fsa research project 2023

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Cooperative Agreements

Farm Service Agency engages in the following types of cooperative agreements:

• Farm Bill Program Tools- with qualified universities or university-based organizations to develop, 
• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Monitoring, Assessment and Evaluation (MAE) Projects - with government agencies, academic institutions and non-profit organizations for projects that quantify Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) environmental benefits,
• Outreach and technical assistance - with non-governmental organizations or educational institutions to conduct targeted outreach and technical assistance activities with socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

Visit this page frequently for opportunities to compete for agreements and funding  announcements/news.

Listing of Current Conservation MAE Partners

*List is forthcoming

Listing of Current Outreach and Technical Assistance Partners Awarded Cooperative Agreements

What is a cooperative agreement, cooperative agreement definition.

A cooperative agreement reflects a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient and is used when the government's purpose is to assist the intermediary in providing goods or services to the authorized recipient.

Cooperative Agreement Purpose

FSA’s cooperative agreements are designed to support or stimulate a public purpose with substantive FSA involvement.

Cooperative Agreement Authority

FSA’s authority to enter cooperative agreements includes the:

• Agricultural Act of 2014, Section 1614(c)(3), with qualified universities or university-based organizations to develop online tools and with State extension services to educate farmers and ranchers; and
• Rural Development Act of 1972, Section 607(b)(4), as amended, with non-governmental organizations or educational institutions related to outreach and technical assistance.

Available Opportunities

There are no opportunities currently available. All previous opportunities have been awarded.

In addition to the information on the FSA website regarding its programs, these are convenient links to cooperative agreement-related information:

• 2 CFR part 200
• 2 CFR part 400
• Departmental Regulation No. 2255-001, Indirect Cost Rates Applicable to USDA Federal Awards
• USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

Blog Food Standards Agency

https://food.blog.gov.uk/2023/12/04/2023-a-year-in-fsa-science/

2023 - A year in FSA Science

Professor Robin May, FSA Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) reflects on the FSA’s commitment to science and the work delivered throughout 2023.

The Food Standard Agency’s (FSA) core mission is to ensure food is safe and is what it says it is. Science and evidence lie at the heart of this mission and strong scientific networks help ensure our responses are always underpinned by evidence.

I think I’ve said this every year since I’ve been in this role, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, this year’s (again!) been a busy, interesting and challenging one. From complex food incidents to novel food applications, the science team has demonstrated its resilience during challenging and often unprecedented times, all whilst ensuring that the FSA continues to deliver high-quality, robust science and evidence.

As ever, too much has happened this year to do justice to it all, but (with apologies for the things that have been inevitably left out!), I want to mention a few highlights.

Making connections across the sectors

Earlier this year the FSA participated in British Science Week for the first time. The theme was ‘connections’, which seemed particularly fitting for the collaborative, multidisciplinary science that FSA relies on. It was an excellent opportunity to highlight the sometimes ‘invisible’ ways in which science is embedded within government, and we’ve managed to continue this theme with other events – most recently when a group of Cardiff University undergraduate students joined part of the CSA away day at Cardiff Castle for an inspiring session of ‘note-swapping’.

One of the great privileges of being CSA is to get out and about both in the UK and internationally to learn more and hear about scientific developments in the food sector. This is especially important when the science that underpins a particular food is both complex and fast-moving. I was especially grateful to spend several days visiting the Food Sec and Tech 2023 conference , as well as companies working on cultivated proteins to understand more about the underlying technology and the potential safety risks that we need to be ready to assess. This was an excellent opportunity for the FSA to learn more from world-leading regulators and we gained valuable insights, which will help us shape our future approach to areas such as regulated product authorisations.

On a similar theme, I was delighted to visit the Norwich Science Park earlier in the year and see a fascinating mix of research, ranging from Precision Bred crop plants to human microbiome studies. And later in the year I swapped lab coats for welly boots with a visit to Harper Adams University, seeing research projects ranging from robotic tractors to dairy cow metabolism.

PATH-SAFE and IID3

Research partnerships underpin a huge amount of our work. I’m delighted that these have grown this year with a number of new projects and programmes starting and some older ones continuing. The FSA-led programme  PATH-SAFE (Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and Environment)  is an exemplar piece of work, which has established collaboration of over 50 cross-government, academic and industry partners. The impact of this programme extends far beyond FSA and as we enter into the final phase of funding for this programme, I’m excited to see not only the longer-term impact of this evidence base, but also how we maintain these partnerships for future workstreams.

We have also seen the launch of our flagship research project Infectious Intestinal Disease (IID) 3 , partnering with a consortium of government and academic colleagues to bring the government's data on IID up to date for the future.

Openness, integrity, and robust networks

Throughout the year, we’ve issued over 20 letters of support to academics from various research intuitions. Of course, not all of these funding bids will be successful. However, maintaining these strong relationships is key in building robust networks with stakeholders, leveraging resource and, perhaps more importantly, ensuring this research has real-world policy implications. I look forward to seeing this workstream grow in the coming years.

The FSA is committed to bringing integrity and openness to the research it conducts and commissions through the application of the principles of the Research Integrity Concordat. I’m particularly proud that in May, the FSA were one of the first departments to publish our Annual Statement of Compliance with the Research Integrity Concordat . This describes the steps and actions we’ve taken to meet the Concordat’s principles. This workstream has also brought us newly developed relationships in the form of the cross-government Concordat Working Group (CWG), which meets monthly to discuss the practical considerations of implementing the principles of the concordat in government.

We’ve also identified novel ways to undertake research this year and through partnership and joint funding with UKRI , we delivered a package of citizen science research projects across a range of topics which were aligned to the FSA’s areas of research interest . In addition to delivering invaluable data, these projects allow the communities in which we serve to help build the evidence on which policy decisions are made. These relatively small projects can nonetheless have really big impacts – as evidenced by the media coverage of one of them, looking at infant milk preparation machines .

New associate members of the SACs

I couldn’t discuss FSA relationships without giving an honourable mention to our Scientific Advisory Committees (SACs) and Science Council . They provide independent expert advice and challenge on FSA science strategy, risk assessment and ensure that policy decisions are based on the most up-to-date science and evidence.

In June, I was delighted to welcome 24 new members across the different SACs , of which 10 appointments were made in the new associate membership category. This category is specifically designed to bring on board early-career experts, and I’m delighted to see the fresh perspective this brings to the SACs. Work in the regulated food and feed products space has ramped up over the course of 2023, particularly as we continue to work closely with our committees to develop data requirements for precision bred organisms (PBOs) .

In July, our Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) published the third ACNFP statement on Precision Bred Organisms , which supported the FSA Board discussion in September 2023. This remains a key priority for us as we lead on creating a new regulatory framework for these products and delivering continuous scientific support for incident response for UK food and feed.

Glycerol and slush-ice drinks

Of course, science is not all about long-term planning – it also plays a key role in urgent incidents. One example from this year was our response to food safety concerns surrounding young children and their exposure to glycerol in slush-ice drinks . Through joint collaboration with the food industry, we were able to deliver valuable consumer advice at pace, helping protect vulnerable consumers whilst maintaining confidence in the food system as a whole.

Looking at the year ahead, the FSA faces a significant new demand for science and evidence, and I have no doubt that there will be plenty of unexpected twists and turns. However, the fantastic range of science expertise within the FSA, our collaborative and supportive culture and, above all, the dedication and commitment of everyone to ensuring food is safe and what it says it is, gives me enormous confidence for the future.

Here’s to 2024!

2023 – Blwyddyn mewn gwyddoniaeth yn yr ASB

Mae’r athro robin may, prif gynghorydd gwyddonol yr asiantaeth safonau bwyd, yn myfyrio ar ymrwymiad yr asiantaeth i wyddoniaeth a’r gwaith a gyflawnwyd trwy gydol 2023..

Cenhadaeth graidd yr Asiantaeth Safonau Bwyd (ASB) yw sicrhau bod bwyd yn ddiogel ac yn cyd-fynd â’r hyn sydd ar y label. Mae gwyddoniaeth a thystiolaeth wrth wraidd y genhadaeth hon ac mae rhwydweithiau gwyddonol cryf yn helpu i sicrhau bod ein hymatebion bob amser yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth.

Dwi’n meddwl fy mod wedi dweud hyn bob blwyddyn ers i mi fod yn y rôl yma, ac ymddiheuriadau am swnio fel tiwn gron, ond mae eleni (eto!) wedi bod yn flwyddyn brysur, ddiddorol a heriol. O ddigwyddiadau bwyd cymhleth i geisiadau am fwydydd newydd, mae’r tîm gwyddoniaeth wedi dangos gwydnwch yn ystod cyfnod heriol a digynsail, gan sicrhau bod yr ASB yn parhau i ddarparu gwyddoniaeth a thystiolaeth gadarn o ansawdd uchel.

Fel bob amser, mae gymaint wedi digwydd eleni, ac mae’n anodd gwneud cyfiawnder â’r cyfan, ond (gan ymddiheuro os ydw i’n anghofio unrhyw beth!), hoffwn nodi ambell uchafbwynt.

Yn gynharach eleni, cymerodd yr ASB ran yn Wythnos Wyddoniaeth Prydain am y tro cyntaf. Y thema oedd ‘cysylltiadau’, a oedd yn addas iawn ar gyfer y wyddoniaeth gydweithredol, amlddisgyblaethol y mae’r ASB yn dibynnu arni. Roedd yn gyfle gwych i amlygu’r ffyrdd ‘cudd’ y mae gwyddoniaeth wedi’i hymgorffori o fewn y llywodraeth, ac rydym wedi llwyddo i barhau â’r thema hon gyda digwyddiadau eraill – yn fwyaf diweddar pan ymunodd grŵp o fyfyrwyr israddedig Prifysgol Caerdydd â rhan o ddiwrnod Cwrdd i Ffwrdd y Prif Gynghorydd Gwyddonol yng Nghastell Caerdydd ar gyfer sesiwn ysbrydoledig o ‘gyfnewid nodiadau’.

Un o freintiau mawr bod yn Brif Gynghorydd Gwyddonol yw teithio yn y DU ac yn rhyngwladol i ddysgu mwy a chlywed am ddatblygiadau gwyddonol yn y sector bwyd. Mae hyn yn arbennig o bwysig pan fo’r wyddoniaeth sy’n sail i fwyd penodol yn gymhleth ac yn symud yn gyflym. Roeddwn yn arbennig o ddiolchgar o gael treulio sawl diwrnod yn ymweld â chynhadledd ‘Food Sec and Tech’ 2023 , yn ogystal ag ymweld â chwmnïau sy’n gweithio ar broteinau wedi’u meithrin (cultivated) i ddeall mwy am y dechnoleg sylfaenol a’r risgiau diogelwch posib y mae angen i ni fod yn barod i’w hasesu. Roedd hwn yn gyfle gwych i’r ASB ddysgu mwy gan reoleiddwyr blaenllaw’r byd a chawsom fewnwelediadau gwerthfawr, a fydd yn ein helpu i lunio ein dull yn y dyfodol ar gyfer meysydd fel awdurdodiadau cynhyrchion rheoleiddiedig.

Ar thema debyg, roeddwn yn falch iawn o ymweld â Pharc Gwyddoniaeth Norwich yn gynharach eleni a gweld amrywiaeth hynod ddiddorol o ymchwil, yn amrywio o blanhigion cnydau wedi’u bridio’n fanwl i astudiaethau microbiom dynol. Yn ddiweddarach yn y flwyddyn, tynnais fy nghot labordy, a gwisgo fy esgidiau glaw ar gyfer ymweliad â Phrifysgol Harper Adams, gan weld prosiectau ymchwil yn amrywio o dractorau robotig i fetaboledd buchod godro.

Mae partneriaethau ymchwil yn sail i ran helaeth o’n gwaith. Rwy’n falch iawn bod y rhain wedi tyfu eleni gyda nifer o brosiectau a rhaglenni newydd yn dechrau a rhai hŷn yn parhau. Mae’r rhaglen PATH-SAFE (Gwyliadwriaeth Pathogen mewn Amaethyddiaeth, Bwyd a'r Amgylchedd) a arweinir gan yr ASB yn ddarn o waith enghreifftiol, sydd wedi sefydlu cydweithrediad rhwng dros 50 o bartneriaid trawslywodraethol, academaidd a’r diwydiant. Mae effaith y rhaglen yn ymestyn ymhell y tu hwnt i’r ASB, ac ar ddechrau cam olaf y cyllid ar gyfer y rhaglen, rwy’n gyffrous i weld effaith hirdymor y sylfaen dystiolaeth hon, yn ogystal â sut rydym yn cynnal y partneriaethau hyn ar gyfer ffrydiau gwaith y dyfodol. Rydym hefyd wedi lansio ein prosiect ymchwil blaenllaw ar Glefydau Perfeddol Heintus (IID) 3 , mewn partneriaeth â chonsortiwm o gydweithwyr y llywodraeth ac academaidd i ddiweddaru data’r llywodraeth ar IID ar gyfer y dyfodol.

Drwy gydol y flwyddyn, rydym wedi cyhoeddi dros 20 o lythyrau cymorth i academyddion gan wahanol ganfyddiadau ymchwil. Wrth gwrs, ni fydd pob un o’r ceisiadau cyllid hyn yn llwyddiannus. Fodd bynnag, mae cynnal y perthnasoedd cryf hyn yn allweddol er mwyn adeiladu rhwydweithiau cadarn gyda rhanddeiliaid, defnyddio adnoddau ac, yn bwysicach o bosib, sicrhau bod gan yr ymchwil hon oblygiadau polisi go iawn. Edrychaf ymlaen at weld y ffrwd waith hon yn tyfu yn y blynyddoedd i ddod.

Mae’r ASB wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau gonestrwydd a didwylledd yn yr ymchwil y mae’n ei chynnal a’i chomisiynu trwy gymhwyso egwyddorion y Concordat Uniondeb Ymchwil. Rwy’n arbennig o falch mai’r ASB oedd un o’r adrannau cyntaf i gyhoeddi ein Datganiad Cydymffurfiaeth Blynyddol â'r Concordat Uniondeb Ymchwil ym mis Mai. Mae hwn yn disgrifio’r camau a’r camau gweithredu yr ydym wedi’u cymryd i fodloni egwyddorion y Concordat. Mae’r ffrwd waith hon hefyd wedi dod â pherthnasoedd newydd i ni ar ffurf y Gweithgor Concordat trawslywodraethol (CWG), sy’n cyfarfod yn fisol i drafod ystyriaethau ymarferol gweithredu egwyddorion y concordat mewn llywodraeth.

Rydym hefyd wedi nodi ffyrdd newydd o gynnal ymchwil eleni, a thrwy bartneriaeth a chyllid ar y cyd ag UKRI, gwnaethom gyflwyno pecyn o brosiectau ymchwil gwyddoniaeth dinasyddion ar draws ystod o bynciau a oedd yn cyd-fynd â meysydd o ddiddordeb ymchwil yr ASB . Yn ogystal â darparu data amhrisiadwy, mae’r prosiectau hyn yn caniatáu i'r cymunedau yr ydym yn eu gwasanaethu helpu i adeiladu’r dystiolaeth sy’n sail i benderfyniadau polisi. Serch hynny, gall y prosiectau cymharol fach hyn gael effeithiau mawr iawn – fel y gwelwyd gyda’r sylw yn y cyfryngau i un ohonynt, yn edrych ar beiriannau paratoi llaeth babanod.

Ni allwn drafod perthnasoedd â’r ASB heb roi sylw i’n Pwyllgorau Cynghori Gwyddonol (SACs) a’n Cyngor Gwyddoniaeth. Mae’r Pwyllgorau’n darparu cyngor arbenigol annibynnol ac yn herio strategaeth wyddoniaeth ac asesiad risg yr ASB, gan yn sicrhau bod penderfyniadau polisi yn seiliedig ar y wyddoniaeth a'r dystiolaeth ddiweddaraf. Ym mis Mehefin, roeddwn yn falch iawn o groesawu 24 o aelodau newydd i’r gwahanol Bwyllgorau, gan recriwtio 10 i’r categori aelodaeth gyswllt newydd. Mae’r categori hwn wedi’i gynllunio’n benodol i gynnwys arbenigwyr ar ddechrau eu gyrfa, ac rwy’n falch iawn o’u gweld yn cynnig persbectif newydd i’r Pwyllgorau. Mae gwaith yn y maes bwyd a bwyd anifeiliaid rheoleiddiedig wedi cynyddu yn ystod 2023, yn enwedig wrth i ni barhau i weithi’n agos gyda’n Pwyllgorau i ddatblygu gofynion data ar gyfer organebau wedi’u bridio’n fanwl. Ym mis Gorffennaf, cyhoeddodd ein Pwyllgor Cynghori ar Fwydydd a Phrosesau Newydd (ACNFP) trydydd datganiad yr ACNFP ar Organebau wedi’u Bridio’n Fanwl, a gefnogodd drafodaeth Bwrdd yr ASB ym mis Medi 2023. Mae hyn yn parhau i fod yn brif flaenoriaeth wrth i ni arwain y gwaith o greu fframwaith rheoleiddio newydd ar gyfer y cynhyrchion hyn a darparu cymorth gwyddonol parhaus ar gyfer ymateb i ddigwyddiadau bwyd a bwyd anifeiliaid y DU.

Wrth gwrs, nid yw gwyddoniaeth yn ymwneud â chynllunio hirdymor yn unig – mae hefyd yn chwarae rhan allweddol mewn digwyddiadau brys. Un enghraifft eleni oedd ein hymateb i bryderon diogelwch bwyd ymhlith plant ifanc yn dod i gysylltiad â glyserol mewn diodydd iâ slwsh . Trwy gydweithio â’r diwydiant bwyd, roeddem yn gallu darparu cyngor gwerthfawr i ddefnyddwyr yn gyflym, gan helpu i ddiogelu defnyddwyr agored i niwed, a chynnal hyder yn y system fwyd yn ei chyfanrwydd ar yr un pryd.

Wrth edrych ar y flwyddyn i ddod, mae’r ASB yn wynebu galw newydd sylweddol am wyddoniaeth a thystiolaeth, ac rwy’n sicr y bydd digon o droeon trwstan annisgwyl. Fodd bynnag, mae’r ystod wych o arbenigedd gwyddoniaeth o fewn yr ASB, ein diwylliant cydweithredol a chefnogol ac, yn anad dim, ymroddiad ac ymrwymiad pawb i sicrhau bod bwyd yn ddiogel ac yn cyd-fynd â’r hyn sydd ar y label, yn rhoi hyder aruthrol i mi ar gyfer y dyfodol. Gan edrych ymlaen at 2024!

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FSA Investing in Resilience

While I was home a few weeks ago, I got to help the crew work their cows and wrap up another production year. When we do our fall work preg-checking with our cows, like many of you, we typically take the opportunity to reflect on the year, contemplate the future.

I don’t need to tell you that oftentimes that future holds uncertainty. We have the good fortune at the FSA to continue to help producers navigate some of those uncertainties. The programs we offer can often be the best news possible for a producer living in that uncertainty. In 2023, investments from our programs made positive impacts on the lives of many agricultural producers, including those experiencing distress or those picking up the pieces after natural disasters — investments that will pay dividends for many years to come.

Our dedicated employees delivered more than $16.9 billion in farm programs and farm loans throughout the year. Some noteworthy accomplishments included helping distressed borrowers, improving our processes and programs, and providing support to our producers in times of hardship. These accomplishments were borne out of our concerted effort to approach our policies and programs with fresh eyes, creative ideas and a common purpose guided by the goal of fairly and equitably delivering the most assistance to the most producers possible.

We’re proud of our work in 2023, and our efforts to support our nation’s farmers and ranchers complement the hard work of the Biden-Harris Administration over the past three years.

Loan Assistance for Producers through the Inflation Reduction Act

As of December 2023, we have helped more than 34,000 financially distressed farmers and ranchers stay on their family operation, thanks to resources provided through Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act. Since the law was signed in August 2022, producers have received approximately $1.9 billion and counting in immediate assistance from the available $3.1 billion. This is the first step in a series of more comprehensive programmatic reforms that are intended to help our farmers create resilience. Stay tuned in 2024!

Through the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program we selected 50 innovative projects worth approximately $300 million. These projects will help improve access to land, capital, and markets for underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. This program was also funded by the Inflation Reduction Act as part of a broader investment to help ensure organizations representing underserved producers have the resources, tools, programs, and technical support they need to ensure producer success.

To better serve urban farmers, USDA established 17 new Urban Service Centers in 15 states in 2023. These service centers are staffed by FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service employees offering farm loan, conservation, disaster assistance, and risk management programs. Additionally, we established 10 new urban county committees to help local administration of FSA programs in urban areas. To strengthen the Urban Service Centers and urban county committees, USDA is investing $40 million , made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, into partnerships with community-based organizations to provide outreach, training, and assistance to producers.

Program and Process Improvements

I’ve heard about the “stack of papers” and the “decisions that take forever” with regard to our loan programs for years. This year we cut the loan application from 29 to 13 pages , which has already dramatically reduced the time it takes to apply for a loan. We recently announced an online, interactive, guided application that simplifies the direct loan process for the more than 26,000 customers who apply each year. FSA also launched the Application Fast Track Pilot Program that uses financial data to reduce loan application processing times for those who meet certain benchmarks. This pilot program will be available nationwide in 2024 and has already demonstrated success in reducing review time for staff and producer alike.

To ensure producers can take advantage of the important improvements to our standing disaster programs, we waived the requirement to submit notices of loss within a pre-determined number of days for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) for 2023 and simplified the application process for underserved producers to obtain Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage for eligible crops. We also expanded eligible livestock under ELAP, LIP, and the Livestock Forage Disaster Assistance Program, and increased the LIP payment rate for beef, beefalo, bison, and dairy animals less than 400 pounds and, most recently, beef calves over 800 pounds.

Receiving funds from USDA through conservation program payments or disaster programs is considered farm income that includes a tax liability for farm businesses. Navigating filing taxes can be challenging for farmers, especially if they are new to running a farm business, participated in disaster programs for the first time, or are trying to forecast their tax bill. To better support the producers we serve, USDA has partnered with tax experts from across the country to connect producers to information and resources related to USDA program payments, asset protection, and the important relationships between federal income taxes and USDA farm programs.

We began the rollout of the FSA Customer Kiosk devices, which will be available in all service centers by April 2024. The Customer Kiosk program enhances the customer experience and reduces the paperwork burden on customers and staff alike. Some functionality of the devices includes reviewing and signing electronic documents, browsing FSA’s large library of programs and resources, and accessing helpful third-party resources. The devices add a 21 st century method to doing business with FSA, which has been long awaited.

Emergency Relief, Disaster Assistance and Safety-Net Support

American agriculture was impacted by multiple natural disasters and weather events in 2023, including widespread drought, tornadoes, wildfires, and winter storms. Through FSA’s suite of disaster assistance programs, such as the Livestock Forage Disaster Assistance Program  and  Emergency Conservation Program , producers received more than $5.3 billion to help offset 2023 calendar year disaster-related losses.

Additionally, FSA provided more than $3.4 billion in 2023 through the Emergency Relief Program and Emergency Livestock Relief Program to assist crop and livestock producers who suffered losses due to qualifying natural disaster events in 2020, 2021 and 2022. FSA was able to provide the most assistance possible to 82% of impacted producers in spite of funding that met approximately one-third of the need, further honoring our mission of keeping farmers farming.

We also established the Milk Loss Program in 2023 to help offset economic loss by producers left with no other choice but dumping their milk due to disasters during those years. These producers continue to face supply chain issues, high feed and input costs, labor shortages, and market volatilities. In 2023, dairy producers received more than $1.2 billion through the Dairy Margin Coverage Program , which triggered payments 11 months of the year.

Climate Smart Agriculture

Since 2021, USDA has seen a significant increase in enrollment and interest in its Conversation Reserve Program (CRP), which is a critical part of the Department’s efforts to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry on working lands. In October, USDA announced it issued more than $1.77 billion to 667,000 agricultural producers and landowners for 23 million acres of private land enrolled in CRP. This includes the 2023 enrollment of 927,000 acres in General CRP, 2.3 million acres in Grassland CRP, and 694,000 acres in Continuous CRP. I’m very proud that we’ve continued to improve and expand CRP over the past several years―in 2021, we introduced higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on CRP’s role in climate change mitigation. We also renewed our emphasis on partnership programs , including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program additional staff and working to improve the flexibility of the program.

By this point in the blog, you know that our accomplishments are many but I’m sincere when I say that our successes are yours — each program, policy, and deployment decision is made with your best interest in mind because we understand that getting it right, or making it right, impacts your livelihood and way of life.

These investments and enhancements taken on their own merit are tremendous. When considered in the context of the “All of Department” approach Secretary Vilsack has led to create and improve income streams to producers and rejuvenate our rural economies we can once again see a future for the next generations in this work. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to build on these successes in 2024, and we’re excited to continue to serve our producers and listen to your solutions on how to make the most out of our investments in Rural America.

Zach Ducheneaux is the Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency. He can be reached at [email protected] .

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New research commissioned by the FSA into the safety of rearing insects on non-permitted waste streams

18 October 2023

Fera Science Ltd conducting the research for the FSA reports that Nando’s, Morrisons, Cranswick and Oakland Farms have provided the four waste streams under investigation. Research on rearing of black soldier fly (BSF) larvae using these waste streams from restaurant kitchens, supermarkets, mixed food processing and poultry farming has the potential to improve sustainability across the food and feed supply chains.

Dr Maureen Wakefield , Principal Scientist and FSA research project lead for Fera, says:

“Our research project for the FSA has the potential to deliver a significant step forward in realising the potential of insect bioconversion (IB) to manage sustainably a range of widely available mixed wastes that are currently not permitted for use due to the presence of animal by-products (ABP).

With significant pressure on the food, feed and farming sectors to reduce their environmental impact, such a regulatory change could boost efficient management of such wastes as well as generating a sustainable source of animal feed and other valuable co-products."

The four waste streams are drawn from local sources close to Fera in the north of England. Catering waste has been supplied from the kitchens of popular restaurant chain, Nando’s. Mixed food waste comes from Morrisons stores, whilst food processor Cranswick has provided mixed but largely bakery waste. The fourth waste stream, poultry manure, has been sourced from Oakland Farms in Yorkshire.

George Roach , Director of Oakland Farms Limited , confirms their support of the research.

“The FSA research project being run by Fera fits perfectly with what we are doing as a business here at Oakland Farms. My belief is that black soldier fly production has huge potential for reducing reliance on imported soyabean meal but, for this to be viable, it has to be using a true waste stream such as poultry manure, not, as is currently the case, feedstocks that could be going directly to human and animal feed. When this is coupled with the possibility for added value through the bioconversion of poultry manure into a more nutrient dense fertiliser, I could not have been happier to help by supplying one of the waste streams, namely poultry manure.”

The choice of materials under investigation was established by responses to a questionnaire sent to key stakeholders including the NFU, insect breeders and farmers, and major food and feed producers. Selection was based on three factors: the expressed needs of stakeholders; the availability of the waste stream over time, together with the perceived ability of the insects to utilise that stream effectively.

Dr Wakefield of Fera explains the current status of the FSA project:

“The rearing phase of the project that has seen the larvae of BSFL feed and grow on the four waste streams is now complete. Whilst research attention will be paid to conversion efficiency of each waste stream - development time, larvae size and waste reduction - the main phase of the project to assess safety of the resultant larvae has now begun.”

Safety is paramount from the FSA’s perspective and from the other providers of the waste streams central to the project, together with the potential to support each organisation’s drive towards enhanced sustainability and net zero targets.

Commenting on behalf of the restaurant chain Nando’s , Sam McCarthy, Head of Sustainability , said :

“Sustainability is nothing new to Nando’s. For almost a decade we have been beavering away behind the scenes to ensure that we are treading lightly on our planet and supporting communities in which we operate. We are excited to be part of this FSA and Fera project and the potential that it could provide a productive and sustainable new use for a waste stream and the possibility of evolving our chicken feed in the future.”

Sophie Throup, Technical and Sustainability Director for Morrisons manufacturing  also confirms enthusiasm and support for the project.

“At Morrisons, we have a clear set of sustainability goals for our supermarket, manufacturing and logistics businesses and teams are working hard across the supply chain to help reduce emissions.

We already share an interest in circular energy chains and how they work practically but we're keen to understand whether it is possible for food waste to be safely used to create  'usable' calories for our livestock feed, and introduce an alternative to sending food waste to anaerobic digestion facilities." 

Cranswick , food producers and processors based in Yorkshire, has invested in their ethical and sustainable supply chain over a considerable period and see their collaboration with Fera on this project as a natural extension of that investment.  

Clive Stephens, Cranswick’s Head of Research & Development says:

“At Cranswick, we don’t want to be part of the problem – we want to be part of the solution by inspiring positive change by leading the way so that others can follow. Participation in the FSA project led by Fera provides us with the opportunity to support the evolution of the innovation that is IB.”

Dr Maureen Wakefield of Fera concludes:

“It is essential that a full investigation is carried out on all potential risks from the waste streams as well as from the larvae and the frass, as the ultimate destination of increased uptake of the novel technology of IB is likely to be the human food or livestock feed chain and fertiliser for plants.

Thanks to the collaboration of all our partners in the project from industry, food and academic sectors, we are able to provide ‘real world’ data driving forward our scientific knowledge on IB and on which policies can be reviewed and developed particularly by the FSA.”

A final report is expected to be provided by Fera to the FSA at the end of 2023.  Following sign off, the FSA research report will be made available publicly via an Open Access article with a joint FSA/Fera dissemination event planned for Q2 2024.

Find out more about Fera Insect Research Services here: https://www.fera.co.uk/insect-bioconversion-reforming-the-food-system     

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Fera to carry out research project on use of novel substrates for rearing insects

04-Apr-2023 - Last updated on 04-Apr-2023 at 12:57 GMT

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UK based insect industry players, Better Origin and Entec Nutrition, are participating in the initiative, as is the University of Surrey.

Currently, only a limited range of feedstocks are allowed to be used for insect rearing in the UK and in the EU - plant derived materials, residue from fruit and vegetable processing and non-animal-containing by-products of brewing, bakery, breakfast cereal and confectionary manufacturing. 

Fera Science, formerly the Food and Environment Research Agency, is a UK research organisation. It is a joint private/public sector venture between Capita plc and the UK government. It conducts interdisciplinary investigations across plant and bee health, crop protection, sustainable agriculture, food and feed quality and chemical safety in the environment.

Scaling up the industry 

Dr Maureen Wakefield, principal scientist, Fera Insect Research Laboratory, and project lead said the study will “provide evidence as to whether widely available food waste and other substrates are safe and suitable to be used for insect bioconversion. If more substrates are proven to be safe and can be added to the legally permitted list, there is the potential to drive up the use of insects at scale.”

Key stakeholders including insect farmers, the National Farmers Union (NFU), major food and feed producers and specialist insect breeders, have selected the novel substrates for testing as part of this project.

The research team will rear the selected species on the different substrates, generating larvae and frass samples that will be evaluated thereafter for potential chemical and microbiological contaminants.

The University of Surrey will undertake a literature review to examine the risk of allergen transfer through the system. Data analysis will track the homogeneity of the results associated with each waste stream, essential to establish if the research is to be representative of real-world situations.

Potential contaminants ​

Potential chemical and microbiological contaminants will vary depending on the substrate but could include heavy metals, veterinary medicines, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins and mycotoxins, outlined the experts.

Dr Wakefield said: “The choice of substrates used for rearing insects in this FSA funded project heavily influences the safety risks that the materials may pose in the insect derived products when introduced into the animal feed chain. As reported by Fera and researchers around the world, heavy metals and other contaminants can persist post insect bioconversion.

“Understanding the nature and level of potential contaminants associated with different substrates is vital information for regulators and legislators to assess suitability for insect bioconversion use.” 

The FSA, which is responsible for developing policy and advising the government on animal feed safety and hygiene, has commissioned this research. The findings will be shared with other policymakers to inform their policies and advice to ministers, said the agency

Industry best practice ​

The active involvement of industry partners in the research project will help ensure that its findings will meet real world expectations, claimed participants. 

Miha Pipan, founder and CSO of Better Origin, said the company will apply industry best practice to the FSA research from day one, helping “to ensure that the project’s findings and its recommendations are ready for implementation by the sector at scale.” 

Fera is set to deliver a report on the project to the FSA at the end of 2023, which it said would be made available publicly via an Open Access article and a dissemination event is scheduled to run next year.

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FSA Grace Period for 2023 Ends Soon

The FSA grace period for spending funds you set aside last year for healthcare expenses expires soon. Don't leave money on the table.

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Beware the Ides of March. The FSA grace period extends through March 15, 2024.

Some employers offer a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), enabling employees to contribute to a personal fund to pay for out-of-pocket healthcare or dependent care expenses. These tax-advantaged funds have an expiration date; you typically must use most or all of the FSA money in your account by the end of the 12-month plan period. About 36% of all FSAs allow a grace period to spend any remaining funds.

This grace period extends the 12-month plan year by 2 ½ months. So, for a plan year that started on January 1, 2023, you have until March 15, 2024, to incur eligible expenses and receive reimbursement.  Any unused balance at the end of the grace period will be forfeited.

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An FSA grace period is different than a carryover balance

A "grace period" differs from an "FSA carryover" provision, used by about 40% of FSA plans. Carryovers allow you to spend a maximum of $610 of unused healthcare FSA balances from 2023 to 2024. Carryover amounts do not have a use-by date and are added to your account balance.

Carryover amounts may be deposited to a limited-purpose FSA (primary use dental and vision) versus a standard FSA if you are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan. That way, the carryover amounts won’t prevent you from contributing to your Health Savings Account (HSA). 

How to use your remaining 2023 FSA balance

Wondering how to deplete your 2023 FSA balance? In addition to some simpler ways to spend FSA money , you should probably think about expenses you may have overlooked. These items are generally "those that most people don’t incur, that require a letter of medical necessity, or that have very specific conditions under which they are reimbursable,” said Sara Taylor, senior director of Employee Spending Accounts at WTW . 

Ms. Taylor also shared with Kiplinger some commonly overlooked expenses, including the following.

• Capital expenses such as installing an entrance ramp or adding handrails or grab bars to a home to support a disabled condition
• Guide dogs/service animals 
• Resident costs and fees for intellectually and developmentally disabled persons who require a special home 
• Lodging or transportation expenses, such as mileage and parking for travel to receive medical care

In addition to reviewing receipts and your explanation of benefits (EOB), employees with a grace period may also incur additional medical expenses until March 15, 2024. Ms. Taylor explained that employees "could do this by scheduling additional necessary medical visits, ordering new contact lenses" or purchasing over-the-counter medications and first aid supplies. Sites such as FSAstore.com and HSAstore.com make it easy to spend those last few dollars and stay in compliance with plan rules. 

How much should you put in your FSA during open enrollment this fall?

If you put too much in your FSA last year, there are ways to estimate better what your expenses will be and how much to contribute to your FSA. “Start by looking at how much you spent out-of-pocket on healthcare the prior calendar year," suggested Ms. Taylor. "Then determine if that year was a high, low or average spend year and adjust accordingly. If that’s too overwhelming, focus your attention on a few areas — prescription drugs, dental, vision and the one or two people in your family that use health care the most.” 

And don’t overlook the human resources department at your job for guidance. “Many employers provide online modeling or calculator tools that employees can use to estimate expenses and determine how much to contribute to the FSA” added Ms. Taylor. 

From bandages to braces, you can set aside as much as you plan to spend on qualified health expenses next year, as long as it’s within your FSA maximum contribution limit. No matter how much you set aside, starting an FSA is a smart way to pay for health expenses for you and your family. 

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Donna joined Kiplinger as a personal finance writer in 2023. She spent more than a decade as the contributing editor of J.K.Lasser's Your Income Tax Guide and edited state specific legal treatises at ALM Media. She has shared her expertise as a guest on Bloomberg, CNN, Fox, NPR, CNBC and many other media outlets around the nation. 

This question is being asked more than ever these days, so here’s what you can do when it comes to making Medicare decisions while you’re still working.

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2023 transportation and health FSA limits projected 

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Mercer projects the 2023 limits for qualified transportation (parking and transit) benefits and health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) will increase substantially from 2022 levels. These unofficial 2023 limits are determined using the Internal Revenue Code (IRC)’s cost-of-living adjustment methods, the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) values through June and Mercer’s projected C-CPI-U for July and August. While adoption assistance program limits generally use the same indexing formula, they can’t be reliably projected due to the small rounding threshold. IRS usually announces these benefit limits — along with long-term care limits (based on the medical component of the C-CPI-U for August) — for the coming year in October or November.

Qualified transportation and health FSA limits

Limits for qualified transportation fringe benefits and health FSAs are expected to rise significantly in 2023, thanks to the dramatic increase in C-CPI-U for the year (an eye-popping 7.0% for the 10 months ending June 2022). The inflationary increases are the largest since indexing on the transportation fringe benefit began in 1999 and more than three times as large as the average annual increase.

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Reimburse your 2023 FSA expenses by April 30

You have until April 30 to get reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses that you had in 2023 for your health care flexible spending account (HCFSA) or dependent day care flexible spending account (DCFSA). Please remember that all 2023 reimbursement requests must be sent to TASC, the 2023 FSA administrator.

How to submit claims

For expenses incurred in 2023, submit for reimbursement directly through TASC. You have until April 30 to manually submit claims to TASC for costs and services that occurred in 2023 through MyTASC or the TASC Reimbursement Form:

• Log in to your MyTASC account through the MyBenefits portal
• From the home (Welcome) page, locate and click on the "Request for Reimbursement" icon in the “I want to…” column.
• Fill in all the required information.
• Upload your receipt(s).
• Click on "Submit Requests" to finalize the submission.

Fax or Mail:

• Print the Request for Reimbursement Form .
• Complete the form according to the provided instructions.
• Make copies of your receipts.
• Fax: 877-233-5217 or
• Mail: P.O. Box 7308, Madison, WI, 53707-7308

2023 Carryover

For individuals holding a 2023 HCFSA balance with TASC, carryover funds up to the limit of $640 will be automatically transferred to Fidelity in May 2024. These funds will be reflected in your NetBenefits account by early June. No action is needed on your part to receive applicable carryover amounts. Please note you cannot carry over unused DCFSA funds.

For questions related to 2023 reimbursements, contact TASC’s customer service team at 855-842-491.

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Commuting to Work: In 2010, a reported 72.17% of Oregon State drivers drove alone to work, while 10% used car pools and 4.22% used public transit.

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Stanford Pathology Research Retreat

To be held on Friday, October 11, 2024

Stanford Pathology Research Retreat 2024

This year's retreat will be held at the  david and joan traitel building of hoover institution.

Due to unanticipated record attendance registration, the  Pathology Department Research Retreat  will be  relocating to the David and Joan Traitel Building of Hoover Institution ! Our date will be,  Friday, October 11, 2024 . We chose this location as it can accommodate the number of attendees and in addition is a quick walk from the Lane Building. This decision was to ensure we can accommodate all our Pathology Faculty, Staff, Students, and Trainees in one location.  We did not anticipate this much excitement, the number of submitted abstracts, registered attendees, and overall growth in our Pathology community. We look forward to seeing you at the retreat!

The purpose of our retreat is to allow Stanford Pathology members to become more familiar with the research conducted in the Department, including basic, translational and clinical projects. We hope this will facilitate new opportunities for collaborative studies, research training and enhance prospects for additional funding of such activities.

Join us on Friday, October 11, 2024:

• Keynote Speaker: To be determined
• Flash Talks: 3-5 minute research presentations
• Pathology Art: Vote for your favorite research artwork which will be displayed throughout the event.
• All poster presenters will have a preview page of their abstract and poster on the website viewable to the Stanford Community for the week leading up to the day of the retreat. Presenters will also present their abstract poster in person at one of the poster sessions at the retreat in order to be eligible for a prize.

*Cash prizes are to be awarded in seven categories:

• Postdoctoral Fellows
• Research Associates
• CP Residents
• AP Residents
• Clinical Fellows
• Health Disparity Research

The committee starts its evaluation process by reviewing the abstracts submitted 2-3 weeks before the day of the retreat. Those that are ranked high in the pool of abstracts submitted per category are then reviewed further in person on retreat day to identify final winners.

*Cash prize amounts are determined at the time of the event; please read the eligibility criteria below

Submit your pathology artwork:

If you wish to contribute, please upload a de-identified digital image from your research or clinical work that you think is aesthetic by Monday, September 9, 2024 . Any manipulation should be applied across the entire image.

A panel of judges will select the most artistically compelling images, and these will be displayed at the department retreat. Retreat attendees will be asked to vote for their top three images and each will receive a prize.

Please upload your images; it will be fun to see the beauty in each other’s work.

2024 Schedule

Location details.

David and Joan Traitel Building of Hoover Institution 2024 Pathology Research Retreat

David and joan traitel building of hoover institution, register for the retreat, whether you are presenting or just attending, please take the time to register for this event. registration closes on september 9, 2024..

This year's SWAG selection to be determined.

Submit your Abstract, Poster Materials for Presentation

• All abstracts, presentation, and digital posters will be viewable to the Stanford Community in the week leading up to and on the day of the event, from October 7 thru October 11, 2024.
• The abstract(s) must have been created for a research project conducted at Stanford University or in collaboration with a Stanford Pathology affiliate.
• The deadline to submit your abstract, and poster is Monday, September 9, 2024 • 5 pm PST

Send us your Pathology Artwork

• Artwork must be de-identified
• The image/artwork must have been created as part of your research here at Stanford
• The deadline to submit your artwork for consideration is Monday, September 9, 2024 • 5 pm PST

For general questions about the retreat please contact:

Annie Vo Project Administrative Manager Tel: (650) 725-3940 Email: [email protected]

For technical questions or assistance please contact:

Norm Cyr Digital Specialist Tel: (650) 724-1866 Email: [email protected]

Funding provided by the Department of Pathology and The Charles B. Carrington Memorial Prize, through the generous contributions of the Wolfe & Gita Churg Foundation

2023 Retreat Photos

All photos are the property of Stanford Pathology, School of Medicine. All rights are reserved.

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April wellness walk.

The Division of Human Resources and the Penn Center for Public Health host the monthly two-mile wellness walk for April, which is the first outdoor walk of the year. 

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

College Hall, Benjamin Franklin Statue

Immigration Policy and the Election

1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

The Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics, 133 S. 36th St.

2024 Models of Excellence

4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Penn Museum, 3260 South St.

Take Our Children to Work Day

Various locations

Campus & Community

2023 PIP/PEP winners: Where are they now?

Nearly a year after the winners of the president’s innovation prize (pip) and president’s engagement prize (pep) began their projects, the winners—now alumni—discuss their progress. .

In April 2023, three President’s Prize-winning teams were selected from an application pool of 76 to develop post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world. Each project received $100,000 and a $50,000 living stipend per team member.

Winning projects for the President’s Engagement Prize (PEP) include Act First, which brings the expertise of MERT-trained Penn students to Philadelphia high schools and nonprofits for a variety of emergency response trainings, and Communities for Childbirth, which is creating a coordinated referral system of first responders and emergency dispatchers to address Uganda’s high maternal mortality rate. Sonura, the winner of the President’s Innovation Prize (PIP), is working to improve infant development by reducing harsh noise exposure in neonatal intensive care units. To accomplish this, they’ve developed a noise-shielding beanie that can also relay audio messages from parents.

Below, learn more about the progress these five Penn alumni have made with their projects since winning the awards and putting knowledge into practice.

Act First, 2023 President’s Engagement Prize Winners

Catherine Chang and Kenneth Pham, alumni of the College of Arts and Sciences and members of the Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) , set out to bring their knowledge about CPR, blood loss prevention, and Narcan to Philadelphia-area high school students.

Since embarking on the project last spring , the team recruited Penn students from MERT to teach 11 lessons in the fall and have approximately 30 scheduled for this spring. They’ve taught at Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School, Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, the Workshop School, and nonprofit Mighty Writers. This spring, they’ll also teach at Paul Robeson High School, Freire Charter School, and Universal Audenried Charter School.

So far, says Pham, it’s been an even mix of demand for CPR, blood loss prevention, and Narcan lessons. He explains they’ve learned that teaching one program—typically, the CPR lessons, which are mandated by the state and based on the American Heart Association—inevitably spurs demand for their in-house-developed blood loss prevention and Narcan trainings.

“You connect with these students and they get to know you over the course of three different lessons, and they get more comfortable asking questions, and I think that’s awesome,” says Chang. “And in our Narcan lessons we do teach, ‘Well, what if someone stops breathing and their heart stops beating, what would you do then?’ And then we say, ‘You would start CPR,’ and the next month we’ll come back and teach that. Because these lessons connect with each other.”

Act First has also been collaborating with a program at CHOP on their Youth Heart Watch program, introducing schools they’ve worked with to make them heart-safe campuses, and also Penn Medicine’s Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy , with whom they participate in Narcan outreach every Friday at select SEPTA Market-Frankford Line stops.

Pham and Chang will next pursue medical school, with the intention to consult with the program. They’re feeling confident about the progress Act First has made in its first year.

“The receptiveness of students and enjoyment they get from the classes has been surprising to us, but really rewarding,” says Pham. “The teachers have welcomed us with open arms. They’ve really liked our curriculum and how we’ve interacted with the students, and that’s ultimately our measurement of success. If the teachers and students are having a good time and learning at the same time, that’s all we could really ask for.”

Communities for Childbirth, 2023 President’s Engagement Prize Winner

Since graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences in 2023, Seungwon ‘Lucy’ Lee has shuttled between her home country of Korea and Jinja City, Uganda, where she is creating a coordinated referral system of first responders, emergency dispatchers, and systemized hospital networks through Communities for Childbirth. The project is the first of its kind in Jinja City.

“Uganda has an incredibly high maternal mortality rate, which is what we talk about when we talk about women dying during pregnancy or childbirth or after,” says project mentor Lisa Levine , chief of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Division at Penn Medicine and the Michael T. Mennuti, M.D., Associate Professor in Reproductive Health. “It is a unique country to really think about making a change and an impact.”

The project launch date is March 22. Lee has established a toll-free telephone number and recruited community health workers from 130 villages, training them and teaching them to train others. She also launched a global ambassadors’ program to recruit health care scholars in eight sub-Saharan African countries to build awareness around maternal mortality, she says.

Currently, it takes a pregnant woman in Uganda an average of four hours to receive hospital care. Lee is hoping to see that decrease to under an hour, and ultimately, to less than 30 minutes in Jinja, the Ugandan city where Communities for Childbirth is based. The group is also working closely with a regional hospital. Ultimately, Lee plans to completely transfer this service over to the hospital.

“Community buy-in is a very crucial and essential part of our entire intervention design,” Lee says. “Hopefully that will be the answer for long-term sustainability as well.”

In September, Lee will attend the University of Cambridge, earning a master’s degree in population health sciences, where she hopes to write a thesis on the impact of climate change on maternal and child health. “Working on this project definitely taught me a lot of lessons and gave me a huge realization that I wanted to study public health,” she says. 

As heat rises, “women in many African villages are often the most vulnerable populations, which means they’ll be hit the hardest,” Lee says. More research is needed to design global health initiatives that can adapt to changing environmental factors, she says. Lee wants to help with this research, to bring in appropriate intervention strategies, and to mitigate harm.

Sonura, 2023 President’s Innovation Prize Winners

Sonura, a bioengineering quintet, developed a beanie that shields newborns from the harsh noise environments present in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)—a known threat to infant wellbeing—and also supports cognitive development by relaying audio messages from their parents.

Since graduating from the School of Engineering and Applied Science , the team of Tifara Boyce, Gabriela Cano, Gabriella Daltoso, Sophie Ishiwari, and Caroline Magro, has collaborated with more than 50 NICU teams nationwide. They have been helped by the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), which shares Sonura’s goal of reducing NICU noise. “Infant development is at the center of all activities within the HUP ICN,” note Daltoso and Ishiwari. “Even at the most granular level, like how each trash can has a sign urging you to shut it quietly, commitment to care is evident, a core tenet we strive to embody as we continue to grow.” 

An initial challenge for the team was the inability to access the NICU, crucial for understanding how the beanie integrates with existing workflows. Collaboration with the HUP clinical team was key, as feedback from a range of NICU professionals has helped them refine their prototype.

In the past year, the team has participated in the University of Toronto’s Creative Destruction Lab and the Venture Initiation Program at Penn’s Venture Lab, and received funding from the Pennsylvania Pediatric Device Consortium. “These experiences have greatly expanded our perspective,” Cano says.

With regular communication with mentors from Penn Engineering and physicians from HUP, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and other institutes, Sonura is looking ahead as they approach the milestone of completing the FDA’s regulatory clearance process within the year. They will begin piloting their beanie with the backing of NICU teams, further contributing to neonatal care.

Penn celebrates operation and benefits of largest solar power project in Pennsylvania

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.

25 years of ‘LOVE’

The iconic sculpture by pop artist Robert Indiana arrived on campus in 1999 and soon became a natural place to come together.

Health Sciences

Two-and-a-half decades of research in Malawi

As the country’s life expectancy has risen, the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health has shifted its current and future research to aging.

Science & Technology

In hot water: Coral resilience in the face of climate change

Over a decade, researchers from Penn studied coral species in Hawaii to better understand their adaptability to the effects of climate change.

FIFA Launches the Women’s Health, Wellbeing, and Performance Project: Empowering Women in Sports

Project has been in gestation for the last two years

The initiative recognises the uniqueness of female physiology

More than 20 global experts have collaborated with FIFA to address crucial challenges in women’s health

FIFA, in collaboration with leading experts from around the globe, has today proudly unveiled the FIFA Women’s Health, Wellbeing, and Performance project. Over the past two years, this pioneering initiative of FIFA's Women’s Football Division has been dedicated to addressing crucial challenges in women's health within the realm of sports, with a vision to elevate women's participation, education, and performance to new horizons. In the current landscape of women’s health in sports, the urgency to develop this area is evident. The FIFA Women’s Health, Wellbeing, and Performance project is firmly committed to dismantling barriers that have previously impeded the realisation of women's full potential in sports.

Sarai Bareman, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer: "We are excited about our new initiative, which is dedicated to enhancing the holistic development of every female footballer. "Our goal is to prioritize the health, well-being, and performance of these athletes, while also advancing the understanding and engagement of women and girls in football across all levels of the game. This initiative reflects our commitment to creating a thriving and inclusive environment for women's football, fostering growth, and expanding opportunities for all."

The project's core objectives encompass:

1. Addressing Education Gaps The lack of education and awareness surrounding women's physiology, health, wellbeing, and performance is a persistent issue. This project strives to educate, empower, and equip women with the knowledge they need to excel. 2. Empowering through Knowledge Fostering a profound understanding of female physiology to liberate women from constraints rooted in training paradigms designed for male athletes. 3. Combating Puberty-Related Dropout Acknowledging the unique challenges adolescent female athletes face and offering support structures to ensure their continued participation. 4. Optimising training amid Hormonal Changes Recognising the impact of hormonal fluctuations on performance and devising tailored training methodologies to empower female athletes to reach their peak potential. 5. Breaking Barriers and Taboos Confronting societal, cultural, and health-related barriers that have limited women’s involvement in sports, paving the way for inclusivity. 6. Enhancing Coach Education Integrating women’s health and well-being education into coaching curricula to equip coaches with the necessary understanding to guide female players. 7. Promoting Access to Screening and Monitoring Tools Providing essential resources for screening and monitoring to enhance female athletes' wellbeing and performance. 8. Championing Research and Resources Bridging the research and resource gap for female players, ensuring they have access to evidence-based support. 9. Creating Awareness and Education Raising awareness and educating stakeholders about women’s health, wellbeing, and performance to foster a more inclusive environment.

The Menstrual Cycle's Impact on Performance: A Focus on Evidence

Dr Dawn Scott, a leading expert, emphasises the significance of this initiative: "For too long, we have applied research on white male players and used the evidence to train female players. This project is the starting point to educate and empower players, coaches, and support staff on how to optimally train women as women, ensuring health, wellbeing, and performance of female players."

The project's evidence-based approach underscores the significant impact of the menstrual cycle on women’s participation and performance: • 95% of players experience daily menstrual cycle symptoms. • 1 in 3 players have adjusted training due to symptoms. • 66% feel symptoms affect their performance. • 90% of players do not communicate menstrual cycle issues with coaches. • 41% of players have encountered heavy bleeding. • 85% perceive insufficient menstrual cycle knowledge. • 42-47.1% of athletes use hormonal contraception, and 45% use analgesics for menstrual symptoms.

Three Pillars for Transformation

The project operates under three interconnected pillars: 1. Awareness: Sharing best practices, fostering understanding, and providing a learning platform for health, wellbeing, and performance in sports. 2. Research: Encouraging knowledge expansion and exchange through research to inform decisions and advance the professionalisation of women's sports. 3. Education: Developing resources and educational frameworks to cultivate improved environments for growth and performance among coaches, players, and multidisciplinary teams.

"By learning more about the individualized response to hormonal changes across the female lifecycle and training women as women, we can truly unlock the full potential of female athletes" added Dr. Georgie Bruinvels, another leading expert involved in the project. The FIFA Women’s Health, Wellbeing, and Performance project is poised to drive transformative change by addressing complex topics such as, supporting players through pregnancy and understanding the menstrual cycle's impact. The initiative recognises the uniqueness of female physiology and is committed to providing women in football with the attention, resources, and knowledge they deserve.