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Internal Seed Funding

Internal Research Seed Funding Program for AY 25-26

The Office of Research and Innovation is pleased to announce the 2026 Internal Research Seed Funding Program. The goal of this program is to provide seed funding for research projects that have the potential to attract significant external funding. Proposals that involve collaborations across multiple colleges/schools are strongly encouraged. The seed funding is designed to be a one-time award to facilitate faculty research and encourage interdisciplinary collaborations to improve prospects for success in obtaining external funding or to develop technologies that could lead to commercialization or establish significant industry collaborations.

Request for Proposals (RFP)

To support and promote the growth of sponsored research activity at UMass Dartmouth, the Office of Research and Innovation invites faculty to submit proposals detailing their ideas. Successful proposals will have:

  1. Innovative disciplinary/multidisciplinary research thrust.
  2. Clear and feasible plan for attracting external funding.
  3. Involvement of faculty researchers from different academic disciplines and/or colleges/schools, where appropriate.
  4. Involvement of industry partners where appropriate.

Proposal submission deadline: Friday, November 14, 2025, by 5pm.

Complete proposals must be submitted electronically to the Research Development Grant Portal.

Eligibility

All UMass Dartmouth tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible. The intent of this program is to fund new research projects proposed by individuals or to encourage new collaborations. Previous seed award recipients are eligible to apply, provided they are proposing a distinctly new project or working with a new collaborative team, and have secured external grant support since their last award.

Award amounts

The total budget request may not exceed $25,000. Please see the additional budget guidelines below.

Obligations of award recipients

  1. Begin research on or around December 15, 2025, and complete the proposed work by December 31, 2026. Faculty should plan carefully to ensure that the proposed activities can be completed by the deadline. No-cost extensions will not be approved and any funds remaining unspent at the end of the funding period will be returned to the Office of Research and Innovation.
  2. Electronically submit a Research Progress Report to the Office of Research and Innovation by January 31, 2027. PIs will be asked to provide information about grant proposals and publications in scholarly journals, including those submitted, forthcoming, and in progress on an annual basis for 2 additional years.
  3. Make an oral presentation along with other teams in the Spring semester 2027.
  4. Acknowledge the support of the Office Research and Innovation when submitting articles for publication resulting from this award. The following statement can be used: “This research was supported by the Seed Funding Program from the Office of Research and Innovation at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, USA.”
  5. Consult with the Chief Research Officer prior to discussing any potential intellectual property arrangements with a company and/or outside entity.

Proposal format

  1. Abstract: one paragraph
  2. Narrative: Not to exceed 5 pages and must include the following:
    1. Problem Statement
    2. Project Goals and Objectives
    3. Project Design and Methodology
    4. Innovativeness and Potential Impact
    5. Research Team: In the case of multidisciplinary projects, describe how the project will bring together investigators from multiple disciplines, colleges, departments, and/or centers, any additional resources (internal or external) that are available to leverage the requested funding, and clearly identify whether the proposed team is a new group of collaborators or if some (or all) of the members have worked together before.
    6. Future Funding Sources: Clearly state how the project will help attract new or additional research funding. List the target funding agencies and/or programs and the rationale for choosing these funding mechanisms for the proposed project. Demonstrate that the programs have been thoroughly researched and are good fit for the proposed project. Discussion with relevant agency/program personnel prior to submission is encouraged and any such interactions should be noted in the proposal narrative. Include a justification of why it is appropriate to apply for intramural seed funding rather than to apply directly for extramural support from the target agency/external funding source. Applications that propose developing technologies that could lead to commercialization or establish significant industry collaborations should provide relevant details.
    7. Research Timeline
    8. Budget (not to exceed $25,000): PIs are encouraged to discuss their budgets with relevant chairs and deans. If the department and/or college is pledging financial or in-kind support, please make the nature of that commitment explicit. The hiring of undergraduate or graduate students is highly encouraged. Stipends for faculty at collaborating institutions and UMass Dartmouth post-doctoral associates will not be supported. Travel for the PI to meet with program officers at external agencies to discuss funding opportunities will be supported by the TRIPS program. Travel to conferences/workshops will not be supported with this program.
    9. Budget Justification: Provide a clear rationale for all expenses and clearly outline each individual team member’s role in the project. Requests for equipment, supplies, and services should be outlined in detail. Requests for items over $500 must include a quote/estimate from the vendor. Seed Funding Program funds are not intended to support large equipment purchases.
    10. Grants: Include a list of current and pending grants including the agency, amount requested, and the project period. If there are no current or pending grant applications, please make that explicit.
  3. Curriculum Vitae: (Maximum of two pages for each team member, does not count toward the narrative page limit). Include a CV for each PI highlighting work and publications relevant to this proposal.
  4. Intellectual Property Agreement: If the proposed project includes collaboration with any institution other than UMass Dartmouth, the project team must consult with the Chief Research Officer to determine if an intellectual property agreement is required. If so, a copy of this agreement should be included in the proposal if feasible. When required, any intellectual property agreement must be in place prior to beginning the project.

Review criteria

  1. PI and Team Qualifications: 20 points
    • Individual PI projects: Does the PI have demonstrated expertise and history of success in the proposed research area? Is the proposed work innovative, current, and relevant?
    • Multi-disciplinary and Team projects: Does the research project entail a new collaboration in the context of the Seed Funding Program? Does the proposed project have an innovative multidisciplinary thrust and does it involve faculty researchers from multiple backgrounds, colleges, or institutions? Does the team bring relevant, complementary, and integrated expertise to the project? Are the investigators well suited to carry out the work? If applicable is the industry collaboratin or technology commercialization plan available?
  2. Problem Description: 10 points
    • Does the study address an important problem?
    • If the project goals are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced?
  3. Innovativeness and Potential Impact: 10 points
    • What will be the effect of the study on the concepts, methods, and practical applications that drive this field?
    • Are the theories, approaches, etc. novel either within or across fields and disciplines?
  4. Project Design and Methodology: 15 points
    • Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the goals of the project?
  5. Prospect for Success/Environment: 10 points
    • Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done position the proposed project for success?
    • Does the proposed study benefit from unique features of the academic environment, subject populations or other regional resources?
  6. Budget Reasonable
    • Is the budget reasonable? (5 points)
    • Does the proposal leverage additional internal or external matching resources? (5 points)
  7. Funding Prospect: 25 points
    • What is the likelihood that this study will lead to external funding?
    • Is there a feasible plan for attracting new research dollars from extramural sources to continue the work?
    • Do the applicants adequately justify why it is appropriate to apply for this intramural seed funding rather than apply directly to the target external agency at this time?

For questions about the RFP and preliminary review before submission, please contact Dr. Jennifer Glass in the Office of Research and Innovation.

Please note

No faculty member can be released from all teaching responsibilities during the spring when a course release is awarded. Applications from faculty who already receive contractually mandated course reductions will be considered but will receive a lower priority. Faculty with externally funded course releases must use them prior to applying for this opportunity.