Submit Proposals by Dec 31 – SHIC, FFAR, and Pork Checkoff H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program RFP

By Abbey Canon

The Swine Health Information Center has partnered with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Pork Checkoff to fund a $4 million research program to enhance prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and response capabilities for H5N1 influenza in the US swine herd. H5N1 influenza, an emerging disease identified as a priority for the US pork industry, poses a risk due to ongoing outbreaks in poultry and a growing number of diverse mammalian species susceptible to infection. The unprecedented 2024 H5N1 outbreak impacting dairy herds across the US fuels the urgency for greater understanding and information, along with the recent discovery of the virus in a single backyard pig in Oregon.

On October 30, 2024, USDA reported the first detection of H5N1 in a pig on a small Oregon backyard farm where pigs were co-housed with poultry and other livestock. Although the farm is a non-commercial operation and the pig was not intended for the commercial food supply, this furthers the concern for potential incursion into US commercial swine herds. Research priorities for H5N1 are designed to further strengthen US swine industry prevention and preparedness as well as inform response efforts should H5N1 be introduced into the commercial swine herd.

SHIC, FFAR, and the National Pork Board invite proposal submissions from qualified researchers for funding consideration to address H5N1 risk to swine research priorities described in the detailed Request for Research Proposals found here along with the instructions for completion and submission, including topic areas of 1) vaccines, 2) clinical presentation, 3) mammary transmission, 4) surveillance, 5) introduction risks, 6) caretakers, 7) biosecurity, 8) pork safety, 9) production impact, and 10) pig movements.

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 funding 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.

Collaborative projects including the pork industry, allied industry, dairy or poultry industries, academic institutions, and/or public/private partnerships are highly encouraged. Projects demonstrating the most urgent priorities and timeliness of completion, providing the greatest value to pork producers, and showing 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.

The deadline for proposal submission is 5:00 PM CT on December 31, 2024. For questions, please contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at mniederwerder@swinehealth.org or (785)452-8270 or Dr. Lisa Becton at lbecton@swinehealth.org or (515)724-9491.

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.