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Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity.

Program Summary

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.

• 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.

Deadlines

CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST February 3, 2025

Sponsor Nomination Deadline: February 19, 2025

Sponsor Full Application Deadline (by invitation only): April 2, 2025

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

• Nominee Justification Letter (from someone other than PI, 600-word limit): Please explain how the nominee is outstanding in her/his field and why the nominee should receive the FFAR New Innovator Award.
• Research Program (2000-word limit total): Describe (1) the scientific challenge or opportunity that you propose to address, its importance, and how anticipated outreach and outcomes would have a major impact on a broad area of research relevant to a FFAR research priority area (1,000 words), (2) what makes the project exceptionally innovative in the context of the current state-of-the-art of the field (500 words), and (3) the personal qualities and experiences demonstrating your inclination to question paradigms and work with intellectual uncertainties, develop unique collaborations, integrate diverse sources of information, or develop novel approaches when new challenges or opportunities arise (500 words).
• PI Biosketch (5 pages maximum)
• Budget Overview (up to 1 page): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

• 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. 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.

Limited Submission Guidelines

CU Boulder is invited to nominate one applicant.

Award Information

Award Amount:ÌýUp to $150,000/year for up to three years. Matching funds are not required from the applicant, as they are provided by FFAR. However, additional matching is always encouraged to broaden the scope of the program, and, if available, should be reflected in the budget. Lack of matching funds will not influence the review of the application.

Number of Awards: Up to 12

Review Criteria

Innovation and Strategic Impact

• Does the research program address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress within a FFAR Research Priority Area?
• Did the applicant identify how FFAR is uniquely positioned to fund this research program? Does the proposal clearly address at least one of FFAR’s research priority areas?
• Did the applicant describe what makes the proposed approach(es) exceptionally innovative in the context of the current state-of-the-art of the field?
• If the program is successful, will it create new paradigms or challenge existing ones in the U.S. and/or global food systems?
• Will the applicant train the next generation of food and agriculture research scientists, and if so, how?
• Did the applicant clearly show how funding will result in deliverables that benefit the scientific community and/or other stakeholders in the food and agriculture value chain?
• If applicable, did the applicant show how the proposed research will move the technology, tool, practice or approach under study from its current status further along the commercialization pipeline?Ìý

Feasibility

Note that applicants are asked to focus on the overall program of research. They are not asked to provide a detailed experimental plan or list of aims. The program budget does not need to be associated with specific aims.

• Are the overarching goals of the proposed research program clear?
• Is the overall scientific approach well-reasoned and appropriate?
• Did the applicant identify potential risks to successfully complete the research goals and propose to address them?
• Is the data and results management plan outlined by the applicant adequate?Ìý

Potential Outcomes and Outreach

• Has the applicant sufficiently demonstrated that the proposed research program is expected to directly benefit the U.S. food and agriculture system?
• Does the application adequately discuss the significance of the challenge that is being addressed in the proposal and how the research will contribute to a solution?
• Has the applicant demonstrated that this research has not been done elsewhere, or that this research accelerates a current research challenge or addresses a challenge in a new or innovative manner?
• Will the PI share the data and research results with the food and agriculture community? If so, do they also effectively describe how they will share results?Ìý

Qualifications

• Is the PI well suited to the research program?
• Does the PI show the potential to have significant impact on their field? Does
• the PI have the appropriate experience and training?
• Is the effort committed sufficient to perform the proposed research?
• Will this research program serve as a platform for a successful scientific career?
• Will the PI be an inspiring mentor who will attract and motivate students and post-docs in their lab?
• Does the PI have institutional support to carry out the program being proposed? Ìý