Opportunity Information: Apply for 7200AA18RFA00017
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Legume Systems Research is a USAID-funded competitive grant opportunity intended to establish and operate a new Feed the Future Innovation Lab focused on legumes and the broader farming and food systems that depend on them. USAID is seeking applications from qualified U.S. colleges and universities to lead this effort under a "Leader with Associates" Cooperative Agreement structure. In practical terms, that means the selected lead institution would run a central, long-term research and capacity development program (the Leader award) while also providing a mechanism to support additional, aligned awards (Associates) that can be added over time, often tied to specific USAID missions, countries, or targeted priorities.
The main purpose of the opportunity is to launch an Innovation Lab that advances legume systems research and strengthens capacity, with emphasis at the smallholder level and across food systems. This points to work that goes beyond basic crop improvement alone and instead looks at how legumes fit into whole production systems, markets, nutrition outcomes, and resilience. Legumes are strategically important in many Feed the Future contexts because they can improve soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation, diversify smallholder incomes, provide relatively affordable protein and micronutrients, and support more sustainable rotations and intercropping systems. A lab focused on "legume systems" would typically be expected to address agronomic constraints (such as pests, diseases, seed access, soil health, and climate variability) alongside adoption constraints (such as market incentives, gender and labor dynamics, post-harvest handling, processing, and consumer demand).
The award is issued as a Cooperative Agreement, which generally indicates substantial involvement by USAID during implementation compared to a standard grant. That often includes collaboration on priorities, review of work plans, coordination with other Feed the Future investments, and expectations around learning, reporting, and translating research into development outcomes. The funding instrument category is Agriculture, and the opportunity is listed under CFDA 98.001, which is the broad USAID foreign assistance listing.
Financially, the opportunity has an award ceiling of $35,000,000 and anticipates a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1), meaning USAID planned to select one lead institution to host and manage the Innovation Lab. The opportunity number is 7200AA18RFA00017, and it was created on March 29, 2018, with an original closing date of May 30, 2018. The opportunity category is labeled "Earmark," which typically signals that the funding aligns with a specific congressional or agency-directed priority, even though applicants still compete for the award.
Eligibility is limited to qualified U.S. colleges and universities, with the formal eligibility field indicating "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)." In similar USAID Innovation Lab competitions, that wording usually means the lead applicant must be a U.S. higher education institution, while partnering arrangements may include other universities, research institutes, NGOs, private sector actors, and international organizations, depending on the specific solicitation requirements. The chosen institution would be expected to assemble a consortium with strong technical depth in legume science and farming systems, demonstrated ability to manage large cooperative agreements, and credible partnerships in priority countries where Feed the Future operates.
Overall, this opportunity is designed to create a flagship, long-horizon research and capacity-building platform dedicated to improving legume-based farming and food systems for smallholders, with the scale of funding suggesting work that spans multiple geographies, disciplines, and stages of the value chain. The end goal is not just generating research outputs, but helping translate innovations into measurable development impacts such as higher productivity, improved soil health, stronger markets, better nutrition, and increased resilience for smallholder households.Apply for 7200AA18RFA00017
- The Agency for International Development in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Legume Systems Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 29, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 30, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $35,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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