Finding Funding
-
Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (PIRI)
PIRI funds are intended to support interdisciplinary research groups that come together to address overarching issues with significant state-level, national, and/or global implications. PIRI support is reserved for multifaceted efforts that leverage key areas of strength within the university and offer opportunities to grow into larger research initiatives or centers of excellence. The vision of a PIRI submission should align with key federal priorities and be an area of exploration that could be supported by multiple agencies and external sponsors.
-
Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant Program (PIRS)
PIRS funds are intended to support initial stages of innovative, high-risk/high-reward interdisciplinary research projects that offer strong potential for external competitive funding. PIRS proposals may include conducting preliminary work and facilitating collaboration. It is expected that PIs will submit competitive proposals for larger-scale projects to external funding agencies within one year of completing the Research Seed Grant period. PIRS funds – sponsored by the Office of the President through an endowment from the Mary N. Miller estate – are especially appropriate for high-risk/high-reward projects envisioned and outlined by mid-career faculty.
-
Bridging the Divide Seed Funding Program
Bridging the Divide seed funds are intended to support projects that holistically address critical issues by bringing together interdisciplinary teams of arts, humanities, and social science scholars with STEM researchers. Proposals selected for seed funding will demonstrate how high-functioning teams will collaborate to bring together divergent areas of expertise to explore novel solutions to complex challenges.
-
Bailey Research Career Development Award
The goal of this award is to encourage faculty – particularly mid-career faculty – to pursue high-risk/high-reward research projects that are outside of their established research program. To win an award, a PI must submit a proposal that outlines a project that explores an emerging scientific, technological, and/or societal challenge, and could yield practical solutions and – potentially – larger-scale extramural funding.
-
Margaret B. Barry Foundation Research Award
Iowa has the second highest cancer incidence in the country and in 2026 is one of only three states where rates are rising. This award was established with a generous estate gift from Ms. Margaret Barry. The award’s purpose is to support projects that advance cancer research, especially from PIs within the College of Veterinary Medicine. The funds may also support collaborative projects between the College of Veterinary Medicine and other areas.
-
CEAH Research Grant
Proposed projects should employ predominantly artistic or humanistic approaches and have outcomes that clearly fall within the arts and humanities disciplines. Funds will be awarded to individual tenured and tenure-track faculty for projects completed within one fiscal year, with publishable outcomes expected after a period normative for the discipline. Preference will be given to projects that initiate new areas of research or launch new phases of ongoing research for individual faculty.
-
CEAH Digital Scholarship Research Grant
The Digital Scholarship Research Grant provides support for research or creative activity incorporating a substantial digital component that will make a significant contribution to the scholarly development and academic career progression of faculty in the arts, design, and humanities disciplines.
-
CEAH Symposium Grant
CEAH provides Symposium Grants in the range of $2,000 to $10,000 to support the creating artistic and scholarly activities, symposia, or other events that attract national attention and bring recognition to the scholarly work being done by Iowa State’s arts and humanities faculty.
-
New Explorations: Faculty Learning Communities
CEAH, in collaboration with the OVPR, seeks faculty interested in convening learning communities focused on developing long-term collaborations with interdisciplinary partners to create durable research teams, improve information flows, and set the stage for future high-impact research projects that cut across disciplinary boundaries.
These funds are for developing long-term collaborations with interdisciplinary partners to pursue ideas that bridge the arts, engineering, humanities, and social and hard sciences.
-
Digital Humanities Summer Institute Award
CEAH provides awards to cover the registration costs to attend the Digital Humanities Summer Institute at the Université de Montréal.
-
Brown Graduate Fellowship
The Brown Graduate Fellowship is to be used to strategically advance Iowa State research in the areas of study that are governed by the Valentine Hammes Family and Leopold Hammes Brown Family Trust. The program supports Ph.D. or exceptional M.S. students in areas of study in science, agriculture, and space science.
-
Publication Subvention Grant–Scholarly Works
Grants from this program are intended to support publication – in the appropriate medium – of meritorious scholarly writings and other worthy original works by Iowa State faculty and staff, as well as works by others on topics of Iowa or regional interest.
-
Publication Subvention Grant–Open Access Journal Articles
Grants from this program specifically support publication of open access, peer-reviewed journal articles in high quality peer-reviewed journals that allow free and immediate access to all the content upon publication.
-
Cost-Sharing Program for Research Tools (CoSPRT)
Advanced scientific instrumentation is essential to conducting cutting-edge research, promoting the development of new knowledge, and enhancing the potential for increasing sponsored research funding through expanded research opportunities. Similarly, access to other tools (e.g., data sets) is equally important to advance discovery in areas where durable goods are not the norm.
The goal of this competitive awards program is to provide faculty, departments, and other units cost-sharing funds to purchase new research tools, replace or expand capabilities of existing tools, or support de novo assembly of an integrated new tool.
-
Cost Share Funds for Sponsored Funding Proposals
This program supports projects with a sponsor-mandated cost share requirement or projects where voluntary-committed cost share is strongly encouraged and promises to create new opportunities for research at Iowa State.
-
New Faculty Start-up Funding
Iowa State demonstrates its institutional commitment to the success of new tenure-track faculty by providing start-up packages designed to support them in establishing their research program.
-
Digital and Precision Agriculture Seed Grant
This call seeks proposals for industry driven/commercial development partnerships with a focus on technology development, generation of intellectual property, or next level commercial funding and development in the opportunity area of Digital and Precision Agriculture.
-
Vaccines, Diagnostics and Immunotherapeutics Seed Grant
This call seeks proposals for industry-driven/commercial development partnerships with a focus on technology development, generation of intellectual property, or next-level commercial funding and development in the opportunity area of Vaccines, Diagnostics, and Immunotherapeutics.
-
Biobased Products Innovation Grant
This call focuses on development of expertise and technology relevant to commercialization of opportunities in the Biobased Products platform including biobased chemicals and biomaterials, biofuels, biobased fertilizers, ag biologicals and biopesticides, alternative proteins, fermentation and nutritional products, carbon mitigation technologies and up-cycling of waste and byproduct streams.