FY27 STEM Research Seed Award
The ND EPSCoR State Office’s mission is to support efforts of institutions of higher education across the state that result in increased STEM faculty capacity and competitiveness and a stronger STEM pipeline that produces our next generation workforce, educators, and researchers.
In support of this mission, ND EPSCoR seeks to provide STEM research seed awards of up to $60,000 in direct costs (State funds, indirect costs not allowed) to researchers at ND institutions of higher education. Funding will be provided to faculty for the specific purpose of generating preliminary data needed to support the preparation of a STEM proposal for submission to a federal agency. Funds may be used for materials and supplies, student support (undergraduate and graduate), and operating services (e.g., recharge center fees for sample analysis). Proposals must provide: 1) an introduction and justification for the research including fit within the current State Science & Technology Plan; 2) description of the research and data to be collected; 3) the specific federal agency RFP to which a proposal will be submitted; and 4) a short biographical sketch (2 pages) for all participating researchers. Priority will be given to multi-institutional (especially if PUIs and TCUs are collaborating), collaborative, interdisciplinary teams/research.
A. Eligibility
Applications must be led and submitted by a faculty member employed in the ND University System or ND Tribal College System. Applicants are welcome to collaborate with faculty from any North Dakota institution of higher education. Applicants/collaborators with past due final reports on other current/past ND EPSCoR-awarded projects are not eligible to compete.
B. Primary evaluation criteria
Scientific merit
Broader impacts
Fit within the current ND Science & Technology plan
Submitted plan to sustain the proposed effort and leverage the proposed project outcomes.
C. Allowable expenses (total of up to $60K in direct costs)
Faculty salary (up to 0.5 month of summer salary) plus related fringe benefits;
Student salary and related fringe benefits;
Research supplies (including minor equipment);
Core facility or recharge center fees;
Domestic travel up to $4,000 (i.e. to collaborating institutions or field study sites, or for conference presentations).
Budgets over $60K in direct costs will be considered for an application involving four or more institutions; however, prior notification must be given to, and approved by Mandy Guinn in the ND EPSCoR Office before submission. Capitalized equipment, and visiting scholars/researchers are not allowed under this award.
D. Application requirements
Checklist of Requirements:
Project Summary - One-page limit, double spaced.
Project Description: No more than four (4) double-spaced pages, font no smaller than 10. Required sections: 1) Introduction; 2) Proposed research; 3) Nature of any collaborations including the role and responsibilities of each collaborator; and 4) Anticipated results. An additional single-spaced page with literature cited can be included.
NSF-PAPPG compliant biographical sketch. Collaborations provide a biographical sketch for each collaborator.
NSF-PAPPG compliant Current and Pending form. Collaborations provide a Current and Pending form for each collaborator.
Budget form available through the submission portal. Collaborations add tabs for each collaborator and an overall project tab to the budget form (spreadsheet).
Budget justifications with a clear alignment to the budget form. Collaborations add separate budget justifications for each collaborator’s budget.
A tentative list of specific federal programs to which future proposals may be submitted as a result of this support.
All proposals must include a letter of support from the institution's Sponsored Programs Office (SPO) or an equivalent authorized official at the applicant's institution or organization. The letter should demonstrate institutional support for the proposed activities and acknowledge the institution's commitment to the successful implementation of the project. For NDSU submissions, please contact Brittany Dryburgh. For UND submissions, please contact Bryant Smalley.
E. Electronic submission
Submit all documents through NDSU’s InfoReady submission portal. A guide for accessing NDSU InfoReady is available. Submissions must be received by 5:00 PM CT on January 29, 2027 to be considered for funding. Submission of a proposal does not guarantee funding.
F. Additional information
ND EPSCoR has approximately $410,000 in State funds to award through this solicitation. No F&A is allowed on awards utilizing State funds. Awards are planned to be announced on or before March 15, 2027. The effective award dates will be from March 16, 2027 – August 31, 2028 (~18 months) after which time all remaining funds will be relinquished. A no-cost extension will be possible with justification. A final report must be submitted to the ND EPSCoR office through the NDSU submission portal within 30 days of the award end date. Awards are contingent upon availability of funds from the State of North Dakota.
Please direct questions to Mandy Guinn at mandy.guinn@ndus.edu.