For many years it has been recognized that academic expertise in the four CSU colleges of agriculture represented a valuable resource that could be better used to help address applied research needs in the areas of agriculture and natural resources.  

ARI Projects

The funding is intended to support applied agricultural research in agricultural business management, biodiversity, biotechnology, food safety and processing, irrigation management and technology, natural resource management, production management systems, and public policy development.  The matching requirement helps to ensure that the research is considered to have value to those outside of the University.  Funding can be used to support faculty time necessary to conduct research, hire researchers and technicians, support undergraduate and graduate research assistants, purchase equipment and cover other costs associated with the research and dissemination of results.  The funding cannot be used for buildings.

Originally, of the $5M allocated annually, $1M is set aside for projects of statewide impact which involve multiple campuses.  The $1M is allocated through a competitive grant process that is open to faculty on the four CSU campuses with ag programs.  The remaining $4M is distributed to each of the four campuses to allow for a greater focus on regional needs.  Currently, the College of Agriculture at CSU, Chico is receiving $750K each year.  Due to budget constraints at the state level, the allocation for ARI has been reduced to $4M per year.  The allocation to CSU Chico was reduced proportionately to $600K.

For the statewide and campus-based funds, we are using an annual call for proposals that will normally go out in the winter.  Faculty on the four campuses are encouraged to identify applied research projects that are consistent with their teaching responsibilities.  Faculty are also encouraged to look for opportunities for collaboration with faculty in other colleges and universities.  The matching requirement dictates that the faculty identifies external funding to support the project.  Although the objective is to secure as much of the match as possible in cash, it is possible to use in-kind contributions to meet a portion of the match. For the statewide proposals, no more than 50% of the match can be in-kind. For the campus-based proposals, no more than 75% of the match can be in-kind.

At Chico State our goal is fairly simple; we want to deploy ARI funds in a manner that allows us to enhance our undergraduate instruction by ensuring faculty are involved in applied agricultural research that contributes to their professional development.  In addition, these research activities provide our students have opportunities to be involved in those research projects. The range of activities being considered or already underway include funding micro projects that represent well focused projects that undergraduate research assistants can complete within a well defined period of time (summer research), supporting collaborative projects with industry associations, establishing joint research projects with academics within UC Cooperative Extension, and developing centers of excellence that can allow for involvement of faculty and students across program, college and university lines in areas of critically needed applied research.

If you have ideas for research project or funding sources, please feel free to contact any of the faculty in the College of Agriculture.