Supporting Pathways for Advancement, Research and Knowledge (SPARK)
ForecastedInternal — Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station only
SPARK, funded by the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, supports early-career ACES faculty in launching collaborative, interdisciplinary research and gathering preliminary data for future external grants.
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Funder: Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station
Due Dates (Anticipated): February 2027 (Full application deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Up to $60,000 over 2 years or up to $35,000 for a single year; ~4 awards/year
Summary: Supports ACES assistant professors in launching interdisciplinary research and collecting preliminary data to build strong proposals for external funding.
Key Information: Forecasted deadline—dates are projected; check program page for updates.
Description
The Supporting Pathways for Advancement, Research and Knowledge (SPARK) award program, administered by the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station through the ACES Office of Research, is designed to catalyze creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration among early-career faculty in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The program provides seed funding for assistant professors to develop innovative research ideas, gather preliminary data, and position their teams for future competitive external grant proposals, especially those aligned with USDA NIFA’s science areas. Inter- or intra-departmental/college collaboration is expected, and the program aims to generate results that form the foundation for fundable, extramural, interdisciplinary research.
