CALS is accepting proposals for short-term, high-impact research projects that will leverage existing UW–Madison expertise to provide timely products supporting the goals of the Dairy Innovation Hub, with an emphasis on addressing recommendations generated by the Dairy Task Force 2.0.

In 2019, the Dairy Innovation Hub launched with a $7.8 million per year investment by the State of Wisconsin to build a world-class talent pool and enable bold discoveries to ensure that Wisconsin’s dairy community is at the global forefront in producing nutritious dairy products in an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable manner.

This call seeks proposals that will fund research to work on innovative and impactful dairy-related research. Research must relate to one of the following priority areas prioritized by the Hub:

1. Stewarding Land and Water Resources
2. Enriching Human Health and Nutrition
3. Ensuring Animal Health and Welfare
4. Growing Farm Businesses and Communities

 The objective of short-term, high-impact research and outreach projects is to leverage existing UW–Madison expertise to provide timely outputs that address pressing issues, concerns or needs in the Wisconsin dairy community. Short-term, high-impact projects aim to return immediate benefit to the dairy community and/or answer pressing and emerging questions.

Funding is available to all CALS faculty and staff with PI status. Project budgets cannot exceed $50,000. Focus should be on providing tangible outcomes to end-users such as farmers, cheesemakers, veterinarians, agronomists, etc.

To apply for this Hub funded call, please view application details within the RFP. Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. (CST) on Friday, November 21, 2025, via Qualtrics submission. Award decisions will be sent to applicants in January 2026.

To review to the call details & submission materials, check out the research funding section of the DIH website.

Questions? Please contact Elisabeth Berndt, DIH administrative specialist (elisabeth.berndt@wisc.edu).