Signatures can be scanned and emailed or faxed to the funding organization. Only the applicant and their organizations’ signatures will be required at the time of submission of full proposal. Those of team members and their respective organizations can follow. Upon receipt, proposals will be reviewed for completeness and may be rejected at the sole discretion of AFC members. The lead funder will notify applicants if their proposal is incomplete and request the completed information by a specific date. Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed further. The proposals will be reviewed for scientific, technical or innovative excellence, relevance and applicability to the AFC member’s priorities . Proposals will be sent for external review to scientific, business and/or industrial experts, as appropriate. Reviewers will sign non-disclosure agreements and will have to declare all potential conflicts of interest. They will evaluate each proposal taking into consideration the criteria that will be provided to them by the AFC members (see Section 3.6). 3. Eligibility The Applicant(s) must meet the following eligibility criteria established by the AFC member organizations, for their Application to be considered. 3.1 Eligible Applicants The research and innovation team may be comprised of researchers from the following types of organizations: Provincial governments; Federal research agencies (including Crown research organizations); Non-profit research institutions; Academic institutions, including universities, colleges, and technical schools; Industry associations serving the agriculture, food and beverage industry; Existing or prospective companies and supply chains that can increase the value and sales of Alberta products; and/or Other research institutions, firms or enterprises approved by the members of the AFC. 3.2 Eligible Locations Research projects can be conducted either within or outside Alberta as approved by the funder(s). The following are important considerations if the Applicant/proposed project are to be conducted outside of Alberta: a. it is strongly recommended that at least one project team member be from Alberta; b. the research work proposed must result in economic or social benefit to Alberta; c. the benefits gained by Alberta will be equivalent to those which would accrue if the work were conducted within the province.
Cost of heat, light and utilities. Supplies Cost of supplies directly required for the project. Cost of supplies not directly required for the project. CDL (Communication, Dissemination and Linkage) Audio-visual and other costs to support uptake of results. Costs relating to linkage and exchange such as costs of meetings, teleconferences, etc. Publishing costs. Ongoing social media activity. Normal operation, salary, infrastructure and facility maintenance costs, and any other expense deemed by AFC not to be an eligible expense. Overhead Some direct costs may be allowed; subject to individual AFC member policies. Indirect overhead costs. 3.6 Criteria for Evaluating Proposals AFC members will confidentially review research proposals. Each proposal will be evaluated according to the interested Funder’s strategic priorities. Criteria may include the expected significance, relevance and benefit or impact for Alberta’s agricultural and agri-food food industry; the developmental or scientific merit of the proposal; (basic, applied, adoptive, etc.); innovation and uniqueness; the competence of the research team; the appropriateness of the size, duration and cost of the proposal; feasibility; budget requested; and the effectiveness of a proposed technology transfer or commercialization plan. 3.7 Regulatory Considerations All applicants must obtain all relevant governmental approvals prior to commencing the project, including those related to public health and safety, labour codes and standards, care and use of animals in research, wildlife habitat, and environmental protection. If approvals are not obtained at the start of a project, the applicant must contact the lead organization with dates that they are expected to be in place. Appropriate certification will be required for research involving animals, biohazards, radioactive materials, or possible effects on the environment and ethics review for research involving human subjects. All applicants whose proposal involves biotechnology-related research should include statements on any adverse impacts the results of the project may have on: food safety and human health (e.g., allergic reactions); and/or environmental sustainability (e.g., creation of a new weed as a result of gene flow from transgenic plants to wild relatives).