The Steven and Roberta Denning International Research Fund, administered by the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research (VPDoR), was created to help faculty expand their international network of researchers through preliminary/exploratory research projects.
The 2024/25 cycle deadline has passed. This program runs on an annual basis. Please check back in the spring for the new deadline.
Purpose
The International Research Exploration Seed Grant supports faculty initiating international exploratory research. Investigators can propose new partnerships to collect preliminary data and/or refine research concepts, potentially leading to joint publications and increased competitiveness for extramural funding. Alternatively, researchers may expand existing international partnerships to explore transformative yet underexplored topics, requiring further development to create a path for future funding.
Since 2013, the International Research Exploration Fund has enabled faculty to address numerous international research challenges they encounter. Examples of the work that the fund has helped with include:
- bringing international research colleagues to Stanford.
- traveling to the field to meet with international research colleagues to accelerate partnerships.
- conducting feasibility, pilot, and/or proof-of-concept studies.
- establishing research infrastructure at Stanford or abroad.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants must be Stanford faculty with PI eligibility (members of the University's Academic Council or UML faculty). This call is open to faculty from any Stanford school.
To ensure an equal and impactful collaboration, each application must identify at least one international collaborator with a leadership/co-investigator role on the project.
Applicants may submit only one application per cycle as the lead PI.
Priorities
Competitive applications will provide strong evidence that the proposed research:
- leads to international collaborations with new or expanded partnerships,
- is innovative and exploratory, and
- promotes research that addresses a critical need, as defined by the applicant’s field or discipline.
In addition, preference will be given to projects that:
- build partnerships in the developing world,
- establish relationships with new international partner(s) that have long-term potential,
- engage undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral researchers,
- develop international experiences for early-and mid-career faculty,
- articulate how the funds will help with future external funding, and/or
- demonstrate diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Applicants who have access to existing resources that could be used to fund the proposed project are discouraged.
VPDoR will award a portfolio of projects that are balanced in terms of topic areas and distribution across the university. VPDoR is committed to creating an environment that values and embraces diversity; applications from individuals from minoritized communities are particularly encouraged.
2024/25 Timeline
- May 13, 2024 - Application deadline
- May 20 - 31, 2024 - Review period
- By June 3 - Applicants are notified of their application status
- June 10, 2024 - Award period starts
- June 9, 2025 - Award period ends
- July 10, 2025 - Project report deadline
- June 2026 - Impact survey deadline
Award Amount and Term
Applications may request up to $25,000 for a maximum of 12 months. Depending on the number of applications received, projects may be partially funded. Funds may be used for:
- travel and living expenses (lodging, food, incidentals) for Stanford faculty, postdoc, and graduate student researchers,
- bringing international collaborator(s) to Stanford,
- hosting a workshop or meeting, and/or
- consumable supplies and costs for proof-of-concept studies.
The funding may NOT be used for faculty salary, course buyouts, administrative staff, tuition, capital equipment, or health/welfare benefits. Seed funds cannot be used for subawards or expenses on behalf of other organizations.
Please see the Stanford Purchasing Policies and Guidelines if you have questions regarding allowable expenses.
Application Format
Each application should be uploaded as a single PDF via the application form.
Font size must be 11 pt or larger with 1-inch margins on all sides.
Please include the following sections:
- Project Narrative (3 pages maximum, excluding references)
- Provide a high-level description of the problem and the research idea that you are seeking to develop or the hypothesis your project aims to explore.
- Describe the activities the grant will support, the research design or approach, and the intended outcomes.
- Explain how the activities will develop a deeper understanding of the research topic, as well as how the research idea might enable future funding.
- Provide a timeline for completion of the project within the one-year funding period.
- Explain the contributions or roles of key personnel and plans for the collaboration during the seed funding period and beyond the seed funding period. If applicable, describe how undergraduates, graduate students, or post-docs will participate in the project.
- Budget and Justification* (1-2 pages)
- Provide a detailed table of estimated costs and explain the need for each item to accomplish the goals proposed for this seed grant.
- Proposed budgets do not need to include indirect costs, as this program is internally funded.
- Short CV or resume for each investigator with a leadership role (4 pages maximum)
- Current and pending research support for the Stanford PI (include sponsor name, term, and amount of funding). Indicate any existing support or potential overlaps for this project.
*Proposed budgets do not need institutional representative review for this internally funded program; however, we encourage applicants to consult their department administrator/financial analyst on budget development.
Colleagues from different academic disciplines than your own will review your application. It is highly recommended that you write your application in a way that is easily understood by a wide academic audience. Provide sufficient detail for peer reviewers to assess feasibility.
Review Process and Criteria
VPDoR staff will first screen applications for compliance and programmatic fit. Then at least two faculty reviewers will evaluate applications and recommend projects for funding based on the following review criteria.
- Significance: Does the proposed work have the potential to contribute to the knowledge base or generate insights for future stages of research?
- Impact: Does the proposed work address a critical need as defined by the applicant’s field or discipline?
- Collaboration value: Does the project benefit from the international partnership and are roles among the key personnel equitable?
- Feasibility: Can the project be successfully implemented within the proposed timeline? Is the budget reasonable for the work proposed?
- Alignment: Does the application align with the program priorities (outlined above)?
Award Conditions
By accepting this award, the PI agrees to:
- submit a two-page final report at the end of the award period describing what you have accomplished and/or lessons learned,
- complete a brief survey one year after the report describing the impact and outcomes of the project in the longer term, and
- serve on future IRE review panels.
Contact
We welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants. Please contact the program manager, Jessica Boydston, at rdo_seedgrants@stanford.edu.
