$ 4+ billion of increased investments
raised for 2021-2025

Innovation Sprints

AIM for Climate is currently accepting proposals for innovation sprints.

An innovation sprint is an increase in aggregate self-financed investment from non-government partners to achieve an outcome/output in agriculture innovation and for climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and food systems to be completed in an expedited timeframe.

AIM for Climate Innovation Sprint Focal Areas for 2022

AIM for Climate plans to announce innovation sprints at COP27 with a focus on four focal areas: Smallholder Farmers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries; Methane Reduction; Emerging Technologies and Agroecological Research.

In addition to focusing on one or more of the focal areas, COP27 innovation sprint proposals are urged to aspire to:

  • Include participation of 3 or more existing AIM for Climate partners
  • Include participation of 3 or more new AIM for Climate partners
  • Equal a total monetary value of $50 million or more 
  • Coordinate/Partner with an existing innovation sprint (full list below) to complement and/or expand scale/scope

All innovation sprint proposals will be considered but proposals that incorporate one or more of the 2022 focal areas will receive higher consideration for launch at COP27.

The innovation sprint proposals should:

  • Align with the Innovation Sprint framework
  • Be no more than a page long
  • Include contact information for the lead representative
  • Be submitted by e-mail to info@aimforclimate.org

Innovation sprint proposals for launch at COP27 should be submitted by 17:00PM Eastern, August 31, 2022. Once the proposal has been received, we will review it and contact you within approximately two weeks. Proposals will not be made public.

Do note that AIM for Climate does not provide funding for innovation sprints. Funding should be secured prior to submitting a proposal.

If you are interested in learning more about one of the innovation sprints listed below, do get in touch with the point-of-contact directly.

AIM for Climate plans to host Ideation events for each of the above focal areas to enable discussion and networking toward the creation of innovation sprints. If you are interested in receiving more information on these events, please fill out this form.

Innovation Sprint Partner Framework Document


Fast Tracking Climate Solutions from CGIAR Genebank Collections

A new $40M initiative led by the CGIAR, in partnership with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will unlock key climate-resilient traits from CGIAR’s vast global genebank collections. This Innovation Sprint will expand the utilization of high-value genetic diversity to address current and emerging climate challenges faced by millions of smallholder farmers worldwide. The initiative welcomes additional partners from all sectors to scale this critical work.

Participants

Point of contact

  • Andre Zandstra
  • Global Director
  • Innovative Finance and Resource Mobilization, CGIAR

Climate Resilience Through Crop Protection Innovation

Guided by its purpose to advance innovation in agriculture for a sustainable future, CropLife International is launching an initiative to accelerate access and uptake of climate-smart crop protection innovations for smallholder farmers in Asia, Africa, and Central America. Through a new investment of over $13M over 5 years, the multi-stakeholder Innovation Sprint supports farmers to do “more with less” and increase their ability to mitigate and adapt to pest and disease challenges using climate friendly approaches.

Participants

Point of contact

AgMission: Cultivating Climate-Smart Solutions

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action, and the World Farmers Organisation established AgMission to make agriculture net-negative for greenhouse gas emissions through comprehensive agricultural research. AgMission collaborates with farmers, ranchers and scientists to co-create and expand the adoption of climate-smart technologies by developing an interoperable, data-driven framework that connects farmers to technological and scientific advances. AgMission has raised over $30M, including FFFAR's matching funds, and continues to fundraise for this unprecedented initiative.

Participants

Show all 7 participants

Point of contact

  • Sarah Goldberg
  • Director of communications & legislative affairs
  • Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR)

IBM Sustainability Accelerator

The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is a pro-bono social impact program advancing nonprofit and government initiatives that support vulnerable populations while addressing environmental challenges, including climate change, extreme weather, and pollution. IBM will provide the first cohort of participating organizations with technology and expertise to accelerate climate-smart agriculture solutions. Partners are welcome globally. Through 2025, Accelerator projects will receive an estimated market value of $30 million in IBM support including $10 million focused on sustainable agriculture.

Participants

Point of contact

Climate Proofing 0.5 billion acres around the world by 2024

The ClimateAi team seeks to “climate-proof” 0.5 billion acres around the world by 2024 by deploying AI-driven adaptation tools that boost agricultural productivity despite climate change. ClimateAi’s innovative climate analytics (1 day to 40 years out) help farmers and agribusinesses adapt by enabling data-driven decisions to maximize yield, crop quality, resource efficiency, and financial stability/profits while reducing GHG emissions per ton. ClimateAi recently raised $12M from investors and $250k in grant funding from the National Science Foundation.

Participants

Point of contact

Greener Cattle Initiative: Addressing Enteric Methane Emissions

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and industry partners are launching the Greener Cattle Initiative, a public-private partnership aimed at reducing enteric methane emissions from dairy and beef cattle, a major climate change contributor. This five-year initiative is awarding $5M in research grants to identify, develop and/or validate scientifically sound, commercially feasible and socially responsible mitigation options. This research advances the sectors’ voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.

Participants

Show all 9 participants

Point of contact

  • Sarah Goldberg
  • Director of communications & legislative affairs
  • Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR)

U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund

The U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund will work in partnership with U.S. cotton growers and the U.S. cotton industry to implement regenerative soil health practices across more than one million acres of U.S. cotton cropland over the next five years, with the goal of eliminating one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere by 2026. The U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund is supported by a $5M investment from the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation.

Participants

Point of contact

Soil organic carbon sequestration opportunities in soils of Latin America and the Caribbean

The objective of this Innovation Sprint is to contribute to the design of land use and management with high potential for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in agricultural production systems of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and to build capacities in LAC for the quantification and monitoring of SOC stocks. The project is expected to be completed by May 2025 with a total investment of approximately $1.5M.

Participants

Show all 10 participants

Point of contact

  • Veronica Ciganda
  • Director of Programme - Production and Environmental Sustainability
  • INIA, Uruguay

Satellite monitoring of quantity and quality of available biomass in pastoral livestock systems

The objective of the Innovation Sprint is to lower the cost of estimating the quantity and quality of biomass available in pastoral livestock systems through a satellite tool, in real-time and with adequate precision. The project is expected to be completed by May 2026, with a total investment of approximately $1.3M.

Participants

Show all 18 participants

Point of contact