The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is now accepting nominations for the 2022 New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award. The award program provides up to ten grants a year to early-career scientists pursuing research that supports FFAR’s Challenge Areas and promotes global, sustainable food production.
The New Innovator Award supports early-career scientists pursuing research that sustainably enhances agricultural production or improves health through food. By investing in scientists and faculty members at the onset of their careers, this award allows them to pursue research without the pressure to secure additional funding for these ideas.
“This unique grant program recognizes awardees’ early achievements and gives them the freedom to focus exclusively on audacious, pioneering research,” said FFAR Senior Scientific Program Director Lucyna Kurtyka. “FFAR believes this investment is key to launching successful careers that will revolutionize food and agriculture science.”
Applicants are eligible for grants up to $150,000 per year for a maximum of three years, totaling $450,000 from FFAR. Thanks to the strength of FFAR’s public-private partnerships, FFAR garners, on average, $1.40 for every federal dollar allocated to the Foundation. This additional funding from private-sector partners allows FFAR to provide matching funding for New Innovator awardees. Consistent with achieving a major objective of this funding opportunity, FFAR aims to alleviate the matching burden on New Innovator awardees. Thus, awardees can focus on advancing audacious science rather than chasing the next dollar.
Applications from eligible nominees will be evaluated on their research program proposals as well as a demonstrated commitment to mentoring future generations of agricultural and food scientists. The deadline for submitting nominations is February 23, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Complete submission guidelines and program deadlines are available on the FFAR website.
Institutions of higher education, nonprofit research institutions and the US Department of Agriculture are encouraged to nominate one applicant who holds a tenure-track or equivalent position and meets the eligibility criteria specified in the Call for Nominations.
FFAR highly encourages applications from Hispanic-serving institutions, 1890s Land Grant Institutions and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions.
