The primary goal of the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) Urgent Seed Grant Program (USG) is to provide urgent support to meet a critical and timely project need that is not eligible for the EMERGE programs and requires funding within the next three to six months (while Project Regenerate launches). This could be a project within a federally deprioritized or endangered area of research, or a gap in support needed to pay lab personnel while awaiting new funding streams to come through.
Funding Period
Awards will be made for 6 months to a year, unless a compelling justification is made by the PI(s) for an alternate funding period.
Deadlines
- Applications are accepted beginning on Monday 8/24/2026
- Deadline for applications is Monday 9/14/2026 12 noon
- Notifications of results will be made to all applicants by October 15, 2026. Awardees will be announced publicly on the OVPR website.
- Additional cycles may be offered later in FY27 if needed.
Award details
- Award size – capped at $25,000.00
- Proposals should describe research projects with defined, short-term scopes of work
- Proposals must include a statement of need that articulates why seed funding is urgently needed and addresses funding needs within the research group, other funding sources available, and the importance of the work proposed.
Eligibility
- Assistant/Associate/Full Professors in a tenured/tenure-track position
- Assistant Professor rank or higher clinical and extension faculty
- Assistant/Associate/Full Professors-in-Residence
- Research Professors / those whose positions are contingent on grant-funding (soft money positions) must include details about their institutionally funded research time as part of the budget justification to confirm eligibility.
- Although no minimum effort level is required for USG projects, a PI/Co-PI must have institutionally-funded research time available during the award period.
- The USG program is open to faculty who do not have access to any investigator accounts with balances over $10,000 that are not otherwise committed.
Urgent Seed Grant Program
The primary goal of the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) Urgent Seed Grant Program (USG) is to provide urgent support to meet a critical and timely project need that is not eligible for the EMERGE programs and requires funding within the next three to six months (while Project Regenerate launches). This could be a project within a federally deprioritized or endangered area of research, or a gap in support needed to pay lab personnel while awaiting new funding streams to come through.
Funding Period
Awards will be made for 6 months to a year, unless a compelling justification is made by the PI(s) for an alternate funding period.
Deadlines
- Applications are accepted beginning on Monday 8/24/2026
- Deadline for applications is Monday 9/14/2026 12 noon
- Notifications of results will be made to all applicants by October 15, 2026. Awardees will be announced publicly on the OVPR website.
- Additional cycles may be offered later in FY27 if needed.
Award details
- Award size – capped at $25,000.00
- Proposals should describe research projects with defined, short-term scopes of work
- Proposals must include a statement of need that articulates why seed funding is urgently needed and addresses funding needs within the research group, other funding sources available, and the importance of the work proposed.
Eligibility
- Assistant/Associate/Full Professors in a tenured/tenure-track position
- Assistant Professor rank or higher clinical and extension faculty
- Assistant/Associate/Full Professors-in-Residence
- Research Professors / those whose positions are contingent on grant-funding (soft money positions) must include details about their institutionally funded research time as part of the budget justification to confirm eligibility.
- Although no minimum effort level is required for USG projects, a PI/Co-PI must have institutionally-funded research time available during the award period.
- The USG program is open to faculty who do not have access to any investigator accounts with balances over $10,000 that are not otherwise committed.