Submit a Research Idea

FFAR seeks input from the food and agriculture community to guide our program development and ensure our research benefits the U.S. food and agriculture system. The Submit a Research Idea portal offers a meaningful way for the community to share ideas for new programs and projects with FFAR. We invite you to share your research idea.

Additionally, FFAR has limited funds available for programming in 2026. We remain interested in your research ideas and encourage you to continue sharing new research concepts with us; however, at this time, we cannot commit funds to new programs in 2026. FFAR may consider ideas submitted through this portal if we receive additional funding.

Proposing A Research Idea

FFAR considers ideas for programs and projects that align with our four Priority Areas and meet the requirements for FFAR funding. Review the eligibility criteria section to determine whether your idea is aligned with our Submit a Research Idea opportunity.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, use the Submit a Research Idea portal to share your idea. We only review completed research ideas submitted through this portal. Please carefully consider the details of your research idea and respond to each form question before submitting.

An idea submitted through this portal is not an application. Submitting a research idea neither commits us to launching projects in the proposed area nor entitles the submitter to receive funds from FFAR should a project be launched in that area. All data submitted through this portal is confidential and intended solely for FFAR’s use.

If we are interested in learning more about your idea, we will contact you about the next steps. Should FFAR decline to pursue your idea further, you will receive a brief explanation of why we are not pursuing your idea at this time. Please note that the volume of ideas we receive outpaces our ability to provide in-depth feedback for each response.

Eligibility Criteria

Please take a moment to determine whether your idea is aligned with our Submit a Research Idea opportunity. Eligibility requires that you answer “yes” to every question listed below.

• Are you intending to submit a research idea relevant to food and/or agriculture systems?
• Does your research idea primarily benefit U.S. agriculture and/or food systems?
• Do you have a clear idea of potential and/or secured matching funders? Note: submissions received through the Submit a Research Idea portal are not applications for funding; matching funds are not required at this time, but should be considered before submitting an idea.
• Does your research idea fit within one of our four Priority Areas, or does it otherwise address a pressing challenge in the U.S. food and agriculture industry?
• Is your research idea innovative in some way? Note that your idea should not be similar to research being conducted elsewhere.
• Does this research idea fit outside the scope of an existing Open Opportunity or program?