The Foundation for Food & Agricultural Research (FFAR) seeks nominations for its 2024 New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award (NIA). With this program, FFAR intends to support and promote the future generation of exceptionally talented and creative new faculty who are conducting critical and highly innovative research, and are establishing research programs that will lead to expanded availability of food and facilitate the global practice of sustainable agriculture as the world’s population grows to more than nine billion people by the year 2050.
The New Innovator Award seeks to promote career advancement of highly creative and promising new scientists who intend to make a long-term career commitment to research in food and agriculture and bring innovative, ground-breaking research initiatives and thinking to bear on problems facing food and agriculture. Within the scope of the New Innovator Program, investigators will have the freedom to explore new avenues of inquiry that arise during their research. Therefore, FFAR is interested in the program of research to be explored and its impact as opposed to a list of very specific aims.
U.S. institutions of higher education, U.S. nonprofit institutions other than institutions of higher education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are invited to nominate one applicant for the 2024 New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award.
The emphasis is on innovation and creativity; preliminary data are not required but may be included. A program budget will be required but associating each annual and total requested amount to specific aims will not be necessary. The review process emphasizes the individual’s creativity, the innovativeness of the research approaches, and the potential of the program, if successful, to have a significant impact on an important research problem. FFAR always welcomes partnerships that will enhance the research program. Therefore, collaboration with others is encouraged.
It is expected that through this program investigators will have the ability to pursue highly creative ideas, to firmly establish their early lines of research into important food and agriculture scientific areas and provide stability in funding during their critical early career years by reducing the time spent on writing applications.
Research Priority Areas
FFAR anticipates funding up to ten (10) awards. We ask that applicants address how their proposed research program will address at least one of FFAR’s Research Priority Areas. The proposed research program should also be expected to clearly benefit the U.S. food and agriculture system.
- Priority 1: Cultivating Thriving Production Systems: Production systems thrive when input providers and producers have the information and technologies (novel germplasm, digital tools, pest and disease solutions, etc.) to manage their enterprises efficiently and profitably—which includes selecting animals, crops and management practices that support site-specific environmental, social and business goals.
- Priority 2: Sustaining Vibrant Agroecosystems: Tools, technologies and integrative models designed at scales needed for site-specific decision making allow producers to create, build and maintain healthy, productive agroecosystems that meet consumer expectations under changing climate conditions. Such solutions must provide flexibility to deal with future uncertainty, and clarify trends and trade-offs in environmental regeneration, productivity and resilience.
- Priority 3: Bolstering Healthy Food Systems: In a healthy food system, food processors, distributors and retailers have the information and technologies needed to produce nutritious, environmentally sustainable and culturally appropriate food for consumers. Likewise, consumers require convenient access to safe, nutritious, desirable foods with a balance of macronutrients, micronutrients and protective phytochemicals.
Interested applicants should upload the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_FFAR-NIA_2024) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:
Cover Page:
- Nominee Name
- Nominee's date of appointment to tenure-track or equivalent position (on or after 8/1/2019)
- Nominator Contact Information
- Nominee Contact Information
- FFAR Challenge Area to which the nominee will submit the application
- Program Title
- Geographic location where the proposed research will take place
- Key Collaborating Personnel
- Nominee’s research program overview (300-word limit)
Description:
Justification for the nomination
- Explain how this individual is outstanding in his/her field (300-word limit)
- Why should this nominee receive the FFAR New Innovator Award? (300-word limit)
- How would the institution benefit from this nominee receiving the New Innovator Award? (300-word limit)
- Explain how the institution is and will continue supporting the nominee.(300-word limit)
Formatting Guidelines:
- Font/size: Times New Roman (12 pt.)
- Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
- Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.