This page contains answers to questions submitted by interested applicants via emails and during webinars.
Q1: Does my organization have the option of submitting more than one proposal?
A: Yes. Please feel free to submit multiple proposals. We can entertain multiple proposals from any submitters.
Q2: Are foreign non-profits eligible to submit a response to this RFP?
A: There are no restrictions on foreign subawards as long as they are registered in SAM.gov. We cannot work with anyone (directly or subawardee) if they are not in SAM.gov. Information on the SAM help desk can be found on the SAM Help Page.
Q3: Does ASTAR cover indirect cost and tuition remission limitations?
A: Indirect costs and tuition cannot be covered by ASTAR grants.
Q4: I would like to know if I can list as co-PI two researchers from abroad. One is faculty in Country A and the other is research in Country B.
A: If the co-PIs will be collaborating in their countries and not come to the United States of America, they can participate in the application as co-PIs. However, if they plan to come to the USA to collaborate in University facilities, then University policies and procedures for Foreign visiting scientists would be followed. USDA restrictions on Foreign visiting scientists prohibit new foreign visitors from being cleared to work in USDA, ERS facilities during this pandemic.
Q5: Are the deliverables should be raw data plus script (codes) and the report, or just the final data, the script and report?
A: A goal of ASTAR is to compile high quality Country-Year Supply, Use, and Food PCE bridge tables, as well as accompanying material-environmental flow accounts that can be linked to the S&U tables. Another goal of ASTAR is to develop a library of applied agri-food systems research using this data. Organizing this data into supply chain industry groupings would be an example of a research application using the basic S&U data, and so both the ‘raw’ data and the code to conduct a supply chain analysis are both of interest. I should add that insights on how to sustain a Country-Year time series going forward would also be highly valued.
Q6: The industry 7. Packaging, is it possible to know what are the industry codes it uses?
A: As mentioned in the ASTAR webinar, going forward, ERS will be dropping the ‘Packaging’ industry grouping. Packaging is a good candidate for a material flows account, and the categories being used for the current packaging series very likely includes substantial non-packaging value added activities.
Q7: Could you please send us the detailed documentation of Ag-FEEDS data resources (variable catalogue, construction, coverage, etc., comparison to related data products)?
A: The Agri-Food Environmental Economic Data System (Ag-FEEDS) is being established concurrent to the launch of the ASTAR Pilot grant program. A variable catalogue, table inventory, and a model/applications library will be in place when awards are announced in February 2022. Grant proposals seeking to add to, or conduct research using Ag-FEEDS can refer to:
1. Model documentation and research applications of the U.S. Food Dollar framework found in these USDA-ERS reports (See detailed technical appendices in each of these publications):
1. USDA-ERS (2011), "A Revised and Expanded Food Dollar Series: A Better Understanding of Our Food Costs," ERR-114.
2. USDA-ERS (2017), "The Role of Fossil Fuels in the U.S. Food System and the American Diet," ERR-224.
3. USDA-ERS (2020). "Resource Requirements of Food Demand in the United States," ERR-273.
4. USDA-ERS (2021). "Tracking the U.S. Domestic Food Supply Chain's Freshwater Use over Time," ERR-288.
2. Model documentation and a research application of the Global Food Dollar framework found in this article (See technical documentation, plus data and computer code in the online supplemental information to this article):
1. Yi, J., Meemken, EM., Mazariegos-Anastassiou, V. et al. Post-farmgate food value chains make up most of consumer food expenditures globally. Nat Food 2, 417–425 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00279-9
Data can be retrieved from GitHub open data portal: https://fedscornell.github.io/GlobalFoodDollar/
For all the above examples, national Supply, Use, Food PCE-bridge (personal consumption expenditure), and material-environmental flow multipliers, or ME flow matrices will be available on the ASTAR server.
Q8: Would it be mandatory to attend physically to this Outcomes Conference?
A: We strongly encourage collaborators to attend the conference in person. We are looking forward to building a network of collaborators in the research area, and it is hard to do so when people only gather virtually. The preference is given to those who are able to attend in person, although it is not required.
Q9: Would it be possible to co-finance the project 20 percent with own staff?
A: Own staff time is standard for cost share. Co-financing 20 percent with own staff is acceptable to meet the requirement that “The grantee‘s contribution to the project must be no less than 20 percent of the grant total.”
Q10: Do we need to send a separate budget narrative?
A: The narrative is included in the template. So it’s not necessary to have a separate budget narrative.
Q11: Can the supporting documents be publications? How do we submit supporting documents?
A: Supporting documents could be publications or other documents, such as letters of support. The supporting documents can be emailed to ASTAR@cornell.edu.
Q12: Can you clarify the 20 percent of grantees' contribution to the project?
A: The institutions receiving subaward funds must incur uncompensated costs equal to at least 20 percent of the total award. Of this 20 percent minimum, at least of 10 percent of these uncompensated costs must be direct charges like salary, materials, supplies, travel, etc. For example, for a $75,000 grant, the team working on the project must incur at least $7,500 of uncompensated direct costs, and must incur at least $15,000 of uncompensated total costs. The distribution of uncompensated costs among project team members and institutions can be determined by the sub-awardees. As addressed in another FAQ, 100 percent of compensated costs must be direct costs. This cost share arrangement is to ensure that all cooperators have a stake in the project outcomes.