SHRE Call for Proposals
The goal of the Saratoga Horticultural Research Endowment is to support research, education, and outreach that fosters the introduction of new and improved plants for California gardens and ornamental landscapes.
FUNDING IN THIS CYCLE (2026-2027) WILL FOCUS ON RESEARCH PROPOSALS ONLY.
Research proposals for the 2026-2027 funding cycle should specifically address one or more research priorities on landscape plant AVAILABILITY, PRODUCTION, VALUES and TOLERANCES to CLIMATE STRESSORS, and be related to SHRE’s core focus on drought- and heat-tolerant plants suitable for landscape use in California as detailed below.
Current Research Priorities
- PRIORITY 1 – Test the wear/foot traffic tolerance of new turfgrass alternatives grown under various management regimes (irrigation, mowing, etc.).
- PRIORITY 2 – Quantify roadblocks and opportunities to the production and use of California’s native plants in the built landscape.
- PRIORITY 3 – Select plant alternatives for “Zone Zero” and other defensible spaces near buildings with respect to urban fire risk and water use.
- PRIORITY 4 – Conduct field trials of new cultivars in a common garden to determine which ones are the most garden-worthy under controlled watering regimes. Ideally this trial would be conducted in several locations across the state and different results are to be expected based on climate variation. (2-year long projects are allowed and they will be supported in year 2 pending available funding and report of progress).
- PRIORITY 5 – Test the horticultural potential and stress responses of new tree varieties and cultivars for California. (2-year long projects are allowed and they will be supported in year 2 pending available funding and report of progress).
All proposals must be sent to Dr Alessandro Ossola: [email protected]
PLEASE PRIORITIZE AND LIST BUDGET ITEMS THAT ARE CRITICAL FOR ACHIEVING RESEARCH OBJECTIVES.
NO INDIRECT / OVERHEAD COSTS ARE ALLOWED IN SUBMISSIONS.
Detailed information on proposal guidelines and submission requirements is provided in the following attachments.
SHRE Proposal Guidelines 2026-27 and Proposal Submission Requirements 2026-27 are available at https://ucdavis.box.com/s/75vvbc2bm1ygvxxh3yfewkm1q65gx56i