Applications are invited for the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge 2022. Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is partnering with the Seeding The Future Foundation who has provided funding for IFT to conduct the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge.

The goal of the Challenge is to inspire and support passionate, diverse, and multidisciplinary teams to create game-changing innovations that will help transform the food system to be more sustainable, make healthier diets more accessible, and empower consumers to make choices benefitting both personal and planetary health.

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Background

IFT’s mission is to advance the science of food and its applications across the global food system. As almost 690 million people in the world are undernourished, 60 million more than in 2014, food security has declined as a result of economic slowdowns inhibiting access to food for the poor (FAO 2020).

In addition, continuing population growth, urbanization, unhealthy consumption pattern, limited arable land and dramatic post-harvest food losses and food waste are challenging our food system and its ability to sustainably provide nutritious food for everyone. Furthermore, COVID 19 and global conflict has amplified the issues and laid bare the lack of resilience of current food systems. As stewards of our food system, we hold a great responsibility to lead, inspire, and advocate for change.

The Challenge is a great first step in the right direction. IFT and the Seeding The Future Foundation share the belief that the biggest challenges facing our food system can be addressed when inspired innovators, scientists and engineers across multiple disciplines collaborate to help transform our food systems to sustainably provide equitable access to safe, nutritious, affordable and trusted food for everyone.

Award from Global Food System Challenge

• Seed Grants ($25,000 each) will be awarded to applicants that are planting and nurturing high-potential, innovative ideas and have developed a prototype and/or initial proof of concept demonstrating feasibility.
• Growth Grants ($100,000 each) will be awarded to applicants that have demonstrated their initiative is doable and have projected both economic feasibility at scale and high impact potential to transform the food system.
• Seeding The Future Grand Awards ($250,000 each) will be awarded to applicants with a scalable, economically feasible innovation that is compelling to consumers and have demonstrated major impact potential to transform the food system.

Eligibility for Global Food System Challenge

• The following organizations are eligible to compete in the Challenge:
  • Non-profits located in any country
  • Academic or research institutions located in any country
  • Early-stage or emerging U.S. or European based for-profit companies (‘small companies’)
• Individuals are not eligible to apply. Note, however, that teams of students or researchers may participate as part of an organization’s submission.
• Organizations are encouraged to form teams to compete in the Challenge. If two or more organizations form a team to compete, they should choose one of the organizations to serve as the applicant.

Application of Global Food System Challenge

All applications will require the following information:

• Basic information about the team/organization (name, organization type, background)
• Financial documents (Tax status, most recent financial statement)
• Vision and Mission of your organization
• Short and concise summary description of the innovation, what is new and why it is important
• Project title, scope, an itemized budget for the project, including expenses and potential income, and proposed use of the award funds. A simple budget and timeline template will be provided and needs to be completed. Please note that the maximum amount of indirect costs that can be allocated to award funds is 6%
• Description of the development stage or maturity of the innovation, i.e., what had been done so far such as early studies, experiments, pilot scale tests, consumer studies, etc.
• Multidisciplinary nature of project and a DEI perspective (diversity, equity, inclusion) Please include short bios (not to exceed 1 page per individual) for your core team members and/or advisory board. If possible, limit to no more than 5 individuals.
• Description of how the innovation benefits one or more of the intersecting domains of health and nutritious food, diets, sustainable practices, and empowering or enabling conscious consumer choices), including a perspective on food policy aspects.
• Description of the size of projected impact over time and at scale
• Description of the projected economic feasibility at scale
• Description of how the benefits of the innovation would compellingly be communicated to consumers
• Description of challenges and risks
• Description of how the innovation aligns with Seeding The Future’s mission and vision

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Lastly, It is important to visit the official website link found below to access the application form.

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