By Henry C. Smith
The Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture (CIDA) has announced the recipients of its 2025 Research Innovation Fund (RIF) faculty and student grants supporting new, cross-disciplinary research projects designed to improve global food systems through digital innovation. From AI-based dairy diagnostics to virtual reality for youth in agriculture, this year’s awardees are launching bold ideas that promise real-world impact.
“Solving today’s agri-food challenges demands more than innovation—it requires collaboration across disciplines, technologies, and communities,” said Fengqi You, CIDA codirector and the Roxanne E. and Michael J. Zak Professor in Energy Systems Engineering in Cornell Engineering. “The Research Innovation Fund plays a critical role in this mission by empowering faculty and students to pursue bold, early-stage ideas that can drive meaningful change from the lab to the landscape.”
Based at Cornell University, CIDA is a unique partnership that integrates fields such as engineering, computing, life sciences, veterinary medicine, and social sciences to tackle global food challenges with the help of data and digital tools.