CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS

SHIC Research Policy

October 3, 2022

  • Research proposals are solicited and reviewed without bias toward, nor against, any individuals or institutions.
    • If projects are funded with individuals or institutions outside of the US, they must still have direct application to the US pork industry needs.
  • If there’s a conflict of interest with anyone on the reviewing Working Group or other reviewing groups, the person acknowledges the conflict and removes themselves from the discussion or call. If the Chair of the reviewing group recognizes a conflict of interest, the Chair has the ability to ask the person to remove themselves from the discussion or call.
  • The annual SHIC Plan of Work is posted and available for anyone to see.
  • Proposals may come in via response to a call for proposals, a targeted solicitation of someone(s) that have a unique ability or expertise to complete a project, or from unsolicited ideas for projects based on the submitter’s perceived industry/producer needs and benefit.
    • All proposals and ideas need to apply to the SHIC Plan of Work, or the submitter has to make a case why the idea is urgent and needs consideration as an addition to the Plan of Work.
    • Regardless of how the proposals originate or are developed, if they address the SHIC Plan of Work they are all channeled for review and recommendation through one of the SHIC working groups. Which working group depends on the proposal and its application to either field and swine health questions or to diagnostic and laboratory or model-based questions.
    • If an unsolicited idea is offered as a research need, it is neither summarily rejected nor accepted by staff decision alone. The presenter is asked to develop the idea into a proposal and that proposal is brought to a working group for their review and recommendation or decision.
  • If a request for further diagnostics comes from a diagnostician and/or veterinarian, a panel of diagnosticians review the request and advise, approve or deny.
  • All proposals or even discussions about ideas for proposals or research are handled confidentially. Proposals and even ideas are the property of the person submitting or presenting them.  Neither are shared without the permission of that person.
    • When a proposal goes to a Working Group for review, they are instructed that the proposal is the property of the submitter, to keep the proposal confidential and to not share it.
  • Efficient use of Checkoff funds through SHIC means that, when it is possible, successful proposals are the result of a competitive process. For example, this is the case with a call for proposals.  Competition is often, but not always, the case for targeted solicitations because the ideas are presented to only those uniquely qualified to perform the research because of expertise, timeliness, availability, facilities or cost.
  • Project progress is tracked by paying NPB for management through their contract-tracking software.
    • Unless otherwise noted in the contract, 1/3 of the contract is paid upon initiation, 1/3 is paid when an approved interim report is received and 1/3 is paid when an approved final report is received.
  • To achieve assessing the needs, funding the projects, and answering the problems, researchers are told that, all other things being equal, proposals with a component of urgency will have an advantage.
    • With exceptions, funded projects are for 12 months or less.
  • A call for proposals has the most protracted timeline of the options for soliciting proposals. Researchers are usually given 30 to 60 days to respond to a call for proposals.  Targeted solicitations or consideration of novel ideas can be handled more quickly.
  • If a proposal is accepted for consideration, effort is made for the working group review and recommendation to happen within 1 week.
  • It is the policy of the Swine Health Information Center to not pay indirect or overhead charges for research conducted at public institutions and universities.

Current Calls for Research Funding Proposals
(Open)

General SHIC Research Program

Proposal Submissions Due: Rolling Deadline

Proposals may come in via response to a call for proposals, a targeted solicitation of someone(s) with a unique ability or expertise to complete a project, or from unsolicited ideas for projects based on the submitter’s perceived industry/producer needs and benefit.

  • All proposals and ideas need to apply to the SHIC Plan of Work, or the submitter has to make a case why the idea is urgent and needs consideration as an addition to the Plan of Work.
  • Regardless of how the proposals originate or are developed, if they address the SHIC Plan of Work they are all channeled for review and recommendation through one of the SHIC working groups. Which working group depends on the proposal and its application to either field and swine health questions or to diagnostic and laboratory or model-based questions.

Previous Calls for Research Funding Proposals
(Closed)

Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Round 2

SHIC’s mission includes analysis of swine health data and targeted research to benefit the US pork industry. SHIC-funded Swine Disease Monitoring Reports’ aggregate data show breeding herd breaks of PRRS and PED tend to follow breaks in wean-to-harvest sites. A SHIC-funded project detailed how PRRS and PED negative pigs placed on wean-to-harvest sites become infected after placement. Further, SHIC’s Rapid Response Program investigation of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae outbreak in the Midwest exposed deficiencies of wean-to-harvest biosecurity that contributed to disease spread. Proactively enhancing wean-to-harvest biosecurity will help control the next emerging disease in the US pork industry and improve US swine herd health.

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Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Round 1

 SHIC, along with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), a non-profit organization established in the 2014 Farm Bill to build public-private partnerships that fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges, and Pork Checkoff, is funding a Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program to be implemented over the next two years. SHIC, FFAR and Pork Checkoff are soliciting proposals to investigate cost-effective, innovative technologies, protocols, or ideas to implement biosecurity during the wean-to-harvest phase of production.

Swine Health Information Center 2021 Call for Bioexclusion of Emerging Disease Pathogen(s)

DEADLINE: May 14, 2021 – 5 pm CST

Bioexclusion refers to procedures needed to prevent entry of a pathogen or disease and contact with a population of animals (a part of biosecurity).

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) 2021 Plan of Work includes the investigation of bioexclusion as a tool to help prevent or control an emerging swine disease outbreak on farms. SHIC is soliciting proposals to investigate cost-effective, innovative technologies, protocols, or ideas to implement bioexclusion to prevent or control an emerging disease outbreak on swine farms. Specifically, SHIC would like proposals that address the following 2021 Plan of Work items:

  • The pork industry now uses a variety of bioexclusion protocols to protect swine health in breeding, farrowing and grow-finish facilities. More information is needed to motivate compliance, especially in grow-finish facilities. Demonstration projects or research validating the implementation of innovative bioexclusion protocols that include, for example, the use of record keeping, employees on-farm and between farm traffic patterns and service vendors and their equipment could be used to facilitate implementation.
  • A variety of commodity groups and organizations employ bioexclusion to protect their interests and facilities. A survey of these bioexclusion practices in other industries or in federal, state, or private organizations will help to look for innovative, cost-effective practices that may be implementable in the pork industry to help prevent disease introduction onto farms.


There is a pool of approximately $150,000 available for the research, but individual project proposals could be higher with sufficient justification. Collaborative projects demonstrating the most urgency and timeliness of completion, as well as efficient use of funds, will be prioritized for funding.

Questions:

Dr. Paul Sundberg
Executive Director
Swine Health Information Center
[email protected]

Swine Health Information Center 2021 Call for Biocontainment of Emerging Disease Pathogen(s)​

DEADLINE: May 7, 2021 – 5 pm CST

Biocontainment, as defined in medical dictionaries, usually refers to procedures needed to contain pathogens in laboratories.

“The containment of pathological microorganisms within a well-defined, strictly controlled area, usually a research laboratory.” The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

“In infectious disease laboratories, the process and procedures used to confine harmful microorganisms to the areas in which they are being investigated.” Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) 2021 Plan of Work includes the investigation of biocontainment as a tool to help mitigate and control an emerging swine disease outbreak on farms: “Decreasing the amount of pathogens from leaving an outbreak site will help to protect neighboring farms and regions from emerging disease outbreaks. Assessing existing technologies or new ideas for cost-effectiveness will help inform producers’ decisions about implementation.”
SHIC is soliciting proposals to investigate cost-effective, innovative technologies, protocols, or ideas to implement biocontainment in the face of an emerging disease outbreak on swine farms.

Effective biocontainment methodologies may be applied to a variety of viruses and/or bacteria, may be applied dependent upon expected transmission mode(s), or may be dependent on the epidemiology of the pathogen(s). Therefore, the proposal should:

  • Explain the proposed breadth or specificity of the proposed biocontainment methodologies for study.
  • Identify the transmission mode or pathogen(s) of interest.
  • Describe how the technology, protocol or idea proposes to enhance biocontainment for pathogen(s).
  • Explain the proposed experimental design, including:
    • How the target pathogen(s) or surrogate(s) for the pathogen(s) will be used to validate the technology, protocol, or biocontainment idea or if there is another method of validation.

There is a pool of approximately $100,000 available for the research, but individual project proposals could be higher with sufficient justification. Collaborative projects demonstrating the most urgency and timeliness of completion, as well as efficient use of funds, will be prioritized for funding.

Questions:

Dr. Paul Sundberg
Executive Director
Swine Health Information Center
[email protected]

Swine Health Information Center 2020 Call for Improved Oral Fluids PCR Sensitivity Proposal​

DEADLINE: August 25, 2020 – 5 pm CST

The mission of the Swine Health Information Center is to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd through coordinated global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data and targeted research investments that minimize the impact of future disease threats.

Oral fluid samples are widely used in swine surveillance for PRRSV, Influenza A virus in Swine (IAV-S), and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae nucleic acids on U.S. farms and have shown the potential for use in Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) surveillance, as well. To date, more than 27 pig pathogens have been shown to produce detectable levels of nucleic acid in oral fluids.

Recent unpublished, observational research indicated oral fluids (as collected by rope as an aggregate sample) could be a good sample for rapid detection of African swine fever virus (ASFv). In a negative cohort study, no false positives were reported. Experimental work indicated that ASFv may be detected in oral fluids prior to onset of clinical signs and even if only a small proportion of animals are infected. However, as the viral load, as measured by CT comparison, was much lower in oral fluids than individual tissue samples, the study indicated false negatives do occur (ASFv not detected in OF when blood/tissue samples were positive). This limits the potential use of swine OF as an official monitoring and surveillance tool in the event of an ASF outbreak in the U.S.

Questions:

Dr. Paul Sundberg
Executive Director
Swine Health Information Center
[email protected]

Pork Industry 2020 Call for National Health Biosecurity Review​

DEADLINE: April 14, 2020 – 5 pm CST

The American Association of Swine Veterinarians, National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council and Swine Health Information Center are asking for proposals to identify gaps in U.S. pork industry national biosecurity that could result in the entry and domestic dissemination of diseases foreign to the U.S. pork industry.

The U.S. pork industry is complex. Categories for consideration of study include, but aren’t limited to, foreign imports, entry of foreign travelers, transportation of animals, common inputs to production and domestic market channels. Examples of national biosecurity issues within these categories could include the safety of imported feed components and other common production inputs, the movement of trucks and animals between production phases and to markets, the approved movements between markets of market sows, the activity of and potential commercial pig interaction with feral pigs, legal feeding of plate waste containing meat and other factors that will need to be identified to fulfill the project. It will the responsibility of the successful proposal to define the specific issues to include.

The objective of this review is to identify biosecurity gaps that could result in the importation and dissemination of diseases foreign to the U.S. pork industry and to objectively prioritize those gaps based on their potential to result in the introduction and spread of swine diseases. The final report will be shared with state and federal animal health officials, pork producers, veterinarians and allied industries for actions needed to address the prioritized gaps.

Proposals are to be submitted via the RFP website in the standard Word, National Pork Board research proposal format and to include a detailed budget and timeline sufficient to fulfill the scope of the project. Proposals detailing thorough work done on a shorter timeline will be given preference.

Proposal Deadline:

The deadline for submitting the written proposals for initial review is 5:00 PM CST, April 14, 2020.  Submitters whose proposals are selected for final review will be required to present the proposal and answer questions via a webinar with pork industry reviewers.

Questions:
Dr. Dave Pyburn
Chief Veterinarian
National Pork Board
[email protected]

Dr. Paul Sundberg
Executive Director
Swine Health Information Center
[email protected]

Swine Health Information Center 2020 Call for African Swine Fever Research in Vietnam Proposals​

The Swine Health Information Center is soliciting proposals to address the following priorities for African Swine Fever research in Vietnam.  The Center is interested in supporting U.S.-based researchers with research memorandums of understanding or direct contacts with university or pork production animal health researchers in Vietnam.  Proposal may be completely Vietnamese laboratory and/or field based or may contain a U.S. laboratory component (non-USDA laboratory only) but, if that is proposed, it must also include a field validation or field trial component in Vietnam.  The objective of these researchable priorities is to help Vietnamese pork production respond and recover from the ASF epidemic and to help U.S. pork producers learn lessons about ASF epidemiology and management, in preparation should the virus enter the U.S.

There is a pool of approximately $1,000,000 available for the research, averaging $100,000 per project but individual projects should be expected to be lower or higher.  Collaborative projects demonstrating the most urgency and timeliness of completion, as well as efficient use of funds, will be prioritized for funding.

Please respond with your priority topic(s) of interest via email to [email protected] by  March 4, if you intend to submit a proposal.  Full proposals should be in the standard Word, SHIC proposal format, which will be sent in response to your confirmation of interest.  The full proposal should be no more than three pages to describe the project objectives, procedures to achieve the objectives, a description of the quality assurance/quality control plan, the timeline for the proposed research and the institution’s certification of the proposal.  Additional to those three pages are the proposed budget page and letters of cooperation or collaboration with the appropriate Vietnamese researchers.  Full proposals should be submitted via email to [email protected].  The deadline for proposal submission is 5:00 PM CST, March 30.  For questions, contact Dr. Paul Sundberg at [email protected] or (515) 451-6652.

Research priorities for ASF study in Vietnam, in random order:

• Determining diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of ASF ELISA antibody detection.

• Understanding protocols for biocontainment of initial infection on the farm into one barn, allowing other biosecure barns to remain in production.

• Researching innovative disinfection protocols that result in disinfection and a negative result using a commercially available ASF PCR test.

• Verifying carbon composting materials, time and temperature under different environmental conditions that will result in ASF inactivation.

• Identifying pathways of entry of the virus onto farms to enhance information for improving biosecurity.

• Investigating ASF neutralization during or following composting.

• Investigating biosecurity of feed, feed components and delivery as a risk for ASF introduction.

• Validating protocols for the targeted removal of individually housed sows when infected to move the herd to negative status.

• Researching the possible role of mice and rats as vectors for ASF infection.

• Comparing sensitivity and specificity of pen-side tests for ASF detection.

• Understanding ASF persistence in manure slurries or pits and identifying protocols or procedures to inactivate the virus in this material.

Swine Health Information Center 2017 Call for Swine Disease Matrix Research Proposals

The mission of the Swine Health Information Center is to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd through coordinated global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data and targeted research investments that minimize the impact of future disease threats.

In collaboration with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, the National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council, the Swine Health Information Center has developed and prioritized a list of endemic and foreign swine pathogens. Known as the Swine Disease Matrix, the list includes an assessment of the diagnostic capabilities for selected pathogens, based on a review of available literature. The Matrix and the assessment of diagnostic capabilities can be found at www.swinehealth.org.

Organizing and funding the research needed for diagnostic and informational preparedness for the prioritized, potential production diseases of the Swine Disease Matrix is a core activity of the Center. The SHIC 2017 Swine Disease Matrix research focuses on the development and validation (analytic and diagnostic) of antibody detection assays for antibodies important for monitoring for emerging diseases, determining freedom from disease (after an outbreak) or defining the extent of disease spread. The outcome of the research should be assays with a consistent and reliable means to screen populations using:

• the ability to detect antibody in sera and oral fluids,

• high throughput capacity (high volume of samples and quick turnaround time) and

• DIVA capability if vaccine availability justifies the need for a DIVA assay.

  1. The proposal should identify the laboratory with an appropriate level of biosecurity, if the work is to be done in the U.S., or should identify federal, allied industry or university coinvestigators or collaborators that have partnerships in other countries that can give access to known endemic or experimentally infected positive populations of animals for use in the project. Include related letters of cooperation.
  2. The proposal should contain a description of the fitness for use of existing antibody detection tests and the justification of why a new or modified antibody detection test is needed.
  3. The proposal should contain a description of the antibody detection technology proposed to be used. The veterinary diagnostic labs must be able to use the test in the proposed format. If a test or technology other than the standard ELISA technology commonly used in today’s laboratories are proposed, strong justification is needed for why a specific, alternative technology may be better.
  4. The proposal should contain a full description of the methods proposed to be used in the assay development in detail enough that the description can lead to reproducibility of the methodology in other laboratories.
  5. The proposal should include a two-page curriculum vitae for each of the principle and co-principle investigators describing research experience related to the objectives of this project.
  6. The proposal should include a detailed three column budget showing SHIC, laboratory and total costs for the project.


Full proposals need to be submitted to [email protected] by midnight, August 9, 2017. For questions, please contact Dr. Paul Sundberg, SHIC Executive Director, at [email protected].

Swine Health Information Center 2017 Call for Swine Disease Matrix Research Preproposals​

The mission of the Swine Health Information Center is to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd through coordinated global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data and targeted research investments that minimize the impact of future disease threats.

In collaboration with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, the National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council, the Swine Health Information Center has developed and prioritized a list of endemic and foreign swine pathogens.

Known as the Swine Disease Matrix, the list includes an assessment of the diagnostic capabilities for selected pathogens, based on a review of available literature.  The Matrix and the assessment of diagnostic capabilities can be found at www.swinehealth.org.

Organizing and funding the research needed for diagnostic and informational preparedness for the prioritized, potential production diseases of the Swine Disease Matrix is a core activity of the Center. The SHIC 2017 Swine Disease Matrix research focuses on the development and validation (analytic and diagnostic) of antibody detection assays for antibodies important for monitoring for emerging diseases, determining freedom from disease (after an outbreak) or defining the extent of disease spread.  The outcome of the research should be assays with a consistent and reliable means to screen populations using:

• high throughput capacity (high volume of samples and quick turnaround time),

• the ability to detect antibody in sera and oral fluids and

• DIVA capability if vaccine availability justifies the need for a DIVA assay.

  1. The preproposal should identify the Swine Disease Matrix pathogen(s) of interest for this critical work.
    1. The focus of this research program is on transboundary diseases that are not endemic to the U.S.  If proposed, justification will be needed for funding a proposal to develop a new assay for an endemic pathogen.
    2. The National Pork Board has a research program specifically for foreign animal diseases so proposals for assays for classical foreign animal diseases – FMD, CSF and ASF – will not be considered for funding.
  2. The preproposal should identify the laboratory with an appropriate level of biosecurity, if the work is to be done in the U.S., or should identify federal, allied industry or university coinvestigators or collaborators that have partnerships in other countries that can give access to known endemic or experimentally infected positive populations of animals for use in the project.
  3. The preproposal should contain a brief description of the fitness for use of existing antibody detection tests and the justification of why a new or modified antibody detection test is needed.
  4. The preproposal should contain a description of the antibody detection technology proposed to be used.  Varied technologies may be proposed, but strong justification is needed for why a specific technology other than the standard ELISA technology, that is commonly used in today’s laboratories, may be better.
  5. The preproposal should contain a brief description of the methods proposed to be used in the assay development.
  6. The preproposal should contain a preliminary estimate of the expected cost to the Swine Health Information Center to conduct this work.


Full proposals need to be submitted to [email protected] by midnight, August 9, 2017. For questions, please contact Dr. Paul Sundberg, SHIC Executive Director, at [email protected].

Swine Health Information Center 2017 Call for Swine Disease Matrix Research Preproposals​

The Swine Health Information Center is asking for preliminary proposal(s), in a standardized form provided by the Center, from laboratories interested in performing Swine Disease Matrix antigen detection research.  The Center is asking for laboratories to identify up to five of the pathogens on the Swine Disease Matrix for which the laboratory has the interest and capacity to conduct the research and then to submit a one-page SHIC preliminary proposal form for each of the pathogens of interest.

Also included in the preliminary proposal(s) for each pathogen should be a brief description of the laboratory’s plan for ensuring that the pathogen will not be introduced into the U.S. if it is not currently endemic.  That description could include plans for international collaborations, biosecurity/biocontainment facilities or other methods.  The important criteria for selection are the lab’s interest, capacity and biocontainment plan.  There is no need to try to select “high priority” viruses for the project.

Preliminary proposals need to be submitted to [email protected] by midnight, June 7, 2016.  Please contact Dr. Paul Sundberg at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Swine Health Information Center Call for Seneca Valley Virus Research Proposals

There are reports of increased discovery of Seneca Valley Virus (SVV) in pigs in the United States and Brazil. The Swine Health Information Center is soliciting proposals to investigate SVV epidemiology and diagnostics capability.

Proposals must be submitted in the required format provided with the RFP in order to be considered. Interlaboratory collaboration that strengthens the proposal will be a factor in funding decisions. All funded projects are expected to be completed within 6 months of funding. Final funding decisions will be made by the Swine Health Information Center.

Proposals should be emailed to [email protected] and must be received by 5:00 PM CDT September 21, 2015.

Further enquiries regarding this solicitation can be directed to Dr. Paul Sundberg by email at [email protected] or by phone: 515-451-6652.

The pathogenicity of SVV in swine remains unclear. Its relevance lies mainly in its suspected link to idiopathic vesicular disease and resemblance to more clinically and economically disruptive vesicular FADs. Multiple cases of swine with vesicular lesions in the United States have been reported in which SVV was the only detected pathogen.

The Swine Health Information Center would like to investigate the pathogenicity of SVV in pigs through testing Koch’s Postulates using:

• a historic, endemic strain known to be present in the United States,

• a contemporary U.S. strain associated with a more severe clinical presentation than what would be historically expected, and

• an isolate associated with severe clinical presentation in Brazil.

The study design should consider pigs with normal immune status compared to pigs immunocompromised by a standardized immunocompromising protocol, standardized transport, and/or other stressors.

The Swine Health Information Center would like to characterize historical and contemporary U.S. SVV isolates and Brazilian SVV isolates in order to determine genetic differences among strains that could affect specificity of diagnostic tests and/or be associated with more severe clinical presentation.

The Swine Health Information Center would like to have developed new antibody detection assays that provide more rapid, cost-effective detection to assist diagnostic discovery in tissues or sera and to differentiate SVV from other disease agents of swine that cause vesicular lesions.