UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) announced a call for proposals for its 2023 Seed Grant Program. The program is intended to foster basic and applied research on strategic interdisciplinary topics that leverage faculty expertise across the University. Up to $30,000 is available per project. The due date for proposals is at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28.
The Seed Grant Program strives to develop new interdisciplinary research teams and position them for high-impact research and substantial external funding success; to pursue novel research in IEE’s theme areas, especially high-risk proof of concept projects; and to promote research development and mentorship between junior and senior faculty.
Proposals should align with one of IEE’s research themes: Climate and Ecosystem Change; Health and the Environment; Integrated Energy Systems, Urban Systems; and Water and Biogeochemical Cycles. Within each of the research themes for the 2023 program, there are areas of interest. See the full request for proposals (RFP) for details.
The program is open to 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. New teams of investigators will be given preference over those who have previously received an IEE seed grant. Submission instructions and review criteria are available in the RFP.
There is no preproposal stage for the 2023 Seed Grant Program. Each proposal is limited to a 2-page project description. Researchers are encouraged to write the proposal in a way that allows the interdisciplinary team of reviewers to understand the relevance of the proposed research.
The 2022 Seed Grant Program awarded 21 interdisciplinary projects involving more than 80 researchers from 11 colleges and four campuses.