The Food Systems for Nutrition Innovation Lab (FSN-IL) is pleased to announce that the first stage of our Request for Applications (RFA) titled "Actions to support Storage, Packaging and/or Cooling Innovations for perishable foods in target geographies" is officially open for applications. The RFA process will consist of two stages: concept note and full proposal. Only selected concept notes will be invited to submit full proposals.

FSN-IL, a five-year activity managed by Tufts University and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Resilience and Food Security (RFS), is seeking applications from eligible institutions focused on questions of cost-effectiveness and delivery of innovations (technologies, products, processes, practices and/or policies) to support food systems transformation for nutrition in target geographies. The focus of the response should be on actions to support storage, packaging, and/or cooling innovations to reduce loss and waste of nutrient-dense perishable foods, primarily in Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal or Bangladesh.

The deadline for the first stage of the application process, submitting a Concept Note, is January 20, 2023.

Application Instructions

All applicants are required to submit an application via Piestar to be considered. To submit an application, please follow the instructions provided:

1. Download the Request for Application (RFA) Form outlining all the necessary components for this RFA concept note.
2. Start your application by clicking on the Piestar Application Portal. Please note that you must first create an account in order to access the application. Once you have created an account, you can click on the "opportunities" tab and “apply now” to begin your application.
3. Download the Concept Note Template (Word) and begin completing your application. Our application portal, Piestar, will ask you to upload this form.
4. Download the Preliminary Budget Template (Excel) and begin completing your budget. Further guidelines are provided in the Full RFA form. Our application portal, Piestar, will ask you to upload this Excel sheet.
5. Upload all other forms indicated in Piestar, including CVs and Letters of Support

RFA Focus Topical Areas

The focus in FSN-IL’s first round of calls for applications is on identifying actions to support storage, packaging and cooling innovations to reduce loss and waste and ensure food safety of nutrient dense perishable foods in target geographies. Priority will be given to high quality proposals that further our understanding of:

1. Policy actions to enable and regulate scaling of innovations;
2. Business strategies and models to enable scaling of innovations; and
3. Determining the cost effectiveness of bundling of innovations around storage, packaging, and cooling.

These topical areas are not mutually exclusive but should lead to actionable investments that support food systems transformation for nutrition in South Asia and Southern Africa. More information and examples within each of these topical areas can be found on page 4 of the RFA form.

 A scoping review, conducted by the FSN-IL management entity and consortium partners, assessed the innovation landscape across the product life cycle from production to post harvest handling and processing to marketing and infrastructure, the food environment and, finally, consumer behaviors regarding around seeking healthy and sustainable diets. Findings of this review led to a prioritization of research questions linked to innovations around concerning storage, packaging, and cooling. Draft reports for these scoping exercises can be downloaded below.

• Theme 1 Scoping Exercise Report
• Theme 2 Scoping Exercise Report
• Theme 3 Scoping Exercise Report
• Theme 4 Scoping Exercise Report

Eligibility

All applications must be led by a U.S.-based academic institution and include at least one partner from the selected focus country. The lead U.S.-based institution will serve as the primary subawardee, issuing lower-tier subawards to other institutions as necessary. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate past performance or history of collaboration among the proposed partners as well as to define clear roles and responsibilities for each partner.

For more on eligibility, go to page 7 of the RFA form. 

Number of Awards

The FSN-IL will award a total of seven awards through this RFA. The budget ceiling per award is $700,000. Given that each research inquiry is likely to have a different timeline, the FSN-IL will allow for budgets for up to a 3-year period.

Questions regarding this RFA should be submitted via Piestar or to [email protected] by December 22, 2022. Answers will be posted by January 6, 2023. Please share this announcement widely within your network and any interested parties!