Beginning with the 2009-10 fellowship year, the Knight Fellowships program at Stanford will put a new emphasis on journalistic innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership to help mid-career journalists deal with layoffs, consolidation, the rise of the Internet, citizen journalism and blogging.

“Given the emphasis on innovation, the program will expect fellows to come to Stanford with a coherent proposal that will lead to a tangible result,” says a posting on the program’s Web site.

What does that mean?

“The proposal is really up to you. We’re looking for applicants with good ideas that emphasize experimentation and innovation in regards to modern journalism. Your proposal could result in perhaps a symposium that you organize, or the beginnings of a creative plan for a journalism innovation, or a way that writers might use new storytelling tools or a proposal to fund journalism. The idea is to enable Fellows the space, time and mentoring to embrace the challenges facing journalism.”

The application deadline is Feb. 1. Click here for details.