General Solicitation

Each year, the Dairy the National Dairy Council™ (NDC) seeks nutrition and product research pre-proposals that will further discoveries about and utilization of dairy foods and ingredients across the lifespan.

The General Solicitation furthers the goals of NDC nutrition and product research by fostering new research on:

• The health benefits of dairy foods and ingredients that will help establish a strong scientific foundation aimed at improving public health (Nutrition Research)​
• The quality, performance and safety of dairy foods and ingredients that will lead to increased consumption of dairy (Product Research)

Supplemental Support Solicitation

The National Dairy Council ™ (NDC) encourages collaboration among researchers and funding agencies in order to foster a healthier society by leveraging existing resources and expertise. Therefore, NDC recognizes that there may be instances when additional support is needed to enhance existing non-NDC funded projects. Principal investigators with an existing grant, either pending or active, may apply for supplemental support if:

• The project is evaluating the effects of dairy foods or ingredients on health (Nutrition Research)
• The project is examining new ways to improve the safety and quality of dairy foods or ingredients (Product Research)
• The investigators would like to add additional dairy-related arms/analyses to a study that was not originally examining dairy foods or ingredients

Examples of supplemental support include:

• Projects that enhance objectives or measurements being obtained in an ongoing or new dairy-related project that is funded by governmental agencies, foundations, the food industry, or other sources
• Conducting secondary analyses on existing data sets related to dairy and health (Nutrition Research)

In recognition that investigators may receive awards from other organizations throughout the year, Supplemental Support pre-proposals are accepted year-round. If you already have an existing grant from another funding agency (e.g. NIH or USDA) and are interested in applying for supplemental support, see either the Product Research or Nutrition Research Supplemental Support calls.

Directed Solicitation​

Over the course of the year, the National Dairy Council™ (NDC) may announce calls for research pre-proposals on specific nutrition- or product-related topics. Directed Solicitations help us address key research questions in order to meet emerging goals of the research programs. Please note that NDC will not accept pre-proposals that do not meet the objectives described in the specific call.

There is no specific timeline for Directed Solicitations. Email notifications will be sent to researchers on our mailing list to announce that there is an active Directed Solicitation. Click here​ to be placed on our mailing list.