The FFAR 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.

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 amounts 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, 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.

FFAR anticipates funding up to twelve (12) awards in the FFAR Research Priority Areas below: 

• 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 macro-nutrients, micronutrients and protective phytochemicals.

FFAR Nomination Due: 02/19/2025
Invited Full Applications Due: 04/02/2025
Link to solicitation Here

PI Eligibility: Faculty members at eligible institutions with the creative ideas, skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research program as Principal Investigator are invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support.

• The nominated faculty member must have been hired on or after August 1, 2021 for a tenure-track or equivalent position and may work in any discipline or any department within the institution.
• Preference will be given to individuals near the onset of their independent research career and who are within eight (8) years of receiving a Ph.D. or equivalent degree.
• Individuals with significant research experience prior to obtaining their faculty position will not be considered for this award.
• This research concept must directly benefit U.S. agricultural interests.

Institutional Limit: UD is limited to one nomination for the 2025 New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award.

Application Information: Interested PIs are asked to submit:

• a <300 word overview of their research program
• a <300 word description of how they are outstanding in their field
• a <300 word description of why they should receive the award

These submissions will be evaluated using the criteria on the FFAR NIA website (innovation, feasibility, potential outcomes and outreach, and PI qualifications; see page 9 of the solicitation for specific criteria).