Supporting Pathways for Advancement, Research and Knowledge (SPARK)
Forecasted
The SPARK grant from the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station funds interdisciplinary, early-stage research by ACES assistant professors to generate preliminary data and foster future external funding opportunities.
Funder: Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station
Due Dates (Anticipated): February 2027 (proposal submission deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Up to $60,000 over 2 years; single-year projects up to $35,000; typically 4 awards per cycle.
Summary: Supports ACES assistant professors in developing interdisciplinary research and collecting preliminary data to enhance future external funding competitiveness.
Key Information: Only ACES assistant professors not up for promotion before September 2028 are eligible.
Description
The Supporting Pathways for Advancement, Research and Knowledge (SPARK) program is an internal seed grant funded by the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station through the ACES Office of Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The program is designed to foster creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration among assistant professors in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). SPARK enables early-career faculty to develop exploratory research ideas and collect preliminary data, with the goal of generating results that can support future applications for major external funding. Projects should align with USDA NIFA scientific priorities and are expected to lay the groundwork for competitive proposals to federal agencies, industry, or foundations.
