Research Initiation Grants Program

The Research Initiation Grants (RIGs) assist faculty in the developmental stages of a research project with the expectation that they will pursue external funding for the full study.

Purpose

Research Initiation Grants (RIGs) support the developmental stages of research projects expected to lead to competitive proposals for external funding. The program advances the College of Education’s (CoED’s) strategic goal of growing interdisciplinary research excellence by supporting rigorous, innovative, collaborative, community-engaged, practice-connected, and equity-centered scholarship.

Funding Tracks

Eligibility

Full-time faculty in the College of Education whose appointments permit them to serve as principal investigators are eligible to apply. Faculty are expected to use available Research Incentive Funds (RIF) and start-up funds before or in conjunction with a RIG. Faculty may not receive a RIG for a scope of work already supported by start-up funds or another College grant.

• Individual Investigator RIG: The proposal has one lead PI and is designed to generate proof-of-concept evidence, preliminary data, or other developmental work needed for an external proposal.

• Interdisciplinary Collaborative RIG: The project must substantively integrate perspectives, expertise, or methods from two or more disciplines. The PI must be a full-time faculty member in the CoED, and teams may include collaborators across departments, colleges, Penn State institutes or centers, and external organizations. 

Strategic Priorities

Priority will be given to proposals with strong potential to produce competitive external funding applications. Additional consideration will be given to projects that:

• Advance interdisciplinary research through meaningful collaboration across disciplines, departments, colleges, Penn State institutes or centers, or external partners;

• Address pressing educational or human service challenges through rigorous and innovative inquiry;

• Engage communities, connect research to practice or policy, or center equity, access, inclusion, or belonging;

• Incorporate emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, digital tools, or data-intensive methods with appropriate attention to ethics, equity, and responsible innovation;

• Provide meaningful research training or mentorship opportunities for undergraduate or graduate students; and

• Produce scholarly, professional, or public-facing products that extend the visibility, accessibility, or use of the work.

Application Steps & Deadlines

• Faculty members are strongly encouraged to schedule a pre-proposal meeting with the ADR. This optional consultation provides an opportunity to discuss the proposed funding track, requested amount, unit commitment, project plan, and external funding pathway before submission.

• The CoED Research Advisory Committee will review proposals monthly. To be considered in a given month’s review cycle, a complete application must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the first business day of that month.

• January 11, 2027, is the final deadline for funding during the 2026–2027 academic year.

Use of Funds

Funds may support activities necessary to develop the project and position the team for external funding, including:

• Travel to study sites for data collection from University Park campus;

• Instrument or protocol development;

• Meetings with potential sponsors or partners;

• Exploratory or preliminary data collection and analysis;

• Purchase of research materials or project-related services;

• Undergraduate research hourly support; and

• A summer graduate assistant appointment (May–June).

Funding may not be used for course buyouts or faculty summer salary. Applicants should consult the Research Administration Handbook for additional guidance.

Funding Guidelines

• Award amounts will be determined by the ADR, subject to the maximum College award for the selected funding track. Applicants who participate in a pre-proposal meeting may receive preliminary guidance on the appropriate funding track and requested amount.

• The final award amount will reflect the proposed budget, project scope, strategic alignment, committee recommendation, documented unit contributions, and availability of funds administered by the ADR Office.

• Additional documented contributions from departments, colleges, institutes, centers, or other units may support consideration of a larger College contribution for an interdisciplinary project; however, the CoED contribution to the RIG award may not exceed $15,000.

• All RIG funds must be expended by June 30 of the academic year in which the award is made, unless the award notice specifies an earlier date. Unspent funds will revert to the College.

• All applicants will receive feedback from the committee.

• Awardees must submit a brief final report summarizing project activities, outcomes, products, student participation, partnerships, and progress toward external funding.

• Awardees are expected to submit an external funding proposal within 12 months after project completion. Failure to do so will make the lead faculty member ineligible for future RIG support until this expectation is met.

Proposal Review

The CoED Research Advisory Committee will review all complete proposals. Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Promising Proposals

If the committee designates a proposal as promising but needing further development, the PI or team may be assigned a research mentor from the College and invited to resubmit after revision.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

Cover page:

• Name, academic rank, department, and campus location of the lead PI;

• Names, affiliations, disciplines, and project roles of all collaborators, if applicable;

• Date of submission;

• Project title;

• Funding track;

• Amount requested and total project budget;

• Documented department, college, institute, center, or partner commitments;

• Dates during which funds will be used; and

• Abstract of no more than 200 words.

   

Narrative:

1500 words or less, double-spaced, 12-point font, one side of page only

The word limit excludes the cover page, references, budget and budget justification, biosketches, and supporting materials.

The narrative should be accessible to non-specialists and provide sufficient specificity for substantive review.

• Description of the educational or human services challenge, conceptual framework, and project objectives;

• Description of the research design, methodology, and data analysis procedures, or the creative or translational approach, as appropriate;

• Explanation of the significance and anticipated scholarly, professional, community, policy, or practice impact;

• For interdisciplinary teams, explanation of the disciplines represented, the distinctive contribution of each collaborator, and how those perspectives or methods will be integrated;

• Explanation of any community engagement, practice connection, equity focus, emerging technology, or responsible innovation component, as applicable;

• Proposed timeline, work plan, dates for expending funds, and anticipated products;

• Plan for scholarly and public-facing dissemination, as appropriate;

• Description of student research training or mentorship opportunities, if applicable; and

• External funding pathway, including the target agency, specific program or mechanism, anticipated submission deadline, and explanation of how the RIG-supported activities will strengthen the future proposal.

References:

Not to exceed 1 page

• Provide a focused list of relevant references. 
• References should follow APA 7th edition style conventions when applicable.

Supporting Material:

• A letter of support from the lead PI’s department head describing the required departmental commitment and how the department will support completion of the scope of work;

• For interdisciplinary collaborative proposals, letters or a consolidated memorandum documenting the roles and financial or in-kind commitments of participating departments, colleges, institutes, centers, or external partners;

• Ancillary materials important for establishing the project’s significance, quality, feasibility, or readiness (e.g., current or pending external funding, partnership documentation, or proposed instruments); and

• Provide a three-page SciENcv biosketch for the lead PI and each faculty collaborator listed on the application.

Budget & Budget Justification:

• Faculty must prepare the budget with the Liberal Arts Award Hub and complete the Intent to Submit Form.

• Individual Investigator RIG: The College request may not exceed $5,000. In addition, the PI’s home department must commit $1,500 toward the total project budget.

• Interdisciplinary Collaborative RIG: The College request may not exceed $15,000. At least one participating department must contribute an amount equal to 10% or more of the total project budget, including both College RIG funds and documented cash contributions. In-kind contributions must be identified separately and do not count toward this minimum unless approved by the ADR through an optional pre-proposal consultation or another documented review process.

• Clearly identify all cash and in-kind contributions from departments, colleges, institutes, centers, or other partners. Explain how each contribution supports the scope of work.

• Provide a concise justification for each requested line item and explain why the expense is necessary to complete the developmental work and advance the external funding proposal.

• Budget items may include a summer graduate assistant, undergraduate wage payroll, travel necessary to conduct the project, data collection, instrument development, research materials, analytic services, and other well-justified project costs.

Submission:

Before submission, applicants should confirm that the application includes all required components, documents the applicable unit commitment, identifies the external funding target and deadline, and complies with the narrative word limit and reference-page limit. Incomplete applications may be deferred to a later review cycle.

A complete application includes the cover page, narrative, references, budget and budget justification, letters documenting required commitments, biosketches, and any relevant supporting materials. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the InfoReady system. Visit https://psu.infoready4.com and filter funding opportunities by “Penn State Seed Grants.”

RIG Guidelines - Revised September 2026