SPS and TBT Training

SPS and TBT Training Opportunity

Request for Applications
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Scientific Exchanges Fellowship Program

We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Scientific Exchanges Fellowship Program:

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Fall 2020 Fellowship Program, facilitated by University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources International Programs (CAFNR International Programs).

Eligible Countries: Kenya, Morocco, Tanzania and Tunisia

Apply now for this exciting opportunity.

  • There are eight fellowship openings.
  • Each fellow will complete training with a mentor at the University of Missouri for up to 11 weeks on research related to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT) topics to support agricultural trade in the eligible countries.
  • Fellows will be part of an interdisciplinary cohort that will participate in select activities and site visits together, expanding knowledge across the fields of animal, plant and food sciences and trade barriers.
  • Site visits and activities will include attending the World Food Prize 2020 and other relevant conferences or academic activities.
  • The U.S. mentor will later visit the fellow’s home institution to continue collaboration.
  • The training will take place in the U.S. between the dates of Aug. 30, 2020, and Nov. 15, 2020.

Your training will contribute to your strategic goals and objectives through a hands-on experience in a “real-world” agricultural research scenario, providing opportunity for application of research agendas where you can have a direct impact on international trade, food security and economic growth in your country. You can share the knowledge gained through the program in your classroom, laboratory, inspection site, extension work or other workplace. You will maintain professional contact with your mentor after your departure from the United States.

The application (extended) deadline is Feb. 3, 2020 at 5 p.m. GMT.

Eligible Countries: Kenya, Morocco, Tanzania and Tunisia (approximately two fellows will be accepted from each of the eligible countries).

Please see the full Request for Applications (PDF) for program eligibility and application procedures.

Please download the Application Form (PDF) to apply by Feb. 3, 2020, and note full application requirements in the Request for Applications.

The University of Missouri’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Research and Training Group

The University of Missouri’s SPS and TBT research and training group is comprised of over 20 faculty from four departments in two colleges, the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Veterinary Medicine. This unique interdisciplinary approach ensures high levels of specialization within sanitary and phytosanitary measures, while also having a holistic approach across disciplines that reflects real-world needs. The SPS and TBT research group conducts research in SPS topics and provides training at national and international levels to manage plant and animal pests and diseases and ensure food is safe and wholesome. Likewise, faculty working on TBT topics look at technical regulations, standards or conformity assessment procedures for a product and other obstacles to trade.

See the research group’s specific capacity and research areas below.

SPS and TBT Research Group and Training Group Capacities

The following are some of the capacity areas available at the University of Missouri.

Animal Sciences, Veterinary Medicine

  • Infectious disease epidemiology
  • Disease diagnosis and surveillance
  • Disease pathogenesis and immunity
  • Antimicrobial resistance
  • Vector borne diseases
  • Food safety
  • Regulatory requirements for livestock movement and trade
  • Livestock reproduction and genomics
  • Biosecurity
  • Farmer education and extension training
  • Bovine mastitis and milk quality
  • Beef/pork/dairy quality assurance and animal welfare standards

Plant Sciences

  • Diagnostics of viral, bacterial, fungal and nematode plant pathogens
  • Field inspections for pests (including pheromone traps, sticky traps, black light traps, sweep nets, beet cloths) and scouting for pathogens
  • Field tracking of invasive insect dispersal and habitat preference (including protein and fluorescent markers)
  • State wide trapping and reporting network for insect pest species
  • Laboratory identification for insect pest species and select pathogens
  • Training modules on invasive species identification, biology, and management
  • Integrated pest management for fungal and nematode pathogens
  • Grower education/extension
  • Development of phytosanitary regulatory procedures

Food Sciences

  • Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
  • Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) approaches
  • Preventive Controls Rules for Human Food
  • Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) Rule
  • Microbiology, chemical and other contaminants
  • To enhance public health through research of appropriate risk-based regulations that safeguard the food chain
  • Adoption and application of international standards in testing of meat and dairy products
  • Post-harvest processing of fruits, vegetables, nuts and ancient grains
  • Value addition to food loss/food waste
  • Fortification of foods; Nutritional labeling
  • Identifying new agroforestry products and processing for medicinal applications
  • Acidified and Low Acid Canned Foods
  • Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs)

Cross-cutting Themes

  • Genomic sequencing for pathogens
  • Public health protection; Food defense and biosecurity; Food recalls
  • Development of SPS protocols, regulations, risk management
  • Green nanotechnology
  • Agricultural and trade policies

Contact

If you have questions or interests in the SPS and TBT Research Group, please contact CAFNR International Programs, CIP@missouri.edu.