Through the IC Basic Research Program (IC BRP), academic and research staff of IC are encouraged to develop proposals on exploratory studies, basic research projects, and/or proof of concept activities that can be funded by the IC Core Funds for Research. These may serve as start-up basic research undertakings of interested IC faculty and REPS to be implemented for a maximum of 1 year at IC. Upon completion or even while these projects are on-going, these basic research projects may be expanded and improved into more complex R&D proposals that can be endorsed, through channels, for external funding (local and international). Some funding opportunities for these proposals include the UPLB OVCRE Basic Research Program, National Research Council of Philippines (NRCP), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Research Councils and Regional Offices, Department of Agriculture (DA), DA Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) and DA Regional Field Offices, Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), British Council Newton Fund, among others.