Slots: 1
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: February 7, 2025, 5pm PT Closed.
LOI: Nominations must be submitted through FFAR’s Grants Portal by February 19, 2025, 5pm EST
External Deadline: April 2, 2025, 5pm EDT
Award Information
Award Type: Grant
Anticipated Award Amount: Each applicant can receive from FFAR up to $150,000 per year for a maximum of three years totaling a $450,000 investment.
Who May Serve as PI: 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. For the purpose of this funding opportunity, significant research experience is defined as a nominee that has been awarded a substantial research grant (three to five years of support) or has received project funding totaling over $1M within the time of their tenure position or has been awarded similar career development awards with similar budgetary scopes.
This research concept must directly benefit U.S. agricultural interests.
Link to Award: https://foundationfar.org/grants-funding/opportunities/new-innovators-request-for-applications/
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
The New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award provides early-career scientists the investment needed to propel them into successful research careers.
Young faculty in the sciences often struggle to secure grant funding. We established the New Innovator Awards to launch the careers of promising scientists whose research addresses significant food and agriculture challenges. These awards allow the grantees to focus exclusively on research without the pressure of securing additional funding.
We grant New Innovator Awards to faculty members in a tenure-track position no longer than three years and who are within eight years of receiving their Ph.D. The Award goes to individuals with the creative ideas, skills, knowledge and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research program. Eligible candidates must also conduct research that aligns with our Research Priority Areas.
Individuals with significant research experience prior to obtaining their faculty position are not eligible for this award. For the purpose of this funding opportunity, significant research experience is defined as a nominee that has been awarded a substantial research grant (three to five years of support) or has received project funding totaling over $1 million within the time of their tenure position, or has been awarded similar career development awards with similar budgetary scopes.
Each applicant can receive from FFAR up to $150,000 per year for a maximum of three years totaling a $450,000 investment.
To further support the grantees, and allow them to fully focus on their research, matching funds are not required for this program.
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.