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The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the in-house research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it is not a grant-making program. Researchers outside ARS usually meet it through a formal agreement (a CRADA, a material or data transfer agreement, or a non-disclosure agreement), not through a funding application. That distinction is the one most searchers miss, and it is the one this guide is built around. Everything below is as described on the official ARS pages on 2026-10-29.
What USDA ARS is and who runs it
ARS describes its mission in one sentence: “ARS delivers scientific solutions to national and global agricultural challenges.” As described on the official About ARS page on 2026-10-29, the agency works at 92 geographic locations, with about 2,000 scientists and postdocs and 5,000 other employees. Its work is organized into 15 National Programs supporting about 600 research projects, on a fiscal year budget of about $1.7 billion.
ARS is one of four agencies in the USDA Research, Education and Economics (REE) mission area. The other three are the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). NIFA is a sibling agency, not a parent of ARS.
Is ARS a grant program? Eligibility and how outside researchers engage
The About ARS page describes ARS scientists as frequently collaborating “with research partners from universities, companies, other organizations, and other countries”. It does not describe a grant competition or an application for ARS funds. The partnership routes are laid out on the ARS Office of Technology Transfer templates and agreements page, which opens: “ARS has a number of technology transfer agreements, such as, but not limited to, the following:” and then lists four types. Eligibility is therefore a question of which agreement fits your project and whether the partner can meet that agreement’s terms (for a CRADA, see below), not an application score.
NIFA is a separate agency; for a NIFA program, see the CASRAI guide to USDA NIFA AFRI program areas.
What ARS agreements cover
The four agreement types named on the official page differ in purpose and in how money moves. The table below summarizes the descriptions on the official page.
| Agreement | What the page says it is for | Funds and rights |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) | Used with partners outside ARS when proprietary information must be disclosed to enable effective technical discussions, so parties can decide whether to pursue a collaboration or license. | Templates for ARS receiving information, ARS providing information, and exchange of information. |
| Material or Data Transfer Agreement (MTA/DTA) | Governs transfer of tangible research material (MTA) or data (DTA) between ARS and a non-ARS organization. | Does not transfer ownership: the material or data is merely lent to the receiving scientist. |
| Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) | A joint research effort with at least one non-Federal partner, generally intended to create or optimize a commercial product. | Funds can only flow from the collaborator to ARS. The partner may commit funds and/or in-kind resources. |
| Material or Data Transfer Research Agreement (MTRA/DTRA) | Authorizes some joint research on the materials or data transferred; an early-stage proof-of-concept opportunity that may lead to more extensive research under a CRADA. | Does not convey rights to negotiate exclusive licenses to any intellectual property arising from the research. Includes a plant evaluation variant (PEMTRA). |
For the general concepts behind these documents, see the CASRAI entry on the CRADA and the comparison of a material transfer agreement versus an NDA.
Steps to start an agreement with ARS
- Identify the ARS scientist or National Program whose work matches yours, starting from the About ARS page.
- Choose the agreement type from the table above. The templates page offers separate templates by direction, for example incoming material, outgoing material or exchange.
- Open the matching template on the official ARS templates and agreements page. The page lists one templates contact for all of them.
- For a CRADA, confirm before drafting that the partner can commit funds or in-kind resources and that funds would flow only from the partner to ARS.
Typical phases of an ARS collaboration
The official descriptions imply an order, though not a schedule. First, an NDA lets both sides discuss proprietary information to decide whether a collaboration or license is worth pursuing. Second, an MTA/DTA lends material or data to a receiving scientist. Third, an MTRA/DTRA authorizes early joint research on that material as a proof of concept. Fourth, more extensive work can move into a CRADA. Not every project uses every phase.
Common mistakes
- Treating ARS as a grant funder. The About ARS page describes collaboration with outside partners and no application for funds, and NIFA is a separate sibling agency, so do not treat the two as one program.
- Expecting ARS to pay a CRADA partner. The page says funds can only flow from the collaborator to ARS.
- Assuming an MTA transfers ownership. The material or data is merely lent.
- Assuming an MTRA secures licensing rights. It does not convey rights to negotiate exclusive licenses to intellectual property arising from the research.
Related USDA REE agencies
| Agency | Place in USDA |
|---|---|
| ARS (Agricultural Research Service) | REE mission area; in-house research at 92 locations, 15 National Programs |
| NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) | REE mission area; sibling agency of ARS |
| ERS (Economic Research Service) | REE mission area |
| NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) | REE mission area |
For discipline background on the science ARS conducts, see CASRAI’s guides to agronomy and crop science and soil science, and for the contract families these agreements belong to, see research contract types.
FAQ
What does USDA ARS stand for?
Agricultural Research Service, one of four agencies in the USDA Research, Education and Economics mission area.
Is USDA ARS the same as NIFA?
No. Both sit in the REE mission area with ERS and NASS, but they are separate agencies.
Does ARS give grants?
The official About ARS page does not describe grants to outside researchers. It describes collaboration with outside partners, and the templates page describes the agreement types used for that collaboration.
Can funds flow from ARS to a CRADA partner?
No. The official templates page states that funds can only flow from the collaborator to ARS.
What is the difference between an MTA and an MTRA?
An MTA lends material or data without transferring ownership. An MTRA adds authorization to conduct some joint research on the transferred material or data, as an early proof-of-concept step.
Sources
- USDA ARS, About ARS, https://www.ars.usda.gov/about-ars/, checked 2026-10-29.
- USDA ARS Office of Technology Transfer, Templates and Agreements, https://www.ars.usda.gov/ott/templates-agreements/, checked 2026-10-29.
