North Carolina Agriculture Innovations & Research (NCAIR)

Competitive state grant from NCDA&CS (rebranded in 2026 from the Bioenergy Research Initiative / New & Emerging Crops / IAAE programs) funding agricultural innovation and research projects — new and emerging crops, bioenergy, livestock, technology, forestry, and value-added products that enhance the competitiveness of North Carolina agriculture. $1,000,000 available for the FY2026-27 cycle.

Eligible applicants: institutions of higher learning, Cooperative Extension, commodity associations, and non-profit and for-profit organizations. Not available to start-up businesses, for collecting proprietary data, or for indirect/overhead costs. Projects may run up to 3 years; multi-state collaboration allowed.

From the FY2026-27 Information & Guidelines. Award cap: "The maximum grant request amount for 2026-27 will be no more than $100,000." The pool is fixed: "A competitive grant process will support this Program with $1,000,000 for the 2026-2027 grant cycle." No match or cost-share requirement is published.

Project length: "Grant funds will be awarded for projects of up to three (3) years."

Ineligible costs: "Funding from this Program will NOT be granted for start-up businesses, collecting proprietary data, or indirect/overhead costs," and again under allowable costs, "Indirect or administrative costs are not allowed." "Equipment purchases of $10,000 or more must be clearly outlined as to their necessity of the project and the Agency reserves the right to deny any request." Travel follows the State of North Carolina Budget Manual — subsistence rates effective July 1, 2025 are breakfast $10.60 (in-state and out-of-state), lunch $14.00 / $14.00, dinner $24.40 / $27.70, lodging (actual, up to) $94.10 / $111.10, maximum allowed daily subsistence $143.10 in-state / $163.40 out of state, and "Mileage: $.725/mile." "The Program has the right to disallow costs determined inappropriate or unreasonable."

Payment and hold-back: reimbursement-based, "[r]eimbursement requests may be submitted no more than monthly," and "20% of the Grant Total will be withheld until the Final Performance Report is approved by the NCAIR." "Failure to submit timely reports will result in the forfeiture of reimbursements." Interim performance reports are due quarterly; the final report is due within 60 days of project completion or contract expiration. Records must be retained "for a period of five years after completion date indicated in the Contract."

Note the review committee may reshape the deal: "The Program reserves the right to fund the project in part, add or delete tasks, and ask for clarification."

Submit application packet electronically (Word/Excel originals) to Allison Medlin by 5:00 PM EST Friday, October 16, 2026, plus one mailed original with signatures. Templates (cover page, information & guidelines, project profile, line-item budget, timeline) at ncagr.gov/grants/NCAIR.