National Alliance for Food Safety and Security

To learn more about an individual center select one from the list below.

The Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the OC, establishes the national centers of excellence. Center structure is periodically reviewed and may be revised by the Board to better meet the needs of the Alliance. The centers serve as focal points for interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research. Faculty from member institutions may identify themselves with one or more of the centers and participate in the activities of the center, including the election of its chair. The centers' principle function is conducting research, education and outreach activities usually funded through competitive grants. Centers also provide a coherent nexus of expertise that can be exercised by NAFSS to meet specific needs/opportunities of federal or private sector sponsors. Center directors provide leadership and mentoring for the marketing, solicitation, organization, and preparation of grant proposals and for providing overall management of inter-institutional grants. Centers are the fundamental performing unit of NAFSS. Centers may receive funding through competitively awarded grants for inter-institutional research and development in response to RFPs emanating from ARS for this purpose.

The following are the purposes of the NAFSS centers:

1. Provide an ongoing communication between faculty of the member institutions to establish areas of mutual interest and to share information on opportunities for submitting multi-institutional proposals
2. Develop and expand mutual awareness of opportunities for developing multi-institutional proposals for external funding - usually in competitive grants - with emphasis both on traditional and non-traditional sources of funding
3. Promote and facilitate the development of inter-institutional and interdisciplinary proposals for research and development in the relevant areas implied by the titles of the new centers.
4. Establish inter-center linkages between the NAFSS centers where appropriate
5. Maintain an ongoing linkage with the NAFSS Board of Directors and Operations Committee that facilitates advocacy for the overall Alliance

Directors of NAFSS Centers of Excellence:

On the recommendation of center faculty of individual centers, the OC nominates two candidates for director of the center. The director is elected by members of the faculty of the Center, by a simple majority vote. The other candidate may be invited to fill the unexpired center director's term if this becomes necessary. Center directors are elected for two year terms and may be elected for one additional term.

Duties of the Center Directors:

1. Establish a mechanism for and provide leadership in promoting ongoing communication among members
2. Provide leadership in promoting the development of inter-institutional and inter-disciplinary proposals
3. Facilitate inter-center linkages through communication with counterpart center directors
4. Participate as a member of the Operations Committee of NAFSS where possible and appropriate
5. Maintain an ongoing dialogue with the NAFSS Board member from the director's institution
6. Provide an annual report of center activities to the Operations Committee Chair

Faculty Members of the NAFSS Centers

Individual faculty members are expected to participate in the activities of the center(s) with which they affiliate themselves. This includes making recommendations for areas of joint endeavor, participating in the preparation of joint proposals for external funding, cooperating and collaborating with other faculty in areas of mutual interest and benefit and fostering inter-institutional engagement in the areas of science relevant to the center's activities, and responding to the leadership of the center director.