College of Engineering SEED Grant Submission

Submission Requirements

The proposal deadlines to the college are May 15 and Dec. 1 each year. Each proposal will be reviewed by the college for compliance with proposal requirements excluding technical merits. The college will work closely with each applicant to ensure highest success of the proposal.

Useful Submission Tips

Your proposal should be written for non-engineering reviewers as the review panel consists of university representatives.
Please follow the submission guidelines provided by the VPR office carefully and make sure your submission is compliant with all rules specified, for example, two-page CV, eight-page research plan, page limits, required vs optional items, etc.
Please identify appropriate funding agencies and contact relevant program officers/directors for their feedback on the suitability of proposed research proposal. In the submission:

state the programs you have identified for future external proposal submission (as a product of this seed grant)
state date(s) on which you contacted the PD(s); names of the PD(s) you have contacted; feedback/advice/comments you received from the PD(s)
describe how this seed grant proposal addresses any feedback from PD(s)
describe how this seed grant proposal helps to achieve the goals for a future external grant submission (for example, it will help generate preliminary results or pilot data for a larger scope of the external grant submission, etc.)

Do not over-use equations or mathematics.
If the seed grant proposal is a resubmission, address previous seed grant review panel comments clearly in the proposal and the changes made in a separate appendix.
If the proposed research is to support the resubmission of an external grant proposal that was not funded in a recent cycle, but did receive favorable scores from the funding agency review panel, a full copy of the review panel comments must be attached.
Provide one-page description of results of any previous VPR seed funding received by PI.
A junior faculty member with ongoing startup funds must include a separate description of new faculty start-up funding and the difference between startup funding and the proposed funding from the seed grant.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

Each RC proposal is limited to eight pages and should have the following formatting:

Single-spaced text
12-point font
1-inch margins
Page numbers
Page limitation includes figures and tables. Page limitation excludes cover sheet, external funding target(s) information, references, summary budget, budget justification, and appendices.

Research Plan (required, eight pages)

Introduction and Seed Grant Project Description.
Describe the proposed research or creative activity. Include a summary of relevant literature, specific objectives/primary questions to be addressed, expected outcomes/products, procedures and methods utilized, novel/cutting-edge aspects of the project, and broader impacts of the research. Provide an explanation of possible pitfalls/risks of the project and how these will be mitigated.
Relevance of the Proposed Research or Creative Activity to the PI’s Career. Include a statement about how the seed grant and the external proposal will advance the career of the PI.
Relationship of Seed Grant Project to External Funding Goal. Explain how the seed grant’s project outcomes/products are relevant and necessary to the development of a strong and successful external proposal to the targeted funding opportunity. Describe how the seed grant work will enhance or be incorporated into the external proposal. In addition, describe how a less than satisfactory outcome of the project will be mitigated in the external proposal. Seed projects targeting NSF may want to consider involving Extension specialists to help improve the broader impacts requirement of the external proposal.
Management Plan: Describe the scope of work and responsibilities of the key personnel of the seed grant project. If the project includes multi- or interdisciplinary partnerships, describe how data, responsibilities, and information will be coordinated and how communication will be managed. Provide a timeline for major activities, including the preparation and submission of the external proposal. Data management is also needed.

References (required, no page limitation).
Budget (Excel template, required).
Budget Justification (Word template, required, no page limitation).
Appendices (required, no page limitation).

Appendix A. Curriculum/Curricula Vitae (required, two-page maximum per person). CV information is required for the PI and any co-Is. Include as part of the CV a record of grant writing experience and role (PI or co-I). If no funding has been received, indicate any grant writing training received
Appendix B. Current and Pending Support (required). List the current and pending support for the PI and any co-Is. For any current or pending projects that are related to the proposed seed grant project, include a separate description of the specific objectives and how they differ from the objectives of the seed grant. NOTE: An applicant who is a new Assistant Professor (within first two years of appointment) must include a separate description of his/her new faculty start-up funding
Appendix C. Conflict of Interest (required). Disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest is required for the PI and any co-Is
Appendix D. Education and Training Plan (if required by external RFP). If the targeted external funding opportunity requires a major educational or training component, describe how these elements will be addressed. Outline any plans for recruiting, retaining, or educating students from underrepresented groups
Appendix E. Special Requirements of Project (if applicable). Identify any special requirements of project (human participants, animal use, hazardous materials, etc.)
Appendix F. Supplementary Documentation (if appropriate). Letters of support from individuals not named as co-PIs or outside entities whose collaboration is integral to the execution of the proposed seed grant project
Appendix G. Review Panel Comments (if applicable). If seed grant proposal is a resubmission, attach previous seed grant review panel comments and address comments line-by-line. If the research outlined in the application is intended to support resubmission of an external grant proposal that was not funded in a recent cycle, but did receive favorable scores from the agency review panel, a full copy of the review panel comments must be attached
Appendix H. Results of Previous Seed Funding (if applicable). Provide a one-page description of the results of any previous RGS seed funding the PI has received

The details of the seed grant submission

Questions? Please contact Dr. Rose Hu