J-WAFS Grant for Water and Food Projects in India
Deadline: 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, October 30th, 2023
The J-WAFS Grant for Water and Food Projects in India is a funding opportunity for current members of the MIT community interested in addressing a water or food-related challenge in India.
This year, J-WAFS is offering a total of $40,000 in grants and applicants may request up to $15,000 in funding. J-WAFS will award one to three grants based on the winning proposal(s). The grants are intended to further work being pursued by individuals as part of their MIT research, innovation and entrepreneurship, coursework, or related activities. Support for teams will also be considered, though at least 50% of the team must be from MIT.
The grant is for development projects or projects benefiting low-income populations. Examples of relevant challenges may include but are not limited to:
- Economically appropriate water purification technologies, esp. for rural areas
- Water distribution and management strategies, esp. for rural areas
- Other water quality issues, e.g. sanitation, monitoring, etc.
- Food safety issues
- Food preservation and waste reduction
- Water for agriculture, especially smallholder farms
- Agricultural innovations and improvements
Eligibility: Faculty members, full-time research staff, currently matriculated MIT graduate and undergraduate students, or small teams with at least 50% MIT participation and an eligible individual in the leadership role will be considered for funding. Grants can be used over the course of up to one year to support travel, technology pilots, scale-up studies, community outreach and education, etc. Funds may not be used for MIT equipment purchases.
Awards will be announced at the end of November 2023, and the work supported by the grant should commence at the beginning of the spring 2024 semester or the summer of 2024.