Faculty Seed Grants

FACULTY SEED GRANTS

Award Cycle: Annual
Limit on Proposals per PI: An individual may participate as PI on one FSG per cycle and be awarded one FSG every 4 years.
Next Due Date: April 3, 2024
Award Period: July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025
Applications:  Accepted through Arizona Cultivate (link will update once competition launches)

Description: 

The Faculty Seed Grants are designed to jump-start worthwhile projects by providing short-term, one-time support. FSG grants are single investigator awards, provide up to $15,000 on a competitive basis. While there are two tracks available, funding for mid-career faculty is priority to help them take the next step in their research and careers.

  • Track 1: Early Career: proposals must lead to the generation of data for new external proposals or a new line of scholarship or creative activity. Proposals should describe how this funding will support a new faculty member develop independence. It is highly recommended that early career faculty first utilize their start-up funds prior to applying. Early Career applicants who fall under the categories of Career Track or Professor of Practice with a Teaching Emphasis (non-research focus as primary job duty) should include a letter from the Director or Assistant Dean of Research in their unit or college that confirms approval to conduct research as part of, or in addition to, job duties. 
  • Track 2: Mid-Career: proposals must lead to the generation of data for new external proposals or scholarship. Mid-career faculty interested in taking their research in a new direction, or in developing their career to lead a future research center or institute, are encouraged to apply.

Proposal preparation, submission, and processing information is available in the RII Proposal Preparation Guide (PPG) v9, which is downloadable in the Arizona Cultivate competition. The PPG includes requirements for the project narrative and supplemental documents; it is strongly encouraged that interested applicants read the PPG in full as proposals that do not match the PPG will be returned without review.

Please note there is a new budget approval process that utilizes an applicant driven routing step after submission. Applicants will input the email address of their business officer or award/research administrator when prompted at the end of the application prior to submission. The email address should be for the person who has authority to create, review, and approve the budget. The system will send a link for approval via the email listed to the business officer or award/research administrator where they may confirm they reviewed and approved the submitted budget. This approval step is required before an application is accepted for compliance checks and formal review. The deadline for business officer or award/research administrator is April 5, 2025 at 5:00 pm MST, so it is recommended to communicate with this individual about your budget and this process in advance.

 

Solicitation specific information below supersedes information presented in the PPG.

Solicitation Specific Requirements:

  1. Eligibility: In addition to the general eligibility requirements in the PPG, applicants must:
    • Track 1. Appointment at the rank of assistant professor
    • Track 2. Appointment at the rank of associate professor
  2. Proposal Preparation: Supplemental Documents. While optional, early career faculty are encouraged to include up to one-page on their professional development plans over the course of the award. This may include details on how they plan to leverage mentoring from more senior faculty or peer mentors, gain experience in proposal development, or expand their capabilities as a teacher/scholar. Upload this plan in the “Letters of Support” section.

Questions: resdev@arizona.edu

Updated: October 21, 2024

Contact RDS

ResDev@arizona.edu 

(520) 621-8585 
1618 E. Helen St
Tucson, AZ 85719

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