Specialty Crop Research Initiative

The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) is a program that aims to address the critical needs of the specialty crops industries by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture. The program recognizes that for some specialty crops that are grown in a limited number of states, the multi-state nature of projects can be difficult to address. Except for Research and Extension Planning Projects, the SCRI program only considers projects that integrate research and extension activities. Some key points about this opportunity include: • The program has five legislatively mandated focus areas, including research in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and other methods to improve crop characteristics, as well as efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases. • Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose a unique approach to solving problems facing the specialty crop industry using a systems approach. • The program has four project types: Coordinated Agricultural Projects, Standard Research and Extension Projects, Workforce Readiness and Talent Pipeline Projects, and Research and Extension Planning Projects. • Project periods can be up to five years for some project types, and budgets can vary depending on the project type. • The program has a total available funding of approximately $175,000,000 for FY 2026.