Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas (NAPA)

NAPA Research Mini-Grant (RMG) Program

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Background

Founded in 2016, the Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas (NAPA) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental, non-religious, and non-political professional organization that aspires to contribute to agricultural transformation for food security. The Research, Capacity Building, and Collaboration Committee (RCCC) of NAPA has been conducting a competitive Research Mini-Grant (RMG) program since 2019 to support research projects on Agricultural and Allied Sciences (AAS) in Nepal. Please visit https://www.napaamericas.org/grant for details. The current NAPA Executive Committee has selected ‘Fostering Viable Agriculture and Thriving Livelihoods’ as the main theme for its tenure (2026 – 2028). Therefore, in this call, RCCC welcomes proposals in diverse, specialized, and interdisciplinary areas of AAS that contribute to the main theme.

Objective(s)

The RMG program intends to provide funding and advisory support to undergraduate students in Nepal to conduct research in the field of AAS. The research studies are expected to address knowledge gaps and contribute to innovations toward the development of economically viable, socially just, and environmentally sustainable plant- and animal-based agricultural systems and natural resource management.

Funding amount and areas

NAPA plans to support research proposals of up to NRs 40,000 each as a sole or matching fund. In this call, RCCC considers proposals in diverse, specialized, and/or interdisciplinary areas of AAS that contribute to ‘Fostering Viable Agriculture and Thriving Livelihoods,’ the main theme of the NAPA Executive Committee. Proposals may contribute to the theme by enhancing the knowledge base, defining challenges, and identifying opportunities for technological, socioeconomic, or policy interventions. Priority areas include the identification and sustainable utilization of underutilized biological resources (e.g., plant and animal species and locally adapted landraces and breeds); strategies for addressing climate change; waste management; renewable energy; development and adoption of adaptive technologies; and value addition and niche-market development. Regardless of the specific topic area, funded projects are expected to generate actionable knowledge, evidence, technologies, approaches, or recommendations that support viable agriculture and/or improve livelihood opportunities. Applicants should clearly articulate how the proposed research outcomes will contribute to the broader theme of NAPA and identify potential pathways through which the findings could be translated into real-world applications.

Eligibility

This call for proposals is specifically for undergraduate students in AAS from universities in Nepal. Students must have at least one year left before graduation to complete the proposed study.

Terms and conditions

• Proposals not adhering to the Request for Proposal (RFP) guidelines will not be considered.
• Project duration shall be 12 months (April 1, 2027–March 31, 2028). The final report must be submitted within one month of the program end date (i.e., by April 30^th, 2028).
• The project period may be extended, on a case-by-case basis (at no additional cost to NAPA) if unforeseen situations like natural disasters and/or institutional shutdowns hinder the research progress. RCCC must be notified as soon as such a situation arise.
• Indirect costs (institutional administration and other fees) are not allowed under NAPA RMG.
• Grant money shall not be used to 1) renovate or refurbish research, education, or extension/outreach space; 2) purchase or install fixed equipment in such a place; 3) plan, repair, rehabilitate, acquire, or construct buildings or facilities.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) use policy: Applicants must prepare and submit an original proposal that reflects their own ideas, expertise, and writing. The use of generative AI tools to write, draft, or substantially develop any part of the grant proposal is not permitted. AI tools may be used for limited purposes such as spelling, grammar, or formatting assistance, but the applicant remains fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the submitted proposal.

Timeline

• RFP open date: November 3, 2026
• RMG information session for potential applicants: November 20, 2026 [RSVP by Clicking the Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wFk8UmaXTNO3KJkiirIKuA]
• Proposal Submission Deadline: January 15, 2027; 11:59 pm US Central Standard Time (Chicago)
• Notification to awardees: March 12, 2027
• Contracts with awardees: March 31, 2027
• Research duration: April 1, 2027 – March 31, 2028
• Final report submission: April 30, 2028
• Presentation in NAPA RMG Symposium: May 20 – 21, 2028

Request for Proposal (RFP) guidelines

Applicants must submit a single PDF that includes the required components listed below. Incomplete applications will be automatically discarded.

⮚ Formatting required: Arial font (size 12), 1-inch margins, and single line spacing. 

⮚ The cover page should include the following information [page limit = 1]:

• Principal investigator’s name, email, phone number, and institution
• Team members' names, emails, phone numbers, and institutions (if applicable)
• Institution where the research will be completed.
• Institutional advisor’s name, email, phone number, and institution (applicant must find one institutional advisor who will mentor them during the study duration). Include a support letter from the institutional advisor.
• Current degree being pursued by the principal investigator: e.g., BSc. Ag.
• Current semester of the principal investigator: e.g., 5^th
• Mention the number of years remaining before graduation.

⮚     Research proposal [page limit = 6, excluding bibliography, letter of recommendation, letter of support, and other supporting documents]

• Project title [25-word limit]: An articulate statement of study that provides the essence of the project’s scope, content, and direction.
• Background and significance [10 points]: Provide a coherent and logically organized literature review that critically evaluates existing research in the field, establishes the significance of the research problem, clearly defines the problem being addressed, and identifies key knowledge gaps that justify the proposed study.
• Innovation [10 points]: Demonstrate the originality and creativity of the proposed study by clearly articulating its novel ideas, approaches, methods, applications, or research areas. Explain how the proposed work addresses limitations or gaps in existing research and distinguish it from prior studies. Highlight how the proposed innovations will advance knowledge, methodologies, applications, or practice in the field. Clearly describe how this project addresses the NAPA’s theme.
• Hypothesis and objectives [10 points]: Build on the background and identified knowledge gaps to formulate a clear, testable hypothesis. Clearly define the objectives of the project and articulate what the research seeks to understand, test, demonstrate, or investigate.
• Methodology [20 points]: Describe the proposed research methodology, including the study design, key experimental or analytical methods, and procedures for testing the project hypothesis and achieving the stated objectives. Provide sufficient details to explain what will be done, how and when it will be conducted, where the work will take place, and who will be responsible for its implementation, as applicable. Provide appropriate alternative strategies to address potential challenges, limitations, or unforeseen difficulties. Where applicable (e.g., in animal and human-associated research), applicants must provide evidence or a plan for getting ethical approval for the proposed research from the relevant institution or regulatory bodies.
• Deliverables and expected outcomes [10 points]: Clearly explain specific, measurable, and achievable deliverables and expected outcomes of the project that align with the project hypothesis and objective(s).
• Timeline [10 points]: Present a realistic and well-organized timeline to accomplish major activities, including preparation of the final report, presentation, and publication. Clearly mention whether the proposed work can be carried out within the project period or not.
• Budget and budget justification [10 points]: In a table, indicate various items that are budgeted and their respective costs. The budget must be realistic and aligned with the proposed activities and objectives. If the anticipated cost exceeds NAPA’s funding limit, discuss alternative funding sources. Include letter(s) of support or commitment if alternative funding is proposed.  Subsequently, provide a brief justification for the allocation of budget and how it will be spent.
• Expected impact [10 points]: Clearly articulate how the proposed research outcomes will contribute to NAPA’s theme and identify potential pathways through which the findings will be shared and translated into practical, socioeconomic, environmental, technological, or policy applications to advance agricultural and allied sciences.
• Facilities and resources [10 points]: Indicate if you have the facilities, equipment, infrastructure, and other resources necessary to successfully conduct the proposed experiments. This statement must be accompanied by letters of support from the institution where research will be conducted. Those letters of recommendation and support are not counted towards the 6-page limit.  
• Artificial intelligence (AI) use statement: Briefly indicate if you used AI tools and, if so, for what purposes.

⮚     Bibliography: Provide the list of references cited in your proposal. Please follow the American Psychological Association (APA) 7^th edition format. The reference document is available at: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf

⮚     Include a letter of recommendation from an institutional advisor.

⮚     Include letter(s) of support from the institution where research will be conducted or from the collaborating institutes confirming the availability of facilities and resources for the research. The letter must be issued by an appropriate university authority responsible for overseeing or administering research at the applicant’s institution. The letter should confirm the applicant’s institutional affiliation and indicate the institution’s support for the proposed project, including cost share (if any).

⮚     Submit a single PDF: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KpjbbarZM1kNPAPB3af-40kXFF7bB00WkRZUdqrN598/edit

For any additional information, please contact:

Dr. Santosh Dhakal

Chair, RCCC, NAPA

Email: research@napaamericas.org

Dr. Uma Karki

President, NAPA

Email: president@napaamericas.org