Academy Seed Funds

Eligibility

Current Year Research Advancement Academy (RAA) Fellows are eligible for 2026 RAS funds. Fellows must be in good standing with the RAA program, which includes demonstration of progress toward RAA goals and engaged participation in academy sessions and processes. All Fellows must have communicated with and negotiated the terms of matching funds with college leadership, including the Associate Dean for Research in the college(s) of one’s faculty appointment and the unit head to which the applicant reports.

Seed Fund Amounts

Applicants are encouraged to ask for the amount they need (up to $50,000) to make significant progress toward their research leadership goals in one year in the following categories: 

Team Building – up to $25K including matching funds

This Team Building category is intended for faculty seeking to build a transdisciplinary team, conduct front-end laboratory, analytical, or interpretive work, and/or engage with stakeholders and potential partners to better understand the problem space in which they are working from both academic and societal points of view. Proposals in this category can be led by individuals, pairs, or small teams. For this level of funding, proposals must identify a list of potential transdisciplinary team members including external non-academic partners and present a detailed plan for how the seed funds will be used to cultivate relationships and build a viable team (see priorities A, C and D above). Cultivating new partnerships with entities that serve or represent minoritized or underrepresented populations, and/or international partners is strongly encouraged.

Please reach out to DRI, the Division of Extension and Engagement, the Office of Institutional Diversity, and/or the Office of Global Affairs to better understand relevant institutional policies and how your proposed new partnership(s) can be informed by historical engagement or ongoing relationships with external entities. This is particularly important for Indigenous organizations, Tribal governments, foreign entities, Oregon place-based communities or organizations, Oregon two-year and technical colleges, minority serving institutions, industry partners, and other external entities.

Team Building may include: travel to connect with, or direct support for, stakeholders, rights holders, and partners; facilitated meetings to develop shared vision; collaborative development of a research agenda or white paper that better defines a critical societal or scientific challenge and/or identifies gaps in knowledge that would benefit from a transdisciplinary approach; activities related to securing future funding such as meeting with agency or foundation program officers and/or exploring new funding options.

Team Building awards must result in a product that describes the team and their future plans to pursue extramural funding.

Depending on the scope of work and justification, requests for Team Building seed funds may be less than, but may not exceed, $25,000.

Pitch Structure

Oral Presentation: Applicants will provide a 3-minute timed oral presentation to an audience of their faculty peers, graduate students and postgraduate trainees, program advisors, and university leadership. This presentation should focus on why the applicant wants to lead in the domain and provide a compelling narrative that describes the impacts possible with success over the next 5-10 years. It should answer the question how will the world (and specific populations/stakeholders) benefit. It should inform the audience about the partners and stakeholders who are, or will be, involved and why they are motivated to engage. Presentations should avoid all technical language or jargon.

Optional additions:  Applicants may include a maximum of two power point slides (submitted as both .ppt and .pdf documents no later than April 10, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.). Slides are encouraged only if they add value and enhance understanding of the planned presentation. One slide is preferable to two. The most effective visuals include imagery of the place and/or people/animals/things connected to the impact your work can have. Visuals shall not be used to provide text, technical or graphical supplements to the information provided orally. Visuals should not use jargon and should not require disciplinary or technical context to interpret. Audio, video, or props may be used; however, applicants are required to provide all equipment and technical support needed to effectively use these.  Additional presentation time is not available to accommodate the use of additional technology. Committed collaborates may have a role in the oral presentation. Please consider possible and distracting logistical implications of including these options in a 3-minute presentation.

The panel of reviewers will be seated in the front row, special guests from university leadership will also be invited to attend. Fellows will present in clusters of 4-5 with a few minutes for questions provided after each group. Additional time will be reserved for questions at the end of all the presentations.  A hosted reception will immediately follow the session (after 5:00 p.m.) to celebrate the Fellows as they complete the academy.  Applicants are encouraged invite collaborators, students, friends, and family to attend this event.

Application Process

The RAS program will use the OSU submission platform called InfoReady. Fellows will receive a link to the application after submissions open on February 9, 2026. Fellows should already have an account linked to their ONID details (if those details have recently changed you may need to open a new account). The application process requires applicants to complete an online application form in the InfoReady system that includes the following:

• A project title
• Identification of the PWS area the project is most aligned with (see Priority B above)
• Planned Seed Fund Track (Team Building, Proposal Development)
• Name, title, and unit of project lead
• Name, title, and affiliation of other known team members including external team members
• Demographic and social identity information
• A brief abstract of the intended project (up to 100 words)

Along with the application form, applicants are also required to upload the following supplemental documents (as applicable) as part of the completed application package on InfoReady.

• Required: Narrative Plan (see below for details)
• Required: Itemized Budget (template available here)
• Required: Detailed Budget Justification (template available here) (pre-award support personnel in your college are valuable partners in developing the budget and justification)
• Required : One-page logic model covering the award period describing the resources and assets that will be leveraged to support proposed activities and the outputs and outcomes that are expected as a result of those activities (additional instruction on logic models). Applicants may develop their own logic model format or use any existing template, a logic model template available, for optional use.

Narrative Plan

The narrative plan and scope of work can be up to 3,000 words for Team Building, 4,000 for Proposal Development proposals. Applicants may include up to two figures (concise tables, timelines, photos, graphics, etc.). Figures should have minimal text and should not be used to work around the word limit. In-text citations are included in the word count but references at the end of the document do not count against the overall word count. Narratives should consider the rubric above and include the following:    

1. A brief summary of the area of inquiry including a rationale for why progress in the domain is important and how success will advance transdisciplinary science and societal outcomes.
2. A statement of how the proposed work will support OSU progress in all applicable priority areas (A-D above including PWS investments).
3. A description of the populations, stakeholders, rights holders, communities, and/or partners who stand to benefit from the solutions you are working toward and how representatives from those communities are, or will be, included in your work.
4. Description of the team and roles and relevant expertise of committed and anticipated team members. Note: Team Building proposals are not required to identify specific individuals or organizations, they may instead indicate the types of organizations/individuals who will be invited and what incentives and processes will be used to ensure thoughtful engagement.
5. A project management plan including planned collaborative processes the team will use to ensure equity, inclusion and relevance across social groups, disciplines and interest groups involved in the project.
6. A timeline that clearly describes the specific activities for which you are requesting support and why those activities are critical to the outcomes proposed within the scope of one year.
7. Describe key tangible outcomes relevant to the disciplines and external partners/stakeholders involved and describe key metrics and a general timeline for deliverables of short-term success (within the award year).
8. Proposal Development narratives should highlight any known solicitations the team intends to pursue, or other potential sources of funding being considered.
9. Characterize previous key research projects/programs and partnerships to indicate readiness for success with your proposed scope of work. Describe how your plan will leverage previous work of the team and make progress toward submission of successful proposals for transdisciplinary research.
10. Situate the scope of work within a longer-term trajectory. Describe your vision beyond the one-year scope of work on a time scale that makes sense for your specific project.

Budget

Budgets will vary among projects and should reflect realistic costs that might be incurred implementing the scope of work described in the narrative plan within the provided maximums for the type of fund (Team Building, Proposal Development).

Pre-submission consultation with your home college(s) and unit is required. College-based staff can support budget development and completion of the budget template. Please reach out to pre-award support in your college as soon as possible. If you do not know who in your college can provide this support reach out to your Associate Dean for Research.  The completed budget must be uploaded to the InfoReady platform for your application to be reviewed. You can download the budget template and sample budget  by logging in with your ONID.

NOTE: applications without a completed budget that clearly defines the amount and source of match will not be considered for funding.

Allowable Costs: Allowable costs include, but are not necessarily limited to: PI summer effort; academic-year effort if newly allocated for the purpose of this award; honoraria to external collaborators or advisors; travel; incentives and other costs that  support external partner engagement; research support staff including professionals, students and postdoctoral scholars who are directly contributing to the scope of work; materials, subscriptions, equipment use associated with producing preliminary results; and facilitation, travel, workshop costs, hosting, facilitation, etc. Costs must represent new investments or allocations of effort and time to research development and cannot offset ongoing college or unit costs.

Not Allowable Costs: Costs for capital equipment, sub-awards, and indirect costs are not allowable in the project budget. The Budget Justification must clearly state how each cost will advance new efforts to develop a transdisciplinary team, generate viable products and early results, and produce submission-ready transdisciplinary proposals.

Match: All seed fund requests require matching funds from the home college(s) and/or unit(s) of the faculty lead and/or team members. This is a 1:1 match. For a $50,000 in total project cost, $25,000 in funds will come from the Division of Research and Innovation and $25,000 in funds or equivalent support will come from the college(s) and/or unit(s). Matching funds should be provided by project lead’s academic home, however match from multiple units represented in the team is encouraged. 

• College/unit-level match must provide access to resources that the PI Team did not previously have access to in support of transdisciplinary Team Building and large Proposal Development. Match is intended to ensure partnership and reduce barriers to a large proposal submission.
• Course buyouts valued according to department policy may be included as match but are subject to unit approval and may not be accessible to all units.
• Other forms of match, such as access to support staff, facilities or graphic design services, fee-based meeting spaces, may also be included. Please detail the basis for estimating the value of these costs in the Budget Justification.
• Existing faculty academic-year research effort (salary and fringe) is not allowable as match.
• Other external grants secured by the PI or co-PIs are generally not allowable as match.

Budget Justification

The amounts for each budget line item requested must be documented and justified in the required Budget Justification document. You can download the budget justification template by logging in with your ONID.

Review and Approval Process

The proposal package includes a completed application form on InfoReady along with the required supplemental documents as applicable (e.g., narrative plan, budget, budget justification, logic model, CV, etc). Proposals will be reviewed by ORA (Office of Research Advancement) to ensure completeness and adherence to these guidelines. Proposals that are complete and compliant with the guidelines, will be reviewed by at least two members of an ad hoc review panel. Reviewers will be selected to minimize conflicts of interests and optimize capacity to provide actionable feedback to applicants. Reviewers will complete a rubric providing both quantitative scores and qualitative feedback in the following areas:

• Alignment with the stated priorities for investment (see priorities A-D above)
• Rationale and potential scientific and societal impacts
• Applicant has assembled, or provides a feasible plan to assemble, a diverse and broadly representative team appropriately inclusive for the area of research.
• Preparedness of the team to complete the proposed work.
• Quality and feasibility of proposed plan for inclusive engagement of external partners.
• Quality and feasibility of proposed project management plan to achieve inclusivity and project outcomes
• Planned expenditures are well-justified and resources are equitably shared among contributing partners

Your submitted application package will be subject to approval by your home college/campus Associate Dean for Research (or appropriate Director for non-academic units) and your immediate supervisor. It is strongly encouraged that you inform relevant college leadership and supervisors of your intent to apply, discuss alignment of your plan with college/unit priorities, and develop a feasible plan to meeting the requirement for matching funds (as applicable) prior to applying.

Important Dates  

• February 9, 2026 – InfoReady application portal open for submissions
• March 31, 2026, 5:00 p.m. – Written narrative plan, budget and budget justification, logic model due in InfoReady
• April 10, 2026, 5:00 p.m. – Pitch slides due. Must be submitted in .ppt and .pdf form to [email protected] and copy [email protected]
• April 15, 2026, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., MU Horizon Room - Public Pitch Session, (applicants must be present to deliver a pitch presentation, plan to arrive 20 minutes early to prepare. Illness related accommodations will be made if necessary)
• May 15, 2026 – Awards announced
• July 1, 2026 – Seed fund project start date

Important Contacts

• General questions should be directed to Julie Risien, Director of Transdisciplinary Research, Office for Research Advancement at [email protected].
• For questions interpreting budget guidelines prior to submission or assistance with the InfoReady system, contact [email protected].
• Projects planning to include Indigenous communities and/or Tribal governments should contact Chance White-Eyes, Director of Tribal Relations, Office of Institutional Diversity at [email protected].
• Projects including non-U.S. partners should notify Julianna Betjemann, Global Affairs Associate, Office of Global Engagement at [email protected].
• Projects including Oregon place-based communities or organizations should contact Marina Denny, Associate Vice Provost for Engagement to be connected with the relevant County Extension office(s), at [email protected].