IFT launches food system innovation grant program

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has launched the first annual Seeding The Future Global Food Systems Challenge — an initiative that seeks to foster innovation in food systems.

Funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation, the Challenge will award up to $1 million annually to inspire impactful innovations to transform the food system and improve the health of people and the planet.

IFT CEO Christie Tarantino-Dean said stewards of the food system all hold a great responsibility to lead, inspire and advocate for change.

“We’re honoured to collaborate with Seeding The Future Foundation and feel strongly that the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge is an important step towards advancing the science of food and other disciplines and applications across the global food system.”

The Challenge is focused on inspiring multidisciplinary teams to develop scalable innovations that target one or more of three domains:

1. Safe and nutritious food for a healthy diet.
2. Sustainably produced.
3. Accessible, appealing, affordable and trusted by consumers.

To incentivise innovations at different stages of maturity, the Challenge includes three levels of awards, totalling up to one million dollars annually.

$25K Seed Grants are awarded to organisations planting and nurturing high-potential, innovative ideas and have developed prototypes or initial proof of concept demonstrating that their innovation is feasible.

$100K Growth Grants are given to organisations that have demonstrated that their innovation is doable at least on a small scale and have developed early projections for both economic feasibility at scale and the impact potential to transform the food system.

The $250K grand prize is given to organisations that have created innovations that are scalable, economically feasible, trusted by and compelling to consumers and demonstrated major impact potential to transform the food system.

Applications for the Challenge will open on 7 June. Additional details on the application process, eligibility and awards can be found here.

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