Applicant Policies & Guidelines

The following policies and guidelines assist applicants in applying for our open opportunities.

We recognize that technology resulting from FFAR-funded research may have public health, scientific, business or commercial applications or value. Our Intellectual Property Policy addresses the patenting, copyrighting and/or licensing of such technologies.

As of July 2025, applicants may use up to 15% of the total direct costs for indirect costs. The Indirect Cost Policy further outlines our policies and how to calculate these costs.

As directed in the 2014 Farm Bill, we build public-private partnerships that fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. The law requires that we match every dollar of public funding with at least one dollar from a private source.