2026 Seed Grant Program

Quick Links

• Important Dates
• Program Guidelines
  • Eligibility
  • Funding Availability
  • Submission Instructions
• Review Criteria
• IEE Research Themes
  • Climate and Natural Systems
  • Health and the Environment
  • Integrated Energy Systems
  • Equitable Communities and the Built Environment
  • Water Sustainability

Important Dates

Program Guidelines

Eligibility 

All Penn State faculty members (tenured, tenure track, and fixed term) who hold an appointment of half-time or more at any Penn State campus are eligible to submit a seed grant proposal as a Principal Investigator (PI). Researchers, students, and staff from Penn State, other research institutions, Pennsylvania state agencies, federal agencies, and private industry may be included as collaborators in seed grant proposals, but subcontracts to entities outside of Penn State are not allowed. Please note that while proposals are expected to include multiple investigators, there can only be one responsible PI and two additional investigators for each application (maximum of three investigators). Investigators may only serve as PI on a single proposal.  If any investigators will be on sabbatical during the award period, the proposal should note the availability to participate in seed-funded research during the sabbatical period.

New teams of investigators will be given preference over those who have previously received an IEE seed grant. PIs awarded an IEE Seed Grant in 2025 are ineligible to serve as PI for this call but may participate as a co-PI or member of the project team on a submission. Recipients of funding must be willing to participate as a reviewer for future seed grant proposals. 

Funding Availability 

To encourage the establishment of new collaborations and enhancement of networks, larger grants will require innovative partnerships of investigators from multiple colleges and/or campus locations. Funds up to $40,000 are available for multi-college/school (across University Park) and multi-campus (between campuses) collaborative grants. For IEE Seed Grants in 2026, proposals that have two or more faculty with different disciplinary expertise, who are housed within the same college (University Park) or at a single Commonwealth Campus, will also be eligible for funding at the full amount but will be given a lower priority than proposals from multiple colleges. 

Funds may be used to support research development and coordination expenses, such as: 

• Graduate student stipends
• Graduate student tuition (GIA) support
• Undergraduate student wages
• Postdoctoral funding
• Instrumentation fees and sample analysis to collect preliminary data
• Equipment, supplies, and participant payments
• Travel associated with conducting/reporting seed grant research (Penn State participants only)
• Hosting a research planning meeting for an interdisciplinary team
• Planning and hosting conferences and symposia
• Funding for data conversion technology and wages to support data conversion 

The budget should span only the next fiscal year (FY27), or from the period July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. Unspent funds will not carry forward to the next fiscal year. A brief budget justification is asked for as part of the Project Description in the proposal, and a more detailed allocation of funds to categories will be requested from projects that are funded. Redistribution of funds among the allowed expense categories is allowed during the funded period.

The following funding restrictions apply: 

• Regular appointment, summer, or supplemental salary support for faculty is disallowed
• Postdocs may not be the PI
• Travel support to attend conferences is disallowed 

Submission Instructions

All proposals must be submitted electronically via upload from the link at https://psu.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1996422 no later than 5 PM Eastern on December 15, 2025. Each proposal is limited to a two-page project description, a page for the abstract, and additional pages for an appendix.

Note: There is no preproposal stage, so the two-page project description needs to clearly address all the review criteria. Also, note that you are the expert in your field, so help the interdisciplinary team of reviewers understand the relevance of this proposed research. 

Proposal Format 

• Size 12 font
• Left aligned with 1-inch margins
• PDF document saved as PI_Last Name_2026_IEESeedGrant (e.g. Smith_2026_IEESeedGrant.pdf) 

Abstract 

• Project abstract (understandable by an interdisciplinary audience limited to 500 words; no graphics). Proposals with abstracts that exceed this limit will not be considered.

Project Description. Limited to 2 pages, and must include: 

• Title of project
• PI and co-PI's names, including college, department and/or campus (no more than 3)
• Short description of how this project will leverage seed funding (graphics allowed), including potential opportunities for eventual external funding
• Nature of collaboration (new/existing; mentorship opportunities)
• Total funding to be requested, including brief budget justification, recognizing adjustment among categories will be allowed during the funding period. 

 The appendix shall include: 

• A list of all collaborators for the proposed project, and their affiliations (college, department, organization if external, etc.)
• Resumes or biosketches (up to 2-pages max. each) for the PI and all co-PIs
• References/citations may be included in the appendix 

Review Criteria

Proposal reviews are based on the criteria listed below. Importantly, please keep in mind that these proposals are reviewed by a cross-section of researchers with different backgrounds; your ability to communicate your ideas to a broader audience is important for success with interdisciplinary project review panels. Please also consider in your proposal the information that will be requested in a report at the conclusion of your seed grant. This final report can be downloaded from InfoReady. This report emphasizes addressing a key point that will enable you to obtain extramural funding to fully support your collaborative research. The goal of your seed grant project should not be to complete an existing project or publish a paper.

Intellectual Merit (40%)

• Creativity and innovation of the proposal: how does this project advance our understanding of the issue or provide alternative solutions to the problems? The concept should be innovative and not just an extension of previous work.
• Significance of goals and results: why does this project matter? What important problem or issue will this research ultimately address with extramural funding?
• Soundness of research plan. What is the research plan for this project? How well does the research study design and methods answer the research questions? Is the proposed project in line with the budget that can be provided by a seed grant?

Collaborative Potential (30%)

• Interdisciplinary focus: does this proposal include researchers from different disciplines and perspectives? Is it clear how each person will contribute to this project?
• What is the potential for developing new and productive collaborations between PIs? Is there consideration given to mentorship and collaborations between junior and senior faculty?
• Does the proposal contain collaborations across colleges?

Potential for Impact (30%)

• Positive impact in the intended field: how might this proposal lead to exceptional scholarship or broader impacts on society? Impact can include both technical advances in a field as well as impacts on communities, governance, or society at large, including human health and environmental health.
• Potential for external funding: is there a credible and clearly articulated strategy for leveraging this seed grant investment into external funding?
  • Potential for additional/continued activity beyond the seed grant phase may include plans for continued activity such as applications for external support from federal, state, or local government agencies, industry, private foundations; plans for continued research activities involving in-kind support, teaching activities, on-going scholarly work; plans for public engagement and outreach; and expanded implementation by external stakeholders.
  • Providing specific examples, including specifics of external funding opportunities, or contact with program officers has been helpful in establishing the credibility of these strategies to prior seed grant reviewers.

Scoring by Reviewers

Reviewers will score each of these categories on a scale from 1-5 and will provide an overall ranking of highly recommend, recommend, or not recommend.

5 = Excellent for all criteria in this category
4 = Very good response to the criteria in this category
3 = Good response to the criteria in this category
2 = Fair response to the criteria in this category, but more information is needed
1 = Limited information provided for this category

Proposals will be reviewed on the following weighted basis: 40% Intellectual Merit, 30% Collaborative Potential, and 30% Potential for Impact.

A separate and final overall score will also be assigned on the ranking of 1-3.

Please direct any questions regarding the proposal process to iee@psu.edu.

IEE Research Themes

The five IEE research themes are summarized below. These themes reflect IEE’s current strategic priorities.

Climate and Natural Systems

Managing the risks of anthropogenic climate change poses significant challenges now and into the future. Warmer and more extreme weather events will increase the risk of natural disturbances, increase the burden of pests and pathogens, threaten public health and biodiversity, and expose vulnerabilities in critical infrastructural systems. The burden of climate resilience and adaptation will fall unequally and inequitably, burdening people of color and rural and poor communities disproportionately. IEE’s commitment to supporting interdisciplinary research in energy and the environment means we have a unique opportunity to identify solutions to these impacts across natural, social, and built systems. Building on Penn State’s distinctive foundation in climate change research, we seek new and innovative advances in the following areas:

• Climate science: including but not limited to climate or ecosystem modeling, ecological forecasting, data visualization, and ecosystem or human impacts.
• Climate risk: including but not limited to natural hazards, adaptation, decision-making, and social and ecological resilience.
• Climate solutions: including but not limited to justice, health, policy, nature-based solutions, climate-smart technology, infrastructure, and ecosystem management.

In addition to climate-focused work, Penn State is focused on natural systems more broadly and welcomes proposals in this area, including resilience and adaptation to change, provision of ecosystem-related goods and services, connections, and feedbacks across ecological systems (including natural and human ecology), rapid evolutionary change (including impacts to biodiversity), and ecological foundations. 

Health and the Environment

Penn State has major strengths in many areas of medicine and health, but the primary focus of IEE seed grants surrounds environmental health issues. Such topics include (1) environmental exposure assessment, monitoring, and mitigation, and (2) human health-related responses and intervention strategies of value during times of environmental change and disruption. Approaches from genes to communities that address vulnerabilities of populations will be considered. Measuring the health risks and related benefits of environmental remediation strategies is another area of research in need of interdisciplinary teams and approaches. Expanding and leveraging this knowledge can enhance health in myriad ways that address current and future environmental challenges. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to the following:

• Climate change and human health, including both health impacts and solutions
• Impact of heat and humidity on human health and well-being, including physiological responses and critical environmental thresholds
• Impacts of air pollution, including topics such as improving exposure monitoring in vulnerable communities
• Energy and health policy (including health drivers of energy choices as well as energy- related drivers of health outcomes)
• Water and health, including aquatic toxicology, microplastics, and more
• Environmental equity/justice considerations

Integrated Energy Systems

Improvements in energy efficiency, infrastructure stability, and a reduction in carbon emissions require changes in existing and planned technologies. Legal and policy frameworks that encourage, rather than thwart, the adoption of appropriate technological solutions are also needed. We are looking for ways to develop, advance, and disseminate innovative methods for all aspects of energy: production, infrastructure, utilization, engineered and natural carbon sequestration, energy storage and management, energy efficiency of buildings, transportation, businesses, and other modes of consumption. Research to develop policy foundations supporting next-generation energy systems is another part of this theme. At a time of rapid energy system transformation, all of these components will form the basis of the next generation of integrated energy systems to deliver clean, safe, abundant, affordable, and reliable energy as a foundation for economic and human development. In addition to this broad theme, we are particularly interested in projects that focus on the following:

• Methods for reducing or achieving negative carbon emissions (including the technical, biophysical, and socio-political opportunities and challenges associated with natural and technical solutions that generate negative emissions)
• Renewable energy technologies
• Resilience of energy systems in response to stressors, particularly (but not limited to) extreme weather events and cyber-stressors, as well as the impacts of larger and/or intermittent power demands
• Legal and regulatory frameworks that incorporate governance or equity issues, or that can drive down non-hardware costs of low-carbon energy technologies
• Science-based legal and regulatory frameworks for emerging energy systems (e.g. microgrids, hydrogen, coupled systems, advanced nuclear, wireless electricity, etc.)
• Energy consumption behaviors and implications for policy design
• Optimization for the planning and operations of integrated, low-carbon, and smart energy systems

Equitable Communities and the Built Environment

Anthropogenic and environmental changes are profoundly impacting the health and sustainability of humans and the environment. Across the globe, the trend toward urbanization is driving resource needs and impacts with water, food, and energy while disparately impacting low-income/minority populations and systemically vulnerable communities. This theme places justice at the core of our research practices and understanding research in energy and the environment shapes the community and the built environment. Building equitable communities means addressing systemic injustices and ensuring our technologies and built environments are grounded in ethics. This theme aims to catalyze research partnerships across disciplines related to community development and the built environment, including, but not limited to, the urban/rural interface, buildings, landscapes, transportation, policies, arts and design, and more. IEE welcomes ideas on ways to catalyze interdisciplinary work in this space, and we recommend that applicants look at the National Science Foundation’s information on Communities in the 21st Century for background, and through fostering deep collaborations between researchers, local governments, industry, and community organizations. Potential topics include the following:

• Climate and environmental justice related to disaster management, planning, and design of the local built environment
• Technology advancements in the built environment that improve the welfare of communities
• Affordable, innovative, low-carbon materials and technologies for high-performance buildings and landscapes
• Systemic injustice studies and solutions in the context of energy-food-water security in the built environment
• Finance and policy for net-zero/carbon-neutral building energy and water efficiency
• Understanding and accelerating the transformation of energy systems, urban systems, and environmental systems for sustainability
• Understanding and accelerating the transformation of economic, natural, and social capital in relation to equitable communities and the built environment

Water Sustainability

Water is foundational to the health, safety, and standard of living of people, the condition and productivity of ecosystems, the vibrancy of communities and economies, and the stability of nations. Despite its importance, we continue to struggle across Pennsylvania, the nation, and globally to achieve many water-dependent social and environmental objectives, and disproportionately so in underrepresented communities.

We seek innovative research that advances understanding and demonstrates equitable and environmentally sound solutions for addressing water-related challenges, with priority given to proposals focused on:

• Ensuring water sustainability due to the challenges of environmental degradation from extreme events
• Water use for critical minerals separations and supply chains
• Water availability due to weather and climate changes that impact energy security
• Protecting public health and the environment through robust ecosystem services, and the development of novel solutions to enduring water quality problems as well as emerging contaminants of concern
• Strengthening our understanding of fundamental Earth processes across scales with a focus on disruptive events relative to the hydrosphere and developing innovations that enhance water infrastructure resilience through actionable climate solutions
• Driving innovation and technology in the water sector through the development of next-generation tools, techniques, materials, and processes, and advancing data-driven water solutions
• Guiding social action, policy, and corporate transformation through projects that can strengthen public governance, water ethics, environmental justice, and improved private sector performance, while achieving water challenges with culturally appropriate solutions