMA reserves the right to choose other reviewers. Under Section 34 of the Freedom of Information and Protection Act (FOIP) reviewers must be aware that their information is being collected and used for the purpose of the external review assessment.

Reviewer #1Name:Position:Institution:Address:Phone Number:Fax Number:Email Address:

Reviewer #2Name:Position:Institution:Address:Phone Number:Fax Number:Email Address:

Reviewer #3Name:Position:Institution:Address:Phone Number:Fax Number:Email Address:

Reviewer #4Name:Position:Institution:Address:Phone Number:Fax Number:Email Address:Please carefully review for accuracy and completeness and then submit your proposal.

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Research Funding On-line Application System (RFOAS) - FAQ for Applicants

https://www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA/Account

Setting up and Logging into Your Account I am a new user, how do I sign up for an account?

To sign up for an account go to https://www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA/Account. Under “New Users” enter your information then click “REGISTER”.

How can I delete my account? If you would like to delete your account, please email Tracy.Bowers@almaltd.ca.

I have an account but forgot my password, how do I find it?Click on “Forgot your password?” enter your email address and a password will be emailed to you.

Creating Your Proposal / Editing Your Proposal To create a NEW proposal (i.e. letter of intent or full proposal), select one of the current

initiatives listed below. The logo of the lead Funding Agency is in front of the initiative name. To access a CURRENT proposal, that requires further work or editing, click on the tab

‘My Proposals’ above. To access a letter-of-intent that has been accepted and a full proposal submission has

been requested, click on the tab ‘My Proposals’. Click on the (?) near the title to see additional information and a further description of

each section of the application.

Saving Your WorkThere are three ways to save the data while filling out the proposal:

Navigate through the footer links (click to the next or previous page of proposal) Navigate through the left links (proposal contents) Click on the ‘Quick Save’ link at the top of the page If you log off or close the webpage without performing one of these three actions, the

information typed into the page will NOT be saved. Because this is a web-based application, it is strongly recommended that you save

your work often. A web-based application will TIME-OUT after a few minutes of inactivity. If this happens you will be prompted to log back into the application, and any unsaved work will be lost.

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Completing the Proposal Please keep your answers for each section brief and to the point. There is a box at the

bottom of each section that counts the number of characters that you have entered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to keep answers within the recommended number of characters for each section.

Proposals exceeding the character count will be arbitrarily TRUNCATED or REJECTED when being reviewed by the Funders.

If you use the MS Word template available on the Funding Consortium website to cut-and-paste your proposal text to the online form, please avoid using symbols and text formatting (bold, italics, etc.) as these will not carry over reliably into the online application.

Please review the online application form for EACH INITIATIVE, the form may vary from the MS Word, Funding Consortium template.

Character count if cutting and pasting from another document. Many of the sections are limited for length of text. If you exceed the character

count in any of the sections, the funders reserve the right to reject your application.

Go to the end of the pasted text, add a space and then the document counter will count the characters.

The online system will provide you with the character count. If you are cutting and pasting from a word document onto the form, you must also manually type a character for the on-line counter to work.

To view the number of characters in a paragraph in MS Word 2007 and 2010 click Review > Word Count. To review the number of characters in Word Version 2003 click Tools > Word Count.

Generally, 3800 characters including spaces is equivalent to 1 page The on-line system will reformat scientific nomenclature which uses subscripts,

superscripts, bold and italic formats to regular text.

Submitting the Proposal When the proposal is complete, click the "Submit" button on the final page to submit the

proposal to the lead Funding Agency. Once your proposal has been submitted, you will receive an automated email reply to

confirm that your proposal has been successfully submitted. Please also check your spam/junk email folder for this message.

If you do not receive an automated message acknowledging submission of your proposal, please contact the lead Funding Agency for the initiative.

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Important Information This web-based application is NOT intended for online collaboration. It is

recommended, that during proposal development you collaborate using other methods and then cut-and-paste the final text into the online application.

The "Help" link provides the detailed information under each section.

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