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Research Funding Opportunities

The primary mission of ICTAS is to increase externally funded research through development of interdisciplinary faculty teams that focus on research at the intersection of engineering and science. All funding requests will be evaluated on the investigator’s ability to secure external funding and grow research programs. The funding options below represent a tiered approach to funding new as well as senior investigators. 

You can find a complete list of funding opportunities in the pdf linked below, while more information regarding specific application instructions and review processes are linked within the tabs below.

Funding opportunities PDF.

Contact: Chris Tysor (ctysor@vt.edu), (540) 231-9716

Due Date: April 18, 2025

Award Date: June 2025

The objective of this program is to build direct faculty-to-faculty research partnerships between faculty at Virginia Tech and faculty at HBCUs or other under-represented college programs/minority institutions. This activity may be in the form of sharing lab equipment and space, sharing technologies, traveling to give guest lectures, developing partnerships, etc. Faculty will self-identify partnerships based on their specific research areas. ICTAS expects the partnerships to result in future research proposals for external funding.

ICTAS has amended the timelines of this important seed program to better align with the university fiscal year which provides the maximum amount of time for faculty to use their award funding.

  • This year's call opens January 13, 2025.
  • Please submit one-page proposals by April 18, 2025.
  • Awardees will be notified in June 2025 of a July 1 start date.

Approximately 10 awards will be available for funding diversity and inclusion seed investments. This summer, the awards will be two-year awards, with each Virginia Tech recipient receiving up to $20,000 total over two consecutive years ($10,000 per year).

In addition, one of the awards this upcoming cycle will be a joint award between ICTAS and the Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT). Submissions that incorporate faculty from design and the arts from either Virginia Tech or their HBCU/MSI collaborators are eligible to submit a proposal for this award.

  • This award will carry an additional $10,000 per year for a total award of $40,000 over 2 years ($20,000 per year) and should speak to one of eight key themes that encompass ICAT-supported research, teaching, and outreach to include Reimagining Education, Designing a More Sustainable World, Empowering Data, Amplifying the Arts, Bridging Physical Distance, Making Big Discoveries with Immersive Technologies, Creating the Future of Work, and Engaging Community. 
  • Faculty will be expected to participate in two Pecha Kucha sessions a year via Zoom (August and February) and expected outcomes following the awards can be anything from commissioned art pieces, compositions, exhibitions, to journal articles, publications or student support. The key is art and/or design is deeply integrated in the project from the beginning.
  • If you wish to have your proposal considered for this joint award, please indicate so in the submission e-mail along with your proposal.

Awardees will be selected following a panel review. The following guidelines apply:

  • Limit to 1 one-page proposal per faculty member (cover page not included).
  • There are no template or font restrictions but please ensure you include the title, PI (Principal Investigator), school, department, and budget in your proposal.
  • The expected budget and any equipment or supply/material purchases should also be expressly stated in the proposal.
  • Funding may be used to cover Virginia Tech faculty summer salary, Virginia Tech faculty and/or student travel, student wages, GRAs, equipment, supplies and materials. Funding may also be used to support a graduate student in the MAOP program.
  • Cost share of $10,000 (total across both years) from your partner institution is welcome but is not mandatory.
  • Funding may not be used for faculty academic year salaries, or to pay salary or wages for non-Virginia Tech faculty or non-Virginia Tech students or to reimburse travel expenses for faculty at other universities traveling to conferences in locations other than Blacksburg. Funding may not be transferred to an outside institution.
  • The award funding will transfer the E&G funds to your home department to manage locally. Any carry-over funds between fiscal years will be managed by your home department.

Faculty are encouraged to submit proposals for research that addresses decarbonization and other climate-related issues, including low-carbon and renewable energy sources, energy utilization management, advanced materials, waste reduction, climate justice, and related topics.

Contact: Chris Tysor (ctysor@vt.edu), 1-976

Due Date: December 6, 2024

Award Date: January 10, 2025

This RFP seed funding has been established to provide small grants to current students or current student organizations in good standing at Virginia Tech to undertake projects that have an overall goal of breaking cycles of poverty and negligence in under-resourced communities around the world.

This should be accomplished by articulation and implementation of solutions that alleviate poverty and contribute to the holistic development of people and communities, using a collaborative approach, which both leverages and promotes innovation among people and nurtures a caring society.

Project ideas are welcome in a wide spectrum of areas such as health, education and infrastructure. Proposals that are 1-page maximum, show an interdisciplinary approach and are broadly aligned with the mission of ICTAS will be given preference. We are expecting to award 2 proposals at a maximum of $2,500 each.

  • This fund is administered by the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS).
  • Proposals will be reviewed by designees chosen by the ICTAS Director.
  • The period of the award is limited to 2 consecutive years for any project (future awards are dependent on availability of funds and reapplication).
  • Application must include a letter of endorsement from a supervising faculty member.
  • Proposals are being accepted until December 6th, 2024 with expected award date of January 10th, 2025. The funds may be used in the spring and summer semesters.
  • A final report detailing how the funds were used and were impactful to the proposed work will be requested towards the end of the fiscal year.

Contact: Matt Hull (mahull@vt.edu), 1-5812

Due Date: Rolling

Award Date: Rolling

Apply Here

NCFL offers limited 50/50 cost matching support to Virginia Tech personnel for (a) instructional purposes and demonstrations, (b) to collect preliminary data for external proposals, and (c) to initiate transdisciplinary collaborations.

Contact: Matt Hull (mahull@vt.edu), 1-5812

Due Date: November 1, 2024

Award Date: December 6, 2024

Apply Here

The NCFL Faculty Fellows Program offers faculty funding ($22,500/award) with the goals of:

  • Advancing nano-enabled research at Virginia Tech
  • Enhancing NCFL capabilities
  • Increasing the likelihood of securing external funding. 

Awardees must be a faculty member, use NCFL tools, collaborate with core facility team members, and plan to accomplish the goals listed above. 

The NCFL Faculty Fellows award may be used in combination with NCFL Mini Grant funding, and such usage is highly encouraged. 

The review process will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria:

  • Research Plan
  • Likelihood of advancing nano-enabled research at Virginia Tech, enhancing NCFL capabilities, and securing external funding
  • Use of NCFL instruments and engagement with NCFL core team members
  • Qualifications of faculty applicant
  • Appropriateness of budget

Anticipated support begins December 25, 2024, for the spring semester, and May 10, 2025, for summer salary. One to two awards are anticipated for 2024-2025, and winners will be notified by December 6, 2024. Please note that there is a limit of one proposal submission per faculty member.

Contact: Pamela VandeVord (pvord@vt.edu)

Due Date: 9/27/2024

Award Date: 11/1/2024

ICTAS is now soliciting applications for $10,000 grant awards through the Engineering Faculty Organization-Opportunity (EFO-O) program. The objective of the program is to support the transdisciplinary efforts of Virginia Tech College of Engineering faculty to facilitate the submission of highly competitive research proposals for external funding.  

The primary investigator (PI) must be an EFO member (i.e. faculty in the VT College of Engineering), but co-PIs are not required to be EFO members. 

Transdisciplinary partnerships across multiple colleges and/or departments are required, and multi-PI submissions are expected.  Anticipated support of each $10,000 grant begins October 21, 2024, and funds must be used by June 30, 2025. 

Up to ten awards are anticipated for 2024-25, and winners will be notified by October 18, 2024. 

Note: There is a limit of one proposal submission per faculty member (as either a PI or co-PI).  Please remember to inform your Co-PI(s) of this requirement.

The application for the EFO-O Seed Grant includes a proposal description (maximum of 2 pages), as well as faculty bios (maximum of 2 pages each) for the PI and each of the Co-PIs.  The proposal description must include:

  1. Proposal Title
  2. List of individual PI and Co-PIs (name, home department, and college).
  3. Details of the external funding opportunity targeted for proposal submission (funding agency, program, award amount, due date, and link). More than one external opportunity can be identified.
  4. Summary of research objectives and plans, including how the proposed work will improve the chance of success of your external research proposal(s).
  5. Anticipated budget: Include a summary of anticipated uses for funds, such as graduate students, post docs, materials, travel, equipment, etc. ICTAS funds cannot be used to cover AY or summer salary for T&R faculty, equipment purchases not expressly stated in proposal, or salary, wage, or travel for non-Virginia Tech personnel.  ICTAS will transfer the award funding as E&G funds to the home department of the PI to manage locally.  ICTAS expects all funds to be used by June 30, 2025. Any carry-over funds between fiscal years will be approved and managed by the PI’s home department.

The review process will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria:

  • Research Plan
  • Probability of successful proposal for external funding
  • Qualifications of research team
  • Appropriateness of budget

Note:  Priority will be given to applicants who have not recently received one of these awards.  

To apply for a $10,000 EFO-O grant, please incorporate your two-page proposal description and individual two-page bios for the PI and each of the Co-PIs into one single PDF file, and email this to Dr. Pam VandeVord (pvord@vt.edu) by September 27, 2024 at 11:59PM ET.

Submission contact: ictasseedgrants@vt.edu
Contact for questions: Jon Porter, jon.porter@vt.edu

Due Date: 10/28/24 at 5:00 pm

Award Date: 12/1/24

Application Instructions

The Coalition for Smart Construction (CSC) is a university, industry, and government collaboration established to serve as a catalyst for change in the built environment, including how humans interact with the built environment in all aspects of life: work, play, and learning. The CSC will bring partners from industry together with research and development experts at Virginia Tech to modernize the construction industry. By leveraging and integrating transdisciplinary strengths of Virginia Tech in key fields with private sector support, the CSC will develop a world-class integration and prototyping facility poised to tackle the construction industry’s biggest challenges.

Submission contact: Chris Smith, christsmith@vt.edu

Proposals to all tracks except the Innovation Track will be reviewed in two cycles each year. Innovation Track proposals are only reviewed during the Fall cycle each year. Expected fellowship start date for each cycle is described below, but may be extended in certain circumstances.

2024 Cycle 2:

  • Proposals due: Nov. 1
  • Decisions by: Dec. 31
  • Start date anticipated before Mar. 1, 2025

2025 Cycle 1:

  • Proposals due: Mar. 1
  • Decisions by: Apr. 30
  • Start date anticipated before Sept. 1, 2025

To prepare postdoctoral associates (postdocs) for the next step in their careers, fellows will receive:

  • Up to two years of support with nationally competitive salaries and benefits
  • Up to $10,000 for training and professional development-related expenses (to be used over the fellowship period)
  • Mentoring and professional development 

Fellowships will be awarded in four tracks:

Postdoctoral Fellows may be from any discipline or field.

The Virginia Tech Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is sponsored by:

Faculty Mentors

Mentors will work with prospective postdocs to develop a short, three to four page proposal. Submitted to the Office of Research and Innovation, proposals will be evaluated based on their potential to advance the independent research program of the postdoc, the potential to enhance the research program of the mentor, and alignment with university and sponsor research priorities.

Interested faculty may work within their professional network to identify a postdoc to partner with on the proposal. In addition, faculty may fill out this form to be added to the participating faculty list so interested fellows can find them. More information for interested faculty.

Potential Fellows

Potential fellows may review the list of participating faculty and reach out to mentors whose research interests align with theirs. Additional faculty may be interested in participating, so if a postdoc knows of an advisor that has a research opportunity, but is not on the list, the postdoc may reach out to them independently. Mentors do not need to be on this list to be eligible to host a fellow.

InclusiveVT

Virginia Tech is committed to Ut Prosim (that I may serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence.  As part of this commitment, reflected in Virginia Tech’s Strategic Plan (Advancing Beyond Boundaries), Virginia Tech is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Learn More and Apply