The NSF Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award (TRAILBLAZER) program supports individual investigators who propose novel research projects with the potential to innovatively and creatively address national needs and/or grand challenges, advance US leadership, and catalyze the convergence of engineering and science domains. TRAILBLAZER will support engineers and scientists who leverage their distinctive track record of innovation and creativity to pursue new research directions that are distinct from their previous or current research areas.

For more than a decade, the BNEF Pioneers program has identified a group of game-changing technologies or innovations annually – each with the potential to accelerate global decarbonization and halt climate change. Applicants are shortlisted by the BNEF Pioneers team, and finalists are judged by a panel of BNEF experts. Winners must prove they offer a novel, substantial, scalable and competitive solution. In 2025, the program will focus on three global climate challenges and will award the Pioneers prize to innovators with scalable, impactful and equitable solutions to these challenges.

The program will bring together entrepreneurs from across Africa, empowering them to address climate resilience and food security. Founders will receive expert training, critical resources to accelerate their ventures, a one-week in-person residency in Washington, DC, and a one-week in-person residency in Nairobi, Kenya.

Recognizing that it takes significant investment to open and develop new export markets, USDA launched the $1.2 billion Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) in 2023 in response to a bipartisan request from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

RAPP aims to diversify and expand market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products beyond the traditional top customers. Instead, RAPP will focus on enhancing U.S. exports to new markets in parts of the world – including South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and others – where the middle class is growing and the desire for high-quality food and farm products is increasing. Gaining market share in these diverse and dynamic markets will help U.S. exporters better weather global shocks and better compete in an increasingly volatile global marketplace.

RAPP funds are available to U.S. agricultural trade organizations, state regional trade groups, agricultural cooperatives, and state agencies that conduct approved market development activities to expand exports, address trade barriers, and showcase American agricultural products in new and diverse markets.

The Technologies to Emend and Obviate SYnthetic Nitrogen’s Toll on Emissions (TEOSYNTE) program will emphasize strategies that lower the application of synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer on corn and sorghum fields. Lowering the application of synthetic N fertilizer would reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as significantly lower farmers’ operating costs while maintaining crop yields. Small businesses can apply for the SBIR/STTR soliciations under this program.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, is seeking proposals from the small businesses to develop novel environmental technologies in the following topics areas: clean and safe water, air quality and climate, homeland security, circular economy/sustainable materials, safer chemicals.

The AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge is a global $100 million initiative from the Bezos Earth Fund. The Grand Challenge is exploring new ideas for multiplying the impact of climate and nature efforts using modern AI. The first round of awards will focus on sustainable proteins, power grid optimization, and biodiversity conservation, in addition to embracing visionary wildcard solutions for climate and nature. The Bezos Earth Fund will determine the final slate of Seed Grantees who will be invited to participate in Phase 2.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) solicits applications designed to increase the ability of EPA Region 3 states (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia) to manage food scraps more sustainably through composting. In particular, the NOFO seeks to increase capacity for food scraps composting in the region through the upgrade of yard waste composting facilities. The upgraded yard waste composting facilities will be capable of processing waste food which increases the capacity for wasted food composting in the region. For further details see the NOFO.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) are seeking research proposals for a funding opportunity that will drive innovations at the intersection of human health, climate-smart agriculture, and social justice, equity, and opportunity to advance nutrition security. The “Nourishing Next Generation Agrifood Breakthroughs” Innovation Challenge will fund early-career scientists (within 10 years of receiving a Ph.D. or equivalent degree) to lead highly collaborative, interdisciplinary teams on groundbreaking research that addresses nutrition security.

This program was designed to assist 1994 Land-Grant Institutions (Tribal Colleges) in building institutional research capacity through applied projects that address student educational needs and meet community, reservation or regional challenges. Awards are to be made on the basis of a competitive review process. Collaboration with 1862 or 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a Non-Land-Grant College of Agriculture (NLGCA), or at least one forestry school funded under the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program is a requirement. Eligible institutions may propose projects in any discipline of the food, agricultural or natural resource sciences.

Subject to the legislative authority described in Part I, A and the availability of funds, the Secretary of Agriculture may award competitive grants to 1994s to conduct agricultural research that addresses high priority concerns of tribal, national, or multi-state significance. The TCRGP is aligned with the following:
USDA Strategic Plan FY 2022-2026 Goals:

1. Strategic Goal 1: Combat Climate Change to Support America’s Working Lands, Natural Resources and Communities
2. Strategic Goal 3: Foster an Equitable and Competitive Marketplace for All Agricultural Producers
3. Strategic Goal 4: Provide All Americans Safe, Nutritious Food
4. Strategic Goal 5: Expand Opportunities for Economic Development and Improve Quality of Life in Rural and Tribal Communities

USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023–2026 priorities:
Priority 1: Accelerating Innovative Technologies & Practices;
Priority 2: Driving Climate-Smart Solutions;
Priority 3: Bolstering Nutrition Security & Health;
Priority 4: Cultivating Resilient Ecosystems;
Priority 5: Translating Research into Action

mPOWER programs are designed to rebalance opportunity and access for startups building physical products that are founded by women and people of color. Harnessing the existing resources of the nation’s leading independent innovation center for physical product companies, each participant receives hands-on support to turn ideas into hardtech businesses. To be eligible for the next mPOWER cohort, you must have a clear problem that you are solving with a physical product, be building a product or business that impacts the Black community, and can dedicate 7-10 hours a week during the 6-month program beginning in August 2024.

The $2.1 million TCF Open Voucher Call will help facilitate the commercialization of scientific discoveries by helping to identify pathways by which technological breakthroughs can make their way to market. Although a variety of technologies will be considered, applicants are encouraged to leverage the capabilities and initiatives of the National Laboratories when developing their ideas so they can further develop their technology alongside the National Lab. Successful applicants will receive vouchers—valid for testing and validation, use of specialized equipment or software, simulation or modeling, consulting, or various other requests from a National Laboratory—which will ultimately allow them to advance their technologies. In this way, the call will foster a culture of curiosity and collaboration while bridging the gap between scientific expertise and public engagement.