ADF APPLICATION PROCEDURE CHANGING

The Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), administered by Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization (SAFRR), is changing its application procedures effective immediately.

The first change is that ADF has implemented one deadline date each year for research proposals, rather than two dates. The new deadline date is April 15th. Previously, the deadline dates were May 15th and Nov. 15th. The second change is that ADF now requires researchers to submit a Letter of Intent, rather than a full application form, to initiate the application process.

"These changes will save researchers time, effort and energy in the complicated process of applying for funds from a multitude of funding agencies, in addition to ADF," Agriculture and Food Minister Mark Wartman said. "Agricultural research is a building block of Saskatchewan's agricultural industry," Wartman added. "It has been key to our success in the past and is of vital importance to our continued success in the future. We are fortunate in Saskatchewan to have so many researchers and organizations dedicated to agricultural research."

At present, ADF receives about 200 applications a year. Of these, about 50 are approved for funding. The Letter of Intent will allow researchers to describe their proposed projects without having to go into the detail required on the application. The ADF Board will review the Letters of Intent, and will select projects that will be invited to submit full applications.

A form for the Letter of Intent will be available to researchers by March 15th. Information about the procedure for submitting the Letter of Intent will be available on SAFRR's website at www.agr.gov.sk.ca

The annual deadline for the Letter of Intent is April 15th.

For details about ADF, contact the Agriculture Research Branch in Regina, 787-6566.

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For More Information, Contact:

Dr. Abdul Jalil Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization Regina Phone: (306) 787-5960