2026 Joint Seed Grant Request for Proposals
Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health
Overview
The Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health invite exploratory proposals that advance bold, cross-disciplinary approaches to challenges at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), precision nutrition, and climate resilience. This Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks to catalyze innovative solutions that leverage AI and computational resources to create actionable insights for food and nutrition systems impacted by changing climates. With a focus on “last mile” pathways — translating science into tangible impact — this opportunity emphasizes results-oriented, systems-level change over primary research within a one-year window.
Timeline
- December 5, 2025: Request for Proposals opens
- February 6, 2026, 5 PM ET: Proposals due (apply online)
- Mid-April 2026: Awards announced
- May 1, 2026: Funds become available
Eligibility
Cornell Atkinson and Jacobs Center funds are subject to the same restrictions as any other university research funding. Applications are open to any Cornell University-eligible Principal Investigator. PIs may have a primary appointment in any Cornell college or school, and must currently be a Cornell Atkinson Faculty Fellow (apply online).
Funding
This RFP offers funding in the range of $15,000–$25,000 per project, supporting projects that run for six months to one year. We anticipate funding four to six projects in total.
How to Apply
Please use this online form to submit your proposal before 5:00 p.m. ET on February 6, 2026. Late and/or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.
Proposal Narrative (required):
Applicants must address the following within a 3-page limit (excludes figures, citations, budget). Please upload a PDF (11-point font, 1-inch margins, single-spaced) with the following information:
- Project Abstract (100-125 words)
- Summarize your proposed project, methods, and anticipated impact clearly and concisely
- Problem Statement
- Describe the research challenge and the work to be undertaken
- Explain how AI/ML technologies will be leveraged to solve this problem
- Articulate why this issue is important for climate resilience
- Scientific Context
- Explain the project’s scientific importance and innovation
- Explain how will the proposed research contribute to understanding, managing, or solving specific environmental challenges
- Explain the project’s connection to precision nutrition and food systems
- Project Activities & Deliverables
- State the specific activities to be undertaken
- Identify specific deliverables (e.g., datasets, frameworks, publications, presentations, models, or tools) that the project will produce and timeline (by quarter)
- Clearly articulate how these outputs solves “the last mile” challenge
- Team & Collaboration
- Principal investigator(s) and key team members
- Interdisciplinary nature of collaboration (across colleges/schools) if applicable
- External partners (government, industry, NGOs) if applicable
- Any entrepreneurial or commercialization components
- Impact Potential & Scalability
- Quantifiable impact potential (people affected, health outcomes, economic benefits, emissions reductions, etc.)
- Scalability of proposed solution across different contexts/geographies
- How research will translate to real-world impact
- Highlight how the research can deliver lasting value, with potential for financial sustainability, scalability, and institutionalization beyond the funding period
Budget and Justification (required)
Use this budget template | Save budget as “2026-Atk-Jacobs-YourLastName.XLSX”.
Use this budget justification template | Include budget template at the end of your proposal PDF packet
- The Excel budget should be submitted as a separate file when you submit your proposal.
- The budget justification should be included at the end of your proposal. The budget justification does not count against your proposal page count.
- Please follow the budget and justification templates carefully and provide the requested level of detail.
- Indicative budget guidance (not an exhaustive list – please contact us with specific questions):
- Funds may be used to cover: personnel (excluding faculty salary), travel, supplies, equipment, and up to $3,000 in publication fees per project.
- For Cornell PIs: Please note that Cornell Atkinson requires a cost share for tuition in line with sponsored research awards such as NSF. If graduate student tuition is built into the budget, the total tuition cost incurred must be cost-shared equally by Cornell Atkinson and your department or unit.
- Funds may not be used to cover faculty salary (including summer salary), laptops (unless it is dedicated to project work only), and staff bonuses.
- This is not an exhaustive list – please contact us with specific questions.
Awardee Responsibilities
- Participate in future Cornell Atkinson and Jacobs Center proposal review panels.
- Communicate any follow-on funding received related to this or any Cornell Atkinson-supported project.
- Periodically meet with the Cornell Atkinson and the Jacobs Center leadership to discuss project progress, including with regards to research, funding applications submitted, project outputs and outcomes, partnership development, and project milestones met.
- Submit reports describing progress towards each metric of success identified in the proposal.
- Respond to requests for information (including through surveys or presentations) about the longer-term impacts of the grant after the funding ends.
- Return unspent funds remaining at the end of the project to Cornell Atkinson.
- Acknowledge Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health in all presentations, reports, and publications stemming at least in part from this funding. Guidance for acknowledging your affiliation with Cornell Atkinson can be found on our website and will be included in your Memorandum of Understanding.
More Information
If you have questions about this Request for Proposals, please contact: atkinson-cpnh@cornell.edu.
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