Enhancing Biotechnology Market Opportunities for U.S. Exporters and American Farmers

This funding opportunity supports the expansion of U.S. agricultural biotechnology exports by addressing regulatory and policy barriers in key international markets including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the European Union. The Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking a recipient to collaborate on designing and implementing seminars, workshops, and training events that promote science-based regulatory frameworks for genome-edited and other advanced biotechnology products. These activities aim to build capacity among foreign government officials, scientists, and stakeholders, fostering greater acceptance and trade of U.S.-developed agricultural biotechnologies, which underpin over 90% of U.S. corn and soybean production and generated $51 billion in exports in 2025. The recipient will work directly with USDA/FAS to identify venues, participants, and evaluation methods to ensure measurable increases in policy understanding and advocacy for biotechnology adoption. The program is structured to align with the America First policy agenda by strengthening global market access for American farmers and enhancing competitiveness in the face of restrictive foreign regulations. The cooperative agreement carries a total possible funding ceiling of $2 million over four years, with an initial award of up to $500,000, and is subject to performance and availability of funds. Applicants must submit a comprehensive proposal including SF-424 and SF-424A forms, a detailed budget narrative, and a project plan not exceeding ten double-spaced pages. Evaluation is based on a trade-off process emphasizing program design and technical expertise (55% weight), budget quality and reasonableness (30%), leadership and communication capacity (10%), and professional presentation (5%). Key requirements include compliance with 2 C.F.R. Part 200, submission of quarterly performance and financial reports via ezFedGrants, disclosure of lobbying activities if the award exceeds $100,000, and reporting of executive compensation and subawards under applicable federal rules. The recipient must also manage international logistics for in-person and virtual events, ensure organizational conflict of interest safeguards, and allow for ongoing monitoring and audits by USDA/FAS. Applications must be submitted electronically through ezFedGrants by August 17, 2026, and are open only to entities with a valid Unique Entity ID registered in SAM.gov, with no socioeconomic set-asides or size status requirements.