A timeline of the Southern SARE Research and Education Grants, from the release of the Call for Pre-proposals to the funding selection of full proposals:
- The Project Review Committee reviews and approves the Call for pre-proposals at the winter Administrative Council meeting each February.
- The Southern SARE Research and Education Grant Call for Pre-proposals opens in late February or early March. Application deadline is in June.
- Once the pre-proposal deadline closes, the full Administrative Council reviews proposals. Full proposal invite is based on review criteria and a scoring system. The review process is roughly 6 weeks with a review deadline of late July. Once the review deadline closes, the Project Review Committee takes up the slate of scored proposals, conducts a brief review process, and makes a recommendation to invite full proposals at the summer Administrative Council meeting. The purpose of this review step is to ensure that pre-proposals recommended to submit a full proposal meet the conceptual requirements of the program and focus on sustainable agriculture. The full Administrative Council makes the final full invite selections.
- Pre-proposal applicants are invited to submit full proposals in August, with an application deadline of November.
- Once the full proposal deadline closes, outside technical reviewers are assigned to and provide a comprehensive review of proposals based on review criteria and a scoring system. The review process for technical reviewers is roughly 8 weeks. Technical review deadline is in January.
- Following the review of the technical review team, the Project Review Committee reviews the full proposals based on the reviews and scoring of the technical reviewers. The Project Review Committee makes funding recommendations to the Administrative Council at the winter meeting in February. The Administrative Council selects proposals for funding.
- All grant applicants are notified after the Administrative Council meeting (by March) of the status of their proposal. Each applicant receives a copy of the reviewer comments.
- Funded Research and Education Grant projects begin April 1.
| January | February | April | June | July | August | November | December |
| Technical review deadline. Project Review Committee assigned to review pre-proposals. | Research and Education Grant Call for Pre-proposals approved at the winter Administrative Council meeting. Full proposals selected for funding. | Funded Research and Education Grant projects begin April 1. | Research and Education Grant pre-proposals due. Full Administrative Council assigned to review pre-proposals. | Full AC review deadline. Pre-proposals assigned to Project Review Committee. | Project Review Committee recommends pre-proposals to be invited for full proposals at summer Administrative Council meeting. Administrative Council makes final selection on pre-proposals. Research and Education Grant Call for Full Proposals approved at the summer Administrative Council meeting. | Full proposals due. Technical reviewers assigned to full proposals. | Technical Review process continues. |