FOA-Limited Submission – Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research – 2021 New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research; February 16, 2021

 

Purpose:  The Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR) seeks nominations for its 2021 New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award. With this program, FFAR intends to support and promote the future generation of exceptionally talented and creative new faculty who are conducting critical research and 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 9 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. The emphasis is on innovation and creativity. 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. Collaboration 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.

 

FFAR anticipates funding 10 awards in the FFAR Challenge Areas:

•        Soil Health

•        Sustainable Water Management

•        Next Generation Crops

•        Advanced Animal Systems

•        Urban Food Systems

•        Health - Agriculture Nexus

 

Eligibility: Nominees must have been hired on or after August 1, 2017 for a tenure-track or equivalent position.

 

Cost Share/Matching Funds: Matching funds are not required in 2021; however, matching is encouraged to broaden the scope of the program, and, if available, should be reflected in the budget but will not be considered in NIFA review.

 

Funding Amount: up to$150,000 total costs per year for up to 3 years

 

Link to Funding Opportunity Announcement

 

Institutional Limit: 1

 

Internal Competition: To participate in the university’s selection process,please upload the following materials,assembled into a single PDF file, to the Office of the Vice President for Research via this portal, with a copy to your Associate Dean for Research by February 16, 2021:

·        Name and department or affiliation of the Project Director (specify date of hire into tenure-track position) and essential collaborators

·        Title of program and/or funding opportunity announcement number;

·        Brief project description (2 pages maximum)

·        Brief biographical sketch

 

A committee will be convened to review the material and make a recommendation. For questions or issues with submission through the portal, email the limited submission mailbox (limitedsubmissions@uky.edu), or call 257-2861.

 

Agency Deadlines: nomination by institution: March 3, 2021; invited full application: May 5, 2021.