Research Seed Awards

The Seed Grants Initiative is a research funding opportunity to support scholarly projects within the UND College of Arts & Sciences aiming to generate preliminary results and lead to a new grant application. Individual awards are limited to $10,000. The overall grant period is two years, with the expectation that the first year is dedicated to the generation of outcomes and the second year is for a new proposal submission. Faculty at all career stages are encouraged to apply. 

Proposals that clearly align with goals and specific funding opportunities are encouraged and given preference in funding decisions. Collaborative efforts between faculty working in different divisions of the College and/or other colleges at UND are possible, yet funding is allocated to the Principal Investigator within the College of Arts & Sciences, and funds expended in the College.

Application Deadline

Deadline to apply is Tuesday, Jan 12, 2027, or the second Tuesday in January in following years, pending funding availability. 

Eligibility

• Any full-time faculty (including those on special appointment) in any College of Arts & Sciences department or program may apply if research or creative activity is required under their UND contract and they will complete the proposed work while employed at UND. 
• Proposals that include collaborative efforts with UND faculty housed outside of the College of Arts & Sciences are allowed, but the PI must be College of Arts & Sciences faculty, and funds expended in the College. 
• More than one proposal can come out of a single department or program. In those cases, the department chair or program director must rank the proposals and explain their rankings in writing. Rankings are due by the deadline for proposal submission. Chairs or directors cannot rank proposals in which they have a research role. If needed, a tenured faculty member with no stake in the proposal may be appointed by the chair or director to rank departmental or program proposals. 
• An individual faculty member can be included as an investigator in more than one submitted proposal. 
• While faculty who have previously received an award are eligible, priority may be given to faculty who have not. A demonstrable outcome from previous funding in this program (e.g., receipt of an external grant, high-impact journal article) is viewed favorably. 
• Faculty who previously received an award but have not submitted a final report are ineligible to receive a new award. 
• Proposals that fail to follow the guidelines outlined on this page may be returned without review. 

Application Preparation

Submit Application

Application Checklist

• Cover sheet
• Abstract
• Narrative
• Bibliography
• Budget & Budget Justification 
• Curriculum Vitae  

Cover Sheet

• Project title
• Agency where the proposal will be submitted 
• Agency division 
• Link to specific funding solicitation  
• Investigator name(s) and affiliation(s), faculty rank(s) 
• Faculty and department chair or program director names and signature(s) 

Abstract

A brief (200 words or less) non-technical description of the research/creative activity to be performed and the expected outcomes

Project Narrative (three pages maximum, excluding citations)

• Describe the proposed research/creative activity, and include some brief background on the topic, specific objectives, and proposed research plan with methods at a level appropriate to the specific discipline.  
• Include a timeline of the research task planned (Year One) and the timeline leading to the proposal preparation to the external agency (Year Two). 
• Clearly explain why the proposed activity has potential to lead to external grant funding and identify a target funding agency and program. Include a planned timeline for submission of an external grant proposal (see timeline). 
• Include timeline of the project. 
• Describe the proposed activity’s potential for publications, conference papers, recordings, performances and/or other outcomes. 
• State whether the project will be supported through other resources, including the source and amount (whether monetized or not). However, in the case of multiple funding sources, clear delineation of funding source(s) and expenditure must be made. 

Bibliography

The bibliography (not included in the three-page limit for narrative) should consist of primary and secondary sources that relate directly to the project using professional citation format. It is advisable to include works that pertain to both the project's substance and its theoretical or methodological approaches. Reviewers often use the bibliography to evaluate preparation in the subject area and approach to the topic and whether the research is up to date.  

Budget and Budget Justification (maximum two pages)

• Individual awards are limited to $10,000. 
• The budget must include individual line items with each item justified.
• The following are allowable budget items:
  • Support for Graduate Research Assistant(s) and/or undergraduate assistants 
  • Summer salary (up to one month) – fringe benefits must be included 
  • Travel to conduct scholarly activities other than attending conferences 
  • Purchase of supplies/research materials and/or research equipment
  • Service fees for utilization of instruments (e.g. nanofoundry) 
  • Employing technical assistance
  • Software purchase(s)
  • Funding public outreach events 
  • Paying for content access fees 
  • Covering subscription fees for research networks 
  • Leasing off-campus space for research/creative activity 
• Please note that all expenditures are subject to State of North Dakota and UND budget restrictions and accounting standards.
• The following are unallowable budget items: 
  • Travel to attend conferences 
  • Enhancing campus physical infrastructure
  • Funding studies already completed 
  • The services that are available at A&S must be utilized and cannot be replaced by those elsewhere. 
• Applicants must work with their department administrative assistant before final submission of proposal to ensure budget guidelines are followed. Failure to do so may result in the proposal being returned for correction and/or adjustment to budget line items.

Curriculum Vitae (maximum two pages per investigator)

The CV should include education, employment history, and most relevant scholarly products (e.g., publications, presentations, performances, juried exhibitions). The use of Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (ScieENcv) tool is encouraged to create a CV (three pages are allowed with the certification). The guidelines for ScieENCV CV preparation can be found here.

Award Selection Criteria

Reviews are completed by ad hoc reviewers most closely familiar with the discipline, ensuring no conflict of interest. The reviews and proposals will be shared with Members of the Resources and Infrastructure Committee within the College of Arts & Sciences to review and score proposals and make funding recommendations to the Dean, who awards funding. 

Committee members are asked to evaluate and rank applications according to the following criteria: 

1. Quality or promise of quality of the applicant's work, qualifications of the applicant, and the likelihood that the work will lead to external grant funding.
2. Quality of the conception, organization, and description of the project, including clarity of the project goals and design.
3. Demonstration of novelty or innovative nature for future grant application. 
4. Likelihood that the successful completion of the project will bring recognition to the College of Arts & Sciences and UND. 
5. Availability of funds.
6. Adherence to proposal guidelines included here

Award Requirements

• All recipients are required to submit two reports, at the link below for report submission:

Report Submission

• • The first report is due within one month of completion of the project’s Year One. The report must include a brief summary of the project's results, a plan for Year Two (timeline for proposal preparation), a description of how funds were expended, and whether the project resulted in, or will result in, publications, presentations, performances, exhibits, etc. 
  • The final brief report is due at the end of Year Two, providing information on submitted external grant proposals, including funding agency, title of grant, amount requested.  
• Provision of summaries of the project suitable for social and/or other media dissemination at the start of the project and together with the first report. 
• If an award results in a tangible product such as a book, article, or a video/ audio recording, a copy must be provided to the College. The College’s support for the project should be acknowledged in all resulting presentations, publications, exhibits, performances, etc. 
• UND policies and procedures must be followed for expenditure of funds including travel, purchases, reimbursements, payroll appointments and hiring processes. Please note that according to UND policy, anything purchased with UND funds is the property of UND (e.g., supplies, books, equipment, etc.). 

2027-28 Timeline and Submission of Proposals

Tuesday, Jan. 12: Proposals are due to the A&S Dean’s Office in MS Word or PDF format, preferably as a single file.

Submit Application

Wednesday, March 31: Anticipated announcement date for awards.

Thursday, April 15: Start of the award period and funding available.

Tuesday, June 15: Submission of first report and project outcome summary for social media dissemination

Friday, March 31: All award monies must be spent

Thursday, June 15: Submission of second report  

Questions