ANR Contracts & Grants Updates
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USDA-FFAR – Innovation Challenge for Early Career Scientists

  • By Kendra T Rose

Dear Colleagues,

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) are seeking research proposals that will drive innovations at the intersection of human health, climate-smart agriculture, and social justice, equity, and opportunity to advance nutrition security. The “Nourishing Next Generation Agrifood Breakthroughs” Innovation Challenge will fund early-career scientists (within 10 years of receiving a Ph.D. or equivalent degree) to lead highly collaborative, interdisciplinary teams on groundbreaking research that addresses nutrition security.

The program seeks to support projects that:

  • Identify and support dynamic and disruptive technologies in nutrition security that align with the USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023 – 2026: Cultivating Scientific Innovation (USDA's S&RS)
  • Stimulate new professional interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary relationships and connections in service to agricultural innovation aligned with nutrition security
  • Integrate themes of human health, climate-smart agriculture, and social equity, justice and opportunity
  • Leverage existing, unconnected resources in novel ways

Proposed projects should also demonstrate the following characteristics:

  1. Contribute to one or more of the following goals:
  • Develop and deploy advanced solutions to prevent, prepare and protect against threats to U.S. agriculture and food
  • Overcome barriers to the development of agricultural technologies, research tools and qualified products and projects that enhance export competitiveness, environmental sustainability and climate resiliency
  • Ensure that the U.S. remains a leader in developing and deploying agricultural technologies, research tools and qualified projects and products that increase economic opportunities and security for farmers, ranchers and rural communities
  • Accelerate disruptive innovation that is aligned with USDA's S&RS.
    For this RFA, disruptive innovation may take one or more of the following forms:
    • Radical Innovation
    • Applied Innovation
    • Re-imagined Innovation
  • Be consistent with FFAR's Priority Areas.

    • Visit the program web page at https://foundationfar.org/grants-funding/opportunities/usda-ffar-innovation-challenge/ for more information.

    Full Proposal Due: July 29, 2024, 2pm PT

    Grant Amount: $350,000 to $500,000

    Match: Encouraged, but not required, for this funding opportunity

     

    Thank you.

    Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)