Request for Proposals for the Controlled Environment Agriculture Consortium (CEAC)
On behalf of Dr. Ricardo Hernandez and NC State’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Consortium (CEAC), we are pleased to send the annual Request for Proposals for funding through the consortium. The CEAC is an industry-member supported consortium focused on controlled environment agriculture that is led by Dr. Ricardo Hernandez. The CEAC provides an opportunity for companies to leverage research dollars as their membership fees are matched by membership fees from multiple companies. Consortium research projects are suggested by industry members and will be in the pre-competitive space.
As of today, the CEAC anticipates that the total amount of funding available will be $25,000. We anticipate funding 1-2 projects, based on the decision of the Industry Advisory Board.
The RFP provides guidance on submitting a proposal for support through the consortium. Appended to the RFP are Research Proposal Topics, submitted by our industry members. These topics will provide guidance as you develop research proposals. You are encouraged to write proposals in response to any one topic, to multiple topics if you see synergy, or to support your “Big Idea,” whether or not a research topic was submitted in that focus area. Although you see all the research topics, please do not share one member’s topics with another industry member.
Optional pre-review — if you want to request industry pre-review of your proposal for fit with their interests, you are welcome to send a title and short abstract that I will share with the members. The deadline to request industry pre-review is May 15, 2026.
Most colleges have transitioned away from PINS to the RED Proposal Development (PD) module. Proposals must be submitted through RED PD to enable budget review before submitting to the IAB. Follow your College Research office’s guidance for alerting them to your plan to respond to this opportunity. At CALS, this begins with submitting a CALS Pre-Award form for PD (LINK).
Please note some important dates:
- Proposals submitted through PINS by June 12, 2026.
- The Industry Advisory Board for the CEAC will meet in Raleigh and virtually in June 2026. Final funding decisions will be made at this meeting.
- Funding letters go to PIs by July 2, 2026.
- New projects are expected to start on or around Aug 1, 2026.
Please keep in mind that the hard deadline for submitting your research proposals is 5 pm on Friday June 12, 2026.
Please reach out to Dr. Kathleen Denya, Director of Innovation Partnerships at the NC Plant Sciences Initiative, with any questions or concerns: kmpitche@ncsu.edu.