Seeking to fill research gaps in industry-wide preparedness effort
The Swine Health Information Center, in collaboration with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Pork Checkoff, announced funding of 10 projects addressing research priorities and topics within its H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program in July 2025. The research awards were part of a $4 million program to enhance prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and response capabilities for H5N1 influenza in the US swine herd. Today, SHIC, FFAR, and NPB are inviting a second round of proposal submissions from qualified researchers for funding consideration to address H5N1 Risk to Swine research priorities not yet adequately addressed. Described in the detailed Request for Research Proposals (RFP), topic areas include 1) surveillance, 2) introduction risks, 3) caretakers, 4) biosecurity, 5) pork safety, 6) production impact, and 7) business continuity.
Total funding available for the SHIC/FFAR/NPB H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Priorities included in this RFP is $1.8M. Individual awards are capped at $250,000, however, proposals may exceed cap if sufficient justification is provided. Matching funds are encouraged but not required; the $250K cap applies to only those funds requested from SHIC/FFAR/NPB. All projects should strive to have a high impact, show value to pork producers, and have pork industry-wide benefit.
The deadline for proposal submission is 5:00 pm CT on March 24, 2026. The proposal template and instructions for completion and submission can be found here. For questions, please contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at [email protected] or (785)452-8270 or Dr. Lisa Becton at [email protected] or (515)724-9491.
Proposals should clearly state which SHIC/FFAR/NPB H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Priorities will be addressed through the project. Projects proposing to expand previously funded work from the first RFP that align with the research priorities of this solicitation will also be considered for funding.
Collaborative projects including relevant pork industry, allied industry, dairy or poultry industries, academic institutions, and/or public/private partnerships, as applicable, are highly encouraged. For multi-species projects, proposals should demonstrate adequate scientific and/or industry representation for each species included to ensure meaningful and effective collaboration. Projects demonstrating the most urgency and timeliness of completion, provide the greatest value to pork producers, and show efficient use of funds will be prioritized for funding. Projects are requested to be completed within a 12 to 18 month period with sufficient justification required for extended project duration.
Outcomes from the funded projects will provide critical information producers, veterinarians, and industry stakeholders can use to better prevent incursion and develop preparedness plans if H5N1 is identified in US commercial swine herds.
Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.
Swine Health Information Center
The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at [email protected] or Dr. Lisa Becton at [email protected].
