OIBR Seed Grant
The Owens Institute for Behavioral Research offers an annual faculty seed grant in the social and behavioral sciences. All faculty in the Social and Behavioral Sciences are encouraged to apply, as long as they are an OIBR Affiliate, Distinguished Scholar, or Grant Development Program participant. In line with the OIBR mission, projects must demonstrate a commitment to interdisciplinary research.
Seed grant projects may be used to gather preliminary data or demonstrate proof of concept and must be directly related to the planned submission of a grant proposal to a research foundation or federal agency. The proposed project is led by a UGA faculty member but can include faculty collaborators from other institutions. Because seed grant funds are only available to current UGA employees, if the PI leaves UGA, any remaining funds will revert to OIBR. All seed grant funds will be administered by the PI’s home unit. Subsequent grant applications must be either submitted through OIBR, or OIBR must be notified that a grant proposal resulted from the project.
Proposals may be expansions of existing projects aimed at further developing methods, hypotheses, or small stand-alone projects. Project description, submission form, and an estimated project budget listing main expense category, dollar amounts, and brief justification for use of funds are required.
Faculty seed grant projects are small in size and scope. Expected budget proposals should not exceed $10,000. Budgets are subject to reduction based on the recommendation of the reviewers. Funds will be made available at the beginning of the fiscal year, and all funds must be spent on or before June 30 of that fiscal year. The grant will be managed by PI’s home unit business personnel.
2025 Faculty Seed Grant Program
Funding Call for FY2026
Overview and Purpose:
The Owens Institute for Behavioral Research (OIBR) is seeking applications for faculty seed grant projects in the social and behavioral sciences. All faculty in the Social and Behavioral Sciences are encouraged to apply, as long as they are an OIBR Affiliate, Distinguished Scholar or Grant Development Participant. In line with the mission of OIBR, projects must demonstrate a commitment to interdisciplinary research. We encourage you to visit the OIBR website to find potential collaborators, if needed.
Seed grant projects may be used to gather preliminary data or demonstrate a proof of concept and must be directly related to the planned submission of a grant proposal to a research foundation or federal agency. The proposed project is led by a UGA faculty member but can include faculty collaborators from other institutions. Because seed grant funds are only available to current UGA employees, if the PI leaves UGA, any remaining funds will revert to OIBR. All seed grant funds will be administered by the PI’s home unit. Subsequent grant applications must be submitted through OIBR.
Application Guidelines:
Revised Deadline: 6 pm Eastern Time on March 24, 2025
Notification Date: May 15, 2025
Project Start Date: July 1, 2025
Project Spend Date: By June 30, 2026
Submission requirements/instructions: Proposals may be expansions of existing projects aimed at further developing methods or hypotheses or small stand-alone projects. Project description of up to 5 single-spaced pages (all-inclusive, except for references, ≥ 11 pt font), plus submission form (see attached) and a one-page estimated project budget listing main expense categories, dollar amounts, and brief justification for use of funds.
Project description should include: Brief summary/abstract including intended application of findings; Project narrative, including specific aims and expected outcomes; Brief background and discussion of significance, including: 1) how the proposed project contributes to the field of social and behavioral science; 2) researcher qualifications/training, including prior work related to the project and capacity to complete the project; and 3) a description of research design and methods. Project description must also specify the targeted grant submissions (agency, mechanism, PA) that will result from the seed grant project. Appendices are not allowed. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Faculty seed grant projects are small in size and scope. Expected budget proposals should not exceed $10,000. Budgets are subject to reduction based on the recommendation of the reviewers. Faculty must be OIBR affiliates prior to receipt of funds. Funds will be made available for project start of July 1, 2025, and all funds must be spent on or before June 30, 2026. The grant will be managed by PI’s home unit business personnel (chart string will be provided by OIBR).
Review Criteria and Process:
Applications will be peer-reviewed by an interdisciplinary ad hoc OIBR committee using the following criteria:
1) clarity of specific aims, 2) scientific rigor, 3) contribution to social and behavioral science research, 4) investigator(s) qualifications and interdisciplinary nature of the research, and 5) potential for future federal funding. In recent years, the review committee has noted a need for a greater emphasis on scientific rigor in applications. This includes the approach (research methods, procedures, etc.) as well as the conceptual or theoretical framework(s) used to guide the specific aims. Applications also should explicitly discuss the interdisciplinary features of the application.
Examples of acceptable uses of seed grant funds are payment of participant incentives; purchase of small datasets to conduct data analyses; data collection costs (which may include travel). Financial support for students is limited and will be evaluated in relation to the proposed use of funds. Any equipment purchased with seed grant funds will be returned to OIBR upon completion of the project. Seed grants cannot be used to fund faculty salary (summer or academic). Grantees are required to submit a report no later than October 31, 2026, describing how the seed grant funds were used and the project outcomes, including plans for future grant submissions.
Questions about allowable expenses not listed here or any other facet of the faculty seed grant program should be directed to Jennifer McDowell, Associate Director of OIBR (jemcd@uga.edu). Applications should be electronically submitted to Andrea Horsman, Outreach & Communications Manager of OIBR (ahorsman@uga.edu).
OIBR is a service unit under the Office of Research
|