Future Interdisciplinary Research Explorations (FIRE)
The FIRE grant from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign funds interdisciplinary ACES research teams to generate preliminary data for future external funding, focusing on USDA NIFA science areas and Hatch projects.
Funder: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Due Dates (Anticipated): February 2027 (proposal submission deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Up to $60,000 total for 2 years; single-year requests up to $35,000; ~4 awards/year
Summary: Supports ACES associate/full professors at UIUC in launching interdisciplinary research collaborations to generate preliminary data for future external funding proposals.
Key Information: Lead PI must have a primary ACES appointment and participate in a Multistate Hatch project.
Description
The Future Interdisciplinary Research Explorations (FIRE) program, funded by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Office of Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is designed to catalyze creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration among ACES faculty and their research partners. FIRE provides seed funding to develop preliminary data and results that strengthen future proposals for significant external funding. The program specifically targets projects that foster or expand interdisciplinary teams, especially those crossing departmental or college boundaries, and aims to generate fundable extramural research proposals aligned with USDA NIFA science areas and contributing to Multistate Hatch projects.
