WHAT IS THE QUAD?

The Quad is a diplomatic partnership among Australia, India, Japan and the United States committed to supporting a free and open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.

NSF is partnering with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to implement the first use-inspired basic research collaboration under the Quad. The Advancing Innovation to Empower NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) Initiative delivers on a commitment by Quad leaders to support joint research to advance innovation in agriculture.

ADVANCING INNOVATIONS FOR EMPOWERING NEXTGEN AGRICULTURE (AI-ENGAGE) INITIATIVE

The goal of AI-ENGAGE Initiative is to strengthen collaboration among researchers in Quad countries increase the impact of research in critical technologies, and empower farmers to increase resilience and yield.

NSF and the Quad partners signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on August 5, 2024. The MoC provides an overarching framework to strengthen collaboration between research communities in the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, and build agricultural resilience in the Indo-Pacific region.

A Dear Colleague Letter (NSF 24-132) describes the Special Guidelines for Submitting Joint Proposals under the Quad AI-ENGAGE Collaborative Research Opportunity.

AI-ENGAGE ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Full background and submission details are found in the DCL - NSF 24-132. Proposals are due January 22, 2025.

JST - Japan-US-Australia-India Joint Call for Proposals on AI-ENGAGE | Application | AI-ENGAGE (jst.go.jp)

CSIRO - Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) Initiative - CSIRO

ICAR - Quad Cooperation | ICAR

Proposals with a U.S. PI submitted in response to this DCL to NSF must be submitted by January 22, 2025, 5:00 PM in the submitting U.S. organization's time zone.

WEBINAR

NSF, JST, ICAR, and CSIRO Program Officers hosted an Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen AGriculturE (AI-ENGAGE) Quad Collaborative Research Opportunity Webinar and Q&A to share information and answer questions about NSF 24-132. For those who missed the October 9, 2024, webinar, please access the PowerPoint Presentation. Please check back for the Zoom Recording.

NSF Quad AI-ENGAGE Office Hours
NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering invites U.S.-based researchers to attend Virtual Office Hours aimed at giving potential PIs an opportunity to ask questions. Please note that these sessions are open to all and are to address general questions about AI-ENGAGE and its requirements. Please note that the individual Office Hour sessions have unique zoom links. The Office Hours will not be recorded, nor will any presentation be made.

Thursday, Oct 17, 2024; 2:00PM-3:00PM EDT
https://nsf.zoomgov.com/j/1616275388?pwd=RbUe2iHmiumEV4L8FupIalIuXtcgYF.1from=addon

Wednesday, Oct 23, 2024; 1:00PM-3:00PM EDT
https://nsf.zoomgov.com/j/1610776032?pwd=JR2RK1rpU3V96ImbhdbjsDNBN02XyL.1from=addon

NSF CONTACTS

Anne Emig: aiengage@nsf.gov

Cate Flanley: aiengage@nsf.gov

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