Frequently Asked Questions about VPDoR-Managed Funding

The Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research (VPDoR) offers several research seed grants and internal awards to help Stanford researchers prepare for competitive extramural funding.

Find answers to the most common questions below. We encourage you to check the specific program page for more detailed information (see "Finding Funding). Please contact us at rdo-funding-programs@stanford.edu if you have additional questions.

Jump to a program section:

• General Information
• Propel Grant
• Grant Booster
• International Research Exploration Seed Grant

Who is eligible to apply?

In general, all Stanford Faculty with principal investigator (PI) eligibility may apply (i.e., members of the University's Academic Council or UML faculty).

Please review each program announcement and following the instructions as detailed in the call for applications.

How do you define a team?

A  team constitutes at least one Stanford PI and one or more principal investigator collaborators.

Additional collaborators from external institutions are allowed. Projects with Stanford listed as a participant or subawardee may be considered, with a strong preference given to Stanford-led teams.

How do I submit my application?

Applications are available in the Funding Opportunities Portal, powered by InfoReady.

Can members of my lab apply on my behalf?

Yes.

If you would like someone other than yourself to submit your proposal, please create a "proxy".

Instructions at: Have Someone Submit an Application on My Behalf (Proxy).

May I submit multiple applications to the same grant program?

No.

Principal Investigators may submit only one application as the lead PI per cycle, per VPDoR-managed internal grant program.

May I apply to more than one VPDoR managed program?

Yes.

Awardees may apply for future funding; however, applications will only be considered for those teams who have proven to be good stewards of previous VPDoR-funded awards.

Recipients with active awards must want until the cycle after their final report submission before they can apply to any other VPDoR-managed internal grant program.

Do applications need to be submitted to OSR/RMG for review?

No.

Proposed budgets do not need institutional representative review for these internally funded programs; however, we highly encourage applicants to work with their department administrator/financial analyst on budget development.

Is there a budget template available?

The Office of Research Administration has resources to help you build successful budgets and budget justifications at https://ora.stanford.edu/resources/proposal-preparation-resources/budgets-and-budget-justifications.

How do I know which costs are allowable for internal funds?

Please review the Stanford Purchasing Policies and Guidelines and contact your department finance, grants manager, or research administrator if you have questions regarding allowable expenses.

Projects are encouraged to utilize existing institutional resources, including but not limited to Stanford Shared Facilities or the Stanford Research Computing Center.

Expenses must be prospective; VPDoR internal award funds cannot be used to cover activities or costs that have already been incurred prior to the grant award period.

Do I need IRB approval prior to submitting the grant application?

If your project involves use of human subjects and you do not have an active protocol, you will need to create a new protocol before the seed grant can be awarded. (Do I need an IRB Submission?).

The Research Compliance Office provides additional information regarding Human Subject Research determinations.

My project was awarded but will not be completed within the approved time period. What can I do?

Seed Grant recipients may submit a no-cost extension request if there are delays due to unusual circumstances. VPDoR reserves the right to deny a request that is not well-justified or reasonable.

Requests beyond 12 months from the original end date will not be approved.

Please use this No-Cost Extension Request form at least 30 days prior to the award closeout date.

Whom do I contact if I have additional questions?

We welcome the opportunity to answer questions. Please email us at rdo_seedgrants@stanford.edu.

Tips for a Strong Application

• Write for a General Academic Audience: Reviewers may be from different fields. Use clear language and avoid jargon.
• Be Specific: Provide concrete details about your research idea, activities, and funding plan.
• Align with Review Criteria: Make sure every part of your application addresses the key review criteria as described by the program.

Need More Help?

• See the "Writing your Proposal" tab above for general grant preparation tips & resources, including guidance on What Makes a Successful Proposal.

Who is eligible to apply?

The lead applicant must be a Stanford faculty member with PI status (Academic Council or UML faculty).

School of Medicine faculty must have at least one co-PI from another Stanford school.

The project must be targeting an external funding opportunity within 12 months.

The external funding opportunity must be larger in scope, budget, or team size than typical single-investigator grants in the discipline.

What kinds of projects are appropriate for Propel Grants?

The Propel Grants are intended to support projects that exceed typical scope, budget, or team size expectations. These projects should be complex and have the potential for significant, transformative societal or research impacts. The term "large-scale" is intentionally flexible to accommodate different disciplines, but the focus is on projects similar to those typically funded by major research centers or initiatives. These projects usually involve a combination of two or more of the following characteristics:

• Large budgets
• Collaboration across multiple departments or schools
• A multidisciplinary focus
• Participation from external collaborators or institutions
• A strong outreach and education component

In essence, the Propel Grants support initiatives that have the scope, complexity, and broad impact of large-scale, collaborative research efforts. Examples include:

• STEM: NSF Science and Technology Centers, DOE Energy Frontier Research Centers, NIH P50/U54, DARPA large-team grants.
• Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences: NEH Collaborative Research Grants, Mellon Foundation large-scale initiatives, NEA Grants for Arts Projects.
• Other Large-Scale Opportunities: Cross-sector or multi-institutional projects with substantial budgets and broad disciplinary integration.

If unsure, applicants are encouraged to consult with RDO staff before applying.

What kinds of projects are not appropriate for this funding?

Consider the readiness of your project before applying. Propel Grants are not seed grants. Your project should already be well-developed, with key team members in place and a clear plan for how Propel Grant funds will strategically enhance your proposal's competitiveness.

Propel Grants do not fund early-stage activities such as team formation, team building, concept development, or preliminary data collection. We expect teams to have already completed the essential preliminary work required for submission. Propel Grant funds should be used to take your project to the next level, strengthening the proposal with strategic efforts that go the extra mile to make it stand out in a competitive funding environment.

Grant mechanisms that support single-investigator projects or narrowly defined projects focused solely on the specific interests and competencies of the investigator(s) are not eligible.

What do you mean by collaborative project "beyond the usual" in scale?

The definition of “beyond the usual” will vary considerably across disciplines and research areas. It is up to the applicant to explain how the scope of the project, budget, or team size goes “beyond the usual” in scale for their discipline.

Propel Grants support projects that exceed standard disciplinary expectations in one or more of the following ways:

• Research Scope: The project requires a broad, interdisciplinary approach, integrates novel methodologies, or addresses a complex societal or scientific challenge.
• Award Budget: The external funding request significantly surpasses routine work to advance an individual's scientific career or small-team research grants, such as complex, large-scale, or center-type grants which are often better addressed by interdisciplinary teams and may involve multiple scientific/administrative components.
  • A good guideline is that the external proposal should request at least 20x the Propel Grant amount (e.g., a $50,000 Propel Grant should support an external proposal of at least $1M).
• Team Composition: The proposal involves a multi-PI, multi-institutional, or cross-sector collaboration beyond routine collaborations, requiring coordination of diverse expertise.

Applicants must justify how their project meets one or more of these criteria in their application.

What can the Propel Grant funds be used for?

The Propel Grant is designed to fund activities that provide an extra advantage — the “cherry on top” — rather than those necessary to reach the point of submission. We’re looking for projects that are nearly ready to apply, with Propel Grant support helping to enhance competitiveness in what we know are challenging funding environments.

Examples include:

• Accessing archives and databases.
• Conducting additional, desirable research experiments (not initial, core preliminary data).
• Engaging with stakeholders.
• Hiring consultants in specialized areas such as ethics, data analysis, or project management.
• Hiring personnel for critical proposal development related work (e.g., research assistants, study coordinators).
• Implementing a triangulation protocol.
• Implementing advanced statistical or computational techniques to analyze existing data.
• Organizing workshops or meetings to strengthen collaborations and project buy-in.
• Performing additional data analysis.
• Conducting questionnaires and surveys.
• Travel for site visits.

The Propel Grant may be used to cover administrative costs directly related to Propel Grant-funded activities, such as hiring a student worker or support staff to organize a workshop or stakeholder engagement.

Up to $5,000 of the Propel Grant can be budgeted for proposal document development/beautification:

• Conducting an expert review of the proposal draft.
• Coordinating a proposal writing day to address feedback from mock review panels.
• Engaging professional grant writers or science communicators to ensure the proposal is persuasive, clear, and accessible to interdisciplinary or non-expert reviewers.
• Hiring a graphic designer or scientific illustrator for key proposal graphics or branding.

All applicable university fees apply. Propel funds may be used to cover these fees (e.g., fees for Visiting Student Researchers, shared facility hourly rates, dedicated computing resources on Sherlock, Oak monthly storage, etc.).

What types of expenses are not allowed?

Expenses must be prospective; Propel Grant funds cannot be used to cover activities or costs that have already been incurred prior to the grant award period.

Propel Grants do not fund routine proposal preparation tasks such as:

• Routine proposal writing or editing.
• Core administrative costs (e.g., standard staff effort for submission).
• Collection of baseline research data (unless justified as strategic).
• Conference travel unrelated to the proposal’s success.

What are the two funding tiers?

• Small Propel Grant
  • Focus: Short-term, targeted activities to strengthen the proposal.
  • Amount: up to $5,000
  • Application length: Maximum of 3 pages (excluding references).
  • Budget: Estimate of expenses requested.
• Large Propel Grant
  • Focus: Comprehensive research activities to strengthen the proposal, including collaborations and significant auxiliary work.
  • Amount: up to $50,000.
  • Application length: Maximum of 7 pages (including figures, excluding references).
  • Budget: Detailed table of expenses and justification required.

May I apply to both the small and large Propel Grants?

Yes.

Principal Investigators may be the lead on consecutive grants; however, applications will only be considered from teams who have proven to be good stewards of previous VPDoR-funded awards and completed the end-of-grant survey/report.

Outstanding reports will prevent all team members from participating in future funding opportunities.

May I submit multiple applications for Propel Grants?

Yes.

You may submit multiple applications, whether within the same grant cycle or for the same project, as long as the combined total requested across all applications does not exceed $50,000. This flexibility allows teams to request support for distinct, strategic activities at different stages of the external funding process. For example, you could apply for a Propel Grant to strengthen your proposal during the application phase and, if invited for a site visit, request additional support to enhance your competitiveness during that stage.

Each application should clearly justify how the requested funds will provide a strategic advantage, and activities should not be duplicative. The goal is to ensure Propel Grant support is used effectively to maximize your proposal’s success.

Note: Awardees are not eligible to apply for additional Propel Grants until they have submitted their impact survey or end-of-grant report from any previous Propel Grant.

I want to apply for a Propel Grant, but the anticipated deadline for the next external funding opportunity is still far away - what should I do? 

Consider one of our other deadlines! We offer the Large Propel Grant twice per year, and the Small Propel Grants are reviewed on a rolling basis every two weeks; deadlines are listed in the “Timeline” section for each.

If the work you need to do requires a longer timeframe than the Propel Grant stipulates, you can still consider applying with a strong justification of why you need more time between the Propel funds and the submission of your external funding application. Funding decisions are based on review outcomes and availability of funds.

I want to apply for a Propel Grant, but the sponsor’s deadline for the external funding opportunity is before the next internal deadline - what should I do?

Exceptions to the deadlines may be requested if the proposal is of high strategic value to the university and when circumstances outside the PI’s control negatively impact the team’s ability to participate in the next cycle.

Such exceptions require a consultation with the Director of Research Development, Kim Baeten, in VPDoR and are evaluated on the review criteria by an ad-hoc committee. Please email us at at rdo-funding-programs@stanford.edu.

Should I include the university infrastructure charge in the budget?

No. Because of the source of these internal funds, the university infrastructure charge will not be assessed. No indirect charges need to be included in your budget.

How are Propel Grant applications evaluated?

All applications undergo a programmatic review by RDO staff for fit and compliance.

In addition, Large Propel Grant applications may undergo peer review to assess the application, focusing on the significance, feasibility, and overall potential for funding success of the proposed research.

All applications will be screened based on the following criteria:

Significance

• The research idea is likely to be compelling to external sponsors.
• The proposed project goes "beyond the usual" for the discipline in terms of scope, budget, or team size.

Readiness

• The proposed project for external funding has an established foundation with existing preliminary work.
• The team demonstrates a collaborative partnership.  (Large Propel Grants only)

Proposed Activities

• The proposed Propel Grant activities will enable a competitive proposal to an external funding agency and increase the likelihood of success in securing external funding. Learn more about what makes a successful grant application on the RDO website.

Appropriate Budget

• The budget is reasonable (realistic and conservative) and reflects essential activities that directly address the stated needs.
• The requested amount justifies the Propel Grant investment and aligns proportionally with the scale of the external funding opportunity.

Feasibility

• The application conveys an achievable research design/approach for the Propel Grant activities.
• The Propel Grant activities can be implemented within the proposed timeline and budget.
• The team is cohesive and possesses sufficient expertise to conduct the research successfully.

Potential for External Funding

• The team will be ready to submit a well-aligned proposal to an external funding agency by the end of the Propel Grant period and has a backup plan if necessary.

How do you suggest the application address the review criteria?

Application Section	Review Criteria	Key Elements to Address
Research Idea for the External Proposal	Significance	Describe the problem or need and the proposed solution. Explain how the project aligns with the Propel Grants' purpose and goes "beyond the usual" for the discipline.
	Potential for External Funding	Clarify how the project will be compelling to external sponsors and aligned with their funding priorities.
	Readiness	Demonstrate that the research idea is based on an established foundation with existing preliminary work.
Propel Grant Activities	Feasibility	Detail activities supported by the Propel Grant funds, including timelines, milestones, and intended outcomes. Show how these activities can be realistically completed within the grant period.
	Proposed Activities	Explain how the proposed activities will increase the competitiveness of the external funding proposal.
	Budget Appropriateness	Outline the budget to demonstrate that it is reasonable, reflects essential activities, and aligns with the project's scale and needs
Team Composition	Feasibility	Demonstrate that the team has the necessary expertise to carry out the Propel Grant activities successfully.
	Readiness (Large Grants only)	Show the team's collaborative partnership, including readiness and past work. Highlight diversity and complementary expertise among team members.
External Funding Plan	Potential for External Funding	Provide a clear plan to apply for external funding, including details on targeted grants, timelines, and backup plans. Justify how the Propel Grant activities will enhance funding success.
Budget and Justification	Budget Appropriateness	Applicants are encouraged to limit their requests to only what is necessary for these activities. Large Propel Grants: Provide a detailed breakdown of estimated expenses and justify the requested funds, including any overlaps with existing support. Justify costs for budgets over $50,000.
Appendices	Readiness, Feasibility, Potential for External Funding	Include any references or documents (e.g., PDF of targeted external funding opportunities) that support the application and demonstrate preparedness.

Final Tips for Applicants

• Use clear, direct language – Reviewers may not be from your specific field, so avoid jargon and assume a broad academic audience.
• Make a strong case for Propel funding – Clearly articulate why these funds will provide a competitive edge, directly linking activities to funding success.
• Show alignment with the Propel Grant mission – Demonstrate how your project is large-scale, strategic, and ready for the next step.

I am ready to submit my project for external sponsored research funding. Is there someone to help me with my proposal?

The Stanford Research Development Office (RDO) aims to strengthen collaborative or strategic research, scholarship, and creative activities. Please visit researchdevelopment.stanford.edu for more information about how RDO can help you.

Must the project team consist of all Stanford faculty?

Research teams can include external collaborators but must meet the requirement of multiple Stanford PIs from two or more schools at Stanford.

Requests from teams in different departments within the same school will also be considered; however, the team must demonstrate significant interdisciplinarity between departments.

When will VPDoR consider applications from teams with multi-investigator partnerships from one Stanford school?

Interdisciplinary teams must include partnerships across different departments with substantially distinctive scholarly perspectives and methodologies. Teams will be asked to explain for a lay audience how the collaboration demonstrates significant interdisciplinarity across academic fields.

Can Stanford participate as a subawardee on the proposal and still qualify?

Projects with Stanford listed as the lead applicant or as a substantially funded subawardee are both suitable, as long as the proposal budget to Stanford meets the budget threshold. (i.e., total budget request if Stanford is lead, or Stanford subaward budget request if Stanford is not lead).

What types of projects are appropriate?

Grant Booster aims to support qualifying research projects and expects the pool to include large-scale, center-grant-type funding opportunities from federal agencies, such as NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, NSF Science and Technology Centers, DOE Energy Frontier Research Centers, DoD Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, and NEH Collaborative Research and Digital Humanities Advancement Grants. This list is not exhaustive.

What if the external agency requires my project to be classified as Other Sponsored Activities?

Exceptions may be requested if the external sponsor requires a different classification for research activities, so long as the full, federally negotiated F&A rate is charged. Teams will be asked for clarification and/or justification.

What projects qualify under the humanities, arts, and interpretive social sciences track?

Projects must be rooted in artistic practice and/or humanistic/interpretive inquiry. Quantitative methods are permitted in this track (e.g. digital humanities), but only insofar as they support the creation and/or interpretation of artistic and/or cultural phenomena.

Are training grants eligible?

Grant Booster aims to support collaborative research projects. Training grants such as NIH T32s are not eligible. Other types of grants with a research training component, such as the NSF NRT program, could be considered for support.

Note that, while NRC-FLAS grants fulfill this requirement, they are likely to be ineligible for the Grant Booster due to their restricted F&A rate.

My project is not eligible. How can I get support?

Other or additional support requests from VPDoR (e.g., for mandatory cost sharing if required by a given funding opportunity) can still be made outside of this initiative and VPDoR will take the contributions through this program into account, if applicable.

How do I know which international costs are allowable?

In addition to reviewing the Stanford Purchasing Policies and Guidelines and consulting with your department finance, grants manager, or research administrator please consider contacting Global Business Services if international payments are intended.

PIs should review the Fingate topics on Inviting and Paying Foreign Visitors and Proper Use of Funds.

Should I include the university infrastructure charge in the budget?

No. VPDoR will cover the university infrastructure charge if it is assessed. No indirect charges need to be included in your budget.