The Seeding The Future Foundation and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) have announced the return of the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge, which awards $1m every year to scientists, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and multidisciplinary teams across non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits, social enterprises, universities, research institutions, and small and emerging for-profit enterprises for their innovations that will help transform food systems globally.
Since its inception three years ago, the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge, hosted by IFT and initiated and funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation, has attracted more than 2,400 submissions. Each year the Challenge provides three levels of awards:
Up to two Grand Prize winners (each receiving $250,000)
Up to three Growth Grant winners (each receiving $100,000)
Up to eight Seed Grant winners (each receiving $25,000)
Winners are selected based on their food system innovations being doable, having projected economic feasibility at scale and high-impact potential to improve the lives and health of people and the environment.
“Science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship are key pillars to transform food systems on a global level and the need for climate-positive and human-centered food solutions becomes more urgent every year,” said Seeding The Future Foundation founder Bernhard van Lengerich.
“The purpose of the Challenge is to inspire and reward teams of innovators who are creating impactful ideas that address key issues facing food systems globally. Solutions with the highest likelihood to win are those that focus on the intersection of safe and nutritious food, sustainable practices, and equitable access to food that is affordable, attractive and trusted.”
Applications open on November 1, 2024, and close on January 6, 2025. Applicants interested in showcasing their food innovation and potentially winning a portion of the $1m prize pool can start preparing their submissions now.
“For 85 years, IFT has been proud to support the advancement of food through science, technology, and innovation. Our diverse and passionate community, represented by more than 100,000 professionals in the food sciences, are helping improve food nutrition, security, and sustainability every day, and we are proud to once again support the Challenge as it helps inspire the next generation of food innovators to do the same,” said IFT CEO Christie Tarantino-Dean.
For the first time in this coming challenge round, applicants who pass the first phases of the review process can earn a spot in the Seeding The Future Global Food System Innovation Library and Network, a peer reviewed, dynamic, interactive, and searchable database of Challenge applicants and their innovations.
The database, currently in development, will enable AI-assisted searches to find innovations or organizations that focus on specific food and agriculture issues; sustainable development goals; planetary health factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, water, land use or biodiversity; as well as field of application such as post-harvest loss reduction, school feeding programs, or biofortification.
There is also a special feature where solution seekers can connect with solution providers to collaborate and accelerate their innovation. Each entry includes organization name, type, website, project title, executive summary, a description of the innovation and its benefits, and projected impact.
The database will be available to global organizations such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Welthungerhilfe and organizations with investment interest such as venture capital or private equity firms, as well as other private or public nonprofit organizations for further support and to accelerate reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
