The National Sunflower Association provides grants to public researchers to stimulate new or additional work that may result in lower production costs, increased quality, and higher yields. The NSA does not allow awarded grant funds to be used for any overhead or indirect cost by the recipient or their employer. Do not include these types of expenditures in any grant application.
 
Resolving Sclerotinia continues to be a high priority. Grant requests for this disease must be directed to the National Sclerotinia Initiative : USDA ARS. Please go to their site for details or email lanie.bilodeau@usda.gov. There is a concentrated research effort in this disease from wild accessions to fungicide trials and everything in between. Researchers are urged to consider additional or new directions in Sclerotinia sunflower research.
 
The 2026 Research Priorities section below specifies ‘areas of interest' outlined by the NSA Research Committee. This is not an exclusive list and all production areas of research will be considered by the committee.

Researchers interested in a NSA research grant need to submit a two-page maximum pre-proposal in a Microsoft Word document for all new projects that includes the scope of work, objectives, and total project cost. If you are currently working on a project that was approved in the past two years, you do not need to submit a pre-proposal to ask for additional funding for 2026. You will be notified to submit a full proposal.

Proposals that directly address one or more priority areas will receive greater consideration. In the last 5 years, funding awards have averaged $35,000, with projects in priority areas having higher awards.

• Deadline for pre-proposal: September 30, 2025
• Download application file (Word format):  2026 NSA Pre-Proposal Research Grant Application
• How to submit: Email Word document to rheam@sunflowernsa.com
  • Only Microsoft Word documents will be accepted. No PDFs.
• Timeline after submission:
  • Applicant will receive a return email showing that the pre-proposal has been received.
  • The NSA Research Committee will review each pre-proposal in late October 2025.
  • Researchers will be informed shortly thereafter if they were chosen to submit a full proposal. Principal investigators will only need to submit a full proposal if selected.
  • Full proposals will be reviewed by the NSA Research Committee in mid-January 2026.
  • The NSA Board of Directors will make final funding decisions in late February or early March.

This call for pre-proposals is issued in conjunction with the North Dakota State Board of Agricultural Research and Education.  Proposals can be submitted jointly using the same application form. Policies and procedures for this grant program can be found at: https://www.ndsu.edu/vpag/sbare/agricultural_research_fund/policies_and_procedures/

The #1 priority for the National Sunflower Association is improved genetic progress in sunflower to enhance competitiveness with other crops and stability of yield and quality using genomic tools.

Other needs are:

1. More local/regional focused varietal screening, including extension and industry, public and private lines.
2. Blackbirds:  Innovative and new approaches to reduce damage, especially discovery of repellents and or changes to plant physical characteristics.
3. Early, mid and later planting date studies are needed to mitigate insects, diseases and crop maturity effects from too early and or too late planting on a state and or regional basis.

The #1 priority is Red Sunflower Seed Weevil challenges that are inhibiting South Dakota sunflower acreage. The issue is larger than just insecticide resistance and may also include RSSW biology, genetics, and seasonal population dispersion. An “All of the Above” approach is needed.

Other needs are:

1. Evaluation of IPM strategies (scouting, trapping, thresholds, insecticide testing especially new Mode of Actions, cultural, biological) for control of economically important insect pests of sunflowers, including red sunflower seed weevil and Dectes stem borer.

The #1 priority is innovative weed control strategies using existing and experimental chemistries to address palmer amaranth, horseweed (marestail), waterhemp and multiple MOA resistant kochia.

Other needs are:

1. Encourage research for new desiccant active ingredients.
2. Weed species shifts, due to resistance/tolerance to common modes of action need to be considered for burn-down uses, as well as existing post systems like Clearfield® and Express®Sun.  
3. Define herbicide sunflower safe pre-emerge intervals, even during a drought. Preservation of and MOA resistance management for the post-emerge Group #1 grass products. 
4. Group 15 efficacy demonstrations, including improving pigweed, kochia and grass species control and how layering modes of action used in sunflower can benefit rotation crops such as wheat and corn. Emphasis on timing (late fall versus spring) for layering residual modes of action to lessen over reliance on spring burn-down.

Phomopsis stem canker is the #1 disease priority for the National Sunflower Association.  Proposals aimed at studying pathogen biology and improving (or leading to the improvement) disease management tools.

Other needs are:

1. Rust includes identifying races and the control of rust via genetic resistance and fungicide application.
2. There is continued interest in downy mildew with the development of new races and fungicide efficacy.  Proposals looking at genetic resistance along with seed treatments with multiple modes of action will be of interest.
3. Rhizopus can be a concern after the head is damaged by insects, hail, or other damage. Determining if there are management or mitigating strategies to reduce the impact of the disease is important for growers.

The #1 priority for the National Sunflower Association is quantification of sunflowers’ carbon footprint and environmental sustainability, including the renewable diesel industry and carbon sequestration impacts.

Other needs are:

1. Novel compounds in seed that have intrinsic values, including nutrition alternatives and sunflower as a protein source.