Funder: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Due Dates: November 18, 2026, 5 pm ET (Letter of interest) | January 19, 2027, 5 pm ET (Invited full proposal)
Funding Amounts: Up to $75,000 per year for one to two years, totaling up to $150,000; up to eight seed grants anticipated
Summary: J-WAFS supports innovative, early-stage MIT research addressing water and food security, safety, and sustainability for human use.
Key Information: Applicants must be MIT professors or MIT research staff with principal investigator privileges; full proposals are by invitation only.
Description
The Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) supports MIT principal investigators whose research can address water and food challenges worldwide. Its seed grants fund new, innovative projects that establish proof of concept, gather critical data for future funding, or deliver significant outcomes without subsequent awards. Projects with potential for real-world impact, whether short- or long-term, are favored.
Research across all MIT departments, labs, and centers is welcome, including science, engineering, economics, urban planning, supply chains, and other disciplines. Climate–water and climate–food connections are of particular interest, alongside other challenges involving water treatment, food safety, waste reduction, agriculture, and resource management. Multidisciplinary teams, new cross-department collaborations, and projects with regional or international outreach are encouraged, as are relevant interactions with industry, NGOs, and other stakeholders.
