New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award

The New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award, offered by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), is designed to support early-career scientists with bold ideas aimed at tackling pressing food and agriculture challenges. Established to address the funding gap that often hampers the launch of promising research careers, this award targets faculty members in tenure-track positions for no longer than three years who are within eight years of earning their Ph.D. FFAR’s mission is to build partnerships that support innovative science to solve food and agriculture challenges, and this award furthers that goal by investing in the next generation of research talent. Applicants must be nominated by their institutions, with only one nomination allowed per institution. The research proposed must align with FFAR’s priority areas and directly benefit U.S. agricultural interests. FFAR emphasizes inclusivity and encourages applications from a wide array of institutions across geographical and institutional diversity. Importantly, individuals with substantial research experience prior to their faculty appointments—such as previous recipients of multi-year or high-value grants—are ineligible. This ensures the award supports those at the true early stages of their independent research careers. The award offers up to $150,000 annually for three years, totaling $450,000 in funding. FFAR does not require matching funds for this award, recognizing the importance of enabling recipients to focus fully on research without the burden of fundraising. However, matching contributions are permitted and must meet FFAR’s guidelines if provided. The funds cannot be used for building construction, commercial scaling, or tuition, and indirect costs are capped at 15% of direct expenses. The submission process involves two stages. First, institutions must submit nominations between February 11 and March 18, 2026. FFAR will review these nominations and invite selected nominees to submit full proposals by March 25, 2026. The final application deadline is April 29, 2026. Applications must be submitted through FFAR’s online Grant Management System. Extensions will not be granted, and submissions outside the platform will not be accepted. Only individuals who receive an invitation to apply will be eligible to submit full proposals. FFAR will review submissions based on eligibility and alignment with its strategic objectives. Applicants are encouraged to include letters of support from essential collaborators, particularly where such collaboration is critical to the success of the proposed research. Award announcements are expected in late 2026, with projects expected to start between January 1 and March 1, 2027. The number of awards granted will depend on the availability of additional funds and the quality of applications received, with up to 10 awards anticipated. Given the current funding uncertainty, FFAR advises applicants that awards are contingent upon the allocation of additional resources to the Foundation. Although this RFA is being released in anticipation of new funds, the foundation cannot guarantee award disbursement without confirmed programmatic funding. Interested applicants are encouraged to assess this risk when deciding to apply. For further information or support, applicants may contact FFAR’s Grants Management Team or Dr. LaKisha Odom, the program lead.